The Owners' Manual - Issue 9 - Winter 2017

2017  issue 9  winter

issue 9. winter 2017

BL Buzz

All Things Owners

FYI

Around BL........................1-3 Wellness Committee Update........................12-13 ESOP Committee Update........................18-19 Completed Projects........20 New Intranet!...................21

Get to Know....................6-8 Question of the Quarter..........................9-11 In the Field..................16-17

What is CRM?..................4-5 IT Tip.............................21-22 Legal Brief.........................24 Happenings......................25

Front & Back Covers: Stihl Warehouse in Oxford, CT - a recently completed Design/Build project.

Justine Ziobron performed a semi-final inspection for a new bridge carrying Society Road over I-95 in East Lyme, CT. BL prepared the preliminary design (up to 30% complete), including the new alignment as part of our Bridge CLE services contract with CTDOT.

At the end of December 2016, care packages full of goodies were delivered to BL’s Field Personnel. Check out pages 16-17 to see some of the crazy conditions they’re working in.

BL branding hard at work: We sponsored the NAIOP Greater Philadelphia event, and BL’s logo was front-and-center!

Over 175 toys were delivered in January to the Yale -New Haven Hospital Toy Closet. Thanks to everyone who donated toys - they’ll provide comfort to YNHH patients throughout the year.

BL is part of the team (we’re working for HNTB Corp.) selected for the I-84 Mixmaster Project. This is a very high-profile infastructure project for the State of CT and is estimated to cost several billion (!) dollars. A huge effort was put in by the team during the proposal and interview process to win the project. Pictured here: Nick Giardina, Kim Lesay, Brett Stark

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It was an exciting afternoon at BL’s Meriden office when there wasn’t just one - but TWO vibrant rainbows that appeared on an otherwise dreary day. Double rainbow!!

BL accepted the 2016 New York State Historic Preservation Award for the restoration of Hangars 1 & 2 at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, NY. Pictured above: Paul Curcio with the award certificate. Congratulations to all involved in this multiple award-winning project! Earlier in 2016, the project also received the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York City Landmarks Conservancy.

BL won a 2017 Merit Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for the Veterans Memorial at Minuteman Park project. Pictured above: Josh Egnatz and Dominick Celtruda.

Congratulations to the 2016 Graduates of the Leadership Development Essentials Program (LDEP). Pictured: Top L-R: John Schmitz, Aaron Silva, John Jenney, Dennis Quinit, Andy Chakraborty, Kevin Hixson, Dan Salameda, Bottom L-R: Jamie Greacen (missing, Suzan Lacey - who had to hop on a plane to Houston), Rich Bracco, David Cicia, Jessica Osborne, Barbara Joslin, Chad Appleman, Ann Iseley, Al Busher, Shannon Powers

Giving Back with friends: Thanks to fellow Employee Owners for supporting the fundraiser (Pictured: Aaron Foster, Chris Fagan, Brett Stark, Joe Blowers)

Aaron, Jaime & the CEO of Foodshare James Arena-DeRosa.

Aaron and Jaime Foster hosted a Foodshare fundraiser in December with a goal to raise $3,000 to fund the retrofit of a truck to become a food delivery vehicle. With the support of friends, family and BL colleagues the event raised almost $7,000.

Doug the Elf

The Allworx Phone Graveyard. How are you liking the new-and- improved Polycom phones?

BL’s annual selfie at Rockefeller Center for the ICSC NYC Show.

Camp Hill held their holiday party in January, with a Monte Carlo-themed event. Pictured right: Dave Weitzel (Steph’s husband), Steph Weitzel, Carrie (Kellen’s fiancée), Joe Kempf, Scott Mowery, Sharon Lucisano, Kellen Bullock

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By now you have probably heard the acronym, CRM, or hopefully read about it in a BITE committee e-mail. But do you know what CRM is? Or what the acronym actually stands for? If not, you’re not alone. We are here to help you better understand CRM and what it means to BL Companies. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management (CRM). In a nutshell, CRM lets you store and manage your business development leads and returning client information. Information such as contact info, meeting activities, and proposal opportunities, to name a few can be stored in one central location. Don’t be fooled. This is not just a fancy contact list. Ultimately, a CRM system is a game-changing piece of technology for a company like ours. From the primary markets of retail/commercial, to energy and public infrastructure, a CRM system will help BL Companies, increase our awareness of opportunities, drive strategies to closure and create a communication of targeted activities throughout the organization. There are many CRM systems out there. You may have heard of some of them like Sales Force or Dynamics. BL Companies will be adding the CRM module to Deltek Vision, a system already in place for accounting and project management. The main benefits of a Deltek CRM are one’s of business development and growth. Deltek CRM is an opportunity-centric system that will allow BL Companies to manage and store information.

