Latest / Elevate Podcast: Powered by Braden / Elevate Ep 72: Shelly Langona, CEO and Owner of RJE Interiors

Transcript

Elevate Ep 72: Shelly Langona, CEO and Owner of RJE Interiors · Elevate Podcast: Powered by Braden

• 0:02
  Welcome to the Elevate podcast, where
• 0:04
  every leader has a story. We bring you
• 0:06
  conversations with influential leaders
• 0:08
  who are shaping our local communities.
• 0:11
  Hear about their path to leadership and
• 0:14
  experiences that define them and how
• 0:16
  they're driving meaningful impact today.
• 0:19
  Hey everybody, Jason here with another
• 0:21
  episode of the Elevate powered by Braden
• 0:23
  podcast. This one's going to be an awful
• 0:24
  lot of fun. great Indianapolis business,
• 0:27
  now second generation family owner, and
• 0:30
  a new friend of mine. But Shelley,
• 0:32
  welcome to the show.
• 0:32
  >> Thank you. Thanks for having me.
• 0:34
  >> All right. This is going to be an awful
• 0:35
  lot of fun. So, let's just let people
• 0:36
  know where you are today.
• 0:38
  >> Okay.
• 0:38
  >> Which which business are you with today?
• 0:40
  >> All right. I am the CEO and owner of
• 0:42
  R.J. Interiors.
• 0:43
  >> Awesome. I know that is a cool business
• 0:45
  and we're going to talk an awful lot
• 0:46
  about what you guys do, but that's not
• 0:48
  where you started. Let's go back to the
• 0:50
  beginning, right? So, where you from
• 0:52
  originally? Um, grew up on the south
• 0:54
  side down in Greenwood. Always lived
• 0:56
  south. Um, plain of roots there. Lived
• 0:59
  in the parameidian area and then moved
• 1:00
  to Center Grove when I was in second
• 1:02
  grade.
• 1:03
  >> Okay.
• 1:03
  >> Um, and still there today.
• 1:05
  >> All right. So, still Center Grove. What
• 1:06
  What did high school look like? What
• 1:08
  were you doing back in those days?
• 1:09
  >> Yeah. So, um, went to Center Grove High
• 1:11
  School. Had my core group of friends. It
• 1:14
  was one of those when it you decide, are
• 1:16
  you going to work? Are you going to have
• 1:17
  a job? Like, what is it? I wasn't the
• 1:18
  sports person. Then I played basketball
• 1:20
  up until 8th grade and then realized
• 1:21
  like,
• 1:21
  >> okay,
• 1:22
  >> I'm just average for when it comes to
• 1:24
  sports, right? Um, but I then worked at
• 1:28
  actually a gym. Um, I got connected and
• 1:30
  started going there and and the owners,
• 1:32
  it was a small workout gym and they were
• 1:34
  like, "Hey, we need someone to work, you
• 1:35
  know, evenings and do stuff." And so I
• 1:37
  really started creating a passion for
• 1:39
  working out and nutrition back in high
• 1:41
  school um by having that job and um
• 1:44
  really kind of just lived those
• 1:45
  traditional high school years going to
• 1:46
  the football games.
• 1:48
  >> Okay.
• 1:48
  >> Doing all those kinds of things and um
• 1:51
  yeah.
• 1:51
  >> So you finish up your four years working
• 1:53
  at the gym. It's always good when you I
• 1:54
  think it's always great when you have a
• 1:56
  job during that time. Gives you an
• 1:57
  opportunity one you're going to school
• 1:59
  but you also have some responsibilities
• 2:01
  as well. All right. So you finish up
• 2:02
  high school at Center Grove.
• 2:04
  >> You're going to make the decision. Are
• 2:05
  you going to go to school afterwards?
• 2:07
  And if you do, where do you go?
• 2:08
  >> Yeah. So, I always knew I wanted to go
• 2:10
  to college. Um, so I'm the youngest of
• 2:12
  four kids.
• 2:12
  >> Okay.
• 2:13
  >> And two of my siblings took the college
• 2:14
  path. Um, one did not. And for me, I
• 2:17
  knew I wanted to go to college and I
• 2:19
  wanted to do something in business.
• 2:21
  >> Um, I also knew I wasn't the big
• 2:24
  university student. You know, the
• 2:25
  Indiana States, the Ball States, that
• 2:27
  was probably a little bit more of my
• 2:29
  >> size. Um, and both of my older brothers
• 2:31
  went to Indiana State. And so in
• 2:33
  visiting them and doing them, I still
• 2:34
  did the college tours, but something
• 2:36
  always pulled me and drew me back to
• 2:38
  Indiana State. All right.
• 2:39
  >> Which most people would say, Terraote?
• 2:40
  What in the heck drew you to Terraote?
• 2:43
  Um, but it was just that feeling, right,
• 2:44
  when you drove there and familiarity and
• 2:47
  and what I knew about the university
• 2:48
  that I decided that was where where
• 2:50
  >> All right. So, Teroot, here you come.
• 2:52
  Yep.
• 2:53
  >> Four years there studying business. Yes.
• 2:55
  >> Okay. All right. So, as you're where
• 2:57
  where did that come from? Why why did
• 2:59
  you think you wanted to study business?
• 3:00
  And where did you think coming out of
• 3:03
  school, what were you going to plan to
• 3:04
  do?
• 3:05
  >> Yeah, you know, it's interesting because
• 3:06
  I don't know other than saying watching
• 3:08
  my dad in business and one of my older
• 3:11
  brothers took the business path as well.
• 3:14
  I think just watching them and seeing
• 3:16
  it, something just drew me to it. Um, I
• 3:18
  will say when I was little, I think I
• 3:20
  thought I wanted to be a teacher. Um, I
• 3:23
  love kids. Like anything kid related
• 3:25
  always, it always pulls me there. I
• 3:27
  think I just started to realize that it
• 3:29
  wasn't maybe what I wanted to do for a
• 3:31
  career but I could do other things right
• 3:33
  to participate with kids and now I have
• 3:35
  my own kids etc. Um so business always
• 3:38
  just struck me as an interest and um I
• 3:41
  actually did not know what I wanted to
• 3:42
  do with it though
• 3:44
  going into school not sure
• 3:46
  >> correct
• 3:46
  >> right so all right you finish up your
• 3:48
  four years at Indiana State what as you
• 3:51
  come out what do you do next and kind of
• 3:53
  what's that first job look like? Yeah.
• 3:56
  So, you know, I think when you start
• 3:57
  getting to the end of your junior year
• 3:59
  and into that summer, you're like, "Oh,
• 4:00
  shoot. I really have to figure out what
• 4:02
  the heck I want to wheel.
• 4:03
  >> Life's going to hit me quick."
• 4:04
  >> Correct. And now I see I'm like, gosh,
• 4:06
  at at where I'm at now in life, I look
• 4:08
  back and think, wow, it's really hard
• 4:09
  that we ask kids to make a decision on
• 4:11
  what you want to do the rest of your
• 4:12
  life, right?
• 4:13
  >> Yeah. Right.
• 4:14
  >> We all figure it out somehow, right,
• 4:15
  through journeys. But, um, when I came
• 4:17
  out, it was that whole what do I want to
• 4:19
  do? And so I actually went multiple
• 4:21
  paths of interviewing, commercial real
• 4:23
  estate, insurance, nonprofit because it
• 4:26
  was like what do I want to do
• 4:29
  >> and what can I do, right? What does it
• 4:30
  look like? I have a business management
• 4:32
  degree. And so all of those companies
• 4:34
  were were great. Had great conversations
• 4:35
  with people and ultimately the
• 4:37
  philanthropic side of the nonprofit. I
• 4:40
  ended up going to work for United Way of
• 4:42
  Central Indiana.
• 4:43
  >> Okay.
• 4:43
  >> At a school that really just tugged at
• 4:45
  me the thought of being able to help
• 4:47
  people.
• 4:48
  >> Sure. Um, and not always it being
• 4:49
  tangible, but knowing that I could make
• 4:51
  an impact that really just resonated
• 4:53
  with me and and that's the path I
• 4:55
  decided to go.
