The Keystone Contractor Magazine Fall 2021

The Magazine of the Keystone Contractors Association Fall 2021

Atlas Marketing

Jon O’Brien

Jon@KeystoneContractors.com (717) 731-6272

Beth Martin

Susan Matson Chris Martin Chris@AtlasStories.com (412) 749-9299

THE

OPENING WORD

Why should you care about your company’s culture? Fair question, I hope this helps. Well, companies with a winning culture experience an increase in employee engagement, a decrease in turnover and perhaps most importantly, a winning culture increases employee productivity.

Before I proceed with my opening comments, I would like to state that I am not an expert in this area. I think my company has a good culture and I understand enough about company culture to be dangerous, but I’m not on the speaker’s circuit lecturing others on culture nor am I blogging about the topic. To me, this issue is what makes the Keystone Contractor a necessary resource for construction companies. It focuses on today’s relevant topics, sharing the voices and experience of subject matter experts on the current hot topic.

John Panzitta President, Keystone Contractors Association

The brains behind the KCA’s magazine have an ear to the ground so they can hear the far-off footsteps ahead of us. For this issue on company culture, the magazine team spoke with the organizations that actively present during the KCA’s Improving Project Outcome (IPO) sessions. These experts and various associations are working with their member constituents and have found that the industry wanted to focus on culture in 2021.

The organizations behind IPO are: Construction Management Association of America Central PA Chapter, Construction Owners Association of America PA Chapter, Construction Specification Institute Central PA Chapter, Design Build Institute of America Alleghenies Chapter and the Keystone Contractors Association. Their upcoming event is titled: Projects with a Winning Culture, and it’s on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the Appalachian Brewery in Harrisburg. This event features project stakeholders from PSU Health Hampden Medical Center, Enola, PA; Martin Guitar, Palmer Township, PA; and Bakery Square Renovation, Pittsburgh, PA. The panel discussion will include leaders from Alexander Building Construction Company, Quandel, and PJ Dick, respectively. We hope you can join us.

Interested in sharing a message, opinion, or letter? Members can submit ideas by emailing Chris Martin at Chris@AtlasStories.com

In closing, I’d like to reiterate that it’s great to know that the Keystone Contractor magazine exists so I can read about today’s top issues from the perspective of respected professionals interviewed throughout each issue. Remember, this is the construction industry’s magazine. I hope you’ll take advantage of that and submit your feedback and suggestions so we can deliver the topics that the industry wants to read about.

McCrossin’s commitment to building relationships has helped us to remain a successful, family-owned corporation despite economic fluctuation affecting the construction market. Our clients trust us to deliver a standard of excellence on every job site, and our employees trust us with their safety, knowing that we put their well-being above all else. We are a company built upon the strength of our services, our products, and our people.

INSIGHTS

from the Executive Director

Jon O’Brien, Keystone Contractors Association

Maybe the 2021 Construction Opioid Awareness Week will be the most successful one yet, but it’s hard to tell right now. This year marked the fourth year that the KCA and many other Pennsylvania organizations recognized the last full week of July as the annual Construction Opioid Awareness Week.

By most people’s standards the Opioid Awareness Week was off the charts successful — many contractors across the state took the pledge to educate their employees on opioids. Taking that one step further, countless downloads of toolbox talk videos on the subject occurred, reinforcing the need and the level of success. Our outreach efforts were even covered this year in the Wall Street Journal, plus ENR mentioned us again this year. Sure, at first glance, with web hits high and SEO trending in the right direction, the marketing minds would chalk it up as a victory, but on this subject matter we score things differently. Did we reach anyone? Did we help anyone with their addiction?

It does feel great when an owner of a construction company lets me know that the resources and assistance that we provided them greatly helped in opening the lines of communication to talk about addiction. But it feels so much better when you hear that you reached someone and made a lifesaving difference. I remember my first time.

Shortly after the inaugural Construction Opioid Awareness Week in 2018, an electrician working for a construction company in Reading, PA called the KCA office to say “thanks.” During that call Josh talked about his addiction battles and how he’s so appreciative to see people trying to help others. This was a motivating conversation, and I knew we had to do more to help so we could reach more people like Josh.

In this addiction battle, KCA never wants to just throw out reruns every year. Instead, we try to improve our resources and increase our reach each year. Coming off 2020, which featured way too many Zoom and Teams meetings, we thought we’d utilize the virtual tools that everyone was quickly accustomed to and create a video library of opioid awareness short videos that companies could share with their workers.

We knew if this were to work, we had to ask for help. KCA is so thankful for the following organizations for joining us this year: National Safety Council, National Utility Contractors Association - Pennsylvania Chapter, Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Laborers International Union of North America - Pennsylvania Council, Sheet Metal Contractors & Air Conditioning Contractors National Association - Pennsylvania Chapter, Master Builders’ Association of Western Pennsylvania, National Electrical Contractors Association of Western Pennsylvania, Mechanical Contractors Association of America - Pennsylvania Chapter, Pennsylvania Builders Exchange, Architectural Glass & Metal Association, Ironworker Employers Association of Western Pennsylvania, American Subcontractor Association of Central Pennsylvania, and the General Building Contractors Association.

