Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/860257
M att Whaley had a passion to run equipment from an early age, but had to constantly nag his father to let him to do it. His father, Ken Whaley, wanted his son to one day run the company he started in 1972 – not a bulldozer. Matt's rise in the company was incremental. He started by laying storm drainage, made his way up to excavator operator, stepped up to having his own utility crew and ultimately managed large projects. He started running the company in 2010. When Matt took over, however, the company was down to 15 employees and one job. As he sat running a bulldozer on that lone job, he realized it was time to make major changes. Similar to the process he underwent to hone his work skills, Matt decided to chip away at every aspect of the company. The first step: Restructure everything with the help of his brother Austin, vice president of the company. "Coming out of the recession, every construction company was struggling," says Matt. "This business is a debt-heavy business and only grows when the economy grows, unless you offer some specific specialized alternative. There is nothing patented about what we do for a living; there are a lot of people who do what we do." He believed that while Whaley & Sons was potentially on the brink of failure, it could make a comeback. They had a decision to make. He and the handful of employees could turn the company around or go bankrupt. "At that point, that level of stress is really what changed my life, because I worked harder on myself at that point than I did on my job," he says. "I underwent a self-taught school of EquipmentWorld.com | August 2017 51 contractor of the year | by Chris Hill | ChrisHill@randallreilly.com What we did yesterday doesn't matter. It's what we do today and tomorrow that matter. " " – Matt Whaley Turning around the family business meant going back to basics Matt Whaley began his construction career laying storm drainage. Matt Whaley, Whaley & Sons City, State: Kodak, Tennessee Year Started: 1972 Number of employees: 114 Annual revenue: $14-15 million Markets served: Highway, box bridge, commercial site prep, demolition, grading, utilities