The Fort #255: Greg "Gordo" Gordon - Founder/CEO of Gordon Highlander - A Leader On a Mission To Build Something Different
Greg Gordon has a rich history in construction as a third-generation builder with over 25 years of industry experience. He started his career in shell construction and eventually transitioned to commercial interiors before founding Gordon Highlander in 2007.
Under Greg’s leadership Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth and received numerous awards as a result. But Greg’s true passion is for people and the relationships developed with both his team and clients. With a servant leadership approach to business, he has built a team of leaders who take ownership and pride in their work. It’s a reflect the organization’s mission of “building a legacy of helping others reach their God-given potential”. Greg attributes Gordon Highlander’s success to this culture model.
On this episode Chris and Greg Discuss:
- a look into the commercial construction industry from 2007-Present
- what it's like to build for Amazon and how they built a prototype in 6 weeks
- how Greg views leadership and building a world-class culture
- leadership above and beyond "HR"
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Topics:
(3:22) - Gordo’s experience as 3rd generation in the Construction industry
(5:12) - What does Gordon Highlander do?
(7:57) - What is a “Gordon Highlander”?
(10:03) - How has Industrial Finish-out evolved since ’07?
(15:10) - At what point in development does GH get involved?
(18:18) - What does a perfect project look like to you?
(19:44) - How do you budget a project in this market?
(23:45) - Are there any permanent changes to the industry since 2020?
(28:00) - What do people need to unlearn?
(31:42) - What are you seeing in Industrial innovation?
(36:47) - Developing the GH/Amazon relationship
(46:25) - How do you think about the final days of a project?
(47:15) - What are you seeing in the market?
(51:40) - What’s different in building office within industrial and office in a place like Old-Parkland?
(54:52) - How do you think about change orders?
(56:35) - The headlines vs. reality pertaining to Amazon slowing down development
(58:24) - How do you think about legacy, servant leadership and culture?
(1:06:51) - Teaching culture at Gordon Highlander
(1:11:36) - Advice for young people
(1:12:49) - Friendship, business
(1:18:00) - Pain distorts your memory
(1:19:51) - Treating your employees like people