Anthony Schena’s commercial roofing company was put to the test by the Great Recession. The economic downturn forced Schena, the second–generation CEO of Schena Roofing & Sheet Metal in Chesterfield, Mich., to rethink and restructure every part of his operation. He credits a spirit of teamwork and cooperation for helping the company’s ongoing success, and he shared the lessons he learned during the restructuring process in a session titled “Why a Healthy Company Culture Is Critical to Success.”
“What I learned on the economic roller coaster was that people want to come to work every day and be passionate about what they do,” Schena said. But passion alone isn’t enough, he noted. Business owners need to make a profit and generate more business. “Your customers hire you because you do an amazing job with quality workmanship,” Schena said. “How do you get that? By developing a great company culture.”
