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Steve Adams - MKS Pipe & Valve
49 Plays2 months ago
Steven Adams is the kind of leader who makes you want to quit your job and go work for him. As President and CEO of MKS Pipe and Valve, a Kansas City industrial distribution powerhouse that's been running since 1946, Steve took a leap of faith in 2010, trading the corporate finance world for a family business and never looked back. Under his watch, MKS has grown, evolved, and recently expanded with an acquisition in Omaha, all while building a culture so palpable that vendors literally walk through the door and say it feels different in there.
Steve runs his company on three core values that are simple, bold, and unapologetically real: One Team, Commitment to Improvement, and, our personal favorite, Give a damn. He's the rare CEO who doesn't just hang values on a wall; he builds his hiring, his accountability, and his entire organizational identity around them. Throw in his adoption of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and a genuine passion for cross-team collaboration, and you've got a leader who has turned a pipe and valve distributor into one of the most exciting culture stories in the Midwest.
What really sets Steve apart, however, is his authenticity. He'll openly talk about the loneliness of leadership, the power of therapy, and the humility it takes to admit you were wrong, and then he'll turn around and passionately champion the skilled trades as one of the greatest career paths available today. Steve Adams running a company, coaching a team, building a legacy, and proving every single day that Gritty Leadership is about so much more than the bottom line.
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Transcript
Introduction to Gritty Leadership Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to Gritty Leadership, the podcast where we celebrate the leaders who make and move America. We're diving into the untold stories of resilience, innovation, and perseverance of the leaders in the gritty industries that keep America running.
00:00:13
Speaker
I'm Brian Smith, and together with my co-host Angie Jones, we're on a mission to honor the leadership that's often overlooked but makes all the difference. So let's get into it, because real leadership gets its hands dirty.
00:00:25
Speaker
Welcome to the Gritty Leadership Podcast. I'm Brian Smith. I'm here with my co-host. Angie Jones.
Evolution of MKS Pipe and Valve
00:00:32
Speaker
We are so excited today to be joined by Steve Adams from MKS Pipe and Valve in Kansas City.
00:00:39
Speaker
How are you, Steve? I am fantastic. Thanks, Brian. Excited to be here and spend some time with the both of you. Awesome. Well, in full transparency, Steve and Angie and I all sort of work together right now. So um if there's a certain vibe you get from this one that you not get from others, where we all ah work together pretty regularly these days.
00:00:59
Speaker
um But Steve, why don't you start out, just kind of tell us the story of MKS. What does MKS do and how did it come to be? Yeah, absolutely. ah So MKS Pipe and Valve is an industrial distributor of process piping and flow controls. ah We have been around since 1946, and the company was started by a plumber that couldn't get material when he wanted it and really served the plumbing industry for oh
00:01:30
Speaker
30 years into the 70s. And my dad, Pat, started in 1971 and had a pretty clear vision early on. He wanted to get out of plumbing and into the industrial segment and made a pretty strong push over the next 15 to 20 years to do that. and so,
00:01:49
Speaker
he He first got his equity position in the early 80s and then had the opportunity to buy out the the majority owner in the 90s. So he and a partner did that. And then he bought his partner out in ah in the mid 2000s, I think 2005, 2006.
00:02:06
Speaker
I came around in 2010 and took a leap of faith, leaving the commercial finance world to come work with him and and and build something that's you know turned out to be pretty special.
Core Values and Culture at MKS
00:02:18
Speaker
Awesome, and tell us a little bit, i mean, there's a lot of ways people can just go buy a pipe or buy a valve. What's different about MKS than maybe other places they might get those things? What makes it special?
00:02:29
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, people, I think that we recognize that everything that we do is because we have an amazing group of people within the four walls here at MKS. And, you know, I i was recently in Denver at a buying group meeting. And I mean, that's ah a resounding theme throughout, you know, a lot of the independent business owners that that I have the ability to associate with. And You know, we've been intentional about creating core values that, you know, represent who we want to be. And quite frankly, you know, when you talk about them, it's it's pretty simple, right? We've got one team, we've got commitment to improvement, and we've got give a shit. And, you know, those three things in reality are really simple to do or to say, I should say. But, you know, the give a shit specifically, I think you either have it or you don't. The other two, I believe that we have the ability to coach and to learn on, but like someone to care to really put themselves into what they're doing is is something that i I think is really difficult to be taught. So, you know, we're using those as ah as a way to foster and create the culture that we want and and to truly, you know, hold people accountable just based on those three simple things.
00:03:40
Speaker
Awesome. You know, I find a lot of businesses say, you know, the people make the difference, our people make the difference. But knowing you, I know this is true. But can you explain a little bit like what does that actually look like? What what does that difference? The people make the difference actually mean for your customers?
00:03:59
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you're right in reality. I think corporate America has kind of tainted the word culture because it's a buzzword. But a lot of people use it. A lot of people don't use it. And in terms of like, this is who we really are and believe in it. I think it's, they're just words and they're pretty hollow from our perspective.
00:04:23
Speaker
I mean, if it's, it's from the person that's pulling the order, right? Like we understand that, we've got multiple points of ability to serve our customers. So if we don't pull it right, if we don't pack it right, if we don't double check it right, if we don't deliver it correctly, if we don't bill it correctly, if we don't reconcile freight correctly, if we don't do any of the things that we're supposed to do, we aren't the strongest link in the supply chain. And that's, you know, that's been a motto for us
Building a Supportive Work Environment
00:04:50
Speaker
for a long time. And when you get people you know rowing in the same direction and that believe in in the guidance that's being put in front of them and and trust that, you know, I'm making decisions, our leadership team is making decisions on their on their behalf. It's amazing what happens when someone walks through the door with a can-do attitude. I've got multiple people within our organization that you know tell me that this is their this is their safe space. This is their space that they know when they come here, they have the ability to either put their head down and grind it out um or you know they've got they've got an ability to get away from You know, life is hard. And to to have people within our organization tell me that this is a spot where they're comfortable, that they have the ability to come to and maybe, you know, they just know they have to do their job to quote Bill Belichick, then, ah you know, we what else could you ask for from an individual?
