Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/748269
November 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 66 "The word I would associate with Jim is 'value,'" says Peter Martin with Hilti North America. "He rec- ognizes that productivity is one of the key elements to his success, and providing proper equipment train- ing and support to his people is in- tegral in achieving good productiv- ity, especially in a metro market. If you're not productive there, you're losing a lot of money." Because he attained success at a relatively young age, MacKay makes it a point to lean on the experience of others. "You need to surround yourself with people with real life experience," he says. "You have to have guys who've seen it before." For example, MacKay hired Chris Pedrick, a construction business veteran, as his office manager four years ago. "Sometimes he has to slap me around a bit," MacKay says with a laugh. "When he started, I still had checks in my back pocket. Now, I think our books are the neatest they've ever been." MacKay says he gets assistance in the human relations department from his mother, Vicki MacKay, who works in the firm's office. "She's kind of like the defense lawyer for the guys," he says with a grin. "She has the insight and helps me fix problems. Your customers see what your guys are feeling, so we want them well paid and taken care of, and looking professional." Steam clean All MacKay trucks and equipment gets steam cleaned every other Sun- contractor of the year | continued "I like tricky jobs," MacKay says, such as this un - derpinning of an exist- ing building in downtown Boston.