We have had the pleasure of working with so many amazing companies and #enlightenedleaders over the last two decades. As you can imagine, there is no shortage of inspiring stories. That is why we are continuing our highlights of the incredible members of the CEO Think Tank® community.
This month, we are highlighting Chip McAteer, Founding Partner at Elevate Construction.
Chip has been a part of the construction industry nearly all his life. As a kid, he worked for his father gaining an early insight and passion for the business. Chip also found a passion for the sport of baseball. This interest took him to Lehigh where he played baseball and got a Civil Engineering degree.
“Baseball gave me early leadership experience.”
As his college years were coming to a close, he interned on the engineering side of business and then secured a job out of school working for Barclay White, Inc. Barclay White went through several changes during Chip’s time with the company and while the experience was extremely valuable, Chip quickly realized his desire to start something of his own. This led him to start Constructure in 2010.
Chip served as the Chief Executive Officer of Constructure Management, a Philadelphia based construction firm specializing in Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Industrial and Multi Family Projects for many years. The business was a great success for many years but after some trying times, Chip felt as though he was sacrificing parts of himself and valuable time with his family, which was never part of the plan. Chip was then the Executive VP of the Mid Atlantic Region for Cutler Associates.
While Chip experienced some trying and unexpected times, he learned valuable lessons from his time as a Partner at Constructure. He also never lost the dream of entrepreneurship. In July of 2018, Chip once again founded his own business. This time, with a familiar friend, Jeff Pietrak. Chip and Jeff had played baseball together at Lehigh University many years ago, worked together in the construction industry since and felt like this was the perfect time and partnership to launch Elevate Construction. The two now lead construction project teams with the same team-oriented approach they did on the baseball diamond.
They also prioritize their personal lives. Chip shared that spending time with family is a very important part of both his and Jeff’s lives.
“Being present with my family is very important. And we encourage our employees to do the same.”
This has also translated into their choice of clients. The work with many great clients in the healthcare and education industry and so many more who share the same values.
“Having the right clients is so important – they have to share our values.”
As for CEO Think Tank®’s influence on Chip and his business. He shared that he and his team value getting to speak with and learn from other entrepreneurs. Each business in unique but fundamentally they are always able to learn from others. He shares that the community has been incredibly valuable and supportive. He also credited Cheryl Beth for always guiding and keeping Elevate on track and helping them to see the path forward to growth.
“If you surround yourself with great people you set yourself up for success.”
His best piece of advice for other entrepreneurs?
“It’s all about the people. We’re careful about who we hire. We’re careful about who we choose as a client. We’re careful about who we partner with.”