When you have that kind of rapport , you can do that . So there are a lot of ways to listen for trends , and it ’ s one of my favorite things to do . I ’ m a little bit weird and like to read about state financing to see where money ’ s coming in and what legislatures might consider to be a priority for a state . And I can make some educated guesses from there .
What ’ s your near-future outlook for our industry ?
I know that the industry is experiencing some small contraction , but I think the future looks bright for us . Folks are still recovering from the pandemic ; budgets have been slashed , and revenue is down . In most cases , owners do not have much money available to take care of the facilities . That ’ s not necessarily true across the board . However , this is a ripe time to be doing what we ’ re doing , laying the groundwork for the future , understanding what real challenges people are facing and helping them ( and P2S ) to help them tackle those challenges . One of the big things that we ’ re hearing a lot from clients in Washington State , for example , is that they have a lot of deferred maintenance . They had set that work aside so they could focus on frontline things that really needed to be done . So now is the time for us to look at the really special things we can do for our clients in terms of helping them get their buildings up to speed for energy code requirements or near-future efforts for decarbonization . There ’ s a lot out there and a lot in store , and it ’ s nothing but exciting to see it happen .
How will you lead and organize your team to be best positioned to grow our markets and keep clients happy when the growth period resumes ?
I ’ m working with the team to continue building our basics , to look at the trends to see what we ’ re moving into in the future , and to prepare them for what those conversations will sound like . The number one message is always client satisfaction . We want to make sure that our clients and owners are getting the best service that they can . And that requires careful listening and being strategic about bringing in our technical experts to recommend solutions that will solve their problems and allow our clients to serve their communities in the best possible way .
Above all , I tell everybody to be kind all the time . Be kind in everything you do . Maybe it ’ s not about what you can do for the client in six months , but maybe in six years . So , I tell my team to keep that in mind and keep moving forward to provide the best possible outcomes to clients . And take them to lunch , everyone loves a good lunch .
You seem to inject a lot of your personality into your work , which makes sense because your friendliness is quickly apparent . How did you become so personable ?
I attribute that to a couple of things . I believe very much in the golden rule . I would like to be treated with respect ; I would like to be given trust when earned . I would like people to be honest and upfront with me . So , I do my best to act in ways that encourage those kinds of responses back to me . The other thing I attribute my personability ( is that a word ?) to is that my parents are immigrants . I ’ m a first-generation American . My parents brought with them an intrinsic need to belong to a community and participate . They were very proud to come to the United States , and they are very proud to be Americans now . Some of their attitude and work ethic instilled in me was that you ’ ve got to work with others and be part of a solution .
Finally , do you have any interpersonal communication tips for the introverts of the world ?
I sure do ! Connecting with people is not as daunting as you might think . The thought is that you have to be loud and cheerful and give a whole lot of energy . I ’ m not saying that isn ’ t true for some people , but not everyone has to do networking and business development that way . One of the best tips I can give to introverts , especially at events , is to post up at a table or coffee bar and hang there for a little bit . Don ’ t be on your phone . Eventually , somebody will kind of wander by , and all you have to say is hello . “ Hello , my name is … is this your first time at this event ?” or “ Hello , nice to meet you ; I ’ m really excited about today ’ s agenda .” It may be awkward , but I promise it starts to feel less scary after you do it a couple of times .
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