Operator & Septic Installer: Ryan
Ryan Hansen is a field operator and licensed septic installer for High Performance Earthworks. As one of the employees with the most experience, he has become a leading septic installer in the Front Range.
How long have you been with High Performance Land & Home?
Since the beginning (2016).
How would you describe your role within the company?
I’ve fallen more into a leadership role now, I suppose. Jesse and I have been there the longest. I am definitely the septic guy. My role is autonomous. I get to do my own thing and get things done efficiently. I’m in a leadership role now, to help the new guys.
What do you like about this particular field of excavation?
Installing septic systems is very challenging. I like the challenge. The challenge ends up being the reward in the end. You come to each job with pride. You see the customer’s face when you bomb their yard out, but then you work to make it more beautiful than the original landscape. It’s a rewarding job.
I also love being outside. I love the mountains. I love the customer interactions. I’m always meeting neat folks. I could go on and on really.
What has been your favorite customer experience?
I’ve had quite a few recently. One customer is a 94-year-old out in Eldora. He wanted to send me something for Christmas, so he asked for my mailing address. You know, when you go out there and spend three weeks or so at one property, you start to feel like a part of their family, as weird as that sounds. I’ve had people invite me over for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a big deal.
What was the most difficult challenge for you to overcome during your time with HPE?
Coming in with no experience and no one to really teach me. Jesse steered me in the right direction, but we learned a lot together. Sometimes, when you first come to a site, you can’t even wrap your mind around the logistics.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since being with the company?
It’s the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had, which mostly has to do with the personnel — Jesse twisting my arm and luring me from the West Coast. It’s been a pretty cool experience so far, in that respect. You have to appreciate when you have a good thing going for you and good people around you.
Oh, and patience. Jesse is a very patient individual. He has taught me patience through the years. If it had been anyone but Jesse, I may not have stuck it out. And that’s why I’m so good at it now, I had to do things my way and learn from that.
You are the most experienced field operator right now working for the company. You’ve built up your knowledge and skill set by installing OWTS. Can you tell me more about your expertise in the field?
I’m still learning, every day. It’s a never-ending learning curve. The first year was school-of-hard-knocks, learning through failure. I learned a lot that first year, especially during inspections. But I was persistent. I’ve lost count of the amount of septics I’ve put in. (It’s a few hundred.)
How do your years of experience and expertise set you apart from other installers in the region?
In addition to having several septic licenses, I have a couple of county contractors’ licenses: Park County and Clear Creek County. I’m self-taught. When you work at it full-time for several years, you get good at it, you learn from failure. I still have a lot to learn.
What else are your passions outside of work?
Oh boy. It is important to have passions. That’s one of my favorite questions to ask people. It often stumps people more often than not. It’s interesting that you can go through life without thinking about your passions. You have to have passions.
I like taking pictures and being outside. Traveling, being active, climbing. I see the world in the rule of thirds. I went to school for photography. I started out in political science and got bored. But then I attended a tech college and started up in digital images, just when it first started coming out. I printed film back in the day. I want photography to be my retirement hobby someday.
Climbing also takes me to a lot of beautiful spots. That’s the passion, right there.