We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anthony Franzese. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anthony below.

Anthony , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about growing your team – how did you recruit the first few people, what was the process like, how’d you go about training and if you were to start over today would you have done anything differently?

At the beginning of RKB, my co-founder and I were the only two employees in the company. We began in 2014, focusing on handyman services, and started rolling out the services nationwide. It was a long and difficult road, with many lessons learned and small victories at every turn. It was tumultuous to run w0rk orders from start to finish, establishing relationships with vendors and clients by picking up the phone and also getting in the field. I myself would go to job sites frequently to not only perform the work but to interact with the vendors and sites as well. This was pivotal to our growth because it lent itself to learning what the vendors needed in the field for true support and what the sites were expecting. It gave me an incredible insight into the day-to-day in the field, finding painters at the drop of a hat, fixing equipment, replacing lighting, and refreshing our spaces, all while trying to implement a team. The hustle was what brought me the most joy – I think if I were behind the desk I may not have been as motivated to grow the team so quickly because I saw first-hand what was needed to run this company with detail and integrity. Initially, I would be in the field, then return to the office to help invoice, update notes, source vendors, and so much more. So when we were initially looking for our first team members, the ability to push yourself to the next level for growth was key. Passion was the number one trait that we looked for. I would be doing three to four refreshes in a day out of state – what we needed the kind of support we wanted to give, and we had to set the example. Truthfully, we wanted to hire people with the same ambition we had. So our interview process was never truly based on skills alone , it was always rooted in whether or not the person had passion. Our training process has always started with instilling the idea that respect is the key quality in getting our work done. If I had the opportunity to do this again today, I think with what we know, we would have implemented an HR team first to help us with the growth, we would have also implemented an in-house team prior to expanding coordinators, and we would have been mindful ensuring that work/life balance was at the forefront of our organization like we do now.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I can’t talk about myself without talking about RKB, which always makes me laugh because in everything I have done over the years, I always come to realize that I’ve been in facilities for my entire life in some form or another. When I was young, I used to work with my uncle at a maintenance company, servicing airports – I feel like I was born to be in this industry. As I grew into a young man, I started as a union worker, getting OSHA certified and working in New York City. There was truly nothing like waking up, getting into a bustling area of growth on different streets and Burroughs, and getting my hands dirty with an honest day’s work. As I grew in my profession, I realized that I wanted to own something of my own, so I pivoted into the hospitality and beverage industry, opening my first bar. That experience changed me, making me realize that not only did I take so much pride in owning my own business, but I also loved watching people grow. From there, I opened several restaurants and ran them all – the quick-serve industry of restaurants came with its own unique challenges that helped me to learn more about facility maintenance and what it takes to operate. Then I met my business partner who is also now my wife, and my whole life changed. She had the same dreams that I did, and we knew we wanted to achieve them together. I think it’s different when it’s a business that is your own, that you watched grow from its infancy into something that supports the livelihood of so many others. It’s incredible to see how hard our team works for the good of the company. Having provided facility management services for the greater part of the last decade I can say with confidence that what sets us apart from others at RKB is our ability to listen, to pivot our actions to meet the needs of our clients, and to stay honest and accountable. When providing services such as HVAC, plumbing, general repairs, electrical, and so much more – the key to setting yourself apart is not eliminating problems – its how you solve them, and my background has given me the best insight on how to drive that home at RKB.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think building my reputation in our market has been solely based on a “boots on the ground” approach. Anyone who knows me, knows that I will always go to a site, evaluate with my partners, even perform work to this day to ensure that our clients know when I am there, they are in the best of hands.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

In a word, ownership. No matter how many clients we have, or employees to run our work orders and projects, or how many different scenarios arise in facilities – growling our clientele comes down to the ownership of each client. Every interaction is an opportunity for support and true connection. From there, it’s easy to grow, when you stay committed to the solution.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rkb247.com
• Instagram: rkb247
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rkb-maintenance-solutions/