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A Winning Philosophy: Celebrating 30 Years of Success in St. Louis

Posted on April 16, 2009

Paric Corporation recently wrapped up a ten-year, multiphase construction project for Lutheran Senior Services at Meramec Bluffs in the St. Louis area. To cap off the $84 million project, the client threw a party that recognized Paric’s contributions. “It’s a senior housing project and the mayor, the owner and the residents threw a party to celebrate the completion of our work,” says Joe McKee, President and CEO of Paric. “They did not have to do that, of course, but nothing could be more affirming that we are delivering on our mission and our goals than that kind of customer feedback.” Indeed, residents were almost sorry to see Paric leave the site the contractor had been such a presence over the years as the project’s four phases were completed. Several of the hundreds of residents at the party regaled McKee with stories about their experiences with Paric employees they had encountered working on site. “They’d walk up to me and share their stories,” says McKee. “One said, A Paric employee saw me shoveling snow and came over to help me.’ It was amazing how well Paric people worked around the community’s staff and residents, but also to hear so many stories about Paric staff going above and beyond in personal ways.” Paric has also completed work for The Stratford Companies’ upscale senior living development Stratford at West Clay. It’s all part of Paric’s philosophy of taking service and stewardship to a higher level.

THE PARIC PHILOSOPHY

Paric is a strong regional contractor that specializes in agency and at risk construction management, design/build and general construction in interiors, governmental/institutional, hospitality/residential, senior living/healthcare, historic renovation and commercial facilities. “We work hard to take our services to the next  level,” says McKee. “What we mean by that is that we’re very committed and are intimately involved with our customers-and as such become partners and deliver our services in a way that simply is unparalleled. In many of our markets we know the customer’s products as well as they do.” In today’s challenging economic climate it’s a value-add that allows Paric to bring an ownership mindset to all of its projects. “Paric associates make a commitment to understand our customers’ businesses and what makes them successful,” says McKee.  “When you manage the things we’re responsible for, it’s important to bring the owner’s perspective with you. As stewards of their dreams and visions, we take the time to listen to the owners and understand their needs and wants. For Paric, it’s about being a good listener and about acting on what we learn.” Because Paric doesn’t take on every project that comes along, the company is uniquely qualified to aid owners in a successful partnership. “We’re not all things to all people,” says Brian Arnold, Executive Vice President of Paric. “We pick our spots and our customers and we make it our business to find out and know everything about their business. We become experts and that brings value in a different way. We offer the next level in value and service and that idea comes from customer feedback. They gave us their view-what it’s like to build from their perspective-and we work to raise the bar for their expectations.” Flexibility is a key component in that the professionals at Paric will do whatever it takes to ensure a positive experience for clients.

TALENT MANAGEMENT

To ensure a successful experience-from the senior living center executive to the resident who needs a little help with her walkway-Paric spends a great deal of energy and expense training its people. “lf you asked me to name our most precious asset, it would be our people,” declares McKee. “We’re really about hiring the right people who fit our culture, giving those people the opportunity and tools to be successful, and then getting out of their way and allowing them to do great things. We hire the best and the brightest but it’s not or the faint of heart. We work hard and we move fast. We march to the customer’s beat and we’ll do whatever it takes to make that customer successful-and you’ve got to be willing to make that kind of commitment to work here.” Paric has created a Talent Management Program to develop their people. Paric assembled a group of both senior employees and junior hires to get ideas on how best to develop and manage talent and to create a strategic vision for the future. “The organization has really put its money where its mouth is when it comes to developing our staff,” says Arnold. “We’ve made a huge investment in terms of capital and time.” As the economy contracts Paric plans to continue to focus on reinvesting in employees and tending to clients. “In addition to serving as stewards of our customers’ dreams, we’re also stewards of the communities we’re in,” says McKee. “lf you look at our core values, you’ll see we’re doing our part to make our community better. Whether its donations or volunteer work, you can’t find many places where a Paric employee has not reached out to our community and impacted people’s lives-and we feel that is more important now than ever. It’s no time to be cutting back on outreach when the need is greater than ever.”

Additionally, Paric’s work on community-oriented projects is especially rewarding. Recently completing the expansion of The Magic House-the St. Louis Children’s Museum-Paric found the challenging project a breeze because of the final goal: creating a space for families that is unlike any other. The Magic House provides an interactive learning experience for kids, teaching them about the world, the U.S. government and even construction, a subject close to the hearts of those who worked on the expansion. Paric takes building and maintaining its reputation seriously.

Approximately 78 percent of the company’s business comes from existing clients. Maintaining those clients is imperative to future success. “We strive to become better and better at meeting each client’s needs in order to deliver great buildings,” says McKee. “Clearly the biggest  challenge we face is the time we live in. For us it starts with taking care of our folks.” Coming off an outstanding 2008, Paric is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009. “We’ve been doing this for 30 years and I’m as bullish about where Paric is heading as I’ve ever been. I’m excited about the future,” says McKee. “We’re a very stable company and in a great financial position.”

Strategize, April 2009