Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / Founding Resolute Elevator: Hire Smart People and Let Them Shine! | Jonathan Fox

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Founding Resolute Elevator: Hire Smart People and Let Them Shine! | Jonathan Fox · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: I tell people all the time, the day I quit learning is the day I'm gonna go do something different.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: So the biggest thing is being open to learning and understanding that you don't have um all the answers.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: You sometimes you don't have all the tools to succeed, and bringing people in and understanding that you need to, as I say all the time, I need people who are smarter than I am, or smarter or better at the things than what I would I do.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: And being open to that and humble to that is and allowing people to take those tools and run with them is the key to our success.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: I am your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:44
  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.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today our guest is Jonathan Fox, a founding partner and owner of Resolute Elevator in Burlington, North Carolina.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Jonathan started as a helper and mechanic in the field and quickly became an adjuster and troubleshooter.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: In 2017, Jonathan and his wife Kimberly took a huge leap of faith and started Resolute Elevator, which now operates across North and South Carolina.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: They have 23 employees and they continue to grow.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Jonathan, welcome to the show.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: Hey buddies.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Good to be here.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Finally get to catch up and do it.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm excited about getting to do a podcast.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: I will be honest, this will be my first podcast ever.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: I never thought I'd be that kind of fancy, but but I'm excited about it.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm glad to have you here.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And uh honestly, yeah, I haven't been doing it that long.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: I the I think you know had the idea for a while.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: I had a lot of fear about actually doing a podcast, but just the I don't know.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: I love the elevator industry and the people in the industry that are so passionate about it.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: It just kept coming to mind.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, these these stories need to be told, and these people need a chance to just talk about what they do and what they love.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, and that's one thing I love about talking to you is first you have a very unique story, but you know, what you're what you're doing and what you love to to create, I think is is awesome.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's a story that needs to be told.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for being here.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: No, I I appreciate it.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: And you're and you're right, this us Us elevator guys are a different breed, and and once it gets into you, there's nothing else that kind of kind of scratches that itch, if you will.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's just it's just what we do.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: And we uh I think anybody who is actually passionate about it, it just bleeds out of out of everywhere, bleeds out of their eyeballs, bleeds out of their smile, everything.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: So we're um, and that's definitely us and the team we've put together here.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: So so yeah, man, rock and roll.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: So talk to me about your your beginnings in the industry.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: What was it that that kind of got you there in the first place?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's funny.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: I was um 18 years old.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: I was uh this is there in 07, so the housing market crashed.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: I grew up building houses with with my with my parents.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: And um basically dad told me um, you know, fixing graduated high school that I need to go find find a job.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, the the markets was was was crashing, and and so um I went to work for the for the city, local municipality here in North Carolina.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: And um uh like any city job, you had to have a second job because there's there's not much money and working for this for a municipality.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I was working at a little feed store in uh in Snow Camp.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: And there was a local guy named Doug who used to come in the store all the time, and and he said, Boy, you know how to work, you gotta come on with me.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: And uh of course I said, Well, what do you do?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: And he said, elevators, and I said, You're crazy as a moon bat.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know nothing about no elevators other than push the button.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so uh any rate, I ended up interviewing and uh taking them up on it and uh started out in the industry with the with with with the big boy, started out with with Tisson.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I can vividly remember my my very first day um uh coming in and going to, I believe it was a 21-story building in in downtown Greensboro, a big mod that was going on and getting there and riding the buck house for the first day and going up there and and just thinking, what in the world have I gotten myself into?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: And made it through the first week and I just just fell in love with it, right?