00:05:44
Speaker
So I'm curious, because i think I think so much of that comes from that give a shit core value. And like you said, like that's the one that it's kind of there or it's not. So I'm curious, when you are hiring people, like how are you looking for that in the interview process? Because if you ask somebody, like do you give a shit? They're going to say yes, right? But like how do you how do you decide like that they have that?
00:06:08
Speaker
Yeah, I think, you know, everybody has, you know, everybody has bad days. So someone could come in and interview and, and maybe not have the, you know, whatever that looks like, but they have other, you know, they've got things on their resume that makes sense. And, And so I think that we try to get the benefit of the doubt in some of those instances. But what we are intentional about is an interim period, right? So when someone comes on our team, there's an interim period that, and yes, people can fake it for a period of time, certainly, but we do manage by those core values and then in the interview process, we discuss those core values but because we think it's important to tell people who we are upfront and if they're not a fit, like, or if we aren't a fit for them, uh, it's a lot easier for all of us to know that ahead of time. And so as long as we're talking about it at the very beginning at the interview process, and then on the, ah at the onboarding, and then throughout, you know, their journey within our organization, I think we're setting a fair expectation. We're setting, you know, realistic expectations about what we expect. Uh, And then at that point, it's up to them to either you know prove that's who they are or disprove that.
Culture as a Competitive Advantage
00:07:17
Speaker
you know I think a lot of CEOs, particularly in our gritty business world, look at things like culture building and internal communications as sort of costs and as overhead and as one more thing they sort of think they should do. But I know, Steve, you look at it an asset. You look at it as a as a cornerstone and and a competitive advantage.
00:07:43
Speaker
How would you sort of advise people on that mind shift? You know, i think that's an evolution for me as well. Right. I mean, when you start to see and understand the power of those team building exercises or sharing of information, ah e people want their voices to be heard, right? Like they don't always have to get what they want, but I think giving them the ability to, you know, so make recommendations or suggestions based on, you know, their, the work that they're doing. Listen, I'm not doing, everything within our organization, but I do listen to what people have going on. And and when we can create cross-departmental exercises, when you've got someone on the fulfillment team and someone on the accounting team and someone on the sales team, you know kind of sharing, hey, this is these are struggles for us right now. and And even small things like that, you just start to get this
00:08:44
Speaker
like super powerful momentum. and and And when you see it happen once, I think it's easier to continue to invest in. Yeah, the first couple times is certainly ah a leap of faith. and And I'll probably use that term a couple times today just because I i believe in it.
00:08:59
Speaker
ah Everything that we've done, calculated risks, you know they do take a little bit of uncomfortable decisions to say, you know what, we are gonna do this. And whether it works or it doesn't work, we'll learn from it one way or the other. And I think once you see it work, you're like, oh, I wanna do that again. and you know And then you have people coming up and saying, that's so awesome, thank you. I mean, our 212 meetings and then doing quarterly state of the company meetings, ah we we never did the the quarterly state of the company. and I had so many people reach out afterwards and say, thank you so much. Like we want to hear this stuff. And it's hard when you've got, you know, we have drivers and fulfillment people that show up at four 30, five o'clock in the morning. They get out of here at one to two. And, you know, then we've got drivers on the road all day, every day. And so to get our team in one spot on a regular basis is pretty difficult. But our ability to do small breakout exercises for individuals that are here, at the same time and then have those intentional quarterly meetings where we say, hey, it's really important for everyone to be here. If you can't be here, we'll provide a dial in or we'll provide a link for people that you know can pull over on the side of the road. But we want them to be a part of it because we think that if we share you know where we've been and where we're going, it just continues to foster that ah you know the culture that we want and who we are and and who we want them to be.
Team Building and Family Atmosphere
00:10:21
Speaker
So what does that look like in practice? Because you said like the smaller breakout things, like is that just getting a group from different departments together to to talk? Are they doing team building activities?
00:10:32
Speaker
I think a little bit of everything, but, you know, I mean, pretty simple going back to, you know, different, different, you know, 10 years ago, Kaizen events, right? Like, hey, this is a, this is something that we've got going on. this This is something that we're struggling with internally. And, and each person within each department really understands maybe their core focus of what they're supposed to be doing, but maybe don't have that same learned perspective of what someone in another role is doing and how that that, that role really contributes to either the success or the, um you know, failure in whatever that we're doing. And so I think when we when we try to do something along those lines, that's more process created. But then, you know, small group things, whether that's a, ah hey, we're going to get a few people from a couple departments to go out to lunch today. It doesn't have to, it doesn't always have to be about business. Like we want to, I want to know about your family, you know, and I expect that from everyone within our company. Like,
00:11:26
Speaker
the The very least we can do is show respect to one another and, and care about one another. I mean, really simple stuff. And I think that if we're intentional about being, you know, these are our core values, then if everyone understands those core values, they want the same thing. They, they cheer for one another. You know, if someone's having a bad day or someone's having a bad month and,
00:11:46
Speaker
If someone loses ah a family member or a friend or is struggling with something like the outpouring of support amongst ah peers is it's unbelievable. It really is. and And I think that those are some of the things that you become most proud of is when people care for one another, they're more willing to do and go above and beyond.
00:12:05
Speaker
Totally. You mentioned the word family and having been site at MKS, like it feels like that. Like it feels like the MKS family. However, if you listen to a lot of people that talk about business, they might say like, oh, there's danger in it being a family it's because then you're not holding people accountable or, you know, some corporations have abuse that. So how do you thread the needle between treating people like family and also holding them accountable?
