Do You Love What You Do?

We all have to work for a living in some way, shape, or form. They say that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. But let’s be honest… even the greatest of jobs have challenges and setbacks. It often takes time to find the right fit.

I have a degree in design and I have extensive experience in residential construction. I was even a stay-at-home dad for 7 years, raising my now 19-year-old daughter. Along the way, I have washed pots, pounded nails, and worked for a company where the culture was one of a relentless cycle of “building you up, to break you down,” and squeeze 12 ounces of juice out of a 6-ounce orange. It was unbearable. I even tried to start my own design/build business where I quickly discovered that though I was good at many things, raising capital and possessing a business acumen were critical skillsets that I lacked. It was a challenge for me to let go and realize I can’t do everything.

And then I found IBACOS.

For the last 10 years, I have worked as a Building Performance Specialist helping primarily large production homebuilders across the country build better homes. We are a small company of 25 teammates who work to foster a positive impact on the residential construction industry at large.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I have found my “home.” I truly love what I do and the people I work with every day to make a meaningful, positive impact. We are a team. We are a family. The culture that the leadership of IBACOS has created is unlike any other.

Our IBACOS family is spread out all over the country, but once or twice a year, we gather at our homebase in Pittsburgh to train, bond, learn, grow, and give back to our community. During one such gathering at the beginning of this year, I had a breakthrough and finally learned how to “let go.”

I was serving as a team leader for our “Give Back” team-building exercise designing and building cat shelters for feral displaced cats in our area. I realized that being the team leader didn’t mean that I had to do everything. I was reminded of the value of collaboration. We are all innovators and “idea people” in our own unique way, and by working together, we were able to successfully complete a project that was of the highest quality and was on time and on budget. It provided me with an opportunity for growth that I could never have imagined. I am so thankful to work for a company that is willing to invest in making me a better person.

By the way, we are hiring.