Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / Having an Impact as an Elevator Consultant | Steve Broom

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Having an Impact as an Elevator Consultant | Steve Broom · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'd probably let them know the elevator business has been good to me.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: I've enjoyed it.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: I've met a lot of great people, both uh clients, people that I've worked with, competitors.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a big business, but it is a st, but it's still a very you know niche business.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um I if somebody were looking to get into it, I'd say it's it's very stable.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: There's room for growth.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: And then once you get into this business, there's different paths that you can go.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: You can go down to be a supplier, you can stay as an elevator contractor, you can move into becoming on the consultant side of the business.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many different avenues to go.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that yeah, it's been a great business.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: And it's uh, I think it's going to be around for years and years to come.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: I am your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, we talk to the people whose lives and careers are dedicated to the vertical transportation industry to inform and share lessons learned, building upon the foundation of those who have gone before to inspire the next generation of elevator careers.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Today our guest is Steve Broom, regional sales manager with VDA based in Dallas, Texas.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Steve joined the elevator industry 25 years ago after spending his early career as a golf professional.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Starting as a sales representative, he worked his way up to the executive team with a major elevator company.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Steve recently transitioned to a consulting role, which allows him to work directly with clients again and have more impact.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: In consulting, he appreciates the strong team and resources available at his firm, which helps him provide the best possible solution for clients.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Steve's advice for newcomers to the industry is to find a mentor, be ethical, and have the humility to ask questions and learn.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Steve, welcome to the show.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Matt, thanks for having me on.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I'm I appreciate it.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: I've always enjoyed working with you, you know, in your previous roles.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm excited to be able to dig in a little bit more to your career and and some of the things that you're seeing.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I appreciate it.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the feeling is definitely mutual.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: I've always enjoyed working with you through the years.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Well, uh, let's let's just start at the beginning.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, how did you get started in in elevator industry in the first place?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I'm gonna take it one step further back.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's I started in the golf business and I tried playing competitively.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that didn't pay the bills.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, became an instructor, uh, absolutely loved teaching golf, uh, but there was just no money in it, unfortunately.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: As well as I gave lessons when all my clients were off of work, which was night and weekends.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: And that was time that I kind of wanted to kind of, as a family man, I was looking forward to having that with my wife and my kids.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so one of my clients was actually in the elevator business.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: He worked for Dover Elevator.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: And as as as time grew, he said, Hey, have you ever thought about looking into this line of work?
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: And one conversation led to another.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: Next thing I interviewed with Dover Elevator and started my elevator career back in the late 90s.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's awesome.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: I I know for me, if I was relying on my golf game to put bread on the table, I'd have died within about two days.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I I was about four days.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: So it was more behind you.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds sounds fun.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: So, where were you located when you started with Dover?
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: How did it where did this all take place at?
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I started in the Dallas branch uh back in uh the late 90s, and uh I started with um as a sales rep with it was Dover for a very short period of time, and then it transferred to or switched to Tissendover.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and then we went through the final merger of Tisson Krupp.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and I spent about a little over seven years with Dover.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: So those first months, weeks, I mean, did you ever shake your head and go, oh my gosh, what have I done?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, this is just such a different industry than where you'd come from.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: No, I didn't.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, you know, it was the exact opposite.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: I actually loved it because I was getting to build relationships with clients.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't a hard cold call every single day, grind, grind, grind.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it was more about building relationships and moving it forward.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, help solve problems, be there for your clients.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that was something that I really enjoyed.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: I've always enjoyed people, and this kind of fed right into that, into that relationship building.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: We're also dealing with contracts.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: So it could be, you know, two years, five years, seven years until you get an actual uh client to come on board.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: But it was the relationships that really, really I enjoyed.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's cool.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's cool.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, what was it that that was kind of that first light bulb that goes, oh my gosh, I I I chose correctly.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: This is amazing.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: It was probably gonna be just a couple months after I started.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: And there was a hospital that they had been working on that I came aboard and was able to um go out and visit with, talk with them, and be able to finally close the contract.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: And it was absolutely, I was on cloud nine.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, it's the biggest check I'd ever had.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, sure.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: Commission was great, and it was just an honor to be able to feel like okay, I'm contributing, I'm a part of the team, I'm making an impact.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: And that was that was probably when the light bulb went off.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: It said, This is this is fun.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: I enjoyed this.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: And and so, what what is it that's kept you in the industry all these years?
