Meet Chad Smith, Our HR Manager
University Sprinklers is in “full hiring mode” for the upcoming season, so we thought now might be a good time to introduce our Human Resources Manager, Chad Smith.
Chad is currently hiring for the following roles:
How Chad Worked Up The Ranks
Chad started at University Sprinklers 14 years ago as an Irrigation Labour Crew member. He’d been working at a fairly well paying job as a subcontractor installing commercial signage, but he didn’t see many opportunities for growth there. In 2002, Chad was newly married, with a big new mortgage and a kid on the way. He decided to take a step back in pay with a big a leap of faith in University Sprinklers, where there seemed to be open opportunity for advancement, and where hard work was generously rewarded. That first summer, Chad worked 8 – 9 hours a day at this new job, plus another 5 hours at night still installing signs part time, to provide for his new family and pay that new mortgage!
After just a few short months at University Sprinklers, Chad took on some onsite quality control, and by early 2003 he was running an install crew as Installation Foreman. Needless to say, Chad no longer needed to moonlight doing commercial sign install work! In 2005, Chad joined the Sales Team, where he learned to handle quoting, designing and overseeing the installation of new systems for customers.
During the winter of 2006, as we were strategizing for the upcoming season, Chad expressed an interest in helping University Sprinklers grow and train the quickly increasing number of install employees the company hired each year. That became the rudimentary beginning of Chad’s HR role, and today he handles the hiring and training of all of University Sprinklers’ Service Crew as well.
Chad is a classic example of the kind of growth a hardworking, personable and motivated guy can aspire towards in our kind of company.
Why Chad Loves His Job
“Simply put, I would have to say I love “The People”. I enjoy meeting all the people that I get to meet with all their different stories that they bring with them.” According to Chad, this is what he loves most about his job.
“I enjoy listening to their stories and aspirations, not only for what they would like to see in their job, but also for what they would like to see out of life. I like to think that in helping them achieve success at work, we are also playing a small part in helping them achieve success in their personal lives as well, whatever their goals might be.”
“I have had the opportunity to meet many great people over my years at University Sprinklers, many whom I would consider friends, some who are still with the company and some who are not. Some of our past employees have moved on to a variety of different careers, including school teachers, professional hockey players, firemen, lawyers, financial planners and even a manager of one of the top MMA gyms in the US! I am happy for all of them because they realized their goals.”
“I guess I like to think that some of what they learned from us played a little part in setting themselves up for their success in life. I can definitely say that the little things I learned from each of them has done likewise for me.”