From the Top | Bryan Aucoin, CEO, M&A Safety Services

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Tell me about your work:

M&A Safety Services is a full-service safety training company serving the oil & gas industry with locations in Youngsville and Houma, LA. I have two of the best partners anyone could ask for. Travis Martin, President and Don Romero, COO make my job as CEO easy.

What is the best part of your job?

I do my best to never be outworked, especially by a competitor and the ultimate reward of hard work is a satisfied customer. Knowing that I have satisfied a customer is the best part of my job.

What is the hardest?

We do our best at M&A to always meet the customers’ demands. Our leadership team has done a fantastic job creating a culture that hates to say “no” to a client. Having to say “no” to a client is seen as a failure to us. We track the number of times that we fail to meet client’s needs and use this data as a way of continuously improving. The hardest part of my job are those rare occasions that we cannot meet a client’s demand.

What makes M&A Safety a standout in the Oil and Gas Industry?

M&A stands out and sets itself apart by our customer service model. I know everyone says this and it sounds like a cliché. However, in a world where everything is automated, we refuse to allow our phones to be answered by a recording. You will get a person each time you call. A client that calls after hours will not get a recording or an answering service. After normal business hours, the phones are forwarded to an owner. We will answer your call and will solve your problem or meet your needs that day if possible. We also do not use no-reply emails. If we send out an email to a client, it will come from someone that they can reply to, ask a question, or request more information if needed. Communication with our clients is very important to our success and we will never allow our company to send anything to a client that they cannot communicate back to us through if they choose.

Is there anything new on the horizon?

Our Houma location opened less than a year ago. With that location being so new, there is not really anything big on the horizon, currently. Long term plans could include a new facility in the Houston area. We have a lot of strong relationships in that region. We did operate a facility in the Houston area, with our previous company from 2008-2012, so we know we can be successful in that market. Other long-term plans include additional offerings at our current facilities.

What’s one leadership skill you feel everyone must learn?

I think every leader must learn to be a good delegator. Ironically, this is something I struggled with as a young entrepreneur. Surrounding myself with good people and letting them do what they are good at is the reason for our success in the safety training business.

Tell me about yourself:

As a child, what did you see yourself doing as a career?

I do not ever remember wanting to do anything specific. However, I can remember wanting to own my own business from a very early age.

What was your very first job?

As soon as I was old enough to push a lawnmower, I began mowing lawns in the neighborhood. My first real job, however, was at a snowball stand. Mike Papa, a barber in Thibodaux, opened a snowball stand next to his barber shop. At the age of 11, he allowed me to order supplies and basically do everything required to run that snowball stand. At the end of the day, I would place the money in a money bag and ride my bike to the bank to make the deposit. It was this opportunity that gave me my first insight on how a business operated.

What time to do you wake up and how do you start your day?

Sometimes I will be up as early as 2:00 – 3:00am. However, I wake up most mornings between 4:00 – 5:00am. Starting my day early allows me to work with no distractions. I wrap up any loose ends from the previous day as well as make sure I am ready for what is on the agenda for the day. This is the part of my day that I feel most productive.

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?

The one thing I could not live without is my family. For 29 years my wife Chantell has supported me working a lot of long hours. The hard work that I have put in to be successful has all been for my family. I have done my best to give my kids Brittani and Brant a better life than I have had while teaching them that hard work pays off. I hope that I have set that example.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

During my free time, I most enjoy spending time at the camp on Lake Verret or just relaxing by the pool with family.