Gaining Strength from Setbacks
J. Feldkamp Design Build team turns challenges into motivation
In business and life, all of us suffer setbacks, unexpected bad luck and circumstances beyond our control. While some see defeat as a reason to give up or change course, others refuse to give in and instead use disappointment as energy to fuel success. Such is the case with the team at J. Feldkamp Design Build (JFDB), a family-run heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing and pipe-building company run by Jon and Joel Feldkamp and their father, Jody, who is now semi-retired.
For decades, Jody worked alongside his brothers at another family business, Feldkamp Enterprises Inc., an HVAC/R company started by his father, Jim, in the 1960s. Jody’s elder son, Jon, spent his spare time from the age of 12 working at Feldkamp Enterprises, and both father and son were wholly dedicated to the company. But in 2005, after a big falling out with his brothers, Jody was asked to leave. Jon, devastated by the circumstances, followed his father, and the two set up a new business in 2006, working out of Jody’s garage.
“My dad wanted to be in that company. He built a division of that business. I don’t know if he became expendable, but it doesn’t matter. This motivated us to do better than the rest,” Jon says. “That’s part of the edge, what makes me who I am.”
Another Crisis Hits
They started the business with a plan to remain small and to focus on retaining the strong client relationships they had built over years of working in the industry. The business grew to a team of eight. However, when the 2008 economic crisis occurred, the new company was hit hard.
“The recession nearly put us out of business. We were struggling,” says Jon. They weathered the storm by taking on multiple roles–selling products and installing HVAC/R systems along with providing plumbing and pipefitting services.
It was during this period that Jon, then in his mid-20s, saw most of his industry peers being fired or choosing to leave the construction industry for other professions.
“I refer to people my age as unicorns. The people who made it through that time were the best in the industry,” Jon says. He formed strong relationships with those he met working in the field—and those relationships helped him to differentiate JFDB from its competitors.
Eventually, as the impact from the recession ceased, the business began to grow at a rapid pace. Jon’s brother Joel joined the company and is now Vice President and partner with Jon, who is President. Today, JFDB employs 136 people, all of whom Jon calls the best workers in the industry. Over the last five years, many of these employees have left competitors that are more established in the industry to join the JFDB team.
“Every key person in our business at one point was either let go from a business or told they weren’t good enough,” Jon says. “Something happened to each one of them that was beyond their control and didn’t reflect their capabilities. But that setback makes them work even harder. Together, we’re the strongest team we can have.”
Motivating the Next Generation
These days, the biggest challenge that JFDB faces is finding skilled tradespeople. Jon estimates that he could grow the business twofold because there is so much work available, but the workforce isn’t available to carry it out.
“We went through a span of seven to eight years during and after the recession where there were no new young people joining the industry because there was no work,” says Jon. “The best people in our industry will begin to retire in the next 15 to 20 years.”
The company actively recruits young people to the trade through the Association of Builders and Contractors (ABC) Apprenticeship, a paid apprenticeship program that takes about four to six years to complete. The program includes twice-weekly classroom training and comes with the opportunity to learn on the job. According to Jon, after they have completed this program, employees have the potential to earn a six-figure salary at JFDB .
The company is currently training 20 apprentices, and they continue to encourage more people to enroll in the program. “It’s a fantastic career if you’re willing to put the time in,” says Jon.
Evolving to Succeed
As the company has grown bigger, so has the scale and value of the projects. Over the past four years, JFDB has been building 3D models of their installations for projects with budgets of more than $1 million. This in-house expertise requires an investment of time and money but allows the company to order products more accurately and efficiently–and to ensure that no clashes occur on-site. This saves time, resources, money and energy.
In recent years, many of JFDB’s competitors who use this technology have started to shrink their in-house resources and outsource the modeling work overseas to make it more affordable, Jon says. This is something that JFDB refuses to do.
“I’m not a fan of that approach; I’ve seen some poor-quality work result from that,” Jon says. Instead, he explains, JFDB has chosen to differentiate itself from its competitors by focusing on quality and personal relationships built in the field.
“I think a person has to be able to come to the site. You can only do so much from a computer screen,” says Jon.
Building Relationships
JFDB’s personal approach and emphasis on building relationships extends outside of business hours. Joel sits on the board and serves as the Director of Community Outreach for the Reid Rizzo Foundation, which was set up in honor of his friend Reid Rizzo, who passed away at 21 from cardiomyopathy. The Foundation raises funds to benefit other people (and their families) with similar heart conditions, enhance awareness and support research. The Foundation’s outreach program has volunteers who support families of patients with cardiomyopathy and other heart related conditions at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Stronger Together
JFDB’s projects are often high pressure and high stress, and the company relies on a skilled team in both the office and in the field to work hard to meet deadlines and budgets. The company’s management notices this work and dedicates a great deal of attention to showing its appreciation–through bonuses and company gatherings as well as by maintaining strong personal connections with employees and their families.
The office team comprises 30 people who are close-knit, who share similar values and who are motivated for the company not only to succeed but also to be the best in the industry.
“There were presidents and heads of corporations that I worked for that had people working for them for 20 years and they didn’t know their names. We’re different than that,” Jon says. “I make sure I know everyone’s name who works in the field, their family’s story and where they came from.”