A Day in the Life of a Branch Office General Manager

Rose Paving / May 29, 2013

As CEO, I enjoy spending one-on-one time with all of my employees on a regular basis. Oftentimes that means going out to lunch. During one such meeting, I posed the following questions of Brandon Graf, paving expert and General Manager of our Atlanta Area Branch Office. Enjoy the candid interview that follows…

AR: Tell our readers, how long have you been with Rose Paving?
BG: Since April 2010

AR: What are your daily responsibilities? Do they differ “in season?”
BG: I’m responsible for selling, managing sales and marketing efforts, training sales and operations employees, managing P&L, and implementing strategic selling strategies in the Atlanta market. They are year-round responsibilities; however, in the off-season, my focus is on budgeting and training.

AR: What is trending right now in paving?
BG: In the Atlanta market, we’re seeing more maintenance activity in the multi-family segment, as well as specialty segments such as healthcare and entertainment. We are also starting to see a focus on green construction methods, primarily in new construction.

AR: Tell us a little about your most challenging and/or rewarding paving project? Where was it located? What was the scope? Why was it memorable?
BG: It was a winter removal & replacement job for a local real estate client. We scoped the project and recommended a PermaFlex Overlay to be applied in the spring. The client’s engineer proposed a different scope and timeframe altogether. Although we didn’t agree with the plan, we agreed to handle and executed the project over the Christmas holiday, as opposed to the spring, at their request. As we predicted, the engineer’s approach failed and the client turned to us to address the issues. Our team remedied the situation and our client was pleased with the final repair.

AR: What do you like best about your job?
BG: Two things I like most are 1) challenging my employees to grow professionally and watching them accomplish their personal and professional goals along the way, and 2) winning work. We are one of the few paving companies in this market that approach each job strategically, working with client budgets to provide the best long-term solutions to their parking lot maintenance needs. I love seeing the process unfold; it not only separates us from our competition, but cements long-term relationships with clients we want to work with.

AR: What is most challenging about your job?
BG: Time management. Even though there’s a lot of work to get done, it’s important to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

AR: How do you make the Atlanta Branch Office a great place to work for your staff?
BG: I try to create and maintain a healthy and fun work environment in Atlanta. We spend a lot of time together both in and out of the office, in training exercises with sales and operations staff, scoping sites, enjoying a “Great Place to Work” lunch, or participating in various philanthropic events in our off-time. With a smaller office, it’s important for the staff to work well together.

AR: What do you do in your off-time?
BG: I spend a lot of time coaching my son’s sports teams, spending time with family, and golfing, when I get the chance!

AR: What is your favorite Atlanta-area restaurant?
BG: There are a lot of great restaurants in Atlanta so I don’t have one favorite place to eat. When I get the chance, I enjoy going somewhere new.

AR: What is the best thing about living and working in Atlanta?
BG: The weather and not having to shovel snow. When it does snow, the city shuts down, so it’s an unscheduled day-off in the “winter”. And, let’s be honest…who doesn’t like a snow day?