00:00
Hi, welcome to Power of the Network. I'm your host, Tim Locker, Vice President of Broadband here at CBM. You know, I'm really excited this week to bring one of our own in-house. Got one of my colleagues here, Mr. Tim Drake. He's the Vice President of our utility group here at CBM. We've worked together a long time now. I've got a great deal of respect for this guy and I'm glad to have him on the show and introduce him to the rest of you. So let's get into it.
00:28
Tim, thanks for joining us today. It's an honor to have you in studio with us. It's honestly kind of cool to be able to highlight one of our own here. So appreciate you being here. Absolutely. Today we're going to talk a little bit about our company, what we think, what we feel like makes us great, what separates CBM from our competitors, talk a little bit about our folks in our company a lot. But before we get into that, let's learn a little bit about more.
00:56
a little bit more about you and what makes Tim Drake tick? Well, thank you, Tim, for having me again. What does make Tim Drake tick? Well, we'll take this a little bit of a different direction probably. So, what makes me tick, really business does, right? But really what makes me tick are family. Other people make me tick. Relationships make me tick. Which is great, because this is, I mean, relationships is what we do here, right? Right. It's a big part of what we do. Absolutely.
01:26
It's the primary reason for success, I think. Your relationships with your family, with your friends, with your business associates. I do like to chase success. I don't know if you can ever reach success, per se, but I do like to chase it. So that makes me tick. And I like to help other people be successful. It was really, I think about family in preparation for this. And it was a number of years ago. My wife brought a little sign into the house.
01:56
And what it said was, family is everything. Everything else is just everything else. And I'm sure many of us have heard that. As I looked at that, as it sat there in the living room, right underneath the TV, which was a convenient spot for her to put it for me, right? I reflected upon that, and I do. I continually think about that, because family is everything. And I don't know who to attribute that quote to.
02:20
But another one that she brought in later that I can quote is of course, Mother Teresa. And I know it's not a religious show here, but Mother Teresa said, if you want to go change the world, go home and be with your family. And I believe that. When you came from a large family growing up, correct? I did. So I'm one of 13 children. I've got three older brothers and three younger brothers and three younger sisters and three older sisters. So I'm dead set in the middle. Right in the middle.
02:45
Number six. Number seven. Seven. Right, so half and 13 in the middle. Right, seven. Numbers are hard. So it's interesting, I was thinking about that, preparing for this. My mom and dad turned 86 this year. We celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this year, which was fun. And my mom always had two sayings that she taught us to live by, which often make me think about family. One, when we were teenagers, even older adults, she would say when we were leaving to go.
03:12
throughout the world, she'd just say two things. Remember, you're a Drake, right, which was self-reflection. So whatever you do is going to reflect upon all your siblings and upon me and your father. And then she would also say, you know, do your best and leave the rest up to God. And what she meant was go out, serve the world, you know, be yourself. And when you reach and have certain challenges, right, and we all have them in our lives. You know, back in high school days, it might've been testing or college it was testing, but as long as you did your best.
03:38
She didn't want you to stress. So she always said, do your best, leave the rest up to God, and then remember you're Drake. Yeah. Now that's important too, and you could fill in anybody's last name for that, but that mindset of, we have integrity, and whether it's family or whether it's business, what are you about, right? And knowing what you're about and passing that legacy on is everything, really.
04:07
And tying that into work, obviously, us as leaders in the company, what is CBM about? What are we about? And how do we pass that legacy on to the folks that work for us too, right? Right. Absolutely. That's an awesome perspective. So how many kids do you have now though? So you still have a pretty good sized family, right? How many kids do you have? We do. So Janice and I have four children. We have three boys and a girl. The three boys are the oldest. They're all out of school.
04:36
at this point, all pursuing. I mean, they're in the middle, not in the middle, they have begun good careers, right? Fortunately, they've left school, they've got a well-paying job. Jenna is in her fourth year of a five-year program to get her doctorate in occupational therapy. Awesome. So she has been raised to serve others, and that's the vision that she saw for herself. You know, and I talked earlier about just other people in general, right? I mean, I love
05:06
I love meeting new people, I love hanging out with new people, I love, I absolutely love making other people laugh, I love entertaining, and I think that's a reflection, it really comes from this big family, right? And being in the middle, I learned to deal with people that were a lot older than me, and have a relationship with people that are a lot younger than me. And in this role, that has, in my current role, you know, well, as my role as an account manager with CBM, that helped me a lot.
