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It's a FamIly aFFaIr "The big thing is to stay relevant with our customers as we continue to move through our new store growth and rebranding process, and renovation efforts." – Brian Connell BioFile: » Director Renovations & Projects Brian Connell Family Dollars Stores Most rewarding part of your job Working with great people and the challenge of making a variety of programs come together that contribute to our company's success. Best advice you ever received Be prepared for anything and always be receptive and fexible to change; change is inevitable. Best thing a client ever said to you Working with you and your team is a pleasure. You make us feel that we are truly a part of your team and not just a service provider. Three strongest traits of leadership Integrity, the ability to inspire, and the ability to clearly communicate. True key to success Surround yourself with a great team and put them in a position to succeed by clearly communicating expectations and empowering them to do their job. Inspire them to succeed by your example. Favorite vacation spot Kiawah Island, S.C. My family and I had an opportunity to spend time there last summer. Kiawah offers the best of beach and nature. The beach was relaxing and not crowded, and we enjoyed biking, fshing, kayaking, and watching the alligators. Book you're reading now "Teams at Work, 7 Keys to Success" by Suzanne Zoglio. It's an action guide to strengthen performance of individuals to enhance their effectiveness as a team. How you spend your down time My family spends a lot of time traveling to baseball showcases and tournament games with my two sons. It's rewarding to see their passion for the game, and their hard work and dedication pay off. 32 CommerCial ConstruCtion & renovation — September : OctOber 2013 Terre Haute, Ind., that was built to LEED standards, but has not been certified yet. And in California, where they already have very high LEED standards, all of our freestanding buildings have been built to green standards. Do your customers have any expectations about green standards? Brad: Everybody is worried about the environment these days. For us, it's about having balance. It's about having concern and building things for the environment, and it's about value. I think you can do both. We went through the cost/beneft analysis as it pertains to LED lighting and found it was worth the effort. And we are growing in California, where the sustainability standards are very high. And at the same time we are working to leverage our costs out. Walk us through your construction strategy. Brad: Our strategy has evolved over the past few years. We've been around a long time. We have 50 percent inline space and 50 percent new construction. Over the past few years, we've had a majority of new construction. Our strategy is to employ good developers who can assure quality. This year, we are focusing on trying to leverage our costs, drive returns and shorten the construction time frames. What should people expect from your brand moving forward? Brian: The brand is very important to us. Our main focus right now on the construction side is to have clean stores. We want them to be well organized so our customers can get what they need and check out quickly. We also want our customers to feel safe. That means, making sure that every store has well lit parking lots and interiors. CCR