Eliyah Ryals: Finding the Perfect Fit
It’s not common for people to find their perfect career fit straight out of college. It’s even less common to find it in the town you grew up in. But that’s exactly what happened when Eliyah Ryals was told about vacancies at Panel Built and made the decision to apply.
It’s been eight years since Eliyah started working for the Blairsville, GA, modular building manufacturer, but it hasn’t always been a straight line to his current role as sales manager.
Excelling as an Installer
When Eliyah first applied for a job at Panel Built, the vacancies were available on the factory floor. Specifically, Eliyah was hired to oversee the installation process.
However, as a company that values hands-on experience, Eliyah was first assigned to work alongside the installers, building and installing a variety of mezzanine offices, guardhouses, prefabricated offices and more.
However, while the role was meant to be a temporary one, Eliyah performed so well that it became permanent. For the next four years, Eliyah worked on the installation team, travelling from coast to coast, delivering and installing modular structures for some of the largest companies in the United States.
A Move Into Engineering
After gaining invaluable, hands-on experience building and assembling the range of modular buildings and structures Panel Built created for several years, an opportunity to work in the engineering department came up.
True to form, Eliyah embraced the new challenge, and for the next couple of years, he used his detailed product knowledge to help Panel Built develop custom solutions for their clients.
Born for Sales
While Eliyah Ryals might have accepted every opportunity that came his way at Panel Built, his goal was always to work in sales.
Raised by parents who both work in the sales field, Eliyah always knew that’s what he wanted to do. But he was willing to do what was necessary to prove himself on the way there.
Often, his approach has been a little different from what most of us would do.
Like when he requested a meeting with Dave Arnold, the general manager of Panel Built, only to tell him about his dream to work in sales. Or when he dove right in and made every other role along the way his own, even when it wasn’t in sales.
Many of us would not spend more than a year or two in a role that wasn’t our ideal. Eliyah has stayed focused on his for over eight years, and now that he’s reached the position of sales manager, he’s not changing his approach. He’s always maintained his focus on his goals, and so far, it’s a winning strategy.
A Growing Force In Modular Structures
When Eliyah Ryals started his career at Panel Built, the company employed less than 100 people. Today, the Panel Built team is at 350, and there’s no sign of anything slowing down.
Eliyah and his sales team often field over 60 leads per day, and they routinely handle projects well over $1 million in value.
Looking back on the time he spent getting his hands dirty as an installer, Eliyah acknowledges the value of that kind of hands-on training. It allows him to answer every question his customers might pose, but it also allows him to provide another level of technical mentorship to his own sales team.
“While I wouldn’t have chosen this path to where I am today, now that I’m here, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
What's Next?
You could say that the fast pace of our modern world is a big part of the rapid growth Panel Built has seen so far. Instead of taking weeks or months to create the structures their clients need to operate at optimal levels, Panel Built can deliver them in weeks or even days.
“We’ve had clients ask us to complete and install over a weekend,” says Ryals, “and we find a way to make it happen.”
In fact, the company prides itself on tackling jobs that many others would consider impossible, and Eliyah Ryals and his can-do attitude backed by flexibility, adaptability, and the willingness to make decisions when they need to be made are a big part of that.
“I’m fully committed to helping Panel Built grow. Whether that means developing new products or opening new manufacturing facilities, or anything else we need to do."
When you consider how far the company and Ryals have come over the past few years, there’s very little doubt that they’ll both meet those goals.
About the Author: Tamara Aspeling is a published author and freelance writer who specializes in construction and writes for print and web. She’s also a trained estimator and project manager with over 20 years of industry experience. You can reach her at www.theconstructionwriter.ca or words@theconstructionwriter.ca.
More from Modular Advantage
Housing Without Borders: Go Global with Haskell Modular Solutions
With the capacity to service over 15 diverse markets across multiple continents, Haskell is the reliable choice for our 80% repeat client base no matter how their needs evolve. So, when a longstanding client—typically known for their large-scale, institutional buildings—engaged Haskell with a very different need—multinational
housing projects—Haskell knew exactly what approach to take.
ProSet Co-founder Shares Expertise to Help Ensure Safe and Secure Modular Connections in Colorado
ProSet co-founder Matt Mitchell created and teaches an 8-hour course, based on Colorado’s modular installation regulations.
Women in Construction – Reflections on a Journey, Then and Now
From industry veteran Laurie Robert, a retrospective for women who are thinking about entering the modular construction industry or are looking to elevate their current position into leadership.
This Year’s Offsite Construction Summits Put Regional Priorities and Industry Realities in Focus
With Summits scheduled for Toronto, Los Angeles, Denver, Washington, DC, and Houston, this year’s series will connect manufacturers, designers, developers, contractors, public officials, and end-users around the practical use of offsite delivery in their own markets.
Affordable Housing, One Module at a Time
For builders and developers, modular factories offer significant scheduling and cost efficiencies compared with traditional site-built construction, regardless of whether the final product is workforce housing, single family homes, or apartment buildings.
Advancing Modular Housing Policy in California: An Interview With Tyler Pullen of Terner Labs/UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in modular construction—it is already reshaping how complex buildings are evaluated, designed, and delivered.
Europe’s Modular Market Is Expanding, but Consistency Still Matters
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in modular construction—it is already reshaping how complex buildings are evaluated, designed, and delivered.
How Stack Modular Is Using AI to De-Risk Mid- to High-Rise Modular Construction
Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in modular construction—it is already reshaping how complex buildings are evaluated, designed, and delivered.
Gearing Up for the 2026 World of Modular
The Modular Building Institute (MBI) is bringing its global World of Modular (WOM) conference and tradeshow back to Las Vegas in April, and with it comes some of the industry’s best opportunities for networking, business development, and education.
New High-Rise Modular Apartment in Abu Dhabi Points Toward the Future of Multifamily Construction
Eagle Hills International Properties chose the BROAD Holon Building for a 16-story market rate apartment building in Zayed City, a central business district of Abu Dhabi. The project highlights the potential of the Holon system of volumetric modular construction to accelerate housing delivery.