With customers like Bruce Power, Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Dofasco, Hard Rock Group, Avenue Structures, IMAX, and Up-Right Services, MCP serves mission critical operations, and through these relationships has taken the function and performance of scaffolding to new heights.

As the sole custom aluminum scaffolding and one of two aluminum formwork manufacturers in North America, MCP is a leader in the industry, not only because it can do what other fabricators cannot, but also because of the level of product development it undertakes.

From President Ron Lubinski’s standpoint, “It’s our ability to innovate better systems and components. We survived because our emphasis was on developing many proprietary scaffolds that are patented. We are leaders of new scaffold products in aluminum.”

A league of its own
MCP has secured over twenty patents in the last twenty-five years. Being first to market is the norm at MCP, which has earned a lot of firsts with its proprietary offerings. An example is its sidewalk hoarding system featured at the renowned Shangri-La, where an eight-foot-tall billboard made its presence known high above the roadway.

Another first for MCP was its work for the Mission Impossible experience at Canada’s Wonderland. It was the largest temporary set ever manufactured using scaffolding. When the show came to an end, the bleacher system was sold to Cirque du Soleil despite being purpose built.

These unique systems crop up in unexpected places everywhere, and many people have benefited from their innovation and design. The name IMAX is recognized worldwide and MCP is a prime source supplier for the theatres globally. MCP even developed a unique screen support system which enabled the IMAX experience to upgrade from 45-foot to 100-foot screens.

It’s seldom that construction equipment and product suppliers develop a reputation in the theatre, but this was the case for MCP when it designed a specialized system for Wicked: The Musical for Universal Studios Japan.

MCP tackled the project using both standard and non-standard components of its Versa steel system scaffold, such as spanning bays up to sixteen feet in length. The system was powder coated black to prevent light refraction and blend into the background. Built using just in time manufacturing, the project was assembled prior to shipment to ensure proper fit and function.

A superior product
When it comes to product innovation, the Versa offering from MCP is second to none. Versa systems feature multi-directional scaffolding and utilize an industry-first reverse wedge – what Lubinski referred to as a “hockey stick” – for its connector, improving safety and performance.

“The hockey stick design allows the wedge to lie horizontally when not connected, unlike the competition’s design. The head retaining the wedge ensures the wedge engages vertically to the rosette of the standard, a must when aluminum rosettes are used,” Lubinski explains.

“The competition [products] engage the rosette on an angle, so eventually wear occurs on the wedge and it does not hold engagement and has to be replaced. Also, the bottom lobe of the connector head on Versa is larger than the top lobe to provide great compression resistance.” This is a significant step up in safety, efficiency, and performance, a boon for these applications.

The wear caused by engaging the rosette on an angle can lead to additional problems, especially when large bending moments are exerted on the rosette. These can cause the bottom lobe to create dents or punches in the vertical standard, which are a risk to safety and warrant replacement. Companies cannot afford the risk or capital expense resulting from this wear factor of a wedge engaging the rosette on an angle.

Another challenge is water entry. When water gets into the tube, it can freeze, causing damage. According to MCP’s Lubinski, “[In our product] the geometry of the aluminum extrusion for the horizontal members connecting to the heads has more aluminum top and bottom, therefore providing a rectangular opening to receive the solid lobe extension. When welded, everything is sealed for no water entry.”

If that wasn’t enough of an advantage over the competition, MCP horizontals are forty-five percent lighter than steel. For Lubinski, there is a belief that just as aluminum took the place of steel in formwork shoring products, in the same way, aluminum will replace steel scaffold. When that happens MCP will be poised to take advantage of the opportunity.

Safety first
As a testament to the safety and technical superiority of its scaffolding systems, MCP has had great success in the nuclear industry, where there’s no room for error.

In Ontario, where some of the largest nuclear facilities in the world operate, MCP is a sole source vendor for Bruce Power and a vital supplier for Bruce Power’s refurbishment of six reactors with primary scaffold product, supplying its patented T slot aluminum plank.

MCP was also selected for the $600 million Darlington Nuclear Reactor Station refurbishment project at OPG in 2012, which was monumental for the company as it brought on development of MCP’s proprietary Versa-Light T-slot plank, a product that offers enhanced safety and efficiency.

A far cry from nuclear, but still an application that tested product performance was a new foundation system for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) that MCP developed. Designed to withstand the climate of the Arctic tundra, the system can be used in the rapid deployment of housing. It is currently being used for one of the organization’s buildings in Ottawa.

Lubinski shared some insight into how MCP is able to secure such nationally and internationally recognized clients, “It is our ability to produce superior and innovative products – developing new products and expanding growth achievable through licensing to manufacture all – or provide knockdown units that simplify assembly, not requiring big presses or other industrial machinery.”

More to come
With great success often comes great pressure to uphold a superior standard of quality and service. MCP has a reputation for exceptional product delivery and it continues to reinforce the value of the brand and the leadership of the company with every new product it designs and manufactures.

When asked about the secret of MCP’s continued success, Lubinski says, “It is longevity through re-engineering ourselves a couple of times, but eventually focusing on multi-directional scaffold with world-first aluminum components.” He notes that the “secret” lies in taking advantage of emerging markets and demonstrating MCP’s value as the premier option for scaffold, shoring and formwork.

That’s why customers have come to depend on MCP for improved productivity, optimal safety, and the continued innovation of its world-class patented products that, simply put, set the standard in the industry.

“Without the support of family – my brother Gerry, in charge of finance and accounting and a partner; my nephew Chris, in charge of the plant; and my son Owen, in charge of purchasing and sales support – plus our loyal plant staff, our success would not have been possible,” says Lubinski, whose own biggest passion is Ynot Farms and Equestrian Centre based in Meaford, Ontario.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but in this case no global competitor can match MCP’s proprietary systems, so, while they try to catch up, with the next challenge will come the next big thing and Lubinski and his team at MCP are ready to deliver.

The post Reaching New Heights<p class="company">Mills Construction Products Inc.</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

With decades of experience building all-scale energy solutions, the company has completed more renewable energy construction projects in Canada than any other contractor. In fact, the team has constructed more than 6 500 MW of renewable energy throughout the country—that is one third of the entire Canadian market!

Experience is a critical factor in Borea’s success, with knowledge of wind and solar construction gained over many years on the job and processes improved based on lessons learned. This solid foundation enables the company to maintain high standards and deliver quality solutions. It also allows it to meet challenges on the go, realigning operations quickly and putting new solutions into action right away.

Building on its leading-edge expertise is its full-service approach. Borea provides complete engineering, procurement, and construction services for all its utility-scale wind and solar construction projects.

Experienced employees handle most tasks themselves, rather than contracting out, ensuring that the company maintains control of a project from beginning to end. This hands-on approach ensures costs and schedules stay where they need to be.

Borea’s company culture is supportive, emphasizing a close-knit, family environment, where employees feel a sense of belonging and pride. Staff members face new challenges as a team, connecting with one another and working together closely to achieve their goals.

“I found a second family and an environment full of possibilities,” says Administrative Assistant Nancy Riendeau. “I am proud to be part of this great dynamic team and to contribute to the growth of Borea. I have been working at Borea for almost eight years, and I still love my job. The family values are very present within the company, and the caring of everyone makes our work environment very pleasant and stimulating.”

Riendeau and her colleagues are passionate about what they do, and it shows. Their enthusiasm for their work is evident in the company’s mission: delivering renewable energy with care. This care has caught the attention of others in the field, creating long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with clients, subcontractors, suppliers, and the communities where Borea works.

The company believes it is important to work together with the community where it operates and makes it a point to do so. This collaboration takes on a number of forms, from charity events to environmental initiatives and reciprocal business-to-business relationships. One of the key goals of these alliances is to leave a lasting, positive impact on all stakeholders at the end of every project.

