The Owners' Manual | Issue 15 | Spring 2019

2019  issue 15  spring

issue 15, spring 2019

Photo credit: Heather Halotek, Meriden

BL Buzz

All Things Owners

FYI

Around BL........................1-3 Open Office Etiquette....8-9 Business Development..............10-16 You are the Brand............27

Question of the Quarter............................4-7 Candygrams...............17-19 Get to Know................22-23 New Win Special Edition.24

IT Tip..................................21 Safety Tip.....................25-26 Legal Topic.......................28 Happenings......................29

Front & Back Covers: Throwback photos! Whole Foods Market in Darien, CT was completed in 2010 and achieved a LEED Gold Certification for Commercial Interiors from the USGBC.

Mike Fisher, Suz King and Nick Giardina represented BL at the MMA Annual Meeting in Boston!

Sam Haydock (Environmental / Meriden) was elected to the Board of the Environmental Professionals Organization of Connecticut (EPOC). Congrats!

See page 17 for an article on the Candygrams for a Cause. A group of employee owners from the Giving Back and ESOP Communications Committees gathered to assemble them all!

Jim Schrager (Survey / Meriden) was recognized by CALS for his contributions to the organization and his efforts to lead the pacing contest for the past several years at their annual meeting.

We love pictures of our employee owners! Please send them our way to share in the next newsletter (Heather Halotek or Jess Osborne)

We hope you enjoyed the heartfelt thanks coordinated by the Giving Back and ESOP Communications Comittees.

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The Hartford office wore red at the beginning of February in support of the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for

Women” initiative.

At our most recent Employee Owner meeting we recognized employee owners who had served on committees and their accomplishments. Joining a committee is an excellent way to contribute to BL at a broader level!

Mark Heeb & Adam Davis (Camp Hill) recently presented to senior managers at FedEx Express in Memphis, TN. The banner in the upper right lists several projects that BL was involved in. Kudos to the project teams!

BL Companies had a great time at the WTS CT Engineers Week Student Outreach event at the Cora J. Belden Library in Rocky Hill, CT. The Bridge Wars activity used cups of rocks to test the difference in strength of simple beam and suspension bridges, teaching children about different types of bridging supports! [Pictured: Alex Klose, Meriden]

Tim Hydrusko (Survey / New Jersey) retired at the end of March. A group of employee owners gathered to wish him well on his journey to new frontiers.

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What is the Luckiest Thing that has Ever Happened toYou?

MAR 17

In my 40+ years I’ve been lucky to receive a bunch of stuff, but nothing compares to what happened on 2/22/16. While driving home from work, that evening, I had a Gran Mal seizure. Now I had never had one before, nor did I know that I had become epileptic in my late 30s (which is highly unusual and possibly a result of concussions I had as a teen). I remember nothing of the incident, but apparently while driving in the evening traffic on 691 in Meriden, I lost consciousness and started convulsing. I sideswiped a car

and hit a guardrail. I destroyed a car that I had searched over a year for and had to fly and pickup because it was so rare. I also dislocated and broke both of my shoulders. At this point, most people would be asking, why was this lucky? I’m lucky because instead of flying off the road into a tree, wall or over a cliff or bridge (all present on that short stretch of highway), I ended up in a grassy median. I’m also lucky because there was an off-duty officer only a half mile behind me, who was the first person on the scene and get this, he’s best friends with one of my best friends. I got immediate help and my wife was in the ER by the time my brain had rebooted enough to remember who I was. So despite all that, I feel incredibly lucky that I survived that. I feel very lucky that I get to spend more time with my kids, wife, family and friends. I still drive that route every day and I’m amazed that I was lucky enough to end up where I did and that I get to continue living life. – Justin Kababik, Meriden

I try to avoid arcades or fun zones that give out tickets, which can be redeemed for prizes. They are fun until you realize you don’t have enough tickets to get what your child wants. I’ve left many of these with an unhappy kid. I’m sure anyone with a child can relate. However, on October 23, 2016 at my nephews birthday party, I hit the jackpot on the Big Bass Wheel. I was able to get anything my son wanted plus some!! I never felt so lucky!! – Joy Kloss, Meriden

