GroundBreak Carolinas Q & A: Ben Barfield, Vice President and Division Manager, Brasfield & Gorrie
Nicknamed “Betamax” by his brothers for his machine-like tenacity, Ben spent his childhood disassembling, fixing, and reassembling things, from Lego toy villages to television sets. He took on his first construction job during high school, working in the field. He loved the hands-on aspect of manual labor—putting in hard work to accomplish a tangible result. Because he was passionate about being outdoors, building, and forming relationships, construction was a natural fit. Ben has spent his career—more than 25 years—at Brasfield & Gorrie, building others up while building great projects. He is gifted at forming connections with people; understanding needs, strengths, and challenges; and equipping and encouraging others—whether clients, business partners, or construction team members—to meet their goals. Whether with his family, on a jobsite, or in a client’s office, Ben focuses on forming meaningful relationships and providing support however it is needed.
Ben oversees Brasfield & Gorrie’s Greenville, South Carolina office. He and the local Brasfield & Gorrie team are responsible for securing the Greenville office’s work. Ben has several years of hands-on construction experience and knows his team members’ strengths well.
What does your organization do? What is your role/title?
We build buildings and trusting relationships by building exceptional people first. I have been here for more than 25 years, and I currently serve as vice president and division manager in Brasfield & Gorrie’s Greenville, South Carolina, office. My tenure attests to the building of people, as I am a living, active, productive, successful and loving leader here in Greenville because of the people and the company that built me.
What are the 3-5 Leadership Principles that you have discovered and executed that have contributed to your success?
Be humble and use your resources. Be transparent and genuine. Work hard and smart. Love people.
What is something most people don’t know about you? (a little known fact about you).
I am a better person when I have the opportunity to pray for others. Jesus inspires me to love others where they are by praying out loud where they can hear goodness over them and connecting them to God’s heart.
How would you describe yourself in one word?
Real. My closest friends and those in my community know I am genuine, raw, and bold. You get me, all the time.
What behaviors and performances do your best employees demonstrate?
Always going the extra mile for clients. Always digging into the details on the jobsite. Always being present with their teams. Treating the trade contractor market like family. Training and mentoring the next generation.
Tell us about one of the charitable organizations that your company is involved with.
Brasfield & Gorrie believes in building strong communities, and not just through construction projects. As a result, we support many charitable organizations. Our employees are charged to bring their favorite charities forward each year. As an office, we pick one to support through employees deferring part of their pay to the charity. The employee who made the recommendation owns that charity for the long haul. Not only is this an opportunity to build a strong community, it’s so much fun watching our people rise up. American Heart Association, GirlUp GVL, Rebuild Upstate, YMCA Judson Community Center, Soteria Community Development Corporation, Poe Mill Achievement Center and A Childs Haven are among the organizations we support locally.
What types of projects does your firm do? (structure, facility type, scope, project delivery method)
More than 90% of our work in Greenville is with repeat clients, and we work in nearly every market sector except residential and wood frame construction. In Greenville, we have been blessed to build commercial office buildings and upfit those with large tenants; hotels; high-rise apartments and multifamily developments; our very own Greenville federal courthouse; healthcare projects; and large-scale industrial projects.
Describe your company culture.
We are a family in the best possible sense: caring and supportive, competitive and strong, and always growing. We are also community driven, with offices in 12 cities, serving local markets with full-time residents and boots on the ground. Brasfield & Gorrie believes in servant leadership, and our legacy is built on honoring commitments and living by the Golden Rule.
What are the top three priorities for your company this year?
Execute our projects with airtight strategies; focus on our culture to maintain our “One Company” mindset across our footprint; and continue to improve our diversity and inclusion impact.
Who is a person that you considered as a role model early in your life? How and why does this person impact your life?
The list is honestly too long as I have gleaned so much from all my team—everyone in the Brasfield & Gorrie family, from new to seasoned. It’s an absolute blessing to be on a powerful team. Our people are Brasfield & Gorrie. One company! One team! It is like living in an all-star game. When you work with great players every day, it motivates you to be your best. Everyone pushes me, encourages me, influences me, challenges me and cares for me.
