When Michael Giaramita founded Group PMX in 2010, he made two unconventional bets. First, the company would be entirely virtual from day one, years before remote work became mainstream. Second, he would compete not by undercutting competitors but by partnering with them. At pre-bid construction meetings, he'd tell contractors, "We don't want to compete with you, we want to partner with you." They looked at him like he had two heads. Today, Group PMX has been named by Engineering News-Record as one of New York's top contractors for six consecutive years, managing over a thousand projects across buildings, infrastructure, and energy markets.

In this conversation, Michael breaks down the pivotal moments that shaped his leadership philosophy over 50 years in the construction industry. From realizing that chasing too much sub work was diluting his talent pool, to the project that taught him workers in the field are the first indicator of success, to why he plans to replace himself outside of New York to drive geographic expansion. He shares why he hates reporting, why counting workers daily matters more than monthly reports, and how one incentive got four contractors to shift traffic on the same day, saving a million dollars and eliminating dangerous S-curves on a 12-mile highway project.

Key Takeaways:
Why being 50 percent prime and 50 percent subcontractor work is the talent threshold that makes or breaks your competitive edge
The ceiling every growing company hits and how Michael has broken through it 5 to 10 times in his career
What happened when Michael told a client they needed to start counting workers in the field instead of waiting for monthly reports
How Group PMX stayed entirely virtual for 16 years and built culture through quarterly events and strict hiring standards
Why Michael plans to replace himself outside of New York rather than in his home market
The moment Michael walked into the International Monetary Fund project and realized the toxic culture could be turned around in two years
What it means to take data and turn it into something actionable instead of just reporting what happened
Why strategic thinking is the weakest core skill across the industry and how to get people thinking outside the box
The project in Houston where contractors started doing each other's work because the incentives aligned around one shared milestone
Why going to the high road takes longer but earns trust that sustains you through crisis

Connect with Michael Giaramita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgiaramita/
Learn more about Group PMX: https://www.grouppmx.com/
Get Michael's book, It's All About Your Team: https://www.amazon.com/Its-All-About-Your-Team/dp/1637352670

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– Kyle and The Refit Podcast team

Visit the Kohora website here: https://www.kohorainc.com/

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#TheRefitPodcast #KyleKillian #Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessLeadership #VeteranLeadership #HardThingAboutHardThings #LeadershipDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #CEOInsights #FounderStories #OperationalLeadership The Refit Podcast is where real leadership happens—no platitudes, no polished corporate speak, just honest conversations about the hard decisions that keep leaders up at night. Hosted by Kyle Killian, founder of Kohora and former U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer with nearly 30 years of military, corporate, and entrepreneurial leadership experience, this podcast dives into the moments when the playbook stopped working and leaders had to figure it out anyway.