My First Job: Dean Allen, CEO, McKinstry Co.

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March 26, 2006

My First Job: Dean Allen, CEO, McKinstry Co.

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Dean Allen

Current position: ca locally owned, 45-year-old mechanical and electrical contractor with about 1,000 employees in the Pacific Northwest. McKinstry was co-founded by his father, George L. Allen.

First job: Evening janitor at McKinstry's original office on Main Street in Bellevue, followed by a stint as a ditch digger.

How I got the job: My father explained that if I wanted gas money for my 1965 VW bug, I should consider getting a job. His partner, Merrill McKinstry, hired me as the evening janitor.

What I learned: My experience in the field gave me great appreciation for the skill of our craftspeople and the importance of our construction field crews to deliver a quality product. It also helped keep me interested in ever improving our operations and offering. My early glimpses of how a business works from the inside taught me that every enterprise is really just about people and communication, both with customers and fellow workers.

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