Every few years, a catchphrase comes along that becomes a permanent part of our everyday language. Some are spawned by movies and television, while many come from advertising companies and are tied to a particular brand or product. From Nike’s ‘Just do it’ to insurance company Allstate’s ‘You’re in good hands’ and Kentucky Fried Chicken’s ‘Finger lickin’ good’, these taglines are so familiar it seems they’ve always been there.

Along with big hair and neon clothing, the eighties became known for some of the most enduring catchphrases, like fast-food giant Wendy’s ‘Where’s the beef?’ and the now-legendary LifeCall, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Marketed to seniors, the commercial for the LifeCall device—which alerted authorities in case of medical emergencies—spawned countless jokey imitations. Although the ad was parodied, it created a public awareness of the realities of older persons living alone, and the risks and challenges they face every day.

Close to home

Worldwide, senior care is big business for good reasons: many of us are living longer, thanks to new medications, advanced medical treatments, and a greater awareness of our lifestyle choices such as good nutrition and exercise, and the dangers of smoking, stress, and alcohol.

Although life expectancy recently fell in the United States from 78.9 years in 2019 to 76.6 years in 2021 (with COVID being a leading cause of death), we are today generally living longer, healthier, and more productive lives. In 1969, the average American lived 70.51 years; 50 years later in 2019, 78.79 years.

Of course, this means a duty on us to consider, and manage, the conditions in which these seniors spend their autumn years for the benefit of both the more elderly (and that will come to mean ourselves!) and society in general. Even if we’re not running the 26-mile Boston Marathon at age 75 or climbing Mount Everest in our eighties, preferring to watch television and do crossword puzzles, seniors need to be safe at home and in their communities.

Doctors and gerontologists—health care professionals specializing in the study of aging—agree about the benefits of older people remaining in their homes (also known as ‘aging in place’) for as long as possible. Often, seniors dedicate their entire lives to their homes, places of comfort and familiarity. They know their neighbours, local shops, and amenities.

Living independently

The term ‘independent living’ includes everything from simple inexpensive gadgets, like no-tie shoelaces and battery-operated jar openers, to investing tens of thousands retrofitting houses inside and out.

This can include entrance ramps, safety handrails, widened doors, installing of larger windows, indoor and outdoor chair and stair lifts, new lighting, installation of elevators, and lowering sinks and countertops in kitchens and bathrooms.

The overall goal? To stay in the comfort of your own home for as long as possible, preferably your entire life.

Attitude toward seniors depends on culture and country. In many European cities—led by Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Germany—older persons have a higher quality of life. According to the Global Age Watch Index, factors include health status, capability, income security, and an enabling environment, including physical safety and access to public transportation.

Senior-friendly cities

For older persons, the ability to navigate streets and sidewalks, shopping centres and public transit is as important as feeling secure in their homes. As populations grow older, senior-focused organizations are calling for more convenient, safer communities. These include The American Association of Retired Persons, better known as AARP®, which focuses on issues facing members over age 50.

An influential lobbying group, the 38 million-plus membership organization is behind magazines, bulletins, and the recent Aging Readiness & Competitiveness Report. Created by AARP and FP Analytics, the report details the preference for older men and women to stay at home instead of moving to a retirement residence, remaining active and contributing members of their communities.

Along with preventing social isolation and promoting social engagement, the report discusses the importance of accessibility. Despite some improvements, the report found accessibility needs work in key areas such as transportation, public spaces and housing.

“While industrialized countries are primarily focused on upgrading existing infrastructure, often by providing financial subsidies, developing countries are well positioned to incorporate age-friendly elements in their ongoing infrastructure development, but thus far have largely failed to take advantage of this opportunity,” says the report’s Executive Summary.

A better environment for the elderly

The infrastructure of cities and towns is as important for seniors as are their homes and communities. Fostering greater usability includes everything from low-tech solutions—such as increasing the number of street benches and public restrooms—to the construction of more senior centres to meet the needs of communities.

Other initiatives include lighting improvements, larger signage, better training of city employees to work with aging populations, and increased awareness of accessibility and dementia.

Accessible parks are another element important to improving the lives of seniors. In its report, Placemaking for an Aging Population: Guidelines for Senior-Friendly Parks, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies addressed why there is a need for parks for older adults, case studies of senior-friendly parks, design guidelines, and many other areas including accessibility, safety, contact with nature, and even intergenerational playgrounds.

Parks are valuable assets for play and social interaction for children and seniors and serve as a natural respite from congested cities and towns. For older individuals at risk of social isolation, they are especially beneficial, and a tool to make cities more age-friendly, along with improved transportation, community support, and health services.

Elders, especially single men and women, may face loneliness, which can lead to physical and mental health issues like depression and premature death.

“Parks can reduce the prevalence of social isolation, provide opportunities for intergenerational interaction, and create a sense of place and attachment,” says the Placemaking report. “Indeed, parks can offer a great deal more than simply a place to go outdoors. They provide settings where elders can interact with other elders, exercise, visit together with their families, or tend to their grandchildren.”

Going high-tech

For cities big and small to better serve seniors, rudimentary changes need to happen. Lowering speed limits, increasing the number of road crossings, distinctive signage and barrier-free access increase walkability, while low-boarding buses and senior-designated seating encourage using public transit instead of driving, and the likelihood of more social interaction.

Another tool is technology.

With seniors embracing cell phones and using Smart watches to monitor their health and activity, tablets and other devices are more connected than ever, and able to interact with Smart city services. Modern urban areas using sensors, voice activation and other electronic tools help Smart cities gain data to manage their assets, which in turn improves operations through technology.

Cities like Seattle are using data via Access Map Seattle for street maps and to indicate pedestrian walkways. Barcelona’s smartappcity is a mobile app integrating all city services, from tourism and city guides to parking, bike sharing, charging stations, city buses, pharmacy locations, gas stations, and even the environment.

Cities are homes to aging residents, many of them living in the same place their entire lives. The realities of people living longer are far from exclusive to North America. Back in 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), researched 33 cities in 23 countries. This was “to identify what actions cities and communities can take to encourage active aging and hence be ‘age-friendly,’ according to the report, The Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities: Looking back over the last decade, looking forward to the next.

Researchers asked seniors to discuss advantages and barriers in eight areas of urban living: housing, transport, information and communication, outdoor spaces and buildings, community support and health services, social participation, civic participation and employment, respect, and social inclusion.

Demand from cities resulted in the WHO establishing the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC) in 2010, and the World report on aging and health in 2015.

For seniors who prefer staying in their own homes instead of moving to retirement residences, the future is likely to see a blend of sensible, low-tech products such as more benches and cut-down curbs to reduce tripping hazards, and technologies like ‘talking’ bus stops that alert riders to bus schedules in a variety of languages. It promises to be an interesting mix.

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On the educational front, a major focus for the organization is certification training. “The RIA provides the industry’s highest level of certification training in the areas of water loss, fire loss, content loss, and environmental risk in restoration, all which lead up to the premier Certified Restorer certification,” Cohen says. “These certifications set restoration contractors apart as experts in their field and support our goal as an association to truly elevate the restoration industry.”

The team recently launched an exciting new certification program that qualifies participants as Environmental Risk Specialists (ERS). “That course prepares restorers to navigate industry guidelines and regulations and improve their awareness and understanding of environmental hazards including chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosives, and other risks that are associated with disaster sites,” Cohen says. “This new certification will help better prepare restorers for the various types of environmental risks they may encounter in their disaster response work.”

