The Real Harris: Meet Austin Mingus

Tell us about your background? What drew you to this industry?

“I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands which led me to the construction field and ultimately construction coordination. It’s fun to see a project start as a need, become a proposed solution and then come to life to solve the problem.”

What led you to Harris? What makes you stay?

“After college I was thrilled to receive an offer from Fluor to work as a construction coordinator on the IBM account in Boulder, CO (Fluor held the maintenance and engineering contract for IBM North America). Eventually I transferred to Rochester, Minn., to become a Project Manager. I hired Harris for multiple jobs while there and always had a positive experience. It led me to want to be a part of the Harris team, to help create the positive experiences that I had valued.

Working here feels like I’m working for a company that wants the best for their employees and customers. I also have a young family and the flexibility that Harris encourages, to have work-life balance, is an enormous benefit I value.”

What are your main responsibilities? What is the best part of your position?

“I lead initiatives that keep safety top-of-mind as we work on projects, I maintain relationships with customers and generate new customers. I really enjoy the variety and the number of projects I get involved with. Last week I was at a pig processing facility talking about adding a filtration system to process piping. Later that day I was at a country club talking about replacing a variable-frequency drive for an air handling unit. Talk about two ends of the spectrum!”

What traits are important to be successful in your position?

“It’s important to be able to multi-task and find ways to share Harris’ full spectrum of services. Doing so helps us enhance efficiencies for our customers and leads to their overall business success. If I can put a project together that Harris engineers, our field team installs, Harris building automation completes the controls, and our service technicians provide maintenance after installation – not to mention it meets all of the customer’s needs – that’s a win in a project manager’s world and a win for the customer!”

What are you passionate about at work? How do you recharge?

“I’m passionate about projects that aren’t straight forward and require out-of-the-box thinking. I’ve found that most mechanical contractors want straightforward solutions, while Harris thrives on projects that present more of a challenge. To recharge after a long and sometimes stressful day, I put my phone away when I walk in the door and play with my 4-year-old and 1.5-year-old. Their laughs and whimsical attitude are intoxicating.”

 What is something Harris employees may not know about you?

“I wanted to be a Vikings beat writer during my first couple of years in school. But when an economics professor had us calculate paying off student loan debt compared to various career salaries, I opted for more of a sales path.”

What helps you be successful and/or what keeps you up at night?
“In all honesty, making sales goals and thinking about how to make sure a project is profitable for Harris it what keeps me up a night.”

Who or what inspires you or motivates you?

“Being a dad and knowing that I have two kids that rely on me for their well-being motivates me to do the best I can.”

What are you most proud of at Harris?
“I’m most proud of the variety of services we provide. I can’t name another contractor in my area that can provide a design build proposal and handle all facets of a mechanical install. I’m talking design, fabrication, pipe/sheet metal install, controls, start-up, test/balance, and maintenance. That’s a real differentiator for Harris.”