Rodney Greenup, president of Greenup Industries, founded the company less than six years ago. Since then, the company has grown significantly. In 2017, Greenup Industries ranked No. 208 on Inc. 5000’s annual rankings of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. BIC Magazine recently sat down with Greenup to learn more about how he strives to make sure every employee is happy and how he creates a work environment where everyone is continuously learning.
Q: What led you to start Greenup Industries?
A: In 2012, I was part owner of an 8(a)-certified construction company that carried out federal government contracts. The relationship between the owners was deteriorating fast, so I decided to ask them for a buyout. At the same time, I was part owner of an engineering company that was doing well and growing. The problem was that the engineering company was not set up to perform contract management services in an industrial plant; it focused on municipal and private design work. Therefore, I incorporated a new company in December 2012, and I called it Greenup Industries.
Q: Why is Greenup successful?
A: In the simplest of terms, our people and our clients have made us successful. From day one, our major repeat clients in all categories — industrial, private, commercial and municipal — have been interested in and dedicated to our success. We have been very fortunate to have clients who wanted our services, paid us in full for those services and then gave us progressively larger opportunities to work with them. Where we have not felt that “love,” we moved on and found other business opportunities. Our clients have to care about Greenup, too.
We also constantly strive to hire the best employees that we can find. We have a very flexible work environment and treat everyone as a professional. We invest in training, licensure for employees, employee engagement events, social events and lots of other activities other firms have cut from their budgets. We invest in all of these because we want our team to feel appreciated, stay with us and care about the company as much as I do.
Q: Are the ideals and culture of your company what you initially envisioned?
A: No, they are not. I initially hired folks who could do “a job.” That was easy to find in most cases. Over the past five to six years, I’ve come to realize I need to surround myself with individuals who are not only capable but also considerate and passionate about the company. I have the best, most diverse management team any company could ask for. Every day, they make me a better manager and leader by identifying areas of improvement. Sometimes we jump right in and adopt the improvements; other times we have to put things on the back burner. It’s all about timing when you’re implementing a change that affects the culture and process inside a company of 100-plus employees. I like to say, “Not everybody fits on our team, so let’s take our time and find the right person.” If someone isn’t fitting in with our team, I try to make that change within weeks or months and not years.
Q: What is your best management tactic?
A: I now have the luxury of allowing my employees to try to solve their problems first. Five years ago, we were too small to allow problems to progress before I got involved to address the issue. Now we have the people in the right places, and I can trust them to figure out solutions to the problems before they bring them to me and my business partners for decisions. That doesn’t mean we don’t get involved and get dirty, but at least someone on the team has already done the homework and identified the opportunities. We just need to direct them on the best course of action. This is still a work in progress, but I’ve noticed the management team is much stronger and more capable than I originally anticipated. I could probably go away for a few months and no one would notice.
Q: How do you maintain a good work/home life balance?
A: I enjoy golfing, fishing and duck hunting, but I haven’t had much time to do any of those lately. I hope to start golfing again soon.
For more information, visit www.greenupind.com or call (225) 283-4843.