Masonry Magazine February 2004 Page. 18
Contractor to Contractor
makes government work much more of a challenge than private work. It would be great to see some of these folks funneled into the masonry trade, as well other subcontracted divisions.
Masonry: Senate Masonry not only has the masonry experience, but also the fourth generation has pursued college degrees and coursework in business administration, accounting, UCC law and construction management. Do you feel that masonry experience is no longer enough to survive or excel?
Greenstreet: I think the biggest misconception mason contractors have today is that simply knowing the masonry trade is all you need to stay in business. No matter what you're selling, companies must pay just as much attention to marketing and finance as they do on operations. On top of this, I think that surrounding your company with business savvy people can only better the organization. Applicants with degrees in business and construction management are great assets. All too often, these graduates go to General Contractors.
Masonry: Senate Masonry utilizes a company web site in its marketing plan. How has this tool affected your business?
Greenstreet: I think that our web site is probably one of the most important facets our business has added in the past year. In the first three months alone, our web site received 35,000 hits! I think that speaks for its effectiveness as a tool. As a service business, we don't have the luxury of walk-in traffic like a retail business owner enjoys. The web site gives the customer a chance to look into our "store" and see what we have to offer-1 call it our virtual office. Once they look around our site, they now have a face to go along with countless images of buildings we have done. It gives them confidence in our legitimacy and capacity to perform. Most project managers that are coming up these days have grown accustomed to searching the Internet for subcontractors. One of our most important clients will not use a subcontractor without a web site. They feel a web site shows the company's professionalism and attention to new technology. I think they're right.
Masonry: What is the best advice you would give a budding mason contractor?
Greenstreet: Concentrate on your business as a whole. Obtain knowledge on finance and marketing, as well as operations. One of the best books I have read is "The E Myth" by Michael Gerber. Grab a copy and work on your business as a whole. Embrace technology like the web, computer-aided estimating and project management. Embrace these tools and use them!
Safety Training Hits Home
MASONRY NEWS CONTRACTOR TIP
Let's face facts. All businesses are regulated by the government, but perhaps none so heavily as construction when it comes to safety. Don't you cringe when OSHA visits your job-sites? Although you have trained, preached, prodded, and sometimes even disciplined, your employees, aren't you're left feeling less than 100% sure they actually are doing everything they should to be safe in a day's time? You can't be beside each of them every minute of the day and neither can your foremen. So, it often leaves us wondering, why do we keep doing those safety trainings and meetings week after week?
Safety training impacts employees more than just on the jobsite. It benefits employees personally at home as well. I would like to tell you a little story about the personal impact of safety programs. While attending the Jamboree in the Hills in St. Clairsville, Ohio, the super bowl of country music with around 60,000 people present, a guy came up to me. I didn't know who this guy was at first. He came right up and tapped me on the shoulder. So, I looked at him and noticed he had a long ponytail, cut-off shorts, and no shirt. He was a rough-looking fellow. Imagine my surprise when he looked at me and said, "Hug me." I looked at him strangely. Didn't have a clue who he was or what he wanted. "Go ahead," he urged, "Just give me a hug. Come on! You'll be proud of me." And then it dawned on me. He's George, a guy who worked for me a few years ago. So, I thought, why not? We're all having a good old time and I gave him a big hug.
Then he said, "I want to tell you something, I've been looking for you. Two months after I left your company, I was watching my two-year-old son. Suddenly, I noticed that he wasn't around and I went out back near the swimming pool to find him. There he was face down in the swimming pool. I pulled him out of the pool and administered CPR on him. You offered CPR training a couple months before I quit Lang Masonry. You even made us practice with dummies. I'm certain that class is what saved my son's life." By this time, George was all teary-eyed and I have to admit that I was too. "I want to thank you for teaching me safety," he added. Then he turned and disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had come.
And believe me, we continue to teach them CPR. That story is one of which we are awfully proud. Safety training makes a difference on and off the jobsite. That's why we continue to do it week after week. Safety saves lives.