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, have you ever thought about, you know, hey, maybe I ought to try something different?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it I never really thought about outside of this.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: Once I learned this business, uh, I was very intrigued.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: I felt I had a great team around me.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: I continued to grow.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: I was promoted, and it was it was the relationships, both clients as well as my internal relationships with the companies that I was working for.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's awesome when you believe in what you do.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's there's there's no reason to keep on looking.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: I wasn't a job hopper.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't want to go one to the next to the next to the next.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I stayed for seven years with with Tiss and Krupp.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Great run.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um both or excuse me, uh FujiTech had a had an opportunity for me to be able to grow.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and I took it and I spent, goodness gracious, 17 years with with FujiTech.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thoroughly enjoyed it.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome, awesome.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Who were some of your real mentors that because because I'm I'm sure, you know, drinking out of a fire hose, learning a whole new industry, you know, parts, pieces, uh everything.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Who are some of those people that that kind of pulled you on through or just helped you, you know, in those challenging times?
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I definitely tell you there were two people early on that really made an impact on on my career being in the elevator business.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: And the first was a gentleman who hired me, it's a gentleman by the name of Richard Stinger, and he was the branch manager for Dallas.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it was just, he took me under his wing.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: He truly spent time with me, he talked with me, he educated me, and he really kind of pushed me to believe that I can do more.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so he was a big part of early on.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then there was a gentleman by the name of Jim Seal that took over as branch manager, that uh was a former property manager that really kind of gave me the insight.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: He was heavily involved in the organizations with Iram and Boma and really preached how important that was.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so I took a lot from Jim Seal.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: So hats off to both of those guys.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: They were both retired now, but both were incredible mentors and a big part of my early-on career.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: And then as I progressed, uh, when I got over to FujiTech, uh, there was a gentleman by the name of Joe Rennekamp, um, who was a regional VP that really helped me uh as not only as in the elevator business, but also as a friend.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and then obviously the president of you know, now FujiTech, Gary Krupp, he was instrumental in in my growth, uh, in pushing me uh to be the best that I could be in the business.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: So those two later in my career were were huge impacts uh and believed in me.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that's uh that's huge.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, just just that you had those people there believing you and you really helping you believe in yourself because they saw something in you that maybe, especially as a new, you know, a new hire, it's like, oh my gosh, you know, what is this?
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's a that's a huge thing to have.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they were they all you know, all four.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: And there was others along the way as well.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but those were primarily the main ones in the business that were uh made a huge impact on me.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: What what were some of the biggest lessons you learned early on that uh you know could have been, you know, if you're like me, it's usually from mistakes I made, fall on my face, and they're like, Oh, hey, I'm gonna tie my shoes from now on, or something like that.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: But well, one of the big ones that stands out to me and is in this business, do not fake it until you make it.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: You hear that, you know, joking all the time.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: This is not a business to be joking around.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't know it, let the clients know.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: One of the things that I always took pride in was if I didn't know, if I wasn't a hundred percent for sure, I'd always let the clients know, hey, I feel pretty good about the response, but give me just a little bit to make sure I'm a hundred percent.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that way I could either ask a superintendent, uh, a mechanic, uh, somebody in the office just to make sure.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: But my biggest thing is do not fake it until you make it.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: Be honest with your clients, they'll understand.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Did you did you have an experience where that kind of slapped you in the face, or was it just from a place of caution, you're like, no, I'm just not gonna fake it.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: No, it it did, but it was it was not a flat out just guess.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: I had a pretty good idea.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: And thankfully, I was correct.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: But they started asking more questions that I did not know the answers to.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I felt like I got myself in a position where if up front, if I would have said, and this was early on, if I would have up front said, I'm not a hundred percent positive, let me find out for sure, or better yet, let me get them on the call with us.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: Right way we can make sure we're you know all square on this.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but I tried to answer it, and then more questions came that I just I was just you kind of guessed yourself into corner and like, oh crap.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: And at that point, I had to come clean and say, Let me get somebody else who can better answer these questions.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, it was I I wish I would have done that the very first time rather than trying to assume something.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's good.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we all learn valuable lessons with your clients, yeah, yeah.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: That's a good one to learn, and especially it wasn't super costly, it was it was a little bit humbling, and and you know, maybe you felt a little embarrassed that like, oh great, right?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: But good way to learn that one.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I will say I'm glad that that that manager has now since retired, so they can't hold it against me.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, we joke, we thank goodness my client understood.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: We joked around about it for years, and so it was became kind of something joking, but it could have been something a whole lot worse.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm glad I realized it right then and there.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Don't assume, be truthful with your clients if you don't know, get the right people on the call or find out before you respond.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and that's the opportunity to learn, right?
