Synergy hosted a Construction Forum on July 10-13th at the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel in Milwaukee, WI for 52 members. This will be a two and a half day session was filled with small breakout discussions, a tour of Synergy Member J.M. Brennan, and a special workshop with guest speaker Steve Thomas on Growing Your Next Level Leaders.
The meeting started with Wayne Seifert (Archer Mechanical), Justin Harer (J.M. Brennan), and Eric Wos (Baker Group) sharing how their organizations are generating more design build opportunities. The three Synergy members discussed who leads the charge at their company, how they handle the expense of pre-construction, the scope of engineering and design build, and what client development looks like.
After the panel, attendees worked in a large group to develop a list of all the things that are important for a successful project (like safety, scheduling, financial forecasting, contract terms, etc) and then dove in deeper to each step with their small table. In the small groups members shared what’s worked for their company, operational changes they made, who takes ownership of each step, and how they execute and measure the work getting done.
“I like the list that was created of all the steps,” said Mike Doss (Design Mechanical). “You don’t realize how much there is.”
To close out the morning attendees shared new technology that has made a difference and how they’re dealing with supply chain issues.
“This was fun,” said Wayne Seifert (Archer Mechanical). “It showed how your words have meaning you have to be very deliberate when you are explaining something to someone so they understand what you are telling them.”
On the second day of the Construction Forum attendees got the opportunity to tour fellow Synergy member J.M. Brennan’s facility. Co-presidents John and Matt Brennan welcomed our group and spent some time sharing their family history and company’s evolution.
“I really enjoyed listening to the owners of Brennan going over the changes and progress they have made over the years,” said Brent Greer (W.L. Gary). “It really provided some inspiration. Although we aren’t at that scale, it definitely gave some great ideas in terms of flow and things to consider for the future.”
After the tour, Justin Harer (J.M. Brennan), Quinton Selin (Archer Mechanical), and Tommy Cox (Hardy) shared their quality control process. In small groups members shared where they struggle, changes they’ve made, and who handles the responsibilities if they don’t have a dedicated QC person on staff.
The second day closed with a discussion on productivity metrics. Synergy members shared what they’re measuring when it comes to BIM, prefab, and field installation. In the small groups attendees also talked about how they’re measuring things, how often they measure, who sees the results, and what they do with the data.
“This session opened my eyes on different ways to enhance our companies daily productivity,” said Errick Raner (Triton Mechanical).
- Talk on personal levels
- Give your time
- Show humility, grace, and mercy
- Be empathic and trustworthy
- Follow through
- Understand their values
- Be genuine
The session ended with each attendee writing down their action plan of what they want to implement and goals they will accomplish when they return home.