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For over seven decades , Langer Construction ( Langer ) has been building from the ground up . Now a national success , the company has recently reached new heights under the watchful eye of President , Russ Zellmer , and Vice President , Josh Schultz . The company ’ s history dates all the way back to 1946 , as Russ explains : “ Langer was founded by Louis Langer after he returned home from WWII . He quickly moved from building single-family homes in West St . Paul , Minnesota , to commercial general contracting in the early 1950s . We ’ re now a full-service commercial contractor specializing in owner-occupied facilities .
“ I am the President and co-owner of Langer and have been with the company for 28 years . Growing up on a farm in southern Minnesota , I joined Langer as an intern after graduating college and quickly moved up the project management ranks into senior management and eventually ownership . During my time I ’ ve been fortunate enough to have held nearly every position within the company .”
Over the past 78 years , the leadership team behind Langer has made a conscious decision to build relationships first ; investing in its people and long-term partnerships with clients . These values are especially important to current Vice President and co-owner , Josh , as he reveals : “ I joined Langer in the spring of 2016 after eight years in the construction industry . My family has strong ties to the company as I am the third generation and the fifth member of my family to work here . With my close ties , I inevitably compared every company I worked for to Langer and ultimately ended up where I belong . Now eight years into my tenure with Langer , Russ and I have pushed the company into unprecedented territory .
“ The people side of the construction industry is of critical importance to the success of our business . First and foremost , we look to create a culture of personality rather than education , previous
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accomplishments , or skillsets . We tried – and failed – a few times to force someone into a role within our company just because they possessed what we thought was the right background . Instead , we flipped our project management hiring practices and now hire based on personality and potential . If someone doesn ’ t have the character traits needed to fit within our team , we move on . Skills can be taught over time , but personality cannot change . It is through this notion that we created the team we have today .
“ In creating a culture of meshing personalities , you eventually form a team that wants to succeed both individually and collectively . We also approach project
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