Brian Campbell

General Manager

Campbell & Company

Age and current hometown: 34, Pasco

Briefly describe your company: Campbell & Company is driven to build lifelong relationships and raving fans with our team and our customers. We maintain, repair and replace HVAC, electrical, plumbing and sewer systems at your home or business.

How long have you worked there?

I started pulling weeds and sweeping the dock at age 12. Full time for 6 ½ years.

Education: Bachelor’s in business administration with concentrations in marketing and finance, Carroll College; master’s in business administration, Boise State University.

Family? Pets?

No pets but lots of family. My wife and I are expecting our third son in November. We have a total of 10 siblings and over 55 cousins between our two families.

Did you grow up here?

I was born and raised here in the Tri-Cities. I’ve always loved the people, community and weather. The older I get the more my appreciation for those things grow, along with the local economy. We are all very fortunate to live in such wonderful place.

Describe your job and how you got into it: I get the opportunity to work with some of the hardest-working, driven, quality-oriented people I know.

We foster a culture of putting each other first and always taking care of our customers, the RIGHT way. We communicate our successes and learn from our mistakes. It truly is an honor to have the opportunity to work within this team that is committed to be a world- class organization and provide our customers with 5-star service.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed working and building things with my hands.

I always looked forward to returning to Campbell & Company during the summer breaks from school to work with the guys.

After studying marketing and finance in college and then finishing my MBA, I wanted to have a career somewhere that was in alignment with my moral compass and in a field that could never be replaced by technology or... MAYBE I was looking for reasons to return to one of the greatest organizations around.

I am just thankful my head and heart were in agreement!

Toughest career decision?

A few years ago, we decided to define the core values of our organization and then hire, fire, review and reward based on them. It has been one of the toughest transitions in my life.

At the same time, seeing the team that has been developed through leading and managing with purpose and principles has been one of the most rewarding experiences.

During the initial surge of Covid, our annual employee engagement survey had 100% participation and had an engagement score of 85% (21 percent points higher than the U.S. average)!

This makes me think of a Theodore Roosevelt quote: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

How did you earn your first dollar?

Starting around age 12, I spent my summer and winter breaks at the Campbell & Company office pulling weeds, sweeping the dock and washing trucks. I am fortunate to have learned to enjoy working and the value of a dollar at a young age.

How do you achieve work-life balance?

First of all, having a balanced work life is not possible. Do you know anyone who has life and work thrown at them proportionally every day/week/year? If you have, I’d like to meet that person.

Life is a balancing act and it takes constant focus to keep all our responsibilities prioritized and in alignment.

Secondly, I believe you are only as successful as the closest 10 people around you.

I am extremely fortunate to be married to an absolutely amazing woman, surrounded by a strong family, and work within a healthy team at work. It’s amazing how much easier this balancing act gets when everyone around you has common values and goals in life.

Community involvement  and service?

At Campbell & Company:

Pay it Forward program: We donate $30,000 in HVAC, plumbing, electrical and sewer services annually to local people or organizations in need. This community has been amazing to us over the years and this is one way we say thank you.

Community Strong: At the beginning of Covid, our employees rallied together to help raise over $16,500 to buy gift cards from local restaurants. We then donated the gift cards to a local nonprofit, Communities in Schools, which distributed them to the underserved in our community.

Donations: We’ve donated $60,000 in plumbing and sewer work for an expansion at Tri-Cities Prep.

Outside:

I currently sit on Tri-City Prep’s Foundation board.

Dream vacation?

Somewhere warm with a beach, cold drinks and my family.

Planner or procrastinator?

Big-picture planner, definitely not details though.

What would people be most surprised to learn about you?

I attended math competitions in middle school. Also, our high school chess team won districts all four years, and we competed at the state tournament two of those years.

Favorite movie?

“The Count of Monte Cristo” (2002, starring Jim Caviezel)

Favorite music?

A little of everything but mostly country

Favorite sports team?

Seahawks

Favorite thing to do in Tri-Cities?

Boating and golfing