Jeff House

Jeff House said it took some experimenting before he learned he needed to do things his way and “be true to yourself and who you are as a leader.”

When he took over as president and CEO at Oneida ESC Group, the organization had already established itself as a success and was on a growth track. He said he felt pressure to adopt the leadership style of the previous regime, but he couldn’t be someone else. He had to be himself.

“The greatest leadership role you take on may be to yourself,” House explained. “That may sound odd, but sometimes we look around and we see other organizations are very successful and you feel the need to change the way you lead. For me, I took over for retiring leaders who were very successful. The previous leadership team was very different than how I lead, but the pressure was on to continue that success. I tried to lead using their style, after all it worked. But I eventually learned that is not who I am and that I had to lead the way that was based on my skills, values and vision.”

Oneida ESC Group serves the environmental, engineering and construction industry. Its mission is to preserve, restore and enhance the natural and constructed environment for future generations through successful project delivery for its customers.

The Oneida Nation acquired TN and Associates in 2008 to diversify the Nation’s revenue. The firm’s work and mission matched well with the Oneida Nation’s core values of restoring, healing and living in harmony with Mother Earth. The business model that was created more than 35 years ago stands today: provide a quality solution at a reasonable price.

Through the years, TN and Associates emerged as a national environmental consulting firm with additional business in construction and engineering services. TN and Associates ultimately chose to sell to the Oneida Nation. That business idea from 1988 has grown into nine companies and more than $100 million under the Oneida ESC umbrella. Services are provided around the world with more than 450 associates.

Since House took over the role of CEO in 2015, the company has reached record levels of revenue, acquired three companies and grown from 350 associates to more than 475. House remains active in the community and serves on several boards, including the Greater Green Bay Chamber of Commerce, Envision Greater Green Bay and Oneida Youth Leadership Development Council.

“In Oneida, we are taught that everything we say and do has an impact on the next seven generations,” House said. “When we consider important decisions, we remind ourselves of not only the next seven generations but remind ourselves that seven generations ago a decision was made that had an impact on us today. Those instructions are part of our culture here at Oneida ESC group. It is the foundation of our corporate objective, which is to build lasting value to the Oneida Nation, employees and clients.”