Continental Contractors has been celebrating 20 years in business this year, and Pete has spent 31 years in the hospitality renovation industry. And, while it may be easy to use numbers to illustrate our/Continental’s progress – close to 700 projects working across the United States into the Caribbean, 20 years in business with multiple offices across the country, over 100,000 guestrooms renovated, and more than $1 billion dollars in revenue – that’s not necessarily how we measure our success as a company. For all of those years our core values of humility, integrity, and heart have led the way.

Humility, integrity, and heart have always been our core values and those three words are the reason we’re still here today. After 31 years in the hospitality renovation industry, that’s what I’m most proud of.”
– Pete Welch, President & CEO, Continental Contractors Inc.

For us, our success is measured by the opinions of the people that we work with. It always has been.

What does humility, integrity, and heart mean to you? 

Words are one thing – actions are entirely another. We asked some of our Continental family to interpret what these core values mean to them…and if Continental continues to live up to this promise today.

Hu-mil-i-ty (noun): freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble.

“We try to treat everyone with the same level of respect. From the guy who’s out on the site sweeping the floor, right up to the owner of the building – no one is more important than anyone else. Everyone gets the same level of respect. It’s always important to remember that it’s not just about the project you’re working on today. It’s about maintaining the overall relationship over the long term.”
– Aaron Denherder, Vice President of Estimating & Preconstruction Services

“Part of the company culture at Continental I appreciate is not just how we treat our clients, which is very important, but how we treat everyone on our team. We succeed through collaboration and teamwork. That very large team includes our subcontractors and suppliers, and the people with boots on the ground everyday making the work happen.“
– Kate Penn, Project Manager

“We tell every  candidate, be it for an internship or an executive leadership position, that our policy is to leave your ego at the door.  Those who successfully make a career at Continental truly live by that mentality.  We pool our efforts and knowledge, and in doing so we share the load of managing challenging projects and celebrating the wins and the milestones together. I consider myself incredibly lucky and humbled to have found a home within the Continental family.”
– Renee Bagshaw, Chief Operating Officer

In-teg-ri-ty (noun): the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

“To me, integrity is being honest, and doing everything that you do with morals and principles at the forefront. I feel like I’m part of the family here and that’s integrity as well. Being a part of a good group of people who are supporting and advising you when you need it.”
– Jorge Restrepo, Project Manager

“Integrity means doing what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’ll do it, and with a proper attitude… From the start, I liked what Continental was all about. I love being here; It’s a family environment and always has been.”
– Kim Damewood, Assistant Project Manager

“Integrity is so ingrained in Continental that it has become almost second nature for a company that is hitting their 20-year anniversary. The true marker is the heart. Are they still invested emotionally in their industry and their people? The answer is a resounding 100%. Yes.”
– Chris Burkhardt, Operations & Field Logistics Manager

Heart /Härt/ (noun): The essential or most vital part of something. 

“That meaning for me has changed over the years. I met my wife here and my kids have grown up in this business, so integrity and heart has a meaning of family values and culture. Over the years, the meaning has also evolved into being able to establish and build on the relationships with the people that I work with, whether it’s here in the office or out in the field.”
– Jerome Zadera, Project Executive

“We are a family. Goodhearted people, not just coworkers, but friends.  It’s what  sets Continental Contractors apart from other companies.
– Jorge Restrepo, Project Manager

“They make us feel like a family. We do our best and we take care of our clients and they take care of us. Happy employees plus happy clients leads to productivity, it’s a win win. I’ve been here for 18 years and I love it. And now my son is a part of the Continental Contractors family too.”
– Yonatan Arcila, Project Executive

Looking ahead

As we wrap up this momentous year, we are not only focusing on what is ahead for Continental Contractors as a whole but how we can continue to support our Continental family. In 2024 we will offer new benefit options, continue to promote from within, and work on communicating with our clients and each other even more effectively. We will  build on the improvements we’ve made to our processes in 2023 to offer more streamlined services to our clients in the coming year, and focus on conscious, responsible growth.

I’m proud that we have maintained our values and I’m looking forward to seeing how we will continue to live and grow by them. What I’ve always been excited about, however, is people’s personal growth first and then their professional growth, and how it all comes together. And if you do it right – support that growth – then the bottom line takes care of itself.”
– Pete Welch, President & CEO