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Sappy as all hell, but on October 7, 1989 I married Kimberly and by far that’s been the luckiest thing to ever happen to me. I couldn’t ask for a better friend, mother to our four children, in-law to my sister and parents, you name it. She ALWAYS puts others before herself and inspires me to be a better person every day. For the record, in my case it was love at first sight (you can ask my best friend and best man, I turned to him and said, “that’s the woman I’m going to marry” back in Chem 101 at UConn, September 1984). She on the other hand … took a little time to appreciate my … personality and charm. But she did and still does 30 years (this October) later. – Pat Corless, Meriden

When I was abroad during college, I took a long weekend trip to Ireland during St. Patrick’s Day. As everyone knows, it rains frequently there, and being the smart traveler that I was, I forgot my rain coat back in Sweden. However, my Irish luck kicked in and we had 5 beautiful, clear, sunny days in a row while I was visiting. I was joking around with locals that it was my red hair that brought the good luck and weather and they said they’ve never seen amazing consecutive weather like this in a long time. I was able to visit everywhere that I wanted with beautiful views. Must have been the luck of the Irish!

P.S. I was supposed to be born on St. Patrick’s Day, but was too anxious and was born a week early… – Holly Linder, Meriden

The luckiest thing that happened to me was a random chance second meeting with my now husband. We met as teenagers on two consecutive Methodist summer camp bicycle trips. The first trip in 1973 was 7 days and consisted of 250 miles around (and ups and downs) the Allegheny National Forest in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The second trip in 1974 was 10 days and consisted of a 500-mile trip around the Finger Lakes Region. It began in Ithaca, New York and ended in Ludlow, Pennsylvania. (See photo) Since we lived about 1 ½ hour apart, at the conclusion of the second trip, we corresponded by letters (yes, it was the ONLY thing) and occasionally telephone calls (long distance cost $$$$). I went on a third 500-mile trip through Southern New York in 1975, but he was not able to go to it. As time went on, we stopped corresponding. In the summer of 1980, I was at my grandmother’s cottage along Lake Erie in Westfield, New York along State Route 5. I had gone out for a 5-mile run. He had been at a grape grower’s conference near Buffalo, New York and decided to drive the back road (State Route 5) rather than Interstate 90. He recognized me running along the road opposing traffic, waved out the car sunroof and turned his car around. I had not seen my friend for 6 years. I was a little frightened until he got out of the car and I realized it was him. We dated and married 5 years later. This day was one of the luckiest days in my life. – Cindy Paschke , Canton

I’m not sure if this is necessarily lucky but when I travel, I always listen to music inspired by or by artists from the places I’m going because I feel like it’s good juju for the trip. Maybe it’s more superstitious than anything but a little quirk of mine.

That or blowing on dice before I roll them.

– Brandon Rojas, Hartford

Meeting each other during WPI freshman orientation was the luckiest thing that has ever happened to us, 7 years together! – Katie & Alex Klose , Meriden

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OPEN OFF ICE ET IQUETTE Open plan is the generic term used in architectural and interior design for any floor plan which makes use of large, open spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as private offices. Many of our offices are moving to the open plan floor layout! With the open plan come some considerations for our fellow employee owners — we’ve hung posters with some helpful guidelines to keep our work areas productive and problem-free. This article was published in a prior issue of The Owners’ Manual , but is a great reminder as more of BL’s offices are moving to new locations and embracing the open plan concept.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS TO ME While everyone may look accessible, it doesn’t mean they are – Respect their need to focus and accomplish tasks by minimizing idle conversation and respecting their status color. Green – Stop by, I’m available. Yellow – Something important on your mind? Let’s talk! Red – Please come back later… SET AN EXAMPLE We all get sidetracked - We check social media or answer a personal call. Remember, your office behavior is on full display for your colleagues. They know when you’re not being productive and doing it too often shows disrespect for your team. WHAT STINKS? Be considerate when packing/unpacking your lunch, no one wants to smell the leftover salmon you had for dinner last night! Many people are allergic to strong scents – so keep the perfume and cologne to a minimum as well. RESIST THE SPEAKERPHONE BUTTON Playing back your voicemail messages on speakerphone or conducting an entire call on speakerphone is distracting to people trying to work around you. Sometimes people see the speakerphone as an opportunity to multitask. Use a headset instead of the speakerphone if your real aim is to keep your hands free to take notes or refer to documents. If a group must be party to a conversation move the speakerphone call to an available office or conference room.

