Clay Kesterson’s earliest career ambition was to be a mountain man. The then- 6-year-old thought he would live off the land, hunt and trap his food and spend all his time alone.
By the time he graduated college, though, Kesterson had different dreams. He considered going into construction – he was a construction apprentice during college and liked the work – but he ultimately decided he wanted to work for Divisions Maintenance Group.
Kesterson started with DMG in 2016 as an Account Executive in Training. He was promoted to Account Executive then National Account Manager. Most recently, he was named a National Account Vice President.
Kesterson was only 22 years old when he first took the job with DMG – a fresh college graduate who was eager to get started but also apprehensive about moving to a new state and launching a new career.
Now, he’s incredibly thankful he took the chance.
“DMG has shaped me as a human being just as much as it’s shaped me as an employee,” he said. “I’ve been incredibly lucky, blessed to work for a company that helps me grow as a professional and as a person.”
DMG is a technology company that provides facility maintenance to tens of thousands of customers around the U.S., including many in the retail, distribution and real-estate industries. The company hit a record $433 million in revenue this past year, a 39% increase compared to the prior year. The goal is to grow DMG into a billion-dollar company within the next few years.
DMG has hired dozens of new engineers and sales reps in recent months as well as several well-known executive leaders. But the company also has a strong culture, as in Kesterson’s case, of promoting from within.
Kesterson officially started his new job as a National Account VP on September 1. When he thinks back to his first day with the company five years ago, he can hardly believe how far he’s come. He credits that growth to his managers, and he can’t wait to repay the favor by mentoring and guiding members of the team he now leads.
“I’ve grown with this team since I started with Divisions, and I have great pride in what it has become,” he said. “I’m incredibly excited for all the internal and external opportunities our team will have that come with our continued growth.”
To Kesterson, the biggest keys to success are to be coachable and to be hungry.
The opportunities are there, he said, especially with a company growing as much and as quickly as DMG. But nothing is going to be handed to you. You have to be brave enough to take a chance.
