Brian Bush’s journey from a general laborer to leading major hardscaping projects is a testament to hard work and seizing opportunities. All without a college degree, he rose through the ranks across a variety of companies in the hardscaping industry. Now as the Chief Manufacturing Officer at CarbonBuilt, Bush leverages his extensive experience to leave a sustainable legacy for the future.
‘College was not for me’
“I started in construction because it’s kind of in my blood. It was, my grandfather, my dad, and it was just kind of me by default,” Bush said. “College was not for me and I decided to join the workforce after failing to play professional soccer. When I did that, I entered the workforce as a general laborer, literally the bottom of the totem pole. And I realized really quickly that although I was having fun, I wanted to find every opportunity to take that next step.”
And he has consistently made the most of every opportunity. Bush has been an equipment operator, a foreman, a surveyor, a project manager, an estimator – the list goes on and on.
But after a while, he found himself wondering what was next.
“I was talking to my boss, and one day he said, ‘You make pretty good money for an uneducated fella,’ and that hit me. That inspired me,” Bush said. “I was going to use that to springboard my career.”
He moved more seriously into project management at another local company doing highway work, retaining walls, and concrete pavers for TXDOT, but when the company was bought by a big corporation, they told him he had reached as high as he could without a college degree.
Resistance as Motivation
Again, Bush didn’t take no for an answer. Instead, he took it as a challenge. He started his own company and was able to grow it into a multimillion-dollar business within three years and he fully took the leap into big hardscape projects.
“But through my journey I did not have any experience or any opportunity to really learn the business acumen side of things,” Bush said. “I knew how to bid work. I knew how to execute work. I knew how to get things done, but then there was the money management side of it, and I very quickly became overwhelmed.”
He ended up selling the business and working for the company that bought him out. But again, he found himself bumping up against the ceiling with no room for growth or advancement.
Then he found a new opportunity and moved into sales with Oldcastle APG.
“I’d already figured out the end user side, the contractor side, and Oldcastle really helped me figure out the business side of it, the sales side of it, and understanding how the manufacturing process worked, how the sales process worked, and the math of the money around that. That kind of springboarded me into upper management and executive roles.”
From there Brian was the VP at Austin Block and Quarry, growing it from $3.5 million in annual business to over $20 million annually. Then over to Partanna where he got to work closely with its founder, Rick Fox, a three-time NBA champion and entrepreneur.
“I got to rub elbows with celebrities in this arena. Rick played with Shaq and Kobe, won three NBA national championships, and now I’m teaching him how to make blocks and pavers,” Bush said.
From Partanna, Bush moved on to CarbonBuilt where he was the Director of National Sales and then got promoted to Chief Manufacturing Officer.
“Doing it all without a college education is pretty cool and CarbonBuilt is wonderful for that,” Bush said.
“…When I was interviewing, I said, ‘Look, guys, I’ve hit this kind of wall with other companies where I wasn’t going to have the opportunity because I’m not college educated.’ And they said, ‘No, that’s what we want. We have the academia part of our team together. What we don’t have is you.’ And that’s kind of the beauty of it, because I work from an angle that they have never seen before.”
Creating Sustainable Solutions
In Bush’s current role, he gets to play a part in all different aspects of the business from coast to coast – mergers and acquisitions, product sales, product development, etc. But his primary goal is to reduce the carbon output and footprint of concrete production through cement replacement.
“A lot of people don’t know the difference between cement and concrete. I have to tell them that flour is to cake what cement is to concrete. A lot of people don’t understand,” Bush said. “But when you start talking about environmental impacts, they tend to perk up and want to know more.”
Advancing the Industry
Bush credits the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA) with playing a significant role in his career development. The connections and relationships he’s built through the organization have opened doors and created numerous opportunities.
Beyond networking, CMHA has provided Bush with invaluable technical knowledge and support. The association fosters a sense of camaraderie among its members. While companies may compete in some respects, he said CMHA gives them the opportunity to all come together with the shared goal of advancing the hardscaping industry.
“It’s one of the oldest trades in the world,” Bush said. “…We’ve got to keep that legacy rolling.”
Leaving a Legacy
As for his own legacy, Bush worked on a number of projects he is particularly proud of.
It was a special moment for him as a former soccer player to get to work on the Austin FC Q2 Stadium. He’s worked on countless schools and universities, as well as skyscrapers.
“I get teased because everywhere I go, I point out to my wife or my kids, ‘Hey! I worked on that project,’ and it’s to the point now where when they see a block, they’re like, ‘Hey, did you do that?’” Bush laughed.
His expansive career has also afforded him the opportunity to create something completely from scratch.
“I did design and patent a retaining wall block. I’m an inventor, that’s pretty cool,” he said.
Career Advice
Bush’s advice for anyone looking to enter the hardscaping industry is to stay focused and to work smart.
“This industry starts you right out the gate with a good competitive salary, and the sky is the limit. You can go from being a laborer making close to minimum wage to high six-figure salaries just through hard work and dedication,” Bush said.
He said that work ethic and a good attitude are what make you go far in hardscaping.
“I obviously don’t get hung up on college degrees. When I’m hiring someone, or if I’m looking to promote someone, it’s someone that takes that extra step,” Bush said.
“It could be even the simplest housekeeping, you know. You’re going to have people that walk through your plant and will kick a piece of trash out of the way rather than pick it up and put it in the can. It’s the one that picks it up and puts it in the can that is going somewhere.”
