Fred Bueler

Q: What most notably stands out about your leadership style or what is an example of leadership success you can share with our readers?

My leadership style is built on calm, steadiness, trust and genuine care for people. I believe strong leadership begins with dependability — showing up consistently, following through on commitments, and helping others find clarity and confidence during uncertain times. My approach is based on servant leadership: listening first, empowering others, and modeling accountability and integrity in every decision. At CHASSE, we offer a high degree of autonomy, balanced with strong team support and collaboration.

A core part of my leadership philosophy is creating open, team-driven communication. We prioritize consistent check-ins across teams and projects to ensure alignment, support and transparency. This practice strengthens trust, enhances performance and maintains morale, even through challenges.

Q: What impact have any disruptions of the past 18 months had on you as a leader?

Over the past 18 months, our industry has experienced both some markets slowing down and the effects of global tariffs. Fortunately, our diversification across multiple market sectors and a strong project backlog have helped us to navigate fluctuations in any one specific market. Additionally, while tariffs have driven up some material costs, the simultaneous market retraction created more competitive pricing among trade partners, which has ultimately offset much of the tariff impact.

Our organization was well-trained by the challenges we faced between 2020 and 2024: manufacturing shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, hyperinflation and labor shortages. As a result, the recent disruptions have felt far less severe and very manageable. On a personal level, those earlier experiences fundamentally shaped how I lead and how our teams respond to uncertainty. They taught me to stay calm under pressure, think strategically, be extremely proactive in planning and collaborate closely with all stakeholders.

Because of the systems and practices we developed during that period, we’ve become far more agile and resilient as an organization. As a leader, I’ve learned the value of proactive planning, empowering teams to problem-solve, and maintaining transparency even when conditions are changing. These lessons have strengthened my leadership style and personally enabled me to lead with greater clarity, confidence and steadiness — no matter the external circumstances.

Q: What do you feel we can be doing as a business community to empower economic growth here?

As a business community, we have an incredible opportunity to shape Arizona’s next chapter of growth by focusing on our greatest resource: people. Empowering economic growth begins with investing in our local workforce through education, mentorship and partnerships that connect young talent with meaningful career paths in construction and design. When we create strong, sustainable opportunities for individuals, we strengthen the entire community.

In the construction industry, we recognize that we have an aging workforce. Promoting and supporting students who want to pursue careers in the trades will be essential for the long-term vitality of the metro Phoenix area. Schools like West-MEC and EVIT play a critical role in this effort by offering a wide range of trade programs that not only develop workforce skills but also provide students with rewarding career paths.

Beyond workforce development, we must continue fostering collaboration between businesses, cities and schools to ensure growth remains intentional and balanced. Shared investment in infrastructure, affordable housing and workforce training will help keep the Phoenix region competitive, desirable and livable.

Q: What is new and notable for your company’s near future that will impact our economy?

We are fortunate to be in a position where we can have a prosperous business model and pursue some of our meaningful passions at the same time. Our Charitable Committee spearheads much of what we do in our spare time: volunteering for causes that we love, fundraising on behalf of important missions and spending time giving back to our community. These efforts not only strengthen our bonds as a team but also allow us to create lasting impact, fostering goodwill and demonstrating that success is most rewarding when shared with those who need it most.