Jan. 17, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Novak Sanitary Service.

One of the best ways a company can grow its team is when friends tell friends it’s a great place to work.

That’s what happened for Justin Techen, who joined Novak Sanitary Service as a sales manager recently and already can tell it was the right move.

“It’s been great,” he said. “I have a friend at Novak, and he started poking me a little bit when the position was open, and I decided to throw my name in the hat and here I am.”

Techen knows the Sioux Falls area well. A native of Sheldon, Iowa, he graduated from Southeast Technical College with a degree in business and finance, then went on to the University of Sioux Falls to finish his Bachelor of Business Management.

“In the middle of all that, I decided to join the National Guard, went to basic training and then took about a semester off and started school back up again,” he said.

His career began selling heavy equipment to the construction industry, where he spent more than a decade building relationships in southwest Minnesota while growing a seven-county territory.

“I think as you progress through a career, you realize the importance of culture,” Techen said. “While I wasn’t looking to make a move, as I started to learn more about Novak and what they believe in and stand for in terms of servant leadership, I knew it was a really unique opportunity.”

At Novak, “the traditional leadership pyramid is flipped upside down,” he continued.

“The leaders are at the bottom, and the employees are at the top. You’ll actually be running the business, rather than the business running you. That leadership style was appealing to me and completely different than what I was used to or what you find most places.”

Most importantly, even in his first weeks on the team, he can tell Novak walks the walk.

“Safety is No. 1 here, and 10 years ago that really wasn’t on my radar, but I have kids now, and your perspective and value shift,” he said. “After that, it’s about integrity, customer service and being the best you can be in your industry. Those are values that all align with what I believe at my core. Anyone can manage people, but Novak is looking for leaders. That’s completely different, but it’s how the company lives.”

Despite being new to the industry, Techen said his team has embraced him.

“My first several weeks were spent in the field riding along with commercial, residential and roll-off routes, spending time with drivers and getting into the markets we serve,” he said.

“It’s not as simple as you set your trash out and it gets picked up. It’s been eye-opening. I’ve been fortunate to walk into a highly tenured sales team who’ve built lasting relationships with customers and whose industry knowledge is second to none. Moving forward, it’s diving into systems and processes, and leaning into sales reporting tools and route management software, and trying to piece it all together for the big picture.”

Techen oversees a sales team of three in Sioux Falls and two in Rapid City. He’ll work with some commercial accounts directly and connect with others through his team.

“We’re fortunate to serve a large share of the commercial market, but there’s always opportunity to look at how to do different things to drive growth,” he said. “We’re looking at connecting even further in all the markets we serve, and as Sioux Falls continues to grow, we want to differentiate and grow our customer base across the board as well.”

It was clear right away that Novak co-workers see each other as more than colleagues, he added.

“Everyone here knows each other really well. It’s past that first layer of just being a work relationship. It’s caring for the person as a whole, and that cultivates a culture that stands the test of time.”

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