Brandon McCullough never has a bad day. Considering his dual careers, that seems nearly impossible to pull off.
McCullough balances the duties of facility manager and city councilman. In 2019, he was elected to a council seat in Livonia, Michigan, where he lives. He has also been at his full-time job as the facilities manager of the nearby Charter Township of Northville since 2020.
For the last six years, McCullough has juggled tasks such managing new construction projects and building renovations then spending his evenings debating topics like funding new schools in Livonia.
“I’m the facilities guy in the morning and then I put the political hat on,” he says while chuckling. “And it’s kind of unique.”
It’s also the kind of setup that would cause many people to break. But through the power of positivity, McCullough pulls it off.
“He’s a very personable guy,” says Alex Hester, a maintenance technician under McCullough the last five years. “Day to day, he’ll ask how you’re doing, and if you have a short answer, we’ll get a coffee and talk about it. He understands dealing with people and dealing with problems. He always looks at the bigger picture.”
Politics and facilities management was not the planned path for McCullough, whose love for the construction industry started thanks to his father, an employee of one of the largest construction developers in Michigan. He enrolled in a nearby engineering school, Lawrence Tech in the Detroit metropolitan area, on the advice of his father.
“He said the one mistake he made was to not get a four-year degree, so he wanted me to do that,” McCullough says. “Thankfully, that occurred because in hindsight, having an education, even now in facilities, it’s almost a prerequisite to start getting into higher jobs.”
McCullough started his own contracting company and got plenty of work due to a building boom taking place during the early 2000s.
Those plans changed when building around Detroit slowed down, and he closed his business. But he was ready to take on a new challenge, whatever that might be.
“I lean into my ability to adapt, whether in leadership, community projects or personal challenges,” he says. “Nothing ever goes perfectly, but if you can stay steady and keep solutions at the forefront, people naturally rally behind that.”
McCullough found himself in an interesting space personally after his business closed.
“I was humbled,” he says.
With his ego bruised, McCullough, a 2022 Facility Champions recipient, responded to a Habitat for Humanity job opening that changed his life.
During his four years with the nonprofit, McCullough embraced the opportunity, rising to the position of director of construction before leaving in 2012.
At Habitat, McCullough managed the construction staff and volunteers who helped to build Energy Star-certified homes in Macomb County and worked with vendors to secure building products and municipalities to secure permits, approvals and compliance in a county that was suffering from the economic conditions of the time.
“I was finally back to my coursework with making estimates and requests for purchase (RFPs),” he says. “We had millions of dollars in Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds, so we went from a two-house operation to renovating close to 70 houses.”
During his time at Habitat, McCullough leaned into sustainability and pursued LEED certification for residential homes while starting to entertain thoughts of running for political office thanks to a mentor who was also a local mayor.
McCullough wasn’t making much money but suddenly felt like a million bucks.
“I knew at that point everything I was getting was experience and confidence,” he says. “It was probably the best job I’ve ever had.”
Ready for a new challenge, McCullough set his sights on a different path in 2012. He headed into the municipal government realm as a facility operations manager for the City of Novi, Michigan, where he managed 20 buildings and more than 20,000 acres of parkland.
“There was a lot of trial by error,” McCullough says. “I have the fire department, public works, a unique set of people that I have to deal with and every one of them are different.”
Within three years, McCullough created a standardized facilities management team that oversaw city hall, police, fire, public works, parks and recreation and an ice arena. He managed 30 employees.
His projects included the construction of a new $9.8 million public works building and the creation of a gun-range classroom and storage facility.
Matt Turco, who later ascended to replace McCullough as Novi’s facilities manager, was one of his employees.
“He’s really good at project management,” Turco says. “That served him well on the facilities team when they were taking on large projects here with the city and having an outgoing personality. His personality plays well with getting along with other departments.”
It was near the end of his time in Novi that an opportunity came about to run for city council in Livonia. It was also about this time that McCullough took a facilities job closer to home with the Charter Township of Northville, the village next to his home in Livonia.
McCullough was now years removed from his Habitat for Humanity job, but the positive memories from the experience continue to linger through his career.
“I liked helping people,” he says of the experience. “When you do a dedication for a Habitat house and someone is thanking you, it’s the coolest thing.”
The seeds of running for office were planted earlier in his career but only grew when he appeared before the council in Novi and an unpopular funding issue passed.
“They catered to nine people out of 60,000,” McCullough says. “I remember that moment, going home, I told my wife if I ever got to that place, I would have open conversations, and I wouldn’t be afraid of making those decisions.”
Northville Township, with a population of about 33,000, is a smaller municipality, but presents the same kinds of opportunities that McCullough had in Novi. He manages the municipality’s facility management division, oversees capital projects and budgeting while also hiring, coaching and mentoring facilities personnel.
Being a councilperson and a facilities manager – even in different municipalities – places McCullough in an interesting position. As facilities spending ranks high on every municipality’s budget demand, McCullough plays an important role in helping prioritize Livonia’s facility needs.
“I think the biggest thing is I’m coming to these guys not as a politician, not as a boss, but a guy that’s been there,” he says.
Which brings it back to McCullough’s future — both in politics and in facilities.
Throughout his career, McCullough learned that a message of positivity would help him succeed in both the facilities realm and the political arena. He mentions that “consistency builds credibility” both within his facilities teams and among his constituents.
“I believe my success comes through a mix of work ethic, transparency and persistence,” he says. “I don’t shy away from tough conversations or hard decisions, but I also make it a point to listen before I act. Over time, people start to trust that you’ll follow through and put the bigger picture above your own interests.”
The next mayoral election in Livonia is in two years. McCullough is testing the waters, but it feels like the decision may have already been made. A winning campaign would mean an end – perhaps only temporarily – to his facilities career. Stepping down would be a bittersweet moment for him.
“It’s not a matter if I want to run, it’s a matter of disappointing a number of people in the city if I don’t,” he says. “I’m kind of caught because I love it (in facilities). I still remember getting a project done and getting a letter congratulating me but saying ‘Don’t run for mayor’.”
Until McCullough needs to make that decision to officially run, he plans to keep on doing what he’s always done — enjoy his job and help make the world a better place.
“At the heart of it, success for me isn’t about the title or the position,” he says. “It’s about leaving the room, the project, or the community a little better than how I found it.”
Dave Lubach is executive editor for the facilities market. He has 10 years of experience writing about facility management and maintenance issues.
