Throughout the month of August, I Build America – Ohio will feature the stories of ‘families’ within construction. This is a great opportunity to showcase the loyalty in our profession. There’s one twist: ‘family’ is being used to mean both actual related family members as well as crews and teams that have bonded to form families of their own. In the past, we have featured multi-generational families within construction teams (moms, dads, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc.) and teams, departments, and project crews.
Name: Bobi Thompson
Company: Terry Thompson Construction / Built Brothers
Years in Construction:
Our story starts almost 40 years ago with Terry fine tuning his carpentry skills which would eventually allow him to own his own company (Terry Thompson Construction). Our son, Garrett, learned carpentry at a young age thus equipping him to continue his education of construction management through Ohio State University. He worked for Haskell – a global design and construction company – to now owning his own company called Built Brothers.
Do you have a specific family connection to construction? If yes, tell us about that connection. If not, have you found other ways to make strong bonds and connections during your career in construction?
The generational skills have expanded to include Terry, our 2 sons, our son-in-law, and our grandson – who eagerly helps and talks about his future role. Our son, Landen, earned an accounting degree at Kent State University. He works in the daily field and also manages the financial side of the business. Jay, our son-in-law, served in the Army with experience of deployment to Afghanistan. He then trained through the carpentry union and now works for Built Brothers. His son, Leon, (our grandson) sees work as a must. He wants to follow in his daddy’s footsteps. Having his own tool set – he’s prepared to learn and use his tools.
How do you think a family-like environment contributes to the overall success of your organization?
It’s been a privilege to watch this unfold. The Lord has blessed our family and we feel responsible to use these skills to help others and also to encourage and train upcoming workers. Terry and I work in a career center thus seeing a pool of young people who have an interest in the field. Garrett often looks to our school to hire and train others. He is also a vital contributor to SKILLS USA – taking a major role in the national competition (which he won his senior year in high school). He sees the value of skills and wants to help others along in their journey. As a family, we can discuss the problems and opportunities and encourage one another to see from different perspectives. Terry continues to coach our boys as they run into building challenges and/or suggest the latest and greatest new tool. It’s a blessing to see the intentional and real conversations and relationships take shape.
Can you share any examples of how the feeling of family or belonging has positively impacted your work or your crew’s work in construction?
We seem to have eyes in many places which allows each of us to contribute our strengths. As a mom, I’ve been able to use my skills to make suggestions as it relates to relationships and leadership. I also work to encourage our boys as they serve others. I’ve encountered students in our school in a way that allows me to work with them – thus them being hired at Built Brothers. We understand the need to invest in our youth, to model a strong work ethic, to show what integrity looks like and to work hard. The people working at Built Brothers feel a sense of camaraderie and belonging. They feel cared for. Sure, there are tough days and hard decisions to be made, yet Garrett and Landen – as owners, are attentive to understand and to adjust as warranted.
What can the next generation of the construction workforce look forward to?
We see in our area and nationwide – the need for skilled workers. It’s not just the skill but the communication, integrity, and solid foundation that is going to help people be successful. This is a serious responsibility and I’m thankful for the role our family plays to be there for young people and to model this type of reputation. As a whole, our family is invested in this type of work – either on the frontline or behind the scenes.