• 4:56
  >> Makes a lot of sense. Like you said, you
• 4:57
  wanted to maybe be a teacher when you
• 4:58
  were young, help kids, do those types of
• 5:00
  things. So, there was always that, but
• 5:02
  just not probably going to be the path.
• 5:04
  This gives you a chance to go in and
• 5:06
  start working there. So, what's what's
• 5:08
  the job at United Way? What do you do?
• 5:10
  >> Yeah. So, back then, it's changed what
• 5:12
  they call it today, but it was really
• 5:13
  what we call the campaign manager.
• 5:15
  >> Okay. So what I was doing was going out
• 5:16
  to gosh it was probably about 40 to 50
• 5:19
  different companies throughout the year
• 5:20
  and heavily during what we would call
• 5:22
  campaign season where I would meet with
• 5:24
  companies we asking them to join the
• 5:26
  campaign. Um they had run campaign for
• 5:28
  years and I would work with their
• 5:30
  contact to speak to groups do
• 5:32
  presentations you know ask them share
• 5:34
  information about United Way and really
• 5:36
  asking them to make their pledge for a
• 5:38
  year.
• 5:38
  >> Um and that's really where I learned
• 5:40
  public speaking.
• 5:42
  >> It was very scary. I remember in college
• 5:44
  being like, "Please don't make me stand
• 5:45
  up and read an essay because I don't
• 5:47
  want to."
• 5:48
  >> No kidding.
• 5:49
  >> Oh, I I did not like it at all. I mean,
• 5:51
  it was just one of those like, "Let me
• 5:53
  go first so it can be over with
• 5:54
  moments," you know, in college. And so,
• 5:56
  when I had this job, it was like, "I
• 5:57
  have to. This is my career." So, I did
• 5:59
  everything from talking to like trucking
• 6:02
  companies, right? So, I'm going
• 6:03
  sometimes a third shift or off hours and
• 6:06
  having these conversations where people
• 6:07
  sometimes are just staring at you like
• 6:09
  you have seven eyes.
• 6:10
  >> Oh, no kidding. I didn't I I'm think I'm
• 6:12
  thinking boardroom presentation, you
• 6:15
  know, 11:00 over lunch, but this could
• 6:17
  be a third show.
• 6:17
  >> This could be every It was everything.
• 6:18
  It was that traditional corporate,
• 6:20
  right? Like maybe they had a kickoff
• 6:22
  meeting in the afternoon or a lunch to
• 6:25
  I'm going to at the time it was yellow
• 6:27
  trucking. I'll never forget that.
• 6:28
  They're not around anymore. And going
• 6:30
  multiple shifts. No kidding.
• 6:32
  >> And speaking to their employees. All
• 6:34
  right. And you know, again, it's a hard
• 6:36
  job because sometimes you got no
• 6:37
  feedback, right? when you look out to a
• 6:39
  crowd and sort of shake their heads and
• 6:41
  look at you're like, "Okay, good. They
• 6:42
  hear me." And sometimes you're not blank
• 6:44
  stairs,
• 6:44
  >> right? Yeah.
• 6:45
  >> Um but you learn to do what you needed
• 6:47
  to do for for the job.
• 6:49
  >> Yeah.
• 6:50
  >> Um and hope that people would latch on
• 6:52
  to something, right, that spoke to them
• 6:53
  about their why and if that was
• 6:55
  important to them. That's right. If
• 6:56
  Yeah.
• 6:56
  >> What a great experience. By the way, it
• 6:58
  it's it's basically a sales job, right?
• 7:00
  You're going out you you are in sales,
• 7:02
  right? And so I I always think that if
• 7:05
  you can start out in sales and you've
• 7:06
  had to make any of those types of cold
• 7:08
  calls and you can survive.
• 7:09
  >> Yeah.
• 7:10
  >> What a great way to get started.
• 7:11
  >> Yeah. And I and I also funny story for
• 7:13
  you. I grew up saying I didn't want to
• 7:14
  do sales
• 7:15
  >> because what I thought as a young um
• 7:17
  person is sales was like
• 7:19
  >> well you eat or not you mean money or
• 7:22
  not right and yes there's a commission
• 7:24
  sure and things but when I started
• 7:26
  working at United Way I was like oh yeah
• 7:28
  sales and now I see everyone's role in
• 7:30
  many places is we're all in sales in
• 7:32
  some form or fashion.
• 7:33
  >> That's right.
• 7:34
  >> Um and so it was a good learning lesson.
• 7:36
  and I met a lot of great CEOs, a lot of
• 7:38
  great companies, and I've had some of
• 7:39
  those relationships
• 7:41
  um have continued.
• 7:42
  >> But I think there's a little tidbit in
• 7:44
  there for people that might be in that
• 7:46
  part of their career journey. As you go
• 7:48
  out and you meet people and create
• 7:50
  relationships, those will those are
• 7:51
  going to last your lifetime. I mean, I
• 7:53
  still have folks that I've worked with
• 7:55
  25 years ago. Yeah.
• 7:57
  >> That are still friends today. We have
• 7:58
  conversation and we'll get together and
• 8:00
  help each other. Those things don't go
• 8:02
  away. Yeah.
• 8:03
  >> If you do the right things, correct?
• 8:05
  You're always if you show up, if you do
• 8:07
  the right thing, you say do what you say
• 8:09
  you're going to do, that'll last a long
• 8:11
  time.
• 8:11
  >> Yeah. And I think too, I was just
• 8:12
  talking to somebody the other day. I
• 8:14
  think Indianapolis, we're really
• 8:16
  fortunate for the culture and the
• 8:18
  Midwest values that we have because we
• 8:20
  were talking about how in business here
• 8:21
  many times, not everyone, right? You can
• 8:23
  pick up the phone and call someone, say,
• 8:25
  "Hey, I'm looking to get introduced or
• 8:26
  right connect." And they will help you.
• 8:28
  And that's just not the case, you know,
• 8:30
  everywhere across the states. And so I
• 8:32
  think we're very fortunate here in
• 8:33
  Indianapolis and to to your point
• 8:35
  leverage those and people keep
• 8:37
  meaningful relationships
• 8:38
  >> and and the encouragement we've heard
• 8:40
  this a couple of times on the show and
• 8:42
  the encouragement is pick up the phone
• 8:44
  and ask. Right. Especially and this I've
• 8:46
  seen this especially if you're younger
• 8:48
  in your career.
• 8:49
  >> Yeah.
• 8:49
  >> There are folks that will say come on
• 8:51
  in. I'll I'll help answer your
• 8:52
  questions. I'll help you. But you have
• 8:54
  to take the initiative. You got to pick
• 8:56
  up the phone. You've got to go make it
• 8:58
  happen.
• 8:58
  >> Yeah. Absolutely.
• 8:59
  >> All right. So you're at the United Way.
• 9:01
  How long are you there? And how long
• 9:03
  until you figure out you want to start
• 9:04
  to maybe make a change?
• 9:06
  >> Yeah. So I was there in total about a
• 9:09
  year and a half. So it was it was pretty
• 9:10
  short. However, I did not have an
• 9:13
  intention when I was there that I was
• 9:14
  like, "Okay, I'm going to do something
• 9:16
  else." I knew maybe it wasn't my forever
• 9:18
  career. I was enjoying what I was doing.
• 9:20
  Made great friends there. A lot of us
• 9:21
  started around the same time and bonded
• 9:23
  and created relationships. I loved
• 9:25
  meeting companies. I loved being out in
• 9:26
  the community. So, you know, you're
• 9:28
  young. you're starting your life and
• 9:30
  you're just happy to, you know, be
• 9:31
  having a paycheck, have my own
• 9:33
  apartment, like all these things, right?
• 9:34
  >> Y
• 9:35
  >> um and so it it really wasn't until um
• 9:40
  so kind of going back. So RJ, you know,
• 9:42
  is a family business. My dad previously
• 9:45
  owned the business, bought it in 2000
• 9:46
  and and ran, operated it. So I had been
• 9:48
  around the RJ team and people for a long
• 9:50
  time.
• 9:51
  >> Um one of the previous VPs of sales at
• 9:54
  RJ was volunteering on the United Way
• 9:56
  Cabinet at the time.
