Policyholder Spotlight: Investing In Employees Will Always Lead To Success
Gil Matherne stands in front of the chapel that he built for his community in Central, La
POLICYHOLDER GIL MATHERNE OWES HIS SUCCESS TO BUSINESS ADVICE FROM HIS MENTOR
From borrowing a shovel to dig ditches to owning his own multi-million dollar cable contracting company, Gil Matherne has come a long way. Matherne started GM Cable in 1984 with only one service truck, a supportive family and his determination to succeed. Today, the business has grown to over 90 employees — wife, son and daughter included — with 60 service trucks and large projects in multiple states.
Matherne grew up in the marshes in south Louisiana in a trapper family. “My grandfather lost his job during the depression and moved his family down south.” Matherne eventually moved out of the marshes and had jobs as a school teacher, insurance salesman and a tools salesman, but nothing stuck. “At the time, there were no jobs,” Matherne said. “I knew I had to find a job that no one wanted to do, so I began digging ditches for a cable company.” He was paid very little for that job, and he knew he had to make a change to support his wife and two kids. With a little monetary support from a friend, he opened his own company, GM Cable.
GM Cable began as a manpower contract company that did complete service drops, running cable lines underground to businesses, but as the communication industry transformed, the company had to keep up. “We did contract work for just phones for a while and then computers became more popular and we knew we had to start diversifying our services,” he said. Since then, the company has expanded their services to inside wiring, fiber optic networking, installation and termination, directional boring for telecommunications, gas, utilities, surveillance cameras and much more. “When we started, the industry was still in its infancy, so we had to learn quickly and stay ahead to stay in business,” Matherne said.
Gil Matherne with daughter, Amber Martel, and son, Colby Matherne. Both children work at GM Cable in the accounting and sales department, respectively.
Although the company continues to stay ahead in the industry through diversification, Matherne still comes into work every single day to do whatever the company needs. “I thank the good Lord that I can get up every day so I can go to work,” Matherne said. “I want to know what’s going on with the company, but I try not to interfere.”
When asked what the key is to customer satisfaction, he said he believes the work speaks for itself. “I am proud to say I’ve never turned down a job,” Matherne said. “If it comes my way, I make sure we find a solution to any and all problems they have. We take pride in creating a solution and never having to sub out work. Customers really appreciate that and I believe that’s the best customer satisfaction — when you complete a job.”
Although Matherne makes it a priority to keep his clients happy, he also invests a lot in his employees. “Loyalty is what I believe to be the most important thing in an employee,” Matherne said. “Aside from that, their safety is always a priority — especially in our industry. It’s a strenuous job, so I never ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do first.”
When asked how he promotes workplace safety, he laughed and said “money.” “I give back to my employees because they work hard and deserve it. If you put a dollar value on their safety it makes them more conscious while they’re working because they get money for being careful — it’s a network of guys helping each other out.” He also added, “LUBA has been excellent with giving us safety advice. We changed carriers once because of pricing, but in the end the LUBA policy had more value, so we went back to LUBA.”
“Their safety is always a priority — especially in our industry. It’s a strenuous job, so I never ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do first.”
Matherne has built an industry literally from the ground up, but he said he owes his success to a piece of knowledge he received from his mentor many years ago. His mentor called him one day to meet, something they did from time to time. He looked at Matherne and said, “Gil, I’m proud of you and what you’ve done, but can I ask you something and you don’t get mad at me?” Matherne was taken aback, and the man said, “why don’t you invest in yourself? Why are you still driving the same car you drove when you first started your business?” Matherne said he didn’t need a new fancy car. The man said, “If you want to increase your business, get yourself a new car. The moment you’re satisfied with where you’re at, you won’t want to work anymore. If you want to stay successful, you need to continue to work for it.” Since that day, Matherne has continued to improve his company by adding value. “Every day you’re in business will cost you money,” Matherne said. “When you’re no longer in debt for your company it means you’re no longer investing or increasing value and you will fail.”
Aside from his business, he is thankful for his family. “My wife has been my partner every step of the way and I am blessed to have a woman in my life that works hard with me.” At the company, Matherne’s wife works as the comptroller, his daughter works in the accounting department and his son is the business manager. “Everything I do is for my family,” Matherne said. He recalled a recent trip where he sailed his family on a boat down to the marshes to remind them of where they came from and where they are now. “I want to give them what I didn’t have growing up, and I am grateful they want to be a part of the family business.”