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Just be being humble enough to ask the question.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you're if you're guessing and making stuff up, that's not the right attitude in which you're gonna really learn and and be taught.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so being humble enough to say, hey, I don't know, I need to find that out.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: Asking the questions.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: You got it.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome, awesome.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I'm curious, what led you?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, obviously at a long run with TK, a long, longer run, almost you know, about twice as long with FujiTech.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: What led you to choose consulting after such a long run in with the the contractors?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, both Tissin Crub and FujiTech were both very good to me, uh, both great companies, and still to this day, both powerhouse companies.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: For me, I had grown to a level uh with FujiTech, um see overseeing the South and the West Coast, where I got so removed from what I loved most about the business, which was the clients.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: My my responsibility at that point is truly PL, uh looking to, you know, where can we better the company?
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: What can we do?
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: And my heart was still with the clients.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so it was, you know, 25 years, uh, I loved it.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but then when I started looking at where I wanted to be for the next 10 to 15 years, I wanted to be back engaged with clients again.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: And what better way to do it than in the consulting world where I could truly feel like I had purpose, make an impact, and truly make a difference, and bring the 25 years of experience to help my clients.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, and you've you've kind of touched on this already, but I'm just gonna ask direct, what do you love most about consulting?
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I know it's probably cliche, but I love what I'm doing.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: I and I love the company that I'm with.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and I think it goes back to that last statement that I made.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: It it has to do with feeling like you have purpose with your clients.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's when I met with clients, I had a meeting earlier today, absolutely amazing, great clients.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it was we were working to solve a problem together.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: And unfortunately, you know, the contractor was making some mistakes and building some things that shouldn't have been built.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: But when we started truly looking at it together, we were able to save some money, push back on some things, and truly help the client.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: It was amazing.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like it just you have purpose and you're making an impact with your clients.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the best thing for me about VDA is the team that I'm surrounded with.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, sure, as as you both, as we both know, I'm I'm months into this uh industry or excuse me, into this, you know, consulting side of the business.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: And it's having those resources to be able to, that's pretty much handled any type of scenario out there.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I've got you know a couple a hundred plus people that I can call to say, hey, how did you handle this?
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: Would you would you solve with this?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's I feel very blessed and grateful to be with this company.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's cool.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: So when you said we've got a hundred plus people, I thought you were talking about years of experience.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so I thought he's probably got like 400 years of experience he can draw from.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's even quite a bit more than that.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, it's uh there's a ton of experience, there's a ton of resources.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the structure is set up great.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I've just absolutely loved it.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: The reputation uh is very strong.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's it's it's like we just talked about.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: I believe in my company and I believe what we do truly helps clients.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: So you you talked about solving the problem with with the client, you know, and um I'm curious because I I see consultants kind of riding this razor thin line because you you can't alienate the contractors and you can't, you know, uh you wanna you want to help the customer, but sometimes the customer may be wrong.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Come, you know, the customer may be maybe expecting something that's above and beyond what what's been agreed to.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: How have you found that in in your first few months?
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just being able to ride that line and and still, you know, keep keep all parties uh, if not happy, at least playing in the sandbox together.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: And you're right.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: It is a fine line.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's ultimately what we want to do is we want the elevator contractors to fulfill their contractual obligations.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: We hope that they've bid them correctly to be profitable by them.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think the biggest thing that I say when I'm meeting with clients or even elevator contractors is I'm firm to follow the contractual obligations, but I'm fair.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: As long as we've got communication, you know, going backwards and forwards, we can come to resolutions.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: But you're right.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of times the elevator contractor is correct.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: You've got to break bad news to the client.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but hopefully you've got that relationship with the client where the client believes in you, she they trust you, and they know what you're saying is in their best interest.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that would be the key, is obviously we want the clients to have the best experience possible to make sure they're getting what they're paying for.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: But at the same token, we do want the contractor to succeed.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: If the contractor succeeds, the building's going to succeed.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: So that's you know, that's when I say we're firm, but we're fair.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now, well, and it sounds like that the you know, what I call the razor-thin line really is the contract.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: What did you agree to?
