Brad Hanway earned his stripes at Gasco Affiliates by holding every position at the company on his way up. That relatable experience serves him well now as general manager and COO of the company. BIC Magazine recently visited with Hanway to learn more about him, Gasco and the gas detection industry.
Q: What led to your position at Gasco?
A: Gasco was founded by my father, Tom Hanway, in 1999. I worked part time at Gasco while attending college and then started full time at Gasco in February of 2003 as Gasco was starting to grow. Because my father has been in the gas detection industry my whole life, I was already aware and knowledgeable of the product. Following in my father’s footsteps, I began to take on a leadership role after immersing myself in all aspects of the business.
At one time or another, I have held every position at Gasco from boxing product, preparing purchase orders in customer service and filling gas in production. I believe this allows me to communicate well with each department.
Q: Are you looking to grow in new markets or expand in current ones?
A: Gasco is currently looking to grow in both new and current markets. We have put on new distribution in the Far East, Central America and South America. Gasco’s great reputation for quality and customer service has allowed us to be a partner and not just an everyday supplier to our current distribution. We have seen growth of up to 200 percent with certain distributors because of the great bonds we have formed with safety suppliers. We opened our Houston office a year ago to service the oil and gas industry and this new location has been a huge success.
We are always on the lookout for talented people to add to our team. Even with the down economy in our country over the past few years, we have continued to grow at the same rate we always have. Gasco is committed to using only “Made in America” parts for our products. Quite honestly, these days that is hard for most companies to say.
Presently, Gasco is making significant investments in technology to be able to keep up with our rapidly growing distributor network.
Q: What is your best management tactic?
A: The best management tactic I apply is to, “Look for more troubles.” This business philosophy has been passed on by my father. It basically states to be thankful for the troubles of your job. It takes intelligence, resourcefulness, patience, tact and courage to meet the troubles of your job. If everyone would start to look for more troubles, and learn to handle them cheerfully and with good judgment, as opportunities rather than irritations, we would find ourselves getting ahead at a surprising rate.
I learn everything I can. The more you know about the field, the more you are able to be highly effective in relaying your company’s message. Also, you must listen to your customer. They will let you know what their needs are. If you can continually solve a problem for the customer, you will create a positive, long lasting business relationship.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote?
A: “The first one gets the oyster, the second one gets the shell,” from Andrew Carnegie. That is so true in business. This is why Gasco has continually pushed to be the leader in innovation, introducing many new products well before our competitors.
Q: How do you maintain a good work/home life balance?
A: My home is within a mile of the Gasco’s headquarters in Oldsmar, Fla. This allows me to be home for lunch with my eight-month-old daughter, Grayce, and my wife of six years, Michelle. My wife is very supportive and understands I have to travel quite often to maintain and grow our company.
For more information, visit www.gascogas.com or call (800) 910-0051.
