Author: Mandy Brown

Developing Team Members in a Competitive Market

Posted on by Mandy Brown

Developing Team Members in a Competitive Market

Josh Carmichael, Director of Human Resources, breaks down the importance of employee professional development.

 

If you were to research, “Common reasons employees leave their jobs”, you will find the following two reasons on every list:

  • Lack of professional development
  • Lack of job growth/career advancement

And that’s just from the employee’s perspective. On the other side of the coin – the employer side – those who fail to create a culture of learning, development, job growth, and career advancement tend to struggle with employee retention, employee engagement, talent acquisition, and market competitiveness.

With competition at an all-time high, employers cannot afford to skip focus on building a culture around professional development when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent and obtaining new work.

K2 has put an emphasis on developing its people since it was founded in 2003; but the company realizes the constant need to be transformational and ensure employees are kept on par with the evolving times and changing dynamics of the electrical contracting industry. K2 understands that if focus is lost on employee professional development, employees will leave for employers who do invest the time and money into developing them in accordance with their goals.

Employers must remain focused on this to stay relevant in the market and industry.

A few of the programs K2 has developed are as follows:

  • Effective Personal Productivity (EPP) Program – All K2 professional staff and newly promoted foreman attend this program which focuses on personal productivity and staying organized through planning and goal setting/achievement.
  • Effective Leadership Development (ELD) Program – For K2 leadership roles, staff in this program focus on the art of delegation, understanding motivation, and effective communication to help mentor the next generation of K2 leaders.
  • Field Leadership Development Program (FLDP) – This is a program dedicated to focusing on “growing our own” talent in-house specifically designed for up-and-coming electricians which helps prepare them for field leadership as a foreman.
  • Apprenticeship Program – K2 partners with IECA and WECA to put employees through electrical trade school while paying for their tuition.

K2 Electric will continue moving forward by living out one of our main core values, Advancing Our Team, so that our employees gain confidence, both personally and professionally, and remain well-equipped to serve the needs of our clients and customers.

HR Manager, David Blake Featured on “Happiest Places to Work” Podcast

Posted on by Mandy Brown

HR Manager, David Blake Featured on "Happiest Places to Work" Podcast

K2 Featured on Podcast

On this Happiest Places to Work podcast host Amy Dix, encourages company leadership to share their journeys and expertise and discuss the power of corporate wellness.

She covers topics like company culture, value employees, the well-being of employees, mental health, emotional health, and happiness in the workplace.

K2’s very own HR Manager, David Blake, was featured on the seventh episode “The Importance of Open and Honest Communication.” Listen in below!

Senior Project Manager Discusses Quality Performance

Posted on by Mandy Brown

Senior Project Manager Discusses Quality Performance

In the many years that I have been in the Phoenix Metro construction market, the one thing that has never changed is the level of competition that exists for awarded contracts. This market has always been in flux with an ever-changing cast of competitors. When the competition is close, one of the deciding factors is performance. That is one of the reasons our #2 core value is “Perform to be Preferred.”

Our development of construction installation standards and QA/QC processes help to ensure that we are consistently delivering the best product we can.  We are continuously analyzing our performance in all facets of our operation, looking for methods and materials that will help us stand apart from our competition. Our primary goals for the completion of every project are to finish on schedule and to have a zero-item punch list.

“Zero Defect” has become our mantra and describes a fundamental thought process for success in every task we do. We continually work on processes and installation methods to support our zero-defect goals.  At the end of the day, if quality performance is the difference, then we want to be the outstanding choice.

Planning and Projecting to Manage the Workforce

Posted on by Mandy Brown

Planning and Projecting to Manage the Workforce

Faron Belone

During my time as Field Ops Manager, I have seen substantial growth in how we manage our field workforce. Being able to identify peaks and valleys in the workforce needs on job sites is vital to the stability of our company. Knowing our boundaries and working together as a team to navigate through this dynamic industry has helped K2 Electric grow consistently over the years.