• 9:58
  >> Okay. And so what their job was, we
• 10:00
  invited community members to come in and
• 10:01
  help us get introductions to some new
• 10:03
  companies and people that we wanted to
• 10:05
  bring on to the United Way. Sure. Being
• 10:07
  a part of that with a campaign.
• 10:09
  >> So he and I were having lunch one day
• 10:11
  because we had three or four calls that
• 10:12
  we were going to be making together. So
• 10:13
  we wanted to strategize and talk about,
• 10:15
  you know, our approach with those
• 10:16
  accounts and how to, you know, get them
• 10:18
  involved with United Way. And at the end
• 10:20
  of the lunch, he was like, "Okay, I have
• 10:22
  a question for you." And I'm like,
• 10:24
  "Okay." He's like, "Would you ever come
• 10:26
  work at RJ?" I was like, "What?"
• 10:29
  >> Yeah.
• 10:29
  >> And at the moment, I was thinking in my
• 10:31
  head like, "Maybe when I'm like over 40,
• 10:33
  right?" So funny now. Um because that
• 10:36
  seems so old. That's a chuck at the
• 10:38
  time. And I was like, I I don't know,
• 10:40
  brat. You know, it was one of those
• 10:42
  where it was like I have always had a
• 10:44
  great relationship with my dad and I
• 10:45
  look up to him and and all of that. And
• 10:47
  it was like I don't know. I always
• 10:49
  separated myself from it. Like I wanted
• 10:51
  to do my own thing. I wanted to to stand
• 10:53
  out. I'm the youngest of four kids.
• 10:54
  >> Yeah.
• 10:55
  >> No one else took that path. So, I just
• 10:57
  was like, it had not registered for me.
• 10:59
  >> Sure. Yeah.
• 11:00
  >> So, I remember leaving that day and
• 11:01
  thinking, okay, what could that mean?
• 11:03
  And he was like, you know, I'm I'm
• 11:04
  looking to add to our sales team. I'
• 11:06
  I've watched you in these meetings and
• 11:08
  different things. And I would just love
• 11:10
  to bring on someone who can grow within
• 11:11
  the organization and, you know, so after
• 11:14
  a little bit of time, that was in when I
• 11:16
  came back and decided I wanted to
• 11:18
  explore that. Went through the normal
• 11:19
  interviewing process and kind of really
• 11:21
  that's where it took off.
• 11:22
  >> No kidding. Yeah. By by the way, what an
• 11:24
  interesting story, right? So you you
• 11:26
  grow up, you know the business,
• 11:27
  obviously look up to your dad from a
• 11:29
  business perspective, but there's no
• 11:31
  thought in your mind that you're going
• 11:33
  to go work at RJ. Not that it's a bad
• 11:35
  business, right? But just not going to
• 11:37
  be your path. He said, youngest of four.
• 11:40
  >> And then the VP of sales says, hey,
• 11:42
  >> yeah,
• 11:42
  >> you know, by the way, this young kid who
• 11:44
  said they didn't want to be in sales.
• 11:45
  Hey, you're pretty sales. Maybe you
• 11:47
  might want to come in and work for our
• 11:49
  business. So was the first role. Is it
• 11:51
  in sales?
• 11:51
  >> It was. Yeah. So he was looking for
• 11:53
  sales and again I knew nothing truly
• 11:54
  like you said I grew up around the
• 11:57
  industry right that RJ is in. I didn't
• 11:59
  know anything about it. I would come in
• 12:00
  when I was younger and file. That was
• 12:02
  when filing was still a thing right. I
• 12:03
  helped answer phones. I worked summer
• 12:05
  jobs there but I really didn't know
• 12:07
  truly what RJ
• 12:08
  >> That's right.
• 12:09
  >> Yeah.
• 12:10
  >> And so as I looked at and explored it
• 12:12
  and then it became a conversation to um
• 12:15
  making Denny my dad aware that this was
• 12:18
  something potentially to go on.
• 12:20
  >> Yeah.
• 12:20
  >> Um we talked about it. No. Yeah, it was
• 12:22
  a sales it was a sales role and I came
• 12:24
  in going I have no idea what a panel is
• 12:26
  but I'm going to figure
• 12:27
  >> I'm going to figure that out.
• 12:27
  >> I'm going to figure it out. And you know
• 12:29
  I always said I had a bigger target on
• 12:31
  my back than anyone whether people put
• 12:33
  it there or not. I put it there myself
• 12:35
  that I have to perform. You know I have
• 12:37
  to sell. We show our numbers every week.
• 12:39
  We share them with the team and if I'm
• 12:41
  not selling RJ can't afford to keep me
• 12:43
  there just like they couldn't afford to
• 12:44
  keep any employer there. So it was a
• 12:47
  different um even though I didn't know
• 12:49
  what I was doing, I knew and understood
• 12:51
  >> the the um mission I had ahead of me of
• 12:55
  creating my own path too.
• 12:57
  >> I'm curious the conversation with your
• 12:58
  dad, right? So you get started and
• 13:00
  obviously the the VP of sales was the
• 13:02
  one that kind of brings you in. What
• 13:04
  advice did did he give you kind of in
• 13:07
  those early years, you know, coming into
• 13:09
  the business? Was there any advice he
• 13:10
  gave you?
• 13:11
  He always we always say Denny has lots
• 13:13
  of words of wisdom and that's still true
• 13:15
  and that's one of the things that we we
• 13:17
  we love. So growing up I always had them
• 13:19
  whether I recognized them when I was
• 13:20
  younger um or not. And I would say that
• 13:23
  um one thing that we always did well and
• 13:25
  it was even true when we transitioned
• 13:27
  the business later
• 13:29
  >> is he always was great at giving me my
• 13:31
  own space
• 13:32
  >> and allowing things to work while also
• 13:34
  knowing that he was always there if that
• 13:36
  makes sense.
• 13:36
  >> It does. So I worked closely with Brad
• 13:38
  who was the leader you know of the sales
• 13:40
  team and it was like hey you are an
• 13:41
  employee of RJ you need to go through
• 13:43
  all the traditional ways that everyone
• 13:45
  gets on boarded gets brought to the
• 13:47
  table who you know the learning and your
• 13:49
  training process and everything and
• 13:51
  knowing that I mean if I had questions
• 13:53
  right off site I never called him dad so
• 13:55
  it's weird for me now I call him dad
• 13:57
  more now being that he's out of the
• 13:59
  business um and calling him Denny and
• 14:01
  really just respecting all of those
• 14:02
  boundaries and lines but I mean it was
• 14:05
  always there's always a solution That's
• 14:07
  one thing it was like in the moments,
• 14:08
  you know, especially when you are new
• 14:09
  and don't know what you're doing and you
• 14:11
  start to kind of freak out like did I do
• 14:13
  that wrong or if you did and it was like
• 14:15
  there's there's always a solution.
• 14:17
  >> Sure.
• 14:17
  >> Um we have like there's a family motto
• 14:20
  my grandparents created which was always
• 14:22
  like lifting a burden from another. So
• 14:23
  always having a very humble approach and
• 14:26
  personality and understanding what you
• 14:28
  know what can you do for others and how
• 14:30
  do you help and whether that's in career
• 14:32
  or personal or whatever it is. So, I
• 14:34
  mean, there were always things there,
• 14:36
  but he really let me else I get my own
• 14:38
  wings.
• 14:39
  >> Wow.
• 14:39
  >> Um, while knowing that he as a dad was
• 14:42
  not going to let me fail. Um, you know,
• 14:44
  he would always be there to help pick
• 14:45
  up, but I made mistakes along the way. I
• 14:48
  made decisions. There were things all
• 14:49
  the time that if you don't have those
• 14:51
  experiences, you never learn.
• 14:52
  >> That's right. Absolutely. So, it it
• 14:54
  sounds like, by the way, what a great
• 14:56
  mentor and a great leader. He just also
• 14:59
  happened to have the title of dad.
• 15:00
  >> Yeah. And so th those things true
• 15:02
  because he was those things for
• 15:04
  everybody else in the business also.
