Hi D***n, I hope you’re doing well. I came across your profile and was impressed by your leadership as President and Co-Founder of A***a P***g I***s, along with your extensive operations and project management background in asphalt and concrete. I’m J***e, an HR recruiter at StrategyBrain, working with E***e I***e G***p,a dynamic mid-size contractor in Texas specializing in transportation infrastructure and paving solutions. They’re currently looking for a Vice President of Operations for their Asphalt & Concrete Division, and your experience seems like a great fit. Would you be open to a brief call to explore this opportunity further? I’d love to share more details and hear about your career goals. Best regards, J***e HR Recruiter, StrategyBrain

Hi D***n, Great to hear from you,and thanks for your interest. Here’s a quick overview of the VP of Operations, Asphalt & Concrete role at E***e: • Company & Team , E***e I***e G***p is a growing mid-size contractor in Texas, specializing in transportation infrastructure, asphalt paving and concrete solutions. We employ over 500 professionals and pride ourselves on innovation, safety and sustainability. , You’d join the executive leadership team, working closely with our CEO and division heads. • Role & Responsibilities 1. Lead all phases of asphalt and concrete paving projects,from estimating and budgeting through field execution,ensuring top-tier quality, safety and profitability. 2. Develop and execute strategic operational plans, monitor financial performance, and identify new markets and service offerings. 3. Manage cross-functional teams of project managers, estimators and field crews to optimize processes and delivery timelines. 4. Build and nurture relationships with clients, suppliers and regulators to drive growth and compliance. 5. Mentor emerging leaders, foster a culture of continuous improvement and position the division for scale. • Why It’s a Great Fit for You , You’ve spent a decade leading asphalt and concrete operations at A***a P***g,this role lets you apply that expertise across a broader footprint and influence the company’s strategic direction. , You’ll have substantial P&L ownership, a significant leadership team to develop and direct, plus the chance to shape E***e’s long-term infrastructure roadmap. , E***e provides robust resources,industry-leading safety programs, advanced project management tools, a dedicated operations budget and ongoing leadership development. • Growth & Compensation , This is an executive-level role with clear paths to COO or other C-suite positions as E***e continues to expand. , We offer a competitive base salary, performance bonus and equity participation to align incentives with your impact. I’d love to dive deeper and learn more about your goals. Are you available for a 20-minute call this week? I’m free Wednesday between 10:00,11:30 AM CT or Thursday after 2:00 PM CT. Let me know what works for you,or feel free to suggest another time. Also, if you have any questions about the role or E***e up front, just let me know. Looking forward to chatting, J***e HR Recruiter, StrategyBrain

Hi D***n, Happy to dive into this ahead of our call. In the Asphalt & Concrete division, the VP of Operations currently oversees: • Two Operations Directors (Asphalt & Concrete) who each manage 3,4 Project Managers and their field supervisors • An Estimating Manager with a team of 2 senior estimators handling bids, budgets and change orders • A Safety & Quality Manager responsible for site inspections, compliance and continuous‐improvement initiatives Together, this leadership group directly supports roughly 15 project teams and 100+ field staff across Texas. As for top challenges right now, they’re focused on: 1. Standardizing processes and reporting across our multiple regional crews to drive consistency in quality, safety and margin. 2. Managing margin pressure from fluctuating raw‐material costs (asphalt emulsions, concrete additives) while maintaining competitive pricing. 3. Optimizing equipment utilization and labor deployment to improve on-time delivery and reduce idle time. 4. Building bench strength,mentoring emerging leaders within the division so we can sustain growth without bottlenecks. I look forward to exploring these points (and your ideas!) on Thursday. Would 2:30 PM CT work for you? If you’d prefer another time after 2:00, just let me know. Best, J***e HR Recruiter, StrategyBrain

Hi D***n, Great questions,happy to share a bit more before our call. For reporting and process standardization, we’ve rolled out a cloud-based project management platform (built on Procore) that feeds into custom Power BI dashboards. On a weekly and monthly cadence we track KPIs such as: • Safety incident rate (TRIR & near-miss reports) • Budget adherence (cost variance vs. estimate) • Schedule performance (on-time delivery %) • Production efficiency (tons/day per crew) • Equipment utilization (hours in use vs. idle) • Gross margin by project and change-order accuracy These metrics are visible to everyone from the field up to the executive team, which drives faster decision-making and continuous improvement. Our bench-strength program is a formal talent pipeline embedded into that same platform. High-potential leaders are identified through a combination of performance metrics, peer and manager nominations, and quarterly 9-box talent reviews. Once on the radar, they’re paired with a senior mentor, assigned stretch projects or cross-divisional rotations, and enrolled in our internal leadership workshops. Progress is monitored via individual development plans, regular feedback sessions and bi-annual talent forums to ensure we’re building the next generation of operations leaders. Looking forward to digging deeper at 2:30 PM CT on Thursday. Talk soon! Best, J***e

Hi D***n, Our Procore,Power BI integration refreshes data on roughly an hourly basis, so field crews and supervisors see near real-time dashboards. You can set threshold alerts on any KPI,when, for example, cost variance exceeds 5% or on-time delivery dips below 90%, the system triggers an email or push notification to the relevant supervisors so they can investigate immediately. On the bench-strength side, once someone lands in the upper two boxes of our quarterly 9-box review, we typically plan their first rotation within the next 3 months. They’re paired with a mentor, given stretch assignments and attend targeted leadership sessions in that window. A recent success: one of our senior estimating coordinators moved into an Assistant Operations Manager role in just 3½ months and is now overseeing two crews on a major T***T highway rehab,he’s already driven a 12% uptick in production efficiency. Hope that helps,let me know if there’s anything else you’d like before our 2:30 PM CT call on Thursday. Best, J***e

Hi D***n, Great questions: 1. KPI Customization Yes,while we maintain a standard set of core metrics, supervisors and crew leads can propose and adjust their own thresholds within Procore,Power BI. They submit changes through the dashboard interface, which are then reviewed by the Operations Directors for consistency before going live. This balance keeps teams empowered but ensures our corporate benchmarks stay aligned. 2. Long-Term Bench-Strength Metrics Beyond that first rotation, we track: • Retention rate of bench-strength participants at 6-, 12-, and 18-month marks • Promotion rate and time-to-fill for newly opened leadership roles • Productivity gains (e.g., % increase in tons/day, crew utilization improvements) • Project margin uplift on teams led by program alumni • Employee engagement scores from our bi-annual pulse survey These measures help us validate ROI on development time and ensure we’re building a pipeline that sustainably drives operational excellence. Let me know if you’d like a quick dashboard screenshot before our 2:30 PM CT call tomorrow. Looking forward to diving in further! Best, J***e HR Recruiter, StrategyBrain