Lance McGuire

“I enjoy my job. I enjoy helping people. When you bring up someone on your team and see their success, that’s the fun part of it. We all want to make money, but you can make it much more enjoyable by building people up and having some fun.”

Lance remembers the “old days” of sales at Ferguson, when he had to wear shiny shoes to work and on-the-job training was a baptism by fire. A lot has changed in the 22 years since he joined the company, like the fact that now he gets to wear boots every day. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is Ferguson’s commitment to serving its customers. Lance has seen Ferguson’s capabilities evolve and expand over the last two decades, but the core service principle has always remained constant.

Lance says he took the long way through school, not sure what he wanted to do. He ended up running a restaurant through his 20s. Even though it wasn’t related to the industry, he learned valuable lessons about customer service — which he still applies in his job every day. “That’s what Ferguson is all about,” he says. “That’s what separates our group from the rest. We get to know our customers, we dig in, and we always get the job done for them.” Lance’s Ferguson career actually began in 2000 in the trainee program on the plumbing and mechanical side of the business. He went from warehouse to counter to outside sales, where he spent 7 years on the road before being promoted to Sales Manager. He’s proud that, compared to the past, today he and his team have deep knowledge and real opportunities to partner with customers to help them in very specific ways that add value.

In addition to the importance of service and adding value, Lance has also learned another lesson in his career: Listen more and speak less. “In my earlier days I would cut off a customer thinking I knew what they were going to say or what they wanted,” he explains. “If we take the time to listen, we might be able to save them time and money and maximize profitability.” He also credits his daughter with helping him appreciate the merits of listening.

As a manager Lance looks for candidates who are good with people, who are willing to go out on a limb for others and go the extra mile to get a job done. “I don’t look for straight-A types, I want to get to know the person and how they handle situations,” he says. “We have tools to teach the other stuff, but it’s hard to teach someone to be genuinely good with people. We want someone who’s there to make it a good day for their customers and for their team.” Because that’s the Ferguson way.