Advocacy is an equally important pursuit, and the association’s newly formed legislative taskforce is working to monitor and evaluate legislation at both the state and federal levels that could impact the restoration industry. The taskforce provides “a venue for restoration contractors to proactively come together and address legislation that may be coming down the pipeline,” Cohen explains. Being more proactive in legislative monitoring and government affairs “is the latest phase of our advocacy blueprint that we’re engaging in now.”

Another of the RIA’s key commitments is to protect the financial and legal interests of restoration contractors and help them work collaboratively and fairly with insurers and other stakeholders who are involved in the industry. The team wants “to ensure that our members have equity in the insurance ecosystem, that they’re able to perform the work necessary and be paid the customary and reasonable price for the work performed,” says Cohen.

The RIA’s Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee “works to unite restorers around substantive positions that all restoration contractors can agree on and that address some of the common problems that they’re facing,” she says. To this end, the team has developed several peer-reviewed position statements to help restoration contractors navigate and overcome these common challenges. For example, “we’re finding that restoration contractors may be facing challenges where insurance carriers and their partners are trying to prohibit deviation from the use of standardized price lists,” shares Cohen. “We’ve developed a position statement that essentially says that insurance carriers and their partners should not prohibit deviations from standardized price lists. Every restoration project is unique and the costs required to carry out the job are going to vary.”

She explains that, “We’ve also developed position statements that address the issue of third parties attempting to unilaterally dictate restoration procedures, scope, price, or billing.” Peer-reviewed positions are bringing restorers together and building cohesion throughout the industry by promoting “productive conversations with carriers or third parties when these challenges are arising.” These position statements cover the appropriate role of adjusters, who play an important role in the restoration ecosystem, by “clarifying that it’s not an adjuster’s role to tell a contractor how to write an estimate, or invoice, or what to charge for work performed outside of a managed repair network or a TPA (third party administrator) program.”

Cohen adds that an increasingly common industry challenge is the refusal of insurance carriers to pay restoration charges on the grounds that these expenses are simply the cost of doing business. “Our position statement really makes it clear that, subject only to the limits of the policy, all costs that result from covered losses must be paid by the carrier unless a specific written exclusion expressly applies.”

Another RIA advocacy effort is to conduct a Third Party Administrator (TPA) scorecard survey that gathers feedback directly from restoration contractors on their experience working with a variety of TPAs. “The goal of this is to really improve the contractor / TPA relationship,” Cohen says. “Our restoration advocate utilizes the results of the survey to have productive and collaborative conversations with third party administrators to work toward addressing some of the concerns that come through in that survey report.”

Indeed, the RIA is always on the lookout for any emerging challenges within the industry in order to best support its members. “We are looking at issues around overhead and profit for our industry, including some of the assumptions that are made around overhead and profit and what is reasonable for restoration contractors,” says Cohen. “We’re also looking at increasing inflation and labor costs and how those costs are accounted for in the various pricing software that restorers and insurance carriers are using.”

The RIA has hit its stride as an association and is currently experiencing an exciting period of expansion. “We’ve got great momentum because we have stepped into the role of being the voice of the industry and we can take on those issues that restoration contractors certainly can’t take on by themselves,” says Cohen. “Now that we have that at the forefront of the work that we do, we anticipate achieving significant growth as an association.”

The team wants to attract restorers with businesses of all sizes, from family-owned independent shops all the way up to large, multi-location companies. “We want to make sure that we have the participation of all contractors: from large enterprise and franchise members to independent contractors and those who may be newer to the restoration industry. We really want to show all restorers that this is the place for you,” Cohen says.

Indeed, to be even more inclusive, the RIA is rolling out a new model of membership costs that allows “all restoration companies, whether you are large, small, independent, or part of a franchise, to join the association. It gives membership flexibility in terms of the amount of dues that companies are paying to come on board and it creates a great opportunity for restoration contractors who have never been members to join the association,” says Cohen.

Restorers who are interested in joining the RIA can visit restorationindustry.org, where visitors to the site will find opportunities for certification training as well as a wide variety of exciting networking events, including a technical conference this fall and the RIA’s big annual convention in April, “which is just a phenomenal, must-attend event. Check us out because we do have a lot of great opportunities for restoration contractors to network and engage with the RIA,” says Cohen.

“We’re really excited to see a bright future ahead for the organization and our industry, as we see traction being made with our advocacy efforts,” she says. “We’re going to continue to be united, we’re going to see more collaboration and most importantly, more of an impact on the issues that matter most to restoration contractors.”

The post The Unified Voice of Restorers<p class="company">Restoration Industry Association</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“It doesn’t matter what time of day it is. It doesn’t matter what day of the year it is… If you [contact] our company, one of our team members will answer the phone,” states Christopher McAlpine, Network Development Partner at 24Restore.

24Restore refers to its employees as team members because the company views itself as a team, not a corporate entity with a strict hierarchy, says McAlpine. In addition to offering a broad array of services in the aftermath of catastrophe, the company emphasizes staff collaboration, empowerment, and opportunity. As for the specific nature of its work, the majority of 24Restore’s assignments involves fire and water damage.

“We’ll do everything from start to finish for fire and water,” states McAlpine.

Following a fire, 24Restore might board up a property, remove ash and soot, and perform content and structure cleaning and restoration. As the company points out, a fire can be devastating even when a property isn’t badly burned. To this end, 24Restore specializes in getting rid of the smoky odor that lingers long after a blaze has been extinguished.

Water damage caused by floods, broken pipes, overflowing toilets and bathtubs, and sewer backups is another kind of calamity 24Restore routinely deals with. The company’s water damage duties include sewage flood cleanup, water removal, decontamination and sanitization, repairs, and restoration.

Trauma scene cleanup, a service rendered following a violent incident, can entail the removal of blood and biological material. Storm damage services range from roof tarping and board-up to tree removal, temporary power, flood water cleanup, structural drying, and reconstruction. The firm also performs mold and environmental hazard removal and remediation.

All work is done in-house, save those duties that require tradespeople with special licenses.

24Restore servers sectors including residential, office, commercial, and warehouse facilities, and its customers range from individual homeowners to municipalities. 24Restore has a contract to do board-up work for the City of Minneapolis, for instance, and has a similar contract for public housing units across the State of Minnesota. Regardless of who the end client is, the company primarily works within Minnesota, particularly in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The firm does much more, however, than just board up ruined properties and remove damaged contents. 24Restore’s partners include 1-800-BOARDUP, a self-described “national disaster recovery organization with locations all across America” that “assists victims of disaster on one of the worst days of their lives.” People who contact 1-800-BOARDUP can be connected with a personal victim advocate who provides practical assistance. This might include offering cell phones, diapers, or putting a family up in a hotel, says McAlpine.

Originally, 24Restore was established in a slightly roundabout manner. Founder Derek West initially worked in the carpet cleaning business but kept being contacted about water damage issues.

“[West] started carpet cleaning, and the biggest thing he found was that a lot of the older crews didn’t want to clean up water, so they would call him in. So, he basically happened upon this business because people weren’t willing to do things and he was,” recalls McAlpine.

24Restore was founded as a full-service restoration company in 1994 and a few years ago, West, who remains owner of 24Restore, spun off a new company called Cloud Contents. Cloud Contents recovers documents following floods or fires. The recovery process can involve cleaning, duplicating, and reconstructing business records, legal documents, paintings, X-rays, manuscripts, medical records, and more. Once again, this firm was launched to fill a niche.

“No one [else] was willing to step up and help people save memories and save their contents versus just throwing stuff away and purchasing new,” states McAlpine.

Also based in Ramsey, the new company serves a wider geographic region than 24Restore. Cloud Contents has done document recovery work as far afield as Des Moines, Iowa, through North Dakota and into Minnesota.

24Restore currently has between 50 and 60 team members while Cloud Contents has around 25 to 40 personnel. Staffing levels at both companies were roughly the same this time last year. Some 24Restore members are IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration) certified drying technicians.

Regardless of experience or skill level, commitment is an important prerequisite for anyone looking to get hired at 24Restore: “Are you willing to do your best every single day, and show up and improve? If we’re to hire anyone, it’s someone who is humble and hungry—an individual that really wants to be the best they can and be a better person,” states McAlpine.

Indeed, the company motto, “serving others the way you want to be served” neatly encapsulates the 24Restore ethos. The firm has embraced the concepts of selflessness, authenticity, and servant leadership (a school of thought that suggests managers can achieve better results by empowering staff, rather than bossing them around). Authenticity, for its part, means “be true to yourself. You’re not posturing to be something that you’re not,” explains McAlpine.

The company also follows a core set of operating principles, for staff and customer relations alike. These principles include “be impeccable with your words, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, always do your best. If you treat people that way, then people know your heart is in the right [place],” he says.

Given the environments that 24Restore team members routinely encounter, the company places a strong emphasis on safety. Frontline team members are equipped with appropriate PPE including respirators, while the firm has a safety committee and hosts regular safety meetings.

In a similar fashion, COVID didn’t put a halt to the company’s work (as a restoration company, 24Restore was deemed an essential service and wasn’t required to shut its doors at the height of the pandemic). The firm took steps to keep its personnel safe while continuing to service its customers. “We took care of our team members, by making sure they had a safe environment to come to work. Then, we took care of our customers. We showed up to help,” recalls McAlpine.

The company emphasizes continuing education and ensures that frontline staff receive up-to-date training and equipment. Continuous improvement is a key objective: “We’re improving our processes daily. Our training is, I dare to say, second to none for restoration,” states McAlpine.

Clearly, people seem to enjoy working at 24Restore. The company recently earned a spot on the Top Workplaces for 2022 list which was compiled by the StarTribune newspaper based on information gleaned from employee surveys. 24Restore ranked 73^rd for best small business employer in the state of Minnesota. “Our commitment internally is what makes us stand out,” says McAlpine. “Our team members voted for us because we created an environment that allows opportunities for others.”

The company’s service-oriented philosophy extends into charitable and community initiatives as well. The firm started an annual Serving Others Event in 2013, in which 24Restore and other various businesses participate in a friendly competition to serve community organizations. Serving Others takes place before Thanksgiving, with a view toward helping charities that provide food for the needy. 24Restore is also actively involved in blood donor events.

“Doing a blood drive, we’ll go there, bring tables, chairs, and food, and serve people. We don’t ask for a single dime from people. We want to be a blessing, to go above and beyond,” states McAlpine.

As for non-COVID related challenges, McAlpine cites growth issues. Namely, “how do we keep improving our processes as we grow?”

One way of achieving this end is to “find people who have the same values we do and put them into play… while we could grow at an alarming rate, you have to do it properly, with the right people,” he continues.

As for the future, “we’ve got a lot of goals,” he says, one of which is for the company to stay laser-focused on its core competencies. 24Restore would prefer to enhance its existing services rather than branch off into brand new fields outside its areas of expertise.

On top of carefully expanding revenue and personnel, the firm wants to remain at the forefront of the industry. In the years ahead, 24Restore would like to be seen as “the leading restoration company [in the United States]—to set standards, and then to raise those standards,” states McAlpine.

The post Providing Help When Disaster Strikes<p class="company">24Restore</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

In addition, livewire owners Bill Blackmon and Scott Mooring were behind several industry innovations, including a unique piece of equipment specifically made for cleaning area rugs.

Believing others worldwide would benefit from their patented, state-of-the-art hot water-recirculation cleaning systems, the two launched the Steamatic Inc. franchise business in 1968.

“They developed a lot of the initial industry standards for how to deal with water damage and duct cleaning,” says Steamatic’s Director of Operations Zach Ledford. “Processes were being developed on the spot at that time.”

Following the flooding of the Trinity River and its considerable damage to people’s homes, Blackmon and Mooring soon found their equipment was well-suited to helping homeowners recover, and the restoration side of the business was born.

“The business helped families suffering water damage to extract the water and clean up after the damage,” says Ledford. “This initial step into restoration—to serve and help people rebuild—became the direction of the brand that we still live up to today. But times change. Today people are looking for a turnkey solution. Steamatic wants to be the answer, by providing construction services that help with the emergency response and the clean-up and being there to put things back together again.”

Acquisition and action

Steamatic took a bold step forward in 2019 when the publicly traded, Australia-based construction and restoration giant Johns Lyng Group purchased the master franchising business from the incumbent owner.

“With the purchase came an investment in resources, as well as a cultural shift that focuses on developing leadership by hiring rock stars,” says Ledford. “This change in attitudes led to a rebuilding phase where complacency was no longer acceptable.”

On acquisition, positive changes were implemented immediately, including the introduction of tools to monitor employee development and determine everyone’s personal and professional vision with the company. All employees, from entry-level positions to upper management, had a voice that was heard. Fresh ideas were welcomed, and employees got more involved with Steamatic’s brand and direction.

Communication increased with updated newsletters and announcements. But the biggest transformation taking root in the company was in its hiring process and staff management. Traditionally, hiring was based largely on skill, but the company shifted toward hiring staff on intangibles instead.

“Our whole MO is that we can hire someone with no skill in relation to the role, as long as they have good intangibles like character, integrity, drive, and we teach them the skills,” says Ledford.

Building the culture

“We are a little different from other companies because we have people on the team who may not have been directly involved with the industry. However, they have good intangibles and great personalities that are in line with the culture we want,” Ledford shares.

Along with setting employees up for success and fostering a positive work environment, Steamatic brought on the former head of human resources for Nike, who introduced culture workshops and teaching. A change in attitude followed, where complacency was no longer acceptable.

As part of the company’s rebuilding phase, Steamatic has re-worked its standard operating procedures, updating documentation, operation manuals, and training processes to build the brand to a point where, when making a franchise offering, they are truly providing franchisees with a competitive, state-of-the-industry restoration business.

“We are one of America’s original restoration brands,” says Ledford. “Steamatic has helped pioneer many of the techniques now used in the industry, and we’re always looking for new ways to innovate. We are an American-born institution with franchises all over the world. Steamatic is committed to the customer experience and personal connection with our customers.”

The complete clean and restoration

Living up to its tagline, “Residential and Commercial, We Do it All,” Steamatic is America’s most trusted restoration and cleaning brand.

From its modest beginnings, the company has added many more services. Offering cleaning services for everything from carpets, area rugs, and furniture, to heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and ducts, the business has expanded to include restoration works such as water damage and flood restoration, mold remediation, and electronics restoration, to name a few.

With the acquisition in 2019, Steamatic added construction services in the U.S. (in Canada and internationally, Steamatic locations are their own master franchises). Although not all American franchisees are full turnkey with construction, they can facilitate construction by working with subcontractors. From demolition and debris removal to project management and new home construction, the company has commercial and residential reconstruction services to meet all the needs of its customers.

Steamatic is also a leader in indoor air quality (IAQ) services, from air ducts to HVAC cleaning.

Considering we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, the air we breathe matters more than ever. One of the first companies to recognize the importance of indoor air quality and cleaning for health, Steamatic stresses the importance of following industry guidelines for air duct cleaning. The company encourages all of its owners who commit to cleaning air ducts to become certified through NADCA, the National Air Duct Cleaners Association.

Professional air duct cleaning not only improves the quality of indoor air but has many other benefits. Furnaces don’t have to work as hard, and unpleasant odors and harmful bacteria can be eliminated, creating a much healthier environment.

Understanding that cleaning the environment we live in influences air quality, Steamatic recently innovated a line of green chemicals with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

“During a water or fire damage, removing excess humidity from the environment quickly can prevent or greatly reduce mold contamination,” says Ledford. “We have the tools and training to monitor the conditions that can lead to IAQ problems and implement solutions to reduce the impact on homeowners and workers in the environment.”

Peace of mind

When flood, fire, or other disasters strike, customers are invariably upset, confused, and frustrated. The average incidence for those owning homes is two claims in 30 years. Their property, and often its contents, are damaged or destroyed. Many don’t know their deductible, or what to do next—and that’s where the professionals at Steamatic come into the picture.

“The first person on site is usually an estimator, and they must have the skills to work with the customer and provide a high level of customer service,” says Ledford. “We want to help them from start to finish. So we’ll walk in, make an assessment, put an estimate together, and communicate with the insurance adjuster and the insurance company.

“We’ll get an agreed-upon scope of work, help the customer with material selection—if there is material selection—and be there during the drying or cleaning stage.” Once this stage is complete, Steamatic is there to the end for its customers.

New Vice President

One of the biggest recent developments at Steamatic is the addition of Vice President Chad Rhoden.

Deeply experienced in the industry, Rhoden has served as Restoration Division Manager for Texas Fire and Deflooding, where he handled property restoration training, industry software, and day-to-day operations.

In other key roles, including the posts of Director of Technical Training for The Dwyer Group and later Director of Operations for Wardlaw Claims Services, Rhoden was entrusted with developing adjuster training reinforced by critical industry standards, providing technical oversight, and other initiatives.

At Steamatic, Rhoden coming aboard as Vice President is a clear signal of growing talent and ability propelling the company forward.

“Chad has been involved in the restoration industry for a significant amount of time,” says Ledford. “He has a wealth of knowledge and an IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification), and he shares a lot of those intangibles we’re looking for, so he’s a great fit culturally.”

The key to growth: people

With 43 locations domestically, Steamatic is currently looking to expand. The company is present all over the globe, including Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Mexico City.

“As far as those people who want to work with Steamatic and are looking for a restoration franchise are concerned, we want self-starters with high levels of drive and energy,” says Ledford. “We want friendly and reliable people with extreme character and integrity who are open to new ideas and processes but unwilling to compromise on work quality. They need to be the best of the best. That’s who we want to attract.”

The post Making It Right<p class="company">Steamatic</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Van Horne Construction Limited may be half a century old, but there is nothing stuffy about this visionary company. With a young management team leading the way, the company excels at quality construction management, general contracting, and design-build projects with dedication and attention to detail. It prides itself on diversity in the workplace with a roughly equal number of men and women and a mixture of employees from different cultures all working toward the same goals.

Owner Zeki Mert came to Canada as a Turkish immigrant and stucco expert in 2002. Stucco is a specialized wall rendering used since ancient times around Greece, Italy, and the rest of the Mediterranean as far as Morocco. Today, only very few master craftsmen still know the technique. They are, understandably, well-respected artisans.

Mert joined Van Horne Construction in 2003. He worked for the company for around eighteen months before returning to the world of stucco for several years. During this time, he completed several stucco projects for Van Horne as an independent contributor. That was until he bought a 50 percent stake in the company.

In 2017, Mert gained full ownership of the company, bringing it to its fifty-year mark with great success. The inspiring leader and pioneer’s personal goals are clear. “My dream is for the company to become a global general contractor and developer and to make sure that we always [hold] the Canadian flag [high] and, as a Canadian business, to be a respectful company,” says Mert.

At forty-two, establishing such a powerful legacy in a relatively short time was no mean feat. “I am still young. I want to achieve my dream and make sure that we build a [valuable] company and future for our country and our kids,” Mert adds. He is not a man who balks at industry competitors’ contributions. “I like competition. It makes you stronger. It also makes you always do right. If we have something of value, maybe we change ourselves and, at the same time, we change our competition too. [In that way] we assure that we [contribute] some value.”

The first thing Mert did when he bought the company was to change the historic firm’s management team. The reasoning behind this decision was to ensure that every person in the leadership team would be energetic and driven enough to be hands-on and involved in projects personally. This brought about several changes, including new technology that still enhances and grows its capabilities daily. He is especially satisfied with the fact that all of Van Horne’s current teams have “a deep connection” with the company, treating one another and customers like family and the business as their own.

Its major technological upgrade came in 2017 when the company introduced an entirely new construction management system. Today, Procore Construction Management Software remains its program of choice.

The software is believed to be used by nearly two million customers globally, making it relevant in today’s increasingly demanding construction market. It allows teams to check everything from schedules to budgets from anywhere on the planet via the internet. That ensures easy control of every project as well as transparency and sleek progress management.

To further guarantee its customers of the very best service and quality construction, Van Horne Construction became CORE-certified last year. The company is also LEED-certified, a nod to its promise to treat the environment with as much respect as it treats its clients and its staff. To this end, Van Horne Construction is continuously developing and fine-tuning its environmental policy to support the LEED-certified projects on which it collaborates.

“We want to help other people. We want to help the economy,” Mert says of creating affordable housing. The company currently has two affordable housing projects underway, one of which comprises over eighty living units.

Affordable housing is not all the company specializes in. Van Horne Construction Limited also excels at building luxury living units. Like the Orchard Point Harbour condominium complex on Lake Simcoe in Orillia, Ontario. The buildings focus on the retirement market, and Mert is particularly proud of these two lovely examples of quality construction.

“I think it is two very special [condominium complexes] we built in 2017, finishing in 2018. These are… special properties. It was [an important] project for us. When you work on the water, you have to be very professional,” he says, earnestly.

Mert points out that beyond the stunning setting and tasteful design, building on the lake edge was a tremendous responsibility that demanded many safety measures to keep the water and surrounding environment as pristine during the construction process as possible.

Known amongst colleagues for his strong market intuition, Mert sensed an approaching downturn in the construction market as early as 2017/18. Following this hunch, he sat with his management team to develop a solid risk management plan. Van Horne Construction turned to government buildings and institutions like schools and universities to recession-proof the company, accepting fewer private projects as it changed its typical client profile.

Mert could never have imagined that COVID-19 would hit or that trusting that sense of discomfort and acting upon it would ultimately save and build his business as it actually grew during this time. “The company was not hurt by COVID-19. I am very proud of my team,” he says.

Acts of charity are commonplace here, and the team takes great pride in helping when and where they can. In Canada, the company supports the Police Association, the Cancer Association, and others with donations of money. In Turkey last year, Mert invested in books for five libraries serving underprivileged children, an act of kindness that will potentially change the lives of thousands of children who will grow up to pass their knowledge and love of books to their children and grandchildren one day.