05:35
because I was dealing with, and still am, dealing with people that are significantly older than me and the new workforce now that is significantly younger than me. And so I've learned how to associate with both of those groups of people. And I think that's being, part of that's being raised in a big family. Yeah. I was very similar to that. Maybe not so much with age, but different types of people. So like, you know, I remember growing up, going through school,
06:03
I wasn't one of the popular kids, but I got along with all of them good. And I wasn't one of the naughty kids, but I got along with them well too. I could sit at any lunch table and be welcome and be just fine with anybody. So I kind of had similar, based on groups of people. I see a lot of that in my son too. He's able to talk to many different types of people. And I think that's.
06:32
obviously a value when you get into a sales role, being able to manage those conversations and being able to read people and treat people differently how they need to be treated. Right, absolutely. I think it's a great skill to have. It's a good skill set. It helps you in every part of your life, right? That's all about relationship building. You're probably a little better than me at just chit chat.
06:56
You know, that's one thing that I struggle with. Like, you know, you meet new people and like you do have to like actively think about, okay, let's have a conversation. What are we gonna talk about? And you gotta put effort into it. And sometimes, you know, you know, I'll find myself putting less effort into it where I see you more active, you know, talking to people like that. So that's an interesting perspective, I think. I think you do a fine job in that area. You know, I'm...
07:24
Well, you're always hardest on yourself, but you know. You can sense awkward, right? And if somebody's awkward, and I don't see you as awkward, never have. Ah, it can be awkward. I mean, I'm not saying that you're not unique, right? I won't argue that. But no, thank you for that. And again, it's not something that you work on. I think it's something that, I mean, you can work on it, but it's something that you learn. But again, it all goes back to, like you said, relationships and being comfortable in those relationships.
07:54
I really do believe in this life. I mean, life is a pretty simple thing, right? If you work hard and you're kind to people, which comes off another sign that's in my brother's house, but if you work hard and you're kind to people, you're going to succeed in this life. Yeah. I believe that if you want to, if you want to do the opposite, you're not going to go far. Yeah. Right? Yeah. And it, you know, I think so much comes with maturity too. You know, putting others first,
08:24
It's not an easy thing to do, especially when you're young. And you know, I'm certainly not young, but it's taken me a long time to figure that out too. And I think just the older you get, a little more mature, and then you start to see things a little differently, you know, so it's just all part of the progression of life for sure, so. And I think you're absolutely right there, right? I think you get more comfortable in your own skin. Yeah. And your values change a little bit, what's important to you changes a little bit.
08:53
And I think that's a struggle for some folks. Like, you know, you've kind of, you kind of grow up and you figure out what you're going to do and you like to do all these certain things. And then all of a sudden something that you've done for years, all of a sudden, like your feelings change about it. And then it's like, well, but this is so much part of my identity, right?
09:16
And it's hard for people, but like, it's okay. Like let it go, do something else, right? You don't have to always be what you've always been. And I see, you know, I've got some friends of mine that are struggling with that now, just like, you know, we've always done this. It's always been this way, but now it's changing.
09:36
But that's okay. Like it really doesn't matter. Right. That is okay. And I want to back up. If I just said, and I may have said this, but if I said your values change, that's not what I meant to say. What's important to you, I think, changes in terms of relativity, right? I mean, your values should remain your values. Yeah. But I see exactly, we all go through these stages where you recognize what's important. Yeah. You know, as I look at my career progression, what was important? I look at it now, you know, I'm, no.
10:05
It's different now than what it was 10 years ago. Absolutely, it is completely different. I look at things differently. Timeframes are shorter. What used to be a long way away is now within a rock's throw. Your perspective changes. Perspective changes. Let's talk a little bit about changing the topic a little bit. Let's go into work a little bit.
10:34
Talk a little bit about what do you think makes CBM different? What sets us apart in your eyes? Well, you've said it many times, right? You make it clear on your intro that we're an employee-owned company. Yeah. And that does mean something to me. You know, I think myself, I mean, I do, I have an entrepreneurial spirit. I think you do. I know you've got a little side business that you like to do in the fishing world. We stand to make hundreds of dollars. Hundreds, hundreds. But...
