overriding factor in all our decisions. Dale was a mentor to myself and many others. He taught us how to provide facility services in a manner that we all could be proud of.” Though Denham-Blythe has been privileged to work with a vast array of Fortune 500 clients, Hay never differentiated between the companies he served. “We did not only industrial projects, but also schools, churches, health care projects — that’s a pretty broad spectrum of different needs for facility construction. We were effective with all of these projects,” he said. “We liked all of our jobs, to be honest, and we had a system that allowed us to develop outstanding relationships with not only our customers, but also with our subcontractors, suppliers and employees as well.” Despite the extensive growth and critical training programs that developed during Hay’s tenure, he considered maintaining a total commitment to honesty, integrity and a high level of service to be his biggest success as president. “If you tell your customers you’re going to do something, you do it; if you make a mistake, you make it right,” he said. “That’s always been what I consider the company’s biggest achievement — to maintain that dedication to being good people. I’m proud of the way we developed the business and the way we treated people. In the end, that pays off. It’s the path to true happiness because, if you do that, you’re also successful as a business entity.” Hay’s emphasis on treating people well extended to his employees. “Our employees, at all levels, became part of the team,” he said, noting that he is extremely proud of handing the reins of Denham-Blythe to others who were critical in building the company.
Denham-Blythe Company
GRANDSTAND RENOVATION OWNER: KEENELAND RACE COURSE SIZE: 30,000 SQUARE FEET LOCATION: LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY CONTRACT VALUE: $7 MILLION
“Denis Steiner and Mike Cox were there every step of the way,” he said. “We recognized that they had special talents and were very lucky that they, as well as the next generation of leaders, recognized the opportunity and accepted the challenge of managing such a great group of people.” The respect and gratitude that Hay felt for his employees was reciprocated. “The working relationship between Larry and [me] was very good,” Steiner remarked. “He recognized my talents and immediately brought me under his wing.” Steiner, who credits Hay as a mentor, complimented Hay’s ability to share his gifts with others to produce a consistently exceptional product. Hay noted that he thoroughly enjoyed his time as president. “I always felt that I was just the luckiest person in the world because I could build all of these fabulous projects and, at the same time, I enjoyed the people I worked with. It really can’t get any better than that.” Though Hay officially retired in 2002, he’s not ready to spend leisurely days
on the links just yet, choosing instead to serve as a consultant upon occasion. “I still do a few things, just not at the pace that was involved at DenhamBlythe,” he clarified. Reflecting on his years with the company, he acknowledged that his job was an ideal fit for him. “I was a very lucky boy. I walked into it, had a feel for it, and it all worked out very well. Everything today has my fingerprints on it somewhere.”
KEENELAND LIBRARY
Denham-Blythe continues to benefit from Hay’s “fingerprints,” particularly his fearless dedication to company growth. “Larry expanded the company’s horizons,” Steiner noted. “His legacy is the ability to spread our wings and not be afraid to step out of our hometown.”
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