00:12:33
Speaker
Well, I think that's kind of a misconception in terms of family in general, right? And what I mean by that is sometimes people don't want to be parents. People want to be people's friends. And there's a fine line there. I want to be – you all work with my daughter, Lainey. She's amazing young lady, and I'm incredibly proud of her. But that's not going to keep me from having a really difficult conversation and calling out something that I don't like that I'm seeing. And, you know, it's a two-way street, right? Like, I want to call that out, but then the other person has to be receptive to being called out. And I think that there's a level of respect that you have there. And so we want to bring that same belief to our organization. And, you know, family, I see the memes, right? Like, oh, it's a you know, we treat each other as a family and, you know, we just had a monster year and they threw us a pizza party. Thanks. Uh, you know, that's, you know, we don't, that's not who we want to be. Like, I truly do believe that, uh, we, I, you know, our success is a by-product of the work that everybody that's here does. And so we have to, in those moments, we need to congratulate them. We need to tell them and reward them, uh, you know, financially, we need to give them, you know, their flowers, so to speak, in terms of the work that they're doing in public recognition. And, and so I think that we have to love on one another, but we also have to have the difficult discussions. And that's something that's an evolution for me as well, right? I, I did not like that, having difficult conversations. And our journey in the EOS system, entrepreneurial operating system, has really taught me and our leadership team that it's okay to have those conversations and you don't have to have anxiety around
Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System
00:14:23
Speaker
it as long as when you're coming to the table, it's intentional, it's respectful, and it's something that we're going to get past this. It's not me yelling at you, it's, hey,
00:14:35
Speaker
that that wasn't right, right? and And I hope you understand why it wasn't right. And here's how it needs to be done. And here's why it needs to be done that way. And I think the why often gets left out. It's like, you go do this. And people are like, I don't understand it. But once you peel the layers back for them and teach them, you know, this is why we need to do it like this. We've tried it that way 16 times, 16 variations over there. and And we've refined it over to here because there's a lot of steps down the line that you might not be thinking of. And And so I think the why is pretty important part of that as well. 100%.
00:15:10
Speaker
You mentioned EOS. I know that's been a journey for you. um you talk a little bit about what it is, why you did it, and what it's doing for you?
00:15:22
Speaker
Yeah, I, ah gosh, what a journey it's been. So we, we have, we've practiced manager meetings since I came on board in 2010, although I didn't get included in those, I don't think until like 2012, 2013. And in my opinion, what they evolved to was 60 minute bloviated session for people to come in and talk about what they'd done.
00:15:44
Speaker
ah and we'd complain about things and we would we wouldn't put action items to anything and we'd walk out of the room feeling like we were the smartest people in the world. And then six months later, the same problem would come up and I would like a safety relief valve steam would start coming out of my head and and and I'm like, what in the world?
00:16:05
Speaker
And so I got to give credit to a couple of friends of mine, John Brammeyer and Michael Sullivan. ah They had shared what EOS was when we were together And ah John just raved about what it had done for, ah you know, his his his family and then Michael ah with his company. And so we took a leap of faith, but it was like a half a leap.
00:16:26
Speaker
And we tried to self-implement. We was. It was okay. you know We set rocks and and we did we got some things done, but we weren't doing it the right way. The meetings still were kind of where they were. So we ah reached out to who's now ah a really good friend of mine, Sonia Jury. ah She is an amazing woman. She's our implementer and she has held our hand now for a little over a year and um With her coming on board and then really giving our integrator, Jeremy McDonald, our our VP of operations, you know, ah the opportunity to grow as well. And because that's a hard role, you know, he's he's not just our integrator and our VP of operations, but he's one of my best friends. We were best men in each other's weddings. And, you know, so our ability to challenge one another.
00:17:16
Speaker
has always existed, but maybe not in the same way that it does today. And so, you know, his growth and his role, um and then the ability to let me really thrive and do what I do best.
00:17:27
Speaker
um When I get caught in the weeds, I turn into like, it's not great for me. i then that's not where I need to live. The visionary ah position is is really the one that I thrive in, where I want to be. I want to be in front of people. I want to be with ah customers. I want to be with our team. I want to have freedom to go and block out four hours of time and put critical thought into where we're going and where we've been and what are some of the mistakes we've made.
00:17:52
Speaker
And when you're constantly looking at, at you know, different information, it it becomes a little overwhelming. So it the best thing I could a compliment I could give EOS is it puts structure into not just our meetings, but, you know, we were, you know, where we want to go.
00:18:09
Speaker
You're putting things on paper. It's there's no different than the manifestation of anything that we do, ah you know, in our personal lives. It's like, I do believe in manifestation. I believe in writing things down. I believe, you know, if if I want to do something, I'm going to do it. But if I if I say I want to do it, that doesn't mean I'm going to do it. If I write it down and I commit to it, then I'm sure going to do it. And I think there's just a very powerful part of the EOS system. And and it's it's been game changing for us.
00:18:41
Speaker
Awesome. You you mentioned a a few EOS words in there and just for people who might not be familiar, can you define what the visionary, the implementer and the integrator, what are their roles?
00:18:53
Speaker
Yeah, so ah the implementer is an outsider. So, you know, if if you decided or if I decided I want to become an implementer, we could go through the the training program and then we could go out and seek organizations that are looking at EOS and and you're kind of the GM ah for for them. And, you know, you're showing them this is the playbook. This is how you, you know, this is how you do every step along the way. And then visionary integrator, that's within MKS Pipe and Valve.
00:19:21
Speaker
and and And I'm still president and CEO, and Jeremy's still the VP of operations, but you know visionary is the position that is is kind of the guiding light to where we're going. It gives us the ability you know to to say, hey, you know we just closed on a business in Omaha in May. I don't think that we would have ever gotten to that point if if I was still with my nose in the ah in the in the weeds with order entry or or delivery issues or things along those lines. And so I'm out there. I'm kind trying to come up with a vision for our organization. And then Jeremy and I have ah monthly same page meetings. So as our integrator, right Jeremy's role really is to implement the things that
00:20:04
Speaker
I want to get done or that our leadership team wants to get done. And so he's got the you know one to one line with me, but then he's got a group of people on our leadership team that more or less you know answer to him in terms of like, hey, on a weekly basis, we've got to do's that are linked ah you know within the 90 program, which is what we use to track our EOS journey.
00:20:28
Speaker
And you know he's he's got he's got a lot on his plate. And and so it's it's interesting, though, I think it's once you start to define what the roles and responsibilities are is when clarity starts to sink in. And it's just, you know, you've got to practice it. You've got to do it over a period of time because, you know, it's just like anything. When you start to do something, it's never typically easy and you need to, you know, be comfortable with being uncomfortable. to David Goggins. Yeah.