When asked what the future holds for Van Horne Construction Limited, Mert shares the continued importance of following his dreams and future-proofing the business. Having the right team to help pull the company through when the chips are down remains imperative. The next goal is to look at Europe while expanding its presence globally. “I always [wanted] to be in Europe and the Middle East. I like that area more, especially Europe.”

If there is a single thing that stands out about Van Horne, it is its acute attention to market changes and its precise and rapid response to even the slightest indicators of turning tides. One thing is certain. Van Horne Construction Limited is a company that lands on its feet, everywhere, every time, without exceptions.

The post Future-Proofing a Cross-Continental Construction Empire<p class="company">Van Horne Construction Limited</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Building facilities that create and support healthy communities is important to Pomerleau. The company has a long history and expertise in constructing different kinds of health infrastructure that support the evolving needs of the health care sector. To ensure that each resident can get the care they need, Pomerleau uniquely constructs each facility with the needs of the staff and occupants in mind. Using tools like BIM and pre-fabrication methods, Pomerleau plans the entire construction process around the current operations of the health care facility they are working on, mitigating any unnecessary disruptions, and completing the job in an efficient manner.

With the goal of creating sustainable communities in mind, they are building on their expertise to solidify themselves as industry leaders in health care construction.

Read more about Pomerleau’s work:

Ontario: St Patrick’s Home of Ottawa

To meet the challenges of changing health care requirements for clients and to incorporate the latest technology in caregiving, St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa mandated Pomerleau to construct a new home and demolish their old facility. The redevelopment project required the construction of a five-storey building with reinforced concrete structure. The floor area provides for a total of 288 beds. The new facility also houses a chapel and a gathering place for residents.

When constructing health care infrastructure, Pomerleau prioritizes the wellbeing of the staff and patients of the existing facility in which they are working. They implement measures throughout the entire construction process to mitigate disturbances. The existing structure at the St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa housed a 202-bed long-term care unit and remained operational until the new home was completed and residents could be relocated.

Safety around the site for the residents, visitors and staff was of the utmost importance for Pomerleau. They worked closely with St. Patrick’s administration, the Fire Marshall, and all relevant municipal and provincial officials to update all fire and safety management systems and procedures on an ongoing basis. Modifications to the entrance roadways were made to ensure proper accessibility for emergency vehicles and residents with mobility issues.

The project achieved LEED Silver Certification and implemented several sustainable strategies. Pomerleau used material with a high level of recycled content and sourced resources locally whenever possible. The environmental quality of the building was attained through the choice of low-VOC paints and sealants throughout the installation of the new and efficient mechanical equipment. Improving its facilities allows St. Patrick’s staff to provide care for residents in a state-of-the-art facility that conforms to the latest Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care standards.

Newfoundland: Happy Valley-Goose Bay Long-Term Care Facility

Upgrades made to long-term care facilities can generate several positive impacts for residents and staff of these homes. Taking care of these sensitive environments while modifications are being made to existing infrastructure is important. Pomerleau expanded the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Long-Term Care Home to include a one-level slab with a penthouse extension. The extension hosts 21 resident rooms, a lounge, nursing station with medication room, clean and soiled rooms, and an equipment storage room. It increases the capacity of the home to 70 beds. Site work in the form of asphalt, grading, and landscaping was conducted along the exterior of the extension.

The town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is home to approximately 8,109 people. The facility was expanded and modernized to respond to population growth within the town and the evolving care needs of residents, and the project is part of a larger effort to preserve long-term care and community support services within the area. The facility remained open while Pomerleau expanded it, allowing for care services to continue. The new additions installed by Pomerleau preserve the facility’s features and ensure that it can continue to respond to the increasing specialized care demands of the community.

“Over the past several decades, Pomerleau has continued to build on its health care experience at both the Provincial and Federal level, working in a number of different communities throughout Atlantic Canada. Whether it be a clinic facility, long-term care facility, or an acute care hospital, our team takes great pride in constructing long-lasting buildings that will benefit our communities and users for years to come,” said Lorin Robar, Regional Vice President of Pomerleau’s Atlantic Canada division.

Quebec: Seniors’ Homes and Alternative Homes

Pomerleau’s Seniors’ Homes and Alternative Homes project consist of the construction of facilities that bring together households, warm welcoming spaces, public spaces, and support services. In the regions of Laval, Lanaudière, and Laurentides, Quebec, Pomerleau is building ten seniors’ houses and alternative houses varying from two to four floors each with 48, 72, or 96 rooms, for a total of approximately 600 places intended for seniors and adults with special needs.

Pomerleau aims to build communities that give residents spaces to thrive. To make the environment of the seniors’ homes and alternative homes more welcoming, the outdoor spaces of the homes are anchored using an approach that aims to bring occupants closer to nature. The landscaping of the houses promotes conservation and offers proximity to the natural and therapeutic resource that is nature. Outdoor spaces throughout the homes like prosthetic and memorial gardens offer stimulating spaces for walking, socializing, meditation, and rest. To create a familiar, comfortable, and safe living environment, the homes reflect the characteristics of the regional grouping, offering an abundance of light and natural and neutral finishes to encourage tranquility.

A simple structure was used to build the homes, with regular wefts allowing flexibility and layout possibilities. A reinforced concrete structure for the wings and a steel structure for the entrance canopies were developed while considering the acoustic requirements and resistance. The civil works planning approach favoured quality pavements and concrete structures. Stormwater management systems were used to promote infiltration, which is in line with the principles of sustainable development and LEED. The topographical features of the sites are used to optimize the management of materials and to offer sites that are adapted to their own environments.

The project design is oriented around three axes of intervention in sustainable development: health, comfort and well-being, and the environment and climate change. It intends to create a positive impact on residents. The project is aiming for LEED V4 certification and incorporates several strategies to achieve this sustainability goal including the use of healthy materials, no harmful emissions, and air quality tests before occupancy. Access to stimulating outdoor spaces, natural light, thermal comfort spaces, and quality exterior views were other strategies implemented to support the LEED certification goals. Pomerleau also achieved 20 percent energy and water savings compared to the LEED reference.

An expertise built to last

The comfortability, health, safety, and wellness of seniors and staff in long-term care homes are central to the design and construction of these facilities. This type of infrastructure requires special components and expertise in industrial mechanics, and Pomerleau provides customary specialized expertise to each site it is on. They understand that these homes are essential to Canadian communities.

To foster these communities, Pomerleau incorporates immersive facilities within and outside the homes. Interactive spaces where residents can meet, learn, and grow are essential to the longevity of these care centres. Pomerleau builds durable, long-lasting care homes by using sustainable materials and applying innovative methods to the construction process. They plan for the future of the home, its residents, and its staff by applying sustainable strategies to their work during pre-construction, construction, and after the building is handed off to the client. Pomerleau is committed to showing that people are at the heart of their work by honouring a variety of lifestyles in every building they build.

The post Creating Communities Within Long-term Care Facilities: Pomerleau’s Expertise<p class="company">Pomerleau</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

The company works hard to keep floor plans up to date. Over the last year, in particular, the team took time to re-evaluate and update floor plans to ensure buyers can find exactly what they want. “They’re always trying to remain relevant with what is popular and what buyers want,” Bowers says.

After the update, the company’s floor plans continue to include plenty of two-story options, which are not as common in the region. “There’s just not a lot of builders that build two-story homes, and we offer some of the largest and best two-stories that a semi-custom builder can offer,” says Bowers.

