“He would push me around the warehouse on a cart and I thought it was the coolest thing,” Taylor said. “I always wanted to be like my dad, so I feel like I'm one of the few people who always knew this is what I was going to do.”

Taylor began his own career as an intern with Eastern Industrial before fully joining its sales program after graduation. Thirteen years later, he works as an Outside Salesman for Consolidated Supply.

For Taylor, the relationships he's built along the way have become one of the industry's biggest rewards.

“This is a massive industry, but it's also a very tight-knit one,” he said. “I've met so many people across wholesalers, manufacturers, reps, contractors, and business owners who I still consider friends today.”

At home, Taylor is motivated by his wife, three children and another child on the way. At work, he draws on his competitive nature.

“Since my playing days ended, I've treated my market like my new playing field, and I show up every day to win,” he said.

That competitive mindset has also helped Taylor navigate adversity. As a young branch manager at Ferguson, he faced a seasoned employee who openly questioned his leadership and even told Taylor he wanted him to quit. Rather than backing down, Taylor focused on leading by example.

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A year later, when Taylor left Ferguson, that same employee shook his hand and told him, “I was wrong. You were the right man for the job.”

The experience remains one of Taylor's proudest accomplishments and a reminder to remain confident through difficult situations.

Taylor hopes more young people recognize the career opportunities available in PHCP-PVF and encourages them to consider joining the industry.

And those “playing days” he mentioned were no small thing: Taylor was an All-American baseball player during his junior year of college, and was recently inducted into his college's baseball hall of fame.