After partnering with Borea, clients typically work with the company again and again on additional projects. As a result, it has completed more than seventy projects nationwide. One of the company’s most notable wind projects involved the construction of the Golden South Wind Farm in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, which required fifty wind turbines totalling 200 MW.

The company also built the Whitla Wind Project Phase I, located within the County of Forty Mile. This project included fifty-six wind turbines for a total of 201.6 MW. Borea will follow up this year with the Whitla Wind Project Phase II and Phase III, which will require forty-two wind turbines totalling 151.2 MW.

One of the company’s most notable solar jobs is the Suffield Solar Project along the Trans-Canada Highway in Alberta. The project is the first in Alberta using bifacial modules – modules with solar cells on both the front and back to gather reflected light energy – and single-axis trackers and includes 90K solar panels with a total production capacity of 23 MWac / 32 MWp. The massive solar park can power around 7,400 homes per year.

In 2020, Borea built the first solar project in Quebec. The job comprised two sites: La Citière and IREQ Solar Projects, which combined 30,360 solar panels to produce 11.8MW.

Borea is eager to recruit the best and brightest in the industry as the business grows. It provides a rewarding work environment in a challenging, face-paced industry, where interns and employees can put into practice the theoretical knowledge learned in school. The company lets these young minds get involved as key players from the time they first set foot on a wind or solar farm. Employees can contribute in their own way by learning the nuts and bolts of project management.

From contact with subcontractors to planning and monitoring project progress and collaborating in meetings, employees all have a role to play in the success of the company’s construction projects. The opportunity to grow and learn follows employees throughout their tenure with the company, keeping them motivated and engaged.

The future of the company and the industry as a whole looks bright. With concerns over the environmental impacts of carbon and global warming, the emphasis on building sustainable and renewable energy continues to gain ground throughout the world. As a result, business has been booming in many areas of Canada and the United States in recent years. Solar energy is now the cheapest energy to produce, making it an ideal energy source of the future.

Borea’s vision for the future is to help more communities by building renewable energy with quality and care, and it is already well on its way to achieving this goal. Over the last few years, the company has doubled in size and projects. While construction always involves risks and unknowns, the team is very optimistic that the wind and solar industry will continue to be robust, and Borea will continue to be at the forefront of that industry to deliver leading-edge solutions.

The post Leading the Way<p class="company">Borea Construction</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Last year, Business in Focus reported on the organization’s history, growth, and success. This year, we caught up again with Founder and President, Mike Lucht, to learn about 1-800-SWEEPER’s commitment to giving back.

1-800-SWEEPER raised $65,492 for Veterans Matter in 2020. Veterans Matter is a Toledo, Ohio-based non-profit that brings private sector resources and Veterans Affairs (VA) resources together to house veterans in VA-supported housing as quickly as possible. The non-profit’s innovative, cloud-based rapid resource response, carried out in partnership with the VA’s homeless veteran’s program, allows veterans to access housing in a matter of minutes, rather than the standard thirty-day to sixty-day waiting period. Basically, donations are used to pay deposits directly to a landlord to get veterans and their families housed right away.

In addition to helping veterans in need, the nationwide fundraising effort by 1-800-SWEEPER’s Partner companies strengthened the bonds between these Partners as they worked together on a common goal. “With an organization like 1-800-SWEEPER, we have people all across the country, so it’s not like we see each other every day,” Lucht says. Working together on a charitable initiative that everyone can support “brings people together.” The team launched the initiative in November of 2020 after they had to cancel their annual in-person Sweeper Summit and hold it virtually instead. “Last year there weren’t many in-person opportunities [to] bring all of our members of the group together,” Lucht says. “So, we were looking for ways that we can connect with those Partners in a meaningful way that would carry forward from the meeting.”

Lucht points out that Veterans Matter’s mission to help house veterans is something that virtually anyone can get on board with. Veterans Matter has “the right platform for us,” he explains. “If you can’t agree on supporting a homeless veteran, I don’t know that we will be able to agree on anything.” In addition, Veterans Matter and 1-800-SWEEPER are both based in Toledo, making the partnership local as well as national.

To raise money for Veterans Matter, the 1-800-SWEEPER team asked for pledges from Partners as well as from individuals and organizations outside of the 1-800-SWEEPER umbrella. Partners like Lucht “reached out to friends, family, customers,” anyone who might be willing to help a veteran in need. “I went through my phone list and sent many text messages and sent off the flyer that we created and just broadcasted it to anybody and everybody because there is no exclusion here—everybody can participate in a campaign such as that, so it wasn’t specific to people in our industry,” Lucht says.

Many of the participating 1-800-SWEEPER Partners matched donations to raise even more funds for homeless veterans. “My company matched dollar for dollar up to fifty dollars per donation,” Lucht says. “Whoever contributed to this cause through my company, Progressive Sweeping—which is a Partner of the 1-800-SWEEPER group—they got their money doubled in many instances. So, if they gave fifty bucks, we turned it into a hundred dollars… and we encouraged our Partners to do some of that matching themselves.” The resulting $65,492 exceeded expectations. “I think most people were surprised that we raised the amount of money that we did,” Lucht says.

The 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation is another way that the organization gives back. The brainchild of Lucht, the organization launched the foundation in 2016 to serve Partner companies’ local communities throughout the United States. “We earn our money in the communities that we live in, and we try to identify the needs within the communities of our Partners that on occasion might need a little boost,” Lucht says. “We are all privately owned small businesses that have a commitment to give back.”

Funds go to a variety of needs including qualified environmental and community beautification projects, local Wounded Warriors programs, and natural disaster relief. For example, the foundation donated a substantial sum to help rebuild Gatlinburg, Tennessee after a wildfire ravaged the Smokey Mountain community. In addition, $10,000 of the $65,492 raised for Veterans Matter came from the 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation.

The 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation is controlled via the Toledo Area Community Foundation, which administers the funds under the guidance of the 1-800-SWEEPER Board of Directors. Partner companies and vendors contribute to the fund, which currently has around $30,000 available to aid communities in need.

Coming together to support local communities reflects the 1-800-SWEEPER culture. That culture is “the binder of a team that you’ve got to have,” Lucht says. “You’ve got to have people that have the same values or at least respect [one another’s] values.” This means finding common ground even though, “We’re all different. When you’re all rowing in the same boat, you’ve got to be rowing in the same direction. We’ve got to be working in concert with each other.”

This synergistic company culture must include flexibility due to the constant demands of the sweeping industry. “It doesn’t shut off. We’re working twenty-four hours a day. We’ve got people out every day, any hour of the day, so flexibility is a huge element that makes it all work. We have to ask for it, and then we have to be able to give it when it’s needed.”

This mutual understanding and support between employees and owners are paramount. “A common thread to making a successful sweeping business is dealing with people and understanding the give and take, kind of the gray area you’ve got to operate in. In a lot of corporate environments, they don’t allow gray areas. It’s too black or white. Here we’ve got to be a little more sensitive because we maybe ask for things that others wouldn’t expect to get, but our customers are asking for it so you’ve got to figure that out because [the industry can be] very demanding,” Lucht says, but the effort is well worth the payoff. “It can be very, very rewarding.”

The sweeping industry managed to escape much of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The sweeping business was fortunate during this period because sweeping was deemed an essential service,” Lucht says. “So, for the most part, people in our organization, their businesses remained active [and] strong. In some cases, in many cases, they grew through that period because of that exposure they got as being an essential service along with sanitation services, and hospital workers, and nurses, and doctors… Sanitation is a big deal during a pandemic. So, while it was a stressful time for many people in our industry, we were all pretty busy and remained busy.”

