“We’re not about transactions here; we’re about relationships. We’re builders, but we’re builders of relationships.”
When a business has been around for almost a century like we have, you may wonder: what is the secret to their success?
For Menno S. Martin, our “secret” is, well, anything but secret: it’s consistently staying true to the core values that were instilled by our founder, Menno S. Martin, way back in 1942 – known around here as Putting People First.
Art Janzen and Trent Bauman took over as co-owners in 2010 from Laverne Brubacher, who had bought the business from Menno in 1968. At the time, Laverne emphasized the foundational values that Menno had built the company on to the incoming owners:
“Laverne said: ‘We’re not about transactions here; we’re about relationships. We’re builders, but we’re builders of relationships,’” Art recalls.
It is this forward thinking that has set Menno S. Martin apart from day one. Art and Trent, who were naturally aligned with this philosophy, were keen to continue it onwards.
“Menno and Laverne were very progressive in that way,” says Art. “Trent and I have taken that leadership style and enhanced it to align with current times.”
As the third generation of owners, Art and Trent have built upon that foundation, adding some modernizations as times have changed, like more vacation time for staff, more sick days, and a conscious emphasis on work-life balance.
Because we build relationships with our staff that are based on trust and collaboration, they are empowered to take ownership over their work. Many stay with us for the long-term, teaching new employees as they join us. The result is that the quality of our work stays high because we have consistency in our workmanship.
“The people that we have are definitely a key factor to our success,” says Trent.
“To have staff stay with you, you have to treat them right. The way that we take care of everyone here is a major reason why we don’t experience the high staff turnover like we see in other organizations.”
“We go above and beyond with how we treat our staff compared to others,” says Art. “But we don’t have to try that hard – it’s just what we do. It’s how we’ve been ingrained. It’s a value that we don’t take for granted, and one that we really put a high emphasis on.”
These values extend beyond the walls of Menno; they’re what we take with us in client meetings and on the job site every day.
Subcontractors often tell us that they love coming to our job sites because they know that not only will everything be ready for them when they get there, but that they will be treated with the same philosophy of trust and collaboration as our staff.
“When you talk about standards of quality and craftsmanship, that goes back to the relationships that we have with our subtrades,” says Art. “We carefully work with them to maintain that high level of standard, and they love working with us partially because they get to do what they do at a high level of craftsmanship.”
One of our biggest keys to success is building genuine relationships with our renovation clients, and it is a value that withstands the test of time. With some contractors it may be strictly business, but with Menno, we treat your home and family with the same care and respect as our own.
“Because we’re working in people’s homes – we’re meeting clients first thing in the morning, we’re taking in newspapers or shoveling driveways – there’s an undercurrent of ‘family’ during a renovation project,” says Trent. “It’s like we’re moving in with you, and we’re going to create a good environment while we’re doing that.”
While some things have changed over the last eight decades, it’s our foundational values, set by Menno and Laverne, that have been the cornerstones for our longevity. We’ve always been ahead of our time in our approach, and that is what has helped us stand the test of time – for 80 years and counting.