A special thanks to the following individuals who went above and beyond to help with this video library project by helping to enlist speakers from across the country: Rachael Cooper formally of National Safety Council (now at Shatterproof), Carl Heinlein of American Contractors Insurance Group, Seth Kohr of KCA, Bob McCall of the Master Builders’ Association, Brenda Reigle of NUCA PA, and Loni Warholc of ASA Central PA.

Committee Spotlight: MARKETING

William Brightbill, Committee Chairman

The purpose of the KCA Marketing Committee is to provide guidance and make recommendations on improving the image of both the KCA and the construction industry. A major focus of the committee lies on supporting and improving KCA branding, workforce development, and the various KCA award programs.

KCA BRANDING

KCA members are successful business leaders who place a premium on safety and health of their employees, and they care about their communities. The common characteristics and core values of our membership plays a vital role in any branding campaigns that we partake in. Along with understanding who we are (which is the easy part), this Committee brainstorms to find appropriate vehicles to promote our brand.

A year ago, we launched the Building PA Podcast, which we continue to receive positive accolades on but there’s always room for improvement. Education is also an important area to our membership, and we continue to deliver training to reach more on the topics essential to KCA members like safety and leadership.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

In the area of workforce development, the KCA has been teaming with numerous organizations to make a difference in this crucial area. We continue our strong relationships with the state’s best apprenticeship programs like the EAS Carpenters, Laborers, Cement Masons, Operating

Engineers, Bricklayers, and Millwrights. Plus, we offer support to ACE Mentor Program and the South Central PA Workforce Development Board.

KCA AWARD PROGRAMS

When it comes to the KCA awards programs, we turn to our founding core values towards the future. Along with creating awards and maintaining them, this committee also works on delivering the award in a way that best markets KCA member companies and the professionals who work for KCA members. We feature the following recognition programs to market our members:

KCA Safety Awards

Safety is a common value shared by the membership and we want to recognize our members annually in this area. To be considered in this year’s KCA Safety Award Program, please contact the KCA.

The Thomas George Memorial Community Service

Award

Launched right before the COVID-19 Pandemic, this award is presented to members of labor who make a difference in the community and on the jobsite. Click here to submit your nomination by December 31, 2021.

Top Young Leader Award

This award is given to emerging professionals who play a critical role in a company’s success and is also a role model in the community. Click here to submit your nomination by December 31, 2021.

2020 KCA Safety Winners

KCA Contractor Over 100,000 Hours with the Safest Record: QUANDEL Harrisburg, PA

Contractor had ZERO INJURIES!

NOTE: The winner in this category is presented the H.B. Alexander Trophy, named after a founding father of the KCA and an individual who was renown for safety excellence.

KCA Contractor Between 50,000 and 100,000 Hours with the Safest Record: MID-STATE CONSTRUCTION

Harrisburg, PA

Contractor had ZERO INJURIES!

KCA Contractors Under 50,000 Hours with the Safest Record: SERVIAM CONSTRUCTION LLC Altoona, PA Contractor had ZERO INJURIES!

KCA Sub-Contractors Under 50,000 Hours with the Safest Record: LEIBOLD, INC. Pottsville, PA

Contractor had ZERO INJURIES!

2020 KCA Top Young Leader Award

ADAM SMITH, JEM GROUP

A Senior Program Manager with JEM Group, Adam has shown that he has an overwhelming ability to lead project teams and apply his knowledge of construction technologies and techniques to achieve project success.

“Adam has become one of our most respected leaders within our organization and across our industry,” said Jessica Meyers, CEO of JEM Group. “He has garnered respect of every member of our field staff, whom he oversees, as well as the numerous subcontractor partners.”

The KCA feels it is important to recognize the accomplishments of our industry’s future leaders because it is these individuals that will be counted on to lead the KCA and our construction industry for years to come.

“Adam is well deserving of this award as he is respected within the construction industry and in his community,” said Jon O’Brien, executive director for the KCA.

For more on the KCA Top Young Leader Award and Adam Smith, please click below and enjoy this video:

Top Young Leader Award VIDEO Safety Winners VIDEO

How to Build a Positive Workplace Culture (and why you should)

Construction organizations build great things for a lot of people. They also need to make the time to build something for themselves — a positive culture.

It’s a positive culture that leads to positive results on job sites.

Culture is not a human resources topic. It is a strategic and financial topic. Creating a positive culture will motivate workers, which will increase productivity and the bottom line.

“We’re making people want to come to work,” said Greg Quandel, president and CEO of Quandel Enterprises in Harrisburg.

Creating culture starts with defining values for your organization or workplace, and then developing behaviors to carry out those values.

Successful organizations foster inclusive environments that encourage open communication. Everyone is expected to respect one another. Everyone is made to feel valued and that they are contributing.

Leadership listens to everyone and provides opportunities for input. And leaders frequently share information, so everyone knows what’s going on, and what is expected of them.

“I think just being transparent and open and honest with people goes a long way,” said Mike Butz, director of business development at Alvin. H. Butz Inc. in Allentown.

At Butz, a family-owned company for six generations, the culture is one of family.

“Having a positive culture and making sure your employees are happy is the foundation of what our company was built on,” said Butz, the sixth generation to be involved in the business.

Organizations must actively create a culture by articulating behaviors.

“Do it by design rather than by default. Otherwise, it will happen by default,” said David McGlennen, president of Impact Leadership Consulting near Pittsburgh.