• 15:06
  >> And so that's terrific. And so walk me
• 15:09
  through a little bit the career
• 15:11
  progression from sales, which I think is
• 15:13
  one of the best ways to come into the
• 15:14
  business. You really want to learn what
• 15:15
  people do,
• 15:16
  >> go sell those things, right? Go build
• 15:18
  value for other folks.
• 15:20
  >> So from there to then 2025 becoming the
• 15:23
  CEO, now owner of the organization, what
• 15:25
  the career path, what what that look
• 15:27
  like for you over those years?
• 15:28
  >> Yeah. So starting off in sales like we
• 15:30
  talked about, right? And again had no
• 15:32
  other goal at the time that said like,
• 15:33
  "Oh, I'm gonna own this business someday
• 15:35
  or oh, I want to be a leader or
• 15:36
  anything." It was I've always been one
• 15:38
  of those that I I take things as they
• 15:40
  come. I have goals and visions. However,
• 15:42
  I let things happen and really think
• 15:45
  about them, you know, before jumping
• 15:47
  here to say I'm defined by something,
• 15:50
  right? It's
• 15:51
  >> I think there's divine intervention and
• 15:53
  lots of things that come along in all of
• 15:55
  our journeys, right? Um and so I was in
• 15:57
  sales and I loved I love working with
• 15:58
  the clients. It's so satisfying, right,
• 16:00
  to see them happy and to work with them
• 16:02
  and have fun with them and get to know
• 16:04
  them and and do all of that. So, I
• 16:06
  really love sales and doing it. And what
• 16:08
  I started to notice throughout that
• 16:10
  process is I loved also learning about
• 16:12
  the business
• 16:13
  >> and the process side and just kind of
• 16:16
  took an interest, right? Getting more
• 16:17
  aware, kind of dialing in with that a
• 16:19
  little bit. And so about five and a half
• 16:21
  years into my sales career, um, as I
• 16:25
  obviously knew the business a little bit
• 16:26
  better, the team knew me better, a lot
• 16:28
  of different things, I started to have
• 16:30
  an interest like, how can I play a
• 16:32
  bigger role? What else can I do to help
• 16:34
  RIE? And so we have great team members
• 16:37
  called project coordinators on our team
• 16:38
  who really help support the total sale.
• 16:41
  And their role is they help us prepare
• 16:42
  the quotes, they place our orders, they
• 16:43
  work closely with our manufacturers, and
• 16:45
  then they're really working with every
• 16:46
  discipline in RJ to help coordinate
• 16:48
  >> Oh, sure. for a contact. And at the time
• 16:51
  they were called sales coordinators, but
• 16:52
  we've transitioned that role since. And
• 16:54
  so at the time, Denny was like, you
• 16:56
  know, I think it would be great to start
• 16:58
  working with them a little bit. Let's
• 17:00
  let's point a leader of that team
• 17:01
  because they kind of fell under a
• 17:03
  different pocket of
• 17:04
  >> of the team previously. And so I started
• 17:07
  working directly with them and taking a
• 17:08
  little bit of leadership.
• 17:09
  >> Okay.
• 17:10
  >> Um so that's when I really started to
• 17:11
  like learn about people leadership. Y
• 17:14
  >> you know, and what you think it is
• 17:16
  versus what it always is is different.
• 17:18
  And so it started there and so then I
• 17:20
  was in doing my sales role still doing
• 17:23
  that for a few more years and then it
• 17:25
  transitioned into becoming the general
• 17:27
  manager of RJ.
• 17:29
  >> Okay.
• 17:29
  >> So again as my role some details in
• 17:31
  there that are sure probably too long to
• 17:33
  share the podcast but um different
• 17:36
  things that evolved that really led it
• 17:38
  to being like we need to add some more
• 17:39
  leadership at RJ. My experience what I
• 17:42
  had known what I my interest in the
• 17:43
  business grew.
• 17:45
  >> So in that role then I still held some
• 17:47
  sales accounts.
• 17:48
  >> Okay. But then I started working with
• 17:49
  the operations end of our business and
• 17:52
  wow that's when I really started to see
• 17:54
  the full circle.
• 17:55
  >> That's right.
• 17:56
  >> Again what as a salesperson I thought
• 17:58
  operations I knew what they did but I
• 18:00
  didn't really understand how it worked.
• 18:02
  >> That's right. Um, so that kind of
• 18:04
  evolved and I did that for about 5 years
• 18:06
  as well. And then in that it became, you
• 18:08
  know, as Denny was um, looking at what
• 18:11
  his role was in the business, he played
• 18:13
  a really intricral part in being in the
• 18:14
  wheats in Indianapolis and it was like,
• 18:16
  okay, I need to step out of the weeds
• 18:18
  and play
• 18:18
  >> Yeah.
• 18:19
  >> you know, being my owner role and I
• 18:21
  stepped into the market president in
• 18:23
  2019.
• 18:24
  >> Um, and then that, yeah, that evolved
• 18:26
  into kind of what was the journey of
• 18:28
  Denny's future? thought of what was he
• 18:30
  thinking and was this something that I
• 18:32
  even wanted? Um, and I took about 15
• 18:35
  months to really pause and think about
• 18:37
  that.
• 18:37
  >> You know, I'm a wife. I'm a mom. I'm my
• 18:39
  own human.
• 18:40
  >> Yeah.
• 18:41
  >> And yes, I wanted to create a legacy and
• 18:43
  carry that on for Denny and for our
• 18:45
  team. And also though, I knew I had to
• 18:46
  be fulfilled myself. That's right.
• 18:48
  >> Or it would never work. And so once that
• 18:50
  came through and I had my clarity and it
• 18:52
  was also a desire of Denny's, we were
• 18:54
  really able to go work on what that's
• 18:56
  like.
• 18:56
  >> Wow. What a great progression by the
• 18:58
  way. That is awesome. So, we talked a
• 19:00
  lot about RJ getting started back in
• 19:02
  1991 and then Denny buying in 2000
• 19:05
  obviously now with you as the second
• 19:08
  generation family, third generation
• 19:10
  owner
• 19:10
  >> 2025. But tell us about RJ. What are you
• 19:14
  guys doing? Who do you serve? What's the
• 19:16
  business look like?
• 19:17
  >> Yeah. Um, so R.J. if I were to, you
• 19:19
  know, when you give like the elevator
• 19:20
  pitch and you talk about it is we're a
• 19:22
  workplace solutions organization.
• 19:24
  >> Okay. And when I say that is sometimes
• 19:27
  people think only um like corporate
• 19:29
  businesses and that's really not the
• 19:31
  landscape. I mean our goal as we look at
• 19:32
  is if you go anywhere and think about
• 19:35
  it. You go to a restaurant, you go to a
• 19:37
  doctor's office, you do go to a
• 19:38
  corporate office, you go to a
• 19:40
  university, you go in a classroom,
• 19:42
  >> you go all these places, right? And what
• 19:44
  do we all look for? Furniture. You need
• 19:46
  somewhere to sit. We need somewhere to
• 19:48
  do something.
• 19:49
  >> We need the room and the space to
• 19:51
  function for us. And many times people
• 19:53
  aren't even looking around at like what
• 19:54
  all is in that space to even function.
• 19:56
  So that is our job. We are the experts.
• 19:58
  We come in. We work directly with any of
• 20:01
  those groups to help understand what are
• 20:03
  their goals, what are they doing as a
• 20:04
  business, what needs do they have, and
• 20:07
  how do we help them create that home and
• 20:09
  that space.
• 20:09
  >> Yeah.
• 20:10
  >> U because it does make people feel a
• 20:11
  certain way.
• 20:12
  >> Absolutely.
• 20:12
  >> When you walk out somewhere, Yes. the
• 20:14
  the everything comes in as we work with
• 20:16
  our A&D partners out in the market. the
• 20:18
  carpet to the lighting to the walls, all
• 20:21
  of it matters. How the space is set up,
• 20:23
  the design of it, and then when you come
• 20:24
  in, it's like, how do I feel?
• 20:26
  >> Do I feel comfortable? Do I is is the
• 20:28
  room echoing? So, do acoustical
• 20:30
  products, we do furnishings, we do
• 20:33
  architectural wall products.
