by John Lawson
President and CEO, W.M. Jordan Company

My dad and W.M. (Bill) Jordan began their partnership in 1958. They had a very simple business model: separate, but clear responsibilities and mutual trust. My dad was in charge of the job sites. Bill ran the office.

Bill was the perfect blend of construction expertise, street smarts, people skills and work ethic. When he put an estimate together on a big, complicated project, he knew every detail and what it would cost.

On bid day he worked his magic to get the very best price from the subcontractors and suppliers by convincing them how important and needed they were to a successful project.

And almost every time I saw Bill finalize a deal with a customer or with a subcontractor, he would throw in one more concession that he didn’t have to do, just so the project would start off on a positive note. He never took the last dollar off the table. Times have changed over the past 40 years and our company has grown to multiple states and offices. We have so many projects that it’s impossible to celebrate each success.

One part of what Bill Jordan was still lives on at W.M. Jordan Company: his attitude. He instilled a culture of creativity, hard work, fairness, fun, kindness and above all else, respect. He retired in 1985 and died in 1991, but his influence continues to grow and expand with every new person that joins our company and commits to our culture and brand.

I miss him every day.

Originally published in IBQ – Inside Business Quarterly, June 2017