I believed that a new company could survive and even thrive in this industry by making changes to antiquated operating methods and embracing change through innovation and technology. If you are able to do that, then you are an icon of your industry."
Mike Bieg
Founder,
icon Mechanical
The Small “i” is for Humility.
The year was 1995. The internet was in its infancy, Braveheart won best picture, Seinfeld was must-see TV, and Mike Bieg, along with his business partner, Joe Parise, were contemplating what to name their new mechanical engineering firm.
Bieg says he was listening to noted business guru, Stephen Covey, talk about companies that were icons of their industries — how they set trends and established direction — and that’s when the name “icon” resonated.
“I believed that a new company could survive and even thrive in this industry by making changes to antiquated operating methods and embracing change through innovation and technology,” Bieg said. “If you are able to do that then you are an icon of your industry.”
icon Mechanical.
It was a bold moniker for a start-up firm poised to enter a highly-competitive market — a market that was laden with 100-year-old mechanical subcontractors who held longstanding relationships with the region’s largest and most influential general contractors.
But, Bieg and Parise shared a vision that entailed changing the status quo. They had a drive to do things different. Bieg said choosing the icon name represented a personal challenge. He said it was less about being bullish upon market entry and more to serve as a constant reminder that to be an icon, you must always be open to change, adapt, and ultimately, lead the way.
Now, twenty-five years later, a company that started with that forward-thinking vision is one of the nation’s fastest-growing mechanical design-build contractors. However, success hasn’t changed the mindset of the Granite City-based company. Bieg said key to the firm’s continued prosperity is staying aggressive toward growth and expansion, making needed investments, taking calculated risks, and staying humble.
icon Mechanical: 25 Years Leading Through Innovation, Embracing Change
and a Pioneering Spirit