Kimbel Mechanical Systems Growing By Developing Leaders

Developing leadership among its 450-person workforce has grown Kimbel Mechanical Systems to six regional offices in three states and a distribution center in Fayetteville. The Springdale-based company, which provides plumbing, HVAC and electrical services to large-scale constructors, is a repeat Best Places to Work honoree.

“Kimbel Mechanical Systems meets the definition of ‘best workplace,’ by hiring people for who they are, not because of what they are,” said Brad Smith, CEO. “We then provide support for them to excel in their field and as leaders. We provide a line of sight from where an employee begins in our company all the way to senior leadership and we work hand in hand with our team members to establish real, attainable goals.”

In recent years the company set new marks for number of projects, geographic footprint covered, customers served and profits. Over the past three years, Kimbel Mechanical Systems has doubled in size and today operates regional offices in Little Rock, Jonesboro, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Loveland, Colo.; and Colorado Springs.

“We believe personal development equals professional development and we provide our employees top-notch leadership training to invest in their future.” — Brad Smith, CEO

The company’s commitment to employee development is readily on display through the substantial resources spent to help lead its associates to their maximum potential. A sampling of training areas provided this year alone include leadership skills, time management, communications, negotiations and finance and business management classes.

“We believe personal development equals professional development and we provide our employees top-notch leadership training to invest in their future,” he said. “Training produces leaders, who then produce high growth. High growth then produces better pay and better lives for our employees. We are committed to doing all we can to support and elevate the lives of our employees.”

The company is very proactive when it comes to assessing the needs of its staff, regularly bringing together superintendents, field and project managers to a retreat-style atmosphere where all can connect, listen and strategically correct current issues.

“We contract outside sources to conduct anonymous surveys of our employees to gain insight into what we are doing right and how we can improve,” Smith said. “We have roles in place on our human resources team whose sole purpose is to love on people and keep in touch with possible needs outside of the work environment.”

The strategy not only benefits individual employees, but when combined in a team setting, pays off for clients as well.

“We believe that employee satisfaction is directly relational to the culture we have created here at Kimbel Mechanical Systems,” Smith said. “We are passionate about creating a team atmosphere where our employees have a sense of purpose as they witness their efforts expand our company into new markets, bigger projects and larger clients.

“Feeling the upward mobility and enjoying being a part of the growth creates a sense of destiny, cultivating an expectation to do better by staying with the company and succeeding together.”