11:04
You know, this employee ownership allows us to act like an owner, you know, treat our customers like we're an owner, experience ownership. And we would get all the great things about being an owner. Yet we're this massive group of massive, we're 30 some people, just marching in the same direction. So we have a little more security than maybe a self-employed individual does.
11:32
And we've heard that you said that, you know, act like an owner. And that's something we've heard over the years here. Time and time again. And it does it says a couple things to me, you know, our people are empowered to make decisions. You know, that makes sense. I don't think I don't know that there's any of us that don't feel that way, you know.
11:56
It's not that there's not a structure. Obviously any organization needs to have a structure There's a president and vice presidents and and you know a flow chart of how things work But we still all have that same Capability to do what's right for the customer or for the factory or you know, whatever the case is So that's that's one that I've you and I've both heard over the years, you know act like an owner Act like an owner and you know P&L needs to be should be important to you
12:26
to you and that includes the way that you spend your time. Yeah. Right, and the way that you choose to spend your money. Yeah. Right, because it's collectively, it's our money. It's our money. Yeah. That's exactly right. So think like an owner. Yeah, sensible decisions, not wasteful spending. In a, you know, you brought up how we spend our time and that's something I think internally we're working on, but you know, as a sales organization, you obviously have to spend your time.
12:54
where it makes sense, right? And not just in our industry, but I think in every job there's a...
13:03
It's maybe a little confusion on the difference between being busy and being profitable. Just because you're busy doesn't mean you're making any money. We just have to spend our time in the right place. Tell me a little bit about your leadership style. Leadership for me is something I'm just really kind of growing into within the company, a little bit newer to it. So I'm always trying to learn.
13:32
you know, different styles, different techniques. You know, what would you say is your style?
13:39
I would tell you that I would like to think of myself as a coach, but with a performance mindset. In other words, I really like to coach my people, right? I want them to set reasonable goals and figure out how to achieve those goals. I don't want to be a micromanager. That is not who I am. I want to help you if you need it.
14:07
Right? I want you to set reasonable goals that you can achieve, you know, including stretch goals, right? Sure. And you need to figure out how to get there. And if you need my help, I will help you. But I'm not going to look under the hood all the time and try to figure out what's going on. That is your responsibility as a professional salesperson, as an owner of this company. Right? It's figure out your way. I'll help you, but I'm not going to hassle you. Yeah. So I expect results.
14:36
But I'll help if I can. Yeah, that makes sense. That lines up with what I've seen. So in terms of coaching, I think there's a dynamic within our company, within our teams, within our groups. I think we do a little self-coaching, too, like amongst peers. We do. But how do you set the boundaries up, I guess, for
15:03
you know, your folks to work things out together versus bring something to you, where you help, where, or, you know, so how you're also not maybe somebody too reliant where you're doing everything. You know, how do you deal with those boundaries and what does that look like? Sure, so each person, each situation is different, right?
15:24
We do a lot of, I think, peer mentoring here. I think as manager, right, a lot of times my team doesn't want to rely on Tim. They don't want to come to Tim. And so they'll go to their peers, right, and they'll get input from that. But what I try to do with my young people or my... Newer folks. Newer folks would be the right way to say that, right, because I've got a very diverse team. I try to open the door and have weekly reviews even.
15:53
initially, right? And then they'll stretch out to maybe monthly. I want to see how they're doing. I can tell by little things like a calendar, right? Little things like call reports that we require, how they're doing, right? I can tell by their call notes if they're really beginning to understand the technical side of the business. And so I bring them into my office if they're local, and I do coach them. We talk about it and we use the right terminology, right? And we explain how those things work.
16:22
Otherwise today, of course, one of the greatest things is teams, right? And you can coach over teams. I think in person is better, but when you have remotes, that's the way you're going to do it. And I find that my less experienced folks have often consulted their peers before they come to me with a challenge, right? Because it's a- Which is OK. It is. I'd rather see them come to me with a solution, right? I want to help them. Give me some options. Tell me what you think. Yeah.
16:52
So think on your feet, think like an owner. Well, and bring in, so bring in somebody on that's new. You know, I think that's something that we as a company can probably do a better job as, you know, onboarding, onboarding someone that's going to be, you know, a remote territory, you know, a salesperson for multiple factories, you know, if they don't have a ton of experience, what does that look like? I mean, it can be a challenge and it takes a long time to develop a territory.
