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July 2019
National Weather Service Project Profile Ace Award Associate Spotlight New Faces & BDays MORE!
The Face of P1: A Service Technician’s Crucial Role For many P1 customers, our service technicians are the face of this organization. They are the people taking care of service calls and preventive maintenance, out on the front lines with our customers every day. The service department currently has 116 service technicians across the five P1 offices who provide mechanical, plumbing, and electrical maintenance and repair services to a multitude of customers.
When equipment failures are addressed in a timely manner and the technician has good communication skills, a relationship of trust is developed. Since a technician may be in front of the customer time and time again, they ultimately become the face of P1.
“Service techs have the opportunity to build a long term relationship with the customer. We are constantly going into the same building and
The technicians also develop a sense of ownership with the customer. They want their work to be correct, they want to give the customer the best possible service and will go above and beyond to do so.
working with the same people,” Mitch Campbell, Vice President, Service Topeka, said.
In addition to any previous experience or training, they must also go through the five year apprenticeship program through the local union. Upon completion of the program, they must keep their training current by getting at least 6 hours of continuing education every year.
Customer service is just one of the many important aspects of being a service technician. The spectrum of duties for a service technician is extensive. A service technician: • is highly skilled and responsible for operating, maintaining, and repairing heating, air conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration systems, plumbing, and electrical in buildings. • explains diagnostic issues to the customer. • often explains the costs associated with the repair. • performs preventive maintenance and identifies potential problems, discussing repairs with customer before they become bigger problems.
To address these technology changes, the P1 Technical Training Program was developed to provide opportunity for continuing education. Many of these classes are taught by P1 service technicians who are experts in the field. “Depending on the customer and the situation, service techs may be walking into a hornet’s nest,” Service Manager John Hilbert said. “Anytime someone’s air conditioning is not working and you walk in and fix it, you have saved their day,” John said. “You just fix it and don’t really think of yourself as someone’s hero.“ But to our customers, sometimes that’s exactly what they are.
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P1 Connection Newsletter
EDITOR: Victoria Hoffman WRITERS: Beth Martens, Victoria Hoffman DESIGN: Tiffany Oldham
THE EXPERTS SPEAK “Technology is always improving and you have to stay current with it. Understanding how systems work, and all aspects of the components that make up that system, makes you a better technician.” SEAN MARCONNETTE SERVICE SUPERVISOR, LENEXA 34 YEARS
“Listen to the customer. Always be thorough.” ALLEN EASTRIDGE SERVICE TECHNICIAN, WICHITA 16 YEARS “Give yourself time to develop. It can be overwhelming at times. Don’t get discouraged. Be ready to work long hours with dirt on your hands - it will be worth it.” JUSTIN KOERNER SERVICE TECHNICIAN, LAWRENCE/TOPEKA 18 YEARS “Work on good ethics and practices. Be the best technician you can be with what you are working on. Even if what you are working on is sweeping a floor, make it the cleanest floor around.” JOSH DILLER SERVICE TECHNICIAN, WICHITA 15 YEARS
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We asked some of our more seasoned technicians for their words of advice. Newbies listen up! These guys have seen it all and know what they’re talking about.
“Listen to the customers’ needs first then address the problem with an open mind and look at the whole picture before making any decisions. Customer service is the biggest part of the job; they need to trust you and your ability.” GARY MCDONALD LEAD TECHNICIAN, ST. JOSEPH 14 YEARS
“Learn all you can and be loyal to the contractor and the customers.” GEORGE SWARTZ SERVICE TECHNICIAN, LAWRENCE/TOPEKA 29 YEARS “The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask. Listen and watch your Journeyman, as the little things they do in your everyday tasks can save you time, effort, and frankly, headaches.” DAN ROBERTS SERVICE TECHNICIAN, WICHITA 24 YEARS
“Find one of the smartest people you can and watch, listen, and learn. And then pass that knowledge on to the people coming up after you.” RAY HUFFINE SERVICE TECHNICIAN, LENEXA 20 YEARS
Natl Weather
Teamwork and Planning Ahead Project Profile: National Weather Service HVAC Replacement
The National Weather Service, Central Region Headquarters, is the NWS Training Center and also houses several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offices. When the HVAC systems were about to go out of warranty and would no longer be up to standards to house a government tenant, building owner Cushman and Wakefield had to do something fast to keep the building government-tenant compliant. P1 Group had the solution. The Performance Solutions team was able to develop a plan with an aggressive, but manageable, timeline. The project needed to be done in three months’ time and required the single source capabilities P1 is known for, including: • Building Technologies • Commissioning • Controls • Electrical Construction • Fabrication • HVAC Construction • Sheet Metal Construction The entire scope of work entailed replacing 97 Fan Powered VAV’s, installing a new building Automation System with integration to existing and new equipment, replacing 13 rooftop units, four CRAC units, and two humidifier steam generators. The running of the new data cable for the new controls system started in early June, but the replacement of the 97 Fan Powered VAV’s had to be done in 10 days. “Dave Wright and Electrical Foreman Harold Green did a great job of familiarizing themselves with the site beforehand so that once boots were
