Houston-based Raven Mechanical performs projects for healthcare organizations, schools, churches, research facilities, retail and restaurants.

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The projects that are completed on time, on budget and which satisfy the client are the ones he is the most proud of, says Ray Jones, co-owner of Raven Mechanical. “If we can make all that work, it doesn’t matter how big or small or glamorous it was,” he says.

“We want to go home knowing what we did was good, and knowing we formed some relationships,” Jones adds. “We want to work together with others, all for the betterment of the industry. That’s what it’s about.”

The family-owned company was founded in 1979, around the Jones’ dining room table. Since its inception, the company’s success has been a collaborative effort between Jones, who was 11 at the time, his then-eight-year-old brother Stephen, who today is also a co-owner, and their parents. In the beginning, Ray and Stephen Jones stocked materials and mowed the company’s yard. When they were in high school and college, the brothers did field and office work during their spring and summer breaks before joining the company full-time in 1991.

“Our parents were our primary influence,” Jones says. “Growing up, we had the option of either staying with the company or going off on our own. We had the full support of our parents either way.”

Jones’ father and grandfather were plumbers in the construction industry. “It’s something we grew up in and grew into over the years,” he says. “Construction is in our blood. Of course, we never felt trapped into it. Our choice was to stick with it and we love it. My parents, Stephen and I — we enjoy the challenge and the opportunity. This is what we do.”

‘Soar Like An Eagle’
The mechanical contractor performs projects in the medical field, as well as for schools, churches, research facilities, retail and restaurants. The company currently has 137 employees. “We look for someone with a good work ethic, who’ll give their best to be part of a team, and take pride in their work,” Jones says.

The poor labor pool has been a challenge for the company, he acknowledges. “Our dad has a plaque that says, ‘It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re flying with a bunch of turkeys,’” he says. “Nobody wants to work with an incompetent person. “We are faced with a lot of people who fit that walking in, and that’s tough. We need manpower and someone who will be a positive influence to the team.

“We’re builders of the community, and we take pride in our ability to work together,” he continues. “We want to bring in more people who think and feel the way we do. All we can do for them is show them, and ultimately, they write their own sentence.”

The mindset of employees is the big-gest change the construction industry has seen in the last 28 years, Jones says. For example, it has noticed a 50 to 55 percent increase in man-hours from 20 years ago when performing the same plumbing and mechanical work, even with the same or improved tools and methods, he says.

One reason for the increase is because companies have to follow more safety requirements. “Sometimes we have to decrease efficiency to increase safety,” he acknowledges.

The industry also sees tighter construction schedules. For example, a 12-month project several years ago is now a nine-month project. “The quality of the job is expected to be the same,” he notes. “We have to put more people on the job to make the schedule work.”
    
Notable Employees
Raven’s proudest achievements are its relationships with its customers and seeing its employees develop, Jones says. For example, Lead Project Manager David Williams has worked for the company since he graduated from high school 27 years ago. “We’ve seen him work from a laborer to an apprentice to a journeyman,” Jones says. “The man is truly a jewel.”

Other notable employees include Vice President Greg Larson, who has worked for the company for 25 years, and Office Manager Hayley Sweeten, a 19-year veteran, he adds. “Each is a fine example of how people have grown and advanced themselves for the benefit of everyone who works on this team,” Jones says.

The Next Generation
Jones’ parents are in the process of retiring, and he and his brother are preparing to take the reins. His mom, Patty Jones, is the CFO and is training assistant CFO Scott Hubert to take over her job.

Jones and his brother “have gone through several years of succession planning and learning what Dad does,” Ray Jones says. His father, Bill, is the managing partner, and oversees all the departments. “He is a wonderful man, and he has taught us just about everything he knows. He has set us up for success,” Jones adds.

Over the years, Ray and Stephen Jones have performed a variety of tasks for the company, including estimating, project management, bidding and fabrication shop work.

Today, Stephen Jones oversees the project managers, superintendents and field operations, and Ray Jones oversees design/build, CAD, estimating and project negotiation, IT and some accounting. “We are flexible in what we do,” Ray Jones says. “We are trained to do a variety of tasks.”