How Three Employee-Owners Have Made Their Mark on Our Business
Amir. A
HOW IT STARTED; HOW IT’S GOING
“I was hired as a Carpenter in 2017 and am now the Lead Carpenter on one of MN’s largest new builds—and will be running another new build in Palo Alto next year.”
TURNING POINT
“Steve.N planted the management seed early by reminding me on more than one occasion that there comes a time in every carpenter’s life when he has to rely on his brain more than his body. Carpentry is a tough, physically demanding gig—and the more Steve talked about it as a career instead of a job, the more it clicked that I had to develop skills that would allow me to stick around. So working my way up to my current position was sort of a natural progression for me as I started to take on more and more responsibility.”
WORDS OF ADVICE
“Be a sponge! Treat each day as a new opportunity to learn something about this company, your trade, and yourself. Also, as Chris.V once told me, when the time comes to take on more responsibility, ‘grab the bull by the horns!’ One more thing: Never lose pride in what we’re doing here. I tell my guys on the site all the time: ‘Take a look at what you’re involved in here. We built this together!’”
Anita.H
HOW IT STARTED; HOW IT’S GOING
“Even though my background is in Architectural Design, I started at MN as a Project Manager in May of 2013. I returned to my design roots in 2015 and was recently promoted to Director of Design at MN. I like to think my new position puts both my PM experience and my passion for design to great use.”
TURNING POINT
“After a decade of doing project manager work, I was ready for a change but didn’t want to leave the great thing I had at MN. When I shared with Chris.V my desire to do something more creative with my career and skill set, he gave me my first opportunity to design an entire house in Alameda from soup to nuts—provided, of course, that I Project Managed it too! More design opportunities followed and I was soon thriving in a new career without having to leave MN.”
WORDS OF ADVICE
“It’s as true here at MN as it is in life: No one is going to hand anything to you. You have to earn the opportunity and the trust. When you find the career path that inspires you, take the initiative to let management know. The management here will almost always give you a chance to prove yourself, but you’re not going to get that opportunity if you don’t ask for it.”
Alex.Z
HOW IT STARTED; HOW IT’S GOING
“I was hired as a Truck Driver in August of 2012, doing dump runs and supply deliveries all day, every day. Now, a little over a decade later, I am wearing two very different hats as the Manager of Scheduling and Field Safety for every project happening here at MN.”
TURNING POINT
“My new position sort of snuck up on me. Since I was a kid, I have always been super organized and wanted all my stuff in the right spot— and I think this sort of prepared me for a career that requires tons of organization without me really knowing. Management must have seen it, though, because they kept asking me if I was up for a new challenge and I always was. Suddenly I realized I was too busy with all the other stuff to actually drive a truck! That’s the moment I knew I was a manager.”
WORDS OF ADVICE
“I have two simple but important pieces of advice: Show up and have a positive attitude. That may sound a little cliched but if you do both those things well, you’re going to get some real opportunities to explore your career path here at MN. Regardless of what position you want, your odds of getting it comes down to your attitude and your work ethic.”