on the ground, they were ahead of everything,” Project Manager Andrew Noone said. “Dave was planning for himself and 10 other guys so that is a lot of thinking and making sure we have enough ladders, sheet metal screws, and the transitions ready.” The schedule had to be very precise to work around the operations of the occupants. “We had to work around their schedules because they had classes and other scheduled events they couldn’t move, or it was mission critical and we couldn’t work in multiple critical areas at the same time,” Andrew explained. Andrew noted that an occupied office space means cubicles to work around, especially when it came to getting the existing boxes out of the ceiling, so they had to get creative in some of the areas. There were two boxes located above large Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units. To remove those, the team attached new hangers and were able to drift them down and away from the UPS to keep from damaging it. When the new boxes arrived and were staged, it only allowed the crew 10 working days to change out 97 fan powered boxes. “We worked overtime to maintain the schedule. If the plan was to replace 10 boxes that day, the crew stayed until all 10 were replaced,” Andrew said. The majority of the work was done within the two-week time frame. The rooftops units were installed the following week and the startup and commissioning will continue a few days into July. Due to the concentrated efforts of the entire team, everything was wrapped up on schedule and provided the National Weather Service with a state-of-the-art HVAC and Control system.
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Stay tuned for the extended version of this story on the P1 blog.
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Total Dedication to Customer Care Associate Spotlight on Ace Award Winner Jacob Yost ACE
Out of all the associates at P1 Group, only one earns the Ace Award. This award is for that individual who is: self-motivated and forward thinking; hard-working and focused; always striving to make our organization better; showing ongoing initiative and dedication; and exemplifying our company culture of 100 percent effort/0 excuses. How does one earn such an award? For Topeka Service Technician Jacob Yost, his pure dedication to his work, his customers, and his colleagues got the attention of Service Coordinator and coworker Diana Korbe, who nominated him for this year’s award.
Nomination from Diana Korbe “Jacob is extremely reliable when it comes to our customers and our technicians. He does whatever he can to lend a helping hand when needed, assist customers at 6 a.m. or 8 p.m. when they call, and he makes sure to communicate everything he does with the office staff so we know what is happening outside the walls. Jacob will admit when he is wrong and will do whatever it takes to make it right with either coworkers or customers. He demonstrates our 100/0 culture daily by taking blame for things that have gone wrong whether it was his fault or not. Jacob has a good head on his shoulders and knows his way around HVAC like the back of his hand. He does not get enough credit for all he does day in and day out. Jacob is a huge asset to P1 and especially to our Topeka office. One thing I truly admire about Jacob is his caring heart for his fellow brothers. Last year when one of our technicians lost a lifelong friend Jacob was the first to step up and try to help by donating PTO time and money to help out him and his family during their hard times.”
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Associate Spotlight on Ace Award Winner Jacob Yost (continued)
Jacob says he wasn’t the college type, so he chose a skilled trade. “I like to be outside, and after VoTech, a friend mentioned Huxtable (not yet P1 at the time) so I interviewed and I’ve been here ever since.” That was in 2003. Jacob firmly believes that sticking with a job all the way through plays a role in his success. “Each phone call I get, each job I get, I take it and see it through to the finish. And that’s a lot of phone calls some days,” Jacob said. “I don’t just answer the phone then forget it – I like to see it all the way through and make sure the customer is happy at the end of the job.” How do you succeed in a service tech career? Jacob says education and a willingness to use your resources - because you don’t know it all - will take you a long way. “You have to be a good tech, you have to be smart, but the majority of it is customer relations,” Jacob said. “It’s not always about getting it done the
fastest, it’s about building the relationship with a customer who asks for you to come back every time.” Jacob’s sense of humor, honesty, and personable nature has helped foster some long-term customer relationships. He’s been working with BNSF since his first day at P1 Group, and has worked with other large accounts like Labette Community College and Payless Shoes for many years. When he’s not busy picking up another service call, Jacob loves doing work in the yard, catching Royals and Chiefs games, and spending time with family. At 1.5 and 3.5 years old, his two young sons keep him on the move! If he hadn’t gone the route of HVAC service, Jacob says he might have gone into the Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI). “I always wanted to be a detective. I live by those shows when I go home and watch TV!” We’re glad he chose P1 Group instead. Congratulations on a welldeserved honor!
