The architects and engineers at Towerpinkster have helped design some wonderful-looking workplaces since the company’s founding in 1953.

TOWERPINKSTER; KALAMAZOO, MI | However, for President and CEO Bjorn Green, a workplace is measured not by its appearance, but by the quality of day-to-day interactions within its team. “I think it’s all about building relationships with one another,” emphasizes Green. “When you have a challenging project, you need to have a strong relationship with the people you work with. You have to be able to trust them and communicate with them.”

To help its team grow, TowerPinkster has taken time to focus on communication skills. “We’ve got a lot of young folks,” says Green. “Through mentorship, we are trying to help them start their careers and get a broader picture of the world than they may have had either growing up or in school.” Team members discover their personal strengths and communication styles through Gallup CliftonStrengths and DiSC assessments, and every year, the company hosts a retreat emphasizing the need for better interactions. By breaking down the basics of communication, the TowerPinkster team learns the best ways to interact on an individual basis, something Green believes is the cornerstone of the company’s success.

But if communications and trust are the foundation of a terrific team, TowerPinkster then builds upon these fundamentals by teaching the skills team members need to succeed in the workplace, well into the future. To take its team to the next level, the company hosts seminars that teach good health and wellness practices, financial well-being, social wellness, and community building. “We’re trying to build strong leaders in every department,” remarks Green. “I think that’s all just good practice. Being good stewards of our industry and community means really putting effort into building the leaders of the future.”