#72: Charlie Royer - Co-Owner & Business Development at Royer Commercial
Charlie Royer is the 4th generation to take up leadership at Royer Commercial Interiors (RCI), an office interiors supplier for the DFW metroplex. On this episode, Charlie and Chris discuss what it's like being in a company that has lasted 4 generations, what businesses of all sizes should be thinking about when working with their interiors supplier, and how RCI, and offices across the US, are adapting to the current business environment. Enjoy! Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Fort Capital & Chris Powers: www.FortCapitalLP.com (02:13) - Charlie’s Story Before Working in the Family Business (03:52) - What is it like being part of a 4th generation business? (05:41) - Is there something your family did differently to get to the 4th generation of ownership? (06:57) - How big is the office interior furniture market nationwide vs. in DFW? (08:00) - How often do you go to Haworth (furniture manufacturer) and what is that experience like? (08:53) - What do you consider a large project to look like? Is there a difference between working on a $1M deal vs. a $20M? (09:57) - How far in advance of a big job do you need to start working on it? (10:28) - What should small or medium sized business owners think about to avoid a stressful process? (12:49) - What are you and your clients saying about the world today vs. 1 year ago? (16:33) - Is there anything that companies are doing now that others should think about? (19:00) - Are you seeing potential for a WFH line of furniture? (20:34) - Which idea wins going forward? - A heavily remote team or a more spaced out office environment? (22:32) - Are you expecting more offices to abandon the open floor concept? (23:44) - Are there any COVID-era lines of furniture coming out? (26:12) - Do you get to see the company surveys showing what employees are asking for furniture wise? (27:42) - Is anything happening in government/health/education office trends that are different from traditional offices? (28:30) - Do you only sell new furniture or do you offer repurposed items? (31:13) - What has been the biggest change in office since the 1950’s? (33:35) - Is there a ‘godfather’ in the industry that everyone looks toward? (35:02) - What is the ‘all’ that you do for your clients? (37:37) - What are the coolest office features that you’ve seen that people love? (39:35) - Charlie’s Experience Working on Fort Worth’s Dickie’s Arena (43:55) - What does RCI look like 10 years from now? (47:03) - How does the scope of work change when you work with a 5,000+ person companies? (49:44) - How long would an installation for a company that big take? (51:18) - What do you tell companies to expect the day after installation? (52:41) - Why does the "furniture guy" always catch the flack? (53:04) - How did you learn business development? (55:48) - What crazy prediction would you make about the industry 10 years from today? (57:10) - What’s the best advice you have ever received? (57:16) - What’s the best book you’ve ever read? (57:52) - What’s the best way for people to reach you? Charlie's Favorite Books: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Traction Contact Charlie: charlier@royer-furn.com The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts