Business View Magazine | November 2020

48 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 most of the major projects going up in the general vicinity. The company also performs fiber optic cable pulling, installation, and splicing for government agencies, including Verizon Federal. Although one of the legacy firms in its marketplace, BF Joy bids on all projects, like all the other underground service companies. “It’s very competitive work and yet that’s only part of the equation,” says Koehler. “Most of our work requires an extensive pre-qualification process, as well. Our customers look closely at our collective experience and sometimes the specific experience of our crew members to make sure we have the competencies to do the work. They want to know they can trust us. They’re going to look at our safety program, our quality program, as well as recent, similar-type projects that we’ve performed, and they’re going to confirm our financial stability. All of those things come into play – with safety, quality, and experience as non-negotiable.” Koehler believes, however, that, in the long run, people are the chief differentiating factor between BF Joy and its competitors. “Everybody’s got the same equipment” she notes. “The difference is the team that we put in place to service our clients. We spend a lot of time ensuring that we’re picking the right people, and then we continue to invest in them. Our team has to be smarter, better-trained, and possess a stronger sense of customer service and care for the community. We realized a long time ago the importance of building the team. The objective at BF Joy is A-Team only - a B-Team is not good enough. One initiative that we’re really focused on in the next one to two years is to further develop a robust training program where an employee can self-navigate both the online and on-the-job training. We believe in our trade; we know it’s a great option for a whole lot of people, and we will make the investments in those that choose this as a career.” Meanwhile, Koehler also is focused on its new operating yard in Baltimore and how the Melissa Koehler is the President & CEO of BF Joy.  She is the first non-family member to run the company.