What if your crew actually cared about working faster, doing better work, and showing up ready without you having to ride them? In this episode of Hard Hat to CEO, Chris G sits down with Michael Fortinberry, a contractor-turned-software-founder who figured out how to get his team to work like owners. He shares how he grew his NYC construction business from a small painting crew to 130 people in the field by giving them a real stake in every job. They break down why profit sharing at the end of the year doesn’t cut it, what actually gets crews fired up, and how a simple pay model can fix quality, speed, and morale. If labor costs, missed deadlines, or unmotivated workers are keeping you up at night, this one’s for you.

Michael Fortinberry is a construction entrepreneur and the co-founder of Protiv, a software company that helps construction and field service businesses implement performance-based pay systems for their hourly teams.

He originally built and ran a construction company in New York City, growing it from a small painting operation into a large-scale renovation business with over 130 employees in the field. Along the way, he developed a compensation model that ties job performance directly to bonuses—helping crews work faster, smarter, and with higher quality.

After seeing how well this model worked, he spun it out into Protiv, a platform that helps other contractors and trades-based businesses do the same. Now, Michael works with hundreds of companies across industries like landscaping, cleaning, and renovation to improve productivity, culture, and wages through his system.

Connect with Michael:
Website: https://www.protiv.com
Email: michael@protiv.com

Episode highlights:
(0:00 ) Intro
(1:08 ) From just painting, to growing to 130 field workers
(3:45 ) Managing labor costs in high-wage environments like NYC
(4:51 ) How performance-based pay attracts the right people
(10:04 ) Profit sharing and why annual bonuses don’t motivate hourly workers
(16:29 ) Why just hitting your labor budget can be a game-changer
(18:55 ) How performance pay brings peer pressure in a good wa
(23:17 ) How Protiv software was born and what it actually does
(27:39 ) Why your company culture has to be real, not just talk
(29:08 ) How performance pay made new hires seek them out
(35:47 ) When mistakes cost bonuses, and why that’s fair
(37:22 ) Where to find Michael and how to get started with Protiv
(39:44 ) Outro

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