Building Inclusive Leadership
Ry Bostrom and Kayti Bjorklund-Strandlund on Disrupting Construction Culture
In this second episode of Conversations with MOXY, host Natasha Ozybko talks with Ry Bostrom and Kayti Bjorklund-Strandlund, co-founders of The Repurposed Educator. This discussion explores how two former educators are disrupting the heavy civil construction industry by applying pedagogical strategies to corporate culture, resulting in unprecedented employee retention and growth.
From the Classroom to the Construction Site
The genesis of The Repurposed Educator is rooted in the founding of DW Companies in 2020. Kayti and Ry’s husbands were part of a small core team that walked away from a toxic, "screaming and yelling" work environment to start their own firm with a "clean slate".
Kayti, an educator by trade, joined the venture with a non-negotiable condition: they would not just "try" to do better; they would be intentional about professional development. She eventually convinced Ry to leave her teaching internship to join the mission. Together, they realized that the same skills used to manage a classroom—conflict resolution, clear communication, and engagement—were the exact tools missing from the construction industry.
Shattering Industry Statistics
The impact of their intentional culture-building is reflected in DW Companies' remarkable data:
0% Turnover Once an employee passes the three-month mark, the turnover rate drops to zero.
Gen Z & Millennial Magnetism: 80-90% of their 30-person workforce belongs to the generations society often claims "don't want to work".
Safety Excellence: The company maintains zero worker compensation claims and zero OSHA violations.
Market Demand: Their reputation for a healthy culture has created a "snowball effect," attracting equipment dealerships and clients who prefer working with high-attitude, motivated teams over toxic ones.
The Four Pillars of Culture
The Repurposed Educator framework is built on four intentional pillars designed to move a company beyond the "magic wand" of a one-time motivational speaker to sustainable, daily habits:
Brand Establishment Defining who the company is and what they stand for.
Team Building Creating genuine community through paid, mandatory events that include families to build support system outside of work hours.
Professional Development Proactively teaching personality awareness and communication styles to mitigate reactive conflict during high-stress seasons.
Community ImpactEngaging with local school districts to "fight for the gems"—recruiting the next generation by showing them that "blue-collar" jobs are high-tech, collaborative, and safe.
Courageous Leadership: Walking Away from Millions
A central theme of the episode is the "courage to say no". The guests shared a story of a 22-year-old site lead who walked his team off a job site after being verbally abused by a subcontractor. Despite the potential loss of millions in work, the leadership at DW Companies backed their employee completely.
They argue that if leaders do not prioritize their people's wellbeing over a paycheck, the culture will never truly change. This stance has not hindered their success; rather, it has opened new doors with partners who respect their integrity.
Conclusion: Stop Accepting the Status Quo
Kayti and Ry conclude with a challenge to industry leaders and laborers alike: stop accepting the status quo. They believe that the industry cannot survive the labor shortage without a radical shift in how humans are treated on-site. By repurposing the "intentional work" of education for the infrastructure space, they are proving that a company can be both "good to its people" and highly profitable.