We pride ourselves on being able to meet our customer’s schedules while strategically chasing upcoming projects and opportunities for our team. Below are some of the key tools we have in place to help manage our current workforce of 150 plus team members:

  • Labor Loader Spreadsheet (Created off historical data of past projects to allow us to project future needs)
  • Weekly Projects Meetings (Address schedule and manpower needs for each project in a team setting)
  • 3 Week Look Ahead Scheduling (Allows managers to review what foremen are planning)

Keeping an updated and transparent labor-loaded chart of ongoing and upcoming projects allows preconstruction and management to be on the same page when making future company decisions. Experienced field and management leadership coupled with established processes and procedures help make a typically demanding job an exciting one for me. We at K2 are completely prepared and well equipped to handle any project opportunity presented to us.

John Jordan Advises How to Determine an Accurate Project Budget

Posted on by Mandy Brown

John Jordan Advises How to Determine an Accurate Project Budget

One of the most challenging elements of pre-construction and budgeting is working with minimal information to develop an early-stage budget that comes close to the final contract number without eroding the established profit margin goal.  Our client partners come to us with a scope description, limited drawings, and possibly specifications, to assist in developing the budgets required from their client owners. Keeping the end user and architects design ideas, expectations, and concerns at the forefront of the budget process is critical.

While general contractors often have an idea on cost, they need us to use our knowledge of similar projects to produce a price that validates the budget and identifies items that may cause budget issues as the project documents are developed.  To be exact would be nearly impossible but we know we must be within a tolerable margin over/under the final value to best serve the needs of our clients. To combat these obstacles our team has many tools in the toolbox:

  • Drawing from personal and team experience
  • Historical estimating data
  • Evaluation of market trends to avoid misses in material and labor escalation costs

Our team has done a fantastic job of documenting previous project estimates and pulled important information into an easily digestible spreadsheet to help our customers feel confident in our pricing.  Utilizing an experienced group of people that have been in the AZ construction market for many years, K2 is able to help our clients reach their end goal of a successful project that balances the design team’s intent with the owner’s budget constraints. Building confidence in our clients with persistent effort, reliable communication, and accountability is the key to creating a genuine working relationship.

IT Manager Discusses Technology in Construction

Posted on by Mandy Brown

IT Manager Discusses Technology in Construction

I think that technology is underutilized in many construction organizations. There are many new software and hardware resources in the marketplace that could benefit the industry. Computer vision, deep learning, and virtual construction just to name a few.  Companies now are leading a charge toward equipping the field with a whole new suite of tools that utilize some of these newer technologies.

Here at K2 Electric, one technology that has fundamentally changed how we handle constantly evolving construction drawings and field documents is called “Plan Grid.”  It allows our field team to always have access to the latest set of documents in real time. They can get on their laptop, pull up a print, and immediately be notified if a new revision has been posted.

Through the pandemic, mobility has become the name of the game. K2 launched a full work from home fleet right as the stay-at-home order hit. We were prepared for the situation with all the right remote tools at our disposal. We even saw our best year, right through the middle of a chaotic time. I have seen massive improvements in efficiency and tooling since being at K2.  As the IT Manager I strive toward making everything as clear for the employees so they can use the tools without fighting the technology. It gets increasingly difficult as the whole landscape of technology shifts faster than things can be taught, but I remain confident that K2 will stay ahead in its plans to be the best equipped electrical contractor in Arizona.

K2 Electric Utilizes Construction Analytics to Manage Risk

Posted on by Mandy Brown

K2 Electric Utilizes Construction Analytics to Manage Risk

One of the most crucial questions that management within the construction industry must ask themselves is “how will we manage our business risk?”.

While the answer to this question is not one-size-fits-all, all sizes must find a fit that fosters sustainable business continuity.  One of the ways we have managed risk at K2 is through construction analytics.

Construction analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and monitoring real-time data to improve capital project outcomes, reduce risks, and uncover critical insights.  Our team was able to draw on decades of experience in the electrical contracting industry to identify the analytics that have been crucial to how we have managed risk.  This, in turn, has led to significant growth over the years by helping us answer imperative questions, including:

“Should we bid on this project?”

“How much should we bid?“

“If we bid on this project, will we run into problems on any of our other jobs?”