00:20:57
Speaker
you've learned a lot.
Personal Growth and Leadership Journey
00:20:59
Speaker
I'd i'd be interested to learn what what would you want to say to 2010 Steve? Oh man, I love this exercise because when I was, it was like 2003 and, don't, we were at a Royals game with some friends and I was like, man, 1999, Steve would have kicked the shit out of 2005, Steve. for saying But 10 years ago, and it, and it's relatively fresh on my mind because I've thought about this a lot, you know,
00:21:32
Speaker
I think everybody has a different definition of success and what success looks like. And, you know, we've, we've reached varying levels of success within our organization, but, you know, 2010, Steve ah thought he wanted it all and deserved it all ah in the moment. And maybe not deserve is the right term, but like, I think that we've certainly become a society, even then, of instant gratification.
00:21:56
Speaker
Started with you know being able to roll through fast food, and then you've got the world at your fingertips on the phone. And it's like, man, I'm smart enough, I know this. And and and realistically, you don't. And the journey that you go on, and and so the last 15 years, like, i would I would probably tell you I'd want to do it again, right? Because the highs, the lows, the the excitement, the but loneliness, I mean, those are all part of becoming who you are in the present moment. And we're we're just...
00:22:28
Speaker
We're just a human being made up a bunch of learned experiences and and we're living in our own perspective, but hopefully we're ah smart enough to listen to other people and and some of their learned perspective. So we have a ah ah better vision for you know what it all looks like as opposed to what it looks like through your lens. So i would that's what I would say is like just chill out and enjoy the process and enjoy.
00:22:51
Speaker
That doesn't mean don't work your ass off and grind. And I love, like, I was talking to Lainey today and I was like, I, I know who I am. I'm a grinder. Like I will go work and I will outwork and I have no problem doing that. Um, I love freedom. I love golf. I love to do all the things, but when it's time to work, like I know it's time to work. And so, um, just, just appreciate the opportunity that, you know, you have in front of you,
00:23:15
Speaker
um Don't stress about some of the things that you've stressed about. And, you know, when you start to, you know, take ah an intentional approach ah approach about mental health, and and I've been working with someone for a couple of years now, you know, you start to really understand how to handle some of the stressful or ah situations. and And And I wish that, you know, maybe I started that back in 2010, but maybe that's what I would tell myself.
00:23:39
Speaker
Find someone to help you and to talk to, ah because I think that there's a stigma around, you know, accepting that we're not all all right. And and it's true. We all have day to day issues and struggles and and how we handle those and compartmentalize or, you know, validate our feelings. Like those are things that I never even considered. And and it was just work through it, grind through it. And ah what are what are feelings and emotions? It's amazing.
00:24:05
Speaker
I love that. You said loneliness. Tell me tell me about but what's what's your experience as a leader with loneliness? Yeah, I think um you know when you do something for the first time and you know you there's a lot of first times and when you make these, I say, leaps of faith, you know you're you're guiding a ship, you're responsible for not just individuals within these four walls, but their families. And ah you want to you want to do everything you can for them. And we're in just such a different position today than we were then. But there there were a lot of lonely feelings because I didn't really know how to talk about how I was feeling.
00:24:49
Speaker
And I think that's where, you know, some of the loneliness comes in. um I've got an amazing wife. I've got an amazing foundation in terms of my parents. um But when you aren't really comfortable with expressing your feelings, like you can keep them in. And I think that's where a lot of the loneliness comes from. But doing it first and like doing things for the first time is is always hard. And then once you start stacking, like, oh, man, I've done a bunch of firsts, like the the feelings somewhat subside and turn into like, oh my gosh, I get to do this. And when you can retrain the brain to say like, oh my gosh, I have to do this or oh my gosh, I get the opportunity to do this.
00:25:29
Speaker
That's probably the biggest um growth in terms of, you know, what I would consider getting out of the loneliness stage. um And I also think you know, being in buying groups, um being in a peer group.
00:25:41
Speaker
i'm I'm a part of the Tugboat Institute based out of Sun Valley, Idaho, and it's a bunch of amazingly smart people um working through the process of YPO here in Kansas City. And I think when you have People in similar positions to yours that have been through the struggles and you have the ability to be in a small forum or group with them and share your vulnerabilities. That's where kind of the the the loneliness does have the chance to go away and just gives you the the ability to recognize I'm not in this.
00:26:13
Speaker
but I'm not the only one dealing with these struggles. We were on a bus coming back from Lawrence, Kansas last night, there was a YPO event there and had a chance to talk to two different people on the bus ride home, even though it was like a party bus and there were some 90s rap banging in like really loud. i could kind of hear what we were talking about. And ah it was, it was outstanding because it's like, oh my gosh, I was just kind of dealing with this issue on a Thursday, Thursday night. I got two people sitting across from me and they both gave me learned perspectives about what was going on because they had both been in that situation. That's powerful. Mm-hmm.
00:26:48
Speaker
Yeah. but You know, I've been sober for 15 years.
Transitioning Leadership and Family Involvement
00:26:51
Speaker
And one of the things that I've learned in, in AA over the years is that your problems aren't that special. Right. You know, like you think that you have these problems no one else has, and then you start talking to other people who are in similar, and it's like, no, it's pretty much everybody's problem. And, uh,
00:27:07
Speaker
And it's easy to feel shame when you feel alone in that problem. and it's And it's so powerful when you realize that other people have dealt with it and have survived and thrived. like There's a lot of power to that.
00:27:20
Speaker
In the spirit of that, actually, um so i I feel like a lot of the gritty businesses that we talk to are intergenerational. And i know like you've kind of had the the handoff between you and your dad. And I'm just wondering, it just seems like you navigated that so extremely well um from from where I sit at least. And so I'm curious if you could talk a little bit just about what that process was like, because I think that's another thing that there are so many business owners going through.
00:27:48
Speaker
Yeah, ah I would love to tell you it was me. It wasn't. you know I'm blessed. I'm grateful. I don't know that I have the words to express how you know my dad and my mom, for that matter, have handled the entire process.