WHEN SHOULD I USE A CONFERENCE ROOM? ► Cohort Meetings

► Longer Discussions, Including Plan/Document Reviews

► Team Meetings ► Committee Meetings

► Call or Discussion that Requires Privacy ► Meeting with a client or a potential hire

CUT THE CLUTTER Everything is in view, keep your area tidy and help keep common areas clean.

HELP PREVENT NOISE POLLUTION Conversations (either via telephone or between Employee-Owners) can distract others, so consider using a conference room for longer discussions. Meetings or longer conversations with two or more people should also use a conference room. You may love the polka genre, but it doesn’t mean your co-workers do – so remember to use your headphones! NO SPACE HOGGING Avoid utilization of common or unutilized work areas for storage of items. If you use an area be sure to return it to a neat and tidy condition after your use. Never leave work related items in a conference room for an extended period. Unassigned work areas are used by visiting Employee-Owners and as such should remain uncluttered and ready for use. BE FLEXIBLE AND OPEN-MINDED Keep in mind that everyone makes mistakes and someone may not realize that they are disturbing you; kindly ask them if they could move their conversation to a conference room or let them know that you have a task that you need to focus on and will check in with them afterwards. Be as considerate to others as you would like them to be to you!

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(n) the activity of pursuing strategic opportunities for a particular business or organization, for example by cultivating partnerships or other commercial relationships, or identifying new markets for its products or services. Even if you don’t have “Business Development” in your title - all employee owners can contribute to BL’s BD efforts. We’ve asked a few of our in-house experts to provide some insight into what makes them successful. Be sure to check out the “You Are The Brand” video series on the Intranet - these videos will inform you on what we do and how we do it at BL Companies. The information in these videos will equip you with the knowledge to speak to BL’s markets and services!

Rai Muhlbauer

Michelle Carlson

Director of Architecture

Director of Land Development

John Mancini

Bob Blickley

Executive Director of Business Development and Client Relations

Business Development and Client Care

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How do you ask for the next job?

MUHLBAUER | That depends so much on who you are asking and how well you know them. If they are new contacts, work on building a relationship first. Show them you care about them and have made an effort to understand their needs. Working with that as a platform you will come to a point where you’ll know it’s OK to ask for an opportunity to provide services. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have an established relationship with a client you can simply check in with them and let them know how much you have appreciated past opportunities and how much you enjoy working with them. Then ask if they have any current or near-term needs you can help them with.

CARLSON | First it depends upon our relationship with the Client. Have we done a lot of work with them? Have the projects been successful? Do I have a personal connection that has been established over time? If I have a great relationship I will flat out ask what is next? How can we help? If it is a newer client, I will remind them that we can

BLICKLEY | Depends on the client, but in one way that can be very successful- when the first project is going well- ask them what else they are working on next and how WE can HELP them get their next project moving… MANCINI | First you ask the client what else is in his or her pile of work. Then once they describe what they are chasing you for, explain how BL can be a good fit for the particular type of work.

help them and remind them of our services and office locations.

Show them you care about them and have made

an effort to understand their needs.

What are some of the skills that people who aren’t in a “BD role” should get comfortable with?

MUHLBAUER | Networking. You don’t need to be involved in business development to network. Rather than worry about looking for opportunities for BL, think of networking as building good karma. Look at it as a forum to meet new people and with the intent of seeing if there is a way you can help them in business. Perhaps you have a contact that would be beneficial to them, or you know of an opportunity that would be of interest. Once you have extended yourself in that way, you will build trust, you will be remembered, and you will have people looking to return a favor.

CARLSON | Striking up conversations with people you don’t know at events. Being persistent. Don’t give up.

MANCINI | (1) They need to try and understand the client’s goals and needs better by listening closely ; and (2) Trying to have solutions to obstacles that arise on projects prior to just pointing out the problem.

BLICKLEY | Understanding that we are in the service business and while all clients are different, they understand that they are the client and we are the provider. Customer service skills are helpful- always be thinking “what can I do to help this client?” or “what can we do to make this clients life easier?”.

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what does “business development” mean to you?

