Embrace Discomfort: A Conversation on Leadership and Growth with Chad Kalland

I’m joined by the CEO of the industrial firm Vecta Environmental Services, LLC , Chad Kalland . Chad is also a community activist, working with anti-racism organizations in Houston and New Orleans, and Co-Founder of The Second Story Project .?

Kimberly: It's a pleasure having you here with us at the Executive Room. Could you tell us a bit about your background??

Chad: I started my career as a field chemist cleaning up superfund sites. I would go out to these polluted industrial sites and figure out what kind of chemicals they had there, how to get rid of them, etc. Then, I went on to emergency response work, cleaning up oil spills and hazmat spills. I was a consultant on the BP oil spill that they had in the Gulf 10 or 11 years ago, and I worked my way up in the industry, learning all the different aspects of it. In 2011, I was approached by Kenny Rouse, who was starting Vecta Environmental at the time.

Kenny and I had worked together at a previous company, and he asked me if I wanted to join Vecta. At the time, it wasn't right for me…but we stayed in touch. In 2013, it felt more right. I reached out to Kenny, and…he and I joined forces. From there, we just started growing. It's been a fun run. Never really expected to be the CEO of a large industrial company, but I'm grateful to be here.?

Kimberly: Can you share any insights into how Vecta is prepared to respond to environmental disasters??

Chad: There was one customer of ours who had an industrial fire a few years ago, and it was all over the news in Houston and along the Gulf Coast. We work in these plants, and the work is dangerous for everyone in that vicinity and the surrounding population, so customer bars had a tank that got struck by lightning and caught fire. We couldn't do anything with the fire, but as the material was being spilled, we helped them recover it, kept it out of waterways, put it in another storage tank where it wouldn't pollute the Houston Ship Channel, and tried to reduce whatever pollution we could.?

When hurricanes come, we help our utility customers respond to try to get power back. We have hydro excavation services, which help put power lines back in place. We view our role in that as helping get people back in place after disasters. Helping restore power lines and helping get facilities back up and running. We're grateful that our clients trust us to be part of that process.

Kimberly: One of the most talked-about issues in recent years has been wage pressures and competition for available workers. Have they increased as a result of your company's labor shortage, and how is your organization responding to many of these current challenges?

Chad: I don't think there's an industry out there that wasn’t affected, and ours is no exception. We've seen wages increase, entry-level wages by 30% plus. Our customers don't often want to share that burden, so one thing that we and companies in our space have seen is a reduction in profit margin and an increase in labor costs, but we're all fighting for the same labor pool. We've really focused on increasing our recruiting efforts and tried to focus on retention. The more people we can retain, the less painful it is when we struggle to recruit. We have tried to create career paths for individuals and focus on how we can make what starts as an entry-level job a career for those in the industrial service industry.?

Kimberly: Do you have any one specific program that has really helped with retention??

Chad: We recently brought on a recruiting team and created what we call the Vector Career Academy. It's for people walking in the door who have never been to an industrial site. The training involves getting them on a job site and then assessing how we can take that entry-level person and improve their skills to become a supervisor. Next is management training, leadership training, and tracking their career path all the way to management and all the different steps along the way.?

Kimberly: I wanted to invite you to our show because your LinkedIn is amazing. You're super consistent and have a great newsletter, podcast, and content. Can you share how this impacts your business??

Chad: This was not easy for me. I'm not one who likes being in the spotlight or drawing attention to myself. But when I started posting on LinkedIn, I started getting feedback from people who said they really appreciated it. They told me that they liked what I did and to keep doing it and that it was very useful. I realized by putting myself out there and then getting feedback from people in my industry who were recognizing me, they consequently recognized Vecta. The whole point is to bring attention to the work that we're doing at Vecta and also in some of the nonprofit work that I do – so that kind of fueled me to do more. It's really helped the company just by bringing people who recognize me from LinkedIn, who then go find out what Vecta is, what Vecta does, and how we can help them in their business.

Kimberly: Concerning workflow, how do you work on your content? Do you keep notes on your phone? Where do your ideas come from??

