As the controller for Zeppa’s, Rich Young has a handle on all the numbers. And if there’s one thing numbers do, they give insight into how successful and profitable a business is.

Rich’s days are filled with reviewing hours and payroll, interacting with the Zeppa’s team, reviewing budgets, refining estimates, and attending meetings. Though his daily tasks remain fairly consistent, he’s always trying to think creatively about his role.

“I feel like part of the need in my position is to never settle for ‘how we do it,’” he says. “Instead, we need to always strive to be better, always be more profitable. Never settling is never comfortable.”

He enjoys working on projects that make Zeppa’s a better company. Some of the best – and most satisfying – projects he’s ever worked on for the company were the development of KPI (key performance indicators) tracking programs and price vs. cost estimating programs.

“Those have really helped us the most,” he says.

But there’s one thing that remains a mystery to Rich: Why he is still sitting at a card table?

After two years with the company, he’s fairly confident he’ll still be the numbers guy five years down the road. But whether or not he has an actual desk, that’s another story.

“In five years, I’ll probably be sitting here at my card table desk and wondering if Antonio will ever get me a real desk,” he says.

That kind of humor and good-natured razzing is one of the things Rich most enjoys about working at Zeppa’s.

“Antonio and Andre are brothers and we have a BIG family here,” he says. “We work hard, we laugh a lot, and we get things done. I enjoy working with people who care about what they do and how they can be better at it.”

When he’s not at work, Rich enjoys spending time with his family. He admits his weekends are usually filled with errands and as much family time as he can squeeze in. Rich has been married to his wife, Lori, for almost 32 years and they have two adult sons, aged 30 and 26.

“We also have a Colonel,” he says, referring to their seven-year-old Boxer.

Whether he’s out and about with Lori and Colonel, discovering a new favorite taco or sushi place (his two favorite foods), or enjoying his favorite season, which he simply calls “football,” Rich is sure to be enjoying the best Louisville has to offer.

“Louisville is a million-person Mayberry with great people and smiling faces,” he says.

And that includes the Zeppa’s team!