After buyers choose a floor plan, they have the opportunity to select specific fixtures and finishings at Legacy’s design studio. “Having the design studio allows a buyer to go in and design everything inside and outside their home, from garage doors to siding to the shingles to kitchen cabinets and countertops. They can literally design everything there. That’s what makes Legacy Homes unique. [It is what] really sets them apart,” Bowers shares.

“I’ve worked with several other builders that, if you build a home with them, you’ve got to go to several different suppliers,” she explains. “You don’t always get to see all of your selections or finishes in one place or see them together; you have to carry samples around, go to different locations to be able to design a kitchen or pick out flooring.”

Buyers get all of this for a remarkably reasonable cost. “They are very competitive with prices. A lot of that is because Legacy is a production, semi-custom home builder, and so prices are based on volume.”

Another cost saver is that each of the company’s homes is energy efficient. “That’s something that really stands out with Legacy,” Bowers says. “They’re always trying to make their homes more energy efficient.” And she would know; she lives in a Legacy home herself and sees the savings firsthand. “My utilities, they’re pretty reasonable for such a large house.” The company uses a 95 percent efficiency furnace, and the standard insulation package exceeds city codes. Or, buyers can opt to upgrade to spray foam insulation for even greater efficiency.

Legacy Homes has only offered single-family housing until now, with the recent rollout of townhomes and villas for the Omaha market. In addition, the team is currently working on a starter home line. “It’s going to be a little bit smaller square footage [because] the goal is to make starter homes much more affordable,” Bowers says. This new line will stand out in a market with very few starter home options. “There are just a handful of builders who even remotely offer a product for starter homes.”

With the launch of starter homes, townhomes, and villas, the company now covers virtually every stage of a homeowner’s life. “They can start with Legacy, and then we have our larger single-family homes where they can build or buy their second or third home, and when they’re of retirement age or ready to downsize, a lot of folks will move to a villa or townhome. So it really gives our buyers the opportunity to start with Legacy and finish with Legacy throughout their lifespan.”

Legacy Homes is launching new communities in addition to new product lines. “Legacy developed quite a bit of land in Lincoln and Omaha, so we’ve got several communities that will be rolled out the next two years,” Bowers says. “There’s an extraordinary amount of land coming for Legacy customers to build on.”

As with most builders, Legacy Homes has had to overcome the industry challenges brought by the global pandemic. “The biggest challenges Legacy has faced over the last couple of years are supply shortages and subcontractor shortages,” Bowers says. This did not hit for a while, however, and the company enjoyed record sales in the beginning. “We saw an influx of buyers wanting to build or buy a home, and so we were taking more contracts right around the time COVID started, [more] than we had the year prior. So 2020 was one of our best years but then, around the end of 2020, a lot of manufacturers had shut down businesses or went to fifty percent capacity, and we just couldn’t get supplies.”

Despite the strain on the business, the team was committed to keeping their word to buyers. “What I really admire about Legacy was, when several builders were going back to their buyers, telling them they needed to pay for the overages on the supplies due to the shortage, Legacy didn’t. Their contracted buyers’ prices remained as they were.”

After completing these contracts, the team had to scale back due to the shortages. “They didn’t stop production but they dialed back production of homes to about fifty percent so that they could catch up [regarding] the supply delays and then hire more subcontractors,” Bowers says. “Vendors were having trouble hiring enough people to keep up with the demand. Electricians couldn’t find anyone qualified to work.”

The team made it a priority to secure subcontractors for future jobs. “Legacy did take about a year to work on hiring additional subcontractors so they can be prepared next time,” Bowers says. “It’s always good to have too many subs rather than not enough, so they’ve been diligently working throughout the last twelve months to bring on multiple concrete vendors, multiple electricians so they aren’t just relying on one company… They’ve always got something to fall back on.”

Construction took longer to complete during the worst of the shortages but timelines have returned to normal since then. “With the subcontractor shortages, it was making our build times longer than what we were used to,” Bowers says. “Now, in 2022, with what they did in 2021 [to work around the shortages], they have been able to get their build times down again.”

Looking ahead, the team expects challenging times to continue but they will be fully prepared. This careful planning is particularly evident in the company’s foray into the first-time homeowner’s market. “It’s hard with the rising costs,” says LH Real Estate Realtor Megan Winans. “So I think it’s taken a little more planning than maybe they had anticipated, [and] with the interest rates, some builders might be a little nervous to purchase more land.”

But Legacy Homes is eager to press forward because the team wants to keep growing the company. “That’s the ultimate goal,” says Winans. Already one of the largest builders in Nebraska, Legacy Homes is certainly on a strong path toward continued growth, despite what challenges may come.

The post A Home for Everyone<p class="company">Legacy Homes Nebraska </p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Two years ago, Transwall found itself with a lot of momentum in the months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the pandemic began in earnest, the state government shut down many businesses within the state, an action which Transwall managed to avoid thanks to its work with both the federal government and the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, directed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, also the Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States.

Company president Jay Aikens describes the company as grateful to have worked with both organizations so closely during a difficult time, as the work helped to keep the company moving along and working on new projects. Transwall came out of the pandemic stronger than before as a result, and as of mid-2022, has returned to pre-pandemic activity.

The business has begun new product development and initiatives as well as enhancements to current products. Additionally, since 2020, Transwall has brought on a new sales force that has gone on to surpass expectations in the regions served by the company.

“We’re in a good position to grow the company profitably and set up for the next sixty years,” according to Public Relations Manager Britney Simone. The company has a history of weathering different types of storms, giving it the perfect opportunity to reflect on how it presents itself in the industry, developing aspects that may not have been focused on before.

During the pandemic, the manufacturing and engineering workers of Transwall had to stay in the office due to the nature of their work, while roughly two-thirds of the company’s staff members were working from home. This gave rise to a hybrid work model that continues to work well for the business today, as employees are enjoying the flexibility of it and the ability to make lifestyle choices that work for them.

Valois is glad to give employees back their time by embracing this hybrid model, as it communicates the company’s respect for its employees’ time, work efforts, and personal lives. Aikens believes it reflects what is happening now in the market as some companies are going fully remote, while others are much more concerned with returning to the office environment. In a way, the pandemic itself was another business condition that had to be managed, and there will always be another crisis just around the corner.

Valois is excited to report that Transwall is hard at work on the products of the future. “The industry is redefining itself to use more demountable and movable / relocatable products.” In fact, due to changing industry protocols, there has been an observed resurgence in moveable products like those offered by the company. Many of its products are being combined into single-focus products to simplify the go-to markets served, making the company more effective, creating greater longevity, and an overall better product.

Three of the Transwall product lines are undergoing a redesign which will make the lines simpler to refer to and specify. The redesign will also improve them from an aesthetic perspective.

As well, two of the glass wall products—including its double-glazed product—will be combined for a simpler portfolio. Valois foresees that mountable products are going to become more streamlined, functional, cleaner, and aesthetically pleasing product. “Good design can be added to anything at a respectable price.”

Simone adds that, in the modern office, flexibility is the current trend, and so spaces need to adapt and change with the worker’s needs. A demountable partition is one such flexible space solution as many modifications can be made for a client’s needs. Demountable products also have inherent cost savings. The company is eager to give its clients the full Transwall office solution while providing financial and even artistic value.

