Client case study · Commercial construction · Phoenix, Arizona
Seven back-office hires in seven months, without blowing the budget
Willmeng Construction needed more people to keep up internally, but couldn’t grow its budget as fast as its workload. Here’s how they built a remote team that performs like their best local hires.
Feb 2026
Partnership started, first hire still in place
7
Active placements, September 2026
3
Departments: accounting, IT and people operations
7 months
From the first hire to a team of seven
Willmeng Construction, a 100% employee-owned commercial general contractor based in Phoenix, started working with VirtueStaff in February 2026. Seven months later it had seven remote team members across accounting, IT and people operations, and the added capacity helped the team move forward without blowing its budget.
About Willmeng
- Founded 1977
- 100% employee-owned
- Offices in AZ, UT, NM, and TX
Willmeng Construction is a commercial general contractor building ground-up and tenant improvement projects across the West, from million-square-foot warehouses and municipal facilities to schools, clinics, and small retail builds. The company is known for getting its estimates right upfront, meeting its deadlines, and investing heavily in its people.
The challenge
About two years ago, Willmeng made a strategic shift. Instead of hiring only the best people in the Phoenix market, leadership decided to hire the best people regardless of location.
At the same time, Mark Chapman’s department was behind. The team needed more staff to deliver the service the rest of the company depended on, but there was pushback on growing the budget too quickly.
“It was kind of a perfect storm. If we find the right partner, I’d rather go get four people for the price of two, because everything’s technology-based. I don’t need them here in the office if we can find the right people.”
— Mark Chapman, Willmeng Construction
Mark had used international outsourcing before. He knew the model worked only with a partner who could consistently deliver top-tier people.
Deciding which roles go remote
Construction has a unique constraint: field teams want to walk down the hall and talk to someone. Willmeng built a simple filter for which roles make sense offshore.
Keep local
- Roles heavily supporting construction and operations teams
- Work where people expect in-person answers
Great fit for remote
- Accounting and back office
- HR, legal, and other back-office work
- Any role with a clearly defined scope and no quality difference in or out of the office
“Any job that can be done remotely, I almost prefer to outsource, especially with the kind of people you’ve been finding us.”
— Mark Chapman
Hiring for the intangibles
VirtueStaff sourced and vetted candidates against what Willmeng actually needed, not just resume keywords. For one unusual role, the team surfaced a candidate without direct experience whose background turned out to be a perfect match.
“The biggest success is the intangibles. The attitude, the can-do, wanting to help get things done, communicating well. I don’t get four in a row that consistent when I hire here with in-person interviews.”
— Mark Chapman
Willmeng’s onboarding playbook
Willmeng treats every remote hire exactly like a local employee. Their process:
- Day one: An intro call with VirtueStaff, then a session with People Operations covering logins, company culture, and self-paced training on Willmeng and its software.
- Weeks one and two: Video calls with as many people in the department as possible to build relationships, while the direct manager trains one system and one task at a time.
- Ongoing: Every hire sits on the org chart with a direct supervisor, has daily video contact, and joins a weekly call on priorities and open items.
The team makes a point of calling rather than emailing, so remote hires feel part of the department.
The results
The first hire made an impact within her first week. Coworkers were stopping by Mark’s office to say how helpful she had been. In an accounting team where closing the loop on tickets had been a struggle, her communication stood out immediately.
“Having executives come to me after two or three weeks and say, ‘Wow, [she] is such a great hire. She really helped me.’ They don’t shy away from talking to people or solving a problem.”
— Mark Chapman
Seven months in, Willmeng has seven active placements across accounting, IT, and people operations, and the first hire is still going strong. Most importantly, the added capacity has helped the team move forward without blowing its budget.
Mark’s advice for other construction companies
“It’s all about the partner. But you’ve got to invest the time to share your vision and train them. You’re paying a partner to find the right people, but you still have to put in just as much time as any new hire, or it’s not going to work.”
— Mark Chapman, Willmeng Construction
What’s next
Willmeng is planning for the long term, building career paths, raises, and title changes for its remote team the same way it would for any department. VirtueStaff is partnering with them on development planning, and 100% of every raise and bonus goes directly to the hire.
Willmeng Construction name and quotes used with permission. Figures as of September 2026.
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