Happy Employees Key to Longevity, Success

Founded by Bryan Magers in 1985, Bryan Properties has grown to build and manage apartment complexes, student housing, single-family housing, and hotels.

The company attributes its success to its dedicated employees.

Bryan Properties was initially a one-man operation, and up until just over a decade ago was comprised of a small staff. “Bryan is there every day running the place,” said Craig Edwards, director of development. The company had a leasing agent, an accountant and a secretary, and six full-time maintenance men who took care of the portfolio of single-family homes that Magers had begun purchasing in the early 1980s. In 2010, over 30 single-family homes were demolished to build Bear Village.

Today, Bryan Properties boasts more than 150 employees and continues to grow.

“He treats all of us like family,” Edwards said of Magers. “He really did and still does take care of everyone.”

 Even with such exponential growth, Edwards says that family feeling is still there.

 “There’s a lot of care for everyone and their lives outside of work,” Edwards said, noting that the company has several employees who have worked there for over a decade. “Knowing that upper-level management, all the way up to the owner, really cares about his employees’ health and life outside of work really means something.”

 Edwards noted that the company philosophy is that those out in the field are the most important.

 “They are the backbone of our company,” said Edwards. “The housekeepers in the hotels and the maintenance guys out in the trucks are the most important, and we want them to be healthy and have happy lives.”

 The company offers generous paid-time off and benefits, including several company retreats each year. One of those retreats is this month. More than 50 Bryan Properties employees will travel to Branson on a Wednesday morning and return Friday night. Employees will visit Silver Dollar City, Dolly Parton’s Stampede and Escape Code.

“It’s just all of us getting together,” Edwards said. “Having fun and enjoying each other’s company.”

“Bryan feels very strongly about having happy and healthy employees,” added Edwards. “We really have each other’s backs. Anything we can do as a whole company toward that end, we do.”

 In addition to the benefits and trips, the company also offers financial help to employees who wish to further their education, and there is continuous opportunity for growth and advancement within the company.