It takes building a team of the right people and reinforcing the culture with them repeatedly through regular communication and coaching. Leaders must take charge and hold themselves and others accountable for meeting the cultural goals.

“Culture is all about leadership,” McGlennen said.

The effort will pay off. “If we have a great environment for our people to work in, they are going to be happier, they are going to be more

productive and they are going to be more focused on those behaviors that are driving success,” McGlennen said. “When we have happy employees working on those success behaviors it is just going to lead to the bottom-line results.”

When employees are in a good culture, “You want to do your best. And if you have people around you who are doing the same thing, that just breeds success. It flows to the bottom line.”

Some companies focus their culture on written mission statements and values.

“If you live them and your team lives them, it’s very contagious,” Quandel said.

At Quandel Enterprises, the company’s mission is: “Lead. Make a Difference. Build a Better Future.”

The goal is to create an atmosphere that not only allows employees to lead, make a difference and build a better future on the job, but personally and for their families and communities, too.

—

That means offering opportunities for employees to advance and further their careers by learning new skills and taking on new responsibilities. It means making time to participate in events such as speaking to high school students about what it’s like to work in the construction industry.

Building a positive culture means recognizing every team member as an individual, not just as an employee.

Successful organizations hold frequent teambuilding events to make time for people to get to know each other, and their families. By building camaraderie, they are building trust that translates to better coordination and communication on the job.

“We celebrate a lot,” Quandel said.

Birthdays. Holidays. Significant achievements and meeting milestones on projects. continued

“ ”

If we have a great environment for our people to work in, they are going to be happier, they are going to be more productive and they are going to be more focused on those behaviors that are driving success.

David McGlennen, President of Impact Leadership Consulting

“The fast-paced style of the industry that we’re in doesn’t allow for a lot of down time. That’s why those breaks are important,” said principal and managing partner Tracy Rohrbaugh.

The office closes for a day trip with employees and their families to Hersheypark. A trick-or-treat night is held for employees’ children. There’s a Thanksgiving dinner. A cornhole contest. Even a field day in the parking lot, with events such as a threelegged race.

“Some of us do come out of that with some bumps and bruises,” Rohrbaugh said. “That friendly competition is what I think draws people closer together.”

And it translates to delivering successful projects.

“Being in architecture and construction is very collaborative. It’s something where you have to have good communication skills and I think the things that we do, the fun events, people get to communicate on a personal level and they’re not just talking about drawings and plans.”

Creating a positive culture also means being accountable to that culture – which could require getting rid of team members who don’t fit in.

“It really takes leadership to be able to have the courage to be make tough choices,” McGlennen said. “It’s not an easy part of culture but, it is important. It’s like being a surgeon. Sometimes, you have to take things out in order to be able to heal and move forward.”

A strong negative leader in the field can destroy culture, Quandel said.

Organizations must recognize that some employees may need to be moved to a different position.

“Maybe the right person is on the bus but in the wrong seat,” Quandel said. “If in the end of the day you can’t get them in the right seat, they have to exit the bus.”

On a recent episode of the Building PA Podcast, Bob Dresser, president of Strategic Executive Consulting in Mechanicsburg, discussed his experience of turning around a poor culture on a job site that was over budget and behind schedule.

He said after spending two days on the site, it was apparent “this place needs a hug.”

The workforce was depressed. Workers didn’t know what they were doing and why. They didn’t understand what they were building or the purpose of the asset.

Communication was improved so workers realized their purpose. Bulletin boards were used to explain what each crew was doing each day, and what they already had done. A happy, competitive atmosphere was born.

Safety improved and a culture of family created. Three or four months later, productivity was up 12%.

Organizations with positive cultures find it easier to develop and retain a workforce. Word gets out that it’s a good place to work.

“People will flock to you and stay with you,” Dresser said on the podcast.

Clients will notice, too.

Culture is a “huge differentiator,” he said. “Clients will want to embrace you.”

While each organization has its own culture, that’s not good enough in the construction industry, where much of the work occurs collaboratively with

PLAY EPISODE

Architecture firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates in Mechanicsburg has several events annually.

Alexander Building Construction Co.’s daily huddles keep the team connected beyond just project status.

other organizations.

When they come together on a job site, they must develop a shared culture for that site. That requires someone to take charge and spell out the behaviors and expectations that will lead to success.

Alvin H. Butz Inc. holds a kickoff meeting with all participants and stakeholders at the beginning of each project.

“You establish those goals, you get as much collective buy-in as possible,” Butz said.

“Sometimes, there’s some difficult conversations that have to be had at beginning of projects in order to get people to buy in. Sometimes, some people have different opinions on things, but we can work hard to understand that everybody has the same goals on the project. They want it to be on schedule, they want it to be a financial success,” he said. “It just sets the project up for greater success and moving forward if everybody’s on the same page from the beginning.”

“We’re all working toward the owner’s goals,” added Rohrbaugh. “It’s just common sense but I think when you start off a project and say let’s all work together, we’re going to have challenges but through open communications we will get through this and

that’s how you end up with a great project.”

Leaders need to repeatedly stress the behaviors that are part of an organization or job site’s culture. That could be done by articulating them during morning meetings or toolbox talks. They can be communicated through digital newsletters and videos on company apps.

