After Chris Rivers was laid off from his job at an industrial plant, he spoke with a friend who worked at Parker’s Building Supply, and interviewed with her for a position. He initially was hired as part of the sales force. That was 16 years ago, and now, he says, the Texas-based company “feels like home.”
“It’s always a challenge,” Rivers says of the industry. “It’s a constantly changing environment that keeps me intrigued. It’s a rewarding field.”
He says he’s held nearly every position possible at the store level and, therefore, understands a lot of the issues his employees encounter. This makes him a more effective manager for his 350 employees. He is actively involved with 40 to 50 of those employees and prefers to lead employees individually instead of as a group.
“I’ve continuously realized that learning to adapt and manage people at an individual level, while sometimes difficult, can be highly effective in developing a cohesive product and successful team,” he says. “How I manage and lead each person can be slightly different, to ensure I’m connecting with them at an individual level and to get the most of them on behalf of the company and our customers.”
Rivers also prefers to match personality to the company when recruiting. Attitude is everything, and if someone fits what Parker is looking for, the company will hire that individual and train them. Hiring someone with experience, though less in training costs, can be more expensive because you’re paying them for that experience, he adds.
Retaining those great employees starts with creating a vibrant workplace, which is achieved in part by keeping things challenging—easy to do in this constantly changing field, according to Rivers.
“They need to feel involved and challenged, otherwise it’ll get stale and they’ll move on,” he says.
