We spoke with Matt Balster about his new role as Vice President and leader of our national Construction Materials Testing and Materials Laboratory group. Matt shared his thoughts on how his diverse experience with Braun Intertec has prepared him for his current role and the most rewarding aspects of his work. Read more to learn about Matt’s professional background, why he loves working at Braun Intertec, and his favorite part of his role in Construction Materials Testing (CMT) and Materials Lab operations.
Tell us about your current role at Braun Intertec.
My role is to scale all the CMT and materials lab operations and maintain consistency across our footprint. When we’re rolling out an initiative or new process that we need our field staff to follow or get feedback from, it’s my job to understand that and then roll it out accordingly so we can get general buy-in across the firm.
What is your professional background?
Business management is my degree, but I’ve been working at Braun Intertec for 23 years. I started with a summer job in between college semesters as a drill assistant. From there I came on as a field technician, which then moved into project management and then supervision. I’ve moved around the organization quite a bit as well – I’ve worked in Hibbing, Duluth, and I was living in Western North Dakota for three years. During the oil boom I came back to St. Cloud to lead our Northern Minnesota business unit and then was involved with the acquisition of Apex Geoscience in Texas – traveling and working there for three years before returning to the Twin Cities.
Has there been a favorite place so far that you’ve been to?
My wife and I decided to go to Hibbing because we vacationed in Northern Minnesota and thought how cool it would be to live where you vacation. Western North Dakota was just an incredible opportunity as well as being part of an oil boom during the Great Recession. It was incredible and I met so many people during that time. If you talk to anybody in the Upper Midwest that is in a similar profession, same length of career where I’m at, they likely spent time in Western North Dakota. So, you can always relate to what your time was in Bismarck or Minot or Williston. And then of course getting to know the people in different cultures in Texas has been pretty incredible.
What interested you about your profession?
When I was younger I really enjoyed being outdoors, working, and that’s what kind of gravitated me toward Braun Intertec to begin with. Then as I started my professional career, it just became natural to project manage or work with staff who were related to the field. It just kind of fell right in place and there was always room to grow and keep expanding.
In terms of the profession, too, the CMT team at Braun Intertec has changed over the years in the type of projects that we take on as well as the geographies that we entertain. When I first started it was rare for us to go beyond our brick and mortars, but now we’re coast to coast as it relates to operating in different states and the type of work that we do whether it be oil and gas, renewable energy, institutional or industrial. It has grown immensely.
What is your favorite aspect of your role, or the most rewarding part of working at Braun Intertec?
I like hearing from our frontline supervisors, how their teams are doing, how they are. Working through different and difficult situations and coaching them along the way. We have so many skilled individuals who bring different traits to this organization. It’s fascinating to a hear their story and understand how they got to where they’re at.
What is your favorite thing about working at Braun Intertec?
My favorite thing about working at Braun Intertec is the ESOP, it’s that employee ownership,
but it’s also the people that make up the firm or the firm itself understanding that that we’ve got direct impact on how the firm grows. And I think that ownership part is unique – we’re wholly owned and that also provides us the ability to have a unique discussion, especially as we’re talking younger employees who might see this as a job or a stepping off point into their career. Hopefully that employee ownership can resonate with them so they can see this as more of a career path versus a summer job.
What is your approach to client problem solving?
My role has changed over the years. When it elevates to me, I’m usually dealing with something that went wrong, so I’m just trying to understand what the client is actually asking for. And then how Braun Intertec can quickly provide that to them, whether it’s a report, or an issue on site. How do we react quickly to get that client what they need as well as how do we make sure that both sides of the story are being met? Meaning how can we advocate for our employees who might be having hard discussions with clients and make sure they have adequate support to help create a balanced solution for both Braun Intertec and that client, so that we can continue moving forward.
What qualities do you look for in your team members?
What keeps me going is the folks that I work with who are passionate and challenge me. When I’m laying out a plan and I bring it to the team, I’m looking for feedback. I’m looking for the Devil’s advocate. You know you might be on to something, but have you thought about it this way? I’m looking for folks who show passion and are willing to stick their neck out and challenge the status quo as well as take risks. You don’t want to be stuck in a think tank or anything like that. I’ve been with Braun Intertec for 20-plus years, but I’ve been in several different locations, and I look at that as a different company each time I go. It’s the same value set, but different people and perspectives. I’ve got to work with different folks to understand how to get things done in their regions. I also think my story of moving to Western North Dakota and to Texas is a good example for taking risks in your career. I had no idea how those opportunities would pan out, they were risks. And I think those risks have paid off for my career. I definitely think that if we’re looking for strong people that are able to take risks, there’s a ton of opportunity that Braun Intertec can offer.
How do you think that the different positions in the different locations have prepared you for what you’re doing now?
That’s a really good question. I think how it’s prepared me is that I’ve become a common name across the company that if you have a question or need to get something done. Within the CMT or the engineering and testing field you can call me, and I’ll know the person to help you or know how to solve your issue. I’ve become a resource to these folks. I think some of our leaders challenge us to be that servant leader, too. How you can serve your staff to make them better is how I try to bring that across. My visibility across the firm’s footprint has definitely been a positive for me.
What should new Braun Intertec employees know about working here? Do you have any pieces of advice for them entering the profession?
Take risks. Step outside of your comfort zone. Look at how much Braun Intertec has grown over the last handful of years since 2015 when we moved into different geographies and know that
there are opportunities out there. There are ways to reach out, there’s opportunities abound and take those risks. Step out of those comfort zones. Challenge yourself and don’t remain complacent.
What are your passions outside of work?
I’ve got a wonderful family. That is my support. My wife certainly has been supportive throughout my journey at Braun Intertec and I am super thankful for that. That’s what fuels my passion and fuels my quest to continue to try to better myself so I can provide for my family. I’ve got three beautiful children – two boys (10 and 8) and a little girl (5). I hope they look up to me and that I can meet their expectations as a father. And we are a very heavy outdoors family. We love vacationing up in northern Minnesota, and we’ve passed it on to our kids. Each summer we do something up North, go out West or do something outside, and enjoy hunting, fishing, and camping.
What’s your favorite vacation spot?
I would say camping on Lake Kabetogama in Northern Minnesota. We took a vacation to Denver recently, and that was fun with the kids seeing the mountains. We did a houseboat trip two or three years ago now, and the kids thought that was the coolest thing ever. We were there for a week fishing, tubing and water skiing, and the houseboat had a slide, so it was constant swimming with beautiful weather. That’s definitely a vacation that has stuck in our minds and the kids continue to ask if we can go back.