• 20:34
  >> So, there's a lot that goes into
• 20:36
  creating what we would call that that
• 20:37
  warm space.
• 20:38
  >> Sure.
• 20:39
  >> Um, and that home for people because
• 20:41
  even if it's a university, that
• 20:42
  classroom is home to someone
• 20:44
  >> while they're in there during that
• 20:45
  class. That's right. And do they feel
• 20:46
  good? and does it function and does it
• 20:48
  help them create what they what they
• 20:50
  need?
• 20:50
  >> That's awesome. So clients locations
• 20:53
  first. So where are you guys located and
• 20:55
  also where can clients be? Are they just
• 20:57
  here in Indie or Sure.
• 20:58
  >> Where can be located?
• 20:59
  >> Yeah. So we have an office here in
• 21:01
  Indianapolis. Um and this is really
• 21:03
  where as you mentioned you know RJ
• 21:04
  started in 1991 by three former owners.
• 21:07
  Denny bought it in 2000 and then in 2009
• 21:10
  we went into the Cincinnati market.
• 21:12
  Okay.
• 21:12
  >> So we have an office in Indianapolis and
• 21:14
  Cincinnati. uh we have a separate team
• 21:16
  there that runs and performs all the
• 21:18
  functions as well and then we have our
• 21:20
  shared services with marketing, HR,
• 21:22
  finance, you know, all of those things
• 21:23
  that we share as we're one RJ to two
• 21:27
  >> um and so we function in in both of
• 21:30
  those um spaces and what was the other
• 21:34
  question
• 21:36
  >> can clients be anywhere?
• 21:38
  >> Clients can be anywhere. So I will say
• 21:40
  primarily as you look at our markets yes
• 21:42
  of course locally we are working with a
• 21:44
  lot of um organizations hospitals
• 21:48
  universities that are that are local
• 21:50
  there. However what's branched just
• 21:52
  previously we had a partnership um with
• 21:54
  a with an organization that
• 21:56
  >> had projects everywhere. So we've been
• 21:59
  in Puerto Rico with them. We were in
• 22:00
  Hawaii with them different things. And
• 22:03
  then we have a lot of clients who are
• 22:04
  headquartered in one of our two markets.
• 22:06
  And as they go and work with their other
• 22:08
  offices. Yeah. And so they call RJ and
• 22:10
  say, "Hey, we'd love to work with you.
• 22:12
  We have this office in Nashville. We
• 22:13
  have this office in Texas, wherever it
• 22:15
  can be."
• 22:16
  >> And so we help do all the upfront work,
• 22:18
  the design, really work with them. And
• 22:20
  then we work with local installation
• 22:21
  teams to help us got
• 22:23
  >> perform install there. Yeah.
• 22:25
  >> All right. Perfect. That's awesome. So,
• 22:27
  one of the things you guys did was back
• 22:29
  in 2003, you embraced kind of a a
• 22:32
  thought process around a book. It's
• 22:34
  actually the book you brought in, you
• 22:35
  know, hug your customers.
• 22:37
  >> So I talk a little bit about that and
• 22:39
  maybe a little bit about what that looks
• 22:41
  like in practicality for your clients.
• 22:43
  >> Yeah. So Denny, our previous owner, was
• 22:46
  gifted this book um back in 2003. Jack
• 22:49
  Mitchell is the author. And and what's
• 22:50
  interesting about it is it actually has
• 22:52
  nothing to do with our specific
• 22:53
  industry. I think a lot of people assume
• 22:55
  that when we start talking about it. Um
• 22:57
  and it's actually a clothing store um
• 22:59
  that Jeff Mitchell owned and ran. And so
• 23:01
  the whole concept of the book was
• 23:03
  talking about relationships,
• 23:05
  partnerships, and taking care of your
• 23:07
  clients
• 23:08
  >> and working with them. And when Danny
• 23:09
  read it, I wasn't at RJ quite yet. When
• 23:11
  he read it though, he was like, "This is
• 23:13
  what I want us to be like.
• 23:15
  >> I want us to have a hug culture."
• 23:17
  >> And so it really started there. And
• 23:19
  there's many different ways we've
• 23:20
  implemented things around that hug
• 23:21
  culture. Um, the other thing I brought
• 23:23
  were the M&M's. Yep.
• 23:24
  >> Orange M&M's, which we leave on every
• 23:26
  new space that we install. We want
• 23:28
  people to feel welcome. We want there to
• 23:29
  be something that makes you feel good
• 23:30
  when you walk up to that new workstation
• 23:32
  or office or desk um when you come in.
• 23:35
  And so we've created um that or when we
• 23:38
  talk about hey let's do this for the
• 23:40
  client. Let's really hug them. And you
• 23:42
  know we've talked
• 23:43
  >> sometimes it's a literal hug like we're
• 23:45
  huggers if you want us to be. That's not
• 23:47
  everyone's jam. So we're fine with that
• 23:48
  too. But it's really about how do you
• 23:50
  feel? Yeah.
• 23:51
  >> When you work with RJ and that it's not
• 23:52
  just a transaction. It really is a a
• 23:54
  partnership.
• 23:55
  >> That's right. and we want to be a
• 23:56
  resource and we want to care and we want
• 23:57
  to have great relationships, you know,
• 23:59
  with you as we do it. So, we have done
• 24:02
  maybe since 2003 or shortly after what
• 24:05
  we do what we call a book report.
• 24:07
  >> And so, we have a town hall meeting
• 24:08
  which includes our whole um staff every
• 24:10
  two weeks. And so, we have a list that
• 24:13
  we work through and individuals take a
• 24:14
  chapter or two and they present it to
• 24:16
  the whole team to remind us about
• 24:19
  >> no kidding
• 24:19
  >> hugging um culture and then the
• 24:21
  different specific stories that are
• 24:23
  within the book. And so it is live all
• 24:25
  the time at RJ.
• 24:26
  >> We have the books around our space set
• 24:28
  out like we are constantly talking about
• 24:30
  it. Um
• 24:31
  >> and making sure that our team
• 24:32
  understands that this is still at the
• 24:34
  basis of the hub philosophy.
• 24:36
  >> Sure.
• 24:36
  >> Um and how we work with our clients and
• 24:38
  and our people.
• 24:39
  >> Wow. A couple of things I want to pull
• 24:40
  out of there so people hear this. Right.
• 24:42
  So you do a town a town hall meeting
• 24:43
  every two weeks. By the way, congrats.
• 24:45
  It's a great idea to make sure that the
• 24:47
  team is all together. I think people
• 24:49
  delay those. They do them once a year,
• 24:50
  whatever the shift is. And so whatever
• 24:53
  that cadence is, I think it's a good
• 24:54
  idea to have it. But also, when you talk
• 24:56
  about culture, you don't you don't just
• 24:58
  say, "Hey, we're going to do this and
• 25:00
  leave it alone,
• 25:01
  >> right?" People have to read the book.
• 25:03
  >> They have to stand up in front of their
• 25:04
  peers and talk about it. Yeah.
• 25:06
  >> That's a great way to build culture
• 25:08
  because it becomes just part of your
• 25:10
  business's day-to-day operations. And
• 25:12
  so, I don't know that I've heard anybody
• 25:13
  say that yet.
• 25:15
  >> And so, but what a great idea. However,
• 25:17
  that happens to manifest itself for
• 25:18
  other businesses out there. What a great
• 25:20
  way for the entire team to understand
• 25:22
  actually what you guys are built on.
• 25:24
  >> Yeah. And I would say too, I mean, I
• 25:26
  know it makes some people uncomfortable,
• 25:27
  right? Because public speaking just said
• 25:29
  is in everyone's jam. But the other
• 25:31
  thing is there's another book that it
• 25:33
  came after hug your customer, which is
• 25:35
  hug your people.
• 25:36
  >> And that's actually about the internal
• 25:37
  side of
• 25:39
  how to work with your team, right?
• 25:41
  Because both are as equally important to
• 25:42
  take care of a customer and to take care
• 25:44
  of our team. And so right now, our team
• 25:46
  is actually doing um book reports on how
• 25:48
  your people.
• 25:49
  >> Oh, good. That's awesome.