As 1-800-SWEEPER celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, the team is eager to keep moving forward as they look back over a decade of supporting local communities and successfully bringing the industry together. “We’ve accomplished some things that I think most people in this industry never thought would ever happen in terms of creating a successful cooperative,” Lucht says.

If you’d like to make a donation to the 1-800-SWEEPER Foundation, please visit www.toledocf.org/1800sweeper.

The post Giving Back<p class="company">1-800-SWEEPER</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

One of the largest commercial and residential landscape firms in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, Complete Landsculpture delivers a variety of services including design, installation, and construction by skilled consultants, arborists, installers, and maintenance specialists.

“Initially we started out as more of a residential design-build firm. We were struggling to get our pools built, leading to loss of control of the client experience and delays so we added a pool division to better service our clients. From that point we determined that we did not want to be limited to the residential market, so we started going more heavily into commercial with design building and hard bid work for general contractors,” says Strempek.

“Over the years we’ve grown those sectors but have also significantly increased our presence in the property maintenance space, and about 22 years ago a client that we serviced in Dallas asked us to take over her portfolio in Oklahoma City, which led to opening our branch in the OKC area. It’s more geared toward commercial there, and we have a satellite presence in Tulsa that we’re looking to expand into an independent branch as well.”

As a design-build and maintenance after-care firm, Complete Landsculpture can handle all aspects of a project from conception through to completion. Whether it’s construction, complex house structures, cabanas, masonry work or outside kitchens, the company has the knowledge, experience, and skill at their disposal.

“Typically, our primary focus is non-air-conditioned space, but we have on occasion incorporated an addition, guest house or cabana that has some air-conditioned space and bathrooms as well as typical outdoor living which involves things like fireplaces and kitchens,” says Strempek. “It’s about comfort and comfortable outdoor living.”

Moving outdoors
Outdoor living is a large part of Complete Landsculpture’s expertise, due to the area’s almost year-round temperate climate.

“We work with all of the elements to tame the outdoors to create year-round outdoor living comfort,” Strempek says. “We create unique spaces according to clients’ requirements; whether it be a simple open air arbor or extensive addition tied into the roof structure, we pride ourselves on creating a seamless transition from the interior to the exterior. We also do a lot of climatization of our spaces with features such as drop-down screens to help with mosquitoes, keeping it warm in the winter time, and keeping the sun off you in the summertime.”

Some options include ceiling fans, wet fans or another unique feature – a popular item with clients – where compressed air and water are blown into an air conditioning duct system, creating flash evaporative cooling, which simply means you get the cooling effect but do not get wet as long as it is done correctly, which typically requires 11 feet of ceiling clearance.

“It could be 100 degrees, but when you turn on the cooling system, that controls the blower motor speed like a ceiling fan. You can have it with or without the cool water, and it really does drop the temperature about 18 to 20 degrees.”

Fireplaces, fire pits and infrared heaters in the ceilings are very effective in taking the edge off on cooler evenings or to create year-round ambiance, and are also popular when looking to transform the outdoors. Backyard resorts are one of the company’s award-winning specialties, starting with Strempek’s own.

Complete with an outdoor kitchen and radial cabana that sits up against the edge of the pool and swim-up bar, the family enjoys outdoor life 12 months of the year.

“Barring 20 degree weather, you can be comfortable year round out there,” says Strempek. The oasis also includes a large-scale, 110,000-gallon pool with a lazy river component, an island at one end, a bridge, and sunken fire pit. “It has pretty much all the elements you’d want at a resort, only it’s in your backyard. It’s a wonderful venue to create your staycation.”

This was and is especially desirable during the ongoing and post-COVID travel restrictions and difficulties, says Strempek, as clients look to make their home-base the place to get away from it all.

“That’s really the trend we’re seeing right now overall. People want to spend time at home, not travel and get in an airplane to somewhere like Miami or the islands with all of the testing and extra requirements to travel. They really want to use their personal space for that staycation experience. We’re focused on delivering that and creating a complete outdoor experience. And we do it in a fanatical way.”

Rooftops like treetops
Other recent large-scale projects include numerous commercial rooftops – transforming the tops of parking garages into office parks to create a “live, work, and play” experience, with amenities such as putting greens, deck areas, arbors, fireplaces and firepits, outdoor kitchens, and parks.

An example of this was performed at Mandalay Towers, in Irving, Texas. This includes a rooftop garden set between three commercial building towers, a one-acre park that connects the campus’ three towers and includes an outdoor living area with kitchen, fireplace and eating space. The project received recognition from several organizations, including the 2017 Award of Excellence from the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

“Our programming included sculptures and site furnishings, a fire pit, a library for folks who want to read during lunch hour, an herb garden, and a putting green,” says Strempek. A serpentine wave form was integrated into the planting design, and lightweight materials were utilized such as wood, spray deck, synthetic grass and steel, which created a more welcoming space.

“There were two different large water features that were remolded as part of the scope. One was an iconic feature that was leaking so severely in the parking garage below that they wanted to tear it out. We went in and re-purposed that with a liner to become an aquatic feature with a biofiltration system to support the beautiful Koi fish and aquatic potted plants in the new ecosystem. It was a liability before, but now it’s an amenity for them,” says Strempek.

“This was in a commercial environment which we would never have seen 10 years ago. Now it’s a trend and the new standard, creating that very comfortable work space.”

Complete Landsculpture also worked on the renovation of three office buildings known as Towers at Park Central in Dallas, with the main objective of reducing the amount of paved surface and creating a relationship between indoors and out.

The company created new exterior garden rooms while enhancing tenant safety with separate vehicular and pedestrian pathways, and well-lit areas using a variety of unique bollard light fixtures.

“We designed steel cabanas covered with Ipe Wood to soften them that serve as gathering nooks so people can have Wi-Fi during lunch hour and work there, hold small meetings, do catch-up or read a book,” says Strempek. “We also re-purposed the landscaping to more native grasses. We took out some rigid lines to create a softer flow so folks inside the building as well as outside can use that year-round.” A water feature that was not visible for drive-up impact was removed and replaced with a large custom Corten sculpture that is now the signature element upon arrival.

Facing challenges
Basically, Strempek says, Complete Landsculpture can do it all: standard production work and unique projects. Challenges are always met head on, such as those created over the past year by COVID, particularly related to supply chain logistics in the pool division.

“They were behind before we had the big freeze down in this area where we had record-breaking cold weather that froze and damaged a great deal of equipment that had to be replaced,” says Strempek. “That put a lot of pressure on our suppliers, with equipment a little over a year out right now.”

Delays are commonplace in every area, he says, while lumber and metal has gotten exponentially more expensive, along with massive price increases in the PVC pipe used for irrigation and drainage. “We’re having to work hard to go get anything. Supplies are small right now, so we have to be really intentional about order lead times and resourceful to locate items in other regions to have the materials we need to keep projects moving forward.”

Finding skilled labor, however, is probably Complete Landsculpture’s largest obstacle, something seen industry-wide. Whether it’s Visa issues or problems related to the pandemic, it’s been a challenge to stay on top of everything and keep it running smoothly.

“When you’re doing these larger projects in different markets and they’re being shut down, that is very challenging in terms of logistics. However, we have been able to overcome that with strategic planning, but it has not been easy,” he says. “We’re always in need of skilled team members that are hard to find in the markets. We have aggressive signing bonuses, internal referral bonuses, retention bonuses for those that that we hired that stay, as well as cross reference bonuses for those we refer. We’re really aggressive about hiring, and then of course we have an onboarding process that we do to acclimate our team members into our culture and company’s values.”

Complete Landsculpture prides itself on being highly capable and creative to get a job done, but simply implementing a creative solution isn’t enough, if it’s not done in a fanatical way, says Strempek.