00:28:05
Speaker
you know I've got peers that that it's almost like they're fighting their parents or or one of their parent. And ah it's just, it's not been that way. And I think that you know maybe the one thing that I did to to ease and calm their mind was to come in and work my ass off. And and so I think that that was recognized, but it's a two-way street and and they've made it they made it as easy as possible.
00:28:32
Speaker
I would also like to thank COVID because, ah and you know, June of 2020 is when my dad said, you know what, you're president and CEO. I'm not dealing with this. And no, but it was, the timing was pretty funny. It's June of 2020. And he's like, I think think that your time time is here for the president and CEO role. and and And I felt like I'd really been you know running the day to day for a period of time before that, probably two or three years. But the one thing that I didn't take into account was all of the existing and and ancillary relationships that he held and and all of the insurance and banking and other commitments. And I was like, oh, I didn't
00:29:12
Speaker
I never thought about this. So, ah you know, it was, I just, I got to give all the credit to, to, to my dad, honest to God, because he's, he and my mom are my biggest cheerleaders. ah They would do anything to support me. They have always been that way. um Whether it was youth athletics, whether it was going to KU, um no matter what it was, like I all, they always had my back.
00:29:37
Speaker
And that doesn't mean that I was ah good and didn't get in trouble and didn't have repercussions for those things. But again, that goes back to the statement I said earlier. They were they were true parents. And if I did something I wasn't supposed to be doing, I either heard about it or I felt it um on my backside. So, you know, that was that was just the way that it was.
00:30:00
Speaker
So now you're on the other end of that. you have your daughter working in the company. yeah How is that going for you and how do you sort of compare and contrast that experience to the other? You know, it's it's super hard ah you know for me to really think of it in a comparison period because you know when when I joined ah ah January of 2010, it was a really, really difficult time, right? We were coming out of a a pretty big recession, which had hampered our business significantly. ah Canceled projects, materials stuck on the ground, like it was a big problem.
00:30:34
Speaker
And the environment we're in today is, you know, we've we are investing in our own marketing team. um You know, we're we're actually have resources to put towards different things. And so, you know, I try to take a similar approach. Right.
00:30:51
Speaker
Thank God for Brian and Angie, to be honest, because. you know When I hired Lainey, I knew i wanted to do something marketing related. We had outsourced it to a couple of agencies. And each time you lose your point of contact, you got to re-explain who you are to the company. And it just wasn't working. And so I brought her in and we're meeting like once a week. And I don't, it turns out I didn't know what marketing was. I can sell, but I just didn't really know what it was. And so I didn't know what marketing was and I really don't have a lot of time to give to her in terms of being a resource outside of, you know, a small amount. and And when someone comes in as a new hire on any other department within our organization, they've got a training period and they've got certain things and Laney didn't have that. ah So, you know,
00:31:40
Speaker
Getting you guys on board and giving her some guidance from true professionals within, you know, the the vertical within our organization has been game changing for her. I'm so proud of, you know, wow we sat through it a week and a half ago. ah You know, you guys have had a major lift for the last year.
00:31:58
Speaker
I'll call it 10 months and, and being able to sit down and present all of the things that we're doing. And I thought she just absolutely killed it. And, and those are the things that you look for. And I got to remind myself too, that she's 23 years old and what I was like at 23 years old. And so,
00:32:17
Speaker
I there's that, you know, we can lose that perspective. But um the one thing that I that hasn't changed is, is we're going to have conversations around things that she's doing great. And we're also going to call out the things that, you know, I'm struggling with seeing um that that I think she has the ability to give more.
00:32:35
Speaker
And I think sometimes that's hard when you don't know, like you've got a a fix. This is, this is your scope and this is your role. Um, and you know, what I want and what I challenge her with, and I challenge anybody within our organization, if you feel like you don't know what's next. and And what I mean by that is if you've completed everything that's on your task and you've got, you know, six, six things that you're supposed to do after that, and you're all done with that, like don't go in the corner and don't, and this is not her, but like, don't get on your phone. Don't go waste 30 minutes on Instagram, on the toilet. Like, Don't do stuff like that, right? Like come, like ask for help. Say, hey, what else is there for me? Like, I really want to grow. Like, and that's what I expect from everybody within our team, but for her specifically too.
00:33:21
Speaker
When I first started working with you and I realized I was going to be taking on the boss's daughter as part of my project, I was like, oh, this could be a nightmare.
00:33:31
Speaker
And man, is she a is she a hard worker? and She's someone who holds herself accountable and to your point is wise beyond her years. And it's been such a pleasure just to see her grow and learn and how just excited and engaged she is in what she's doing. And um I think it's been one of the one of my favorite parts of working with MKS has been getting to work with her and watch her do things for the first time and um and have some wins. And even when she doesn't have a win, how well she handles that and all those things. So I don't want to embarrass her here on them podcast, but ah
00:34:16
Speaker
probably already have, but it's ah it's been a real pleasure. And I think I agree with you. I forget she's 23 too. And think about when I was 23 and what an unbelievable dumbass I was at that point in my life. um So anyways, kudos to you. And i you know the other thing I appreciate, Steve, is we had a conversation early on where I said...
00:34:39
Speaker
you know, we both worked in big companies and I'm like, remember when we had two bosses and how much that sucked? And I said, you know, I i sort of need you to be dad and let me be the boss for her. And yes you've done such a good job of maintaining that, I think, maintaining that role.
00:34:56
Speaker
You're still her boss's boss and that's okay. Right. But um early on, I was starting starting to worry, you know, she's kind of going to get, you know, in the middle of having two bosses. So it's, you know, and I appreciate that I'm able to give you that feedback and you take it so constructively.
00:35:18
Speaker
Well, I appreciate it. you know ah The only thing that we can do is our best, right? And just because we make bad decisions or we do something that doesn't really you know align with what's going on, it doesn't mean that it was intentional. And I think that gets that that gets misconstrued a lot is you know people like, is someone really intending to offend me Probably not. Like how things are received and how they're and intended in a lot of times are are vastly different. and And we don't think about those things. But man, when you said that about, ah you know, doesn't need two bosses, I heard that loud and clear. And, you know, I still enjoy listening to what she's got going on, but understanding that. If I really have a serious issue, I'm going to bring it up to you and let you manage through it.
