Matt Mitchell Builds Partnerships at G.W. Mitchell Construction

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Founded in 1921, G.W. Mitchell Construction is the oldest general contractor in San Antonio, Texas. The company has shaped the South Texas region by catering to its commercial and residential construction needs. Building on its legacy of reliability, consistency, and family-first values, the company has spent the last five years navigating exponential growth and homing in on key industries like automotive and heavy equipment services, historic renovation, healthcare, and interior renovations.

This evolution led to a key relationship with Holt Cat, an authorized Caterpillar heavy equipment and engine dealer founded in 1933 that serves 118 counties in South, Central, North, and East Texas. When leaders from both companies sat down, they were struck by their core value similarities, says Matt Mitchell, vice president at G.W. Mitchell Construction.

“Shared values are something we talked about right away,” Mitchell says. “Everyone has boilerplate values, but ours were in sync, and we both had a rich story behind them. We are an intentional and driven company, and we got the same sense from them. Holt Cat even asked subcontractors about our reputation. They saw that it was critical for us to treat the people who work for us well. Their interest in that and the health of our company really resonated with us.”

The synergy between the two companies resulted in a deal. G.W. helped perform a multimillion-dollar renovation for a pivotal Holt Cat operational hub in San Antonio, Texas. The ambitious project aimed to optimize workplace functionality and bolster employee welfare. G.W. completed it ahead of schedule while meeting budgetary needs. Staff members received praise for the project success, Mitchell says.

“It was an occupied space, and there were a lot of things that we needed to work around,” he says. “Our success was acknowledged all the way to the top. The executive president of Holt Cat thanked us for the work we performed on that first job.”

Mitchell and his colleagues are excited to keep that momentum going.

“As Holt Cat is growing, they have a lot of construction needs. We work closely with them to meet those needs as they diverge into other industries and building types,” he says. “On a high level, we are growing with them as they grow in the markets they are focused on. We can scale to meet their needs and handle the work they have in the future.”

G.W. Mitchell has been focused on building these kinds of partnerships for more than a century. Mitchell credits the company’s continued success to how embedded its values are in everything it does. The initialism FIRST (faithful, innovative, reputable, stewardship, and teamwork) exemplifies these values.

“We want to be known as a faithful organization, as a company founded on Christian values that bode very well in our industry. We believe in innovation and that if you are not adapting, you are dying,” Mitchell emphasizes. “We believe in the power of reputation and that we should hold ourselves to the highest industry standards. We also believe in being good stewards and being a team-oriented business.”

The team component starts with hiring the right people, which is something G.W. Mitchell has continued to do well, Mitchell says.

“It’s a culture from the beginning. Hire those who get it and have the capacity to do it. Surround yourself with those people, and teamwork is just a byproduct. It works well because it’s up to our people,” he says. “There is no ego, and we have a job to do. Our ultimate goal is to have a happy client and a completed project.”