JULY SPOTLIGHT
Steve Thurston

Steve is our senior accountant, responsible for overseeing several of JR Merit’s accounting functions and leading initiatives in data gathering and data analytics to inform business decision-making. His penchant for math and numbers drew him to accounting, and after a number of years working for Kaady Car Wash, he went back to school to earn his accounting degree. He started at JR Merit in 2015 as an accounts payable intern while he was completing his studies at WSU Vancouver. He’s held several positions since that time in our accounting department, in accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and project operations.

Prior to joining JR Merit, Steve worked for Kaady Car Wash, starting as an after-school job when he was 16 and working his way up to a management role, running one of the busiest locations then managing operations for three Vancouver district locations. “I learned a lot in my time here; I took away skills in work ethic, showing up ready on time and in uniform, and the value of processes and consistency. Being in management taught me about leadership, developing others through hiring and training, getting them ready to do what I did so I could elevate them and move up myself. It became so much more than an after-school job.”

While Steve didn’t come to JR Merit with a background in construction, he’s found his place here in our culture. “I really like the camaraderie we have here, the team mentality and working cohesively toward the same goal.” While Steve in his accounting and finance role doesn’t get out in the field all that much, he shared that he recently went on a site visit with our safety director. “I’m always amazed by the size and complexity of the projects we do, and the problem solving that has to occur. From the office, I’m processing the numbers, running calculations, and getting people paid. From this outside perspective looking at the field, it’s staggering.”

Steve admits there can be challenges at times as we manage schedules, deadlines, and busy workloads. “There’s lots of moving pieces to what we do. Sometimes literally. Finding the availability to get everyone in the same room for planning, coordination, and communication can be difficult sometimes. As we grow and everyone’s busy, it’s important to make sure we step back a bit to plan, coordinate, and be proactive in setting expectations and conditions of satisfaction.

One memorable story Steve recalled was an interesting trade to settle an outstanding invoice. “For a short time, we had a retired CFO helping us out in the interim before we hired our current CFO. There was one client that had an outstanding bill, and he offered to pay off that bill himself in exchange for a pig. They worked out that deal, had the pig butchered, and then we auctioned off parts of the pig to employees!”

Steve is most excited about the growth and vision of the company, from the opening of the fab shop to ongoing expansion to new clients and project types. He plays a key role in our growth plans by supporting a data-driven approach to decision-making. “It’s interesting to see the fruits of our labor in the data, taking a step back and seeing from a high level how far we’ve come, and using data to support continuous improvement.”

Outside of work, Steve enjoys spending time with his cousins, nieces, and nephews, a enjoys a little golf here and there as well. “I pride myself on dedication and loyalty. I guess I’m more of a married to the job kind of guy.”