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so um went right into to modernizations and and and really enjoyed that.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um worked for many of the the majors and um and and long story short, is I I I got hurt, I broke my back, not not on the job site, but actually, actually off the off the job.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: And um finally the economy caught up to the elevator industry at that point in time.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: So there was a lot of layoffs and and and and so I ended up uh working for a couple of little independent companies um helping out with that and um actually met my now wife at that time who was also um helping out with some sales.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: We did a couple, this was a real, real small company.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: We we sold a couple of mods and things like that.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: And um unfortunately um it came time to to to pay some sales commission to my to my now wife, and they didn't wanna they didn't want to want to pay her that.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: And so um she was graduating marketing school and and uh was gonna have to go look for another job.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: And she said, Well, I like this elevator stuff.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: We should start a company.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: I said, Well, that's even sounds crazier than getting into the elevator business.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: So um, but uh we we did it.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: We uh we made a website um at our kitchen table.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um we uh we printed out some cards.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um a couple of guys that that had had been working with me for a couple of years at that independent company came on came on with us.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, we just uh we got started from from from really, really humble beginnings there.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: What year was that?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: When when did you actually say all right?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: This was so uh Resolute Elevator has been in business for for six years now.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so all my years run run together, it seems like.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but um, but so we uh we started out out of my my garage and um it's funny yeah, I had I had a few nickels I'd saved up um to to start the business and we went all the way down to to to to zero, right?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: And just you know, when are we gonna get this first job?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: When we gonna get this first job.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um I can remember uh I can remember going to my closet and like where where are my shirts at?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so we couldn't afford to go buy t-shirts and stuff.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so my wife would take a t-shirt at a time as we had a few dollars out of the closet and go have an old t-shirt importered, um, and and would go get an old hat and go get a a logo put on it so that we could just make it to this one meeting um and look professional.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: And and so um, but we um we got that that very first project um and knocked it out of out of the park.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: And uh we took our kind of business model has been is is every time we make we reinvest into the company, we reinvest into our people and into our guys, and it's kind of allowed us to uh to continue from from there.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, that's awesome.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm curious, what you know, when you sat down at the kitchen table and and came up with a company name and a logo and said, All right, we're gonna do this, what what was your vision?
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, and and I guess my question is, is that vision that is that what you're doing today?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: And did you see it from six years ago or has that evolved over time?
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh so the Resolute Elevator name is is is kind of a good story.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um so same thing sitting at the kitchen table trying to figure all this out.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: Where do we come up with the name?
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody asked that, and it was really, really simple.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: The domain name was ten dollars, and that's what we could afford.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: So resoluteelevator.com was was was ten dollars, and that was the best name we came up with.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Or, you know, we we had a whole list of different ideas, and so that's the one we came up with, and it was it was cheap enough we could afford the domain name.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's where Resolute Elevator came from.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but our whole my whole outlook on on business um is is kind of kind of kind of indifferent.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: We we've always worked it backwards as far as um I feel I feel as though it's real, real simple.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: You give a good product, you give quality, and you do exactly what you say you're gonna do, the money will come.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: You'll you'll you'll be profitable.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and as long as you you look after your people, your people will appreciate that.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: And long as you reinvest into your people and into your products, um, it it will come.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: You know, obviously from three or four guys in a truck to where we're at today, now of course we have accounting departments and we look at these numbers um um to to see how jobs are doing profitability-wise, et cetera.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: But it's still, in my view, the same mindset.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: Just just give a great product, do exactly what you say you're gonna do, um, and be honest.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: And and the rest of it just always seems to work its way out.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I hear I hear stories all the time about um, you know, businesses that take four or five years ever to become profitable and and things like that.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: That just wasn't a possibility with with us.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, this is our livelihood both that's right.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's just for for our family, for for the families that that depend on us, and we just always I never understood that, and it's just always kind of kind of worked out.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right, right.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: How did you go about getting that first job?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: What you know, what uh kind of made that happen for you?
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: Well, um we uh we actually started doing some some lunch and learns.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um so lunch and learns for architects, et cetera.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we we really look at uh in order to get your name out there, you need to start at the very, very beginning.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um if you try to do it after after uh stuff's coming out for bid and after specs have been created, it's extremely hard to get your name back into it after that fact.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: And we looked at that from the very, very beginning.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so we um also at the kitchen table, not just making uh a website, we also created a an AIA continuing education course um to uh uh to get to these architects so that they could they could learn about us, et cetera.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Umly problem was we couldn't afford to go get something catered.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh my wife literally cooked that evening to make up stuff to to go do to go do a lunch and learn.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: And we did a little lunch and learn in in Durham, and um there's a corporation called Self Help across North Carolina that they are big in um buying old buildings in in downtowns and revitalizing downtown urban areas.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's been their business model.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: They've grown into a bunch of now they're they're they're a bank and they're a lending source, et cetera.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: But their whole original business model is we'll get old buildings, we'll renovate them, and then we'll also rent out to um nonprofits.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: So their buildings are used for for nonprofits, and then they do a lot of micro alumps.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so they kind of liked us and gave us our first shot um at a project called Revolution Meals.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so we we did a we did a we did an elevator there.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: And at the same time, um, a competitive company, one of the majors, was doing three other elevators, and we were able to go out there and just just kick button.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: We finished our elevator prior to the the majors finishing any one of their their three, even though they had started months prior to us.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so that uh uh that developer said, Y'all are it.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: Y'all are y'all, y'all are my elevator company from now on.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: And um, then from there, right at the same time, we also got a project at NC State.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so we started getting some of these these bigger projects that we could lean back on to show, hey, I've worked for a university, I've worked for a municipality, I've worked for state construction, and that has allowed us um to move forward with with our name that way.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: We don't have a marketing budget, we don't have any of these these massive billboards or these things.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's all word of mouth has been our been our driving force and using our past clients to push us to push us forward.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got a a um a video on your website of uh it looks like an old paper mill or something on the river.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Is that the one you're talking about, or was that later down the road?