00:36:04
Speaker
and And, you know, just trying to trying to figure out the best way for not just her, but for everybody within our organization to reach their full potential. I mean, that's it. Right. And if that means that, you know, so she's had this incredible opportunity to see what a grassroots marketing campaign looks like from the ground up Right. You guys started from.
00:36:22
Speaker
no CRM and no anything, no strategic plan. You developed a strategic marketing plan. We've started to implement CRM. we've you know worked We're working with IIR and we're putting all of this together ah to manage through our yeah ERP. And it's just like, it's so exciting to see where we're going and there is not a doubt in my mind within like five years from now, we're going to see just this magical growth that's transfer you know transferred from all of the work that you all are putting in right now. And so, yeah, it's it's been it's been so fun to watch and be a part of. And, you know, that's another one of those leaps of faith. It's like...
00:37:00
Speaker
A marketing an agency isn't really going to help us get to where we want to go right now. Let's do it ourselves. And ah we were lucky enough to find Brian, who was was great to bring Angie in. And now it's like, I feel like I've got this little all-star team that is on our behalf. And and it just, it makes it it makes it really fun Thank you. That's a compliment I take very deeply and appreciate. um it's It's been fun for me too. and
00:37:32
Speaker
Thank you too, Hinge. Oh, totally. Yeah. um Yeah, we appreciate it. You said you didn't even know what marketing was. um Curious to think, what did you think it was before and how do you understand it now?
Embracing Marketing Strategies
00:37:48
Speaker
Yeah. So, I mean, one thing I feel like we are incredible about is, is branding, right? You know, we have like the new sweatshirt, uh, we bring it, we bring a new sweatshirt in every fall. And when I bring a few in, I mean, we're talking about thousands of sweatshirts that hit the Kansas city market for our local pipe fitters, uh, project managers, ah people within industrial manufacturing facilities. So like our brand was was not just sweatshirts, right? Hats and boxes and like all of the things, safety shirts. And I knew that wasn't marketing, right?
00:38:27
Speaker
But I didn't really know what it fully encapsulated. Right. I didn't really think that it was necessary for us. You know, we've we've been through these different scaling periods since, you know, I've come on board and I would say probably three different scaling events where we've had to change processes and things along those lines. So I'm like, what's the point? You know, we don't need a CRM. And then you and I start talking and I'm like, well, yeah.
00:38:52
Speaker
it is kind of a pain every time I want to disseminate a message that I've got to go to the sales reps and say, hey, everybody, send me your contacts and compile them in an Excel spreadsheet. And half of them aren't right. And and I'm not so naive to think that, you know, we're going to have to maintain our CRM, right? But we've got a plan in place for that as well for contact maintenance. um But, you know, I think when you start to peel the layers back and when I hear you all talk,
00:39:19
Speaker
those are things we kevin and i and and other individuals within our organization have talked about i just didn't know that was marketing i just kind of felt it was like a product of an organization and those are the things that you needed to do but uh i was just naive and uh you know shame on me but i'm i'm super glad that we found the right people and again people are really important we could have easily not ended up with brian and we could have ended up with ryan and He could have led us down a horrible path.
00:39:51
Speaker
Yeah, that guy's a jackass. We know we ended with him. B's are important, I'm telling you. Yeah. Yeah, it's very interesting to me because I do find as a marketer, a lot of times people don't really understand what we do.
00:40:07
Speaker
They think we're in advertising. and Yeah, just make it pretty. Yeah, make it pretty yeah we need a billboard. Yeah. and And so I guess to answer the the full part of the question, like where where it is today for me is an important vertical for our organization to not just stay organized with what we're doing, but give us the ability to grow another avenue, another tool for our team to grow with. And I i firmly believe in that, ah that that good people
00:40:38
Speaker
If you give them opportunities and you get out of their way and you give them the right tools and resources, they're going to move mountains. And and that's exactly what it is. And, you know, we, to speak to the that the people that we have here, i mean, I used to live in Siebel services when I was at GE and it was an absolute nightmare. And I talk about CRM. Sorry, I just threw up a little bit in my mouth because I worked in Siebel when I was in sales. Yeah. Yeah.
00:41:03
Speaker
i'd sit I'd sit on the couch at like from six to eight o'clock as a single guy. And I'd be going through all of the accounts and and inputting my call reports. And that's what I didn't want. And and I was so glad that you were like, that's not what we're doing. We're going to, that's not it. That's not the reason that we're doing this. and And so maybe I just had a negative belief about CRM from that learned experience. But as we've gone through with HubSpot and clearly defined why we why we're doing it, what we're doing with it, you know, the ability to tie it to WebConnect, the portal that we use for all of our sales reps. Like, it's just, it's such a, it's such a breath of fresh air. And it's, at times in life, it's so great to be wrong. And this is one of those instances where, like, I have no problem admitting that, you know what, I was wrong about that. And it's, it's something that we should, and we are investing in. So, um you know, that's a lesson for anybody is it's okay to be wrong, just figure out how to be right.
00:42:06
Speaker
I had one and it's gone. um I know. ah Kind of going back to some of the culture stuff, um you are a thoughtful, you know, I would say kind of sensitive in the you are empathetic to other people and whatnot.
00:42:27
Speaker
You're in an industry that is relatively male dominated, has sort of a, you know, a ah culture that can be pretty masculine, pretty macho.
Supporting Trades and Vocational Paths
00:42:41
Speaker
um How do you sort of reconcile that and how how's that played out for you? Yeah, I, ah you know, I love this industry and it it it's totally different than being in the the commercial finance world, right? You've got, you know, I love the terms white collar and blue collar. um and And I view myself as more of a blue collar guy anyway. I grew up and went to high school in North Kansas City, ah North Kansas City High School Hornets, the greatest high school of all time, an incredibly diverse high school.