For example, what does it mean to “speak straight?”

“How do we have a speak straight conversation? It’s not just going off on a tirade and exploding. A speak straight conversation actually moves the conversation forward. So, we need to know how to do that,” McGlennen said.

Some of his clients give employees pocket-sized “way” cards, as in “it’s the way we do things around here,” that summarize the behaviors that make up their company’s culture.

Once a positive culture is created, people will adapt to it and embrace it.

“There’s more to it here than just going through your job every day. It’s something that we have to continually think about and work on,” Butz said. KC

DIFFERENTIATING YOURSELF FROM THE PACK

CREATING A CULTURE OF EXCEPTIONAL MORALE

Bob Dresser President — Strategic Executive Consulting, LLC Mechanicsburg, PA

We often look to gain an edge over our competition. These challenges we try to overcome boil down to being the company of choice by performing in exceptional fashion. Your company is chosen because it is viewed as exceptional by developers or owners, architects and engineers, subcontractors, suppliers and most importantly, employees (staff and trades). Creating a culture where you are desired hinges on the fulfillment which your organization’s culture continuously develops. When your morale is exceptional you will be desired, and your performance will be exceptional. Companies with exceptional morale indeed differentiate themselves from the pack.

By differentiating your company from the competition, you will be the desired company for clients to award work to and employees to work for with excellence. We all perform better and in excellent fashion when we enjoy what we do and who we are doing it for. Sounds simple, basic, or perhaps fundamental. But, have you known someone who really dreads going to work and can’t wait for the clock to signal the end of your day? Contrary, have you ever had a job where you purposely set your alarm at 3:30 am so that you could get to your job site because there was just so much to do? I believe we have all felt degrees of these morale characteristics.

The benefits of having exceptional morale within your company and project sites are many. These include:

n A culture of caring which directly impact safety and quality of work.

n Productivity from a normal site can improve 7-8% on an exceptional site.

n Labor attraction costs and efforts are reduced because you will be desired.

n Employee retention will increase dramatically, and the associated costs of turnover, training, and task interruptions will be very little in comparison.

n Leading indicators skyrocket as individuals seeking help or advice from colleagues as the atmosphere creates a comfort level which we all desire.

n Front line supervision effectiveness improves greatly.

How can I gauge the morale levels within my company or project? What are the steps to embrace such a journey?

If you are at this point of this article, you are there! You most likely are soul searching and asking some humbling questions about having an exceptional culture. The best leaders are humble and do ask questions about their leadership style and their team’s culture. Cultural topics often seem threatening to leadership as many leaders want to believe that they have created great cultures which stand apart. Even if this may be true in your case, you should step back and see if this is indeed true today! Things change rapidly… demographics, stress level, promotions, etc.

We encourage you to consider these factors when determining your culture and rely on the KCA for the various resources they provide.

Lean Construction TRANSFORMING THE INDUSTRY

Every organization in every industry is looking for ways to be more efficient, reduce waste and increase value.

In the construction industry, the model to follow is “Lean Construction.”

“It’s not just a tool. It’s not just a technique. It’s really a mindset. It’s a way of looking at things and realizing that there’s always opportunity to find a better way,” said Emily Lowe of The Butz Family of Companies (Alvin H. Butz, Inc. in Allentown, Shoemaker Construction Co. in West Conshohocken and Alexander Building Construction Co. in Harrisburg).

The Butz Family of Companies puts so much stock in Lean that early this year, it created an Innovation Department and named Lowe to be its Enterprise Lean Champion.

She has more than 20 years of experience in the building industry. Her role is to coach, inspire and support project teams to adopt Lean tools and techniques and encourage the Lean mindset on their projects.

“Lean is the idea of maximizing value and minimizing waste,” she said.

“Different from traditional project delivery methods, Lean projects focus on optimizing the whole in order to maximize efficiencies and to reduce waste,” Lowe said. “This includes reviewing processes and flows for continuous improvement opportunities and finding ways to best utilize the talents of our people. Most importantly, it begins with having respect for people and building a culture of trust and transparency.”

Even seemingly small parts of a construction project can be reviewed to ensure they follow Lean Construction principles.

For example, Lowe said, it would be inefficient for a worker to descend a ladder, walk 20 feet to get materials, ascend the ladder and install them, and then repeat the process all day.

It would be more efficient to move the materials next to the ladder to eliminate the need to walk to get them. That reduces wasted motion.

“It’s little things like that that compound on a project into lots of waste,” Lowe said.

The concepts can be used on all aspects of a building project, including design and engineering. The more planning

and communication that can be done ahead of time, the less likely conflicts will develop.

In his early days as an architect, former American Institute of Architects President Bill Bates said, “it was not surprising from time to time to have projects go sideways with issues in the field.”

Contractors didn’t always coordinate their work.

“It was sort of this battle. The plumber might get in there before the mechanical contractor and run his pipes through the easiest and shortest way. But when the HVAC contractor got there, they couldn’t get their duct work through because the pipes were in the way. Or vice versa,” said Bates, who now is an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

He’s seeing less of that now as Lean Construction concepts become more commonly adopted.

“A few more meetings in the job trailer are less expensive than ripping out something that didn’t match the specifications or the owner’s expectations,” he said.