Information that we need to track from initial lead to project close out.

You are probably thinking, “aren’t we already capturing this information?” Yes, and no, would be the answer to cover that question. Our business development teams are capturing this information on Excel spreadsheets, in Deltek and even Microsoft Outlook. We’ve been successful with utilizing home grown systems like the “super tracker” but these current tools do not allow us to shape the opportunity lifecycle process with one integrated system. The BL Companies’ CRM module will allow our opportunities to be captured in one central database. This will allow us to get a complete and accurate picture of opportunities while easily sharing documents, milestones, activities and client contact information across offices, disciplines and markets. Implementation and ongoing training is on the horizon. Teams are already hard at work getting the CRM module to work for us in way where access to information and easy follow up with team members and clients becomes an opportunity in itself. Although it would be nice, the thing to remember with CRM is that there is no “magic button.” Training on how the process works, and what information is put into the system are the keys to its success. The value of the human element cannot be underestimated in a CRM system for you cannot truly have customer relationship management without that essential component.

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Shortest escalator in North America!

capital improvements I’m typically engaged in assorted duties including: solicitation of design consultant services, coordinating and reviewing deliverables from multiple teams of varied disciplines, corresponding and meeting w/ clients, tenants, code enforcing representatives and managing their expectations, scheduling, verifying existing conditions, approving submittals, finishes and installations, filing permit applications, monitoring budgets, minimizing conflicts/ oversights/etc., and ensuring integrity of design intent from concept through closeout.

Alterations are non-stop at GSP which is reportedlyWestfield’s highest revenue producing center in their north American portfolio; it features 300+ stores (including 5 anchors) and curiously also boasts the shortest escalator in North America, with a total rise of only 3’-4” high. GSP attracts a broad range of shopping tourist internationals as attested by the wide variety of multilingual & heavily accented conversations I routinely catch portions of and the diversity in manner of dress observed on my rounds about the center, and is further borne out by the presence of a currency exchange retailer.

When did you join BL Companies? Jan 7, 2013 What made you decide to work at BL Companies? Joining a team withall design-services integrated within one company appealed to me as a great opportunity for better understanding of the many considerations specific to individual professional disciplines, some of which I previously had little interaction with. What is a “day in the life” of Paul Graebener look like for you at BL Companies? On-site at Garden State Plaza mall in support of (client)Westfield’s wide-ranging

in western Jersey,WNYC &WBGO in eastern Jersey). What is one of your favorite quotes? Captain Renault (Claude Rains) to Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart):“What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?” “My health, I came to Casablanca for the waters.” “The waters? What waters?We’re in the desert.” “...I was misinformed.” If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Better and more varied dance steps – my hoofing skill & moves have plateaued. Singing well is also something I’d like to learn to do.

What did you want to be when you grow up? A comedian. When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Riding my bicycle - when my need to enjoy the outdoors overcomes my sedentary ways. What type of music do you like? I like listening to music from a variety of genres, periods and traditions. Musical repetition bores me; my admittedly peculiar Pandora account is usually set to shuffle. When driving, safely of course, what do you like to listen to? Public Radio mostly (WDIY &WHYY

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achieve something either personally or professionally I struggle w/ building my resolve to take the leap. But I recognize that remaining static is contrary to fulfillment.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Seek out little retreats in three or four locales of varying climate and terrain to follow the seasons with my Honey. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for? The Dos Equis ‘Most Interesting Man’. Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought was bad but it turned out to be for the best? Being let go from past positions has happily always resulted in more challenging, professionally fulfilling employment. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? Any time I am challenged with needing to expand my comfort zone to

At which store would you like to max-out your credit card? Any chocolate purveyor in Switzerland. What was your favoriteTV show when growing up? Hogan’s Heroes (reruns), and Magnum P.I.. Nobody was cooler than Bob Crane, andTom Sellek. What is the nerdiest thing you do in your spare time? Exercising my dog while riding my bicycle (both of us clad in matching safety-vests of course) – its sort of like having on-demand power- assist, but calls for greater mindfulness than riding solo. Choose a movie title for the story of your life. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, MadWorld.

What do you miss most about being a kid? My Mother.

What is something you learned in the last week? Robert Marchand of France set a cycling world record on 1/04/2017 in the 105 plus year-old age group (a bicycling age category created just for him). He rode 14.010 miles (22.547 kilometers) completing 92 laps in one hour at France’sVelodrome National. His record gives me motivation to keep moving for continued active enjoyment in later years.

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2017 - This year I am setting a goal of riding 1,000 miles on my road bike.