“Can we exploit the risk inherent to this job to gain a competitive advantage, or should we avoid it altogether?”

Four common ways of dealing with risk are to avoid, reduce, transfer and/or accept.  With the use of automated reporting, KPI’s and financial/operational dashboards, we have been able to find a balance between these risk responses that allows us to provide a higher quality product at the best prices, all while maintaining the highest safety standards.

Linda Spiller Gives Advice to Other Women in Construction

Posted on by Mandy Brown

Linda Spiller Gives Advice to Other Women in Construction

Linda Spiller

We value each and every one of our team members here at K2 Electric, and this month we are celebrating the women in our company for all they do not only internally, but how they impact the entire construction industry. Linda Spiller, Scheduling & A/R has done so much for the K2 team…. Linda gave us some background on how she got into the industry, what her day-to-day looks like, and advice for other women in construction.

Q: Tell us how you got into construction.

Linda Spiller: My dad got an electrical engineering degree in the Navy and worked in the commercial/industrial field his entire life. On the side he built spec homes with his younger brother who was a GC.  As a kid I enjoyed helping with all of it but was most fascinated by the electrical side of things. I never really thought about it as an employment field until I ended up working for a neighbor in a small electrical contracting office. I enjoyed learning more about it in a commercial/industrial setting. Since it was a small office, I would help with material pickup and delivery when needed. This got me out of the office and out to see vendors and customers. I have worked in different types of offices, including the corporate world but always made my way back construction offices. It is where I am happiest.

Q: Share one way you try to help pave a way for other Women in Construction.

Linda Spiller:  Encouragement is always a strong motivator for me. I try to encourage those who want to be in the field to take steps necessary to get them where they need to be. As a kid I would sometimes hear things, like why do you like to build houses and fences with the boys? My reply was simple, “because it is fun.” It did not discourage me that I was the only girl working with a group of boys. I was determined to learn new things and I love the outdoors. Also, I try to encourage those who are considering qualified personnel to give everyone an equal chance. All persons, regardless of rather they are male, or female should be considered for a position if they are equally qualified.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Linda Spiller: One thing I like the most about my job is knowing that I can make a difference. It is my job to help many people throughout the day and I enjoy it. I help field employees, team members, managers, vendors, and customers. It is a good feeling at the end of the day knowing that I made someone else’s day easier by doing something either directly for them or behind the scenes. I also get to hear about advancements and new products in the trade through conversations with those I am helping.

Q: Walk us through a typical day for you.

Linda Spiller: Planning is a big part of my day. I plan, daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and meetings so that nothing gets missed. I start each day checking email and check it at least two more times throughout the day. I get emails at three different email addresses for work. I immediately answer or take steps to complete the short order stuff and priorities. I flag for follow up the items that are not going to get done right away. Because I preplan there are certain activities that need to get done on different days of the week such as collections, pulling prelims or requesting AP waivers. Scheduling is a very busy activity that takes place off and on most every day. I schedule service calls that come in and I schedule small projects, some of which have different manpower needs each day. New customers and new jobs are entered on the master job list, in the accounting software and in the appropriate folders. Billing is another busy part of my day. Service calls are billed within 2 days and small projects are generally billed once per month. Along with billing, I assist with other project paperwork such as close out documents when needed, certificates of insurance, badging if needed and any other project specific paperwork. I attend several regularly scheduled meetings throughout the week and complete other task such as checking timecards for payroll and notarizing waivers or other documents. I also help with the new hire on boarding when we get a new team member to the service/small projects division. Of course, none of the things I mentioned would work smoothly if it were not for good communication. I am in constant communication with my team, customers and vendors when needed. We communicate via email, phone, text and in teams.

Q: What’s one piece of advice for other women looking to get in this field?

Education and hands-on experience are of the upmost importance. Construction is a vast field even within a specific trade such as the electrical trade. There are many different jobs ranging from things like the field labor, administration, engineering, management, logistics, safety, and teaching. Learn a little, explore a little and never give up your pursuit. Rather you want to work more in the physical side of things or in an office capacity, it is important to stay educated in the field and to grow as an employee and a person.