Lean Construction can make it easier for the architect to perform their role.

“If you know going into the design process that you’re going to be working toward a Lean Construction environment, I think it can be helpful. It can help with decision making on material selection and pricing on a project.”

Supply costs can be decreased by considering the standard lengths of materials in relation to

the project’s design. Pieces that are too long must be cut down to size.

“That’s expensive. The owner pays for the excess that gets thrown in a dumpster,” Bates said.

He shares those experiences in a value-based design master’s course that he teaches for architects and engineers.

“The idea is to look at the entire process, not only the construction process which Lean Construction deals with, but the design end of the project to really understand the principles of efficiency and value and understand what the owner interprets value as being,” Bates said.

“Because oftentimes over the years, what I found was the architect had one perception of value — the architect thought cool design was value or certain cool materials — and the contractor viewed value entirely differently.

They wanted to be efficient. Get in the project and finish the project, get in and get out. And then the super was looking at things differently about scheduling and avoiding hazards on the job site. The subcontractors had theirs and the engineers had theirs.”

It’s important to include the person who will manage the facility after it is constructed in the planning and decision making, said Bates, whose many roles in architecture included working as the design and construction manager for Westinghouse Electric Corp.

“They have to live with things after the fact,” Bates said.

They may be stuck with items not located in a convenient place; items that can be costly to be repaired; and systems that aren’t easy to operate.

“It takes a lot of listening skills on the architect’s part,” Bates

said. “They have to sit down with the owner and really understand what the owner needs and collect information from all the players, the facilities manager, the user of the space, and the person who’s paying for it.”

He is on the board of an organization that is constructing a five-story building. The project is about 80% complete, and the organization only recently was notified that the elevator manufacturer is two months behind schedule on delivery.

“We’re ready to close the job up. We’re painting drywall. We can’t get a building permit. Why is this? You try to get ahead of those problems,” Bates said. “By doing things with Lean Construction, you try to anticipate that with these regular meetings, checking with critical items as you go along to make sure they’re still on schedule.” continued

AE Works, an architecture, interior design, project services and engineering firm based in Pittsburgh, not only embraces Lean Construction techniques, but follows those tenets internally as well.

Every employee who joins the firm receives training in all the disciplines that AE Works practices.

“We are a full-service firm, and we want people to have that perspective right off the bat, that we are a single team and have an understanding of what everyone else in the firm is doing,” said Sara Lappano, vice president of operations. “Everybody needs to have an understanding of what their colleagues are doing. I really think that creates a better product.”

AE Works relies heavily on the Lean Construction technique of pull planning.

“We start with the end goal of the project, and then work our way back through milestones,” Lappano said.

The team focuses on what tasks it must accomplish between project milestones.

“The most challenging projects are when there is not a clear plan on the contractor’s side, so we may not even know when we might get submittals in to look at,” she said.

There may be long stretches of down time, then a rush of requests at the same time.

“We want to plan our workload and our team’s efforts to align with what the contractor’s planning on. When we don’t have that kind of a plan, we have to respond as quickly as we can, and scramble to get a response out.”

AE Works finds that using Lean

Construction strategies results in a better product for its clients.

“I think it improves the quality of what we’re doing. I also think it really benefits our firm and our people,” Lappano said. “If we’re more efficient, we can be more profitable on our projects but just even having people spend their time more efficiently is good. Everyone’s always busy. We have a lot of projects. Just being more mindful about what we’re doing when, there’s real benefits to the staff in terms of better managing workload and being more strategic about what happens at different points in the project.”

After every project milestone, an after-action report is done that compares the intended result versus the actual result. The goal is to identify opportunities for improvement on similar work in the future.

“We’re just always trying to find better ways to do the work that we’re doing. It’s never a finished process,” Lappano said.

After-action reports can help to head off change orders on future projects and streamline future projects with repeat clients.

AE Works does a lot of work for the federal government. Previous projects unexpectedly have found aging piping systems, so the company now knows to conduct testing early in the job to see if there is adequate water flow and air flow.

Lean Construction requires frequent, honest communication. When a new project begins at The Butz Family of Companies, Lowe gets together with all the stakeholders who will be collaborating on the job to develop

“conditions of satisfaction.”

“The idea is to bring people together and develop the project priorities for success,” Lowe said. “What do we all need to look at as the goals that are going to help us to get to the end of this project and say, ‘that was successful?’”

“These priorities keep people from working in silos and not understanding the full realm of the project. Instead, we’re all collaborating and working together to make these decisions. And that builds that team culture.”

The conditions of satisfaction become the guiding principles for the decision-making processes through the project. They are reviewed regularly.

“By doing so, there’s not a game of I thought she was going to do that, I thought the owner was going to do that, or I thought the architect was going to do that. People understand their established roles,” Lowe said.

The construction industry is behind others in embracing Lean thinking, she said.

“Lean is really a mindset. It’s a way of thinking that is transforming the construction industry into becoming something more efficient, finding more value in utilizing people and their talents” Lowe said. KC

Organizations

such as Lean Construction Institute and the institute’s Mid-Atlantic Community of Practice provide knowledge-sharing via training resources and networking events.

See how worker misclassification is impacting our nation’s capital. Click on the images below to access recent news coverage on this topic.

Everyone says they are safe, on time, and on budget.