• 25:50
  >> Yeah. Um and so actually funny story we
• 25:52
  had one time so you know when you when
• 25:54
  you're with each other a lot sometimes
• 25:56
  you get competitive and everyone's
• 25:57
  trying to want each other on these book
• 25:59
  reports. And so years ago we actually
• 26:01
  had a a salesperson who it was their
• 26:03
  opportunity to present their chapters.
• 26:05
  >> Okay.
• 26:05
  >> And so he said hold on a second and this
• 26:07
  is back when we have polycoms and right
• 26:09
  that's how you would like conference
• 26:11
  people. Then
• 26:12
  >> he starts dialing a number and we're all
• 26:14
  like what the heck is he doing? He got
• 26:16
  Jack Mitchell the author of the book.
• 26:19
  Oh, that's awesome.
• 26:19
  >> on the phone and that's how he gave his
• 26:22
  book or
• 26:22
  >> that is cool.
• 26:23
  >> And we were all like well
• 26:25
  >> the mighty right.
• 26:27
  >> What a great one.
• 26:28
  >> I know. I'm like it just shows like
• 26:30
  creativity, right? Like hey people are
• 26:31
  it's like anything is possible. You just
• 26:33
  got to put it out there. And so that was
• 26:35
  probably the the extreme of of of that.
• 26:38
  But yeah, people have done all kinds of
• 26:39
  fun things, funny things, even
• 26:41
  presentations.
• 26:43
  >> One per Yeah, I mean we've had all kinds
• 26:45
  of different things. people coming in a
• 26:46
  costume. That's fun, too, right? To test
• 26:49
  our own culture just as much as we're
• 26:51
  talking about the culture with our
• 26:52
  clients.
• 26:53
  >> Absolutely. Two great tips. I love that.
• 26:55
  So, one of the things we talk about,
• 26:56
  too, right? We're we're a technology
• 26:57
  company
• 26:58
  >> and so you've now been in the business
• 27:00
  for a while and you've seen some things
• 27:02
  obviously all parts of the business.
• 27:04
  Now, how's technology evolves and maybe
• 27:08
  where do you think it's kind of going in
• 27:09
  your space here in the near future?
• 27:11
  >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it is
• 27:12
  interesting when you look back, right?
• 27:14
  So Denny always tells the story that
• 27:16
  when he bought RJ in 2000, there was one
• 27:18
  computer and one email address.
• 27:20
  >> Wow.
• 27:20
  >> Okay. So that's weird to think about
• 27:21
  because in my head 2000 wasn't that long
• 27:23
  ago,
• 27:23
  >> right?
• 27:24
  >> You would think, yeah, 26 years.
• 27:25
  >> Now I'm like, yeah, that was 26 years
• 27:27
  ago. And so just even from that, right,
• 27:29
  simplicity of like how technology is
• 27:31
  just involved in our world. And really,
• 27:33
  I mean, when I look at it, designers
• 27:35
  when Denny bought the business were
• 27:37
  doing drawings by hand, quilts were
• 27:39
  created by hand. Like it was a whole
• 27:41
  different thing. And so there's what I'd
• 27:43
  call like normal technology, right, that
• 27:45
  we've all just enhanced, right?
• 27:46
  Consurers and how they're used and
• 27:48
  things. And for us, technology is really
• 27:50
  important for a few different reasons
• 27:52
  because one, our furnishings as we put
• 27:55
  those in, technology has to integrate
• 27:57
  and it has to work or it has to pair
• 27:59
  with understanding where is technology
• 28:01
  going in space so that we can be with
• 28:04
  that, right? All the things from floor
• 28:06
  cores that are going in, are they placed
• 28:08
  in the right location by construction
• 28:10
  >> and how does that pair up with us? And
• 28:12
  so we've always had to pay attention to
• 28:13
  >> okay
• 28:14
  >> where does technology just exist but
• 28:16
  then also as we use it I mean our
• 28:18
  designers for the design landscape has
• 28:20
  grown tremendously. Y
• 28:22
  >> I mean there are programs and there are
• 28:23
  things that are being used today and
• 28:25
  have been created by our manufacturers
• 28:27
  or our industry. People want things
• 28:29
  faster. Y
• 28:30
  >> people want to be able to quickly render
• 28:32
  things. People want to do a fly through.
• 28:34
  People want to see things right. We have
• 28:36
  this instant gratification in our world
• 28:37
  today. And so that's been a big thing
• 28:40
  that's continued to grow and enhance.
• 28:41
  And so our designers have to do a lot of
• 28:43
  training and different things to keep up
• 28:45
  on it in addition to the tools that are
• 28:47
  like, hey, can I go out and I can use
• 28:50
  this piece of technology to measure a
• 28:52
  space?
• 28:52
  >> Oh, yeah, sure.
• 28:53
  >> Um, how do you leverage that? Right. And
• 28:55
  then I mean lots of different ways it's
• 28:57
  integrated, but I think obviously a big
• 28:59
  topic in our world today, right, is AI.
• 29:00
  >> That's right. And we've been taking a
• 29:02
  lot of time to understand in our
• 29:03
  industry and I've talked to some peer
• 29:05
  groups and some conferences I've gone to
• 29:07
  is like how's everyone looking at that?
• 29:09
  How do you really use it? Because as we
• 29:11
  know with any technology, there can be
• 29:14
  >> bad ways in which it gets used and
• 29:15
  there's great ways. And so I'd say
• 29:17
  there's a big focus on us right now
• 29:18
  understanding how could we use it to
• 29:21
  better perform for our clients.
• 29:23
  >> Yeah.
• 29:23
  >> How do we use it as idea starters? How
• 29:25
  do we if they say, you know, here's what
• 29:27
  we're really thinking? we can put some
• 29:28
  things in and be able to say, "Is this
• 29:30
  what you're thinking?" And then we get
• 29:31
  to go and create
• 29:32
  >> That's right.
• 29:33
  >> that with our tools. And so I think it's
• 29:35
  critical to our industry.
• 29:37
  >> Yep.
• 29:38
  >> Um and how we do things all the way from
• 29:39
  like our ordering systems, automation,
• 29:41
  and we still have some work we want to
• 29:43
  do on that too. You know, there's places
• 29:44
  like, "Okay, we make this more automated
• 29:47
  without losing human touch because we
• 29:49
  love those relationships." One of the
• 29:51
  things I think as you continue down that
• 29:53
  path in your journey, you're going to
• 29:55
  end up what I believe with a good result
• 29:57
  because you're starting with two things.
• 29:59
  You're starting with hugging your
• 30:00
  customer and hugging your employees. And
• 30:03
  if you're doing that, you're going to
• 30:04
  wrap technology around those folks.
• 30:06
  You're going to allow them to do more
• 30:07
  human things. And ultimately, that's
• 30:10
  what people want, right? That they want
• 30:12
  a human experience.
• 30:14
  >> Yeah.
• 30:14
  >> And you're going to give people time in
• 30:16
  a lot of cases to be able to do that.
• 30:18
  You guys have started at from the
• 30:20
  beginning in 2003
• 30:23
  having your team be trained to go hug
• 30:25
  their clients. Now you're just going to
• 30:27
  get a little more time in your day to do
• 30:28
  that. So it could actually start to
• 30:30
  evolve how that happens.
• 30:31
  >> Yes.
• 30:31
  >> Yeah. So I think you're 23 years ago
• 30:34
  were a head start on taking care of
• 30:36
  people.
• 30:37
  >> Now you're going to be able to wrap some
• 30:38
  technology around this. So it's going to
• 30:40
  be great to see where you go.
• 30:41
  >> Yes. I agree. Absolutely. So when you
• 30:43
  think also too, right, you've talked a
• 30:44
  lot about the community of the business,
• 30:46
  talked about being a mom and and those
• 30:48
  types of things, also working in a
• 30:50
  nonprofit, we always ask our leaders,
• 30:53
  what what's community mean to you?
