For S. M. Wilson & Co., Construction and Community Impact Go Hand in Hand.
For more than 100 years, S. M. Wilson & Co. has helped shape communities through the spaces where people live, work, heal, learn, and play.
For President Mike Yazbec, that impact goes far beyond construction itself. “We track our business in terms of communities impacted, not just the dollars and cents,” Yazbec said. The company’s motto, Beyond the Build, reflects S. M. Wilson’s focus on creating spaces that strengthen communities, enrich lives, and leave a lasting impact for generations to come.
“You can solve one piece of the puzzle, but it doesn’t solve the problem. They’re not just singularly focused on one aspect of a community, but the whole community itself.”
That mindset is one reason Beyond Housing’s mission resonated so strongly with him when he first learned more about the organization after relocating to St. Louis from Chicago nearly two years ago.
Now serving as a Beyond Housing board member, Yazbec says the organization stood out because of its holistic approach to strengthening communities. “You can solve one piece of the puzzle, but it doesn’t solve the problem,” he said. “They’re not just singularly focused on one aspect of a community, but the whole community itself.”
Building for Impact
Founded in 1921, S. M. Wilson has grown into one of the region’s leading construction firms, managing projects across education, healthcare, retail, municipal, and corporate sectors.
The company’s portfolio spans everything from schools and healthcare facilities to Target and Kohl’s stores across the region. Yazbec says maintaining that diversity has been critical to the company’s long-term stability and growth. “You want to be diverse across numerous market sectors because they’re not all up at the same time and they’re not all down at the same time,” he said.
Today, the company employs roughly 110 people and is 100% employee-owned—a structure Yazbec says creates a direct connection between employees, the quality of their work, and the long-term success of the business. Employees receive shares annually through the company’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), reinforcing what Yazbec describes as a culture of ownership, accountability, and engagement.
“Our team members are very community-minded. It’s pretty impactful when you see all we have accomplished over a year.”
But the culture extends beyond financial ownership. It’s also reflected in the company’s sense of purpose. While construction projects often move at a fast pace behind the scenes, he believes it is important to occasionally step back and reflect on the broader impact of the work.
At the company’s annual holiday gathering, S. M. Wilson shares a year-end montage highlighting completed projects and the communities they serve—from students returning to new classrooms to healthcare facilities serving families across the region.
“Our team members are very community-minded,” Yazbec said. “It’s pretty impactful when you see all we have accomplished over a year.”
The company also believes strongly in giving back and earmarks a percentage of its profits to support the communities where they do business. Through its employee-led philanthropic initiative, #SMWILL, employees guide how the company invests in organizations and causes throughout the region.
S. M. Wilson has grown into one of the region’s leading construction firms, managing projects across education, healthcare, retail, municipal, and corporate sectors.
More Than Housing
That same long-term, systems-oriented thinking is what drew Yazbec to Beyond Housing.
Introduced to the organization through S. M. Wilson’s Chief Human Resources Officer and later attending a Beyond Housing event, Yazbec says the organization immediately stood apart from many nonprofits he had encountered throughout his career.
“It’s the first organization I’ve come across that is attacking problems and issues for what they are,” he said. “Not just putting a band-aid on it.”
For Yazbec, Beyond Housing’s work feels effective precisely because it avoids isolated solutions. From housing and economic development to education, health, transportation, and family support services, the organization addresses the many interconnected needs that must be met for families and communities and families to thrive.
Creating a Sense of Place
That philosophy also aligns closely with his own industry experience. Yazbec’s background in construction and real estate development aligns naturally with Beyond Housing’s community development work.
Construction, he says, plays an important role in creating environments where communities can truly thrive—not simply through buildings themselves, but through the broader “sense of place” they help create.
“Creating that sense of place is really what it is,” Yazbec said. “Not just a place to live, but a community that has a vibrant live-work-play energy around it.”
As a newer resident of St. Louis living in the Central West End, Yazbec says he has also developed a growing appreciation for the region itself—from its neighborhoods and cultural institutions to its diversity and accessibility.
That perspective—looking beyond any single project toward the bigger picture—is also what continues to drive his involvement with Beyond Housing.
Building stronger communities requires more than one project, one organization, or one solution alone. It requires people willing to invest in long-term impact.