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that was it's the same folks, but that was we've done multiple ones for them.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um so uh we did Revolution Meal was was our first one.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: We've done a meal, um we've we've done a mill in Rocky Mount, we've done a meal's in um in Hall River, and so uh North Carolina's got a bunch of textile mills and and um these old mills are all being renovated for apartments.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and so and there's a lot of tax money out there to renovate the these buildings, and so it's become big business across North Carolina, and we do a bunch of them, and um, and so it's been it's been an extremely successful um venture for us as well.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: So just so our listeners understand, you're not uh um you're not building elevators the way that that a lot of them traditionally do.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: And and I just want to point out in the video, you're you're standing inside of an of a modular elevator, correct?
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so what we're looking at, you you you pointed out the uh um, well, you you can say it, the uh the fire rating and stuff on the sides there, right?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I guess you you hang the rails and and drop it in with a crane, right?
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: So our we realized early on that we wanted to install elevators differently as well.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so as everybody knows, elevator portion uh of our business is is easy, right?
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: Installing elevators is not the hard part that's dealing with everybody else.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it takes uh enormous amount of different trades to make our elevator operate correctly or pass inspection or do all these do all these things.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so we have prided ourselves on since our founding, I have never failed an elevator inspection except for one time that's because I blew up a drive, but we were able to pass it that afternoon.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so and that's that takes a lot of of work, both on the pre-con side all the way through the project.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it takes a lot of holding hands and meeting with electricians and and on the we were finding that on the new construction side, although that's the only way we want to do business, because we don't believe in the the the redeployment change orders and all these kinds of uh of items, that it was hard to be competitive having all those enormous amounts of trips coming coming out there in order to uh to be sure the elevator is ready for inspection the first time and passes the first time.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so we scratched our heads on it and tried to figure out well, what can we do in order to uh to solve this problem?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so we looked at um looked at at the modular elevator system, um, which basically consists of a tubular steel structure that's a structural structure um with the rating on it.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: We fire rate it with uh with uh with sheetrocker, doing, doing dense glass, et cetera, in order to get your get your fire rating.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we hang all the elevator equipment.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: So install all your standard elevator equipment.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like we tell people all the time, the elevator's not innovative.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: The fact that we're doing it, building it in a controlled environment in a in a hoist way is what makes it innovative.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: So it's your standard elevator equipment that gets installed.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: And then we go ahead and do everything else.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: The pit lighter, the pit light.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, disconnecting means um any of those work by other uh other items that are that that are that seem to hold up a job, or you get there and the electrician put the light in the wrong spot again, even though you drew it on the wall where it goes, all those items we now can control.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we also build it in a controlled environment.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: So um your elevator equipment's not sitting on a job site getting stepped on for a month before you get there or or rain delays or any of these other problems.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so we show up to the job site with a completed elevator that would crane into place in 15 minutes.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it is uh it is incredible the the speed that we're able to do.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: It even amazes me sometimes.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: And and we'll have every time we do one, there'll be a big group of people that want to come out and come look at it and they're all amazed.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Wait, that's that's it.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then the next thing they do is they'll go out and look.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, you mean the elevator equipment's already installed?