• 30:55
  >> Yeah. You know, it's interesting because
• 30:56
  as I'm thinking about like the
• 30:58
  conversation we've had and and as we
• 31:00
  talk about this question, um I have this
• 31:03
  motto that I've shared with the team for
• 31:05
  a while and especially since I've taken
• 31:07
  over the business is I want to support
• 31:09
  the whole human. And so when I say that,
• 31:12
  I think that starts to encompass when we
• 31:14
  think of community, right? You could
• 31:15
  think of community in one way of like
• 31:17
  community partnerships. We can think of
• 31:19
  community as your family. You can think
• 31:20
  of community as your friends. You can
• 31:21
  think of it a lot of different ways.
• 31:23
  >> And so I think of it as all and I read a
• 31:26
  book called Radical Cander. I don't know
• 31:27
  if you're familiar with that.
• 31:28
  >> Sure am. Yeah.
• 31:29
  >> Um and one of the I mean there were
• 31:30
  multiple things I took from it. One of
• 31:32
  the biggest things was about work life
• 31:33
  integration. Yep. And then I took that
• 31:35
  whole world uh word integration and
• 31:38
  think about how that relates in totality
• 31:40
  right
• 31:40
  >> and so as we think of community it does
• 31:42
  show up in different ways like yes I
• 31:43
  would agree personally it means family
• 31:45
  to me it means friends to me it means
• 31:47
  where I live it means where I work and I
• 31:49
  think at RJ how we've also looked at it
• 31:51
  from the professional side is we are a
• 31:53
  part of the community
• 31:54
  >> y
• 31:55
  >> um and what responsibilities come with
• 31:57
  that. Oh yeah, sure.
• 31:58
  >> So when we think about that, it's like
• 32:00
  we if we want the communities that we
• 32:02
  live and we work in and we're surrounded
• 32:04
  by to thrive, then we need to be a part
• 32:05
  of supporting those
• 32:07
  >> That's right.
• 32:07
  >> communities, right? And that can be big,
• 32:09
  it can be small, it can be nonprofits,
• 32:11
  can be a church, it can be whatever,
• 32:13
  >> right?
• 32:13
  >> So I think for R.J. it's always been
• 32:15
  really important and this is part of
• 32:16
  what Denny built in some of his personal
• 32:19
  beliefs that are also some of mine that
• 32:20
  have translated. It's like we want good
• 32:23
  for all. That's right.
• 32:24
  >> It's good for all. it it helps everyone
• 32:28
  and it just feels good too. And so I
• 32:30
  think as we look at decisions we make
• 32:31
  how we work with our clients, how we
• 32:33
  support
• 32:34
  >> community events, nonprofits and
• 32:37
  different things, it could be all the
• 32:38
  thing away from just going to like the
• 32:39
  strawberry festival in a circle, right?
• 32:41
  That's right. You're still supporting
• 32:42
  the community and you're out in the
• 32:44
  community when you can go and do these
• 32:46
  things. So I think it is critical for us
• 32:48
  as humans and as professionals that we
• 32:51
  have those communities and then we also
• 32:53
  look at the communities we live and work
• 32:54
  in how do we support how do we be a part
• 32:57
  of them.
• 32:57
  >> Y
• 32:58
  >> uh because I always think it it comes
• 32:59
  back to us too when we do good with the
• 33:01
  intention of good that just happens to
• 33:05
  us.
• 33:06
  >> Yeah agreed and by the way I like the
• 33:08
  thoughts couple of things there. So work
• 33:10
  life integration right as opposed to
• 33:12
  maybe think of as work life balance like
• 33:13
  those kind of thoughts there. is a great
• 33:15
  book too by the way, radical care,
• 33:16
  right?
• 33:16
  >> Yes.
• 33:17
  >> And so the other piece that's
• 33:19
  interesting you mentioned too was our
• 33:20
  responsibility.
• 33:22
  >> It is our responsibility ultimately. We
• 33:23
  have to take our own responsibility to
• 33:26
  be where we are and and community is
• 33:28
  where you happen to be and and the
• 33:30
  people that you interact with and then
• 33:32
  who they're interacting with and like
• 33:33
  you said it kind of take care of the the
• 33:36
  whole person, right? I I love that idea.
• 33:38
  It's a great thought. So, we talked an
• 33:40
  awful lot about community, we talked
• 33:42
  about technology, talked about your
• 33:43
  journey.
• 33:44
  >> Um, you've mentioned obviously a little
• 33:46
  bit of family and a mom and those types
• 33:48
  of things. One of the pieces I want to
• 33:50
  draw back also is you took about 15
• 33:53
  months to think about whether this was
• 33:55
  going to be right for you.
• 33:57
  >> There's a a lesson in there also that
• 33:59
  you you've got to make sure that
• 34:01
  >> in a lot of those situations, are you
• 34:03
  making the right choice for you? Because
• 34:05
  if if you are, then you know you can go
• 34:07
  be successful. You'll put your heart
• 34:08
  into it. if you're not in a lot of cases
• 34:10
  maybe you may not be and so there was a
• 34:12
  little piece in there too I just wanted
• 34:14
  to call back in that folks need to it's
• 34:16
  okay to take a little bit of time yeah
• 34:18
  right to make that decision
• 34:19
  >> absolutely and I think what I have
• 34:20
  learned in my you know life and in my
• 34:24
  career journey too is um it is okay to
• 34:27
  do what's also good for you
• 34:29
  >> and to let someone know like hey I need
• 34:31
  time or hey this is what's going on and
• 34:33
  and if they have to make a different
• 34:35
  decision or go a different way like that
• 34:37
  may not
• 34:38
  feel great. Yeah.
• 34:39
  >> But if you don't have that, I've just
• 34:41
  learned that like if you don't stand up
• 34:43
  for yourself, if you don't make time for
• 34:44
  yourself, if you don't do certain
• 34:46
  things, you're not good for others.
• 34:47
  >> That's right.
• 34:48
  >> And that was my biggest fear, right? Is
• 34:49
  if I don't take this time. I didn't know
• 34:50
  how long it would take.
• 34:52
  >> Right.
• 34:52
  >> I didn't have a time frame to it. It was
• 34:53
  like, I have to get clear on this and
• 34:56
  know how I feel and what my decision is
• 34:58
  before I can go forward because I could
• 35:00
  go to Denny today and say yes if I don't
• 35:02
  really feel that or if that's not the
• 35:03
  answer. I'm only doing a disservice to
• 35:05
  him and to the company and to our
• 35:06
  future.
• 35:07
  >> That's right. and to myself if if I do
• 35:09
  that. And so, yeah, I would say it's
• 35:11
  it's it's a big decision. I mean, you're
• 35:13
  thinking of you, you're thinking of your
• 35:15
  your family, you're thinking about, you
• 35:17
  know, I thought a lot about the RJ
• 35:19
  employees because I don't want to let
• 35:20
  them down and I don't want, you know, to
• 35:23
  not be the leader that they need me to
• 35:25
  be. And and the biggest thing, Jason, I
• 35:27
  had to get clarity on. And it didn't
• 35:30
  click for me until someone brought it to
• 35:31
  me was as I was going through that
• 35:33
  journey, right, and understanding what
• 35:35
  this looked like, how did I feel, do I
• 35:37
  want this? You know, all the risk, all
• 35:39
  the things that come with it is I think
• 35:42
  I didn't realize it at the time that
• 35:43
  there was part of me that was like, how
• 35:44
  will I ever be Denny? How I felt Denny's
• 35:46
  shoes?
• 35:47
  >> Oh,
• 35:48
  >> because Denny, including myself, we all
• 35:49
  look up to him, right? He did an amazing
• 35:51
  job at leading R.J. He's a great
• 35:53
  community partner. I mean, people just
• 35:55
  know him everywhere, right? And I think
• 35:57
  part of that was like, can I do that?
• 36:00
  And I was meeting with my executive
• 36:01
  coach one day and we were just having a
• 36:03
  conversation and all of a sudden she was
• 36:05
  like, I have a question. And I was like,
• 36:06
  okay, what's that? She's like, what size
• 36:08
  shoe does he wear? And I said, I think a
• 36:10
  12. She's like, what size shoe do you
• 36:12
  wear? And I said, a nine. And she goes,
• 36:14
  will you ever literally fit or
• 36:16
  figuratively fit in his shoes?
• 36:18
  >> And it just it was so easy, but it
• 36:19
  clicked. And I was like,
• 36:21
  >> no.
