Ben Leonhardt’s been on a hot streak over the last 365 days.
In August of 2021, he was promoted to senior lead tech, and six months later, he earned partner. Just this August, he was promoted for a third time to regional service trainer.
“I’ve had a pretty great year if I do say so myself,” Ben said.
Now, Ben is preparing to go from overseeing service training at three properties to five by the end of November. Fellow partner and area manager Payton Stone said with Ben’s positive attitude, he’s confident he’ll be ready for the new challenge and responsibility.
“Ben’s ability and mindset to work shoulder to shoulder with our teams is second-to-none. He is never afraid to lead from the front,” Payton said.
Ben grew up in South Dakota but made Charlotte his home after serving his country.
We recently caught up with Ben and asked him about his new trainer role, who he’s developing and more…
QUESTION: What do you like about your new role as a regional trainer?
ANSWER: I like teaching people new things, and now it’s on a different scale. I have more responsibility. Before, I was only in charge of one property.
Q: What do you look for when hiring service associates?
A: When I do days in the field, where job candidates spend a day learning about the company and the role, attitude and work ethic are probably the two biggest things I look at. If I hire someone and they don’t know how to fix an A/C unit, but they’ve got a great attitude, I’m probably going to hire them. But if they know a lot about A/Cs but their attitude or work ethic isn’t there, I probably don’t want to work with them.
Q: What did you do before The Connor Group?
A: I was in the Marines. I did maintenance, but it was communication and electronics maintenance. So, it was a little different. I had to troubleshoot issues, but they were different kinds of issues. I’d fix radios, TVs, GPS systems, printers – well, we didn’t really fix printers, we would just throw those.
Q: What do you do when you run into a problem?
A: I use my resources. I feel like I call partners Carl Williams and Rob Murray more than I should. I know I need my resources if I struggle for more than 30 minutes.
Q: What was it like getting three promotions within one year?
A: I always do like getting pats on the back – the recognition for my hard work. It makes me feel good that people recognize me for doing a good job. But the promotions come with higher expectations. I like the challenge.
Q: What is your go-to tool?
A: For any given work order, I have my multi-purpose screwdriver and a pair of channel locks. With that, you can fix just about anything.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: I like spending time with my family. We do a lot outdoors—camping, target practices, kayaking, etc. I also am a Cowboys fan.
Q: What’s next on your objectives?
A: I want to get the guys under me to where I am at. That way, when we open another market and we need someone, I can put my recommendation in to send one of my people to help out. Currently, I’m working to develop Maurice Harper to be a lead tech.