Meet Site Supervisor Austin Florey

Austin Florey is a self-proclaimed “toolhead,” so he naturally gets animated talking about picking the right equipment for the job.

“If it helps us, if it helps the client, that’s when I get excited,” he says.

That client-centric passion is part of Austin’s role as RMS Site Supervisor, and it drives him daily. His mission on each project, as he describes it, is to manage the “10,000-foot-view” and to keep the job “moving forward.” He describes the position as challenging but rewarding; it’s a fast-paced environment where important decisions must be made constantly. Austin is always absorbing new information and interpreting that information to make real-time choices, whether that relates to schedules or blueprints and drawings. No matter the hectic nature, he says with a chuckle, he abides by the motto, “The show must go on.”
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Austin recently celebrated his one-year anniversary with RMS. Previously, he worked in a similar capacity elsewhere in the region, and while he was part of a collaborative project, RMS owner Caleb Fetter recognized the qualities in Austin that he felt would make for an excellent team member.

“It felt like a good fit,” Austin adds. “I needed a bit of a breather to develop my roots here.” A native of Elizabethtown and lifelong resident of the region, Austin has relocated to Bainbridge with his wife Amanda and French bulldog Spud.

RMS embodies the best of Lancaster, Austin explains, and speaks to several of the company’s Core Values as proof. Flexibility refers not only to matching the clients’ needs, but also relates internally, as team members stay as fluid as possible to support one another. Each co-worker, he notes, is “100% diligent,” taking to heart the idea of doing what one loves and showing that appreciation through hard work. Austin adds that innovation is evident in the often-custom, sometimes-“crazy” work that RMS will provide in service to upholding each client’s wishes and providing excellent stewardship of resources.

In particular, the Crossway Church project in Millersville was a thrilling job for Austin since he adores working commercial sites, and as an audiophile, he takes great pride in working on sonically related elements. From hanging speakers and PA equipment to the necessary rackwork, “being able to make it look seamless is at the top of my list of what I love to do,” he says.
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As he describes his work on another demanding project, The Laurel at Rittenhouse Square in Center City Philadelphia, he takes time to marvel at the ability of technology to make everyone’s jobs easier. He relays an example of hammer-drilling for eight to ten hours in a day, a physically taxing job, and how a new exoskeleton-style backpack from Hilti helps reduce that strain by holding a worker’s arms up. The same company also has robotics that can drill 900 holes into poured concrete “in the same amount of time it took three of us” to drill that number at The Laurel, he says.

Though his love for really cool new tools and construction gadgets is evident, Austin swiftly elaborates that the tools are secondary to finding a rhythm and keeping the team up to date with processes. He calls it a “blessing” that RMS allows him as a Site Supervisor to share his knowledge in providing training and coaching. “You gotta work smarter, not harder,” he says, “and when everybody starts rolling,” that makes him smile.

When he’s not at RMS, he’s likely playing and streaming video games, often with his wife. Austin and his dad built his first PC at the age of 13, and ever since then, he’s been building PCs and immersed himself in the world of gaming. Lately, he’s been playing Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, a Japanese horror-adventure game. Also an avid adorer of horror films, from The Black Phone to Friday the 13th: Part 6 (“A classic!” he exclaims), he’s fully ready for Halloween.
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October’s not simply spooky season—it also marks the occasion of Austin’s birthday (and Spud’s, a day after his). As he reflects on this past year, his first full one at RMS, he says he’s noticed an emphasis on communication within the team. A graduate of Elizabethtown College with a degree in Communications (focusing on broadcasting and digital media), Austin knows how crucial collaboration is, and he remarks how special it feels to work for a company that understands that.

“It’s such a comfort to me in this fast-paced environment,” he says, ready to kick off another busy day as Site Supervisor. “Everybody here has your back!”

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