Matthew Gilchrist, the sole owner and operator of Gilchrist Construction, believes in putting his family first. As a Christian, he also believes in treating everyone he works with like he wants to be treated. Those qualities are among the reasons Gilchrist is the Augusta Business Daily’s Business Person of the Month for December.
He was nominated by co-worker, Jason Mandarino, who said: “He works hard to make sure that his staff and sub-contractors are taken care of, both personally and professionally. Matthew lives out his commitment to his family first, and is a great example of someone who is generous with both his time and money.”
Gilchrist says his faith does play an important role in his life and business.
“One way to show my faith is by being transparent in business and treating others the way I want to be treated. I enjoy the people I work with, and if they’re in need, I want to help them out. If someone needs tires for their truck to get back and forth to work, I’m happy to help them,” he explains. “We are a small company that does a lot of work. We are close-knit and take care of one another.”
Gilchrist started his business because he was on the road too much while pursuing a career in sales. His commitment to family led him to start Gilchrist Construction (and Gilchrist Maintenance) to spend more time closer to home. Gilchrist and his wife, Carly (of 18 years), have four children, ages 6, 8, 10 and 12. Multiple photos of his family adorn his office walls.
“Family comes first. I always want to be there for them when they need me. Thankfully, my job lets me break loose and go to games and events and be there for them.”
When asked by ABD, Gilchrist humbly rattled off a list of commercial projects he is proud of such as Trattorio Polipo, The Feed Sack Aiken, Able Kids, Caregiver Adult Daycare, and Burroughs Elijah Attorneys.
In the new year, Gilchrist says he wants to continue providing great service and quality work on commercial construction and their primary focus of residential work.
“We depend on word of mouth and reputation, so it’s even more important to provide great service,” he says. “I’m always working to improve, and that goes for this year, too. We want to give better customer service and more accurate bids while working more efficiently.”
Gilchrist says he thoroughly enjoys his job because every day is a new challenge and every project is different.
“Seeing the end goal and the customer’s vision come to life makes it all worth it. That’s when we’re all happy.”
