Accelerate Magazine January 2022

Mount Mary’s newly redesigned program offers flexibility in earning stackable certificates or your whole MBA. 2021-22 CERTIFICATE TOPICS: • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion • Small Business Management • Leadership and Organizational Behavior • Managing Talent and Organizational Culture LEARN MORE: mtmary.edu/MBA provided by your mentor,” said Ben Bergles, who is now a Senior Project Manager and has been employed at VJS for 13 years. An employee may have multiple mentors during his or her tenure at VJS. During the professional development stages an employee’s career path and interests may change. It is important that we ensure our mentoring program remains flexible and evolves with our employees and the ever-changing market. Having access to multiple mentors allows an employee the opportunity to be coached by the individual who best fits his or her needs at that time as well as the opportunity to acquire a diverse set of skills. Justin Gross’ strong work ethic was noted during his internship in 2006 at VJS and developed into a full-time employment opportunity. Throughout his professional development from project engineer to senior project manager, Justin worked with several mentors. His access to multiple leaders allowed him to diversify his skillset. He learned how to work collaboratively with tradespersons at project sites and develop budgets for his projects. These experiences allowed him to view what contributes to the overall success of a project through the lens of the builder and owner. “Working with a mentor at VJS helped me to identify obstacles I needed to overcome to progress to the next level in my career. Additionally, the rapport I have with each of my mentors and their open-door policy reinforces the family culture at VJS. These values played a significant role in my decision to further develop my career at VJS,” said Justin who has worked at VJS for 15 years. “People are the foundation of our business. Leaders build culture. Culture fuels people and in turn, people drive business. Therefore, it is imperative that we invest in our employees and provide an inclusive workplace culture through our mentoring program,” said Rick Andritsch, Partner and Vice President of Business Development at VJS. The mentoring program initially began in the operations department at VJS. After recognizing the program’s benefits include a more skilled, prepared, diverse workforce as well as higher employee retention rates and increased employee engagement, the mentoring program has expanded company-wide within the past year. •