A Transformative Business Deciding Moment

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The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

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Rob Kimbel is an owner of Kimbel Mechanical Systems, located in Fayetteville, AR. He joined KMS in 1993, and in 2001, at the age of 26, he became the CEO and grew what was then 3 local plumbers making a couple hundred thousand dollars a year into a national company with more than 750 employees and earning hundreds of millions in revenue per year. Rob is also a partner in multiple start-ups, real estate projects, and real estate funds that specialize in affordable housing across the United States. Rob is also a mentor and advisor to several local businesses and entrepreneurs in NW Arkansas. He has also served on the boards of Generations Bank, NWA Home Builders Association, and Beyond the Game, a non-profit organization serving the impoverished of the Dominican Republic.

Notes:

• Betty Joe Drive… Lived in the hood. $200/month. Rob regularly takes his children to see where they lived. "I want to remind the kids where we came from."
• They started as a 3-person plumbing company. Rob was working for his dad, making $12-$14 an hour.
  • Now, they do $260m in revenue and have 750 full-time employees.
• When Rob was 25 years old, his dad asked him to be the CEO. He initially said no.
• Strategic risk-taking as a cornerstone of growth: Rob navigates the industry challenge of balancing new work with workforce capacity by making bold hiring decisions—demonstrating a greater risk appetite than his father. "We are always hiring" reflects their proactive approach to scaling.
• Kimbel is good at growing people. They fail, and stick with them to grow. “Profits are the applause for growing our people.”
• How to be good? Show up, work hard, and finish the job. The bar is so low.
• The No Child Left Behind Act wasn’t great for the trades industry. They made it seem that every person needed to go to college. When every person shouldn’t do that. Some should go into the trades. There are high school grads who make $100K/year by their mid-20s at Kimbel.
• The Kimbel Purpose: Create opportunities to improve lives.
• Values - TEAM, Humility, Hunger, Grit, Integrity.
  • TEAM- We willingly sacrifice for the good of the team. Row together.
  • Humility - We never consider ourselves above anyone or anything. Take the back seat.
  • Hunger - We choose to continually raise the bar. Never complacent.
  • Integrity - We do the right thing, in all places, at all times. The how matters.
  • Grit - We persevere, no matter the situation. Remember the why.
• Thank you notes – Each executive member writes at least one thank you note per week. This works as a forcing function for them to look for people doing great work and living by their values.
• Touch points - Senior leaders (30 people) reach out to 2 people per week to check on them. That’s 3,000 touches per year.
• Free from all, servant to all. Tattoos on Rob's forearms. I have made myself a servant. Free from work, I don’t care what society thinks. But I have a responsibility to be a steward. To be a servant to all.
• Rob works out like a psycho. Super hard. Why?
  • Start with the end in mind. I want to hold Cheri on my shoulders when I'm 65.
  • I want to ski with my kids when I'm 80.
  • I like to compete. I want to win Spartan races. I like doing hard things.
  • It also creates clarity in my mind throughout the day. Karomy messages me that she knows I'm running the stairs when she gets emails from me with lots of ideas.
• Marriage insights: "It must be intentional. We have fun together. We are genuine friends. We still have to work through stuff."
• Parenting philosophy shaped by observing other wealthy families: "It's critical that kids do hard work. They shouldn't start in an office. They should be out with the chickens. Be in the mess. Start at the bottom. Start in the ditch."
• Family-business boundary maintenance: "We get together every other weekend for family game night. We try not to have much business talk."
• Sold 70% of the business last July. What was the feeling the moment the money was wired? It was surreal. Want to honor Dad with 25 years of GRIT.
• Excellence defined: "It's continual learning. Wanting to get better. Think, what can I do better?"
• Creating a truth-telling culture: "Have to be willing to hear it and create a space where the truth is spoken."
• Life and career wisdom: "A career is not linear just like a marriage isn't. Have patience and live in the suck. Don't quit. There will be seasons of suck. Keep going."