Dylan's Story
This is the story of how Dylan found himself at Tower 3, why he stayed, and how he’s grown.
It started out as me simply wanted to earn some extra money during the summer. I asked my buddy Jimmy if I could come and work a little bit. I knew he was in construction and I wanted to gain some knowledge and experience. I had the impression that the work would simply be a ton of physical labor, not too much thinking, and that I wouldn’t enjoy it at all. I didn’t have a big epiphany or change of mind when I started, but it was interesting. Even while I was still considered a “sub-contractor” I was given semi-important jobs to do. I tiled a backsplash and helped layout and frame some stairs leading up to a porch. Both jobs seemed to require skill and thought, and they were fun!
At the same time I was working as “sub” for Tower 3, I began working at Chick-Fil-A, a job that began in route to a director position. This seemed promising, but was often mundane for me. It didn’t tickle my fancy. About a month later, I was considering a long-term position with Chick-Fil-A, or maybe something else, when my buddy with Tower 3 offered me a full-time position. He framed it, no pun intended, as a way to gain bookkeeping experience while also gaining valuable construction knowledge that would be of use in the house I had recently bought with my wife. It was as if God had simply laid this in my lap. I would be working with several friends of mine, where I could gain valuable knowledge, and I didn’t even have to commit long-term, since I was still unsure of what I really enjoyed doing.
Dylan and his wife, Amber, bought their first home the same summer he came to work for Tower 3.
Before that summer, I was working as a teacher, a job that I didn’t have a lot of desire to be in. Even though I loved the material I taught, I found it very tiring, and not something that I wanted to get better at. That was the key: I didn’t have a desire to grow. I was stagnant, stressed, on the verge of burnout due to a lack of desire.
After a year and three months with Tower 3, I feel completely different. I come to work energized most days. My brain is ravenous, constantly desiring more and more knowledge about things like framing, plumbing, electrical work, drywall, tiling, estimating a job, etc. (despite how boring some of this may sound). I find that I DESIRE TO GROW. In fact, I recently started leading my first job with Tower 3. Tower 3 bought a dilapidated house, developed building plans, and now we’ve begun the renovations and addition! It’s a ton of work, and requires new thought processes and leadership skills, but I’m so excited for the continual growth I’ll experience throughout the entire process. At the end of it, we will have taken a house that was falling apart, and turned it into a piece of beauty!
Not only am I energized by the work I’m doing, but I’m energized by the leadership and atmosphere that exists at Tower 3. Both of my bosses are God-fearing men that lead with integrity, humility, kindness, and encouragement. They’ve taken the time to explain proper ways to do things to me in a kind and encouraging way more than once, and I’ve seen them exhibit this with every one of their employees. They give agency and growth opportunities to their employees, asking us to try new projects all the time. Like I said, my brain loves this type of growth, and the way my bosses facilitate it. In addition, it’s clear from their words and actions that they care about the work they do and the customers they serve. If they’re killing it on a project and doing work quicker and cheaper than they expected, they often honor their customers by charging them less or not charging at all for extra work! That’s unheard of in the contracting world.
I couldn’t sum up Tower 3 LLC in a better way than our mission statement: Building quality and service into every project. We desire to learn when we can, go the extra mile, and do work to the highest possible quality. We serve from the top down.
-Dylan Smith