Embracing Change
Human resource executive enjoys the people side of business
When Lansing-based Clark Construction Co. made Crain’s Detroit Business’ 2020 Cool Places to Work in Michigan list, as the highest-ranked construction company, it was a feather in Laurelyn Hewitt’s cap. As the company’s vice president of human resources, she sets the tone for the company’s employee culture along with the owners and executive leadership team.
Hewitt, who holds an MBA from Walsh, didn’t start off in HR. After earning an undergraduate degree in construction management from Lawrence Technological University, she worked through progressive roles in the commercial construction industry as a field engineer and project manager. Eventually, that evolved into recruiting recruiting and training, and then larger HR roles. That’s when Hewitt discovered she enjoyed the human side of the business– especially helping a company develop a strong culture built on a foundation of values and a focus on diversity and inclusion.
“We truly live our core values, which are competence, reliability, sincerity and care,” she says. “Competence is being great at what we do and skilled at our jobs. Reliability is following through and doing what we say we’ll do. Sincerity is having candid conversations and being willing to say the things that matter. And care is at the top of the hierarchy. “The level of care our leadership demonstrates for the team is over the top. It’s what makes us different.”
One way that Hewitt demonstrates care is by visiting the company’s construction sites. “I love the field because I love out business,” she says. “I want our operations team to know they are important people in our organization. The office looks the same every day, but the field changes as projects progress.”
“By going to the job site and being on their turf, I gain a better understanding of the team’s day-to-day experience. It’s the best way to connect with what’s going on. We have an amazing and dedicated team at Clark.” The company was recently recognized in the industry with the AGC Cornerstone Award for Construction Training Excellence and the Michigan Outstanding Safety Performance Gold Award.
Earning an MBA helped Hewitt, one of Clark’s first two female executives, hone her management and communication skills. “You’ve got to be a business person first, and an HR person second,” she says. “My MBA helped round that out for me. I can be a lot more involved strategically in business.”
She points to a standout class at Walsh on change management as having influenced some of her business philosophy. “I embrace change,” says Hewitt, who admits she parks in a new spot each day and changes chairs from meeting to meeting. “If you always do the same thing, you’ll never get better. Small changes that let you continually grow and improve are part of the approach. She points to a standout class at Walsh on change management as having influenced some of her business philosophy. “I embrace change,” says Hewitt, who admits she parks in a new spot each day and changes chairs from meeting to meeting. “If you always do the same thing, you’ll never get better. Small changes that let you continually grow and improve are part of the approach.
“It is important to understand that everyone does not look at change in the same way. This knowledge had become such a great foundation for me and our team at Clark. Understand the existing, then look at the little things you can do better.”
