BOB WILLS
CEO
THE BRANCH GROUP
How did you first enter the industry and how did it prepare you for where you are today?
I started in this industry at a company in Houston, Texas, that specialized in the high-end interior finish-out. They were looking for their first CFO. It was my first role as CFO instead of controller.
I enjoyed it so much that I intentionally looked for CFO roles with greater and greater responsibilities and complexities. I went on to serve as CFO for both domestic and international firms. I have served as CFO for the entire Western Hemisphere for one of the largest EPC firms in our industry. Those experiences are what got me here today.
Favorite cool weather activity?
I’m a summer guy. But I was an avid skier in my younger days. Now, I prefer to spend my winters in Texas as much as I can where I can enjoy my favorite pastime—boating—year-round.
How did you know that you were ready to step up into the CEO role? What has the transition process been like?
For the past 20 years, I’ve been a true partner in a CEO/CFO leadership team. I’ve worked with some extraordinary leaders, where we had complete trust in each other’s actions.
I was familiar with the CEO position and the challenges our previous CEO faced. I am now standing on the other side. I’m putting the skills I learned from other exceptional leaders into practice.
What should people look for in a strong leader?
A good leader is humble, transparent, open and a great listener. They hire the best people and let them run. They also know their own limits and don’t make decisions that aren’t in their wheelhouse.
What are you looking forward to in Q4 2024 and the coming years at Branch?
We just finished our 2024 fall leadership meetings. We focused on finishing the year strong and reviewed the opportunities and threats to our plan in Q4. We then implement mitigation plans and take actions that will help us finish with the very best possible results.
I spoke about the frameworks of risk management, oversight and team that we have put in place the past few years. Those frameworks are the foundation that will get us to our goals.
And we are in a great position to have a historic 2025. We are emphasizing our strategy to “dig in” and grow the company from the bottom up. We’ll continue to concentrate on the markets, customers and geographies where we can continue to prosper.