BLICKLEY | It means working to get BL opportunities for new work, this often results from networking and connecting the dots from folks in BL/your personal network. Continually being on the lookout for ways to introduce BL and our services to new potential clients. work, I make sure that they know what BL does and how we can add value to a particular opportunity. MANCINI | Business development means that when I am talking with folks in our industry such as brokers, realtors, lawyers, town/city officials, developers and others in financial

MUHLBAUER | Business development is a one- on-one activity that is undertaken with the intent of developing opportunities for work. At it’s root is the process of developing and effectively leveraging relationships to make connections, build trust, and create opportunities to bring in work. By comparison, marketing is a broad-reaching process of increasing awareness of who we are and what we do.

CARLSON | It means working to find new clients and opportunities for work for BL. It also means taking care of existing clients and leveraging those relationships to get repeat work and introductions to potential new clients. It means attending networking events and always thinking of ways to bring in new clients/opportunities. Think out of the box.

How do you find success? MUHLBAUER | Success as it relates to business development is the creation of trust. Business development is not simply directed at potential clients, but at all contacts that can assist, refer, or influence others to provide us with an opportunity. In any case, whether a potential paying client, a contact (i.e. a real estate broker), or a personal friend, the likelihood of creating a business opportunity is highly unlikely unless you have developed some level of trust with either your referral source, or the potential client.

CARLSON | Developing relationships and trust so that Clients don’t go to anyone else with their work and they recommend BL to others.

MANCINI | I find success by finding new clients and working to get repeat business from them by being the best that I (BL) can be at doing what we do.

BLICKLEY | Perseverance. Developing relationships takes time and effort, you can’t take things too personal and you have to have follow up even when you don’t want to….

How do you cultivate relationships?

MUHLBAUER | Cultivating a relationship as a function of business development takes time. It requires you to show a genuine interest in another person. You need to show an interest in what they do, what their company does, what their needs are, and much more; and in response offer suggestions of what you can do to assist them. That is impossible to do over a single meeting or lunch, or to do quickly. Relationships must be built over time and in doing so, will evolve through stages that become stronger.

BLICKLEY | Each relationship is different, but some examples: Find common ground (professional or personal), take an interest in THEIR business/projects, be willing to share some of your own experiences (good and bad), share newspaper/online articles/ information with them, periodically, congratulate them when you hear something good about their project or their company. MANCINI | I try to understand the person behind the name. I believe that you need to present yourself as being credible and finding ways to show how the relationship with someone works both ways.

Finding common ground of things to discuss both professionally and personally.

CARLSON | Finding common ground of things to discuss both professionally and personally. Take an interest in what they are interested in. Remember important things they share with you and ask about that next time you talk? For instance, if they have a child that is into music or sports, ask how he or she is doing. Call them with a project or piece of property in mind that can help facilitate another opportunity for the client and BL.

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How does Client Care enhance Business Development?

MUHLBAUER | Client Care is a primary component of business development. When we create a potential opportunity there is a commitment of some sort to a client. That may be a promise to provide a qualifications package, or perhaps a proposal. We need to make good on those commitments. Accountability and responsiveness are core competencies of client care that are in play here. Those competencies often rely on internal client care to follow through on those commitments. For instance, if a promise is made to submit a proposal, or to meet a client to look at a site, our internal professionals that are assigned to that task need to adopt that opportunity as their own. Only when we can take care of each other internally can we succeed in taking care of our external clients.

MANCINI | • We get repeat business from existing clients • Our clients become our biggest supporters to other possible clients • We begin to separate ourselves from our competitors if BL makes a mistake, the Client is more likely to not be as “upset” with BL and the relationship continues. CARLSON | Great client care allows for BL to get repeat business with the same client. It also means the client is going to recommend BL to other people and we could end up with additional clients and opportunities. Great Client care also means

BLICKLEY | Two ways; first by providing existing clients good client care we protect our existing relationship and hopefully are able to generate return work. Secondly, good client care serves to improve BL’ s reputation in the market. This gives us leverage when trying to make new connections, for example - we do work for a PM at FedEx and do a good job with client care, he/she then happens to know a PM at UPS and is then willing to give us a solid recommendation/ introduction.

C a n d y g r a m s f o r a C a u s e

For the month of February, the Giving Back, Wellness and ESOP Communications Committees joined forces for a sweet American Heart Association initiative, Candygrams for a Cause !

ESOP Awards received a sweet and generous twist and were delivered as candygrams with a heartfelt thanks!