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: What are you paying for?
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: What did you agree to?
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's where we meet.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, as long as as long as we can abide by what we agreed to, then you know, you can't go far, you know, astray, I guess, sticking to the contract.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: I will tell you, that's one of the things moving into this that you've that I've realized is how important a contract is to an asset.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that that's that's been really interesting to learn.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's gotta be uh an interesting perspective to, you know, and and maybe there's some contracts like, whoa, you know, maybe you shouldn't have agreed to that, and yet you did.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: So here we are.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that's exactly right.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So in that regard, we're gonna be firm.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: But if we're communicating and you need more time for something, or uh it all depends on the scenario, but we want to be fair.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: But you did bid on a contract at this price with these terms, with this scope of work, and we want to hold you to that.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that to your point, that's firm, that's fair.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: So um makes sense.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: What are what are some of the big trends that you're seeing in the industry?
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: Great question.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: One of the ones that that jumps out at me uh first would be I'm seeing a lot of independence moving into new markets.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's the growth of the independence has has been substantial.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now and I'm curious, what what do you think's driving all this growth?
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it sounds it sounds like this is a little bit of a new thing, right?
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe independence kind of stayed put in the old days, and all of a sudden it's like, what?
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: I thought they were over there and now they're over here.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: I I think what's happened is a lot of the older independents were gobbled up by by the majors.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Now, this is kind of a re you know, um another coming of another round of the independence, and they seem to be doing a great job.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: If they really are now as consultants, one of our main goals is when they come into a market is we need to vet them out when we're talking to our clients.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: Do they have the manpower?
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: Do they have the resources?
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: Do they have the background?
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: Do they have the insurance?
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Can they sign?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: Can they sign contract terms?
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: These are all going to be really important questions that we want to identify as consultants before we recommend anybody to a new property.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: But it's it's been nice to see the growth because with growth, that means there's more options, both for us as well as our clients.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: So do you it sounds like you, and I'm just kind of interpreting what I'm hearing, but it sounds like you as a as a consultant, you have, especially as you vet them out.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, okay, instead of just maybe four, maybe we really have eight options, or or you know, we we have more to choose from, and and maybe even as you get to know them, realize that hey, this company actually excels in this one particular area.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna I'm gonna recommend them higher than maybe these these others in in that way you're able to give more value to your customer.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely 100%.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: Now, once again, there's different types of pieces, there's different applications.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, what we're looking for is to make sure we find the best option for our clients.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and I think the more options that you've got, the more choices, or better yet, the more choices that you've got, we can find a better suitable fit for that property and what that property needs.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I like that.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, so back to that question then, just the the big trend you're saying is just all this growth, more more I I guess, competitors to choose from.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it'll be interesting to see how it how it plays out.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: And um I think you know, kind of like we had talked about before, you know, there seems to be a lot of investment money, a lot of a lot of growth.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: And from what I can tell, um, it's a little bit of a new dynamic in the industry.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: It it uh you know, prior to four or five years ago, I I didn't see that happening much.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I've I've been recruiting, you know, what, 12, 13 years or something in the industry?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: You've been here a lot longer, but is are we seeing a new dynamic that that maybe hasn't been there before?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: We we could be.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's the biggest thing is going to be as they come into these new markets, uh, what is their mindset?
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: Are they trying to grow by low price?
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: Are they trying to grow by uh being the Mercedes in the market?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: Are they trying to uh buy their contracts?
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what type of manpower do they have to fulfill the contracts?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: Now, most of the ones that have come into the markets uh as of recently have been doing a great job.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's been a nice, fresh change of pace.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's been enjoyable working with these with these independents as well as the majors.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: It just gives more options both to us and to the real estate community.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a win-win.
• 20:53
  unknown: Yeah.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and then it seems to apply a little bit of pressure.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, competitive pressure, I think, is a good thing for everybody because it keeps everybody honest.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: And once again, it's when you have that competitive nature and the more competitors that you've got, obviously we're gonna harp back on have you priced it correctly to fulfill the contractual obligations?
