In today’s fickle world, many are often willing to abandon what they know and like for the latest and greatest, especially when it comes to the job market. Construction is no different; many contractors will tell you half their labor will leave and work for someone else for a seemingly tiny pay increase.
That’s one of the reasons Danny and Deanna Williams are so refreshing. The couple, who owns Dan’s Marine Service based in Grafton, West Virginia, excel in a lot of different ways, but one of the most impressive is retention. They succeed where others fail in keeping people around for the long haul. In an area where qualified labor is in short supply, Danny has turned employee retention into an art form.
Treating his employees well is second nature to Danny, but he also practices what he preaches, sticking with those who stuck with him in the early days. The payoff for his allegiance is a strong company and a sterling reputation.
Although the company specializes in mine maintenance work, commercial water lines and gas well locations, Williams says he’s not locked into a specific scope of business. “We’ll do just about anything that everyone else can’t do,” he says. “We don’t look at a problem as a problem; we look at it and find the solution.”
The attitude stems from the way his business developed. Williams’ father was in the oil and gas business, and in the ‘80s, decided he wanted out. Williams talked his father into letting him have his dozers, he bid on a project and started working seven days a week. The project lasted two years, and once completed, Williams was looking for business. “In 1987, I looked in the newspaper and saw a marina job at Tygart Lake,” he says. “The state wanted someone to install and operate a marina.” Although he’d never considered a career as a marina operator, he successfully bid on the project. The couple still owns and operates the marina – the foundation for their company’s name – alongside their construction business.