Because of this sweet gesture, we were able to donate $900 to the American Heart Association!

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Thank you for being an asset to our ESOP Communications Committee. You have helped create an AMAZING and GROWING CULTURE at BL. Well done. For bringing us a “Box o’ Joe” when our coffee maker was out of order. Thank you for being a great teammate to work with! Each month, our billing team exhibits great teamwork and employee ownership qualities as they meet our billing deadline. Not only are our invoices getting to our external clients on a timely basis, which helps our cash position. But our internal clients (i.e. project managers and directors) have quicker access to their projects’ financial performance. Demonstrating the old Boy Scout motto of always being prepared and generously lending me his phone connection cord so I could transfer files from my old phone to the new one!

Thank you for making KOP a great place to work! I appreciate each of you and your hard work and dedication! Thank you for being such an amazing, creative and collaborative team of marketing professionals. There are always many things to juggle in our department and you all are always there will the crazy circus balls flying in the air – making it all seem effortless. You all rock! Thank you for always lending assistance when needed. Thank you for your guidance and training. There is so much occurring behind the scenes that is accomplished without mention. Thank you for always staying late and putting in the extra effort to hit the impossible deadlines that are handed to us all the time. Thanks for always being right there to lend a hand and help in anyway that you can! I know you get pulled in a hundred different directions, but you are always ready to step up to any challenge. Thanks for all that you do!! Thanks for always having that one perfect thing to say to put things into perspective. Your positive attitude and high spirits always put me in a great mood! You always make my day a little better. Thank you for your unwavering guidance and support. (And, for the daily piece of candy for my ride home) Thank you for always fixing my IT problems. Whether it be user error or a CRM fix that needs attention, you are always there to save me. It is much appreciated! For always helping on the Solar Project and keeping things in check. Recently he helped quarterback a Civil deliverable while I was traveling. He showed great client focus as he does all the time. He is an amazing colleague and Friend. Thank you so much for all you do. Thanks for all your hard work and being a great member of the team. Thank you for being such an energetic force and enthusiastic spirit, especially with everything ESOP! Thank you for being so sweet!

Thank you for always willing to put in the time, even on short notice, to get a job done! Thank you for helping me with the student outreach engineer week event for the Women’s Transportation Seminar. Thank you for always helping on the Amazon program, even when its not your department. Also, for always coming down and sitting until I leave at night. Thank you so much for all you do. Thank you for always making sure the candy dish is filled. It’s a sweet way to end my day. Thank you for staying late and working hard to get through the I-84 Auxiliary Lanes submittal. It was a lot of late nights and weekends to get the submittal out, but the team was up to the challenge. You are a good person and you care about your team. I appreciate your acknowledgement of a work/life balance and you want your team to remain happy and healthy in all aspects of their lives. Thank you! You are an amazing team player! You acknowledge how important it is that we work together in order to keep us all as one cohesive unit. Thank you so much for caring for your projects and for caring for the rest of us, at the same time! I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you and having you as a mentor. I have learned so much by working with you. I can’t thank you enough for giving me all of these opportunities and trusting in me! Welcome to the team! Your enthusiasm and go-getter attitude is refreshing and brings fantastic energy to our group! Thank you for joining BL!! Your happy attitude and enthusiasm to help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for being such an important part of our team!! All the work you (and SLT) put into new initiatives, policies, incentives… over the past year (and beyond). Thank you for making this a great company to work for!! Thank you for doing such a good job with the safety and FAA requirements of the drone program. Thank for all you do from office move coordination to Tech Training to cyber security to just general assistance. Thank you for leading a very well-received and upbeat supervisory training on recruiting and hiring. Thank you for keeping track of everything! I want to recognize this employee owner with a BIG THANK YOU for always making the time to listen and offer expert- level advice :) Thank you for being a great teammate to work with! Thank you for always having a smile on your face and a great, positive attitude! I love how you can easily put things into perspective for me and help me see things from a different point of view! Thank you for all that you do!! Thank you for always being there for me when I have a “silly” question or just need assistance. You never shy away

from lending a helping hand – even when I know you have a lot on your plate. Thank you for all your hard work and helping the Accounting team with CTDOT efforts. Thank you for going out to a project site to take pictures for marketing material! Thank you for making Back to Basics day entertaining and informative.

