Chris Daniels, executive vice president of Evergreen Industrial Services, joined the company in 2010, bringing his unique and balanced background of business development, operational business management and leadership to the Evergreen team. BIC Magazine recently visited with Daniels to learn more about what it takes to operate a successful service business and how he progressed to his role of today.
Q: What led to your position at Evergreen?
A: As a young engineer graduating from Texas A&M University, I was fortunate enough to start my career with Dowell Schlumberger. I was quickly engulfed in industry at the field level and was able to progress through a structured career development program that has been the foundation of my overall success. Along the way, I was very fortunate to work with a number of great people who mentored and coached me through the minefields of the industrial services and maintenance industry.
Q: What is the most important part of your position?
A: As with any type of leadership role, the most important aspect of the position is to be able to provide clear vision and direction for the company and the individuals who make up the company. We operate in a high-risk environment. It is paramount you provide a clear communication, direction and vision of what safety means and how an individual’s behavior is critical to the success of the company and the influence it has on peer groups. In order to stay ahead of the competition, one must always be evaluating the current position, developing and implementing a strategy and tactical plan for continuous improvement and initiate corrective action in a critical situation.
Q: Are you looking to grow in new markets or expand in current ones?
A: Evergreen has enjoyed and continues to have great success in our growth targets over our 13-year history. Evergreen has been predominately geographically positioned along the Texas Gulf Coast. We have and will continue to provide project-based services to our customers on a national level, but we are certainly interested in expanding our geographic presence in some key concentrated markets along the Gulf Coast. To remain an industry leader, we are looking at a couple of areas of our portfolio for development as well as strengthening our existing toolbox.
Q: What are your goals for your position?
A: I hope to continue to implement our overall growth strategy including development of additional service lines and help lead implementation of tactical plans to drive profitable growth. I am focusing on the development of human capital, which includes better training programs — detailed career development programs that incorporate skills training as well as professional and personal development. My goal is to be the driving force behind our operational excellence and continue to manage key relationships with customers and business partners.
Q: What’s the most important thing a person should know before taking a career path similar to yours?
A: My willingness to do whatever it took, work long hours and hands-on approach allowed me to build a sound technical knowledge of the industry as well as credibility within the industry. My success and arrival of where I am today are the results of the collaborative efforts of a number of people, and my constant push to gain more knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the service business prepared me for the opportunity to assume an executive leadership position. I learned some hard lessons along the way, took risks and always tried to adhere to the highest ethical standards and level of commitment to the people who worked with me and for me.
For more information, visit www.evergreenes.com or call (877) 267-2840.
