Goodfellow Bros

is more than a general contractor

With proven expertise and the hard work to back it up, Goodfellow Bros leads the competition

Goodfellow Bros, a contracting provider that has operated on principles of hard work, honesty, and professionalism for over a century continues to set the gold standard for first-rate workmanship.

Founded in 1921, Goodfellow Bros is an industry leader for heavy civil contractors that is proud of its history as an integral contributor to North America and Hawaii’s most critical infrastructure developments.

Existing with a foothold across sectors such as commercial and industrial, institutional and government, renewable energy, private development, landfill, environment and water, transportation, and more, Goodfellow Bros is well versed in the provision of heavy civil construction services.

The company fleet sports more than 1,500 pieces of equipment, each maintained with the utmost care until updated with newer, more efficient models. Specific services offered by Goodfellow Bros include aggregate crushing, blasting, site clearing and demolition, restoration and remediation, emergency response, concrete, overlays, AC paving, landscaping, mass earthwork and excavation, design and building, dry and wet utilities, water treatment, and sewer treatment.

In Hawaii, Goodfellow Bros has a 50-year legacy working on projects ranging from roads, bridges, and dams to golf courses, resorts, and residential homes, and has accumulated a plethora of longstanding industry collaborations to show for it. Division President for Goodfellow Bros Hawaii, Ed Brown begins by directing a shoutout to said collaborators.

“We live in one of the most beautiful yet most remote places in the world. Living the Goodfellow Way means providing the highest quality services whilst earning the trust and respect of individuals, businesses, and communities with each and every project,” Brown details.

“As an island state, Hawaii is restricted by our limited resources, so it is absolutely essential that we work collaboratively with others in civil construction and adjoining sectors to share our knowledge, resources, and networks. The relationships we have with providers like Elison, Pacific Pipeway, Westway Concrete, and Edwin Deluz Concretes provide opportunities for success for everyone involved,” he adds.

Goodfellow Bros’ major projects across the Hawaiian Islands have created huge opportunities for local communities, Brown explains. “Probably the biggest impact we have in Hawaii, apart from the end results of the projects themselves, is the jobs they create. For example, our work on the Kona Village Resort here on the Big Island employed some 500 people on site, not including those working on back-end operations. The resort was built in the 1960s and was one of the only resorts on the Big Island at the time.”

“In 2011, Kona was hit by the Great Tohoku tsunami, and the resort was damaged so badly it had to be shut down. We have been working to restore it for quite some time; it’s finally due to reopen this year, and we anticipate it will very quickly become a premier resort destination that will provide a massive jobs boost to Kailua Kona,” he explains.

Other development streams currently underway include affordable residential builds on Lanai and Maui. With Hawaii’s median house prices topping $1 million, low-cost housing has never been more important.

Brown shares, “Inflation is making it even harder for Hawaiians to become homeowners. It feels good to contribute what we can by working on affordable housing projects, making a bit of a difference in the lives of people who don’t have that kind of money. We are doing a lot of work on Lanai in particular, which is owned by one of our partners. We’ve provided critical infrastructure not only for residential communities, but also for solar energy farms, agriculture developments, and even the Lanai airport.”

Brown is quick to point out that affordable housing isn’t the only community focus Goodfellow Bros has had for Hawaii. Managers identify potential projects for their local region, Mr. Brown says, so that staff has the opportunity to get involved in causes that matter most to them.

“We partner with nonprofits and take a very active approach to better our communities; we’ve worked in schools and libraries, rebuilt sports fields, created batting cages, and helped young teams pay for their uniforms and travel. We do highway clean-ups and help clear out waterways. Every holiday season, we commit to food drives that deliver meals to people who are isolated, vulnerable, or simply unable to afford a holiday spread.”

“It means a lot to us that we can dedicate our time, resources, and manpower. Rather than writing cheques all the time, we make sure our staff can get out there and take five days to help a charity of their choice, connect with other locals, and make an immediate, noticeable difference. It really resonates with them and makes them feel proud, which in turn means our work environment is happier and more efficient,” Brown determines.

The workplace culture at Goodfellow Bros indeed fosters connection, collaboration, integrity, and respect. Long-term employees are given the opportunity to become advisory consultants and mentors to new hires, sharing their knowledge and skill to help mold the next generation of workers, rather than retiring completely.

Brown says the company’s clear set of fundamental values is what keeps its positive environment going strong. “We have 22 fundamentals that we live by, and every employee is reminded of and expected to represent those fundamentals in everything they do. It really resonates with our team and gives them a specific path to walk on. We provide ongoing feedback, including annual performance evaluations and quarterly check-ins to see how they are going and where they want to go with their career.”

Keeping in theme with values and fundamentals is Goodfellow Bros’ 12 life-saving safety commitments. Displayed on every single job site and discussed in toolbox meetings each week, the 12 life-saving commitments are Goodfellow Bros’ number one priority. “Every staff member carries a card signed by our CEO that they can use to shut down work without repercussions if they feel it’s unsafe,” Brown says.

“Everybody also has an app on their phone to perform safety observations that they can identify as negative or positive. Our 500+ employees worked a million manhours last year in Hawaii alone without a single recordable instance. For the first time in our history, we went a year without a single accident. We call our safety priority, ‘Journey to Zero’, and we strongly believe that everything is preventable.”

Brown concludes, casting an eye to the future of Goodfellow Bros, “Safety will remain our number one- we cannot afford to become complacent. Other areas we aim to concentrate on moving forward are professional development for our team members, developing relationships with our partners, clients, and stakeholders, and continuing to provide our local communities with support and assistance wherever and whenever we can.”

AT A GLANCE

Goodfellow Bros

What: Leaders in innovative professional services for the heavy-civil construction industry

Where: Goodfellow Bros has offices in Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and California.

Website: https://goodfellowbros.com/