N America News April 2017

46 NORTH AMERICA NEWS / APRIL 2017 , Randy’s Electric has provided electrical services inMinneapolis for over a decade, and our reputation speaks for itself. We caught up with Courtney Lotzer to find out more about this company of 33 staff and the growth they have been experiencing from 30-40%per year. A Live Wire The goal of Randy’s Electric is to be a blessing to their customers by specialising in the saving them time and frustration, as well as being the best value for the dollar for them. In terms of his key responsibilities, Lotzer reminisces that as the company has developed he was the one answering the phone when he was working in the attics of other people. After that, his wife became involved followed by a number of employees so the company grew slowly. “I had done every job in the company by this point, so my key responsibility now is to help others to do what they do well. In terms of my current position and what I aspire to be, I am still not sure what I want to do when I grow up. Having said that, the business started in 2002 so my role has developed from that time to the present.” “In terms of managing the staff who work for me, I have some key principles that I adhere to. That in my opinion would involve a lengthy discussion about dependence and responsibility, indeed I believe in giving people as much freedom as possible so that they feel empowered to handle the position on their own. Added to that, is following up and helping them to have a larger overview of goals for each month and also the year as a whole, so they can accomplish what they have been asked to do in terms of their current position.” In terms of overcoming challenges, Lotzer believes that he is his biggest challenge, but added to that the period from 2008-2010 was a very difficult one for construction so he lost everything during that time, however he was able to keep the business going. In the face of such adversity, Lotzer underlines that the key principle is to “know that you just need to keep going” in such difficulties. He goes on to say that as an employee of many companies, he has seen how poorly things can be run, but being electrician means that by nature you are fiercely independent and do not want to be told what to do. Such a professional is highly- motivated and intelligent, so Lotzer explains he aims to set up everybody in the company, “to do the things they enjoy doing and to be rewarded well for it and I stay out of the way so they can accomplish what they want to achieve. “Added to that, everybody has difficult conversations as well by their very nature, so they have to man-up and do things that you do not want to do. However, when this is done I look at it as a play and decide upon the actor I want to be or the role I want to play in the situation. I then go and play that part the way I think will be best, even if that is not me I grow into this role.” “In the electric industry when considering technology trends, I like to see how things fall, and when we take a step in this direction it is a sure one. I do not want to chase after things that will not happen, as technology takes up an enormous amount of emotion and time and employees can get frustrated when you are changing things that don’t pan out.” On how to make the products and services of the company become best sellers, the cool thing for the company is that there are not enough electricians in the world, because too many smart and motivated people went to college. Randy’s Electric carries out all of their work in the homes of ordinary people, as opposed to being involved in large and industrial projects, so they are in touch with the consumer. The work is therefore consumer driven, and people need us. “In five years’ time, Randy’s Electric should be the best electrical contractor in the twin cities. We are barely there now, but I aim to be a length ahead. We are constantly focussing on the customer, so every time we deal with them they have a positive experience. I believe that what you sow, you reap so as we perfect that in the future we will grow. We will be the best place to work, therefore many electricians will come our way, so we’ll dominate the twin cities areas.” “We want to focus on being a blessing to the customer, and also a blessing to one another, which I believe is the key to success. Life is miserable if nobody is happy.” K Company: Randy’s Electric Name: Courtney Lotzer Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.randyselectric.com Address: 8557 Wyoming Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55445 USA Telephone: +1 763 560 5600 1702CA06