Todd Avery, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Roofing, Inc.
Over the last 32 years, I have learned many important lessons from great managers and mentors, lessons and experiences that have shaped who I am as a person and as a manager. They have helped me become the best mentor and employee I can be, and have helped me identify the environment necessary to cultivate success and growth. This knowledge helps me identify great talent and companies, and develop career project managers and teams that will benefit the commercial roofing industry.
In my senior year of high school, I gave a presentation to my Careers Class about my future career plans. While others talked about becoming doctors and lawyers, my lack of financial resources prevented me from furthering my education after graduation. Instead, I chose to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather by enlisting in the Army. Unfortunately, that career ended early due to an injury, so I began working for a residential framing and roofing company. I am sure my early steps are probably similar to many in our industry.
Back in the ‘80s, the roofing world was very different from what it is now. Roofing was hard work and developing the skills to literally “climb the ladder” within our chosen career was difficult. By 1989, I was working for a commercial company in Richmond, Va., and went through the ranks from lead man to lead superintendent by 1996. It was a small family-owned company that gave me the opportunity to prove myself on many projects. Though they could not offer me the highest salary or perks, they provided me with immense value elsewhere. I learned the importance of pre-planning, developing contingency plans when problems occurred, and how to accept responsibility and take ownership for my decisions. Most importantly, my boss instilled in me a strong sense of teamwork, honesty, and integrity.
A major turning point in my life came in 1996 when I was brought into the fold of a major roofing company based out of Norfolk, Va. I started as service manager at their branch office in Richmond and then transferred to the Norfolk office as project manager. Here I learned the importance of organizational skills, documentation, and developing my knowledge in all forms of commercial roofing, working with built-up roofing, single-ply systems, shingles, slate, standing seam, and custom sheet metal work.
The company’s President graduated from the Navy Fighters Weapons School (aka “Top Gun”), so the environment was much like a military unit, where everyone understood their role and followed the chain of command. While this method worked to an extent, it also made the ownership appear unapproachable when employees had issues. On the other hand, the Vice President, who hired me personally, took me under his wing and taught me not only how to be a good manager but also a good person; and, how to mentor others. He taught me the importance of going beyond telling someone how to complete a task to making clear why it should be performed a certain way and the potential ramifications if it was not. He was a leader who was always thinking two steps ahead and appreciated when others challenged his thinking. This taught me that feedback allows the opportunity to prove your point of view or to re-evaluate an old method and improve processes for everyone’s benefit.
After the events of 9/11, the company in Virginia went through some financial issues and was not able to extend pay increases to existing employees nor to offer competitive salaries for new employees coming in the door. Unfortunately, I saw many good employees come and go between 2001 and late 2004. Eventually, an opportunity arose for me that offered a much higher salary and a challenging position in southwest Florida. Though I was reluctant to move on from a company where I felt comfortable and had strong relationships, I knew it was in the best interest for me and my family to take that next step. When I arrived, this family-owned and operated company was performing approximately $100 million a year in work and had nearly 700 employees. We had several project management teams, each led by senior project managers who had project managers and assistant project managers assigned to them.
It was a very challenging time in commercial roofing in Florida during the post-Hurricane Charlie years, as Florida Building Code and engineering, permitting, and manufacturer requirements were changing. I was no longer only working with career roofers who had worked their way up through the ranks, I was also working to develop people who had started their careers in other construction fields or who had just come out of college. The company offered very competitive starting salaries with good benefits and a project bonus program. However, the executive management positions were filled by family members and the volatile nature of their relationships were very apparent, at times creating a stressful work environment.
By 2008, we began to experience the economic downturn and the company was forced to make difficult personnel decisions. Mostly the top performers were retained or re-assigned. Many of the employees who had been laid off either went to work in a different field or left Florida altogether (which helped lead to the shortage of qualified/experienced candidates we have now). I worked under several of the family members and eventually became Vice President under a different banner of one of the co-owners. With this experience I learned that if senior leadership is disjointed and creating a stressful environment, employees across all divisions will be affected, forcing good people to leave.
Today, I am the statewide Senior Project Manager for the largest commercial roofing contractor in Florida. Joining this team two years ago was the most important (and best) decision of my career. Though it is a family-owned and operated company, the ownership has incorporated all of the best aspects I have come to identify throughout my career: a positive culture, training, a clear career path, and access to tools to help employees succeed. The culture is built around supporting employees and providing the necessary training to ensure their success – a benefit for both the company and the employees.
As I enter the latter part of my career, my goal is to identify people with potential and passion, and mentor them into reaching their greatest potential. I look for people with a strong work ethic who are detail oriented, have the willingness to put forth the effort to learn, and are stable. Most importantly, I look for someone who has the capacity to develop and grow. Despite all of my years in this industry, I have an appreciation for the fact that I do not know it all and there is always something new to learn.
Being in a position to develop and train others is overwhelming at times. But being able to do so in an environment that promotes understanding and respect for others, and with a strong sense of teamwork and family, makes it easier and promotes success. Operating at this level ensures customers and potential employees that honesty, integrity, and the willingness to always do the right thing on behalf of our clients are values that are at the heart of our company. This is the only way to attract and retain exceptional employees and build a reputation that keeps customers returning year after year. It is a concept that was true when I began my career over 30 years ago, and one that remains especially true today.
With over 32 years experience in the roofing industry, Todd Avery has developed a detail-oriented, proactive approach to project management. Results are driven by planning, organization, and good communication with both the customer and with other team members. Thriving in high pressure situations and problem mitigation, he continues to grow professionally and as a mentor in this fast-paced and challenging field.
Previous Article
Next Article