A-Team Spotlight: Matthew Lewis
ADB is all about growth and over the past 18 months, we have acquired six amazing organizations to help us enhance our services and provide the highest quality to our customers. Each of these acquisitions have brought amazing people to the A-Team who are out there spreading our mission and bringing the ADB name to their partners and customers. Matthew Lewis, Field Safety Coordinator, is embracing Deerfield’s integration into the ADB brand while wholeheartedly embracing the ADB culture and vision, keeping safety top of mind.
Matthew’s construction career started in 2006 when he was still serving in the Illinois National Guard. One of his fellow guardsmen told him about a company that was looking for people to climb and repair cell towers. Matthew jumped at the opportunity and spent 15 years working his way from a “green” tower technician to supervisor, and most recently, ADB’s Field Safety Coordinator. Throughout his career, Matthew has felt empowered in every aspect of his work, especially when someone seeks out his guidance for safer ways to do things. He wants his team to feel comfortable coming to him with an issue and strives to keep every single person safe. He also feels empowered when leadership challenges him to learn a new skill or implement a new process in the areas he supports. This industry is always changing and Matthew knows just how important it is to stay on top of the trends and technologies. Joining ADB’s world-class safety culture has been amazing and Matthew is looking forward to growing his career.
“The integration process has been an exciting new chapter in my career. Coming from a Supervisor position, I was also safety conscious. However, after moving into the Safety Coordinator role, a passion for safety has been ignited that was not previously there.”
Construction was a perfect fit for Matthew after his service with the National Guard and he could not see himself doing anything else. He has taken advantage of career development opportunities and has truly learned the importance of continuous improvement and education. Matthew also loves how unique the industry is and that he gets to work in a job that keeps him both physically and mentally active. The wireless construction industry is growing, but Matthew still considers it a niche part of construction and it requires dedicated, unique team members to do the jobs day in and day out. There are no two days that are the same and Matthew is constantly challenging himself and his team to grow and do better for ADB and for their customers.
Since Deerfield was acquired by ADB, Matthew has been able to transition into an established and hard-working Safety team with a strong plan for success. Matthew has been able to form his vision for the future and he hopes to continue his growth both professionally and personally. It has been a long road towards complete integration, but Matthew is grateful for his entire team and their constant support and guidance through the process. So, if Matthew had one piece of advice for someone going through a similar acquisition process, it would be:
“Be patient and open-minded. Change is not necessarily a bad thing. The acquisition process does take time, but that is because the integration is done in a measured and strategic way as to simplify and streamline much of the process as possible without interrupting business operations.”
ADB prides itself on being driven by a world-class culture, steadfast mission, and set of core values (SACRIFICE), and Matthew has taken those to heart and lives them out every single day. The A-Team supports each other no matter what, and Matthew knows that anyone would be lucky to join the A-Team and call ADB their home.
“My favorite thing about joining the A-Team is the team. The team I joined has been amazing in so many ways. The camaraderie that we share and the communication that we have even though we are spread throughout the country is incredible. The guidance and support that I receive from everyone is a huge reason why I value this team so much.”
Matthew, thank you for your passion and dedication to keeping our people safe every single day. We are so grateful to have you on the team and can’t wait to see how you grow your career and ADB Safe!