Imagine breaking virtually every bone on the upper left side of your body: a broken left collarbone following a fight with a cousin as a kid; a high school football injury that resulted in a broken left elbow; a broken left wrist sustained after a fall from your child’s hoverboard and a broken left shoulder — the result of a fishing accident.
"The takeaway for anyone reading this is if we ever meet in person, please make sure to stand on my right side," said Aaron Westover, president and CEO of Blast Resource Group (BRG).
But the adversity has never stopped him. Westover has successfully navigated his way through the industrial sector for more than 22 years to lead the Houston-based provider of blast-resistant buildings and hazard-related engineering services.
Westover’s success hinges on skillful management of work and personal life
Aaron Westover, President and CEO, Blast Resource Group
"Having the courage to start this company has been the most pivotal moment in my career," Westover said.
He added that garnering the nerve to leave his comfort zone and jumping into a new venture was empowering. The role included navigating unforeseen hurdles that lay ahead as a new business owner, while being responsible for the wellbeing of his staff — both challenging and rewarding at the same time.
Since its inception, he said BRG has experienced extensive growth and continues to expand operations in its current market space. Recently, BRG made strategic hires within its professional services division by adding two senior engineers, which has allowed BRG to begin providing hazard studies, siting studies, quantitative risk assessments and hardening studies.
"Coupled with our in-house blast-resistant design capabilities, BRG is well positioned to assist clients with many phases of engineering services along with material procurement specific to blast related projects. We are continually expanding our service offering in the industrial downstream markets, with strategic growth initiatives planned into additional market sectors over the next 24 months," he said.
Recent expansion has included moving all employees into new office space in Lyric Tower at 440 Louisiana St. in Houston’s Theatre District.
"The culture at BRG is wonderful," he said. "I find the most satisfaction in my employees’ success. I really enjoy giving them an opportunity to have an impact on our organization by expressing their ideas and thoughts on how to better improve our processes while servicing our clients."
Westover is the father of three. His son is a junior business major at Texas State University. He has two daughters — a freshman at Texas A&M University majoring in engineering — and the other will join her sister in the fall as a biology major following graduation.
"Do or do not, there is no try," is his favorite quote from Yoda of Star Wars. "My wife will tell you that she’s heard me say this a thousand times to my children as they have grown up. In life we either succeed or fail no matter what the task."
Westover has been married to his "soulmate and overall wonderful human being" for 20 years. The two self-proclaimed foodies enjoy discovering restaurants and love attending local concerts. In his spare time, he appreciates offshore fishing, golfing and live music.
"I had to learn how to separate my work life from my personal life and come to the realization that we work to live, not live to work. Make time for friends and family as those relationships are truly the most important," he said.
For more information, visit blastresourcegroup.com.
