A Day in the Life - Paul McShane

According to Paul McShane, branch general manager of the Veolia ES Technical Solutions Central Branch, his average workday begins when the phone starts ringing. But for a branch that has multiple locations and shifts running all hours of the day and night, that first phone call can come at almost any time.

“As branch general manager, it’s my job to make sure that all of our employees have the tools and information they need to do their jobs successfully,” said Paul. “I’m responsible for our operations, sales, health and safety, environmental compliance and financial performance, so that makes for a lot of phone calls during the day.”

The Central Branch is a very busy region for Veolia ES Technical Solutions, serving a diverse group of customers in the pharmaceutical, chemical, automotive and public sector (universities, agencies and household hazardous waste) industries. With Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, serving as its home base, the Central Branch’s footprint includes a treatment storage facility in Menomonee Falls, various transportation locations and four field service centers. There are about 125 full-time employees in the branch, and another 75 or so that work on a part-time basis.

Long History with the Company

Paul has served in the role of Central Region branch manager for 15 years. Prior to taking on his current role, he worked five years in various management roles and a few years in a field position, bringing his total years with the organization to 22. Many of the individuals who Paul works with today have been with the company as long as he as, if not longer, which really helps keep the business running on all cylinders. “We have a very senior workforce in the Central Branch that is committed to serving our customers as safely and effectively as we can. Veolia has a great reputation as a service provider, and we work hard to live up to that expectation.”

When asked what he likes best about his job, Paul says it is problem solving and finding solutions to the constant challenges that come with running a business. “Technical Solutions’ senior management team puts a lot of confidence in its branch general managers all across the company, so there’s a lot of responsibility and autonomy that comes along with that. I enjoy knowing the decisions I make with my team can directly influence our success,” said Paul.

A Walk down Memory Lane

When you work for a company for as long as Paul has worked for Veolia, you have the opportunity to do a lot of different things for the business. One experience that sticks out in Paul’s mind happened years ago, when the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) used to call on the Central Branch to help with drug raids. “We used to follow the lead raid team in to confiscate chemicals and other substances,” remembers Paul. “There were times when we’d walk in and there would be people on the floor in hand-cuffs. It was better than TV!” The Central Branch isn’t doing DEA drug raids anymore, but it is serving a lot of excellent customers and performing very well.

Outside of Work

After the last phone call of the day, Paul heads to his home in Sussex, Wis., to spend evenings with his wife, Kristin, and their two children. A sports buff, Paul helps coach various sports for the local school, plays on a few teams himself, and never passes up the chance to challenge his twin brother, John McShane, the branch manager of Veolia ES Technical Solution’s Electronics Recycling Division, to a round of golf.