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  • Volume 20, Issue 2 | 2nd Quarter


    Employee Spotlight

    Meet Larry Nickelson

    Branch Manager, Houston Warehouse

    They say timing is everything, and for Larry, being in the right place, at the right time, paid off with a new job at Brooks’ Houston warehouse in 1987. He had been in flooring, doing installs, before accepting a job at Brooks. This position involved shipping and receiving as well as checking in freight. That’s a lot of work, too, because Brooks stocks a lot of products.

    And he did such a good job, that he advanced to Warehouse Manager, “overseeing” shipping and receiving as well as checking in freight. Now one might think overseeing vs actually doing is much easier. But he’d probably beg to differ—with advancement comes responsibility. And in the case of a warehouse manager, a lot of it.

    But Larry loves all the hard work and responsibility that managing a Brooks warehouse entails. He especially enjoys helping and conversing with Brooks’ customers. He’ll tell you that “they are more like friends than customers.” He has a very easy-going demeanor, which demonstrates itself through lots of bravado—even with his customers. So well is Larry liked by his customers, he’s their friend outside of work—attending their events and even visiting them in the hospital.

    Larry not only thinks of his customers as friends, but as “hard workers trying to live the American dream.” He goes on to say, “They have families and work hard to provide for them.” It’s not lost on Larry that there’s a reciprocal benefit between Brooks and the customers he serves. “Brooks is as important to my customers as my customers are to Brooks”, points out Larry. When asked what keeps him motivated, Larry credits The Almighty. “God motivates me to be the best I can possibly be at work and in life.”

    Outside of work, Larry is the consummate family man. He loves being around them too. “I have a beautiful wife and two great boys.” He’s also a granddad, with four— grandchildren three girls and one boy. As for hobbies, he’s played guitar for over 40 years and twice with the Houston Symphony. He’s also a baseball fanatic. He’s read the entire MLB rulebook three times! I love baseball too. But I don’t know about reading it three times—that’s at least two and half times too many.

    Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in these articles are the author’s only and provide limited information. Although the information is believed to be reliable, Brooks Equipment Company, LLC expressly disclaims any liability for errors or omissions. The user of this article(s) or the product(s) is responsible for verifying the information’s accuracy from all available sources, including the product manufacturer. The authority having jurisdiction should be contacted for code interpretations.