Al and Jonathan Richardson: Family Force in Florida
Al Richardson has been a legend in the waterworks business for 40 years. He hails from Florida, but he spent a lot of his career in Texas. Then around 2010 he was promoted to Southeast Regional Manager and returned to his roots oversee one of SIGMA’s biggest markets. He comments, “We had a lot of opportunity in Northern Florida, but we had a hard time finding the right TSM for the area. I was covering it myself for awhile but that was not sustainable. I knew Jonathan was looking for a change, and I knew he had a strong work ethic—it’s in our family’s DNA. I have always been close to Jonathan—he was one of my golf buddies and I was confident that he would be a good fit for SIGMA. But I wanted to avoid any perception of favoritism, so I let Jonathan know the opportunity was there but he went through the application process like everyone else.”
When Jonathan joined SIGMA in 2018 it was a long time coming. He had worked in other fields but had always been interested in his Uncle Al’s sales career. He explains, “Over the years, I had spoken to Al about joining SIGMA, and when the opportunity opened up, he tipped me off and I never looked back.” Arriving at SIGMA from the outside the waterworks profession, Jonathan had limited knowledge of the industry, but Al had a plan for his newly hired nephew: “He shipped me off to Alabama to work in the warehouse for two months. He told me ‘come back when you know a fitting from a flange.’ I drove a forklift, picked orders, and learned everything I could from the amazing team there. It was a great experience.”
Returning to Florida, Jonathan hit the ground running and continued to learn: “I speak to Al daily. He’s my direct report and a lot more. His mentorship has been really valuable. He taught me how to communicate effectively with customers through the good, the bad, and the ugly. The most important thing we do is take care of our customers, and sometimes that means delivering bad news on a price, or a delay, but Al has shown me the ropes. Seeing how he manages the relationships through responsiveness and good communication has helped me immeasurably.”
Al describes the onboarding process: “I took Jonathan under my wing for the first few months, but like everyone at SIGMA, there is a point where you have to sink or swim. He was able to learn the waterworks business, and he already had strong sales and relationship-building skills. The Northern Florida market is highly competitive and he has done a great job of outperforming for our customers and growing the business.”
If you’ve met either or both of the Richardson boys, you know that it’s not all affirmations, support and guidance—there’s a lot of joking and ribbing. Jonathan continues: “Al doesn’t let me speak. If we have a regional meeting, he gives the other TSMs the floor—they all get their hour to make presentations, deliver reports, take a victory lap. When it’s my turn, Al goes, ‘Jonathan doesn’t have anything to add.’ And I say, ‘maybe next year!’ Al is super involved in the sales efforts and very knowledgeable, but I give him a hard time about sitting home drinking coffee or playing pickleball while I’m out pounding the pavement. It’s all in good fun!”
We congratulate Al and Jonathan, thank them for their dedication to SIGMA and wish them both continued success!