Valois feels that opportunities within the office solutions sector are currently at a peak across the United States. Design firms are working on large jobs of a much wider scope than normal, and there is a greater sense of collaboration and a desire to work with other businesses toward a single goal, especially coming out of COVID.

Spaces are also being redefined. Simone says that nothing can replace a conference room or office space in terms of promoting collaboration or team building, so having a tangible environment is more important now than ever. “The physical space is a driving factor in creating community and company culture,” she adds.

Demountable partitions and glass office fronts are still in demand and are a sustainable solution that promotes positive benefits for the environment and people in the form of natural light and outdoor views.

Aikens admits that companies like Transwall are subject to inflation and supply chain pressures today as many businesses are. The company will continue to adapt to the market and its challenges but does hold the advantage of being small enough to be flexible, which will lead to success moving forward.

Transwall looks to finish 2022 profitably and on target for its sales goals. Aikens adds that it will be anticipating the products of the future and seeking new opportunities to expand, both geographically and by market segment. Prospects are positive, and the company has the product base to make a solid go of its goals. Transwall will continue to work on growing relationships with its current clients and new areas like the financial, technology, and healthcare industries as parts of its overall growth strategy.

With sixty years of history, Transwall is thankful for its low worker turnover, as many employees have been around for multiple decades. “The strength of the company is in both its product and people,” Aikens affirms. He has seen the company grow since 1975 with double-digit sales growth for the past fifteen years.

Transwall’s strong relationships will carry it through times ahead. Simone compliments the outstanding leadership, including Aikens and Valois, as this has helped employees like her navigate changes and get the job done right while putting out the best product possible.

“I’m continually warmed by the people we work with every day, both internally and externally,” says Valois.

The post Ready to Celebrate 60 Years of Premier Glass & Wall Solutions<p class="company">Transwall</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“We are sure to offer only the best and most efficient advice and service the industry demands,” says President Steve Durante. “That’s how we set our day to day goals and perspective of the company.”

The family-owned, Vaughan, Ontario-based business got its start in 2005 when Durante teamed up with his brother and his friend. After being raised in the commercial and residential sectors of the industry, launching their own company was the natural next step.

The company has grown rapidly since then and currently employs 60 people across various trades. The team has been flexible enough to stay ahead of the curve over the last two decades. “We evolved with the industry over the years because things change over time,” Durante says. “Different systems, different components, different materials, different applications—we’ve seen a lot of that change through the years.”

One thing that has not changed over the years is the company culture. “We try to base the company on our own family values,” Durante says. He and the rest of the leadership think of the entire team as part of this family. “It is a job, but we see it as more than that. It’s a personal relationship, not just that of an employee and employer. We’ve always kept it that way. Our employees are not just our employees, they are our friends, and at the end of the day, we are a family with strong working relationships. We’ve always kept it that way and we treat everyone the same at Artizan. That makes everyone [strive] for a better future for themselves and it’s a better working relationship for all of us. We try to keep it as family-oriented as possible.”

Artizan Finishings is known for its expertise in EIFS, a non-load bearing, exterior wall cladding system comprising an insulation board, an integrally reinforced base coat, and a textured, protective finish coat. The system is becoming increasingly significant because it “will provide the increasing level of thermal performance necessary in Canada to meet our climate goals,” Durante explains. “The only way to do that is by increasing the insulation value on the exterior of the home.” EIFS is like an energy-efficient thermal blanket; when insulating the exterior of a structure, the system can reduce air infiltration by up to 55 percent when compared to traditional wood or brick construction, leading to a significant reduction in energy consumption.

EIFS significantly increases a home’s R-value, which is a measurement of the resistance to heat flow. Higher R-values demonstrate a higher level of insulation. “Most EIFS use insulation board with an R-value of R-4 to R-5.6 per inch as the innermost layer in the wall system,” the Artizan Finishings website explains. “When combined with standard wall cavity insulation, this extra layer can boost wall insulation from R-11 to R-16 or more.”

In addition to being energy-efficient, EIFS is cost-effective and extremely resilient, making it easy to maintain—and ideal for a variety of projects, from restoration work to new commercial and residential builds. EIFS is resistant to fading, yellowing, dirt, mold, and mildew due to a specially formulated, 100 percent acrylic binder. This is why EIFS walls rarely need to be painted and most systems maintain their original appearance over long periods of time.

The first EIFS walls were installed in the late 1960s and the majority of them are still in good condition. In fact, if properly installed and cared for, EIFS cladding will last the life of the building. Periodic cleaning is usually all that is needed to keep up the system’s appearance, although it may be necessary to repair minor impact damage or punctures. Of course, as is the case with all types of cladding, flashing and sealant need to be inspected occasionally and maintained.

EIFS systems require skilled, experienced trade workers to properly install—which helps set Artizan Finishings apart. “Our work speaks for itself,” Durante says. “We try to execute the work in the greatest manner possible. We have great techs out there and they do proper work, with proper system installation, and manufacturers that support us and the work that we do. Our reputation grows and builds from there.”

The company has managed to overcome the recent industry challenges, but not without some bumps in the road. “COVID was a challenging time for everybody,” Durante says. “We were frontline workers… Everybody needed to continue on with construction and housing and it was very scary for us in the beginning. Getting the proper PPE for all the employees was nearly impossible but we did and they were able to continue to work and feel safe doing it. Their safety was our #1 priority. It was a scary time for them; it was tough. The first year of COVID was definitely nothing short of challenging, but thankfully we got through it,” he says.

“But as difficult it was for us during COVID, it was just as challenging for our suppliers. With their support and expertise they managed to keep our supply chains uninterrupted and we are grateful for that.”

Now, the team is eager to help young talent enter the industry. Artizan Finishings is currently helping its local union create an EIFS program to ensure access to proper training. The facility is slated to be up and running by the end of this year. “That’s something big and very exciting for the industry,” Durante says.

As for the future of the company, the team is eager to continue in their current success. Durante summarizes, “We want to keep growing our relationships with our fellow trade partners and customers in an effort to keep growing the business as well as the industry.”

The post Industry Experts<p class="company">Artizan Finishings</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

The company is an expert in a wide variety of coating fields, including but not limited to resinous flooring, fireproofing, lead abatement, sandblasting, and water jetting. It also offers value-added services such as decorative painting or protective coatings and linings. It also has a team of experts to offer thorough coating surveys, inspection services, surface preparation, and coatings recommendations as well as quality surveyors who pride themselves on their eye for detail. As a result, its impressive client portfolio includes big names including National Grid, Liberty Utilities, Gilbane, Skanska USA, Suffolk Construction, Methuen Construction, MWH Constructors, Barletta Heavy Division, and Walsh Brothers.

This is very much a family-oriented business where several generations work along with its trusted industry experts serving clients with sincerity, top-class service, and classic craftsmanship. Some of its work focuses on serving wastewater and power facilities with the best protective coatings for their metal and concrete infrastructure.

“We are a highly engaged team… composed of the highest trained and skilled individuals in the painting industry. Every member of our team is committed to providing our clients with a level of service which exceeds expectations. [We] provide our clients with a high-quality finish product regardless of the type of painting project or its size,” President Robert Belisle, Sr.

Technology plays a big role in the company‘s work, and continuous improvement and investment in the latest equipment is part of its strategy to remain relevant. One recent acquisition is an ultra-high-pressure (UHP) water-jetting pump which can produce pressurized streams of water up to 40,000psi.

