Final Chapter of a Builder’s Journey

Final Chapter of a Builder’s Journey

Author: Keith Wayne, CEO  

Turning sixty-five this month is reason enough to pause and reflect on my 40-plus-year career in construction. I can’t imagine a better path than the straight course of building, mostly vertical buildings, but also a wide range of industrial projects and even a few resemblances of horizontal roadways and bridge structures. It has been deeply rewarding, filling my days with constant thoughts of how to push through and make up tomorrow for what couldn’t get finished today.

It brings to mind a musical favorite from my teenage years, 1972: Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle”—

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them

Once I found my pathway to becoming a builder, I never looked back. Reflecting now, I can’t find a single regret in the choices I’ve made. My only wish is for more time with the team here at Wayne Brothers, to watch them grow the organization into an even greater success story.

Much like in the past, today’s economic landscape continues to shape opportunities. As always, tough times: whether brought on by financial crises, recessions, or higher-than-desired interest rates, and now slow construction starts. That slowdown often leads to overly aggressive bidding for fewer projects. Our pipeline of new contracts began to slow in Q3 of 2024, and our backlog is lower than it was a year ago. Encouragingly, new opportunities are on the rise again. We continue to secure work with existing clients, while also earning business with new ones, especially in our rapidly growing Industrial Services Group. Our diversification, along with our EPC and Specialty Design-Build offerings, is helping us navigate this latest rough patch in the construction environment.

I’m so pleased with the leadership team we have in place. They are seasoned, capable, and ready to face the challenges ahead. I know the Wayne Brothers, Inc, Southern Engineering, and Preferred Supply leadership will succeed in ways we’ve never seen before, carrying forward the long game of “Building Together in Pursuit of Excellence” and striving to become the #1 Construction Services Team.

Thank you all for the incredible support I continue to receive as I enter the closing chapters of my career here at Wayne Brothers, Inc.

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