Atlas Marketing can work with you to define your unique value and devise a marketing strategy to reach customers seeking what you have to offer.

EMERGING LEADERS Q&A

What attracted you to the construction industry?

I was going to study architecture in college and worked for Quandel as a co-op student my senior year in high school. The ability to be creative and use critical thinking attracted me to the industry.

How important is the culture at the company where you work?

The culture at my company is very important and inclusive. We have great support amongst team members and I enjoy the flexibility of being on site, in the office or working from home if needed.

Knehr Project Manager

Do you feel your company culture is able to bring out the best in people from other companies on a project? If so, what’s one thing you do to make this happen?

Quandel’s team mentality within our company translates well to construction projects coordinating with design professionals, subcontractors, and owners. The key to a successful project (and successful company) is open communication and ensuring the entire team is rowing in the same direction.

How has COVID affected your daily life and work?

COVID caused our office to shut down for almost a year and pushed everyone to work from home; we had to rethink the ways we ran projects and coordinated with project teams. I was fortunate because I focus on healthcare construction, which was deemed essential and still had the ability to be on job sites a couple times a week.

What advice would you share with someone entering the industry?

I would recommend doing job shadows early and exposing yourselves to all aspects of the industry to see what fits best. Push yourself to do things out of your comfort zone and you might find a new talent to help you in your career.

Sarah

Quandel Construction Group, Inc.

Ohler Superintendent Rocky Bleier Construction Group

?What attracted you to the construction industry?

College is not for everyone, I wanted to go to work for the opportunity to progress and earn a healthy living. Being a carpenter and building is a skill set I always wanted to learn.

How important is the culture at the company where you work?

It is very important. When you choose a career, you want to come to work excited and engaged each day. It makes it easy to do when you are surrounded by a great team that have common goals.

Do you feel your company culture is able to bring out the best in people from other companies on a project? If so, what’s one thing you do to make this happen?

The culture at Rocky Bleier Construction Group is a true team atmosphere that feels like family. Our goal is for all our teammates to succeed on projects. We view our subcontractors as partners on a project and we go out of our way to ensure everyone is set up for success from day one all the way through closing out the project. We do this by ensuring constant communication with everyone on site and creating a team environment. I want everyone on site to feel they are a part of something great each day.

How has COVID affected your daily life and work?

COVID has presented challenges with materials, manpower, and site logistics. Which makes planning and scheduling challenging for all. I have learned that everything might not go according to the plan and is out of my control. The most important thing is to ensure the safety of each person on site and the opportunity to work through these very uncertain times. When construction was shut down last year and the inability to work was frustrating. Once construction was able to restart, it just reinforced how important safety is on job sites.

What advice would you share with someone entering the industry?

As I stated above, college may not be for everyone. You can make a good living and provide for your family in this industry. If you have a good work ethic and are willing to learn the construction industry has plenty of opportunity. It is a choice I am proud of that I made early in my career, and I hope others take this path as well.

Don

EMERGING LEADERS Q&A

continued

?

What attracted you to the construction industry?

I was interested in engineering and doing something tangible. The Architectural Engineering program at Penn State advances the built environment and I love the emphasis on the design and construction of buildings. I was able to come into the industry with eyes wide open on the built environment.

How important is the culture at the company where you work?

Erin Stambaugh Sr. Project Manager

JEM Group

Company culture is very important! It effects the way teams’ function and work together for the greater good. A great culture impacts how to get the best out of people. Our company has a wonderful culture where people enjoy coming to work. We always consider how people will fit in, whether they can thrive in an upbeat, highly engaged environment.

Do you feel your company culture is able to bring out the best in people from other companies on a project? If so, what’s one thing you do to make this happen?

Yes, our team approach brings out the best in owners, architects, and subcontractors. Our internal team sets a good example for others to follow in the way we run projects, too. Strong communication and involving members in decisions gets everyone participating. Including opinions and working together on a solution works best for all.

How has COVID affected your daily life and work?

Minimally. In early 2020, we were home for only 6 weeks, and we ramped back up to resume work within the confines of control and prevention operations.

What advice would you share with someone entering the industry?

Always ask questions and never be afraid to ask for help. Maintain a desire to learn and grow. Construction is a broad industry and buildings have so many complexities. It’s never boring. No matter how long you work, you’ll never know everything there is to know. Never stop learning. Every project has special nuances and that’s what makes it exciting.

Justin Wingenfield Project Manager Alexander Building Construction Company

What attracted you to the construction industry?

I loved the fact I would be part of a team that would build something lasting which would positively affect the lives of those who use it. I also really liked how every project is different which means every day would be different and present new challenges to overcome.

How important is the culture at the company where you work?

Creating a culture where everyone wants to come into work every day is extremely important. In fact, culture is the first of what Alexander recognizes as our Four Pillars of Success. Our company focuses on utilizing servant leadership methods which help convey to our employees that they are valued and that we’re here to give them the tools that they need to grow into the best versions of themselves.

Do you feel your company culture is able to bring out the best in people from other companies on a project? If so, what’s one thing you do to make this happen?

The servant leadership mindset we use internally easily transitions to interactions outside of the building. As a construction manager, you’re expected to be a jack of all trades, master of none. This means that we often are not the expert in room. I try to use what I’ve learned to help guide the team, but my goal is to set things up so that the real experts are providing valuable input to help the project succeed.