17:23
What do you think we do well and what can we do better? Onboardings are very difficult. It's been one of the most difficult things. So, CBM is unique, at least in our division, in that we have a fixed number of customers, right? There are almost so many municipals, so many cooperatives, and so many investor-owned utilities. So when you stick somebody in the territory, knowing your customer, it's not difficult to do. We've got a fantastic CRM.
17:50
You can log in there, you can see who the last person was to talk to. CBM's been in the business more than 65 years. We've got good relationships, we've got a reputation. And just like when I started, I relied on that reputation of CBM to get me in front of people. And people can do that. But as CBM, as CBM, and I'm trying to get better at it. Well, the dynamic is so, I don't want to say different, but it's a challenge because we've got that new person might be in Oklahoma.
18:18
or Texas or wherever, they're remote. Our managers have a lot on their plate. Their coworkers have a lot on their plate. So finding someone to devote the time, to be with and mentor that new person is a challenge, frankly. And it's not like you can just go travel with a guy for a week. You're like, hey, we got it. Right. It's time and time and time spent. So that's one of our biggest challenges, I think. So the thing I do in the beginning,
18:46
with the person, of course, you know, everybody uses the term drink from the fire hose, but it's absolutely true. I will line up, we represent 20 plus manufacturers, fantastic manufacturers, who have a ton of different products. And so I ask each of those manufacturers to spend time with my new person. Yeah. You know, and that might be a period of two, three, four weeks, and then there's still ongoing training you can do technically. But taking all that information,
19:16
and going to a customer your first time and trying to understand what it is you're going to talk about today, take some different skills, right? You have to be a good questioner, right? We have to learn about what their needs are. We're not just, you may be there to have a conversation initially, right? But ultimately we need to figure out a way we can help them support them. People don't have time for visitors today. The one good thing about our industry though,
19:43
You know, me coming out of the communication world, but I see a lot of similarities in utility space. Our customers are great, and a lot of them are willing to train your new people. You know, I think they take pride in showing them, like, this is how we like to do it. And, you know, I've seen that over the years where our customers will help us too, and that a lot of them will. So, like for example, you know, we...
20:11
hired a new guy in the communication side and he's gonna go spend a week in a splice trailer with one of our customers. And they're happy to do it, because it helps us train him, but it gives him perspective into their world. And so I think there's a lot of things like that that we can- Well, one of my new guys just did the same thing with basically a fiber to the home utility. Right? I mean, once it just went, didn't spend a week, he spent a half a day trying to understand the business.
20:39
And our customers are fantastic, you know, and I can talk about, you know, a little bit when I was new, you know, I had a mentor that came from my largest account that I mean, he wasn't really a business mentor or a sales mentor, but he was the guy that took the time to explain to me how things really worked and how utility worked and how you got things approved and how you got buy-in. And he had been in the...
21:06
He was about to retire, I think, when I started, and he hung around another seven, eight years. Fantastic person, fantastic person.
21:17
Hey, real quick. I know we talk a lot about younger generations and the hiring process and the job shortages and so on, but at CBM, we're always looking for great people. Why would you want to come to work for us? We're an employee-owned company. We brag about that a lot. Our ESOP is a really good program. It brings a lot of value. It really drives longevity and...
21:43
provides good security for your future in terms of retirement. So that ESOP plan, that's an employee stock ownership program. So while you're working here, you're also building wealth in that retirement plan as well. If you're looking for a great sales organization that you want to be a part of, whether it be inside, outside, marketing, you name it, we've got positions open. So look us up, cbmrep.com. Go to our careers tab.
22:13
and reach out to us. We'd love to have you.
22:19
Yeah, if you don't understand the system, it's kind of hard to make progress, right? It is. You gotta know how things work. It is. And that's one of our challenges with our newer folks too, is just not knowing the system. Correct, and there isn't a script for it. Yeah. Right? And you're dealing with lots of different personalities and you gotta really work on those relationships and get people to trust you so they'll help you. Yeah.
22:47
So don't always look inward within your own company. You're right, absolutely. Look outward, people will help you. Yeah. And we talk a lot about relationships and obviously our customer relationships are very important, but in your side of our house, I mean, you mentioned there's 20 some lines. How do you manage all those relationships with the factories? I mean, that's a lot just in itself. It is.
