Masonry Magazine November 2005 Page. 64
News
United Rentals' bilingual emergency response team accepts direct, toll-free calls. The team, based at the company's Shelton, Conn., customer service facility, "was fully activated within 24 hours of the hurricane's first hit in the Gulf region," says Ernie Delle Donne, vice president of national accounts and government sales for United Rentals.
Employees from branches as far away as Chicago and Toronto have arrived in Shelton to staff the telephones and arrange the distribution of disaster recovery equipment and contractor supplies. In the first 48 hours of the hurricane's aftermath, the center fielded more than 1,100 calls directly related to Katrina, Delle Donne says.
"There's a lot we can do as a company to help with the logistics of the relief and recovery efforts," Delle Donne continues. "Right now, our priority is to respond to every need as completely and rapidly as possible. Our branch teams are working around the clock to fulfill requests from FEMA, municipal, state and federal response crews, utilities and private citizens. We have a tremendous support network among our branches. Locations that are in and near Katrina's path, but were spared a direct hit, are sending equipment, supplies and manpower to the branches most affected."
Pettibone Announces
New President
Pettibone/Traverse Lift, LLC, a premier manufacturer of fixed-boom and transfer-boom, rough-terrain telehandlers, announces the appointment of William G. Loughman III to the position of president, effective Aug. 17. Loughman succeeds Kevin Walsh, who served as president since 2001.
Loughman, 45, comes to Pettibone from Valmont Industries, Inc., an Omaha, Neb.-based manufacturer of steel and aluminum support structures, irrigation equipment, protective coatings and metal tubing products. At Valmont, Loughman served as vice president of the product support group in the irrigation division, with sales of approximately $300 million in 2004.
Entrepreneur Magazine and
VistaPrint Announce Extreme
Brand Makeover Contest
Entrepreneur magazine and VistaPrint, a leading online supplier of high-quality graphic design services and customized printed products, announced the Extreme Brand Makeover Contest. Small businesses can enter to win a complete makeover of their entire image from printed materials to website and logo.
The prize package, valued at more than $4,800, includes the following:
* 1,000 premium business cards
* 1,000 business card magnets
News continued on page 64
Big Fish Eat Little Fish
MASONRY NEWS CONTRACTOR TIP
Some words of wisdom have stuck in my mind ever since I started Lang Masonry Contractors when I was 19. My dad, whom I greatly admire, told me "big fish eat little fish." He said, "The big guys with all the buying power and connections will squeeze the little companies out." Although dad's advice 21 years ago was great, this isn't the way things are today. In today's business environment, it's more like "the fast eat the slow." Companies that stay on the cutting edge and adapt to change quickly win the game.
How big is your company? Are there any advantages to being that big? Having extra bonding capacity and working capital are certainly advantages to being larger. However, does this ensure success? Not at all! Instead of asking one another how big we are, maybe we should ask one another how profitable we are? In reality, being a larger contractor could be the biggest obstacle a company has to face. Many larger contractors are so slow to change that by the time they do, they have been passed by smaller contractors that stay on the cutting edge.
Tom Peters-who co-authored "In Search Of Excellence" says that, by staying on the cutting edge, a company of a few employees can overtake a company of thousands of employees in just a few years. He must be right! Just look at what Sam Walton and Wal-Mart have done to Kmart and the rest of the retailers over the last few years. Sam Walton not only embraced change, he created it and led the field because of it. In a sense, Wal-Mart operates like a small company even though they have become one of the largest in the world.
When the masonry company is smaller, the owner is usually working on the jobsite: therefore he or she makes sure the right tools and equipment are available to get the job done.
Then, as the company grows, the owner must move into the office to keep on top of the paperwork. Often this owner forgets that the field employees need the right tools to do the job. (Well, they may not forget, but, at the very least, their focus changes to the cost of those tools.) This is a big mistake many larger masonry contractors make. They justify their reasoning by saying that their employees are just getting lazier. Even though the field employees are screaming about the tools and equipment they need get the job done, no one seems to be listening. All the while, the small contractor (Sam Walton) down the street is building an empire by staying on the cutting edge. Larger, cash-heavy contractors can operate for years inefficiently before it catches up to them.
How can you keep this from happening to your company? Give your employees the proper tools and equipment to get the job done. If you are a smaller contractor, you are probably working on the job everyday, so I bet you already have these efficiencies in place. If you are a larger contractor, don't lose touch with what your crews need in the field. Make sure you give your employees the same tools you'd want if you were running the work yourself.
Damian Lang is the author of the book "Rewarding and Challenging Employees for Profits in Masonry." To order a copy of his book or to attend one of his seminars held specifically for mason contractors, call Kem Huck at Lang Masonry (800) 417-9272
Provided by Damian Lang, President of Lang Masonry Contractors, lnc. and EZ Great Corp.
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November 2005
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