Estimator Travis Gibson likes to learn. “I thrive for a challenge, in all aspects of life,” he says. “I’ll tackle something head-on until I perfect it.”
That attitude has served Gibson well. This month, he celebrates his 15th year with H.J. Holtz & Son.
Gibson came to the company with painting experience, having worked for his father, also a painter. With that background, he started on a paint team right away and refined his skills. “My dad was always really focused on high quality but not so much speed,” Gibson says. “When I started out [here], I wasn’t as fast as I became.”
Gibson spent roughly six years working as a painter and painting foreman. Then he was a project manager for approximately four years, seeing all types of Holtz jobs. He’s been an estimator for five years; he handles the majority of appointments now.
“I always came forward and said I was interested in the next step,” Gibson says. “The timing worked [to become an estimator] because I was interested in coming into the office, then one estimator left, and the position was available.”.
Gibson now works primarily outside of the office, meeting clients in their homes and businesses to see, first-hand, what the project entails. His experience in the field serves him – and the clients – well. “I’ve done all the work before, so I know how to set expectations and how to explain what’s going to happen, in layman’s terms,” he says. “When you can explain all that, it makes it so much easier to understand the process and pricing.”
Before moving into the estimator’s role fully, Gibson shadowed company president Rick Holtz for several months, watching the process. “Rick was a great teacher, and he’s always there if I have a question,” Gibson says. “I really appreciate his willingness to give us the tools we need to succeed.”
Gibson says he enjoys how the company prioritizes closeness and camaraderie among employees, even as it’s grown larger over the years. “It used to be a small family business, but not any more … the size of the company blows my mind,” he says.
Another constant over the years are the standards the company upholds, he says. “My favorite thing about Holtz is the quality. We’re not going to stop until we know it’s right. We want to do work that we can put our name behind.”
Congratulations, Travis!