With nearly 40 years of experience in the petrochemicals and refining industry, Greg Rice is well positioned to step into his new role as CEO of CAM Industrial Solutions (CAM).
Rice steers CAM toward growth, safety and workforce development
GREG RICE, CEO, CAM Industrial Solutions
When asked, Rice said, "I don’t think there is an industry I would rather work in."
Although Rice has only been with CAM for a short time, he is already spearheading several initiatives to drive the company’s expansion and success.
"Right now, we are really focusing on workforce development for our craft personnel and site leaders," said Rice. "It starts with our recruiting team, led by an industry leader, which feeds into our newly created workforce development team that oversees the training of these key positions."
CAM is constantly improving and seeking new opportunities for growth. In fact, Rice mentioned that the company is actively expanding into both existing and new markets. "Our owners are constantly looking at add-on or complementary acquisitions to fit into the culture of CAM Industrial Solutions."
CAM is an industrial solutions company specializing in industrial maintenance, turnarounds, outages and small capital project work. It also runs a high-performing division that provides power operations and maintenance. CAM delivers both union and nonunion services with over 4,500 employees in the U.S. and Canada.
It is of the utmost importance to communicate throughout your organization to align everyone on your team to drive success and bring other opportunities for growth.
The biggest news at the company is its CAM CORE Analytics product, an in-house connected worker platform that is driving major efficiencies across job sites through barrier identification and removal, increases in productivity and overall performance improvement. Rice said the most important part of his position is "making sure we take care of our employees, customers and shareholders each and every day."
Safety is a top priority at CAM, and the company is committed to ensuring the well-being of its employees. With an industry- leading safety record, CAM aims to maintain its focus on safety excellence moving forward. "Our primary goal is zero incidents in the workplace for our 4,500+ employees, while also achieving our commitment to profitability for our owners every year," said Rice.
Rice has always believed that his job is in the field, even as the CEO. "Money is not made in the corporate office; it’s made at our sites with our employees and customers."
Leadership is tough, said Rice, and in some cases, leaders must make decisions that are best for the entire workforce, customers and shareholders. "You are not always the most popular person in the organization," he noted.
"Sometimes it is lonely at the top of a company like this," Rice continued. "It is of the utmost importance to communicate throughout your organization to align everyone on your team to drive success and bring other opportunities for growth."
When Rice isn’t traveling to one or several of CAM’s 40 sites each week, he takes time on the weekends to recharge at home with his wife, who he has been with for almost 40 years. "It is tough to maintain a work/life balance," he said, "though you must do the best you can to maintain your most important relationships."
As it turns out, the biggest lesson learned over the course of his career is to allow time to focus on what truly matters: family and friends. "You can never get time back and it goes by so quickly," said Rice.
For more information, visit camindustrialsolutions.com.