The “fanatical” way
“Our culture is really built on our company mission that we create Complete Fanatical Outdoor Customer Experiences. When we do that, we celebrate fanatical customer experiences with our whole team.”

Celebrating “fanatical” customer experiences includes monthly leadership team meetings where revenue track goals, hiring needs, employee and salesperson success stories, and company culture issues are discussed. Employees are valued and appreciated, from birthdays to work anniversaries and milestones, and to employee and crew of the month and year awards.

“Truly we want to celebrate these guys all the time. If you become crew of the year, that crew has that logoed onto their truck. That’s a big deal. We want to give these guys some swagger and let them feel it’s a significant accomplishment. We give them positive feedback as well as corrective feedback when necessary, but that’s a big part of our culture is really letting them know that we want them to have a career here and not just a job.”

That career path means directing employees to the areas they want to pursue. Whether it’s moving up from basic labor to foreman, or from production to sales, Complete Landsculpture lays out the necessary steps and skills needed, plus the monetary advantages.

“The career path is a key to the differentiation in our company culture,” says Strempek. “You want to value people. You want feedback throughout the year. Someone might say I never want to be a foreman, it’s not what I want to do. When we look for a foreman, we’re looking at two things: executive skills and technical skills. Someone can be a great technician, but they have to be a good executive, meaning they’re organized at running other people. You may be a proficient technician, but you don’t want to manage people.”

If that’s all they want, then that’s okay, says Strempek. He’s there to support the decisions employees make and help them make the best choices.

“There are three things we always preach to all the crews: 1) do a job safely; 2) do it technically soundly, which means correctly the first time; 3) do it efficiently and make profit for sustainability.”

But making profit without doing the job right or safely means it’s not a successful job for the company.

“We care most about the safety of the team members. It’s a pyramid, with safety at the base of it that supports everything else,” says Strempek. “If you know how to do it safely, then you’re more likely to slow down and do it the right way the first time. The natural next thing is, ‘let’s do it faster, but let’s make sure we do it safely and effectively first.’”

In the right place
Now in year seven of its 10-year plan, Strempek says Complete Landsculpture is headed where it wants to be, with possible expansion north of the Metroplex, and possibly Austin where it does have multiple projects going at any given time. There’s a lot of work to do, though, in Dallas Fort-Worth, as well as Oklahoma City and Tulsa, he says. For Strempek and the rest of his dedicated team, celebrating the company’s culture is just as important as growth and opportunity.

“A saying I always try to embrace is that change happens at the intersection of preparation and opportunity,” says Strempek. “We’re trying to grow to create opportunities and elevate people so they’re prepared when it happens, and that’s a key to our success.”

The company has completed many great projects over the years, and continues to look for interesting opportunities to serve its clients in a fanatical way.

“We take care of our team members and encourage them to grow with the company,” Strempek says. “We’ve been blessed to win more battles than we’ve lost over the last 36 years, and we’re looking forward to continued growth and opportunities, and taking on more challenges going forward.”

The post Transforming Property, Transforming Lives<p class="company">Complete Landsculpture</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Keeping cities in around seventy counties functioning optimally from its six branches, Shenandoah Construction takes care of a lot more underground infrastructure beneath urban areas than most people realize. As a respected leader in Florida’s trenchless construction market, Shenandoah has the versatile skills needed to install, maintain, and upgrade pipelines – without digging trenches – for everything from the smallest municipal lines to the largest and most complex industrial-sized piping available.

The company first started serving its market in 1976 with video inspections and wastewater pipeline cleaning and expanded from there. From its headquarters in Pompano Beach, it has continuously upgraded its technology and capabilities to better serve its clients throughout Florida from facilities in Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Tampa, Lakeland and Georgia.

This is a firm known for putting its money where its mouth is. The last time we spoke in 2019, Vice President of Operations Anthony Guglielmi mentioned several large goals, and today, despite global economic pressure, the company is bigger and better than ever, as promised.

Apart from a fresh logo sporting a two-tone ‘S,’ its rebranding campaign celebrates the company’s four-and-a-half decades in business by focusing on what matters. “We’re very fortunate to have great employees. We always do little things for them as tokens of appreciation. Whether it’s giveaways, raffles, or lunches, I feel like the little things mean more,” Guglielmi says, reflecting the pragmatism and level-headed positivity that is the signature spirit of Shenandoah Construction.

Great service leads to great growth and to add to this, Shenandoah acquired another company a little over a year ago. Bay Area Environmental Services of Tampa, Florida “is now a Shenandoah Company,” says Guglielmi. “It primarily focuses on vac-truck services, CCTV inspection services for sanitary and stormwater pipeline, along with Shenandoah’s vast menu of services in the greater Tampa Bay area.” Its family values and growth mindset were very much in line with Shenandoah’s own resulting in a comfortable transition.

“All of our branches do the same type of work,” Guglielmi says, noting that the new Tampa branch has “a great team of people. It’s a good fit.”

The company’s success is in part due to its approach to driving growth through efficiency and new technology. It is also thanks to delivering personalized service and customer care. The company continues to offer further related services as necessary, such as the recent additions of subsurface soil stabilization and trenchless rehabilitation of sanitary service lateral pipelining. By including the home sanitation pipelines that enter its traditional domain of the main pipelines that run beneath streets, Shenandoah Construction can now ensure the quality of entire sanitation systems.

The company’s subsurface soil stabilization methods involve drilling injection rods into asphalt, grass, or any other stretch of earth covering geologically unstable areas. It then fills any subterranean cavities with a liquid geopolymer that sets and hardens to stabilize the surface. To give the best service possible using this product, the company is a licensed Uretek applicator, while its fleet of specialized equipment and hydraulic cleaner trucks for pipe testing, CCTV inspection, and more, gives it everything it needs to perform.

Traditionally, Shenandoah Construction had three main divisions but has recently added a fourth. While the first three departments handle pipeline cleaning and video inspections alongside trenchless installations of various types of pipe linings, it has also been expanding into new areas with a specialty division that deals with pipelining point repairs, canal bank restoration, surface vegetation removal, and much more.

The company’s ongoing growth has brought about the appointment of Vice President of Finance Sophie Starfas, who joined the company in 2020. It also added a new project manager and a project engineer to support its newly increased market presence. “We keep very active. Our primary line of work [now] is for municipalities and state works. We have commercial, industrial, and government customers,” in addition to private clients, says Guglielmi.

As underground sanitation and stormwater infrastructure never stops working, Shenandoah Construction saw incredible growth in the past two years, and this was by no means affected by the pandemic. “COVID-19 didn’t affect our business because we’re considered an essential service. Especially since we deal with government and municipality-type of work. [They still need to maintain their sanitary and stormwater systems, so we can’t shut down,” says Guglielmi.

While the entire firm carried on, several measures were put in place to ensure the safety of all 134 staff members. Some worked from home; everyone was tested, and people exhibiting symptoms had to self-quarantine. Its no-nonsense approach meant that its people could come to work knowing the company had their back.

“Our employees are the most important to us. We could run the best business, have the best equipment, have the best news articles feature in a magazine, but without our people, we’re nothing. So our people are everything to us, and we will do whatever we have to do to maintain that,” he adds.

As Shenandoah Construction did not shut down any aspect of its services during the past year, it had ample opportunity to shine while many other sectors were not as lucky. One project that stood out was the first of its kind for the company: the rehabilitation of a large stormwater slip-line system that was completed six months ahead of schedule and within budget. The contract was concluded for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which furnished the firm with a rather impressive letter of appreciation for a job well done. Shenandoah Construction also made it into the National Underground Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) magazine for a notable project completed in Lake Worth, Florida.

