Michael Meier on recruiting, training, passion, and personal development

What have you done to secure your company's future? Beyond upgrades to your tech, your  warehouse space, and your fleet, what investments have you made in your people? Michael Meier, VP and COO of Meier Supply Company, discusses how his own professional growth has translated into a passion for training company talent and clientele.  Michael laughs when he tells his origin story and it probably resonates for a lot of listeners. He spent his post-college years as an HVAC tech, happily turning wrenches for six years when...  "My dad offered me a position at the company. I took the job - and a $2 an hour pay cut!" After six months, the then 26-year old Michael told his father he needed to get back out into the field and turned in his two week notice. A week later, his brother had convinced him to stay.  Since then, he's been a champion of professional development. "I realize the importance of coaching this next generation, this wave of employees," he says, pointing to his own challenges as the impetus for his drive to educate the future. "I originally struggled calling on customers and that wasn't my specialty. I really had to learn to talk and to deal with people."   Get the full show notes at http://www.distributiontalk.com Thank you to our sponsor INxSQL, software built for distribution.   "The better we make our contractors, our customers, the better it's going to be for us and, of course, for them...It's about what can we do to make a contractor more profitable, what can we do for them?"  ~Michael Meier   *** Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   Edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios. Connect with Jason on LinkedIn. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.