BUSINESS COUNCIL
Interstates: Walking the Talk of Whole-Person
Well-Being
Exploring a design-build electrical contractor’s approach to employee wellness
When I first met leaders from Interstates nearly 20 years ago at a Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) meeting, what stood out wasn’t the size of the company or the complexity of its projects — it was the way the leaders talked about people.
There was no corporate bravado. No polished talking points. Just a quiet, consistent focus on employees as human beings first.
Founded in 1953, Interstates (Sioux Center, Iowa) is a national design-build electrical contractor with 1,900 employees. Interstates delivers turnkey solutions on complex factory automation projects in industrial and manufacturing markets. Projects are concentrated in specialized food and beverage, agricultural grain and feed processing facilities, energy and chemical treatment plants, and data centers.
Interstates has been actively involved in the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and the Construction Users Round Table (CURT). The company has been a long-term member of the Human Resource Construction Council (HRCC), comprising approximately 60 merit shop employers. HRCC focuses on expanding knowledge, skills and abilities through mutual problem-solving and best practices sharing among talent acquisition, workforce development and other human resource professionals.
Employee-Centric Culture
What sets Interstates apart is the intentionality and focus of its employee-centric culture. I first met current CEO Scott Peterson at a CFMA chapter meeting in 2005. What stayed with me was not just the company’s reputation or technical expertise, but the humility and servant leadership its leaders consistently demonstrated — qualities that continue to define Interstates’ culture today.
I remain impressed with the company’s commitment to achieving balance and harmony between employees’ work and personal lives. Long before conversations around burnout became mainstream in construction, Interstates leaders noticed something troubling: Employees were fatigued.
Instead of treating long hours as a badge of honor, the company began tracking weekly workloads and looking for signs that teams were stretched too thin. Weekly variance reports of outliers are not for punitive purposes but to ensure all project teams have all necessary support needed to achieve success. Interstates reports this innovative practice contributes to reduced stress, improved safety, quality and productivity performance, and higher employee retention.
Excellence in Leadership
When I met Interstates, the company was far ahead in its in-house excellence in leadership (EIL) development program. Starting in the early 2000s, EIL is offered twice a year to cohorts of approximately 18 leaders representing a cross-section of the company. Since inception, approximately 40 cohorts of leaders have completed EIL, which is viewed as a driving force in sustaining the company’s culture.
Danielle Crough joined Interstates in 2016 as director of leadership and organizational development, and she transitioned to vice president of people and culture in 2019. Crough asserts that EIL “reflects the people-centered approach Interstates has spent decades building.”
EIL is structured as “three multiday sessions over the course of three months, with a focus on building capability at three levels: leading self, leading teams and leading within the broader organization,” Crough explained. “That progression,” she said, “helps participants move beyond simply understanding leadership concepts and begin applying them in practical, real-world contexts.”
“What makes the program especially impactful,” according to Crough, “is not just the curriculum itself, but the way it is delivered. Rather than relying on outside facilitators, the sessions are led by current Interstates leaders and grounded in the company’s long-standing commitment to servant leadership.”
“Participants consistently highlight the impact of this approach,” Crough said. “Seeing leaders invest time to teach, while openly discussing topics like personal growth, mental well-being and sustainable leadership practices, reinforces that leadership at Interstates is not just about results. It’s about developing people and leading with authenticity.”
Shift to Whole-Person Well-Being
Under Crough’s leadership, the company adopted a whole-person well-being model and developed a custom employee benefit program to meet a wide spectrum of needs for individual employees.
In many organizations, HR overly relies on rigid, black-and-white policies, whereas Interstates recognizes that employee centric solutions that promote well-being are in the “gray zone” where judgment, discretion and flexibility coexist. Of many experiences, I chose three examples of how Crough and Interstates navigate the gray zone to offer support:
Recognizing the limitations of traditional two- or three-day standard bereavement leaves and instituting greater flexibility based on individual circumstances faced by employees experiencing a loss.
Treating employees with respect and dignity if an employee fails a required drug test, as well as providing the opportunity to seek help and receive support from the company through the process of treatment and recovery.
Contacting an employee’s designated emergency contact and flying them to a nearby airport to offer support to an employee who had recently relocated for work and was showing signs of distress.
Interstates has also found intentional ways to build connections into everyday workplace culture. “By teaching leaders and peers to understand team members as individuals, this is one way Interstates intentionally builds connections into its culture,” Crough shared.
The company’s “Ask Me About My F.O.R.D.” initiative is a simple but effective conversation framework designed to help employees move beyond surface-level interactions. Each letter in “ford” represents a conversation starter centered on family, occupation, recreation and dreams. Rather than treating connection as something that happens organically or only outside of work, Interstates actively encourages employees to learn more about one another in meaningful ways. The initiative has become one of the company’s most enduring well-being efforts, helping strengthen relationships across workplaces and jobsites alike.
Holistic Recovery in the Workplace
Interstates has adopted many of the best practices advocated by SAFE Project for proactive mental health and well-being support. The company has been intentional about promoting greater usage of the employee assistance program (EAP) for workers and family members. A comprehensive intranet well-being hub provides easy and confidential access to resources. This includes an annual allowance of 90 days of free financial management coaching for all employees and families.
In recent years, Interstates has increased focus on substance use prevention, treatment and recovery support. The company focuses on the availability of help and support. Company leaders teach “holistically healthy” practices sharing their own lived experiences of challenges with mental health and substance use.
Robust digital resources are shared on substance use prevention through the EAP for workers and family members. This includes information about 12-step and non-12 step recovery programs. Importantly, employees have access to flexible policies to pursue treatment and recovery services.
Interstates signed SAFE Project’s #NoShame Pledge. The pledge and information on opioid safety practices were incorporated into the annual field leadership training in spring of 2026. Next steps will include sharing safety provided information on alternatives to opioids for pain management for medical and surgical procedures for both workers compensation and health benefits coverage. The company is also considering stocking naloxone in workplaces and at worksites to promptly respond to emergency overdose scenarios.
At Interstates, well-being shows up in everyday conversations, leadership decisions and moments when employees quietly step in to support one another.
In an industry often defined by production schedules and deadlines, that kind of culture doesn’t happen accidentally. It’s built intentionally, one interaction at a time.
CAL BEYER, CWP, is senior director of SAFE Workplaces for SAFE Project. Beyer is a longtime national advocate for workplace mental health, substance misuse, suicide prevention, and opioid risk reduction and overdose prevention. This grew out of his work on human capital risk management and worker well-being. SAFE Project is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to overcoming the addiction epidemic in the U.S. Established in 2017 by Admiral James and Mary Winnefeld after the tragic loss of their 19-year-old son Jonathan due to an opioid overdose, SAFE Project aims to save lives impacted by substance use and mental health challenges through overdose prevention and response, education on stigma, and development of prevention and recovery programs. SAFE Project also provides tailored guidance and programming for workplaces and organizations; within college and university campuses; for veterans, service members and their families; and within communities. Since 2016, Beyer has served as a member of the editorial advisory board for Construction Business Owner. Reach Beyer at cal@safeproject.us or 651-307-7883. Visit safeproject.us.
Photo Credit: Tomasz Zajda- adobestock.com
