“On A Mission” showcases leaders who are going the extra mile each and every day. Each of the people we interview is on a mission to serve, inspire and educate. Our hosts highlight their impact and explore what motivates, engages and fulfills individuals and teams to be more productive, more effective, better at what they do, and happier to do it. Today our hosts, Tony Davis spoke with David Harp.
David Harp
President at IMC Electrical LLC
Website Address: IMCElectrical.com
Short company description:
Electrical and Low Voltage Contractor service clients in the South East US
What is a tip for success that you would provide someone in your same industry?
Don’t skip steps! Daily discipline isn’t always pretty or even looked at as desirable, however it builds the success that everyone wants
What volunteer experience has impacted you the most?
Thailand Disaster Relief after the 2004 Tsunami.
What’s one cause you’re passionate about?
Developing younger generations of construction workers into professional tradesman
How do you encourage your team to make a difference?
It’s our company mission to make a difference in our Industry and Community. a big part of my responsibility as a leader, is to first live that mission out and celebrate the positive impact other team members are having.
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Transcript:
Speaker 1
Welcome to another edition of Making a Difference. I’m your host, Tony Davis, and I’m the owner of Crestcom Leadership Development here in Northeast Florida. Making a difference to me means helping people grow in their leadership so they can positively impact their world. And I am here today with not only a business owner here in the Northeast Florida market, but also a good friend and client, David Harp with IMC Electrical.
Speaker 1
David, welcome.
Speaker 2
Thanks, Tony.
Speaker 1
Great to have you on.
Speaker 2
Good to be here.
Speaker 1
Let’s talk about making a difference. Tell me a little bit about your story, your company and how making a difference is such an important factor to you.
Speaker 2
Yeah. So, I, you know, I’m an electrical contractor, and, I got my start in 1994, Middleburg High School, and, loved every bit of it. Right. And just had other opportunities for a career in shows. That is really a way that I can serve my industry in my community. And, I am electrical, I’m an owner, along with serving as president.
Speaker 2
This is my second company that I’ve been an owner of. I’d say much better at it this time. Right. And the first time, especially, as, you know, leading our team. I was a good doer, right? Coming up in the industry, but not a great leader, right? Not a, you know, obviously, no one wakes up that way, right?
Speaker 2
So how we serve our community and how we serve our team and how we serve our industry is is really the models division of IMC electrical. It’s not about making the most profits or having the coolest trucks or even doing the best projects. We do some of that stuff too, but really, how can we serve our clients?
Speaker 2
How can we serve our team, industry and community?
Speaker 1
You know what? And you’re so right. Because knowing you and your organization, your company and your people at the level that I do, it is so much different at the culture is like a family. And you can tell that everybody that works for your organization love to work for you. And the good thing about that is that when they love their company they work for, then they take care of their external customers.
Speaker 1
That’s the way that you make them feel. Talk a little bit about how you pour into your employees to make everybody feel that way at your organization.
Speaker 2
Yeah. I think it’s you know, a lot of people have invested into me. Right. And, you know, selfishly. Right. And just, hey, I’m going to help you be better as an electrician, to help you be better as a professional. I’m help you be better as a friend or a father or whatever. And so that’s very important. Overall.
Speaker 2
Right. Those are the things that you’re proud of. Yeah. And so it’s not about, you know, just being, you know, a contractor or owning a business. Right. It’s like, what difference can you make? What impact can you make. And so I believe that leadership is manifested through acts of service. And so when our team sees that right hey first and last out consistently right serving them they don’t work for me I work for them.
Speaker 1
Right. Servant leader great great example. And a great way. Because as the leader goes so goes a team. Yeah. And we’ve all seen cultures within organizations where the leader is just demanding controlling. And how does that make people feel when they try to do what they want to do, and then have to get up in the morning and go to work with this mentality, like I’m dreading what I’m supposed to be doing and who I’m working for.
Speaker 1
Yeah. So how are you giving back to the community, too? Because I know you are. And yeah, talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 2
Yeah. I’ll give you a great example of, you know, our team taking the ball and running with it, you know. So, a couple of years ago, my, my kids, they go to Middleburg High School as well. Right. And so, I was noticing as I was driving and dropping them off in the mornings, especially this time of year, in the winter, it’s dark.
Speaker 2
Right? So the the lights are working and the lights were not very bright at all. And they were probably the same lights that were there when I was in high school. And so I was complaining for like days like, man, they need to do something about these lights. And finally, my 16 year old daughter said, hey, you should do something about it.
Speaker 2
And I said, okay, I will, you know? And so, made a proposal to the school, to the principal and then, you know, asking them, hey, we want to replace your parking lot lighting for free, no cost to you. And we were fortunate that we were in that position where we could do that, you know, and, told my one of our division managers about it, and he just ran with it.
Speaker 2
He said, hey, I’ll handle it from here. Right? And so the weeks and weeks of, hey, we’ve got to go through permitting, we’ve got to get photometric, we got to do engineering, we’ve got to get, you know, all these things of doing that. And so, like, what a proud moment for our company really to see everyone just kind of step up and say, hey, I want to be part of that too.
Speaker 2
You know.
Speaker 1
That’s great. That is great. And the great thing is your your people, your employees, they feel that they see that. They see the impact, they see what you’re doing, and they want to pour into that project themselves because you’re giving back to the community. And they know that we’re you’re doing it to give back to the community, and they’re giving back to the company as a result.
Speaker 1
Now, if you would have to describe make a difference in one word, what would it be?
Speaker 2
Service. Service, really? Yeah. I mean really if you you know, it doesn’t matter if you’re opening the door for someone as you’re walking in a public or you know, you’re doing something big, right? Serving others right, making a difference in someone else’s life, fulfilling a need. It’s very much like ministry. It is. And so it’s not about doing what you want to do.
Speaker 2
It’s about fulfilling needs.
Speaker 1
It’s giving and it’s giving back. And you and you used a great example because in service opening a door you don’t know what that to you it could just be, hey this is just how I am. I’m giving back. But to that person, you don’t know how much of a difference that may be. Now, granted, it’s just opening a door.
Speaker 1
Maybe they don’t. Maybe they take it for granted, but even the small things can make a big difference. A big impact in the lives of others. So we should always be mindful of that. And that’s what I love about you and your organization so much, is that you create that culture within your company.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Celebrated. Right. There’s so many things to celebrate. Why not celebrate some, you know, something that benefits someone else?
Speaker 1
Celebrate that behaviors you want repeated. And that’s why we never heard that.
Speaker 2
Oh, yeah. No, never. First time I’m I write it down.
Speaker 3
There you go.
Speaker 1
Yeah. All right. Well, hey, I appreciate you all watching. This has been another episode of Making a Difference with David Harp, owner and president of IMC electrical. David, thank you again for being on.
Speaker 2
Thanks, Tony.
Speaker 1
All right. And be sure to look for more information. About IMC electrical. You can go to our website.
Speaker 2
I’m Celeste, Qualcomm or any of our social media pages, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Speaker 1
Great. It is a quality organization, and you definitely want to be a part if you have some electrical needs or anything in that respect, commercial or residential.
Speaker 2
Absolutely.
Speaker 1
All right. Find them. They have a great culture and they will do their best for you. And again, thank you for watching Making a Difference with Tony Davis. And so next time make it a great day.
