2025_JanFebCJ - 21
NARSA NEWS
NARSA Member Minute: Developing Talent
In our new series, NARSA Board Members discuss interesting
topics that impact the cooling systems or emissions industry.
Bryan Braswell of Rocky Mount Radiator and Bobby Duran of
Cooling Systems Caribe originally filmed this interview during
the International Tour in Poland in September 2024. To watch the
full conversation, head to NARSA's Facebook page:
http://facebook.com/narsanow
Bryan Braswell (Rocky Mount Radiator): Bobby, I want to jump
right into it, and we've had a lot of topics about training and hiring
talent, and also, more importantly, developing talent. Can you kind
of break down what you've done with your company and how
you've started to almost take people from any walk of life and put
them in a position to be successful in your company?
Bobby Duran (Cooling Systems Caribe): By no means are we
experts, but we've expanded our business significantly over the last
year or so. And what we've found out is that it's hard to hire talent in
this industry.
Bryan: Absolutely.
Bobby: Very few people are trained in radiators and in heat
exchangers, and we've really focused trying to hire people who
have great attitudes and have a desire to learn, who have a desire to
grow in this industry. And we've made a lot of headway with those
types of people in all ways from techs to counter people.
Bryan: That's a good point. You've heard a lot of people talk about
hiring for personality and hiring to build a team, but then training
for talent. Our company has picked up a lot from you and seen how
you've pulled different people from the automotive industry or
the trucking industry or sometimes welders, or just construction
workers and put them in a position to be successful. Do you have
a blueprint for that? Do you have a step-by-step plan, or is that
something that's in the works?
Bobby: Well, it's definitely something that's in the works. We do
have a set of core values that we hire and fire by. But we've also
tried to take our blinders off. Initially, we never had women in
production, and now we have several who are doing fantastic. Over
the years, that was something that was never done, and now we're
doing it. We've taken people who have had zero experience and
brought them up on the counter. They were personable and had
an interest in learning. We're just seeing great success in that. You
know, the doom and gloom of " You can't find anybody! " They're
there, but you have to identify. I think if you hire for culture and
desire to grow, you can find good people.
Bryan: I think anybody who's in our industry can say that radiator
guys or girls don't grow on trees anymore. We've taken people
who are from the meat industry, a butcher, a guy who was a former
boat maker, from all different types and plugged them into almost a
self-service type role in our company, and they've been successful.
Taking pages off your book and other people who've brought men
and women from all walks of life into our company has been an easy
way to start a slow transition to be successful.
Bobby: A lot of NARSA members have done an exchange program
with your workers go to another shop. I know we've talked about it.
Having your people who have done a job a certain way for so many
years go to another shop, pick up things here, bring knowledge.
I know we've talked about that, and I've done it with several
other people. And having that network to be able to do that is a
tremendous advantage and a great advantage for NARSA.
Bryan: That door has always been open for you and me. I think
we've been able to see David Bienvenu and Wayne Feeleus and
people from all over the world. And here we are on this international
Tour to see people in another country and what they do. And that's
been one of the reasons our company has been able to grow and to
have good employees.
Bobby: And to dovetail off the International Tour, just the ability to
have more than a lunch with someone, to have literally a week to
spend time with a bunch of professionals in your industry is where all
these sort of conversations come from.
January/February 2025 | THE COOLING JOURNAL | 19
http://www.facebook.com/narsanow
2025_JanFebCJ
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