As Guglielmi foresaw two years ago, the country, and especially Florida’s need for infrastructure has indeed translated into tremendous gains for the company. “I see our industry getting busier, seeing that the infrastructure of the United States is long overdue for rehabilitation, especially south Florida’s stormwater systems. They’ve been in the ground twenty-five to fifty-plus years,” he said back in 2019. Today, repairing these pipelines and keeping up to date with the ever-increasing speed of technological development are its main growth drivers.

“Our industry is moving fast on technology,” Guglielmi says of the effects of Industry 4.0 on the company’s sector. “Our mainline CCTV-inspection trucks have a lot of technology on them. From the camera systems to the operating systems, everything’s uploaded to [the] cloud and sent to the client via a link that they can click on to access,” he says. In addition, staff members are using remote time capture for clocking in and out via an app on their smart phones with the help of geofencing technology.

A fairly new employee engagement platform allows all Shenandoah staff to communicate via an app that allows for direct and group communication. It also notifies them when medical cards or qualifications are due for renewal and much more. It even handles safety training as employees can sign in and do their training directly. This underlines the company’s aim to go as paperless as it possibly can.

“[Technology just makes everything] so much easier. It makes operations more efficient, and efficiency turns into profits. [It allows our clients] to have that one-on-one service as much as possible. That’s the goal,” he says.

Of course, the company’s success in this area benefits its clients with first-class service. “We don’t want our clients to feel that, because they’re coming to a bigger company, they’re just a number,” Guglielmi adds. The firm is committed to offering custom solutions to any pipeline or seawall situation its clients may face and continues to deliver dynamic solutions for stormwater and sanitation needs while expanding its already sizeable footprint across the United States.

The post Growing with the Flow<p class="company">Shenandoah Construction</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Since it was established twenty-five years ago, the Falcon Group has served over 15,000 multi-family communities. Its offices all along the East Coast employ a professional staff of engineers: civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection, as well as architects, interior designers, and construction managers.

A large portion of the work completed by Falcon includes renovating existing housing stock, rather than new construction. “As homes and buildings get older, they require repairs to their structural systems and infrastructure,” explains Falcon Group Executive Vice President Orlando Ballate. “The average owner-occupied home in New York City is fifty-seven years old, and throughout the U.S., half of the commercial buildings built in the country were constructed prior to 1980, so they are over forty-one years old. These aging homes and buildings require a tremendous amount of upgrades, repairs, and major renovation work.”

As these multi-family residential communities or large condominium high rises in urban areas continue to age, it is important to plan and preserve their structural integrity and common elements with a capital reserve fund, a set amount of money put aside each year to replace or repair major building components in the future. The purpose of this type of funding is to avoid large unplanned payments as a result of special assessments that indicate improvements must be made to the building. Rather than being hit unexpectedly with a $20,000 assessment for a large improvement, a capital reserve is ready with available funds when these common elements need to be repaired or replaced. In certain states through the U.S., capital reserve funding is mandated for all shared buildings and communities.

The types of common elements covered under capital reserves include roadways, underground infrastructure, water lines, the building’s roof, windows, exterior cladding, and side amenities such as clubhouses, swimming pools, walkways, courts, and playgrounds. “You want to set aside and establish a capital reserve fund when you live in these communities, and as a general rule, the annual capital reserve funding should be two percent of the value of your home, starting when the home was built,” says Ballate.

For existing communities that do not currently have any capital reserve, a detailed study should be conducted to determine the capital reserve funding and to avoid any huge special assessments. The Falcon Group frequently works with communities that have not funded their capital reserve, and the process often requires millions of investment dollars to repair and replace the common elements that have been neglected. Without delay, the firm is attempting to raise awareness about capital reserve funding because the current interest rates for loans to fund capital reserves are at an all-time low, and it is a great time to plan to preserve the value of your home and community.

One project underway at the Falcon Group is for a community of over 1,200 homes distributed over six buildings. Since capital reserve funding was overlooked in this sixty-year-old community, the price amounts to more than $80 million to bring the infrastructure and common elements up to date. Significant repairs are required for the heating and cooling system, roadways and parking garages, building facades, windows, and the project includes renovation of the lobbies, hallways, and roofs. A loan has been taken out to fund the capital project, and it will be distributed over ten years.

Unfortunately, due to the shortage of skilled labor, proper supervision, and the growing complexity of building systems, new construction today is fraught with construction defects. Many of these defects can result in damage like flooding, water leakage and mold conditions, fire safety hazards, and disruption to occupancy. According to Ballate, the answer to this potential problem is a transition engineering study.

“For peace of mind of the association, community, or building owner, a transition engineering study should be performed right after construction in order to identify any major construction defects by the builder. The period of time in which construction defects litigation can be brought against a builder varies from six to ten years depending on state laws or as what’s referred to as the statute of repose.”

A statute of repose is a fixed period after which a lawsuit cannot be pursued. Once the statutory period ends, it provides a clear defense of liability, and this is to protect the builder from long-term liability claims. Transition engineering studies should be completed as soon as possible when transferring ownership from the developer or builder to protect the investment.

The cost of solar photovoltaic technology has come down quite a bit and this has led to an increase in solar panel installations on building roofs across the country. “These [photovoltaic] projects have a payback, or return on investment, in about three to four years. Solar panels cost anywhere from eight to ten cents per kilowatt-hour. The cost of a solar panel installation of 6 to 12 kW is in the range of $11,000 to $26,000, and the payback on these solar installations, which can last twenty to thirty years, is only four to five years. This is because the cost of electricity is going up, and the free solar energy can not only power your home but, depending on where you’re located and the size of your solar array, you can also sell the power back to the utility company,” explains Ballate.

Photovoltaic shingles, also known as building-integrated photovoltaics, are a particularly popular choice these days. The solar panels appear and function similarly to conventional shingles while generating electricity. The cost is roughly 15,000 dollars for a house. It weighs thirteen pounds per square foot and should last three decades. When the time comes to replace shingles, this is a valuable investment that owners can choose.

For most residents, their home is their greatest asset. The best way to increase the value of this asset is by investing in the home and community through renovation projects. In a shared building, one important area is the lobby because it gives the building’s first impression. In recent years, the lobby has also become more essential in terms of storage due to the high number of deliveries from Amazon and other online suppliers.

“We renovate the lobby, and we increase the storage space that’s available to the residents in the building to make it more manageable. Hallway and lighting renovations are also important, using energy-efficient LED lighting and the modernization of elevators.” Ballate explains that running elevators takes up roughly twenty-five percent of the building’s energy usage. An elevator upgrade is a valuable renovation because of its faster speed; it improves safety and [has a] significant impact on energy efficiency. New modern elevators are also safer and faster than their forerunners.

Another type of improvement that can be done to a high-rise building is rooftop terraces and gardens. These rooftop gardens can be found throughout New York City due to limited space, and the Falcon Group has found that these substantially improve the value of the individual homes within a building. This can be a beautiful space where the building’s residents can spend time with friends and enjoy the weather outdoors.

Community spaces in a building should be upgraded to include better remote workstations for the large number of people choosing to continue working from home after the pandemic. Bringing the building’s technology up to date and enabling WiFi in all common areas is also a nice feature to upgrade an existing building. Other valuable additions could include movie rooms, meeting rooms, game rooms, golf simulators, and any other features interesting to today’s residents.

Coping with a pandemic the last year and a half has elevated people’s concern about proper ventilation systems within a shared building’s common areas. According to the CDC, indoor spaces are riskier than outdoor spaces, and a building’s mechanical ventilation system can minimize potential viral spread. Increasing ventilation from outdoor air lowers the concentration of air-borne contaminants.

