Throughout the month of August, I Build America – Ohio is celebrating the role of family in the construction industry. In the world of construction, “family” means a lot of things. In some cases, there are multiple family members working together: mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, uncles and nephews working side by side. In other crews, the impact of family comes from working for a family-owned company. And, in other cases, a new family is formed through the bonds of working with a great team. One of the biggest drivers of new individuals to the construction industry is influence from a respected family member or friend, and we’re here to help share the stories of what family looks like in construction.
Gillian Taylor Henning and Gordon Taylor are the fourth generation of Taylor’s whose family has owned Ohio Machinery Co., dba Ohio CAT, since its founding in 1945. Their great-grandfather, Tom Taylor, Sr.; their grandfather, Tom Taylor, Jr.; and their father, Ken Taylor, have all preceded them in the business, so family is the foundation of the very company they now work for.
How many years have you been working in the construction industry?
Gillian started with the company in 2020 as the Corporate Communications Specialist. She has now transitioned into a Management Trainee role, currently working as a Rental Coordinator for the CAT Rental Store, where she will move positions every so often to gain further exposure to the business. Gordon started within the industry six months ago at Ohio CAT as a Six Sigma Process Coordinator, focusing on company processes, project management, and continuous improvement.
What is the role that family played in your decision to join the construction industry?
Gordon: “Before joining the family business of Ohio CAT, I was working in the event planning industry and after learning a lot through that short career, I was in between jobs. After a short time, the opportunity to join the family business and continue to build the family legacy presented itself to me. My family is extremely close knit, and my father has grown the business to something absolutely incredible. Being his son was definitely a critical role in my decision to join the family business.”
“Out of college I pursued a career in teaching music,” said Gillian. “After four years, I realized it wasn’t the path I wanted to continue for the rest of my life. I was deciding what my next move would be and I spoke with my dad about opportunities at the family business, Ohio CAT. At the time, there was a need to develop corporate communications within the company. A lot of my skills from teaching translated into that role so it was a perfect opportunity not only because of the nature of the position, but also because I got to work with my dad in the same department! I feel very fortunate to work in my family business and my love for the construction industry grows each and every day.”
How have you incorporated family into your job/work/passion?
Gillian said, “Because I work in my family business, family is a huge part of my job! I worked in our Corporate Administration team for two and a half years alongside my dad. It was a really cool experience working so closely with him and getting to learn his passion for the company, the industry, and our customers. My passion for the business and what we do in the construction world grew exponentially because of him. I now work in Rental where I get to work directly with our customers and help find solutions for their rental needs. It is so cool to see all the different applications in which our customers work from land clearing, putting in ponds and pools, building sports stadiums, to providing power for large events and concerts. The needs are endless, and I love being able to provide equipment for any and all of those applications.”
“My family is my support system, and my success is their success,” said Gordon. “I work for my family and couldn’t do what I do without my family. Family is what gives us purpose to do good work and continue to grow and improve. Family acts as my motivation.”
In what ways do you see “family” show up in construction? This could be literal family relationships or a broader sense of the ‘construction family’ within your organization.
“I see different groups of family all throughout our industry,” Gordon said. “There are the families of our employees which our wages benefit. There are the families of our customers. Without our equipment, they wouldn’t be able to feed their families and pay their employees. And then there is the figurative family of our company’s employees. We have a strong sense of togetherness and family all working toward the same goal. It’s a bond closer than friendship.”
“Family of course shows up all the time in construction in my life due to the nature of my situation,” said Gillian. “But I see it all the time outside of that as well! We work with so many customers that own their own small family businesses. Parent-child duos or sibling business partners working together is so common, which is neat to see. A lot of this work brings people together, whether you’re related or not. My team of rental coordinators across the state feels like a family. We are on the phones working with each other all day long coordinating rentals. If we don’t work closely together, we run into challenges for not only ourselves, but our customers. The rental team as a whole feels like a family and I’ve had such a great time getting to know them throughout this past year.”
Why do you believe family plays an important role in building the future of construction?
Gordon said, “I believe that family plays an incredibly big role in the future of construction. Growing up we take the values and moral of our parents and how they run their family. Parents are the ones that educate and expose their children to the world of possibilities, so it is imperative that parents get involved and educate their children about this industry and all the good that it does for the country and world. It is our responsibility as adults and leaders of our households to bring this industry into the future.”
