{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Refit Podcast","title":"SE01 E02 How a Virtual-First CEO Turned Culture Into a Competitive Advantage | With Michael Giaramita","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2335,"description":"When Michael Giaramita founded Group PMX in 2010, he made two unconventional bets. First, the company would be entirely virtual from day one, years before remote work became mainstream. Second, he would compete not by undercutting competitors but by partnering with them. At pre-bid construction meetings, he'd tell contractors, \"We don't want to compete with you, we want to partner with you.\" They looked at him like he had two heads. Today, Group PMX has been named by Engineering News-Record as one of New York's top contractors for six consecutive years, managing over a thousand projects across buildings, infrastructure, and energy markets.\nIn this conversation, Michael breaks down the pivotal moments that shaped his leadership philosophy over 50 years in the construction industry. From realizing that chasing too much sub work was diluting his talent pool, to the project that taught him workers in the field are the first indicator of success, to why he plans to replace himself outside of New York to drive geographic expansion. He shares why he hates reporting, why counting workers daily matters more than monthly reports, and how one incentive got four contractors to shift traffic on the same day, saving a million dollars and eliminating dangerous S-curves on a 12-mile highway project.\nKey Takeaways:\nWhy being 50 percent prime and 50 percent subcontractor work is the talent threshold that makes or breaks your competitive edge\nThe ceiling every growing company hits and how Michael has broken through it 5 to 10 times in his career\nWhat happened when Michael told a client they needed to start counting workers in the field instead of waiting for monthly reports\nHow Group PMX stayed entirely virtual for 16 years and built culture through quarterly events and strict hiring standards\nWhy Michael plans to replace himself outside of New York rather than in his home market\nThe moment Michael walked into the International Monetary Fund project and realized the toxic culture...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/b_ydF-fZiyp9jOw8BKzbXV0lZzk9N_djbGZH4hoNqoA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lMTY5/MGUyYmU3MzA3ODcw/MWRlODY4YWQ4OWM2/MmVmMy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}