When I asked my guest, Mike Casimiro, about some of the non-traditional ways he leads his business, I expected a story or two. What I got was a window into a completely different posture of leadership.
Mike and his team begin nearly every project with a prayer. It’s always an open invitation, never a requirement. They pray for safety on the job site, for respect toward the client, and for the success of the project. And when the work is complete, they commission it to God. For three and a half years, Mike has led Casco this way—and not a single client has objected. In fact, one agnostic client once stood nearby, curious, and later began attending church with his wife. That’s the kind of impact Mike is making.
From a wheelbarrow to a wide footprint
Mike didn’t set out to build a construction firm in Colorado. After moving from New York in 2006, he tried owning a restaurant. But when the 2008 downturn hit hard, he was forced to shut it down. Sitting with his wife, he remembered the advice of his father: never get rid of these tools. Out came the concrete tools, and with a wheelbarrow and one laborer, Casco was born.
From there, Mike built steadily, listening to clients and saying yes to their needs. Residential. Commercial. Even landscaping in the early days. He diversified intentionally, knowing from past experience that flexibility would be the key to survival.
He also carried forward his father’s mandate: integrity. “It took me 25 years to build this name,” his father told him. “If you ruin it, I’ll come back and kick your butt.” That stuck.
A shift from success to significance
By 2019, Mike had money and toys, but he was still unfulfilled. In his words, he “got hit in the head” that year. In 2020, he was saved and joined C12, a peer group for Christian CEOs. That’s when the real shift happened: he stopped seeing Casco as his company and started seeing himself as a steward.
Not everyone in the company shares his faith, but everyone has felt the cultural shift. Mike leads generously. He puts himself last. And as he’s walked that way, his people have followed.
Hard lessons in growth
Growth hasn’t been without pain. Last year, Casco saw a rush of work in the pipeline. Against counsel, Mike hired heavily in anticipation. When the work didn’t arrive as expected, he held on too long. By March, he had to let go of good people.
Since then, he’s been more disciplined. Casco now measures the “sweet spot” of workload for staff—what’s manageable, what’s too much. Once that threshold is reached, they hire. I shared on the podcast that we use EOS scorecards in all of our businesses to track hours. If staff hover at 37–40 hours, we know it’s time to hire. If some sit closer to 25–30, we have capacity left. Mike nodded in agreement.
Legacy, spelled out in relationships
When I asked Mike about legacy, he smiled and held up a hat with the word stitched on it. But he wasn’t talking about money.
He told me about Jason Watson, a CPA whose office Casco built six years ago. When Mike needed a room for a meeting, Jason handed him his door code and told him to walk in like he owned the place. Another client from twelve years ago invited Mike’s wife over for dinner. To Mike, that’s legacy—relationships that last long after the final invoice is paid.
Inside the company, legacy also means equipping his people to succeed, whether at Casco or beyond. And in the community, it means giving back—like when his team partners with ministries to fix doors or repair homes for widows and single moms.
Ground zero and the weight of steel
One of the most sobering moments Mike shared came from his time in New York. On September 11, 2001, he was working a project in Queens when the towers fell. Because his team had trained with the fire department, they were called in to help move debris so searches could continue. Later, Bay Crane—where he managed a division—was contracted to load steel onto barges bound for China, where it was smelted.
What struck Mike most was the sight of those towers, once symbols of strength, reduced to twisted steel. It left him with a lasting lesson: nothing is too grand to fall.
Bad advice, unlearned
Mike’s father gave him grit and tenacity. The man swam into New York Harbor in 1961 and built a construction company with seven employees within a decade. But he also passed down survivor rules: punch first, expect theft, trust no one.
Mike lived that way for years. It brought results, but not peace. Through faith and wise counsel, he learned to replace those rules with better ones. Ask for help. Surround yourself with people you can trust. Look people in the eye. Shake their hand. Say your name twice so they remember.
Advice for young entrepreneurs
When I asked Mike what advice he’d give young entrepreneurs, he joked, “Stay home with mom and dad as long as you can.” Then he got serious: seek help, join a group, find mentors. People want to help more than you think. And keep a list of clients—you’ll be surprised how paths cross again years later.
I added a piece of advice I’ve been practicing from Brendan Bouchard: bring the joy. Whether I’m walking into Chick-fil-A or a boardroom, I want to bring energy and presence. Clients won’t remember every process slide, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.
AI, tools, and what matters most
Looking ahead to 2025, Mike sees AI as a seismic shift. Casco already uses it for drafting emails, building templates, and creating documents. But he draws a line: it will never replace client conversations.
He put it simply: if you still have a file cabinet in your office, you’re doing something wrong. Move to the cloud. Use solid project management tools. And don’t go it alone. He even sat down recently with competitor-turned-collaborator Kyle Cochran (a past guest on my show) to talk about helping each other.
Still, for all the tech, Mike says the old habits matter most. Shake hands. Make eye contact. Repeat your name. Authentic, face-to-face connection will always win.
Slow down, then give
Toward the end of our conversation, Mike told a story that stopped me. He had stepped outside a restaurant to take a call and noticed a dishwasher on break, shoulders heavy, eyes down. Mike felt a nudge. He had a couple hundred dollars in his pocket, and he handed it over. In Spanish, the man told him, “You don’t even understand what that means to me.”
Mike’s takeaway was simple: we move too fast. Slow down. Remember the blessings. Make someone smile.
Where to find Casco
You can connect with Mike on LinkedIn, visit cascocc.com, or call 719-380-1140. If you call, you’ll probably meet Jennifer first—the hummingbird who keeps the office buzzing.
AND MORE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FULL INTERVIEW!!! You can check that out and subscribe to YouTube.
If you want to know more about Mike Casimiro, you may reach out to him at:
- Website: https://cascocc.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-casimiro-21760828
- Phone: 719-380-1140
Connect with Chris Seegers:
- Website: https://exceptionalcos.com/
- Email: Ch***@************OS.com
Other Resources:
- Books: Selling Main Street by Chris Seegers
