P1 Connection September 2024 by P1 Group

 Peer connector training FIRST SESSION

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and P1 is adding another tool to its resources for assisting employees with mental health awareness - ultimately to ensure no one loses hope.

Four Times Higher: Construction workers are at a higher risk of suicide compared to many other professions. Stress, isolation, and the pressures of the job can take a significant toll on mental well-being. The construction industry death by suicide rate is four times higher than all other occupation averages.

It’s OK to Not be OK: P1’s new Peer Connector initiative trains P1 volunteers to become Peer Connectors - someone an associate can talk to and know that they will not be judged, and all information will be kept confidential.

According to P1 Vice President Don Campbell, voluntary Peer Connectors will undergo formal training.

“Even for those who want to help, their biggest concern is knowing what to say,” Don said. “It’s important that our Peer Connectors are trained enough to be comfortable with what to say, and where to direct an individual for help.”

After seeing the strong emphasis national safety conferences were putting on mental health and suicide awareness, Don and Safety Director Greg Sweeney thought it was time to champion these efforts at P1 as well.

“We want to spread the word to all P1 associates that there are many of us in the field and office who will gladly take a moment for an open dialogue, with empathy and understanding. We want people to know they are not alone,” Don added.

The first training occurred on August 22, starting with the executive team, safety, HR, foremen, project managers, and project engineers. Other employees will be able to volunteer as well in the near future.

“The Peer Connector will be identified by a hard hat sticker as someone who is willing and trained to be an individual an associate can talk with if they are experiencing mental health issues or thoughts of suicide,” Don added.

“The most important thing for everyone to know is Peer Connectors are volunteers – they have the sticker because they want to help - without judgement - and with the promise of discretion and confidentiality.”

46% 2nd 3rd & 4X 79%

79 percent of people who die by suicide are male.

Although more women than men attempt suicide, men are 4X more likely to actually die by suicide, and construction workers are at a higher risk compared to other professions.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-14, and the third leading cause of death among ages 15-24.

46 percent of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition, but 90 percent may have experienced symtoms of a condition without help or diagnosis.

The Invisible Injury: 3 Reasons Mental Health MATTERS

We seek medical care immediately if we sustain an injury to our body: cuts, broken bones, and other obvious wounds. But the symptoms of mental health can be “invisible” to the world around you — or even to yourself. So, it’s important to acknowledge when you feel your mental health taking a hit.

These are just a few ways poor mental health can seep into other areas of your life, detracting from your success and well-being. Working to improve your mental health does the opposite by building strength and resilience.

1. It affects your brain and cognitive functioning.

Just like poor physical health can affect internal organs like your heart and gut, poor mental health can affect the way your brain works, leading to poor decisions, lack of productivity, and relationship issues.

2. It affects the rest of your physical health.

Your brain is part of your body. Mental illness is the root cause of many physical symptoms. For example, if you’re experiencing sleep disturbances, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, gastric issues, muscle aches, heart palpitations or racing heart, depression, anxiety or other mental conditions could be potential causes.

3. Working through buildS resilience.

Mental health can play a big part in how we react to tough times — and this is where building resilience comes in. Getting through a tough time by simply letting someone know what you’re going through, and seeking help, makes us more resilient, and better equipped to handle future challenges, setbacks, and life transitions.

P1 Offers these resources to ensure our associates understand they are not alone, it’s OK to not be OK, and most of all, NEVER lose hope!

1. Peer Connector Initiative: Look for thIS STicker!

Starting a conversation is almost always the hardest part. P1 Peer Connectors can be found with this sticker on their hard hat, computer or somewhere visible.

2. “Never Lose Hope” campaign

Hard hat stickers, posters, and reminders that your life matters, and there is help. Dial 988 for help.

3. Employee Assistance Program (EAP):

The EAP is a complimentary benefit through P1 that provides counseling sessions at no cost to you, as well as offering a wide variety of services to enhance overall well being, including: counseling and support; childcare and eldercare; financial guidance; workplace trauma and critical incident support; and legal consultation, to name a few. Contact P1 HR to learn more about EAP. P1847HR@P1Group.com

“Every conversation, no matter how small, contributes to a more supportive and understanding society. By starting conversations, we can break down barriers and raise awareness. If we do this for 10 years and save one life – it will be worth it.”

-Don Campbell, Vice President

Hobby Astronomical

– Associate Profile on Senior Project Manager Kevin Norris

P1 Construction Senior Project Manager Kevin Norris’s career has taken several twists and turns, and along the way, he’s developed several interesting hobbies.

But his most recent hobby is out of this world.

After graduating from high school, Kevin followed in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, joining the Local 1529 Millwright Union. He got through the apprenticeship quickly and turned out as a journeyman shortly before his 21st birthday.

He worked as a millwright in the field for many years but decided to take classes in mechanical engineering in the hopes of a more

“I tend to get bored if I don’t have something to tinker with, so I have a lot of hobbies.”

He was taught some woodworking skills from his dad and grandfather when he was a boy but says he didn’t really develop the patience for it until he got much older.

“I have a workshop where I’ve built furniture, but I really just love to build stuff, so I also have an area in my workshop dedicated to doing electronics and an area to do laser cutting and 3D printing,” Kevin said.

When he’s not at work or in the workshop, Kevin and his wife, Jamie, enjoy camping.

“While viewing the eclipse, our goal was to get a nice picture of the corona, and we captured some prominences, so there were actually flares that we caught with the telephoto lens on a camera,”

Kevin soon went from working in the field to landing a management position.

During his career, he had opportunities to work overseas in Thailand, Taiwan, and China, and even take a couple of years as “Mr. Mom,” living in the Caribbean while his wife studied to become a veterinarian.

