Just a few examples of what we've been building, along with our reputation, over the past 25 years.

"A 25-YEAR OVERNIGHT SUCCESS"

That’s one of Steve East’s favorite ways to describe the growth of CSM Group. And if anyone ought to know, it’s East— company president and a guy who was there at the beginning, 25 years ago. But the expression is not really as cryptic as it sounds, especially if you’ve spent any time around East, or any other CSM Group employee.

The “overnight success” part feels right because of the way CSM Group has enjoyed impressive growth in recent years. The company has had the good fortune to work on some of the most prestigious projects in the area, and people who encounter CSM Group employees frequently say things like “We see your signs all over the place!”

So it appears to many that CSM Group has indeed arrived on the scene “overnight.” But the success that the company has enjoyed, and the kind of company it is today, are both the direct result of the exceptional people who have hired us, worked for us, and most importantly worked with us throughout those 25 years. And it didn’t happen by accident.

The first indication that business was going to “spike.”

The essential ingredient that has fueled the growth of CSM Group was evident early on. Tim Ankney remembers one instance in the late 1980s, at one of the company’s early summer picnics (which could have been held in a back yard at the time, with only 12 employees and their spouses.) The event was progressing nicely when someone suggested they get a little exercise, and a volleyball game broke out. To save time, it seemed like a good idea to simply have the “Field Staff” play the “Office Staff.”

It took only a few moments to notice some things that both sides had very much in common: a positive attitude and a determination to succeed! The competition was friendly, yet intense. And it caused Ankney and other company officers to reflect on the kind of people that CSM Group had already been fortunate enough to attract.

In an industry that rewards those with energy, focus, and a strong commitment to move ahead, CSM Group had managed to fill its ranks with exactly those people—the people whom you most want on your side when you seek to exceed client expectations, and simply do a great job. The feeling was one of pride, with a healthy dose of excitement thrown in!

“There were lots of sore folks on Monday,” Ankney laughs. “But we knew then that we really had something going.”

One more like our best.

Perhaps it was just a matter of luck up until that point, but ever since, the CSM Group has placed an extraordinary importance on finding, hiring, and retaining the very best people it can. In a “people” business, what could be more important? It is very common for companies in many industries to claim “our people make the difference.” But few can match CSM Group in committing time, money, and energy into ensuring that they continue to attract and retain the right people. Through the use of carefully designed internship programs and the most advanced professional talent recruitment organizations, CSM Group is able to identify the best candidates, and in many cases see them in action.

But, while the “evaluation” criteria are elaborate in some ways, in another they are very simple. While the CSM Group workforce has grown, it continues to strongly reflect the individual talents evident at that early volleyball game: strong commitment, team spirit, and a desire to be the best. So in many ways, the best yardstick against which to measure potential employees is the current staff. Each time, the mission is the same: find one more like our best.

Special individuals make for a special company.

A funny thing happens when you continue to add associates with the same talents and ethics. Those things become part of the company culture, and CSM Group employees reinforce them in one another every day, on every project.

Over the years, this singularity of purpose has had an important effect upon the people who interact with the CSM Group. Naturally, subcontractors want to work for a Construction Manager that has a lot of positive momentum and deals ethically with its partners.

Likewise, CSM Group prefers to work with subcontractors who share its commitment to client satisfaction and effort “above and beyond the call.” So it has established performance standards which subcontractors must meet to achieve “preferred” status. With this model, the quality of work just gets better and better. And that’s a very comforting thought to another very important group: clients.

The client did it.

There’s no way around it; while there are many factors in the success CSM Group has enjoyed, it can ultimately be traced to only one place: our clients.

And CSM Group is very proud to have earned the trust of literally hundreds of building owners, from the biggest, most prestigious projects in the area to the many smaller businesses and organizations for whom a construction project can be as frightening as it is exhilarating.

It’s no surprise that clients welcome the dedication and professionalism displayed by CSM Group people at every level. And it is very gratifying that so many of those clients become loyal boosters of the company.

Time and again, clients who have experienced the level of service CSM Group provides will recommend the company and explain, in one way or another, that “their people make the difference.”

And coming from them—it means something.