23:14
You know, you're absolutely right. We have multiple customers, right? We have internal customers, which is you, which is me, which are my people, right? And our people's people, people working with people. And we have external customers, right? Which are end users, our buyers, our distributors. But then we have another customer called our manufacturer, our principal, right? And you have to have fantastic relationships with those manufacturers, those principals. It takes a concerted effort.
23:42
I mean, you have to be, you have to have a plan. You have to be aware of what your relationships are and how they are. And it's not only you, right? It's not only me, it's not only you, you know, our people. It's the whole team. It's the whole team has to reach out to those manufacturers. And we all have a boss, right? And those bosses are our manufacturers, right? Yeah, they need to know what we're doing, right? They need to know what we're doing.
24:10
Absolutely. And so we have a responsibility as a group to share that. And we do that through regular monthly meetings as it is, right? I mean, many of our principles we have regular meetings with, some are less often, right? And as needed. But no, that's a big part of our job. Yeah, for sure. Is to make sure the manufacturers understand our value. If they don't understand our value, they're not going to need us. And we've all experienced that, right? I mean, I've been fired from...
24:37
I say, I'll take complete responsibility from multiple lines in the four years I've led this group, right? And it's going to happen again. There's no doubt it's going to happen. It's how we respond to those changes. Well, one of the biggest challenges we see now is so many of our markets are kind of overlapping. And we're also seeing manufacturers that want to be everything. So you know, when...
25:05
when you try to have a line card that's non-competitive, all of a sudden this guy is gonna do this thing that well now this guy's doing. We do get a lot of challenges like that when people are trying to necessarily maybe not stay in their lane from the manufacturing side. And that's unavoidable. That's gonna happen when we have conflicts and then we have to make decisions. And we do try to educate our manufacturers.
25:35
and about those potential conflicts. And when they see they're getting a little bit into another lane, you know, it's our job to help them and help them understand, you know, where our business is. Now, they've got to look at more than just our Midwest territory that we have. Yeah, they have to look at what's right for them. They've got to look at what's right for them. And of course, we're going to support that. You know, if that's right for them, if they have to move on or we have to move on, then that's a decision we have to make. It's just business, right? It's not personal.
26:04
That's good. So tell me the story of how you ended up here at CPM. Well, let's see, let's go back. I'll just start, you know, with the basics, right? Graduated from Rolla back in 91 with an aerospace engineering degree. Got my first big boy job as a, what I'm going to call a product manager for an air pollution control equipment company. Okay. And it's something you might be a little bit familiar with, which is why I wanted to tell you this story. And you know, I've talked about this once, right?
26:30
So as a product manager, I walk into a new company, it's a sizable company, there are 20 salespeople there. I'm an early 20s guy with zero experience in the air pollution control world, right? But you have the answer. I don't have really any answers yet, right? But I think I do. Yeah. But no, what I figured out was interesting to me. So as a product manager, I had a lot of responsibility. Really? But no authority.
26:56
Right? A lot of responsibility, but no authority. So all these 20 salespeople had sales managers that they reported to. And the reason I start with this one is because this is when I really realized relationships are going to be key. I needed to convince these people that they should work for me. Right? I needed them to like me, needed them to respect me. I needed them to care about my success. And they had a slew of products to sell. Yeah, you needed their mind share. They needed...
27:24
you needed them to sell your product. That's exactly what I needed. And so that was my first delve into really relationships, right, like, oh man, I really genuinely need to get these people to like me, and I need to like them. Yeah. Right? And in the end, that turned out pretty good, right? I mean, these people did help me. They helped me a ton. And they cared about me. My products weren't that hard to sell. And so they could include them when they were there. Yeah. Right? So in that air pollution control space, a lot of products, mine were just a couple.
27:53
So it was my first, like I say, lesson in relationship building. Get them to trust, like, and respect you, and they will work for you. And so that led into a different role where I became kind of a sales development engineer for a company called Atreama Products. It was spin-off of Iowa State University, where they developed a magnetostrictive material. And anyway, it's a fascinating material. They use it today for Navy sonar.
28:23
in a technology. And so I found that interesting because they were just betting on us as a company. This little small company, again, about 25 people, right? Handful of very bright engineers. We worked for seven, eight, nine years trying to commercialize technology, and ultimately we just failed. So this little spin-off company is still, from Iowa State University, still provides material. Go cyclones. Go cyclones, right? Yes, Tom, but Tim just got you a go cyclones in there.