Chad: I keep notes on my phone and read a lot. I also work with mentors and mentees often, and many of my ideas come from conversations with people. I try to make it authentic. Ideas come up organically, and if I have more than one in one day, I'll record a short video, and then I'll just schedule them out.?

Kimberly: Have you experimented with any of the AI tools available to help you with your content, or do you have any thoughts on them overall?

Chad: I think it's great, and I've used it for some of my newsletter ideas if I'm struggling with just an outline. But then again, I think the writing has to be yours. When people post, I can tell when there's no personal touch to it. I don't want that to be what I put out there. I think AI is a useful tool for generating structure. But as far as generating content, I think that has to come from the person.?

Kimberly: Moving on to the fact that you are such a vocal leader, how do you balance that responsibility with any potential risks? Have you ever run into a situation where you shared something that could have been controversial?

Chad: I'm a vocal advocate for anti-racism and DEI initiatives. I work with the Center for the Healing of Racism in Houston. I've also worked with some organizations in New Orleans, and the sad reality is not everyone shares those values. The reality is that sometimes, in my industry, people will say things assuming, because I'm a middle-aged white guy, that I share their values with another middle-aged white guy. You have to balance speaking up and telling this person how you feel with the impact on your business. This happened years ago. I was on a golf course with a customer who said something that was racially problematic. Losing one customer was painful, and I tried to be delicate about it. It can be hard, but I think it's important for me not to compromise my values. I won't sacrifice my values in pursuit of monetary gain, which, ultimately, that's what it boils down to. Your team members and employees also appreciate having a leader that does take a stand.

Kimberly: What advice would you give to another CEO who may be more in the background, isn't actively online, and isn't developing their presence?

Chad: I would find someone that you trust and value and try to work with them. There are people out there like yourself, Kimberly, who help people with professional profiles. If you can afford it and have the time and energy to invest in it, I would certainly say to do it. I would also look for people whose content you enjoy or find value in, see what they're doing, and see if you could do something similar. I believe that once you take that first step, it gets easier, snowballs, and then leads you to other things. Successful people have been uncomfortable at points in their careers. Take this as an opportunity to be uncomfortable in the service of your company and the people who work with you and for you.

Kimberly: As co-founder of Second Story Project, what has been the most satisfying experience in that new venture? Where did the inspiration for it come from??

Chad: The inspiration came about during the protests following the murder of George Floyd. Watching what felt like this country being torn apart in two different directions. I reached out to a friend of mine who's a therapist in Houston, and I asked him if we could create a workshop that goes beyond talking and gets people into action. He said let's do something bigger. We started talking and came up with the concept of the Second Story Project to really bring people together. The way we view it is that it's easy for me to get caught up in my story and what I believe and tell you why you're wrong and vice versa. However, if we stop and take the time to listen and appreciate each other's stories, appreciate where you come from, and why you believe what you do makes a difference. You don't have to agree but acknowledge that is someone’s reality. If you can acknowledge that, we can co-create a second story that works for both of us. That's why we call it the Second Story Project. We've been able to take that into a few organizations, and it's rewarding to hear the people that we work with really talk to and listen to each other.

Kimberly: It seems like you're taking these organizations from very surface-level DEI training to where the real breakthroughs happen.?

Chad: Absolutely, it is uncomfortable because you have to get vulnerable to have these conversations and open yourself up – and that's not easy, especially in a work environment. We're going to do everything on the surface not to cause trouble. For an organization, things could get brought up that cause disconnection between people. However, because the people I work with are therapists and I come from more of a business operational background, we effectively facilitate these difficult conversations where people can listen to each other. Maybe once you explain why you believe what you believe, it's not a matter of who's right and who's wrong – it’s just where we are. Then, we must assess how we can come together. To grow, Kimberly, I think you have to get uncomfortable.

Kimberly: I'd love to hear your biggest piece of advice for another CEO who is starting their journey to becoming a vocal leader.?

Chad: Stay true to your values, and don't try to be something you're not. Don't try to create a message that's not true to you. Be willing to be uncomfortable in order to grow your brand and help your company grow. Most of us are doing it to really make an impact. As your company grows, the people who work with you and for you will benefit. Tie your goals to something bigger than yourself, and you will have a much better chance of success.

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