Right On, Right On: An Employee-Owner Spotlight on Andy Breedlove

It’s our amazing employee-owners that make us, well, us. This month, we’ll be featuring Andy Breedlove. For those of you that have met Andy, you already know the only thing bigger than his personality is his work ethic and willingness to help, whenever and wherever needed. If you have worked with Andy, you have probably already heard one of his favorites lines – “Right on, right on.”

Who’s the man behind the one-liners? We dug a little deeper. Here’s what we learned about Andy.

Andy is the Kansas City Yard and Transportation Manager, and a self-proclaimed “jack of all trades, master of none.” In 2017, Andy joined the ESS team overseeing the KC Yard. Since then, Andy’s responsibilities have grown to include managing and dispatching lowboys, supporting equipment logistics to project sites across the region, and coordinating pick-up and delivery of materials from the yard. He provides critical support to any project as needed and routinely exercises his “next level” multi-tasking and organizational skills.

Andy says there is no typical day at ESS. “Sometimes it’s very challenging, but also very rewarding.” When asked what career advice he would offer, he said “learn from the people around you, know what hill you’re willing to die on, and know when to watch your P’s and Q’s.” Andy also shared how he defines leadership. “True leadership is being a leader, not a boss. You want to go to your higher up with a real problem and have them guide you toward the solution. You also want a leader who will let you make mistakes as long as you learn from them.”

Bob Snyder, Vice President had a few words to say about Andy’s leadership. “Andy is the type of individual that is willing to do whatever it takes to make ESS successful. He’s doing a great job in his three roles. Andy is generally well-liked by all. He always provides humor and light-heartedness in his activities throughout the day. He is vital in our day-to-day operations, and we are very happy to have him as part of our ESS family!”

As if his fast-paced position wasn’t time-consuming enough, Andy also lives and works on his family’s 300-acre farm. It’s located in Baldwin, Kansas and aptly named Breedlove Farms. He keeps busy by raising cattle, hogs, chickens, and cultivating their own hay ground.

Andy Breedlove said: “I love living on the farm because we’re in the middle of nowhere and can pretty much do whatever we want. My daughter is always trying to name the pigs, then I must tell her we’re eating them – which is probably going to require some counseling later in life. Balancing work, home and farm life is a real challenge sometimes. During hay season you have some very, very long days!”

Andy is happiest with his family, and you won’t find him hanging around people that whine all the time – it’s his biggest pet peeve. In his spare time, you can find Andy doing things around the farm, going shooting with his boy and working animals with his daughter.

Personal Motto:
“Have fun, you only live once.”

Guilty Pleasure:
“Cold beer, hot bacon or steak right off the grill.” (Whose isn’t? Am I right?)

Overused Phrase:
“You’ll have that on them bigger jobs.”

Office/Field Nickname:
“F#!%ing Andy!”

On Andy’s Bucket List:
“Sky diving and whitewater rafting.”

What Don’t We Know About You?
“I can’t tell you that, then you’ll know where the bodies are buried!”

If we had to sum up Andy in a couple of sentences we don’t think we could say it better than the man himself. “I take my job and what I do seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously. Life’s short, have all the fun you can – drink beer and enjoy life!!”