28:52
Well, I'm an active tuition paying member, so my son's out there. Okay, go cyclones. Yeah, one semester left. So Tom Burke is a graduate from there. I don't know if you know that. Yes, he's a graduate from there. Anyway, left Atrema when it ultimately failed. Started my own business because I realized at that point, I've been on the road basically the entire length of my kids' lives. My kids now were seven, six, five, and two or something like that.
29:22
I'd been gone, I'd been traveling that entire time, right? With this company called Atrema up in Ames, Iowa. Basically I would move, I would go up on Monday, come back on Friday. That's the way I did my job. And that just ties back in to family. I realized then as I was going through, I was chasing this career and chasing this career. But really what I wanted was to spend time with my kids. And Janice will tell you, if you ask her, my wife, that I really came home because they were beginning sports and I wanted to coach them. There might be some truth to that, but that was just, you know.
29:52
timing. So I started my own business, right, doing some low voltage integration with for commercial large, I would say large residential and commercial accounts. Did that for about seven, eight, nine years. And again, I keep using those terms because it's all loose. They kind of meld together, right? Where one stops and one ends. But I actually called a man by the name Mike Beltman about turkey hunting in the spring of 2011. He and I were friends. You know, we talked mostly about turkey hunting.
30:20
you know, a lot like you and I just talk about honey. Yeah. And I said, you know, the self-employment thing's really not going as good as I'd like. I said, do you know anybody that's hiring? He said, you know what, I just left this little office over in Raytown called CBM. He said, I'm a regional manager for one of our C&I lines at the time. He said, but I think the utility group's looking for a sales engineer. So I made a call that night, sent my resume the next morning and three months later I was hired.
30:48
Because CBM hires people very quickly. Yeah. Right? Yeah. Always a journey. So I was hired by a guy by the name of Bill Unruh. Several of his hires still in my group today. He set a great example for us. And really, that's kind of been my journey. And then in 2021, I was fortunate enough to lead our utility group. And it's been a good journey. Yeah.
31:15
I look back to when I was hired, it was Larry Robinson at the time, a friend of mine, guy that we've worked for, Steve Scudder, I spent a lot of time on a splice trailer with him. He had moved on and was working for one of our manufacturers. He come down to Kansas City and met with CBM about repping his product line.
31:43
And at the time, Larry said, well, we're looking for somebody. And so, Steve called me, dropped my name, and he says, hey, if this guy calls you, you need to listen. And so sure enough, he did. And next time Larry was in Ames, we met for dinner. And then he brought me down for an interview. The one thing that has always stuck out to me about that process was he was adamant that I brought my wife on the interview.
32:11
And I'll never forget that. But basically the thought is, I mean, it's important, you know, what's going on at home because he knows I'm going to be on the road a bunch. And what does it look like, you know, on the family side? You know, can she handle me being gone? Is our relationship good? All those things matter, not only to my success, but ultimately the success of the company. And so that always stuck out to me from, you know,
32:41
standpoint, you know, when I started. And I think that's an old school move. You know, my dad will tell me he was part of a little company called Marion Laboratories, which grew and grew and grew. But anyway, that's what, and he was very successful with that too. And that's what he would do. His outside guys, he insisted on meeting the wife, you know, dinner, because he knew they were going to be, they were going to be on the road. So there's going to be either a little support or pressure, you know, or both. But.
33:09
Yeah, understanding that dynamic makes a difference. Is that something you think we should still be doing? I personally think so, yeah. I do too. Yeah, and we have lately on a handful, I don't know if we've been consistent with that, but no, I think it makes a big difference. I agree. Because if you're looking at a new career, I mean, it's a decision that affects your whole family. It's not just your decision.
33:33
wife or significant other or spouse, whatever, I mean, it affects the whole family. So- Right, and can you explain an ESOP? You know, you explain it to one person and he goes home and tries, or she goes home and tries to explain to their spouse, nearly impossible. Yeah. Nearly impossible. Yeah. Well, my wife and our accountant laugh every year in February when we get our taxes done, because neither one of them know what I do. They joke about it. So, I mean, it is kind of a challenge to explain.