He eventually took a job as a Project Manager for an electrical company, and then took classes to strengthen his knowledge of the electrical industry. His experience as an electrical project manager is what brought him to P1.

“Over the course of my life, I’ve learned many things that have ultimately become hobbies,” Kevin said.

It was during these camping trips in remote locations, away from most artificial light, they noticed the vibrantly visible stars in the night sky.

“We both had an interest in the stars, so we were naturally drawn into astronomy,” Kevin said.

They also learned there was a comet visible in the area.

“We would go to the east side of Olathe trying to find this comet. All we had was a set of binoculars, but we were persistent, and we were finally able to find it,” he recalled.

“While we were out looking for it, Jupiter came up and we were able to steady the binoculars on the top of the car enough to make out the moons of Jupiter,” Kevin said.

“It’s easy to take all the stars and planets for granted, but when I find myself lacking in faith, I can look up at the night sky and it puts things in perspective for me. There is no way to understand everything I am seeing, and that’s very humbling,”

Kevin says they were really hooked on astronomy by now, so at Christmas, they got a telescope.

“Astronomy is a typically a cold weather sport because the skies tend to be clearer the colder it is,” Kevin said. “I don’t really like cold weather, so we only go out camping if the weather is decent, but there are still some amazing things to see in summer.”

Since getting the telescope, they have gone out and imaged some of the planets and have seen one nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy.

They were also able to go to a location and see the full eclipse this past April.

“While viewing the eclipse, our goal was to get a nice picture of the corona, and we captured some prominences, so there were actually flares that we caught with the telephoto lens on a camera,” Kevin said.

They were able to see the alignment of the planets this past June and are looking forward to next year when Saturn will be at such an angle the rings won’t be visible.

Kevin says he does a lot of reading and research to learn about astronomy. He and his wife are also members of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City (ASKC) and they get a wealth of information through them.

Kevin finds looking at the stars a truly amazing experience.

“It’s easy to take all the stars and planets for granted, but when I find myself lacking in faith, I can look up at the night sky and it puts things in perspective for me. There is no way to understand everything I am seeing, and that’s very humbling,” Kevin said.

Kevin has many hobbies to occupy his time, but hopes to spend more time enjoying astronomy, especially after he retires.

“There is no way in my lifetime that I’m going to get a complete mastery it, but it’s a lot of fun.”

 The artwork below represents our solar system, from the Sun to Pluto.

The planets are depicted – in order - by classical Greco-Roman astronomical symbols, along with some of their notable characteristics.

Reputation Management and CARE

P1 Service’s Tried and True Approach for Building and Maintaining Customer Relationships

P1 Service implemented the CARE (Customer Assurance Review Evaluation) program in 2019 to enhance customer experience, improve brand reputation, foster loyalty, and show how P1 is doing at a facility as well as where we can improve.

P1 Service strives to mitigate any poor customer experiences and transform unhappy customers into lifelong P1 advocates.

The program allows leadership to actively seek input from customers in order to understand their needs, preferences, and pain points.

A powerful tool recently added to the CARE program has been the implementation of Reputation Management software for all branches of P1 Service.

CARE Coordinator Kelly Masters leads both the CARE and Reputation Management programs for P1 Service.

Reputation Management is deployed through the use of a formal survey and Google review request that allows P1 Service to survey customers more frequently with little time commitment for staff.

“This process has provided P1 Service with early feedback on customer satisfaction with maintenance activities, spot repair services, and project execution,” Kelly said.

Recently, using this tool gave P1 Service unexpected – but timelyfeedback on a large project that required additional attention.

As a result, P1 was able to significantly improve communication with that customer.

After completing the customer survey and receiving a positive

feedback rating, the reputation management software will prompt the customer to leave a Google review.

“If the initial survey feedback is negative, P1 has the opportunity to reach out to that customer and learn more,” Kelly said.

Positive Google reviews lead to many benefits, including: increased online visibility, brand trust, an improved customer experience, a competitive advantage, higher click-through rates, boosted ROI, customer interaction, and better SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for finding the business and its website online.

Over the past five years, the CARE program has contributed to retaining approximately $1,450,000 in maintenance agreements that were otherwise at risk of cancellation.

Creating awareness of issues early in an agreement allows the P1 CARE and Operations team to make adjustments and corrections.

As a result, P1 Service’s larger, more complicated customers have partnered on monthly or quarterly reviews, maintaining open lines of communication and working together to stay ahead of potential concerns.

Kelly says putting the customer experience first is paramount to P1 Service’s success.

“Our continuous engagement with customers, coupled with proactive Reputation Management, reinforces our belief that the CARE program has significantly bolstered P1 Service, making us more resilient and attuned to our customer needs.”

“This process has provided P1 Service with early feedback on customer satisfaction with maintenance activities, spot repair services, and project execution.”

St. Joseph Kicks off MEP Project at New Summit Truck Bodies Facility

P1 representatives recently attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Summit Truck Bodies expansion project.

The new facility will occupy 220,000 square feet and will be located next to the existing production and warehouse facility in Wathena, KS.

Once complete, the new facility is expected to positively impact the local community by increasing revenue and providing jobs.

The complete project is valued at approximately $50 million, and will be managed by Reynolds Construction Management.

P1 Construction will manage a portion valued at $7,147,084, and P1 will complete 100 percent of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

The full MEP design was completed by the P1 preconstruction team of Don Erisman, Mike Thome and Bryan Bahr.

The preconstruction team will also be performing periodic inspections during the construction process to verify the project is correctly following the original design.

The project will be led by Operations Manager Jason White (pictured, above/right), who notes that it was important to the Summit Truck Bodies owners to hire local contractors for the job.

“Summit wanted to ensure the contractors on this job were local, and P1’s St. Joseph office prides itself on delivering the quality associated with P1 to the facilities in our local area,” he said.