00:43:13
Speaker
So my my my, just my learned experience was about everybody. It wasn't just like, oh, you, this is your group of friends. Like I was friends with everybody. And, and I think that that's been a trait that, that I've carried my entire life. Like, I don't give a shit if you're, you know, a certain race or height or, or, or sex, like who cares? Are you a good person? Like, let's hang out. And, and I think that that carries ah over and shows like, it's just genuine. I'm not, I'm not someone it's not fake. It's, it's very real. And I think that
00:43:48
Speaker
when I have the ability or our team has the ability to spend time with anyone, any of our customers, especially on the pipe fitter side. like And i I think that they are some of the best, like I just, I'm enamored by the work that these individuals have the ability to do. And I think I joke with my friends, I was like, you guys walk into a ah into the room and turn on ah the lights and you think it works because you flipped a switch, don't you? like and and And no one really understands what it takes for ah for for us to consume what we consume on a daily basis.
00:44:25
Speaker
And I just, I'm so proud to be associated with Local 533. And then even Local 8, you know, we do a lot of work on the plumbing and gas fitting side. And just... If I could do anything, I'm i'm a big advocate for the trades because i think that, you know, everybody thinks they need to go to college. If someone thinks that they need to, you know, their path needs to be something that they don't know. And that's not for everyone. And whether it's, you know, if, if, Pipe fitting isn't what you're interested in. You want to be an electrician or a carpenter. like
00:44:57
Speaker
Finding something that you really enjoy and getting within a good trade is probably one of the best things that someone that doesn't want a formal education can do because you're getting learn you're getting paid to learn. If you really, really care about what you're doing, you're learning subject matter. And, you know, you can take that and it's transferable in so many ways. If you want to continue to be, you know, in the field doing labor, like do it. If you want to come inside and be a project engineer or a project manager, like do that. um And if you really have business acumen, you can take all the skills that you've learned and go start a new ah mechanical contracting business.
00:45:34
Speaker
I mean, go look at my friends, Tim Wiseman and Paul Fantastiel at PM Contracting. That's exactly what they did. Bill Alexander, Bill Eiler, men that I absolutely look up to. And, um you know, realistically, these guys are the ones that, you know, are are shaping the the city that we are in, the surrounding areas that we are in. And I couldn't i couldn't brag more about, um you know, the the guys and gals that that serve, you know, our our local mechanical contractor association, 533 local aid.
00:46:10
Speaker
I'm going to hold myself accountable to a little bit for even asking that question, because I do think that there are stereotypes and assumptions people make about trades and who's in them and how they operate and how they function. And I think I just was feeding into that, but in my experience, that's not the case.
00:46:30
Speaker
It's, it's a wide range of folks who have a wide range of looking at things. And so I think it's ah I think it's important a for me to say that, because I think that was sort of an ill-conceived question from that perspective.
00:46:45
Speaker
um But ah also that the trades aren't what they were 20 ago.
00:46:53
Speaker
Yeah, that's a fact. Well, in in a good way too, right? Like a hundred percent we've had, we have people that have broken backs and and knees and shoulders because back in the day, these guys were hauling four and six inch pipe up through, I mean,
00:47:08
Speaker
like hard, hard stuff. And they still have to do that from time to time. But fortunately, there's ah safety protocols in place and there's equipment that people have and even new technology that, that and and I say new, newish to the United States, you know, polypropylene, um there's some there's some really good product out there that have the same um heat thermal coefficients as as carbon steel and and are lighter. So, you know, you get some of these fusion materials bond or butt fusion technologies that are are out there and that you know a couple of people can carry a stick of four inch pipe without killing themselves. And it's still in its introductory phase in the US and in some markets, but it is fun to see that stuff come aboard because you know I think that there are a ton of advancements that we live every single day of our life. And so it's nice to see it reach our industry.
Managing Economic Unpredictability
00:48:03
Speaker
I'm just gonna say butt fusion sounds like a terrible medical procedure.
00:48:08
Speaker
I'm not kidding. I thought, I wonder if Brian's gonna leave that one alone. I am not. Absolutely not. And you did not disappoint. No, there's no way you can say it. Well, if you can butt weld something, you can butt fusion it. about that?
00:48:22
Speaker
right I think we better quit while we're ahead on that one. um One of the things I thought was really interesting, Steve, was a comment you made to me the other day about the client who said they're kind of looking at you for market information and to understand what's happening in the market. um You work with a lot of products that commodities, a lot of products that are being shipped from other countries,
00:48:45
Speaker
in our environment right now that's been unpredictable, we'll say. um how have you been managing that and how do you see it playing out for the business? Yeah, ah great question. I think, you know, and I'm coming off the heels of being from being at our buying group meeting. So it's ah really fresh in my brain. um You know, how we've handled it Fortunately, I was able to lean on some past experience. We've dealt with tariffs.
00:49:12
Speaker
We dealt with tariffs in 2018. think that's right. Well, whatever years it was, 232 that came aboard. And then we dealt with supply chain issues during COVID. So it's not the first time that I've seen it. And then even at the first tariffs, ah you know, having... having my dad around and in his learned experience to be able to talk through and talk about, you know, back in the day, if you had some material in the late seventies that you could sell it for whatever you wanted to, but if you gouged somebody, you better, you better be prepared for that to come back down the road. And so, you know, we've, we've, definitely made it an effort to take care of people that we can based on capacity that we have. And capacity isn't really an issue right now. It's just more the cost of goods, right? And and it is it's been tough. And we could sit here and we could talk about the economic ah benefits or non-benefits of tariffs and and what that looks like. um But that's not going to change the situation. We are in the middle of where we are. And the guiding light that we've used is we have to take care of our customers. And the way that we take care of customers is having material on the ground. So whether it's $2 or $20, we need to have it here. And so, yes, our inventory value is through the roof right now. And yes, you know you look at some of those things and um you you can scratch your head and say, are are we in the spot that we need to be? But we know that for us to be the market leader and for us to be who we are to our local market, we have to have the inventory to keep jobs running. um These guys don't have time ah to to sit around and wait for a transfer truck to come from a distribution center. They need it today.
