Jodi Wallace

Owner, Monarch Solid Surface Designs

One of the biggest lessons I have learned owning and running a small business is that it definitely is not for the faint of heart! It takes patience, perseverance, negotiation skills, tact and cheerleading (support), and I haven’t even started talking about customers yet – this is just the daily challenge when dealing with employees!

Although there are a few shops where women are involved, it is still a male-dominated industry. 

And I admit that bruised egos, hurt feelings and an overabundance of testosterone have often left me wondering if I was running a business or a daycare center! As an employer, I am always looking for good workers, but sometimes I tend to forget that not everyone plays well in the sandbox with others. But I have to admit that sometimes we get surprised when we least expect it.

One day not long after Mark started, he and my original fabricator (Kevin) got into a pretty nasty confrontation. Please understand my fabricator has some good traits – he shows up every day on time (most days early), and rarely misses a day of work. Regardless that he seriously makes me crazy I know no matter what, he always has our shop’s best interest at heart, and does his best. But he was also a constant complainer and whiner, habitually threatened to quit when he didn’t get his way (which after awhile we just said “OK”), and considered himself a serious journeyman back when he was mediocre at best. But I also know if l needed something he was always the first to volunteer. (The man is a walking contradiction!)

I never quite got the whole story of what transpired, but the gist of it was that Kevin and Mark didn’t see eye-to-eye on a template Mark had made. Kevin (not known for having any filters), rudely told Mark what he had done wrong. 

Considering Mark did his own fabrication at another company for many years, that probably wasn’t the best way to handle things, but that is Kevin. You also need to know that Mark is a pretty good-sized guy, somewhere around 6 feet, two inches tall and probably 250 pounds. (If I ever get into trouble, I seriously want him watching my back!). But looks can be deceiving, and if you meet him, it’s obvious he’s pretty laid back – which is one of the things I like about him. 

 My fabricator, on the other hand, is a scrawny guy with a big mouth who is at least several inches (and probably 60 pounds lighter) than Mark. Being the new guy, Mark tried to ignore the situation but everyone has their limit, and not only did he raise his voice, he got in Kevin’s face just enough to intimidate him to back off – which he did. Kevin is also extremely passive aggressive. By the time I actually heard about it, Mark had apologized and promised it would never happen again, and my fabricator kept his distance (and mouth) a bit more under control. It was an uneasy truce and that was fine by me. I honestly didn’t have the time or patience for dealing with temper tantrums.

 Over time, things seemed to mellow out between the two guys. Occasionally I would need to pull Kevin out of the shop to assist with an install, but I made a point to not send him out with Mark. I didn’t see any reason to tempt fate.

At some point a situation arose– we were in a bind, and Mark ended up taking Kevin with him on a shower install because he needed a second pair of hands. I waited on pins and needles for them to return and the complaining I expected would follow, but no one said anything. Finally, out of curiosity, I approached Mark out of earshot of anyone else and asked how it had gone. To my surprise, he just smiled and said Kevin had been a great help. I have to admit it was nice to hear. 

 Over the next few months, to my surprise and amusement, I noticed that if Mark needed help he made a point to grab Kevin as his helper. Not long ago we ended up doing two back-to-back complex shower designs (which is unusual), each requiring custom pans, full height walls – one with a ceiling piece, and bench seats –  and one with a window frame. They were like assembling two very large and complicated puzzles, and they were probably the most time consuming and complicated shower builds we have ever done.

But Mark and Kevin worked together on both jobs like a finely tuned piano. They conferred each morning, going over what needed to be done in the shop. When Mark returned after templates or an install, the two of them would review what had been built and evaluate if any changes were needed. 

Kevin would not cut a thing without Mark’s review and approval. Each day of the installs they would help each other load tools and the pieces going up before setting off to work on the install together. Since I am only at the shop in the morning (although we are on the phone throughout the day), I could definitely see and hear a change in the relationship and how they interacted with each other. Just as importantly, the atmosphere in the shop among the guys felt looser, more laid back. It was definitely a welcome change.

This past Friday morning when I walked into the shop Kevin asked if he could borrow one of our trucks in addition to a few tools to assist him in tearing out his mom’s kitchen floor. I told him that was fine and he could just dispose of the debris in our dumper as tear outs have been on the light side lately. 

As we were talking, Mark walked up and asked Kevin if he still needed his help. I did a double take as I looked at Mark!

“Seriously?” I said. “I don’t even bother to ask you if you can work weekends, except as an absolute last resort, because you always tell me no!” (To be fair he is the only one who has young kids at home.)

“That’s not true!” he told me. I laughed and walked away. Notes of The Twilight Zone theme song ran through my head! A few minutes later, Mark walked into the second shop and I sidled up next to him, smirking.

“So…” I said. “I would say we have a definite bromance here, huh?!”

A resounding “NO!” was the response I received. But it wasn’t said with malice or annoyance. He just looked at me, laughed, shook his head, and walked over to start loading the install truck. 

I realized in retrospect that we had unknowingly created a good team. I have noticed Kevin’s tantrums are now almost non-existent, and working with Mark seems to have had a good and calming effect on him. Maybe Mark’s mellow attitude has rubbed off, or maybe Kevin just needed to feel someone appreciated him. Whatever the reason for the change, it has definitely been good for the shop. But even more importantly, it has been good for Kevin. And maybe that is just as important. 

Jodi Wallace is the owner of Monarch Solid Surface Design in San Jose, California.