Hunzinger Construction Co.
21100 Enterprise Ave., Brookfield
www.hunzinger.com
Industry: Construction
Employees: Full time-42, part time-150 or more based on need
The construction industry was one of the hardest hit by the Great Recession and the recovery has been slow as well.
But Hunzinger Construction Co., a 107-year-old company based in Brookfield, not only survived the recession, it thrived. According to John Hunzinger, president of the company, it was Hunzinger’s long-standing history and experience that helped it do so.
“Our story is one of multi-generational leadership,” Hunzinger said. “We’ve gone through a lot of economic turbulence throughout the company’s history. We know how to manage the challenges. We manage the company conservatively so that when the downturn comes we’re in a position to work through it.”
The company has a long-term growth strategy. Today, there is more activity in the marketplace, and because of the way the business was managed in the past, Hunzinger Construction is poised to take advantage of that.
“We’re certainly not back to the levels we were in 2007 or 2008, but in 2013 and 2014 we were able to start focusing more on strategic initiatives and strategies for growth,” Hunzinger said.
Hunzinger Construction is a founding member of a national construction peer group of general contractors throughout the country. The group meets quarterly to discuss planning and strategy in the industry, review challenges each member is facing and brainstorm solutions.
“It’s extremely valuable,” Hunzinger said. “We challenge one another and benchmark one another. We discuss employees, leadership capabilities, and innovative ideas that can make us all better companies. That process has been the driver of a lot of our decision-making.”
Hunzinger plans to continue to invest in processes and technology that make the company more efficient, he said.
Hunzinger said he sees potential growth in just about every sector in the near term.
“It’s not a steep growth curve, but we’re very well-poised. We’re lean, we’re conservative and we’ve been profitable even throughout the recession,” Hunzinger said. “That business model opens up opportunities for us.”
