How a 74-Year-Old Construction Company Keeps Growing Without Losing Its People
Most people assume a construction company that's survived 74 years must be doing things the same way it always has.
Puetz Design+Build proves the opposite. What's kept the South Dakota contractor in business across three generations isn't consistency — it's a willingness to keep changing what the business does, while staying disciplined about who it hires and how it treats them.
In this episode, Andy Bassett talks with Doug McCune, President/Owner of Puetz Design+Build, about how a traditional hard-bid general contractor grew into a diversified business spanning architecture, design-build, construction management, general contracting, self-perform work, steel and precast erection, and crane services. Doug's own path mirrors that evolution — he started as a laborer and carpenter, became a certified welder running steel and precast crews, moved into operations, and now leads the company he helped build from the field up.
The conversation covers how Puetz uses complementary service lines to support the business when individual markets slow down, why the company treats recruiting as a long-term relationship with schools and students rather than a hiring-need response, and how a sudden $40–50 million gap in expected project volume tested — and ultimately strengthened — the team's ability to adapt. Doug also gets candid about why leadership at Puetz starts with time spent physically doing the work, and why he sees mistakes as part of growth rather than something to avoid.
For trades and construction owners, the lesson underneath all of it is about building a company that can absorb shocks, develop its own leaders, and keep growing without losing sight of the people who built it. If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will hit home.
What We Discuss
- Why Puetz expanded into complementary construction and design capabilities instead of chasing unrelated markets
- How diversification helps different parts of the business support one another when conditions shift
- Why Puetz recruits through universities, technical schools, scholarships, and internships — years before a position opens up
- Why the company's leadership group is built almost entirely from people who've physically done the work in the field
- How Puetz responded when several major projects lost financing and the company had to replace $40–50 million in expected volume
- Why mistakes aren't the problem — repeating them without learning is
About the Guest
Doug McCune is President/Owner of Puetz Design+Build, a diversified design-build contractor based in Mitchell, South Dakota, with offices in Sioux Falls and Pierre. Doug started in construction as a laborer and carpenter before becoming a certified welder, running steel and precast erection crews, and moving through superintendent and operations roles on his way to leading the company.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Scott's journey into the electrical trade
02:23 The service call that changed everything
05:05 Building the Safe Home Method
09:10 Why predictable marketing beats referrals
11:34 Building a predictable marketing engine
14:33 The "Franchise on Payroll" model
18:17 Why Scott trains employees to leave
21:22 Freedom through accountability and KPIs
25:00 Coaching contractors and building systems
30:30 The first hire that gave Scott his time back
33:40 The long-term vision for Modern Edison
36:00 Final thoughts
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