• 36:22
  >> Yeah.
• 36:22
  >> And my goal wasn't to be ding. My goal
• 36:24
  is to carry legacy to culture all these
• 36:26
  great things that he built. Y
• 36:28
  >> but I'm Shel.
• 36:29
  >> That's right.
• 36:30
  >> Right. And so the future of RJ is also
• 36:32
  my job to take us to different places
• 36:34
  than where we've been.
• 36:35
  >> That's right.
• 36:35
  >> And how we've done it. And I think
• 36:36
  that's what Denny wants too is like,
• 36:38
  hey, I did all these great things for 25
• 36:40
  years.
• 36:40
  >> And I want to see R.J. grow and prosper
• 36:43
  and everybody to be successful. And so
• 36:45
  that was a big moment for me too to
• 36:47
  click.
• 36:47
  >> Yeah.
• 36:48
  >> That I didn't need to be anybody but
• 36:49
  myself.
• 36:50
  >> Great advice by the way. And so just
• 36:52
  thinking through your journey, right,
• 36:53
  growing up on the south side, uh
• 36:55
  thinking maybe you want to be a teacher,
• 36:56
  but realizing maybe that's not exactly
• 36:59
  what you wanted to do, going to Indiana
• 37:00
  State, studying business, obviously
• 37:03
  looking up to your dad, getting to work
• 37:05
  in nonprofits, realizing that you'd
• 37:06
  gotten a job in sales.
• 37:08
  >> Yeah.
• 37:08
  >> And uh and now you've done that for a
• 37:10
  year and a half and doing it doing it
• 37:13
  well enough that Brad, the VP of sales,
• 37:15
  the barge, comes in and says, "Hey, have
• 37:17
  you ever thought about doing this?" and
• 37:19
  having that make a change in your career
• 37:21
  path. Starting in sales, growing, kind
• 37:24
  of getting into that project management
• 37:25
  type space, eventually getting to be a
• 37:27
  general manager, and eventually
• 37:29
  ultimately in 2025, you know, becoming
• 37:31
  the CEO and the owner. It's a terrific
• 37:33
  story and a lot of great uh success
• 37:36
  there before we end.
• 37:38
  >> Obviously, you have a lot of fun and a
• 37:40
  cool culture at RJ.
• 37:42
  >> Thank you.
• 37:42
  >> What are you doing for fun if you're not
• 37:44
  working?
• 37:44
  >> Yeah. Um, I would say the biggest thing
• 37:46
  is my family, we love to travel.
• 37:48
  >> Okay. Um, so my husband is a pilot. We
• 37:49
  met at Indiana State. Um, he was in an
• 37:52
  aviation. So, talk about like two
• 37:53
  different worlds that we live, like the
• 37:55
  aviation world. He was meant for that.
• 37:57
  Um, and that is good. And then, you
• 37:59
  know, the the business world. And so,
• 38:01
  uh, as much as I would people always ask
• 38:03
  like, do you travel all the time on his
• 38:04
  benefits? I'm like, I would love to tell
• 38:06
  you yes.
• 38:06
  >> You're right.
• 38:07
  >> The answer is no right now because we're
• 38:08
  restricted with I have a 13-year-old and
• 38:10
  an 11-year-old.
• 38:11
  >> Okay.
• 38:12
  >> And so, when we get time off, we only
• 38:14
  get so much time off, right, to travel
• 38:15
  and do things. Um, but we do love that
• 38:17
  we've taken our kids to Europe.
• 38:19
  >> Oh, awesome.
• 38:20
  >> Um, we've gone lots of different places
• 38:21
  and we feel blessed that we've been able
• 38:23
  to do that and share those experiences
• 38:25
  and for us and for the kids. We want to
• 38:26
  do that a lot more of that. And
• 38:28
  eventually my goal would be my kids are
• 38:30
  a little older and I can hop on that
• 38:31
  trip with my husband and go he's in
• 38:33
  Paris right now, you know, just just
• 38:35
  normal Wednesday, right?
• 38:36
  >> Just normal Wednesday.
• 38:37
  >> Um, and so travel is a huge thing. The
• 38:39
  other thing is I have a passion for like
• 38:41
  I mentioned earlier, you know,
• 38:43
  >> overall health and well-being. Um,
• 38:45
  working out is critical to me and so I
• 38:47
  go at 5:15 in the morning. So, some
• 38:49
  early mornings, but that's like my me
• 38:51
  time. And I really do love Okay.
• 38:52
  >> and enjoy it. Sure.
• 38:54
  >> And so, I'm in this stage of life with
• 38:55
  busy kids schedules, work schedules,
• 38:58
  life in general that I just find the
• 39:00
  pockets of things that bring me joy.
• 39:02
  >> Yeah.
• 39:02
  >> So, RJ has seven core values that we we
• 39:05
  would buy in. We created these and
• 39:07
  really implemented them about a year and
• 39:08
  a half ago. Um, and that's innovative,
• 39:11
  trust, serve, accountable, relationship,
• 39:14
  joy, and excellence.
• 39:16
  >> Okay.
• 39:16
  >> And joy really became my word. I um was
• 39:19
  fortunate to receive the 40 under 40.
• 39:21
  Yeah.
• 39:21
  >> When I was 39, right before I hit 40.
• 39:23
  And they asked, they're like, "What is
• 39:25
  your word of the year?"
• 39:26
  >> Yeah.
• 39:27
  >> And literally the first word that came
• 39:28
  to me was joy. And that's just been
• 39:30
  something that's stuck that I always
• 39:31
  think like, "Are we doing things that
• 39:33
  bring us joy? Are we operating in joy?
• 39:35
  Are we sharing joy with others?" And
• 39:37
  we've created a joy jar at R.J. So
• 39:38
  people can drop little notes like it
• 39:40
  could be the weather that day, it could
• 39:41
  be
• 39:42
  >> a grandkid, it could be a piece of
• 39:44
  candy, I don't know, right? What what
• 39:46
  brings you joy? And so for me, I find
• 39:49
  that I just work in different ways that
• 39:52
  >> the working out is religious,
• 39:54
  >> travels and do we can and then in
• 39:56
  between whether it's just going to
• 39:58
  dinner with friends.
• 39:58
  >> Yeah.
• 39:59
  >> Or doing different things. I love to
• 40:01
  read. I'm not getting a ton of time or
• 40:02
  creating a lot of time for that now. It
• 40:04
  is something that I I do enjoy as well.
• 40:06
  >> Sure.
• 40:07
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Go chase joy. That's great
• 40:09
  advice, by the way. The things that
• 40:10
  bring you joy and finding opportunities.
• 40:12
  And they don't have to be something huge
• 40:14
  every day. Like he even mentioned, have
• 40:15
  a little piece of candy. Yeah. If
• 40:17
  >> it brought you joy, that's okay. But
• 40:18
  also share it.
• 40:19
  >> Just feel good,
• 40:20
  >> right? Like you said, the little the
• 40:21
  little notes that people could put in
• 40:22
  the jar or the things that brought them
• 40:24
  joy today. You know, Shel, thank you so
• 40:26
  much for being on
• 40:28
  >> terrific business. Continued success to
• 40:31
  you and obviously you'll never fit into
• 40:32
  those shoes, but you're going to put on
• 40:34
  different shoes and take the business
• 40:35
  forward.
• 40:36
  >> Yeah. my executive coach, she's
• 40:37
  challenged me that I should write a book
• 40:39
  called um from 12 to 9.
• 40:41
  >> There you go.
• 40:42
  >> So, that might be on the list somewhere.
• 40:44
  >> That'll be awesome. If you do that, I
• 40:45
  want to put it at Stevia.
• 40:46
  >> Yeah, I'll let you know.
• 40:47
  >> That's awesome. Thanks, Shel.
• 40:48
  >> Thanks, Jason.
• 40:49
  >> Thank you for listening to the Elevate
• 40:51
  podcast powered by Braden. Subscribe to
• 40:54
  stay informed on all things Braden and
• 40:56
  be the first to hear new conversations
• 40:58
  with the leaders who are driving change
• 41:00
  and elevating organizations across our
• 41:03
  community.