We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Lengyel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.
Ryan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
“We learn more from our failures than we do from our successes.”
I first heard this from my father-in-law and mentor back in 2016 after experiencing our first “bust” on a project we were hired to perform as a sub-contractor. CRG has always been a General Contractor, but being young and hungry to grow, we were presented with an opportunity to install flooring for a medical type of facility outside of Kansas City. The project did not go well, to say the least, but we quickly learned what type of company we wanted to be.
Following that failure, CRG became the General Contractor we are today. We are a General Contractor who stands behind our work. When we make a commitment to do something, we do it. Two of our core values encompass how we operate – INTEGRITY and ACCOUNTABILITY. We give everything 100% effort and it shines through in our quality of work, our communication, and the long-standing relationships we’ve built with our clients.
Looking back at all of CRG’s failures over the years, one thing we can say with confidence is that when we make an error, we own it, and we fix it. CRG is not a company that passes the blame on others, instead, we do what is right and stand by our name. I strongly believe that this mindset separates us from our competitors because when $$$$ hits the fan, we will never leave our clients high and dry.
So, back to your question of why CRG took the risk and how it turned out – failure is inevitable, you can’t let the idea of failure scare you out of taking chances, and when you fail … learn from it and become better at what you do.
CanvasRebel Interview with Ryan Lengyel
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
After graduating from college, I took a job as a Jr. Project Manager for a local construction company in Kansas City. I had some construction experience that I picked up over the years during my childhood, but nothing more than a general understanding of how things were built. Next, I ended up working for a large corporation that manufactured and sold building materials which gave me an incredible insight into how to supply world works, a deep understanding of building materials and their uses, and introductions to a lot of local vendors who I would ultimately end up purchasing materials from when CRG was founded in 2015.
When CRG became a reality, while I didn’t know much, I knew right away that I wanted to create a culture that bread success. An environment where each employee played a vital role in the trajectory of the company. A place where everyone has a key role and isn’t just a number. If you talk to anyone who works at CRG or has worked at CRG at some point or another, you will hear how great CRG is to work with. It is important for everyone to have value and to make positive contributions to our success as a growing company.
This carries over to our clients, we treat them as if they are part of our team. From our constant communication to our follow-up/follow-through, we strive to be the best partner out there. If our clients aren’t happy with something, we jump on it immediately and ensure them that it will be taken care of.
CRG is a brand that exudes professionalism and commitment. We value teamwork and respect everyone we are fortunate to work with and work for. As our mission statement says, “We fill a vital role in the construction industry by providing quality general contracting services as a trustworthy company, treating every project and client with the same professionalism, dedication, and respect.”
Any advice for managing a team?
When it comes to a team and morale, I always reflect on my days of playing baseball. I was fortunate to play baseball at a high level, with great teams and groups of people.
It was important to everyone that I played with to enjoy what we were doing, day in and day out. But we understood the importance of getting better at our craft, playing together as a team, picking people up when they were down, and being there for the team.
In my opinion, for one to manage a team successfully while maintaining a positive morale, it starts at the top. As a leader, a manager, a business owner, etc., you have to lead by example. If you want your team to trust you and follow you, you have to be willing to do what it takes to get the job done. If you want your team to do things a certain way, show them how to do it. It is easy to point a finger and tell someone to do something, but without proper guidance and influence, you will only get out what you put in.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
How I met my business partner, I married one’s sister. Short and sweet.
CRG’s Chief Financial Officer, Paul Licausi, Jr., is my brother-in-law. Paul and I are a great example of how two completely different personalities can work well together. While I am out selling, managing projects, and running the day-to-day from an operations perspective, Paul keeps his finger on the pulse of CRG’s financial well-being. We certainly don’t always see eye to eye, but we balance each other well. Without our partnership, CRG wouldn’t be where we are today.
CanvasRebel Interview with Ryan Lengyel
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