A few weeks ago, I was walking down the street in St. Paul–freezing–and my mind was elsewhere. A gentleman stopped me and said, “You dropped something.” I scanned the ground to see what it might be, and realized nothing was there. That’s when he said, “You dropped your smile.” I immediately realized it was true, …
Several years ago, I made the decision to build a home out from town, and moved to a beautiful spot in the country with views of a mountain range, lakes, woods and wildlife. It has been nice. I raised 3 good children here, but they are now grown and have moved on. Now my place …
Our CFO is always reminding me that our greatest assets are the people in our company. Years ago, I thought the greatest assets were on the financial statement, but over time, I have learned his wisdom. One can have all of the policies in place, the procedures, and the best opportunities with the best customer …
Every city has its symbols. Here in Birmingham, many associate Vulcan with downtown, but we are seeing the revival of many other icons that got lost in history. We’re pleased to be a part of one such restoration at our Thomas Jefferson Tower project on the west side of the city’s central business district. Originally completed in …
Last week, one of our managers traveled 23 hours to Guanghzou, the manufacturing center of China. The reason for his visit? Robbie was headed for Shinegolden Steel Craft Co, Ltd., a steel fabricator, to check up on a production of hot rolled windows and doors that we commissioned for a historical renovation project constructed in …
I have never met a strong person with an easy backgroud. Earlier this week I learned that a customer had laid off several members of their construction and real estate department. Losing a position is sometimes like a kick in the stomach and I reached out to the folks who are my business friends, offering to …
A rewarding part of this job is the mentoring aspect–helping folks find the areas where they excel and watching them thrive. Obviously I try to do this everyday for those around me. Having been in the industry for a long while, I will also get calls from people looking to make a move, and not …
To me, our society often values notoriety and success, and over the years I have seen folks drive harder and harder to achieve more without corresponding happiness. This begs the question, is success what really what sustains us along the trail? Not hardly. Harvard University conducted a study, tracking two sets of individuals over 75 years. …
It seems every profession these days requires continuing education courses during the year. CE credit is everywhere. What if Christmas required continuing education? What would it look like? I think it would look like this: Simple and Clear {Image Source}
It’s that time of year again. Like clockwork, right before the holidays kick off, I start to worry about work for next year. After all, as a service company in construction, we are constantly burning off work. Every year I take great pains with extensive due diligence figuring out which jobs we will have to …
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it is that water has a mind of its own. Where there is a will, there is a way for it to penetrate the building envelope, the walls, windows/doors and roof. Moisture intrusion and the resulting damage is best dealt with at the start, through well …
Networking. At times, it’s the most elusive part of any business and probably the hardest to master effectively. I’ve learned a few things over the years, both from networking the wrong way and also from building some solid relationships. I think my # 1 lesson learned is that networking is highly individual to the person …