Synergy General Contractors’ President Kevin MacNab (left), usually referred to by the playful title of “Lord,” administrative assistant Antoinette “Sissy” Deenihan (center) and Joe Ambrosia, playfully called “Duke,” were all smiles at a recent Wisconsin general contractor networking event sponsored by The Blue Book Building & Construction Network.

Synergy General Contractors performed extensive facade renovation to spruce up the Aurora Marketplace in Aurora, Illinois, located in one of the top five shopping areas in the state.

The “work hard, play hard” mantra isn’t lost on Synergy General Contractors (Synergy) because fun is part of each day’s schedule.

“Construction is for adults who didn’t want to grow up,” says company President Kevin MacNab, who is known as much for being a fun-loving jokester as being a conscientious manager.

The general contracting company in Mount Prospect, Illinois, fosters a work environment where it’s OK to be playful at times, such as cracking jokes or wearing comical clothes to work.

Their customers don’t mind—in fact, most find it amusing and sort of get into the spirit, too.

“It works very well,” John Ricchio says of Synergy’s lighthearted style of business. Ricchio, The Home Depot’s project manager for the region, has used Synergy for about 25 jobs to help perform major remodels of breakrooms and training rooms at the home improvement store’s locations.

“Our company is laid back and they (Synergy) are on top of their game. They work well with our guys,” Ricchio adds.

There are clear advantages to Synergy’s workers not taking themselves too seriously, says MacNab, who is sarcastically called “Lord” in the vein of Monty Python by his employees. He explains that an easygoing mentality allows employees to feel more connected and committed to the company. At the same time, clients’ projects are completed with smiles on the faces of all involved.

“While we like to have fun and are admired for our unique humor, we take our projects very seriously and are known in the local construction market for our speed,” MacNab says.

Seriously Now

The serious side of Synergy often lands major contracts in the high-end residential and commercial construction markets, specializing in a diverse range of facilities. Its core areas of focus include apartments and condominiums, assisted living facilities, retail stores, restaurants and hotels/motels. For example, the company’s portfolio features a complete renovation of exterior balconies on 266 units in a high-rise condo in Calumet City, Illinois. It involved extensive concrete and masonry work, as well as all new railing and painting.

“We bring a level of professional expertise and experience in our field to help clients maximize their efforts in their core competencies and provide a balanced focus between project-specific goals and the long-term needs of our clients,” MacNab says.

Developing great partnerships with other industry professionals is part of this balanced focus—and his company’s valuable, reasonably priced services are part of the appeal.

“I’ve been involved with a number of projects with Synergy,” says Chuck Pedersen, an architect based in Westchester, Illinois. “Kevin has a knack for coming up with the best prices.”

And what about that “other” Kevin—the playful one?

“He’s a little strange,” Pedersen says. “They have a bar in their office, and a pool table, and a guard dog. ...But it’s no problem.”

The dog—named Rascal—is a fixture in the office, which MacNab calls a “playground.”

“Or it’s more like a man cave here I guess; I walk around barefoot,” MacNab adds.

Did You Hear the One About…

MacNab has always walked on the playful side of life. His father, a masonry contractor and a “big practical joker himself,” introduced him to the construction business. MacNab came away from his upbringing believing construction was simply fun. Yes, there are the detailed plans and the physical labor, the need to meet payroll and dealing with project headaches on-site, but having a happy and creative outlook makes even hard work enjoyable for MacNab.

“I don’t look at it as work, but as a hobby,” he says.

This hobby has some limitations even for him. MacNab says he couldn’t build anything as a kid. He remembers playing in the mud with his toy trucks and poorly constructing little buildings. As an adult, he discovered his true skill is in managing building projects—especially the cost estimation, planning and sales side of jobs.

He started Synergy with just $100 in 2006, focusing on work primarily in the Chicagoland area and Northwest suburbs. He combined his exposure to the industry as a youth with a business administration degree from Cleary University in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he graduated magna cum laude to ensure his success.

Now 12 years later, the business caters to clients throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. Besides offering full general contracting services, the company provides concrete, masonry, carpentry, HVAC, plumbing and electrical on small-to-medium projects. Additionally, Synergy offers consulting, feasibility studies, condition assessments, code reviews, project logistics and scheduling, budget development and cost estimating.

Fun and Gains

The name “synergy” means various things for the company. One obvious meaning is the creative power that comes from the contrast of believing life is both fun and hard work.

MacNab turns into a deep thinker when incorporating leadership principles from one of his idols: the late W. Edwards Deming, a well-known adviser to some of the most influential businessmen, corporations and scientific pioneers of quality control. Perhaps best known for rebuilding Japan after World War II, Deming popularized the concept that leaders must balance smart thinking with active involvement. His “plan-do-study-act” approach has always appealed to MacNab, who constantly refines each plan of action based on what’s currently happening at each step.

While MacNab’s adopted philosophy is cerebral to some extent, the levity isn’t far away. In fact, he likes the fact that his team does not have a dress code—and doesn’t like rules in general, either. MacNab himself sometimes comes to work in his sweatpants or gym shorts. For a laugh one day, another employee wore a tuxedo and top hat to work.

The scene looks even more unconventional when visitors stop by to admire the collection of Beatles records decorating one office wall and the Marvel Comics characters decorating the other wall. Then there are MacNab’s collection of life-sized monsters displayed in the front windows and throughout the office that move and talk, slot machines, two big screen TVs, and an old-fashion Pac-Man game for the employees and their children to enjoy. Employees are also allowed to occasionally bring their children to work to play on the machines and spend a day of fun in the sun with their parents.

“We take time out and let kids play on the machines (safely, of course). ...A kid 6 years old who gets to play on a forklift? He gets to stand on a scaffold and hold a tool? That’s great!” MacNab says. “This is all part of letting the crews have a good time. By promoting fun times, we make sure the crew feels like a family.”

Allowing children to play in the office harkens back to MacNab’s childhood when his own father didn’t discourage, but encouraged, MacNab’s adventurous spirit.

Synergy’s three partners—MacNab, Nick Vucovich and Joe Ambrosia—run the company. MacNab and Ambrosia work in the administrative positions with the help of their administrative assistant Antoinette Deenihan, also known as “Sissy.” Vucovich, however, controls the eight employees in their work crews. And, of course, the company dog, Rascal, has a way of getting frequent outdoor walks from Deenihan and the other employees who just can’t say no.

Somehow, this team accomplishes quite a lot—and does it well, too. Synergy’s list of satisfied clients includes notables like Field Museum, Provident Hospital of Cook County, Sterling-Rock Falls Family YMCA, Hotel Florence, William Rainey Harper College, Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and the condo development at 44 North Vail in Arlington Heights.

Life—and work—amount to a big smile for MacNab and his team at Synergy. His playful style seems contagious in a good way.

“Every subcontractor, owner and developer we work with has fun, too,” he adds.