In our December PHCP Millennials On The Move spotlight, we invite you to meet Chris Blauch, estimator at Blauch Brothers, and Matt Blauch, operations manager at Blauch Brothers!

"Christopher and Matthew are now third generation taking over company management," said a colleague of Chris and Matt. "They provide sound leadership — each has demonstrated a strong work ethic, great interpersonal skills, and grounded common sense."

PHCPPros: What is your role in the PHCP industry?

Chris: Currently I am an estimator in our construction department. I take care of our plumbing and mechanical piping estimating needs.

Matt: I’m the operations manager for our company. I’m responsible for field operations for our construction division and all operations in our service division. The majority of my time is spent in service though, as we have a senior PM who is beginning to take over the operations manager role for our construction division.  

PHCPPros: How and why did you decide to enter a career in the PHCP industry? 

Chris: I was born into this industry, as Blauch Brothers is a family business started by our grandfather. I began working over summer breaks from school and was able to get exposure to the industry at a young age. I was able to jump around to multiple departments each year and get a basic understanding in all of the teams that we have. 

Matt: I’ve been around the business since a very young age. I started working for the business over summer breaks during middle school and began working full time after I graduated college.  

PHCPPros: What have been some of your career highlights so far? 

Chris: One highlight that comes to mind was helping us secure and execute the largest project our company has ever performed. It was a complicated project, and we worked with the owners and general contractor to get the project in their budget and ensure that we were not sacrificing any needs that they required in their process system.

Matt: I think the thing I’m most proud of is helping to bring on some really talented staff in our company. I’ve worked to change our mindset from finding the most technical people to the people that fit our culture best. That’s made a huge difference for our company and has helped to eliminate a lot of “people” issues. I’ve also been part of fairly significant growth in our service department over the last two to three years, growing from about $4.5 to 5 million a year up to $8 million this year. 

PHCPPros: Are you affiliated with any groups and organizations in the PHCP industry?  

Chris: We participate in our local chapter of the American Subcontractors Association. Our chapter has several PHCP companies, as well many other trades that we are able to build relationships with.

Matt: We are also involved with The Unified Group, a peer group with many best-in-class contractors.

PHCPPros: Do you have any mentors in the PHCP industry or otherwise?

Chris: Several employees within our company have helped serve as mentors to me as I have grown in the company. Specifically, my father and another estimator have spent a lot of time training me and mentoring me through projects and challenges that I have faced.

Matt: I’d say within The Unified Group there are a number of people that I share notes and ideas with. We’ve also recently built a relationship with another mechanical contractor not local to our area, and we have swapped a lot of notes and ideas as well.

PHCPPros: Do you consider yourself a mentor?

Chris: I do my best to help teach others in the industry what I have learned. I am still young in my career and still have a lot to learn in the industry and business in general, so I feel I am still more of a mentee than a mentor.

Matt: I don’t know that I do, but I try to offer up help to our peers anytime I can. If I can save another company from dealing with an issue that we dealt with previously, I’m happy to help out.  

PHCPPros: What does it mean for you to be featured as a PHCP Millennial on The Move?

Chris: I am appreciative of the nomination. I hope that throughout my career I can have a positive impact on the industry. I have enjoyed learning and working in this industry, and I hope I can inspire more people in my generation to join the trades.

Matt: I’m not sure that I’ve done anything groundbreaking to deserve it, but I'm very honored to be nominated.  

Do you know someone you would like to nominate as a PHCP Millennial On The Move? Email PHCPPros Digital Strategy Manager Nicole Meyer at nicole@phcppros.com!