In the trades, culture isn’t what you say. It’s what people feel when they show up every day.
On Commercial Grade, Rich Malachy, CEO of Malachy Parts & Service, talks with host RC Victorino about what actually keeps people in the work: credibility, pride, and leadership that doesn’t hide behind a title.
Rich grew up in the family business. He tried college, but it didn’t stick — not because he couldn’t do it, but because he couldn’t care about it. “If I’m not interested in it, I can’t put my life into it.”
So he went all-in on the business, learning every job in the building — field work, parts, dispatch, billing, operations. Not to prove anything, but to understand the work.
That experience still shapes how he leads.
“It’s imperative to be able to say, ‘I’ve done every job in the building. I’ve been out on the road. I’ve seen it all,” he says.
In the trades, respect isn’t automatic. It’s earned by showing up, riding along, visiting job sites, and staying close to the people actually doing the work.
Rich is also honest about what the job is not. New tools, tablets, and AI are changing how work gets done — but the work is still hard.
“This isn’t just turning the wrench. You’re bending, twisting, crawling. You’re in grease and grime. Every call is different.”
The difference, he says, is that the trades don’t trap you.
“If you put your head down and really learn this, you can take it anywhere in the world,” he argues.
And it doesn’t end on the truck. Leadership, operations, sales, support; there’s a real path forward if companies are willing to build it.
Underneath it all is something Rich learned at home, long before he ran a company. Three words his mom repeated constantly:
“Gentle. Loving. Kind.”
He doesn’t preach it. He practices it through how people are treated, how time with family is respected, and how pride shows up in the details.
Because slogans don’t keep people, what keeps people are standards, respect, and leaders who do exemplify those beliefs everyday.
Want to catch the full episode? Check out Commercial Grade on Spotify, Youtube, and Apple Podcasts.
