How Stancil Is Reimagining Construction Through Technology, Culture, and Community Microlearning
“The best construction companies don’t just build buildings anymore. They build careers.”
Walk onto a Stancil jobsite, and you’ll find paint, drywall, plumbing, project managers, and crews moving with purpose. What you might not expect to find is a company invested in technology, employee development, and fun.
“We’re probably a little different than most people think of when they think about a trades company,” says Kris Gunther, Director of Human Resources at Stancil Services.
She’s right.
For more than thirty years, the North Carolina-based family business has grown into one of the region’s leading painting, drywall, and plumbing contractors, serving commercial and new residential markets. Today, the company employs more than 300 people. But according to Gunther, that’s never really been the point.
“Our mission is to build on our past while creating a better future for others. For our employees, that means providing opportunities to grow and the tools and information they need to succeed. When our people can build a better future for themselves and their families, that’s success for us.”
Building a Company Where People Can Grow
Construction is known for workforce challenges, but Stancil is intentional about creating an environment where employees can learn, grow, and build long-term careers.
Technology plays an important role in that commitment. Stancil has invested in technology leadership, data analytics, dashboards, and digital systems that help teams make informed decisions, improve project performance, and serve customers more effectively.
“Technology isn’t something we view as overhead. It’s part of the infrastructure that supports our employees, our customers, and our continued growth.”
That willingness to approach traditional construction challenges differently is part of what attracted Stancil to Learnie.
“Most learning platforms feel like every other learning platform. Learnie felt different. It gave us a practical, mobile-friendly way to share knowledge with employees wherever they are. Our employees are comfortable watching a video created by a colleague on their phones or tablets rather than sitting at a computer to complete generic training. That was another reason we chose Learnie”
Turning Expertise Into Learning
One of the first things Stancil did after implementing Learnie wasn’t assigning courses. It was giving control to each department in painting, drywall, and plumbing to own its own learning. “The experts in each division create their own content. The content is shaped by the people closest to the work, with support from HR and leadership,” said Gunther.
Instead of HR creating every training program, the people doing the actual work in the field teach and train. It’s Learnie’s ‘Community Microlearning’ in its purest form.
Extending Learning Beyond the Homeroom
Stancil has traditionally used “homeroom meetings” to bring teams together for important updates and training. Those meetings still serve a purpose, but gathering field employees in one place can require travel, interrupt schedules, and make it difficult for employees to revisit the information later.
Learnie gives Stancil another way to deliver that training.
Gunther shares an example every contractor understands. A manufacturer changes a product or provides updated installation instructions. Now a department leader can create a short Learnie video explaining what employees need to know. Team members can watch it from the field and return to it later if they need a refresher.
“We haven’t replaced our homeroom meetings, but Learnie is helping us think differently about which information requires an in-person meeting and which information can be shared more efficiently through a short lesson.”
Over time, Stancil expects this approach to reduce unnecessary travel and meeting time while making important information easier to access. Of course, construction isn’t just physical work anymore. Every company runs on software. ERP systems. HRIS systems. Project management tools. Stancil uses Learnie’s screen-recording capabilities to train employees on digital systems just as easily as field techniques
“One person can create the training, and everyone else can access it when it is most useful to them. That makes learning more consistent and gives employees a resource they can revisit.”
Construction & Culture Can Be Fun
One thing becomes clear after talking with Gunther: Culture isn’t simply an HR initiative – it is part of how Stancil operates. “Some days it’s snow cone machines. Other days, it’s lunch or breakfast for everyone. But it’s always about creating connection and a sense of belonging at Stancil,” Gunther says.“
“Our founder, Scott, tells the story about borrowing his grandmother’s Lowe’s credit card to buy supplies for his early jobs as a painter. More than 30 years later, the entrepreneurial spirit behind that story still shapes our company.”
Learning Fits Into the Culture
When asked why Learnie feels like the right partner, Gunther comes back to one of the company’s core values: “We ain’t the same.”
“Learnie isn’t the same either. It’s as much of a unicorn as we are. We’re in a unique stage of growth and it just fits.”
There’s a misconception that innovation belongs to Silicon Valley. But companies like Stancil prove something different. Innovation happens wherever leaders decide to invest in people.
The future of workforce learning won’t belong to companies with the biggest training departments. It will belong to companies willing to capture the knowledge already inside their organizations and make it available whenever employees need it. That’s exactly what Stancil is building.One short video at a time.