C-Suite: Charley Boyce

Fast fact: Since acquiring the business 10 years ago, Boyce has guided Paschal from a sub-$3 million company with approximately 25 employees to a multi-state company with 350+ employees and doubling in size every two to three years.

What is the best business advice someone has ever given you? To figure out what it is everyone around you wants (customers, employees, bosses, vendors, etc.) and then focus on getting everyone else to where they want to go, without worrying about yourself. In doing so, they will help you accomplish your own goals and then some.

Do you think artificial intelligence (AI) can take jobs in your industry? I think it will definitely change things in a positive way within our admin, customer service, accounting and marketing teams. Streamlined and smarter workflows should make us more efficient and hopefully help reduce the stress put on our internal teams during our summertime peak season. That said, I don’t see it replacing our technicians out in the field that are assisting our customers. So much of our work is done in the home.

If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be and why? An entrepreneur who built and scaled a world-class company filled with world-class people. Someone who was able to scale the culture, while also scaling personally, as the demands of the job changed. I think this is rare and incredibly difficult to do, so I would love to learn all I can from someone who has done it. Sam Walton, Herb Kelleher, Sara Blakely and Michael Dell are a few who come to mind.

What’s your favorite movie or television show? “The Office.”

If you had $1 million to give, what would you support? I don’t have a specific organization in mind, [but] I know it would be an organization that worked with underprivileged and disadvantaged kids to help them establish a solid foundation to build from. One that gives them a chance they would not have otherwise had and a real opportunity to change their stars. That is an area I hope I can really lean into in the years to come.

How significant to you is developing a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) culture within your organization? It’s important not only because it is the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. We are at our best when our people are happy and engaged and they feel comfortable sharing their ideas and different perspectives. Ultimately, it gets us to better outcomes and makes us better as a company.

Which skills do you think are most important when it comes to leadership? Servant leadership. Get in the trenches with your team and lead by example. Serve others and help them realize their potential and achieve their goals. Be the type of leader you would want to follow.

What are your thoughts on working from home? It certainly has its place, and I’ve seen it work with project-based teams where trust has been established. I personally prefer to come into the office every day because I don’t think there is a substitute for being on-site and with your people. That said, our team consists of field and office employees in several locations across several different states, so we leverage tech heavily to make sure we are all connected and rowing in the same direction.