Discover how innovation and flexibility keep Henkels & McCoy at the forefront of the construction industry...
By Emmet Cole and Produced by Sean Bakke
Headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, Henkels & McCoy provides project management, engineering, construction, installation, maintenance, and training services to utility, commercial, industrial, and government customers throughout the United States and in select international locations.
Henkels & McCoy was founded in 1923, and started out doing tree trimming and landscaping construction. Nearly eighty-five years later, the company is one of the largest privately held firms serving the energy, communications, and water markets. The keys to this success are numerous, but none more so than the company’s ability to maintain a commitment to integrity and respect in the workplace.
“We’ve been able to grow organically and be significantly diverse across different market segments,” says Jim Mulhern. “We have a history as a privately held corporation with strong corporate values, highly valued long-term customer and employee relationships, and a good sense of the company’s direction and ability to adapt in the marketplace.”
The keys to this kind of latitude are three-fold: an unwavering focus on employee development, a commitment to a consistent corporate culture across the company’s eighty offices and operation facilities, and a keen eye for innovation.
Employee Development
Henkels & McCoy experienced a watershed event when a 1938 hurricane hit New England. The company quickly deployed teams of linemen to the area from Pennsylvania, and the crews restored utility services. As it evolves, Henkels & McCoy continues to recruit flexible and dynamic employees who are able to grow and change along with the company and its markets.
“Being able to quickly deploy the right people to the places our customers need them is one reason why we focus so heavily on training and developing people, giving them the tools to be successful in a changing marketplace. We are developing our people for current roles as well as future roles so that we have the talent and skill sets going forward,” says Kathleen Mills. “Part of development is hiring for the future and having people with the skills to grow into more complex positions.”
Henkels & McCoy provides extensive opportunities for training and skill development to its employees. These include blended solutions such as on-the-job, classroom, and real-time simulation training that enables employees to learn in a controlled, supportive environment. "Recently we have deployed a competency-based system so people can see what competencies are necessary for success in both their current and future roles,” says Kathleen Mills.
Henkels & McCoy is working hard to establish relationships with universities to attract students who are interested in pursuing careers in the construction industry.
The University of Wisconsin is one example of a developing relationship.
Managing Corporate Culture
Communications at the local level, effective internal publications, and engaging employees have enabled the company to maintain a consistent corporate culture across a geographically diverse footprint in a period of rapid growth. “We try to get everyone on the same page, speaking the same language,” says Jim Mulhern.
The company’s private status represents another significant positive differentiator. “We make decisions based on the best interests of the organization and the best interests of our customers,” explains Mulhern.
Company beliefs in quality and safety are non-negotiable, and it shows. Henkels & McCoy is a proud Charter Member of the OSHA ET&D Strategic Safety Partnership designed to reduce injury, illness, and fatalities in the electrical transmission and distribution industry.
The company has also earned safety awards from groups like the Pipe Line Contractors Association, the National Utility Contractors Association, and the Texas Safety Association. Henkels & McCoy maintains a company Information and Performance Systems department, which focuses ?on productivity, quality, and customer relations on all projects.
Eye for Innovation
Henkels & McCoy stays ahead of the technological curve with its use of cutting-edge software applications, both off the shelf and developed in house to provide information accessibility to operations teams and clients. The real value is in offering customers real time visibility into how projects are going.
“We are using collaborative software for the development of proposals and retention of documents, and it gets back to the common language again,” Mulhern says.
“We have a pretty aggressive group within our own Information and Performance Systems department, looking to make the business more efficient.”
The company is also staying ahead of the curve in various green initiatives, having participated in several wind energy projects across the country. “They fit well within our capabilities, and they’re actually within the larger power market segment,” Mulhern says.
This innovative spirit, combined with strong intra-company planning and coordination, has led to recognition across a variety of industries over the company’s long history. Henkels & McCoy’s role in the construction of the first digital private branch exchange in China, the company’s efforts in helping to restore essential services in the wake of countless storms, including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and a significant contribution to the rebuilding of the Pentagon are notable examples.
Looking to the future, Henkels & McCoy established a Project Management Office to continue to enhance its services and value to customers.And with that foundation and history of success, the future challenges for Henkels & McCoy will be met with a strong sense of where the company has been and where it is headed.