Firms Seek to Reverse ‘Waste of Human Capital’ in Area Construction Industry

MANCHESTER — A fortuitous collaboration between two forward-looking, socially responsible New Hampshire companies is improving the access and availability of skilled labor in the residential construction sector in New Hampshire. 

Cultural Chemistry is a Manchester company offering a unique service that mimics a traditional human resources department but offers its services at a fraction of the typical cost. And Ridgeview Construction is a Deerfield-based home builder specializing in sustainable building design, construction and materials. Together the two companies are working to create a database of available area workers in the skilled trades and construction so that workers have more access to jobs, and businesses have better access to skilled workers.  

“I think the lack of available talent in New Hampshire relative to the skilled trades and construction is a big problem and will only grow bigger,” says Shane Carter, president and owner of Ridgeview Construction. 

At its core, the problem stems from a lack of information businesses have about workers they can hire, and from the other perspective, a lack of information workers have about the jobs to which they would apply. This is causing “a waste of human capital,” Carter says, so much so that qualified workers are even forgoing a construction career to follow a different professional track. 

“Over the years, we’ve noticed that in the construction industry, when firms are hiring, everybody is looking for the same people,” says Cultural Chemistry owner Mirjam IJtsma. “But not everybody fits in a certain company’s culture. A carpenter, for example, can work OK in one company and not in another. But if a worker is not a good fit in their organization, he or she might be a good candidate in another organization. When someone leaves one company, there’s nothing wrong about the person, instead the situation may reflect a mismatch between the employee and the company culture.” 

So when a single company advertises for help, and gets 50 applicants, only to hire one, “the 49 others are not bad. They just may be less of a fit for a particular role,” says IJtsma. 

IJtsma and Carter envision a database — they call it “an inventory of people” — where construction companies, through Cultural Chemistry, can have the ability to recruit workers. So, if Ridgeview Construction hires a carpenter, the other carpenters Ridgeview didn’t hire may still be a good fit elsewhere. Another company who likes the profile of a worker Ridgeview did not hire can contact Cultural Chemistry. Other clients can immediately hire from the pool of people Cultural Chemistry knows about. 

“By utilizing Cultural Chemistry as a hub to move great talent around, we are able to improve the construction industry in general and the companies involved specifically,” says IJtsma. 

This program would reduce the effort small businesses need to exert to recruit workers. And the program costs a fraction of what a recruiting agency would charge. A recruiting agency would charge a company 15 to 30 percent of the annual wage of the employee the company is hiring. ““If you do not have to pay that fee, you can imagine how much money you can save,” IJtsma says. “Everybody is happy saving a ton of time and a lot of money.”  

Construction companies can use a full year of Cultural Chemistry’s services at 25 percent the cost of what a recruiting agency would charge. “It doesn’t have to be expensive,” IJtsma says. 

Cultural Chemistry is already serving as an information hub for three clients in the construction industry, including Ridgeview Construction, one of its oldest clients, with plans to expand the service to others. “If construction companies start working together, the overall industry will be strong,” IJtsma says. “The major importance here is you get the best carpenters and you get them to work. If you get them working, you improve the overall industry, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish here.” 

“I see this as a conduit for talent,” Carter says. “And I want to make this work for everyone and not see my competition as competition.” 

While starting with the construction industry, Cultural Chemistry plans to provide the service to the IT industry, the real estate industry and real estate development industry.  

“I must provide plenty of accolades to Cultural Chemistry and to Mirjam in particular for her creativity and willingness to structure her business using creative solutions, but not only with her business, but also with my company and other New Hampshire businesses in our industry,” Carter says. 

Cultural Chemistry and Ridgeview Construction are Business Partners of the Green Alliance, a union of local sustainable businesses promoting environmentally sound business practices and a green co-op offering discounted green products and services to its members. 

For more information about Cultural Chemistry, visit www.culturalchemistry.com.

For Ridgeview Construction, visit www.ridgeview-construction.com.