“What we find in these older buildings that we work with is that they have little or no air exchange, or ventilation where outdoor air is coming in and air movement is very important,” says Ballate. “So we’ve made a tremendous amount of improvements in many buildings through increasing the ventilation systems in the building, increasing the air movement and air exchange to improve, and reduce the possibility of viral spread.”

With the aging housing stock and commercial buildings in the U.S., the need to plan for capital improvement projects is only growing. Proper capital reserve funding is required to maintain the value and safety of homes and communities. Once a project is identified, the professional team at Falcon can expertly assess, design, and solicit the best price for the project, before managing the construction to completion.

The Falcon Group’s growing firm of 150 architects, engineers, and construction managers is passionate about improving the aging infrastructure throughout the country at the lowest possible cost to communities in need. “There’s a tremendous need for what we do, and we just want to help communities and individuals manage their real estate assets properly,” concludes Ballate.

The post Improving America’s Housing Stock<p class="company">Falcon Group</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Improvement in all facets of business is not just a goal but a way of life, says Christopher Anthony, Chief Operations Officer, and getting better is something everyone in the company stands behind.

“Mr. Emond coined a phrase around here: ‘Someday we’ll be a real company,’” he said. “I personally hope we don’t because my fear is, if we do, we’ll stop trying, and the goal here is to always get better.”

Emond mainly serves projects in Rhode Island, Southern New Hampshire, Eastern Connecticut, and its home state of Massachusetts with licensed tradespeople throughout those areas. The majority of the company’s work–about seventy-five percent–involves plumbing, and the rest is HVAC. It even created its own sheet metal construction department, which allows its clients to have one subcontractor for three major trades.

It all started with Don Emond Jr., who Anthony calls the ‘American Dream.’ When Emond started the company, he did not know anyone in the plumbing industry, Anthony says, but he liked to work with his hands, so he learned about plumbing. He was a guy in a truck, doing small jobs to get by, according to the company history. Now his company employs over 150 people in four states, and Anthony couldn’t be prouder.

“This all starts with [Don Emond Jr.], and he really cares about his employees. You hear the phrase ‘give him the shirt off his back,’ but I’ve actually watched that happen,” said Anthony. “This is a family company, and even though it’s gotten larger over the years, we treat everyone like family here, and if anyone needs help, I have yet to hear Don say no to anyone. He really cares.”

That caring was on display at the beginning of the pandemic last year. Anthony said the company kept going, kept the jobs going that it could, and kept communicating with employees, remaining honest and open. Some were scared and wanted to take a couple of weeks off, so they got that with pay. Others wanted to continue working, so they showed up every day, for which they were paid a little extra. Some even wanted to be laid off.

“People had different emotions, and we had to deal with it almost on a person-by-person basis and work through it with them,” said Anthony. “But it was really about working independently with each person and working through their concerns and trying to accommodate their needs. A lot were surprised that we would pay them even though they weren’t working, but we thought it was the right move at the time, in the interest of giving everyone a little bit of comfort at an awkward time.”

Today the company is “pretty much,” back to normal, and now dealing with the aftereffects. You may have heard about lumber prices going up and affecting contractors who need lumber. Although Emond doesn’t use much wood, it does use PVC piping, the price of which has risen by over forty-five percent. It is a concern that if that kind of price increase continues, the client may stop projects, Anthony says. Generally, Emond Plumbing & Heating might buy a million linear feet per year, and a price jump like the one that Emond material buyers have had to contend with is worrisome, to say the least. No one, Anthony added, is making any predictions about when those prices will go down.

But there is a silver lining. Jobs that were bid and slated to started last summer but were postponed due to the pandemic are now, for the most part, ready to go. When you have that enormous demand on people and products, factories that shut down do not have the inventory and are now trying to increase productivity, Anthony says. So Emond has begun to catch up, and that means business with many projects in the pipeline.

It is also impressive to look at some of its past jobs. Anthony says he is most proud of a residential complex called Cirrus Apartments in Ashland, Massachusetts. With almost four hundred units and a clubhouse, the size was challenging enough, but its construction schedule took workers over a couple of difficult winters. Working conditions were frozen in winter and muddy in spring and fall, but Anthony expressed his pride, saying that anyone seeing it now would be very impressed.

Other projects of which he and the company are proud include The Key, a 280-unit residential complex in Franklin, Massachusetts and a 270-unit complex in Framingham, Massachusetts. Emond has a certain criterion in project selection according to Anthony.

“We look for the size of projects, how many units in a building, and geographic location – that one is big because, if we can, we like to minimize our employee travel time,” he said. “Also, client relationships are very important and Emond believes in open and honest communication to alleviate any concerns for any partner involved with the project.”

The company mainly focuses on residential properties, which include multi-unit apartment complexes, assisted living facilities, and fifty-five-and-older communities. It also likes to work with contractors and companies that turn old mills and factories into living areas, and Anthony seems to have a particular liking for updating old manufacturing sites, professing a love of helping turn something old into something new.

“We manufacture exposed ductwork in our sheet metal facility (for these projects), and they make for some very unique and interesting buildings,” he said. “It’s nice to change a little bit of the history of those old mills that might be abandoned.”

He is proud that Emond helps to turn those old buildings into communities with gyms or basketball courts or outdoor living areas with resort-type features. Emond has even done this kind of project for itself. It bought an old facility in its hometown and created a new 20,000-square-foot fabrication plant along with approximately 10,000 square feet of office and training space.

Of course, like any trade-based business, Emond is not immune to the current labor shortage being experienced across multiple areas of business. One of the company’s solutions was to utilize the co-op program in which six to twelve students are brought in per year to explore working in the trades at its fabrication shop or helping with plumbing or HVAC installation. In that path alone, Emond has added six to ten people per year in the last few years, and Anthony considers it mutually beneficial for both the students and the company.

“We’ve been very successful in bringing in students to help them learn a trade and to work in a trade – it helps us with staffing and it helps them with an alternative to going to college and taking out student loans to do so,” he says “We’ve found that to be successful, we have a very good HR department that helps us tremendously to find good people all around, but it’s a challenge, it’s a full-time job finding the right people.”

The company also addresses industry-wide labor shortages by treating people fairly and taking care of them along the way. The company offers incentive plans and shared benefits. When the company does well, Anthony says he wants employees to do well.

That includes training. Emond takes its training programs very seriously, and constantly works to keep everyone safety trained and keep them abreast of the latest technology. That Anthony calls a challenge, but it is one the company always rises to meet.

The people of Emond are what Anthony is most proud of. “We have a phenomenal team from the office and project management to our foremen and younger apprentices. We just have great people who truly want to do the best work they can,” he said.

The future is looking bright. Emond has work to carry it forward into 2023. It will continue, Anthony said, by inviting new ideas from employees and by firmly believing that everyone wants to be better and wants to work towards improvement.

Maybe Emond Plumbing is a real company after all.

The post Moving Forward<p class="company">Emond Plumbing & Heating</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

He further extols the work ethic in the company from both a top-down and bottom-up perspective, citing it as second-to-none in the sector. This attitude toward work is essential, as GSWC’s clients rely on it to find solutions to problems that arise during electrical projects and this hard work has become an important part of the GSWC identity.

People are the biggest factor that leads to the company’s success, Martinez says, so the company invests heavily in training and livelihoods, providing for employees’ families and having the workers provide an excellent resource in turn. Training is a key part of this people-first focus, whether it be for the craft and labor the company has in its workforce or the mastering of new technologies affecting the broader industry.

To this end, leadership training is highlighted and all levels of the company have engaged in the same training. This has had a profound impact on the company as a result. Clients frequently comment positively on the work of everyone from field and support staff to project management.