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: That as consultants and that as the building professionals or the real estate professionals, they want to make sure what they're paying for, they're getting.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's in that competitive nature, that's our main goal.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: And if everybody's pricing competitive and we're fulfilling the contractual obligations, it's gonna be a win.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: So um kind of looking back at the beginning of your elevator career, if you could start over from the beginning, what would you do differently?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um I Matt, I gotta admit, I probably wouldn't change a whole lot.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: I've enjoyed uh the 25 years on the contractor side.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: I really enjoyed it.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: I learned so much uh as I grew through the years from.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: A sales rep to running, you know, the south and the west uh part of the country.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's not a lot I would change.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm grateful where I'm at now.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I look forward to this next chapter.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I think this could be uh really where I truly make an impact is in the consulting side of the business.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: And that's the goal.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: But no, I don't know if I would change a whole lot.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: I I've enjoyed my career.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's I think that says a lot.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: It says a lot about where you've been, what you've done.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's funny, I was talking to a gentleman the other day, and and uh there was a similar question that came up, you know, why didn't you get into uh consulting sooner or something?
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because he loved consulting.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, you know what?
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's a journey, you know, and I and I wasn't wasn't ready for the the end in his case until I'd gone through the the rest of it.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, you can't really shortcut where you are, right?
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: You're you're you're where you're at because that's where you're at.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: And and and those 25 years led me to where I am now, which I think now actually even makes me uh more of a an asset to a client, is what I've learned along the way and what I can bring to the table in regards to uh understanding the mindset of of the elevator contractor.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that's great.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say to help convince someone who's maybe maybe they're a golf pro, maybe they're uh you know outside the industry looking in, going, what's that about?
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say to them?
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'd probably let them know the elevator business has been good to me.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: I've enjoyed it, I've met a lot of great people, both uh clients, people that I've worked with, competitors.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a big business, but it is a stuff it's still a very you know niche business.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um I if somebody were looking to get into it, I'd say it's it's very stable.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: There's room for growth.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then once you get into this business, there's different paths that you can go.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: You can go down to be a supplier, you can stay as an elevator contractor, you can move into becoming on the consultative side of the business.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many different avenues to go.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that yeah, it's been a great business.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it's uh, I think it's gonna be around for years and years to come.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I would think so.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so my final question is is similar, but it's what what advice would you give to somebody who, you know, maybe they've just started, maybe they're one month in and still, you know, again, drinking from the fire hose, you know, not sure they've made the right choice.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say to them?
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: First thing I would say is you've got to get a mentor.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta have somebody, you gotta find somebody that believes in you, got to find somebody that you can ask questions to.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: You've got to find somebody that uh yeah, ask questions to.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's the biggest thing.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's because there's so much being thrown at you with this business.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's you've got to learn the clients, you've got to learn the types of equipment, you've got to learn the vantages of the equipment, you've got to learn codes.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: You there's so much to this business to learn, you're not gonna learn it right away.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: You're you know, I'm 25 years and I think I may have scratched the surface, but it's there's so much to learn in this business.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, so the first thing I would say is get a mentor.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, the next thing is be ethical.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: Be ethical in everything that you do.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, be honest with your clients, be honest with your team.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you screw something up, it's, I promise you, you're probably not gonna destroy a company.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: They may not like it, but I don't think you're gonna shut the doors on a company.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: So be honest uh with with everybody all around uh and create that that reputation that you're ethical.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's huge.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: And and I part of what I'm taking from that is you're not gonna succeed alone, not gonna succeed on your own.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when you're saying ask the questions, find a mentor, um, have the humility to to ask, to learn, be taught.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: And that that sounds like the recipe for success.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's it so far, and no, it's worked for me.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: Now I don't know uh where it goes from here, but I can tell you now, even at VDA, I've got some amazing people to count on.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I've got people that I'm looking as as mentors here, and that's 25 years in the business, but you know, months into the consulting world, and without these couple people surrounding me, I don't think I would be successful.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: But early on, they're taking my phone calls, they're answering my questions, they're allowing me to bounce ideas off of them.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they're always responsive, they're always looking, saying, hey, try this.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: Have you thought about this?
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and it's been fantastic.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: So the team that I'm with and the mentors that I've got within VDA is uh is fantastic, is absolutely fantastic.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Steve, thank you for being with me today.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: I I appreciate your time.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh it's good to catch up again.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm glad to know this this latest job move has been a great one for you.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh and thanks again for being here.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_01: Well, hey, Matt, thanks for having me on.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: As you know, it's always a pleasure talking with you, and and I appreciate you you know allowing me to the time to be able to do this.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks again, and uh wish you the best as you uh continue to learn this this new part of the business.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Matt.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: You can check us out online at elevatorcareers.net.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Please subscribe, and until next time, stay safe.