Steve Alles
I was a teenager in the summer of 1994 when I started my first job for Windemuller. At that time, my grandpa, uncles, and dad were all involved in the business in various roles. I worked out in the warehouse of the company’s Grandville office, handling lawn maintenance, and taking on other assorted odd jobs.
Some people know from a very young age that they’ll end up going into the family business. I wasn’t one of those people. Instead of thinking about careers in electrical work or construction, I was interested in other things. After I graduated high school, I attended Hope College and earned degrees in business administration and psychology. I even opted out of returning to Windemuller during the summer of my senior year of college, choosing instead to take on a brief internship with Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services. When I graduated from college, I embarked upon a career in corporate banking.
But the call of family can be a convincing one. After I’d spent roughly 18 months gaining a foothold in my banking job, Windemuller approached me. A job had opened in the accounting department and they wanted me to take it. So, in September 2002, I returned to the family business where I’d cut my teeth as a teenager.
Over the years, I’d estimate that I have shouldered virtually every possible accounting function of this company. I worked my way up at Windemuller, learning more and more dimensions of this business and the work we do. In 2010, when my dad made the decision to retire, Dave Beemer, our President at the time, offered me the position of Chief Financial Officer.
After more than 27 years at Windemuller, including 11 years as CFO, I’ve taken on the role of President.
I am honored and humbled to be the next president of Windemuller. I am grateful for my predecessors who established and cultivated Windemuller into what it is today, an innovative technical service provider. As I’ve worked closely with Dave Beemer over the years, I’m thankful for his steadfast leadership and integrity.
What does the next stage of Windemuller look like? Above all else, I’m devoted to maintaining and enhancing this company’s culture and reputation as a great place to work. Windemuller will continue to be a company that prioritizes its community, customers, and employees. The values of honesty, trust, commitment, and accountability will guide me in decision making as President, and also shape our identity as a family business in the future.