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Have an idea for the newsletter? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? We’d love to hear from you!

Please reach out to Heather Halotek or Jessica Osborne

MANAGING OUTLOOK PST’S Everyone must manage their project related email and make sure, at projects end, that that information be saved within the project for future use. Please follow the general practice below as a recommended process to managing email content within Outlook.

BL Companies

Managing Outlook PST’s 1. Create Project Folders under your Inbox for each project you’re involved with. The format for the folder name should be “ PROJECTNUMBER-SHORTPROJECTNAME ”. Ex: “1900256-Target KOP”. Move emails from your Inbox into each respective Outlook Email Project Folder as you receive them. 2. You will need to create an Outlook PST file within the respective BL Project Folder on the server. • From the Home tab, pick the New Items More Items Outlook Data File . • Browse to the “ \Docs\Email “ subfolder under the job number you would like to create the PST file and name the file (jobnumber-login name).pst (Example 07D1004- DCampbell.pst) It should now show the new Data folder on your Outlook Folder List. • Right-Click on the new Data folder and pick “ DATA FILE PROPERTIES ”, then pick the “ ADVANCED ” button at the bottom • In the Name box, type “ Jobnumber “-” Job Name ” and then pick OK . 3. MOVE any emails that you no longer reference from each Email Project Folder into the respective PST file on the server. 4. When a project is completed MOVE the remaining emails from your Active Email Project Folder into the PST file and delete the folder under your Inbox.

There is more information pertaining to PST’s than can fit here in this tip. Please contact anyone in the IT Department for more information.

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GET TO KNOW BL’S SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS

ARE YOU AN INSTAGRAMMER? We are too! BL usually posts our fun ESOP & committee activities on this network. You can follow us @blcompanies to see everything from Pi Day to Ping Pong. Your mascot, (yes, we have a mascot! Please refer to the article written in back Issue 10 on how that happened), Hugo Halotek has his own Instagram account, too. If you like to know what he’s up to, follow him and his comrades at @hugotek_thepup . LOOKING FOR WHAT’S GOING ON AT BL FROM BUSINESS, GIVING BACK, EDUCATION, AND PROFESSIONAL EVENTS? Facebook and Twitter are a good place to check out. If you follow Facebook, you’ll see that Twitter is a mirror image of what is posted there. Feel free to like, follow and share on either network or both! LinkedIn is all about finding that next great employee owner. We post on LinkedIn 3 x a week. These posts promote specific jobs that we are looking to fill, our expertise, values, and our ESOP culture. This is a network where you sharing the BL posts or even commenting on them can have a real impact. The more engaged we all are with LinkedIn, the greater reach our posts have. This is true on all networks; however, LinkedIn posts have been specifically designed to align with our strategic goal of recruitment in mind. Need help knowing how to share on LinkedIn? Visit our intranet Human Resources Recruitment & Hiring or call Bret Boudreaux for assistance. DO YOU LIKE US? If you are on social media, show your BL fan support. Follow, Like, Comment and Share.

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What did we win? R-E-S-P-E-C-T, or perhaps ire and envy. The BL team continued its 3-year winning streak at the AIA Bowling Invitational, beating 25 or so 6-person teams from other firms for the highest team score. A few of us rode on the shoulders of team stalwarts Dan Turner with a 244, and Mike Gagnon and Shawn Poulin who both rolled 178s, but hey, teamwork is a core competency, right? As if that wasn’t enough Dan Turner also won highest overall score by pummeling all other bowlers. It took Dan a few frames to warm up, but he brought the heat, laying down 12 straight strikes spanning from the first to the second game. Yup, that would have been enough for a perfect game had it started in the first frame. What services will we be providing? Let’s just say the other teams were “served”. Who will we be working for? We’re an ESOP. We work for ourselves! Our two teams did a great job of representing BL with fun, enthusiasm, and an iridescent presence. We were easy to spot. Why is this noteworthy? We work hard. It’s nice to know we also find time to play hard. How much is this worth? Are you kidding? Where else are you going to get one of these babies? What is the time frame? Our work is done... until next year ;-)

