Employees of Jay-Cue Construction in North Bergen, N.J., have a closet full of clothing from the company. President John Quaregna provides his staff with a full work uniform that includes T-shirts, five pairs of pants, sweaters, sweatshirts, three-season jackets, windbreakers, and boots. Every item of clothing bears the company name and logo, as well as its tagline: “Where quality and dependability have been a tradition since 1976.”
Quaregna says the investment of $400 per employee for the uniforms serves two purposes. First, just like jobsite and truck signs, it provides a way to market the company's services. Second, the employees feel like professionals, and customers view them as professionals. “On other jobsites I see guys wearing shorts and Coors T-shirts. That is not professional. We don't allow shorts on our jobsites,” he says. When he hires an employee, he tells them the uniform must be worn every day. “You can't be on a job without a company shirt on,” Quaregna says.