The powerful water-jetting equipment is used in the surface preparation of concrete and steel to remove coatings, contaminants, and defective substrate material. This is achieved by the highly pressurized water eroding the existing materials back to a clean, sound substrate which is suitable for coatings application work. This is another wet-method technique made possible by modern technology that contains the dust and debris of surface preparation work and protects the worker and the environment from contamination.

Its extensive investment in new technology also extends to its operational center. Staying abreast of market trends while delivering quality work fast, every time takes priority. That includes how its administrative team works in tandem with its field service staff and, of course, how the company manages those teams.

“We’re constantly updating our spray application equipment. In the office, we are, right now, updating our ability to function remotely since our office staff is now working [on] a hybrid schedule,” says Robert Belisle, Jr., Field Operations Senior Manager of nearly fifteen years.

The toxic nature of traditional paints has made environmental stewardship a vital component of being a responsible painting contractor. John W. Egan Co. takes seriously the industry watchdogs that implement strict rules to ensure environmental safety. Take OSHA’s rules governing respirable crystalline silica exposure during sandblasting, for instance. These have led to the company turning to dust-free, wet methods of surface preparation instead of using outdated means of paint removal. Through the use of these methods, microscopic particles that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere from high-intensity friction are captured by moisture so workers and bystanders will not breathe them in.

“A lot of our work [would] have a very negative impact on the environment if we don’t do it correctly. We adhere to very strict guidelines [in terms of] containing waste so that it doesn’t get airborne and into the environment or affect the workers,” says Belisle, Sr.

There has also been a strong movement away from using volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and similar toxins that were once prevalent in paints and solvents. Not only do these harmful chemicals cause strong odors, but they also can potentially contaminate groundwater.

Using wet-method technology for paint removal and 100 percent solids or waterborne resins for application is proving to be the most sensible solution the company has found to date. In 100 percent solids resins applications, the paint is heated before application to reduce its viscosity and then pumped through specialized high-pressure application equipment.

“When there’s a need in the market, it fosters innovation. The change in materials and the research into creating these high-performance water-based materials was facilitated by the change in regulations,” says Belisle, Jr.

Two recently merged organizations responsible for influencing these regulations are the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC), known in its new form as the Association of Material Protection and Performance (AMPP). John W. Egan Co. is proud to hold SSPC QP1 and QP2 certifications from the organization as these are recognized nationally and qualify the company to prepare, coat, and remove coatings from industrial and marine structures that are tremendously difficult to do. It is also a signatory contractor with IUPAT DC#35 Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

The company’s history reads every bit like the industry success it is. It signed its first clients in 1947 when John W. Egan, Sr., together with his wife Mary set out to build a painting company. Later, they were joined by their sons, John Jr. and William. Starting with very little, Egan set the example needed to take the business from its early day mom-and-pop shop roots to an astute and well-known firm.

“I can’t help but smile when I [think of] those early days. Mr. Egan delivered paint to the jobs in the trunk of his car. Our gang boxes were homemade out of plywood, and Mr. Egan would hand deliver payroll checks to employees’ homes, even on the weekends if he did not get it to them during his normal weekly job visits,” says Belisle, Sr., who also has the painting industry in his veins.

At the age of twelve, Robert Belisle, Sr. worked as a trainee painter for his father and grandfather. He then joined John W. Egan Co. Inc. in 1982, working as an applicator for nearly thirty years. From there, he moved from superintendent to project manager until he eventually became the owner of the company in 2017. Since then, he has grown the company by around 30 percent.

“It was Mr. Egan’s work ethic, dedication to the company, and confidence that he had in me that inspired me to work my way up the company ladder. I am very passionate about the industry. It’s what gets me out of bed every morning,” he says. Much has changed since those early days of plywood gang boxes and hand-delivered paychecks.

The industry “changed a lot since I first started. [Along with the] economic environment, the labor environment is changing pretty rapidly right now,” he continues. It is lucky for John W. Egan Co. Inc.’s clients that this leader loves a good challenge.

As they work together as a father and son team, Belisle Jr. says it is important to keep their family and business lives apart. In business, there are ups and downs “and situations where people have opposing views. Usually, the best result is somewhere in the middle of those two views. Collaborating and [a commitment] to problem-solving has always been difficult, but we’ve done great at it. It also helps to streamline the communication process,” he says, highlighting what a privilege it is to have grown up in a family of tradesmen. Tradesmen “are cut from a different type of cloth… I’ve spent a lot of time around that, so it has made it a lot easier to work together.”

Teamwork is everything, and the staff of nearly eighty people knows how to pull together to deliver the best service on time. The fact that its field staff is entirely made of union members with considerably long tenures proves how well people are treated here. “This is a true testament to the culture of our company. Although these tradespersons could move on to other companies at any time because they are members of the union, they remain members of the Egan team,” says Belisle, Sr.

A healthy mixture of technology-savvy, young change makers working beside seasoned industry experts makes for a positive balance in the organization and remains one of its keys to success. It is most evident in the regular calls the owner receives from clients to congratulate the team on its professional and capable contributions to their projects. With this much positivity around, the team easily handled COVID-19 and the challenges that came with it.

“I am very proud of how our team weathered the COVID-19 crisis. As a team, we didn’t just survive; we learned, we adjusted, and we thrived!” says Belisle, Sr. proudly. Thanks to the volume of civil work it performs, the company’s services were considered critical, and it quickly adapted to the realities of remote work and supply chain issues while keeping all systems functional.

That is not all Belisle is proud of. Many projects stand out for him. Like the work that the company did on the National Grid tank on Commercial Point in Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. This untitled work of art is affectionately called the ‘rainbow tank’ by locals and was the brainchild of Corita Kent. At 140 feet tall, this gorgeous piece of public art is not only claimed to be the largest copyrighted work of art in the world, but it is arguably also the prettiest liquefied natural gas storage tank on the planet.

There are also other flagship projects like the restoration work it did on the historical Massachusetts State House Chambers. Then there were the over 300 feet tall exhaust stacks at Manchester Street power station in Providence, Rhode Island, and the work it did on the Polar Park baseball field in Worcester, Massachusetts. It also completed a major project for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute at UMass Boston which included a miniature representation of the U.S. Senate chamber.

The team’s love of excellence also translates into its community work. Every year, each person on its staff adopts a child for Christmas. A group of solicitors collaborates with the Department of Children and Families to match children in need with gift sponsors over the festive season. Everyone at the office then picks two or three children to receive a few toys and necessities like items of clothing that they would otherwise not have had.

Paying it forward has created a culture of care at John W. Egan Co., and the company continuously improves its safety standards for everyone involved on its job sites and in its offices. “No change has had a greater positive impact on our industry than the significant improvements to workplace safety. Thanks to the individual workers, the union, and our management staff, our field staff has increased knowledge of job hazards and safe work practices, which have created a safer workplace for our workers,” says Belisle, Sr.

And as safety measures improve, so does the company. Controlled growth is planned while exceeding customers’ expectations remains the guiding focus. Belisle, Sr. also describes what he calls “the changing of the guard.” Over the next half-decade, the current management will complete the succession plan that will see Robert ‘Junior’ Belisle and Dina Cullinane, who has also been with the company for nearly fifteen years, take over senior leadership roles alongside several others who currently work in assistant managerial positions.

The company’s message to all its clients, old and new, is timeless. “If you want your painting job completed correctly, safely, on time, and professionally, you want the John W. Egan team on your project.”

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