Since we previously spoke to GSWC in 2020, the company has established a new regional headquarters in Alvarado, Texas, southwest of Dallas. Martinez affirms that Texas is a high-growth area for the business as the market is “leaps and bounds ahead of the country in terms of population and business growth.” The new site includes a facility and yard to train new apprentices as well as a substantial fleet facility to service equipment; in short, according to Martinez, the new regional headquarters is a one-stop shop.

The company has also been branching off geographically with new projects in states like Florida, in which GSWC has been winning work for the past year and a half. It also has been expanding its Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) group since last year with new additions to the team. These new hires have backgrounds in disciplines from material management and logistics to project management) and have been involved with grid impact projects like Fast AC Transmission Solutions (FACTS).

Martinez stresses that GSWC strives to be deliberate about its growth to make sure the proper resources are being allocated to meet client demand. Research is constantly done in markets around the country to see if they fit both the GSWC business model and are suitable for its people to work within. For example, before expanding into the growing Florida market, company officials researched larger clients in the area and determined long-term drivers for success there, such as needs for renewable energy integration, the amount of leading infrastructure in the area in need of replacement, and the demand for outsourced labor. “We won’t just go to an area to say we’re there,” Martinez explains. “There will be a reason behind it.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, GSWC was thankfully able to adapt and overcome issues with which it was presented. An unforeseen positive impact of the pandemic, Martinez explains, was that it allowed the company to increase its pace of communications. For instance, it implemented business-wide weekly calls over Microsoft Teams that initially were to address COVID-related issues but eventually expanded to include over 150 employees and covered matters of importance like safety and productivity. Martinez gives credit to those who worked out in the field during this time, an act which he feels speaks volumes about the culture of GSWC.

GSWC also firmly stands behind the EPC approach that has become central to its brand over the years. In fact, Martinez feels that the EPC model is even more viable in the construction industry than ever before because many clients who use that model do so because they need to fast-track projects and outsource more services in designing and building infrastructure projects.

With a big wave of retirement hitting the construction industries at all parts, a large amount of institutional knowledge is in danger of being lost, which will lead to industries being reliant on the turnkey, design-build EPC model because, as Martinez sees it, these industries do not have the bandwidth to manage the current level of workload. GSWC made a point to invest heavily in EPC, as well as project management and material procurement management.

“As a contractor, we feel we can offer an alternative to the engineer-led model,” Martinez says of why the company went in this direction. “We are driving the construction side of things and teaming with qualified engineers to offer up a nice solution to clients under the competing model.”

Martinez observes a sizeable shift to infrastructure in the construction industry at present, especially after a June 2021 announcement by both the Republican and Democratic parties in Washington, DC of a bipartisan infrastructure framework to address how to pay for growing infrastructure needs in the country. He views this as a positive for the company as well as its affiliates, as the emphasis on infrastructure has only become more profound over the past several years. This was highlighted earlier this year when power-related issues occurred in Texas during its inclement winter weather, showing how these types of issues can impact society.

“People are realizing that the grid is vital to day-to-day operations and to health and safety,” Martinez explains. He believes that customers and businesses within the industry will start seeing more of the types of services offered by GSWC countrywide. Although he cannot accurately determine if the industry is in a boom period, he feels that it is certainly on its way there, so the company needs to make sure it can have enough people on hand to meet incoming demand.

For the rest of 2021, GSWC will be concentrating on making sure growth continues strategically and soundly, while investing heavily in training, offering opportunities for growth to employees, and making sure to stay on top of industry trends so that clients are offered a solution to all potential. Martinez details that the company will be building from the growth of previous years and from the momentum achieved in 2020, which will drive overall growth into the next few years.

GSWC is currently involved in dialogue within the infrastructure space and examining how it can deliver power to its clients safely. The grid and grid security will also be studied in the future as the company wants to ensure that people across the country have reliable sources of power.

The events of the past twelve months have shown the want and need for Americans to have access to reliable and safe power, a market desire that Great Southwestern Construction will continue to supply to all those who need it.

The post Riding a Wave of Momentum, from 2020 Successes into a Bright Future<p class="company">Great Southwestern Construction</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“Originally it started with us doing data/com along with the electrical, and then we took it a step further and kept going,” says President and Owner Kevin Delaney. “From there, we learned how to program the systems, and then we started to sell some of these systems, which led us into the integration world, which [includes] security, cameras, and access control.”

The company’s full-service approach attracts customers within a variety of sectors, from technological, commercial and industrial, to residential, retail, and educational. These customers appreciate DEI System’s easy, one-stop-shop approach. “We can package our whole group into one contract instead of the [general contractor] or the end user having to go off and get eight different subs,” Delaney says. “We provide all that under one contract and under one roof. We’re trying to stay diversified [with] the services we provide.” As a result, the company is “not just pigeon-holed into just the electrical contracting realm. We’ve always tried to do more than that. We still do plenty of power and high-end switch-gear projects, but we try to do it all now.”

DEI Systems’ wide-ranging services have been the key to its success. “That’s what’s helped us grow. That’s what keeps us moving forward—the fact that we can offer so many different things,” he says. DEI Systems has enjoyed strong, steady growth since his family founded it in 2004.

“We started with fifteen in the field, and now we have over a hundred in the field.” The office staff numbers have grown so much that the company recently built a spacious new headquarters to accommodate them all. “We were coming apart at the seams at our old place,” Delaney remembers. The new building also includes a warehouse, which has streamlined operations since the previous headquarters and warehouse were located across town from one another.

The move has been a boon to the company, but it did come with challenges, especially since the build happened to take place during the COVID-19 shutdown. “It wasn’t easy,” he says. “We built this thing right in the middle of the pandemic, so it was pretty touch-and-go in the middle of this thing to keep things moving as a company as well as to keep this build moving forward.”

Fortunately, DEI Systems managed to complete the construction and overcome the difficulties of the pandemic. “Obviously, we had our challenges, with it being a public health crisis, having to keep everybody safe, and having to make some safeguards,” Delaney says. “We were able to band together as a group and get through it.”

Ironically, the company had a bumper year in 2020 despite the shutdown. “Businesswise, we had our largest year. Many of our accounts were considered essential; our projects were considered essential,” and this helped make the company ‘pandemic-proof.’

Throughout DEI Systems’ growth, it has maintained a strong company culture. “We’re a family business,” he says. “We are a close-knit group, no matter how we grow or have grown.” Many employees have deep roots with the company. “I have family members that are electricians out in the field, friends, people that I’ve grown up with my whole life that are a part of the business and a part of the culture.”

While the team is close-knit, it certainly is not uniform. “We have such a diverse group,” Delaney says. “Men, women, people of all different ethnicities.” The company is not just varied in “what we provide but who we are as people. I think that really works well for us because we’re all very different but our core values are very similar, so it makes for a really good product.”

The supportive company culture entices employees to stay long-term. “We pride ourselves, as tough as the job market is right now, with being able to consistently keep a lot of the same faces and watch them grow and work their way up to the top of the ladder,” he says, noting that one of the most rewarding aspects of the business has been “watching people grow with us.”

Employee retention is important in an industry that faces a workforce shortage. In addition to retaining staff, DEI Systems has been proactive in recruiting new employees to keep the company roster filled and particularly active in recruiting people who have not traditionally been associated with the industry.

“We are seeing a lot more women in the trade, which has been amazing,” Delaney says. “A huge thing that I’m a real proponent of is trying to keep the workplace diverse because everybody’s struggling to find better people to be in the trade. And the women in the industry, as a whole, [are] an untapped resource that we’re all starting to see. Younger women are getting into the trade where they wouldn’t do that before. [They are] going to trade school, [and] they want to be electricians. I think that’s pretty cool, and that’s what I want to keep seeing.”

