DRIVEN BY EXCELLENCE What changes do you expect to see in 2021?
I don’t see our material costs reducing in 2021. I believe we will start to see some type of reduction in 2022. Unfortunately, I don’t believe we will see the material costs lowering to pre-pandemic costs. I think the demand is too great to see that type of reduction.
What do you expect to see when we get back to some sense of normalcy?
I hope to see the material and labor costs level off. Again, I don’t feel they will return to as we knew them pre-pandemic, although I have hopes. I also anticipate that the lead times which are extremely high currently will return to a normal lead time.
What are the brand’s plans moving forward?
We are looking to continue to grow at a rate of approximately 20 to 25 new stores each year. CCR
ONE-ON-ONE WITH... Christian Brothers’ Derrick Rodgers
Describe a typical day. A typical day consists of managing a spectacular portfolio of projects in our timeline that include the permit phase, construction phase, and closeout phase. And I’m also involved in the redesign and remodeling of our older stores.
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What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Handing the keys to a new and completed location that helps change the lives of our franchisees. In a small way, we are helping our Franchisees achieve the American dream of owning their own business. What’s the biggest item on your to-do list? Continuing to help value engineer a phenomenal product that we have
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 5, 2021
created since 1982 to help our franchisees continue to grow their businesses, and to oversee the development of new stores, which attract new business owners to our fantastic company. What was the best advice you ever received? In the world of construction, problems arise daily. The best advice I have received is around “control.” Someone told me once
you cannot change things that are out of your control, but you can control your reaction. To me that helps remove some of the painful issues that arise in the construction world. How do you like to spend your down time? I am an avid golfer and fisherman. I love spending time with my 3 great kids and my beautiful wife.
