Like most outstandingly successful organizations, Michigan-based project management specialist CSM Group has shown it can evolve and adapt to the largest of economic ebbs and flows, while remaining competitive in the face of changing market and client needs.
For CSM Group, this has meant that, as global supply chains have shifted, with many manufacturers reshoring and strengthening their domestic footprints, CSM has built the capacity and expertise to lead even the largest, most complex projects to success across industries and sectors. How? By doing things differently.
Focusing on its people and its purpose, on the relationships it builds and the projects that are its lifeblood, CSM Group has set the bar higher for safety and performance and advanced a model for workforce development that redefines how the construction industry can secure talent at a time when demand is at its highest.
Investing in people
Unceasing investment in people and new skill sets is the mark of the highest achievers across industries and sectors, especially since the shortage of skilled labor has become more pronounced in fields like construction, prompting leaders like CSM Group to radically shift their approach to talent attraction, retention, and development.
“Labor is a big challenge, and so, in manufacturing and construction, we have to think differently,” says Todd McDonald, Principal, Project Commercials and Sales Strategy.
‘Differently’ in this case means several things. It means giving people second and third chances, looking beyond the actions of the individual and instead focusing on the person and their situation to understand what may be acting as a barrier to success. It also means working with partners to collectively address these systemic issues.
As McDonald notes, “Those who might be underserved, or in poverty—we may not understand their situation. We have to ask them, and then we have to be able to put wraparound services in place, which we have, but it’s teaching our trade partners to ask those questions as well.” For instance, when employees are repeatedly tardy, instead of viewing them as unemployable, efforts can be made to understand why they are late and to make accommodations where possible. Bus schedules change. Life and responsibilities can become overwhelming. Sometimes it’s just as simple as adjusting a person’s start and end time to help them succeed so they can get their kids to school or catch the bus at a more reasonable time.
Doubling down on its purpose
CSM Group is also working with other firms to secure the required numbers to undertake projects of the most imposing size and scope. The company hosted four Contractor Resource Forums, issuing public invitations to any smaller minority-owned or veteran-owned businesses interested in partnership opportunities, present and future.
“They could come to this resource forum, which we used not only as an informational town hall about the project and the benefit it would have for the community as a whole, but we also used it as a networking opportunity,” says Senior Director of Marketing and Sales, Katrina Reed, noting that the efforts have had impressive results.
Three years into a five-year plan, CSM Group is starting to see the impact of changes implemented over the last several years. These have enabled the organization to align itself more accurately and better serve what CEO Stuart Mason refers to as “complicated, high-barrier-to-entry markets,” like biopharma, advanced technology, and other global clients who are reshoring their operations.
A big part of this push has to do with technology—not only staying connected and optimizing efficiency internally, but also building experience with the advanced technology and controls required by complex projects.
Tying this all together in a perfect package is safety, which is an overarching priority at CSM Group that extends beyond physical safety to include psychological security for staff and partners in knowing that their investments are being managed to the highest standards of care and skill.
“We are constantly investing, training our people, putting processes and systems in place, and training our managers to create psychologically safe environments for our colleagues to do their best work,” says Mason. “We go back to the intention of working with industry-leading clients, which then pushes us to change, to improve at every level of complex sophistication, and we bring that knowledge and change back to our people, our processes, but more importantly, the confidence and capability of our teams and our partners.”
Limits and how to push them
Part of safety is recognizing limits, and last year, CSM Group would not have had the capacity to undertake a project of the magnitude of the Kalamazoo Event Center, a private project that has significant public implications for the community. From Mason’s perspective, “The timing for this project was perfect for us. Our team was ready.”
The project itself—a 453,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex valued at $515 million—is testament to the value CSM Group can bring to projects of this size, but what’s more, it’s the culmination of a 20-year relationship and ambition shared by CSM and its client that will irreversibly impact the lives of a grateful community.
“This has been a project that was a vision 20 years ago. It’s taken a long time to come to fruition, and we’re very fortunate to have people in our community, such as our client, who are willing to personally invest in the community and in organizations within the community to have this sort of impact,” says McDonald. Through projects like the Kalamazoo Event Center and the Kalamazoo Country Club, CSM Group is truly having a substantial impact on the communities it calls home.
The Kalamazoo Country Club project seeks to provide a world-class experience for members, including course updates, the addition of a golf performance center, indoor and outdoor tennis and pickleball facilities, a bowling alley, and a theater, as well as four pools, a splash pad, and waterslides, making it a destination for the whole family.
Mason credits the Country Club project for having an in-depth sustainability plan before construction and a very clear objective of improving member wellbeing and health through building design. Built from mass timber, it is a marquee project for both the firm and the community.
In discussing the uniqueness of these projects, Mason emphasizes the pride felt by everyone involved. “There will not be another event center like the one that’s being built in downtown Kalamazoo. There will not be another Country Club built like this anywhere, probably on the planet. The level of complexity needed to bring all of those parts and pieces together to create that 100-year kind of vision that you know is the best-in-class customer experience is a very, very hard thing to do. There are very few organizations and companies that could do that in a safe and sustainable way.”
Success worth replicating
Whether it’s people, processes, or projects, CSM Group has raised the bar for the industry in a big way and continues to do so by leading with intention.
“We’re always seeking out what ‘can’t’ be done; it’s in our DNA. Clients want to work with companies that care about what they do, care about the people, care about their partners, and care about the outcomes,” comments Mason on the purpose and drive that lie behind the firm’s ability to be successful time and again.
This is especially true of CSM’s workforce development model, which can be replicated on future projects in different markets. “That’s certainly what we’ve been working to do with our ecosystem partners,” says Reed of the company’s innovative approach to talent acquisition and capacity building.
As it stands, CSM Group has a stronghold in the Southwestern Michigan market, but it continues to look to new horizons and possibilities, including Texas, where, true to the state’s reputation, big things are happening.
Acknowledging that the “how” and “why” behind its approach might be more important than the “what” it does, CSM Group continues to evolve while staying true to its core values and relationships, ensuring that its purpose is fulfilled and that clients’ projects are second to none. As Mason says, “Our legacy is that we want to do things that have a longstanding positive impact on the country, on society, so we’ve got to be very intentional about it.”