DEI Systems works with local high schools and trade schools to bring new talent into the company. However, COVID-19 created recruitment challenges over the past year. “It’s been a good response [but] it’s really slowed due to the pandemic,” he says. “We couldn’t get into the schools… You couldn’t meet with people. You couldn’t be around people. So it really took a toll on us going after some of the high school kids.”

Overall, the team’s recruitment efforts have been met with enthusiasm. People who want a solid career, but “didn’t find that college was for them,” are often attracted to the on-the-job-learning and intellectual stimulation the industry offers. “There is a huge intellectual side of what we’re all doing,” Delaney says. “We design projects, and it’s all computer-enhanced documents that we’re working with; people onsite have tablets, and it’s all computerized.”

In today’s world of crippling student debt, an increasing number of young people see the benefits of a free education in a field with good job security. “The trade offers a lot of education—and a free education—if you get with the right company,” he says. “We’re going to make sure that we pay for their electrical education.” In return, the team hopes that these young people will become longstanding employees.

DEI Systems will continue to support and emphasize education in the future. Its employees need to “keep learning and staying in the intellectual realm of where this whole trade’s going,” Delaney says. “It’s no longer just twisting a few wire nuts. These guys have to be educated.” The company will also continue to focus on offering a diverse range of services. “I’d like to continue on with our approach of being multifaceted.”

In addition, Delaney plans to expand the company’s sales division and offer a wider range of products, brands, and services. With so much growth already accomplished, the company is well placed for continued success along this path. “Things look good for the future,” he summarizes.

The post A Diverse Approach<p class="company">DEI Systems</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“It is a great story of a man with determination and a will to succeed,” says Territory Sales Representative Tony Guyer. “From that one pickup truck and ladder to a new, state-of-the-art building with a fleet of vehicles, Jottan, Inc. has grown exponentially.”

Jottan has skyrocketed from a half million dollar a year start up with five employees to a leader in the commercial roofing industry with over one hundred employees and an annual revenue in excess of thirty million dollars, all while emphasizing customer satisfaction and safety, the two hallmarks that allowed it to succeed over the past forty-seven years.

After rising to the position of industry leader from such humble beginnings, it is no surprise that the company tag line is ‘Raise your expectations.’ The phrase summarizes the team’s desire for customers to expect more from their commercial roofing contractor. “Things are done methodically and consistently,” Guyer says. “Everyone strives to do it properly from the jump. We want the customer to realize that and raise their expectations instead of settling.”

Project Coordinator Christine Mardino reiterates that customers should “raise your expectations and consider a quality company like Jottan instead of fly-by-night operations. From day one, I observed and was taught that there are certain protocols and steps that take extra effort, but it is in that extra effort that [everything] comes together and creates our strong foundation,” she says. “It is why we have and will continue to grow in this industry.”

Jottan’s company culture ensures employees have the support they need to meet the company’s high expectations. Leadership prides itself on providing a family environment where everyone is important and every voice matters. “I personally feel Jottan is my second family,” President Toby Chrostowski says.

Chrostowski and the rest of the company leadership want employees to enjoy coming to work each day. They achieve this by providing a relaxed atmosphere and dress code, monthly employee luncheons, monthly employee spotlight articles, annual bonuses, updated office spaces and equipment, ample time off, companywide events, contests, monthly get-togethers, and companywide year-end holiday parties with gifts. “We put much effort into supporting our coworkers in many ways,” Chrostowski says. “I have a philosophy of taking care of the people that take care of me.”

Office Manager Kelli Little, who has been with Jottan for around 10 years, agrees. “The company culture at Jottan, Inc., in my opinion, is one of a healthy family dynamic… positive, evolving, and welcoming,” she says. “Leadership is caring, personable, compassionate, friendly, and approachable, which has been largely displayed through their open-door policy… never have they made one feel unvalued, unheard, nor unappreciated.”

It is “effortless for employees to establish a sense of belonging within the company,” Little shares. “This open-door approach has allowed for Jottan Inc.’s leadership to assess and connect with their employee’s needs… in turn, causing them to feel heard, valued and accepted.”

In addition, Jottan rewards employee efforts through a bonus program “like no one else in the industry, giving back approximately twenty percent of profits to our employees,” says Marketing Manager Dustin Driesbach. And the company leadership is not stopping there. It is developing two new spaces within the office for employee use and enjoyment. The first is a 2,000-square-foot commercial-quality gym facility. The second is a 1,500-square-foot employee lounge complete with widescreen televisions, gaming systems, pool tables, couches, tables, and food and drink areas.

Not surprisingly, Jottan has earned a reputation as a great place to work, in large part due to the leadership’s commitment to employees and that close-knit company culture. “They care,” Mardino says. “You can knock on anyone’s office and ask for help. Anyone and everyone is willing to step in for the greater good. Our leaders do not view us as just employees; they treat you like family. When we gather, whether it is luncheons, a Christmas party, or other events, it makes a huge difference. You see that person outside of work, get to meet their significant other or their children, and you are no longer just an employee or a face you see in the hallway; you are someone that matters. That alone makes you want to be a part of the team and work hard to achieve even more. At the end of the day, it is a win. The customer gets a roof; it is done in the safest possible way, and they are left with the notion that this is a company that not only holds certain standards but stands behind them. I am not only lucky, but I am proud to work for Jottan roofing.”

Jottan’s retention rates showcase its high level of employee satisfaction. Fourteen employees have been with the company for over a decade, ten for over fifteen years, six for more than twenty years, and two employees have been with Jottan for over a quarter of a century. “Jottan, Inc., year-in and year-out, routinely takes care of its people,” Driesbach says. “We take pride in having employees stay here a long time.”

The company’s safety record is another key area that demonstrates a commitment to employees. Its experience modification rating (EMR) consistently falls beneath .6, which is considered superior within the industry. In fact, Jottan ranks as the safest commercial roofer in New Jersey.

“Safety is one of our core values here at Jottan, Inc.,” Guyer says. “It starts with the president and vice president and runs throughout the organization.”

“As an employee here, one of our biggest conversations we have is that everyone deserves the right to go home every night in the same condition we came in that morning,” Operations Manager George Gulla adds.

The team works together to achieve their stellar safety rating. The effort starts with a unified vision and a robust training program headed by a full-time safety coordinator. Every employee receives comprehensive new employee safety training followed up with yearly OSHA ten-hour and thirty-hour safety courses. “Safety is such an important component,” says Guyer, “that even salespeople go through OSHA training.”

Jottan’s staff is fully certified in areas such as asbestos, silica, fall protection, torch use, crane operation, scaffolding set-up, and COVID-19 precautions. And, the company’s safety staff conducts weekly inspections of all job sites to ensure compliance with all safety rules and guidelines.

With so much growth already accomplished, the company recently relocated from Florence, New Jersey to a new, 20,000-square-foot office space spanning eleven acres in Delran, New Jersey. “It was an enormous undertaking to say the least,” Controller Mary Pellechio says. “What made the move run as smoothly as it did was the fact that no task was too small or unimportant for the employees to take on. From the vice president moving furniture on the weekends to the estimating department setting up computers and printers all over the new office to the young office guys packing up trucks and hauling boxes in the pouring rain to the new office to the ladies boxing up the kitchen and supply cabinets and cleaning out the bathrooms and refrigerators, no one was above pitching in. A true ‘family’ operation!”

Armed with a collaborative team always ready to pitch in, Jottan’s future looks promising. The company’s five-year plan aims to increase yearly revenue figures to $70,000,000.00 through calculated expansion. As the company undergoes this exciting growth, one factor will always be the same. The team will continue to put customer satisfaction and safety first, as it has from the company’s first days as a humble, one-truck, one-ladder startup.

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