Once a Gaines, Always a Gaines

Over the past 70 years, Gaines has encouraged team camaraderie, turning employees into family.

Gaines and Company may look like your average, family-owned and operated business. But after 70 years of operation and three generations of leadership, it’s clear that Gaines and Company is more than that. They are a family with a common goal of not just delivering industry-leading site development work, but also enhancing the lives of its employees.

In the early years of Gaines and Company, many people were drawn to the company because they guaranteed employees a 40-hour work week.

“I remember my first week at Gaines,” said Retiree Ron Rogers. “It rained three days that week. When I got my paycheck, I got paid for the whole week. That was unheard of.”

The guaranteed hours may have drawn people to the company, but becoming family is what made them stay.

“Mr. Gaines, Sr. – I would’ve walked through fire for that man. And ever since Lee and Myrt took over, they’ve always treated me like family. They are fantastic,” said Retiree Lee Rogers (Ron’s brother).

Gaines and Company

W.L. Gaines, Sr. established Gaines and Company in 1954. At that time, Gaines projects were usually in subdivisions in Baltimore County, Maryland. Fast forward 70 years, and Gaines and Company is now an industry-leading site development company that delivers underground utilities, grading and excavating, sediment and erosion controls, and road work services throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C., and Delaware.

It’s not just their experience and skills that contribute to their success, but their people.

Painting commissioned by the Gaines family and presented to Lee Rogers during his retirement symbolizing his time with Gaines (including the bricklayer in the center of the photo as Lee Rogers and Myrt Gaines assisting him with the bricks).

“If you work for Gaines, you will work,” said Lee Rogers, who spent 44 years with Gaines and Company. “They expect the best. But I’ll tell you this, they will treat you the best, too.”

Lee and Ron Rogers both had to prove themselves before becoming part of the Gaines team.

“My dad worked at Gaines before me, but he wouldn’t hire me,” said Lee Rogers. Lee earned a job with Gaines on his own, and it wasn’t long before Lee became a foreman.

Lee said, “I used to take my brother, Ron, out on the job site with me on Saturdays. He learned a lot just by helping me.”

Ron learned that Gaines was a company that he, too, wanted to work for. But similar to his brother, he couldn’t get hired by his father. So he called Mr. Gaines.

“My dad wasn’t happy when I told him I’d be working for Gaines,” said Ron. “He said, ‘You ain’t working with me.’ I said, ‘I’m not. I’ll be working next to you.’”

Though the Rogers men were always close, they didn’t sugar coat the fact that it’s hard working with family.

“There were times when we’d all three be working on the same job, and my brother and I would be hired, fired, quit then hired, fired, and quit again all in one day!” laughed Ron.

The Rogers men weren’t the only family members who worked for Gaines and Company over the years. In fact, it’s common to see family relationships within the organization over its 70-year history. Employees eagerly recommend the company to relatives.

“They treated us so well—and still do,” said Retiree Rod Naylor, who spent 47 years with the company and still occasionally fills in for foremen. “I worked there, my brother worked there, and my brother-in-law worked there.”

Becoming Family

Blood relation isn’t the only family you’ll find on Gaines job sites, though. Employees become family simply by working together.

“Our crews look out for each other. They truly care about each other and want to do the best work while keeping everyone safe,” said Safety Director Dominic Pope. “And all that starts with our leadership. When it’s clear leadership cares about you like family, you tend to care about the rest of the ‘family’ as well.”

Gaines doesn’t believe in all work and no play. In fact, employees always find time for fun despite demanding job requirements.

Whether bonded by blood or Gaines’s family mentality, there is no doubt that the Gaines organization leaves a lasting impact on its employees. From those who worked their way up the ranks with Gaines 70 years ago to newly hired laborers, Gaines and Company creates a lasting bond throughout its organization – turning employees into family.

“When you work for Gaines, they have your back for life,” said Ron Rogers. “They don’t ever forget you.”

Gaines and Company is a full-service grading and excavation company with offices in Maryland and North Carolina. The organization has 70 years of experience in underground utilities, grading and excavating, sediment and erosion controls, and road work. Gaines and Company delivers safe, reliable, turnkey site development services in Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C., and Delaware on time and within budget.