Bryce Fleharty

Bio: It was a chance meeting that led to the rest of his life. For Bryce Fleharty, a simple job led to his current career with Hose and Rubber Supply. Fleharty, an Inside Sales Specialist with Hose and Rubber Supply, was actually doing a different job inside of the Hose and Rubber walls.

“I was installing internet at the Hose and Rubber in Williston, North Dakota,” Fleharty stated. “A good friend of mine, who worked at Hose and Rubber at the time, asked me if I’d rather work inside than work outside installing fiber optic cable in 60 below degree weather.”

It was an easy answer.

Before installing fiber optics, Fleharty worked in the oil field. He was used to working with his hands, in less than ideal conditions, and he was looking for a change. He got that change with Hose and Rubber Supply.

Fleharty said that he was searching for something new, something different - mostly due to the fact that he had a son on the way. He wanted something that offered him security and, more than anything, he wanted something that would allow him to stick close to home.

That ended up being easier than he thought.

“The Hose and Rubber shop was literally 3 blocks away from my house,” Fleharty laughed. “So the commute was perfect, being that it’s winter 90% of the time in North Dakota.”

The process of getting hired was relatively easy as well, Fleharty stated.

“I was hired on the spot,” he beamed. “They were like, ‘When can you start?’ There were 25 people in line waiting to be helped. It was just a madhouse back in 2011 when the boom was happening. And there wasn’t any competition for them back then.”

Nowadays, Hose and Rubber Supply does have competition, but that doesn’t make them any less busy. They’re still held in very high demand, due to their commitment to quality customer service.

In fact, Fleharty said, it’s that commitment to customer service that is his favorite part of the job.

“I love the everyday challenge of this job,” he stated. “I love making people smile and making people happy. Because when people are coming through the door, they’re not always in the best moods. Their stuff is broken and they know they’re about to spend a bunch of money to have something fixed. And every customer, everything you do, is a new challenge. And that’s the one thing that has kept me going all these years and kept me happy; it’s changing the attitudes of every customer that comes in. It’s always something new.”

Fleharty performs a wide range of tasks at Hose and Rubber Supply. He started out working in inside sales, but eventually became the shop foreman after two managers left.

“I was basically running the shop, handling all of the everyday duties on the counter and answering phones; there are pictures of me answering two phones at one time,” he laughed. “But I love it. That’s why I do so well here. The Salt Lake branch is always so busy, and I have ADHD, so it works out well.”

Fleharty has given his time and attention to a myriad of different branches of Hose and Rubber Supply over the years. He says he’s worked everywhere, with everybody. And the one thing he’s realized throughout his time with the company is this: it really is like a family.

That statement is something that is repeated in every spotlight that Hose and Rubber produces. It’s almost become a cliche but the reason things become a cliche is because they are true. And nothing is more true than the employees of Hose and Rubber Supply being a family.

“Everybody at Hose and Rubber Supply has gone out of their way to extend their hand to me and be more than family,” Fleharty offered. “They’ve welcomed me everywhere I’ve been. I’ve worked at Williston; I worked in Casper; I worked in Billings and redid their whole store. I’ve worked in Rock Springs and Provo and now in Salt Lake. And everywhere I’ve been, it’s been a hundred percent family to me. Everybody is, and that’s the best part about being here. With all of us, Scott and Brian and everyone else; we know how much love and time and energy they put into each and every employee. That’s what has kept me here.”

When Bryce Fleharty walked into Hose and Rubber Supply for the first time, he had no idea that it’s where he would spend the next 12 years of his life. But that’s exactly what happened. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I love it here,” he said. “I love each and every person that works here and that puts in the time and effort and energy into making this company as great as it is. And it’s great because of our willingness to go out of our way to make sure that our customer heart is always showing - that we wear it on our sleeve. And that we’re always going the extra mile. People come here because our competition sends them here - that’s how good our reputation is. We always go out of our way to make sure that the customer leaves satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt. And they come back because they’re so happy and so satisfied. We are always dedicated to make the customer our number one priority.”