Ladder

Safety

Take the Right Steps Make sure every time you step on a ladder you are mindful of

the task at hand

Source: National Safety Council

1

Choose the Right Ladder Using the wrong ladder can be dangerous. Think about the task at hand, choose the right size and style, and be sure to follow the directions on the ladder before you climb. Some things to consider: • How high do you need to reach? • How much weight will the ladder need to hold? • Is it an indoor or outdoor job? Start with a Firm Foundation • No matter what kind of ladder you’re using, place the base on a firm, solid surface and avoid slippery, wet or soft surfaces • If you must put the ladder on a soft surface, place a board under the ladder’s feet • Never lean a straight or extension ladder against a window pane or other unstable surface • A straight or extension ladder should be placed 1 foot away from the surface it’s resting on Climb with Care • Face the ladder and always grip the rungs, not the side rails • Always keep three points of contact with the ladder: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand • Never get off a ladder from the side • Make sure extension ladders extend 3 feet above the roof or platform you’re trying to reach • Do not stand higher than the third rung from the top • Don’t lean or overreach; reposition the ladder instead • Don’t climb while carrying tools; use a tool belt • Wear slip-resistant shoes • Never have someone climb up to bring you something; only one person should be on a ladder at a time for every 4 feet of the ladder’s height • Securely fasten straight or extension ladders to an upper support • Make sure step ladders are open completely before climbing • Guard doorways near any type of ladder so no one can open it and knock you off • Never place a ladder on a box, barrel or other object to gain additional height

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3

4

Consider the Conditions • Do not use extension ladders in windy or inclement weather

• If bad weather arises, climb down immediately and wait for it to pass

• Clean the ladder after each use to prevent dirt buildup, especially if it’s left outside in wet or muddy conditions

The You are the BL Brand educational series of videos is now available on the intranet (Documents and Resources > You are the Brand Videos). (Give them a chance to load – it takes a sec.)

Each video is under 3 minutes long and stars a BL personality.

No actors or dramatizations here! These are all real BL employee owners sharing their expertise with you.

This internal video series was created to help inform new employees (and our current ones, too!) on what we do and how we do it at BL Companies. Remember, YOU are the BL brand, and as such should fully understand what BL has to offer its clients. These 21 videos focus on the BL disciplines, markets and specialty services. We know that 21 videos covers a lot, but not everything we do. The idea is that this library will expand over time as our employee owners want to learn more about the expertise and services that we have in-house.

Get your popcorn and enjoy the show.

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Legal Tip The Necessity of Getting an ASA and Getting it Timely*

Here’s the scenario – BL’s been working for a client for several months doing quality work. The team has met every deadline, managed the budget and successfully moved the project along. Now the client has asked for something that seems a little above and beyond but time is short and the client needs it done yesterday. What do you do? Review the contract. What

What happens if you don’t follow the previous steps? Confusion – if you drag your feet in asking for the ASA, the client doesn’t know whether you’re doing the work or not and probably assumes that you are. By not addressing the issue quickly, you could risk missing deadlines. Possibly not getting paid – if a scope and fee are not worked out ahead of time and you simply rely on the client’s word that you will get paid, you risk arguing with the client about what this additional work cost after the fact and possibly getting paid less than you should or not getting paid at all if your contract says that all additional work needs to be approved in writing. Skewed financials and cash flow – if at the end of the month, we’ve done work that we have no ASA for, we cannot bill the client for it. Thus, revenue that should be posted for a particular month will not be and will impact our financials. In addition, this will cause a negative impact on our cash position. So, bottom line, be sure the get the ASA quickly and before doing any additional work.

STEP

did the original scope say? Is this new task in your scope or outside of it? Most likely, if you are questioning it, it is outside your scope. Immediately, pick up the phone and tell the client you’d be happy to do the work but it is outside of your original scope and you will be sending him an additional services agreement (ASA) before the end of the day. Go to the Intranet/Project Management/Docs by State and pick your state. Now choose the template that says “Client Additional Services Agreement” and complete the form. It’s a simple three-page form. Then send it to the Client. Do not start work until you’ve received the form back or you will lose your leverage. Remember, the client needs you.

STEP

STEP

*a reprint & reminder from Issue 11

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issue 15 // 29

2019  issue 15  spring

NEWSLETTER TEAM: Heather Halotek Jessica Osborne Jocelyn Taylor

CONTRIBUTORS: Doug Campbell Julia O’Brien

Bob Blickley, Michelle Carslon, John Mancini, Rai Mulbauer