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NE W FACES Please join us in welcoming our newest P1 Group associates.
New June
P1 GROUP OFFICES ARE CLOSED JULY 4 AND 5. HAVE A HAPPY JULY 4 HOLIDAY WEEKEND! Annie Dancer Accounting Clerk Lenexa
Greg Damlo Senior Electrical Estimator Lenexa
Kelly Masters CARE Coordinator Lenexa
Katie Evans Accounting Clerk Lenexa
Jason McCartney Project Manager Wichita
Kayla Foster Accounting Clerk Lenexa
Mike McClammer Building Technologies Project Manager Lenexa
SPECIAL DELIVERY Congratulations to Accounting Clerk Megan Newman and family on the birth of their son Cooper James Newman. Cooper was born May 31 at 7 lbs., 7 oz.
NEXT BLOOD DRIVE:
Thursday, Sept. 26 Lenexa Training Room
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B I RT HDAYS + A NNIVER SAR IES + AWAR D ED Office and field associate birthdays and work anniversaries + awarded work
JULY BIRTHDAYS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
RUSTIN COE CLIFF JOHNDROW RONALD DILLINGHAM CASEY DRINKARD LELAND GOEBEL WADE JACKSON DUANE JORDAN JORDAN READY DAVID SALL JOHN COULTER JAMES DOE BRYON FROST WILLIAM HILL III RAY HUFFINE RANDALL SORGDRAGER WILLIE STEELE MICHAEL KENNEDY BROOKS PEEK LUIS TELLO DOUGLAS BARTON AMANDA COX LUCAS WIGLEY ANDY DUNBAR COLLIN FORREST MARK MCGRATH JAMES SEIGLER ROGER WILDBERGER DAVID WRIGHT BRENT CLINGINGSMITH KYLE CULLEN DONALD DUNBAR PAUL GROFF PEDRO MAGDALENO PATRICK MCKENNA LEVI YELEY LEONARD CANTRELL AARON DUNBAR GARY LOCKE ANDREW MARQUEZ BRANDON ROBSON TIM ROSS MARCUS WILLIAMS GRANT FRANK JONATHAN HUKRIEDE NICOLAS ROMERO SKYLAR HOLBROOK RICARDO MASCORRO THOMAS WILLIAMS JR
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RYAN BARNES MICHAEL BOLGER CHARLES BRIGHT III DUSTIN PHELAN CASEY ROHAUS BRENT EDMONDS JAMES GLEASON JOHN GORDON CONNOR HAYES ARTHUR ROY HEBER GARCIA RAYNARD GRAHAM JASON MARTIN WILLIAM MEDLOCK II DAMEAN REDDING WESLEY WILEY RANDALL ELLIOTT MARK LAIRD KEVIN O NEILL ANDREW ANTONUCCI BRUCE COLEMAN JEFFREY JOHNSTON MARC WHITE KELLY BEDARD COLLIN CHAMPAGNE CODY DUNKEL BRAD FREDRICKSON DANIEL HOSKINS ELIJAH MCCRAY WILLIAM MOSIER MARCUS WEBB CHRISTOPHER LENTZ CHRISTIAN MORRISON LAWRENCE PRESNELL MIKE SPEHAR DEREK CAMPBELL DAVID MASSEY CHAD PERKINS WILLIAM SLAVIN GEORGE SWARTZ MANSFIELD TITTLE JEREMY MILLER MARQUES NISELY TOM CRUMRINE JOHNNY STEVENSON PHILIP HUDGINGS ANDREW SYMES
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MATTHEW SIPE GREGORY KITTELSON JASON LEE MARK NELSON TYLER PHELPS MARIO VITALE JONATHAN BUTTERWORTH DUSTIN GILBERT MICHAEL KUNZ JAMES LOUGHRIDGE CESAR PEREZ EBRIMA CEESAY MARK JOHNSON JIMMY PERLIK WILLIAM JONES GARY KLUENDER RYAN CASON ROBERT CROWLEY TEDD DALKE JUSTIN FOSTER TROY HOFFMAN RONALD McNABB JAMES PENRY PAUL RALSTON TAYLOR STEPHENS MATTHEW WINGERT
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SCOTT BOND JR. JOSE CUEVAS ZACHARY NELSON STEVE SMITH MICHAEL STEGMAN TED SUPPLEE TYLER WALLACE MICHAEL BENAVIDES JOSE FERNANDEZ SUSAN GIBLER RYAN HAFEN
AWARDED highlights Plbg/Caesars Colosseum Renov./NV Elec/Ceva-Ibron Filling Suite/KS Pipe/St. Luke’s East Dining Expansion/MO Pipe/St. Luke’s North/4th Fl. Remodel/MO Pipe/Docking State Office Bldg. Boiler Improvements/KS Elec + Pipe + Plbg + SM/Caesars True Food/NV MW/Central Plains Elec/FDA Building Controls/KS Pipe + SM/Tenant Improvements/Country Club Plaza/MO KCKCC/Wellness AHU Replacement JCI-KC/Parking Lot Improvement St. Luke’s East/Penthouse HVAC
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WORK ANNIVERSARIES 5 YEARS Jeff Ashcraft Candace Bortniker Damien Hilt Don Pardew Randy Park Clint Welch Melissa Wilson
10 YEARS James Darr Brent Edmonds Duane Ferguson Craig Koppa Mitchell Matthews Danny McMahill Robert Moore Roderick Moore