34:03
our role and our job and how it all works. But no, I think it's definitely important that you have the buy-in. Right, absolutely. What, as the leader in our utility group now, what do you think you do different than the person that was in that position before? Right, so I did have a fantastic manager and had a lot of respect for him. But I think that I communicate to...
34:29
my folks in a different way than he did. I think there's a little bit of a generational difference, possibly, but hopefully I'm more open and more approachable. Maybe that's the way I'd like to say it. Sure. And there's some, like you said, our company was built in 1960 and there's some old school
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things kind of built in to our organization, right? A lot of process, and that was one thing that attracted me early on was just a lot of the focus on process because I think process can make you successful. Do you appreciate the process as well? And second, I guess to follow up with that, when we talk generational and old school versus new school, we're seeing
35:27
you know, quite a transition in the market. And, you know, you and I are old guys now, and we're being replaced with a lot younger generations. Do we still need to think some of that old school, or is it time to let some of that go and look at the new way? I think the answer is yes, right? Absolutely, I think the old school absolutely has value. I think processes have value. CBM was built.
35:52
you know, on processes and very, very successful company. And I think it's our job to make sure that that continues. Yeah. So I do think processes are important. Now, the way that you take on that process can look different, right, to each individual. And, you know, to comment on, you know, the generational aspect of just our business, right? I mean, I think we're at a time where a manufacturer's rep can't be more valuable.
36:23
in the market because we're seeing a ton of experience leave the industry. And I think it's our job to educate the younger folks, right? I mean, we are potentially their succession plan, right? That guy that's retired, he wants to be retired. We have a lot of that knowledge and it's our job, I think, to take a lot of our knowledge and that person's knowledge, what we have, what we know, and share it with the younger generation. And I think that brings value.
36:50
That's a good way to look at it. You know, I kind of, I get some joy out of watching, you know, we've got some newer folks, you know, but watching, you know, even in the communication space, a lot of the, you know, a lot of the old school managers are gone and it's new folks taking those positions and, you know, some of our new folks moving in and building those relationships. And, yeah, you learn quickly that, you know, we're the old guys now. Right, and I will sign up for being an old guy at this point.
37:20
Yeah, it's a different perspective for sure. So what are you doing to help set up your replacement, to bring your folks up to take us to the next level? What does that look like? That's a daily struggle, right? I mean, you have to focus on the things that are important today, but you've got to think about tomorrow.
37:47
Right? And so a lot of this is about developing people. And I don't know that that's something that I think about every day. I think about it at times. You know, probably needs more focus, but I'm trying to always talk to my people about what's next, what could be for them. I don't want to over promise, right? But you- Well, and you can't necessarily, you know, not knowing how long you'll be around or what your career path looks like and so on. You can't necessarily.
38:16
pick somebody out and say, you're going to replace me in 10 years. We don't know that. No. Things change all the time, but yeah, having everybody have that opportunity to, you know, develop themselves, even, you know, into leaders and even within their group, you know, somehow. Right. And we're a very flat organization, right? Which I like, but that doesn't mean people can't advance their careers. Yeah. Right? Their title may not change, but their responsibilities can change. Their impact on the organization can change.
38:47
which means that their value to the ESOP changes, right? So people can't advance their careers without advancing their position. Yeah, yeah. And that makes a lot of sense. And that's one of the good things about the ESOP. And you talk about being an owner because, I mean, we're all flexible to do whatever it means, and we've got that opportunity to make a change and go after something different.
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or anything, as long as we can be successful. Be successful and help people. Awesome. Anything else you want to get off your chest today while we got you in the studio? No, I think I'm pretty good. I'm pretty good. Glad you had me in. Yeah, it's always awesome to have some of our own folks here on the show and next thing you know, you'll be famous. Right. You know, you have that effect on people. My 110 followers that I've got.
39:45
That would be great. Thank you so much, Tim. I appreciate it. All right, Tim. Thanks.
39:52
Thanks again for joining us on Power the Network. Hope you enjoyed our conversation with Tim Drake. Give you a little perspective into his world. Appreciate him joining us again. If you need representation from an excellent rep firm, look no further than us here at CBM. You can find us at cbmrep.com. And as always, like, subscribe, give us a comment, let us know what you'd like to see. And thank you for joining us on Power the Network. And remember until next time, we'll see you next time.
