MAI Principals

This firm is a family business in more ways than one

Everyone has to function around family at home. But what about at work? At MAI Industries, a commercial contracting firm in San Jose, Roger Mairose puts family first–his own and those of his employees.

left to right top row, Barry Paxton, Debbie Squires, Mike Mairose, bottom row, Roger Mairose, Wendy Mairose

That makes him quite different from his competitors, but no less successful. Roger, is CEO; his son, Mike, is President. His son-in-law, Barry Paxton, is Vice President.

The Mairoses started the company in 1973. It generated $67 million in revenues last year.

MAI Industries runs the gamut of industrial contracting, including retail, office, tilt-up warehouse, research and development, and manufacturing structures.

Roger doesn’t see any conflict between keeping family in perspective and keeping business on target. They are one and the same goal, he said.

“We really don’t have any problem back and forth on that. It’s part of our life,” he said.

MAI Industries has a number of employees who have been with the company since it started. Some of MAI’s other 90 to 100 employees have been there so long that Roger said he thinks of them as relatives, too. They have seen each other through major life events.

“We have really great people in this place,” he said. “It functions so well that way.”

As seen in Family Business a supplement to The Business Journal serving San Jose and Silicon Valley.

By Sheila Riley
Special in the Business Journal