10 YEARS Ray Moore Terry Nickle Sheldon Proffitt Wesley Smith Samuel Sowle
30 YEARS Sonja Raye
Wichita Has Moved! The P1 Group Wichita office, formerly at 2333 S. West Street Ct., Wichita, KS, has moved to a bigger space about five minutes away. The new address is: 3030 All Hallows Ave., Wichita, KS, 67217.
Andy also notes that the move has been beneficial to associates. The new space has a more open work area for service operations, which allows associates to work closer and communicate easier.
According to General Manager Andy Dunbar, the Wichita office’s growth on both the construction and service side made the move a necessity.
“We have had several comments made in the first week about how much smoother things go with this office arrangement,” Andy said.
“With the increased space, we can better serve customers,” Andy said. “We can store equipment for jobs and host customer and industry meetings in the multiple meeting spaces. Internally, the training room accommodates our different department and par meetings.”
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In addition, project managers have more space to review drawings and estimates. “The investment in our new building shows our team how much they mean to the company and you can see that they are proud to come to work,” Andy said.
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2019 Annual Meeting Wrap Up
Associates from multiple offices came together for the P1 Group Annual Meeting in May. It was a time to reflect on the last year, and look forward to the rest of this one. Sincerest thanks from the executive team and everyone for the important work each associate contributes to P1 Group year after year. We are only as good as our people, and the annual meeting is a reminder that our people are pretty great.
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MORE St. Joseph Family Receives Safety Golf Tourney Funds The P1 Group Safety Department’s annual “Fore Safety” Golf Tournament raised a record $17,276 this year. Each year, P1 donates the funds to the family of a fallen construction worker. This year, Aubrey and Carter Hill (16 and 14, respectively) each got a check for $8,638. The Hills lost father and husband Joshua, who died on the job in St. Joseph.
Ammonia Safety Days The P1 Group Ammonia Division attended the Garden City Ammonia Program - GCAP Ammonia Safety Days event in Kansas City. Ammonia Division Manager Michael Schram, Proactive Solutions Consultant Ann Liggett, and our experienced ammonia technicians greeted visitors at the P1 booth throughout the day.
Oh, Snapp! St. Joseph Electrical Foreman JP Snapp is representing P1 Group in Hawaii, where he is currently on military duty.
Got Parts?
Tornado Alley
Did you know there’s a pipe parts “store” in the Lawrence warehouse and fab shop space? It is kept stocked all the time by an outside vendor so we don’t have to worry about ordering a part, saving even more time on the job.
The sky looks innocent enough in this picture, but Wichita Account Manager Luke Sloan tells us that while P1 Group was performing maintenance on the HVAC system at Abilene Memorial Hospital in Kansas, tornado sirens went off driving everyone underground (everyone was safe).
P1 HAPPENINGS CMH Research Tower Project Engineer Mike Wurts captured some amazing photos of the ongoing P1 Group work at the Children’s Mercy Research Tower project. Pipefitters hoisted 20” black carbon steel pipe spools (some of the largest pipe we install) to the 5th floor mechanical room. P1 Group’s fabrication shop made the majority of the spools, minimizing field connections to save time and money.
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