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's wild.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, it's it's all there.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's all it's all ready to turn on.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if I have power on the job site, um when I arrive, I'll have that elevator up and running ready for inspection by the end of the day.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's just it's just incredible what we're able to do.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's been it's been challenging.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um building elevators on its side, you would think would be simple, but it you do everything differently than what we ever did in a vertical shaft.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but um, but we've been able to to figure it out and uh and we're we're we're really we're really on to something um with this.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we're we're excited about what the future and what it will hold, both for our conventional business, doing monetizations, doing, doing those items we enjoy, plus the the modular business, which will allow us to to do a lot more volume, but maintain a relatively small family atmosphere.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: So so just to clarify, you've got a couple businesses going on.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: You've got a kind of a traditional uh service repair mod of existing uh structures, elevators, but then you've also got the the modular construction in-house there, like you're standing in right now, right?
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so yeah, we the the original company was was started um with Resolute Elevator, um, doing conventional um type installations, a lot, a lot, a lot of modernizations.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um uh both myself and my guys really love mods.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's where I cut my teeth on, and that's what that's what we enjoy doing on that side.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: And that that obviously of our industry is a is a profitable um portion of of the business and which has allowed us to uh to to invest in into these other items.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so um basically two years ago or uh a week before COVID shut down the whole world, um we had been talking about it for a while to do a large edition so that we could start um assembling the the these elevators here here in North Carolina, these modular elevators.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: And so um took every dime that we'd ever ever ever saved, every couple of nickels we could rub together, and we uh we signed on the dotted line to to do this edition.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: And um, man, when it when the whole world shut down, and and obviously we know now that it wasn't quite as scary as we all thought it was, but um, you know, we were all nervous and I had thought, oh my gosh, what have I done?
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, every every nickel we'd saved up over the last six years here, here we go.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: I can't believe I've done this.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: But um, you know, when you when you when you work hard and you and you just continue to to put your trust in and and to to what you're doing, and it just all seems to work out.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: We've been very, very fortunate and it has we've come out of it so wide open, we don't know which ends up.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So no, that's awesome.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you you've obviously uh just just kept kept pushing through.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it sounds like it's it, you know, nobody knew what to expect when COVID showed up.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody knew, you know, anything, but um you mentioned your philosophy a little while ago, like you know, before we started this conversation, just that you you just kind of keep moving, right?
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: You can't sit and panic, you you just go.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I find that inspiring that you just you know you go with what you know, you you and and and I think you said you you work on what you can control.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: And it's so uh my view is is both both two sided, right?
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: The the the first side is is absolute control what you can control, look after your uh look after your customers, um and and provide the best possible product you can.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: The other side of it is is is I take ownership of each one of these families that has entrusted in me um and what we're and what we're we're building, right?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so um this business was was created from our little table to to to provide for my family.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, now we're to the point where I get to provide for 22, excuse me, but I'm sorry.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um still a business owner, some phone rings all the time.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: But um, but but um now this business is providing for 22 families and I and I carry that on my shoulders every single day.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's my job is to be sure that these families are are cared for um as they entrust in us.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: So um that's been kind of our our big push.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: So um what what what would you say is kind of your vision going forward, or is or is it more like, hey, let's just keep doing what we're doing.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um you know, what does that look like?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's everybody asks me all the time, what's your what's your two, three, five year plan, all that?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I and I say every single time we create one, we blow it out of water in six, eight months to a year.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: So um I I tell the guys all the time, I have taken this business as far as I can take it, right?
