FBG Welcomes Rocky Mountain District Director Roy Van Esselstine
With six district offices, we rarely see turnover in this top position. When the now retired District Director, Randy Zornes, was creating his succession plan, he had one person in mind. Randy met Roy through their involvement in the Pikes Peak chapter of the International Facility Management Association. Roy was the membership chair and Randy was volunteering.
They were working for competing companies. On bid walks, Roy took notice of Randy’s professionalism and the questions he asked. Roy read the room and said, “if I wanted to learn more, he’s the guy to learn from. Not everyone wants to hang out with the teacher, but I did.” Randy knew he’d found a diamond in the rough as well. And soon, instead of competing, they decided to get in the same boat.
Roy reflected on his first trip to the corporate office, “When I first got on board and we went to Omaha, everyone was so friendly and supportive, I felt a different vibe than I was accustomed to – going from the gauntlet to a dinner table with a seat decorated just for me? It was a culture shock in a very good way. FBG humanizes the work. The Corporate office is still people, who want you to be happy and your customer to be happy. You’re not an employee number. You are a person.”
Randy said, “Roy has such genuine relationships with everyone. Employees especially love having him around and trust he will work side-by-side with them on any project. A lot of respect has grown from that and strong teams have developed. Seeing that gave me full confidence that the district was being left in great hands under his leadership.”
“With our district, these changes meant changing roles throughout. We want to promote the great talent we have within and give everyone a chance to grow. With Erica (Mogensen), she’s worn many hats and is well qualified to manage operations. She’s disseminating the knowledge she has, helps supervisors to learn and they then help others.
And I’m right here when anyone needs help, let’s just be honest with each other about our strengths and weaknesses. Everyone wins.”
With plans to grow in the Denver and Pueblo markets, they expect to help companies re-evaluate how to reopen their business. He said, “We want to ensure the bridges we’ve built stay strong. And I enjoy working on the technologies we’re developing. So much can be done there.”
On a personal note, Roy’s big thing is food. “Though Danielle and I are empty-nesters, we have a house on 36 acres of the family ranch in Howard, Colorado, with other family around, and I enjoy cooking for them every chance I get.”
Roy is known for his award-winning green chili after years participating in the local fire department’s annual green chili cookoff held as a fundraiser. Roy and his family have participated for years, and he has been successful in getting others, even our very own Rocky Mountain District employees to participate in the cooking and festivities.
Roy, we are all collectively applauding you! For the last 14 years, you’ve brought so much operational knowledge, technical vision, humor, and yes, delicious green chili, to us, we couldn’t be happier for you. In your capable hands, we can only imagine good things to come.
