Denny LaVé: Building Success and Inspiring Growth Through Lone Oak

Denny LaVé’s journey from a visionary in construction to a mentor for businesses and communities—from a builder of success to an architect of opportunity—exemplifies his commitment to making a positive impact. Over the past 25 years, he has earned a reputation for conquering challenges, including climbing 500-foot radio towers and managing complex projects, all while taking his business to the next level.  

The fearless leader has built a legacy of propelling Precision Precast Erectors (PPE), a company specializing in precast concrete installations for mid to large-sized buildings, to the forefront. The company has thrived under Denny’s leadership, enabling PPE to obtain a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies five times. The co-founder attributes this success to a culture of humility, continuous learning, and a unique perspective that treats employees and vendors as internal clients.  

After helping PPE navigate the complexities of growth and succession planning, Denny believes the leadership team can now run the company with minimal guidance. “I’ve been working for years to transition and empower leaders within my company [PPE],” Denny shares. “This journey has been essentially completed. Now, I can work on my goal of helping other businesses develop new systems and ways of thinking to sustain their growth and success.” 

From focusing on PPE’s day-to-day operations, Denny’s current efforts revolve around sharing his extensive knowledge and experience with other businesses through Lone Oak. Lone Oak provides thought leadership and insights that can immediately impact company culture, employee engagement, and overall growth. The organization offers multiple services, including speaking engagements, business evaluations, and ongoing guidance. These are all tailored to inspire and energize organizations. 

Denny started Lone Oak because he’s passionate about aiding other businesses to reach their greatest potential. He believes he can leverage his experience in overcoming growth plateaus and breaking through seemingly impenetrable barriers to accomplish this. Denny also sees Lone Oak as a solution to an issue prevalent in many companies today: focusing on immediate profitability at the expense of long-term sustainability. 

The inspiring entrepreneur asserts that such a short-sighted approach can undermine future earning potential. The actions businesses take today to secure profits can guarantee their growth or negatively impact their future financial health. Denny is known for his business approach of delivering exceptional value to clients and caring deeply for them instead of being primarily driven by profit. This insight has driven Denny to propose a two-pronged solution through Lone Oak.  

Firstly, Denny aims to engage with regional companies, particularly those within his community. He intends to guide and support them in contributing to regional economic development and helping local businesses thrive. Denny states it’s easy for enterprises to lose touch with their local communities. Through Lone Oak, he intends to employ a human-centric approach emphasizing the importance of businesses in creating strong, vibrant communities. “This is the business embodiment of ‘love your neighbor as yourself,’” the founder supplies. 

Secondly, the founder aspires to share his vast industry experience with students. As a dynamic keynote speaker, Denny hopes to offer guest lectures to universities to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application. Essentially, he adopts a twofold approach that reinforces each other.  

Denny states, “By helping established businesses, I can help address immediate needs and transform the local business environment. At the same time, nurturing students instills an innovative outlook at a young age. This prepares them to become future leaders, whether as low-level managers, executives, or business owners. Aiding businesses allows me to benefit the present, and empowering students enables me to secure the future.” 

Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s book, The Goal, has inspired Denny to employ the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to fulfill his mission. The TOC states that any manageable system is limited by a few key constraints preventing it from achieving its goals. Organizations can improve their overall performance by identifying and addressing these constraints.  

It’s worth noting that one of the most impactful aspects of the TOC is the focus it provides. Leaders’ attention is often the most valuable resource within the organization, and the TOC directs this attention toward areas that yield the greatest impact on achieving organizational goals. Denny implemented this methodology at PPE, leading the company to identify and address constraints to maximize the effectiveness of its improvement efforts. This framework contributed to PPE’s remarkable success, and Denny aims to replicate this achievement for other businesses through Lone Oak.  

Denny LaVé’s transition from leading PPE to launching Lone Oak reflects his dedication to excellence and community empowerment. He looks forward to continuing to guide other businesses toward sustained growth and success by utilizing his experience and insights. With this, Lone Oak is bound to become a reliable partner for companies desiring to reach their highest potential.