How has COVID affected your daily life and work?

I’m going to try to keep this as short as possible.

Personally, I have been very lucky. Working from home with my wife (Alyssa), our 4-year-old daughter (Elle) and 2-year-old son (Trace) for a few months was about as crazy/stressful as it got.

Professionally, I have been very fortunate here as well. Alexander, our joint venture partner Barton Malow, and the entire project team working on the Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center have prioritized employee safety above everything else while still maintaining a high level of professionalism and sense of urgency.

Has COVID-19 made building this hospital more difficult? Absolutely. Like most people reading this, I could fill a novel with commentary on various safety protocols, availability of skilled labor, material lead time and pricing volatility, and my speculations on future industry impacts. Overcoming these obstacles has used up valuable resources that in a perfect world would have been spent elsewhere…but we’re all dealing with this together and can only make the best with the hand we’ve been delt.

What advice would you share with someone entering the industry?

Two pieces of advice that immediately come to mind:

1. Take the time to develop personal relationships with your co-workers and others in the industry – Good relationships will make your days much more enjoyable and make it substantially easier to achieve future successes. This is not an industry where you can succeed by yourself.

2. Ask questions – Your co-workers and other project team members are full of knowledge and most will be happy to share it.

Carlisle Construction Materials has been a recognized leader in the roofing industry for nearly half a century, offering high-performance singleply roofing solutions, as well as a full line of polyiso and expanded polystyrene insulation, plus a host of steepslope underlayments, duct sealants, adhesives and hardware. In addition to roofing, Carlisle manufactures products for the waterproofing, framing and general construction industries, offering services and solutions for the entire building envelope.

Advantage Steel & Construction, LLC.

Alexander Building Construction LLC

Atlas Marketing

Babst, Calland, Clements &Zomnir, P.C.

Beckley & Madden, LLC

Benell Inc.

Bhaumik Engineering LLC

Bill Anskis Inc.

BL Companies

Blumling & Gusky, LLP

Bognet Construction

Bowles Rice

Brightbill Industries

Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz

Burns White

Business Information Group, Inc.

Caretti, Inc.

Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce

Carlisle Construction Materials

CBIZ Insurance Services, Inc.

CCS Building Group

Central Contractors’ Supply Co., Inc./ Overhead Door Co. of Johnstown

Charlson Braber McCabe & Denmark

Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

CLA (ClftonLarsonAllen LLP)

Cohen Seglia Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC

Cresswell Brothers

Darr Construction Co.

Eastern PCM LLC

Edward A. Reider Inc.

Enerfab Power & Industrial Inc.

Enterprise

Eshbach Brothers LP

First Davis Corp

Foster & Foster Actuaries and Consultants

G.C. Zarnas & Co., Inc.

George M. Wildasin Ce Inc.

Grand Vistas

Houck Group

Houser-Ford Group at Morgan Stanley Jem Group, LLC

J.C. Orr & Son, Inc.

Johnston Construction

Joseph Miorelli & Co.

Keener, Inc.

Keller

Konchan, Inc.

Leibold Inc.

Lockton Companies, LLC

M.L. Acri, Inc

Macri Concrete

Marmat Inc.

Masonry Contractors Association of Central PA

Massaro Corporation

McClure Company

McConkey Insurance & Benefits

McCrossin

McCrossin Foundations

Mid-State Construction

Modernfold of Central PA

Novinger’s, Inc.

NUCA Pennsylvania

PA Masonry dba PA Group, Inc.

Panzitta Enterprises

PBX

Penn Installations

Pennsy Supply

Perdomo National Wrecking Co LLC.

Performance Construction Services, Inc.

PJ Dick

PPL Electric Utilities

Providence Engineering Corp

Quandel Construction Group

Ralph E. Jones, Inc

Reager & Adler, PC

Rescue One

Ridgetop Interiors, Inc.

Rocky Bleier Construction Group

Sandra Palone & Associates, LLC

Schlaegle Design Build Associates, Inc.

Schooley Mitchell of Pittsburgh

Seubert & Associates, Inc.

Serviam Construction

Smith Masonry, Inc.

Spartan Construction Services

Stalwart Insurance Group

Stambaugh Ness

Stouffer Mechanical Contractor LLC

Strategic Executive Consulting

The Blue Book

The SRS Group, LLC

Troianiello Masonry, Inc.

Willig Williams & Davidson

INDUSTRY NEWS

Quandel Construction Group Rolls Out New Energy Solutions Business Unit

Quandel Construction Group, Inc., has expanded out from their core construction services and has announced a new service offering — Quandel Energy Solutions — to help clients upgrade their facilities to be more energy efficient and to improve their indoor environments. More information is available on Quandel’s website.

Kauffman Named Vice President of Preconstruction for Quandel Construction Group, Inc.

Karl Kauffman, LEED AP, was recently named vice president of preconstruction and estimating for Quandel Construction Group, Inc., Karl transitions into the role following the recent appointment of Michael Karcutskie (former vice president of preconstruction and estimating for Quandel Construction Group) to president of Quandel Construction Group. More information is available on Quandel’s website.

Karcutskie Named President of Quandel Construction Group, Inc.

