The Real Harris: Meet Dan Martin

Tell us about your background. How did you get your start in construction/service/BAS? What drew you to the industry? 

I am in my 16th year in the Mechanical trade. I chose to go into the trade because of a conversation with a refrigeration mechanic when I was a box boy at a grocery store in High School. The trade answered three questions.

1-Do you work with your hands? Yes.

2-Do you get paid well? Yes.

3-Is the career path affected by a cyclical economic environment? No.

What drew you to Harris? What makes you stay?

I applied at Harris when it purchased Diamond B. My main incentive was to work closer to home and to get an opportunity to get out of a Service Van and learn more about the business and sales side of things.

What makes me Stay: I enjoy being challenged, allowed to take a risk, mentoring, and coaching my team members.

What do you enjoy about working at Harris?

I liked the national reach that the company has and I felt it was a place that I could show my capabilities and have opportunities in my career that I can’t find anywhere else.

Personally: Am I leading my family well. I do my best but like any other parent we all wish we can do more.

What is the best part about your position?

I enjoy my co-workers. We have a close relationship in our service division in Bellingham. Outside of Bellingham, I enjoy the relationships with the rest of my Service and Building automation peers.

What are some of the main responsibilities and initiatives that you lead?

As the General Manager of Service, I am responsible for the team culture, PNL management, Sales management and fostering a quality relationship with the rest of our Regional office. I would say 60% of my time is devoted to mentoring and managing out sales team and its initiatives.

Focus is important. How do you handle external factors that affect the business? How do you prevent yourself from over or under reacting?

Life has made me a patient person. In my role, you must react with prudence and keep the focus on what matters.

Self-care is a practice that I make a priority. Choosing to give me my own time each day helps me relax and keeping physically fit.

Looking ahead, what are some of the biggest opportunities for Harris? Business challenges?

Opportunities: At Harris, we do have the opportunity to shape and grow talent that will keep the business moving forward in the future. By doing this well it will be a strategic advantage in the next 5 years because of the deficiency in talent in the industry (Keep them and grow them).

Challenges: Consistency during change. We as a Harris team have a big undertaking to work through in the next year. We risk operational consistency and team morale as we change from coins to different operating systems. We do have great people and proactive management to mitigate this risk and help all of us overcome the challenge.

What are you passionate about at work? 

I enjoy growth. Growth is exciting, risky and an opportunity to mentor and learn. With our growth in Service, I would not be in the position I am and my team members would not have grown as much on a personal level and in their careers.

What traits do you think are important for someone in your role to be successful?

You need to be a good listener. Everyone can be a critic or give their opinion, but few can listen and validate well.

If anything, you need to bet on yourself and be consistent, don’t be afraid to lead or challenge your coworkers.

Have a strong work ethic but keep your life in balance. It is a good quality to be driven and want to produce but not at the sacrifice of your relationships.

What keeps you up at night?

Personally: Am I leading my family well. I do my best but like any other parent we all wish we can do more.

Professionally: Can we as a team (PNW Service) Manage our growth properly.

How do you like to re-charge?

I go to the Gym and lift twice a week and do Hot Yoga once a week. Also, I get up 40 minutes before my kids each morning so I can have silence and give myself a chance to read.

What are you most proud of at Harris?

I am proud of Pacific Northwest Service.Starting with 3 service techs and myself in July of 2018 to now having 20 employees and almost $1million in maintenance base is a massive accomplishment. I have had an amazing ride so far and it was not possible without the support of my leaders and the support and buy-in from the field and office staff we have.

What is one thing Harris employees wouldn’t know about you?

I grew up on 100 acres without running water, electricity, or sewer. I was raised by my grandmother and she supported us financially with food stamps and social security (I have very humble roots).

What do you wish the public knew about Harris?

The authentic people we have in leadership.