00:50:50
Speaker
Most of the time they needed it yesterday, right? And with the way we see it playing it playing out, I mean, i think that... you know i I can't answer that other than i think we all understand there are a lot of economic, socioeconomic and global pressures taking place right now. And um I think that we'd be naive to think we are not going to experience some sort of a downturn in the next five years.
00:51:16
Speaker
um If you listen to ITR economics, it's going to happen in 2030 and you need to get into bonds and out of equities. And then in 2036, you need to get back into equities and out of bonds. And they've been projecting this since 2020. And ah like I said, I don't know if if Brian and and his brother are are good enough to read the tea leaves like that.
00:51:37
Speaker
I'm going to build this statue of them outside of our facility because we are I don't know that that's the guiding light, but we do recognize that there, there is going to be some downturn at some point, right? It just cannot keep on the pace that we are, the cost of things, you know, throw in an, uh, an inevitable AI bubble. I don't think it's now, but it's coming, right? Like it's just, there's so many resources, so much money being allocated to it. And, and we chase data center work. So it's been outstanding for us, but, um, you know, it is something that we need to be realistic as, as, as, as we see it. And, and I think that that's part of part of, you know, the future is that, you know, we need to find ourselves as, as individuals,
Financial Preparedness for Downturns
00:52:20
Speaker
right? Like if you're making good money right now, make sure you're saving some money because it's not always going to be like that. And if you're not, then you need to find, you know, some way, some form, some fashion to, you know, either create more income or find a place that's going to treat you the way that you deserve to be treated.
00:52:40
Speaker
Great answer. Steve, anything else you want to talk about today? No, I don't think so. I mean, i just, I appreciate the opportunity to come in and and share our story. And I'm sure as soon as we jump off, I'll be like, oh, I wish I would have said this or that. um um It's a, it is,
00:53:01
Speaker
you know we joke about it, like MKS Pipe and Valve. I used to think, you know, this is our company and and realistically we're stewards of this organization. We didn't start it.
00:53:12
Speaker
my my My hope and prayers are that it will be around long after I'm here. And um our job is to guide it in the way that we know is right. We need to make the right decisions. We need we know what right decisions are. um We need to make sure that we are are putting... our family here at MKS first.
00:53:33
Speaker
Um, we need to live live around our core values. And I think if we do all of those things, we're going to continue to be successful. We're going to write out any type of, um, financial, uh, um, issues that, that, that arise from a global downturn. Uh, and I just, you know, being a good person, taking care of individuals, listening, uh, I can't stress that enough. And, uh, I'm far from perfect. I screw up every single day and um I can be a big asshole. and And that doesn't mean that that's who I am on ah on a regular basis. But I think we all have our moments and giving yourself grace in those moments and recognizing, man, that was out of character. That's really not who I am or who I want to be. and
00:54:16
Speaker
After that, going and admitting to whomever you treated in that manner that like, hey, I'm i'm sorry. Now, it's also incumbent on that person to not be a grudge holder and like accept your apology and let's move forward. um Because I think that's one of the worst things as well as people that harbor resentment around things that have happened. It's like, listen, like, I promise you, i I wasn't trying to do that. I had a bad moment. I had a lapse. And that's why you try to give some grace to people that you see and, you know,
00:54:46
Speaker
whether it be professional sports or whether it be someone that that has just get got caught doing something really freaking stupid. They probably knew it was stupid and they did it anyway. i don't think that like a mistake here or there is an indictment on someone's character. I just think that's who we are as humans and we are we are wired to fail and we need to address the failures and we need to move forward. And and if it's a repeated thing, then clearly that that's that's someone that you probably don't want to be associated with or or don't want on your team. But like giving people the ability to make mistakes and not be a fireable offense, right? 100%. Steve, I have to I've heard a lot of leaders in my career talk like you talk.
00:55:29
Speaker
But one of the biggest pleasures of working with you is how you make it real within your organization. you walk what you talk and your actions are consistent with what you say. And, uh, I know you're going to be humble and say, you know, it's not that big of a deal, but it is. And it's not as common as you think it is either.
00:55:51
Speaker
And, uh, I just really, um look up to you as a leader uh, I'm really honored to get to be part of the MKS story. And so thank you for all of that.
Leadership Philosophy of Stewardship
00:56:08
Speaker
Thank you for the kind words. I ah i really do appreciate it. And like said, yeah to your point, like it it it is that maybe you are making me uncomfortable by saying those things. Yeah, no, it it does. And, and, and maybe I'm blushing a little bit, but I, I couldn't do the things that I'm doing without the people behind us. And that's just a fact, right? Like, like if we didn't have people that believed in what we were doing and what I was saying and what our leadership team was saying, it would, it would all be for not, but, um, it does feel good to, to hear that. It it feels good to have vendors tell us like, when we walk into your building, it just feels different. And, uh,
00:56:47
Speaker
That brings a smile to my face. and And I can't wait to share, you know, some of the things I got back, whatever, late Wednesday night, I was running around all day yesterday. I can't wait to share some of the feedback I got from our vendor partners to our team. And I've got, I got a lot of notes to go through and to kind of write a recap for ADNAM. But Like, it's just, it's a blessing. And I'm, I'm, I'm very grateful for the opportunity. And, you know, as a kid, I wanted to be a football coach. I want to be an NFL coach. And, uh, I guess in some form or fashion, i am a coach and and a leader. And I've studied that for a very, very long time. And, uh, it all just continues to dial back to people and, and you got to treat them right. You got to treat yourself right. um You got to give grace for grace is due and, um and hold people accountable. The biggest thing is, is making sure that they understand, like, let's validate like the positives and then let's question the the decisions that maybe don't align with who we are and what we do. And, um and then make sure that, that they learn those lessons.
00:57:52
Speaker
Well, coach, um super honored to have you on the podcast today. Angie, anything you have on the way out here? No, nothing. Just thank you, Steve. This has been so fun. Yeah. And really grateful for your partnership today and your partnership overall. And very excited for the future for MKS. So hopefully we can have you back in a year and we'll check in and see how things are going.
00:58:18
Speaker
I love it. Thank you both for the opportunity to tell the story and to answer any questions. And I can't wait to to see where we take this. Awesome. Thanks, Steve.