Michael Karcutskie was recently named president of Quandel Construction Group Inc. Based in the firm’s corporate headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Karcutskie is responsible for overseeing the firm’s operations and developing its corporate strategy. Previously, he served as vice president of pre‐construction and estimating. More information is available on Quandel’s website.

AE Works Restores the Historic Edgeworth Club

A turnkey project delivery team led by AE Works mobilized quickly to get Edgeworth Club, a prominent hospitality venue back up and running in just a week following the unexpected collapse of the circa 1893 building’s historic rotunda ceiling.

More on that project is on available on the AE Works website.

Alexander Completes Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center

JEM Group breaks ground on Cathedral Education Center — Harrisburg Diocese

The project is the consolidation and renovation of Liberty and North Street Properties to create a threestory, 23,826 SF K-8 educational center that will showcase ten new classrooms, a STEM lab, art and music facilities and a new dining hall.

JEM Group Renovates West Shore Home Corporate Headquarters

The project is the renovation of a three-story, 60,000 SF office building for the leading home improvement company in America, West Shore Home. The design is the combination of private offices, a call center with workstations, state-of-the-art training rooms, and meeting rooms. The project included significant selective floor to floor saw-cutting of masonry and concrete for demolition, repair and reuse, a new elevator, roof, and exterior repairs.

JEM Group Participates in Community Service Project with The

Salvation Army — Harrisburg Capital City Region

The Salvation Army hosts over 100 students annually in their Summer Youth Enrichment (SYE) Program. The program helps kids in danger of repeating a grade due to learning loss from the past school year so they may continue to advance. JEM Group participated in Career Day so kids could interact with the construction industry! The kids were able to handle sample building materials and then apply small cut outs to a sample Architectural Floor Plan to add building layers and add finishing touches!

GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF PENNSYLVANIA

Advocacy >>> Stay Informed, Get Involved, Contribute

Noble ‘Bud’ Quandel, KCA PAC Chairman

Since 1953, the General Contractors Association of Pennsylvania (GCAP) has been a leader for union construction in our Commonwealth. To maintain our status as a strong voice for the construction industry in Pennsylvania, GCAP needs the thousand-plus construction companies who belong to our organization, along with the many professionals who work for those companies, to stay informed and get involved in state politics.

>>> Stay Informed

Decisions made in Harrisburg can have major implications on a construction company. This summer alone, members of the General Assembly are contemplating the following issues: Separations Act Modernization; Commercial Contractor Verification; AntiIndemnification in Construction Contracts; Apprenticeship Ratio Parody; General Contractors Wage Responsibility; and Plumber Licensure, etc. These are just a few of the many issues that GCAP is monitoring and working with legislators to support, to amend, or to block. It would behoove construction professionals to stay informed and I urge all to contact KCA to make that happen.

>>> Get Involved

GCAP has made a positive impact on behalf of our industry last session and the early part of the 2021/2022 session. But this

only happens with you. Using our top issue as an example: Over the past few years we have been making incremental progress on the modernization of the Separations Act. While we have yet to modernize the Separations Act, we are significantly raising the awareness on the issue and last session we moved legislation on this procurement issue for the first time in decades. This session more union labor organizations are taking on the issue and joining us to provide options for public construction to this archaic business practice. We are heading in the right direction, and we continue to make strides when more join the cause. We could use you. Contact us today to see how you can help.

>>> Contribute

A strong PAC account is a vital tool in the legislative process and, with that in mind, we invite you to contribute in the 2021 GCAP PAC Fundraising Drive.

To make your contribution, please send a personal check made out to "GCAP PAC" or "General Contractors Association of PA PAC" and mail it to:

General Contractors Association of PA P.O. Box 419 Dillsburg, PA 17019

Or, if you prefer, you can now make a mobile payment. GCAP is now on Venmo: @GCAP_PAC Or, scan the QR code to pay via Venmo:

In closing, I would say that we have a lot of work to do, but our activities over the past several years have me looking forward to seeing GCAP make a positive impact in the future. Together, we can make the 2021/2022 legislative session a successful one for GCAP and our Commonwealth’s construction industry!

The Keystone Contractors Association is a Pennsylvania commercial construction trade association dedicated to improving the construction industry by focusing on safety, education and training, labor relations, community service, career development, and government relations.

BECOME A KCA MEMBER AND ENJOY THESE BENEFITS

keystonecontractors.com

VALUABLE MEMBER SERVICES: Education and training, career development, safety, labor relations, community service, and government relations.

KCA AFFINITY PROGRAMS: Your company and employees can take advantage of an extensive array of discounted services and products. We often hear members say the total dollar amount saved from these discounts offsets their annual membership dues!

ONLINE RESOURCES: Weekly toolbox talks, equipment recalls, "members only" wage rate information, monthly safety campaign calendar, and much more!

NETWORKING: Construction industry social events, webinars, podcasts, virtual educational sessions, and improving project outcomes group discussions.

MEMBER AWARDS PROGRAMS: KCA recognizes the state's most innovative, safest, and communitybased construction companies and professionals. Our prestigious awards include: The Thomas George Memorial Community Service Award; The KCA Top Young Leader Award; and, The KCA Annual Safety Awards!

Join now and gain access to valuable resources, benefits, and services that can help your company in today’s marketplace. APPLY NOW!