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: I I will grow this business as much as y'all want to grow it with me.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I feel as though I'm to provide them with the opportunity and give them the best opportunity for success.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: And if that means the business is able to grow along the way, that's awesome.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, my enjoyment now, um, yes, I still enjoy getting out of the office and and turning wrenches because then I can turn my phone off.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: But the uh the other is is is is seeing all these guys.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: you know, seeing the guys pull up in brand new pickup trucks and getting to to to share in their their successes and and and and so um we have a lot of young people um at at my company and uh i know the whole thing out there is is oh you can't get young people to work et cetera we've had nothing but but success i mean we've got kids from 19 years old to you know um i'm probably one of the oldest guys in in in in the field that goes out there and i'm 33 so um you know we just we'll we we've had a really good success of showing people our way and teaching them our way and giving them the the tools to succeed and and watching them them grow um one of the things i tell kids that that come in you know here here's your here's your starting pay but i have no time frame on when you want to get to to to here so that as quick as you want to learn it that's as quick as my guys want to teach you and as quick as you you take it on and apply the quicker I get to give you raises and so um that's how we've we've kind of kind of kind of moved forward with it and and the guys appreciate it and and I appreciate them.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean we're a we're we're a as I tell people we're a family sometimes we're a dysfunctional family and we have to fuss and fight at one another but we're still a family at the end of the day.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: So it's awesome it's it sounds like you you really do put the you know put it the tools in their hands to succeed and if they choose to to do it wonderful you know we'll we'll help you out with that if you choose not to then you know what that's your choice you know you can you can choose to decide with you know decide to do what what you want with what we've given you basically so I love that and and to be honest with you that's been the that's been the hardest thing for me as a as a business owner to to learn because I do take I I do take it on the chin and on my shoulders so much that these guys and their success and sometimes we have very very little little turnover but sometimes people for whatever reasons are going to move on to other things and and and and I have to learn to to be okay with that even though I want them so bad that to succeed in in what we're offering.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: So sure sure no that's absolutely true.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say you know some some advice or something you've learned uh over the the course of your your career obviously you you started out in the majors you moved on to your own thing um what's some of the most valuable lessons you've learned so I tell people all the time the day I quit learning is the day I'm gonna go do something different.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: So the biggest thing is being open to to learning and understanding that you don't have um all the answers.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: You sometimes you don't have all the tools to succeed and bringing people in and understanding that you need to as a I say all the time I need people who are smarter than I am or smarter or better at the things than then what I would I do.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: And being open to that and humble to that is and allowing people to take those tools and run with them is is is is the key to to our success.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: And that has been very very difficult for me.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know you come from when you're just three three people in a truck to where you do do everything sure to where we're at now um it it is that has been my biggest challenge is to let go of things to let people do these things um and to bring in these people so that's that's true.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it can be pretty threatening to to admit that somebody has a better idea or or is sharper in a certain area and and like you say and then let go and and let them try it out and maybe you don't understand what what it's gonna do because it wasn't your idea and you didn't think of it you know but once you once you make that leap and this this has literally happened with us over the over the last year once you make that leap and you get to you you you put it in the hands of of your guys and and I do it to to everyone from the the guy sleeping the floor on the way up I want your ideas I need your knowledge I need need y'all to to work together to come up with these things.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: And once you put in environment of that the the ideas that that that come to the surface are are amazing.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: It has been made the biggest change in in us in in the last year.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we come up with new ideas all the time.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: And sometimes I I tell the I tell the guys um just keep in mind every one of us is doing something new for the first time at every level.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: So everybody's moved into a new position you know all the time including me I've never had this many employees I've never had this much business.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_01: We've never so everything we're doing is for the first time so remember that all the way down and all the way back up to to respect each other's ideas and what we're doing and how we can assist each other because we need each other.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: We need to lean on one another.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Sure sure well you made a comment a minute ago about you know I've I've taken this business as far as I can but it sounds like as you let go of of controlling maybe being in charge of certain things it's actually your people that start pushing.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: Is that what you've seen?
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly it it exactly that's that's been the the the the push to to to go forward because you can't carry it on on your shoulders you can't do it all and um and that's that's okay.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's actually a good thing.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's actually exciting to to see people um take those those steps and and be given that that responsibility.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: Sure well and and like say as you know you function like a family and and you know somebody may have the the vision to go on further and but you're all succeeding together.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: And um I think that's right.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's a beautiful beautiful vision.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: Anything you'd like to share as we kind of wrap up we're we're running out of time but um no I think I think that's that's a that's a great um conversation a little bit of a little bit about us obviously um um love to to to to be on the show any anytime or and uh and and continue to uh um to to be a part of uh of this podcast I think it's a really neat thing you're you're doing so um anytime I I'd be happy to be back on.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you Jonathan no I appreciate it I appreciate you taking some time and I love the fact that I'm I get a glimpse into your shop and just kind of see I mean we've talked about it but to actually see it on camera and uh see what you're building um it's beautiful.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: I love the work you're doing enjoy working with you and uh wish you the very best.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you but we appreciate you thank you thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast sponsored by the All Red Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting you can check us out online at elevatorcareers.net please subscribe and until next time stay safe