TL;DR:

Something new!!! 🥳 We introduce the first ever "Spotlight Series," where industry leaders share insights on innovation and best practices in asphalt paving and highway construction.

On behalf of Edgevanta, I am thrilled to introduce our brand new “Spotlight Series” to our ecosystem of followers. Through the series of interviews, I will be connecting with the brightest minds and innovators in the asphalt paving industry who will be sharing their thoughts, insights, and best practices on a wide range of topics. My name is Alfredo Sánchez, Founding Executive and Chief Sales & Customer Success Officer at Edgevanta.

For our inaugural fireside 🪵 chat, we’re thrilled to welcome Brandon Finn, EVP of Asphalt Operations at Emery Sapp & Sons based out of Columbia, MO. Today, we will be discussing the topic:

From Innovative Idea to Deployment… the process with which you all uncover and implement a new process or technological change at the company…

So, let’s get started!!!

Edgevanta: Welcome Brandon! We appreciate you joining our Spotlight Series and are thrilled to spend some time with you.

Brandon: Thanks Alfredo, glad to be here. And appreciate you having me on as your first guest!

Edgevanta: Likewise! Tell us a bit about yourself and your company.

Brandon: So I’ve been in the aggregate and asphalt industry going on 25 years (man, time flies!), 12 of those with Emery Sapp & Sons. Specifically, I oversee operations including aggregate and asphalt production, base rock installation, highway, commercial, and residential paving. We are headquartered in Missouri and also do work in Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma. The company has been in business for over 50 years and we are maniacal about our people and quality of work. As a 100% employee-owned business, there is a true sense of ownership and commitment to excellence top to bottom.

Edgevanta: Wow, that is a great track record both personally and the company as a whole. I’ve noticed through your website, social, and at industry events that you are quite vocal about your constant pursuit of excellence through innovation, and how you constantly evaluate your processes and technology for necessary improvement. Could you expand on that a bit?

Brandon: Certainly. That mindset truly guides everything we do here at ESS. We look at everything through the lens of people, process and technology. We’ve assembled internal committees that meet on a quarterly basis to analyze the work we’re doing by department, and then bring recommendations to the table on what’s working well, and what could be enhanced (or maybe even what needs course correcting!). Furthermore, we’re not shy about tapping on the shoulders of our peers and ecosystem. By networking, attending events and participating in peer groups, we are always eager to learn about how folks may be doing things a bit different, and the results they’re seeing. All of this allows us to bring new ideas to the table in an effort to continue enhancing our processes, in turn yielding even better results.

Edgevanta: Fascinating. Tell me more about this internal committee.

Brandon: Sure. So for our internal committee, we like a mixture of folks that have boots on the ground, tenured experience, and technological interest and expertise. A good mix of employees across divisions that can provide their perspective, but are also willing to change and continuously improve (versus road blockers). They ultimately become internal champions in whatever it is that we deploy: new machinery, new technology, new processes. I believe when you include employees early on as a part of the analysis that goes into a process enhancement or change, it strengthens and speeds up the overall adoption and rollout of that initiative.

Edgevanta: Absolutely. That makes complete sense. One thing that we sometimes encounter is the fear, or apprehension of making a change to a current process.. It can often never feel like the right time. How do you deal with the occasional “paralysis by analysis” phenomenon?

Brandon: That’s a tricky one, and one that we’ve honestly gotten better at over time. Once an idea, innovation, or solution is brought to the table and we’ve done this analysis, it’s ultimately on me to bring the recommendation to our executive team. I will explain why I think the investment or change is a good one, and lay out the plan. So the committee helps with the analysis, but it’s ultimately mine and the exec leadership team's decision on rolling it out. A perfect example that comes to mind is the investment into our Estimating software. We had been doing things via excel for some time years ago, and through our evaluation understood how the automation, workflows, and centralization of pricing data could make our process significantly more efficient. Partnering with Edgevanta was similar as well from a bidding and backlog management perspective.

Edgevanta: Got it! Once the decision has been made, how do you measure success?

Brandon: That is arguably the most important part. We ensure, from a top down perspective, through a kick-off meeting, to emphasize the importance of this initiative, deployment or rollout is with our team. With a focus on what’s in it for them. “By doing x, you will get y.” When they understand how something will either save them time, or help them work even better/smarter, they’re bought in out the gate. From there, it’s on us to ensure training, tracking engagement and revisiting this on a quarterly basis until it’s become second nature and an integrated part of their process.

Edgevanta: That’s excellent. Accountability and the ability to measure are certainly key pillars to any deployment. Brandon, we really appreciate your time today in explaining how you all strategically tackle implementing a new initiative or technology. Any parting words for our ecosystem?

Brandon: Certainly! A few wise words that were once shared with me: Business leaders and managers should be always generous. It is the productivity of others that make their executive position possible.

Shout Out to Our Series Host!

In Case You Missed It

Last Week’s Writeup:

Why We Don’t Like Adding Profit To Bids

Coming Next Week

Next week, we’ll talk about the differences in working as Prime versus as Subcontractor. Stay tuned!

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About the Author

Tristan Wilson is the CEO and Founder of Edgevanta. We make software that helps contractors win more work at the right price. He is a 4th Generation Contractor, construction enthusiast, ultra runner, and bidding nerd. He worked his way up the ladder at Allan Myers in the Mid-Atlantic and his family’s former business Barriere Construction before starting Edgevanta in Nashville, where the company is based. Reach out to him at [email protected]