Josiah Girton Is Ariat’s Building Operations Unicorn

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When the call came from a headhunter, Josiah Girton figured he would have to explain his diverse résumé yet again.  Girton has been a facilities training manager, a transportation analyst, an operational supervisor, a homebuilder, and now a prospective building operations manager at Ariat, a brand known for its range of performance footwear and western apparel.

If you scan his résumé, you’ll see Girton perfecting one area of his practice, repeatedly getting promoted to another, and then being snapped up by another organization—often to do something entirely new.

“When Ariat called, I figured I would have to try and talk them through my journey,” Girton says. “A lot of people hate my résumé because they can’t figure out what I actually want to do. My response is always, ‘What do you need me to do?’ And in Ariat’s case, they said they were looking for a unicorn, because this would be a building startup and they needed someone to help build out this team. I just jumped in and got to work.”

Girton, twice promoted and a director of building operations since September 2023, joined Ariat in 2020 right around the time Forbes ran a feature on the technology, enthusiasm, and know-how contributing to the company’s massive growth year over year. To keep pace, Ariat needed someone with retail, logistics, and construction experience that could effectively help it expand its boot prints.

“I got to hire every person who is now on my team. . .. And I was seeking out people that I wouldn’t need to train for six weeks, people that I could hand things off to and I knew could perform.”

Josiah Girton

That mandate started at ground zero for the build ops manager. On his first day, it was just Girton and his boss, who wasn’t located on-site or even in-state at the time, along with a small operations team. By Christmastime, Girton had taken on two new hires, and they took out a couple key vendors and significant others for their department’s holiday dinner so the party wouldn’t be so small.

In the years since, the team has grown.

“Looking around the table this year was pretty special,” Girton says. “I got to hire every person who is now on my team: my safety manager, my facilities and technicians, my associate managers. And I was seeking out people that I wouldn’t need to train for six weeks, people that I could hand things off to and I knew could perform.”

Before bringing new talent on board, Girton was already building processes that could operate with minimal oversight until new hires were able to bring their skills to the effort. Part of the reason for his success—and confidence in his team—is because he built the very mechanisms for them to thrive in. All he needed were the right people.

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“This might sound odd, but the people I’m looking for are honorable,” Girton says. “Do they come off as trustworthy? How are they going to get along with the rest of my team? I tend to shoot pretty straight, and I need people who can succeed in that environment and have a clear path for how they want to get where they’re going.”

Girton’s purview includes massive hubs that he’s built out for Ariat in Haslet and Denton, Texas, respectively, both of which are more than 1 million square feet. Projects range from the designing of automatic storage and retrieval systems, pallet racking, conveyance systems, and a bevy of other automation projects with vendor partners like Hy-Tek Intralogistics, Geek+ Robotics, and Exotec Solutions. The scale and tech of those projects all bear deeper inspection, but they’re a fraction of Girton’s daily role.

“Josiah and the entire Ariat team have been ideal partners for Hy-Tek Intralogistics,” says Derek Miller, senior account executive at Hy-Tek. “They strive to be on the forefront of innovation, affording us the opportunity to collaborate on uniquely creative solutions for their operations. Beyond that, the relationship we have developed is truly a mutually beneficial partnership and laser focused on the ongoing success of both organizations.”

“Facilities, maintenance, safety, and security all report up to me, and anyone who would be responsible for purchasing in those departments,” Girton says, laughing. “It might sound like a lot, but I have great teams, and I enjoy thinking about a few different things at once. I guess that’s just how I’m wired.” But still, the last time the director went to a conference, he came home to thousands of new emails.

Girton has been this way as long as he can remember. At the age of 13, he started with tile flooring and carpet work, then roofing, frame and drywall, and then actual house remodeling. Before Girton was old enough to graduate, he could probably build you (most of) a house.

“A lot of people hate my résumé because they can’t figure out what I actually want to do. My response is always, ‘What do you need me to do?’”

Josiah Girton

The director’s retail and logistics experience spans names like Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, White Barn Candle, among a boatload of other brands under Mast Global, but Ariat is the first time Girton has gotten the latitude to build from the bottom-up.

With as much as Girton can handle on the job, it’s no wonder he has an array of hobbies that keep his downtime spoken for. The director has two dogs as well as one room in his home sound treated for his instrumental collection, which includes guitars, a piano, a dulcimer, a ukulele, and various wind instruments. He has a small woodshop that he enjoys spending time in, building tables or custom work for friends, family, and customers. He’s headed to Argentina soon for a dove hunt and a tour of the best Argentinian beef he can track down. Walk a mile in Girton’s shoes and you’re bound for plenty of adventure.

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