Two resolutions in 2016 … 1. Pass the IDFX and Practicum sections of the NCIDQ exam on my first try. I passed the IDFX in the spring and the Practicum in the fall. 2. Beat my lowest golf score. I beat it by 3 strokes this summer! 2017 two again… 1. Pass the final IDPX section of the NCIDQ which will make me a Registered Interior Designer. 2. Once again, beat my lowest golf score. I’m not big on resolutions but for 2016 I vowed to survive LDEP. Success!! 2017 is about me! Well it’s always about me, but this year I mean it! Time to take care of Shannon and get fit; physically, mentally, financially and have a little fun along the way. Not too much to ask right?

My 2016 resolution was to not diet and it worked!

2017 resolution: I plan to be more conscious about my resources – reduce, reuse, recycle. I want to reduce the amount of items that I purchase that are unnecessary or go to waste. I also wish to severely reduce the amount of single-use plastic items, such as plastic straws or plastic utensils, as they are having a majorly negative impact on the environment. I will reuse items where possible, and recycle whenever possible. I have always reused and recycled when possible, however this year I will focus on “Reducing”.

I don’t usually do resolutions but this year I decided to focus on my health and fitness. In 2016 I found myself skipping workouts so that I could get to the office earlier….In 2017 my goal is to workout 5 times a week. So far so good.

Did you have a 2016 New Year’s Resolution that you stuck with and actually rocked? Do you have a 2017 New Year’s Resolution that you have already star ted?

2016: Hit the gym at least three days per week including two mornings at 5:30 am so there’s no excuse to skip it after a long day (2015 habit). Nailed it most weeks including travel days! 2017: Same again… not gonna mess with a good thing.

My 2017 Resolution is to make changes in my personal and professional life to become healthier physically and emotionally and decrease the STRESS in my life.

Generally, it’s been the same for a long time now. My NewYear’s Resolution is: “To try to be greater than the sum of my mistakes”. Its more about accepting that I will make them but at least try to be better through it.

I no longer make NewYear’s resolutions. I’ve opted instead for continuous improvement ☺

In 2016 my successful resolution was to not eat any French Fries. This resolution was much more difficult than you would imagine. Do you know how many times fries are offered as an option? Do you know how many times I had to smell McDonald’s fries on road trips? Do you know how many side salads and kale one must have instead of fries in just a year’s time? Please note that my husband and I both enjoyed a successful year French Fry Free but there was loophole noted in the fine print of this resolution. The Tater Tot loophole was enacted any time I went to Plan B.

I didn’t set any resolutions for 2016 (who needs resolutions, anyway?) – but decided to make up for that this year by setting a whole bunch. I’ll only share a few of them… 1) procrastinate less, 2) cook for myself more often (cereal doesn’t count), 3) use the snooze button less frequently (wake up earlier and stop rushing in the morning!), 4) spend more time giving back in my community.

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Well, here we are almost into February and you may be wondering, “What happened to January’s issue of BL Better Living??” Or, “Where’s my opportunity to win a DD or Starbucks gift card?” And of course, “WHO won the Wellness Team logo contest??” Before we get to those answers, kudos to Quinn Duffy who organized a healthy breakfast

for the Hartford office on January 12 th . What a way to start the day and to set the tone for 2017. It was a huge success!! We will support and encourage healthful living practices throughout the year by way of events, happenings, and health tips posted throughout all the offices.

Hartford’s Healthy Breakfast!

Good news….The FruitGuys are returning! There was so much positive feedback on this that Wellness Team members voted unanimously to keep monthly deliveries! Look for your box of fruit on the first Wednesday of every month. Also in February, we will again be partnering with the Giving Back Committee for the Go Red For Women Campaign “Fun”draiser and Wear Red Friday on February 3 rd . What happened to BL Better Living?? After careful consideration the Wellness Team has decided to publish on a quarterly basis. The same good stuff, 4 times a year. There will be some changes – and we think you are going to like them. First issue is due out in April. The Puzzler…yes, it will be back! We think you will like what we are doing with that, too. However, you will just have to wait to see what we have done; it’s a $urprise…. And finally, the results from

the Wellness Team logo contest. Thank you to Elliot Shibley from the Camp Hill office who created the survey. There was a total of 18 submissions and 9 participants. 146 employees (WOW!) cast their vote for the Wellness Team logo. Lots of talent out there making for some difficult decisions! Your choice for the winning entry was submitted by Chris Fagan. 2 nd place was submitted by Quinn Duffy, and 3 rd place was submitted by Molly Salafia. Thanks to all who entered the contest. We appreciate your artistic creativity! Do you have a suggestion for an event or wellness initiative for your office or the company? A personal story to share? Pictures from a race you’ve been in or a place you’ve been to? If so, please contact the Wellness Team representative in your office. If you do not yet have a representative, you can contact anyone else on the team. Or better yet, why not just join us ???

 st Place! Chris Fagan (32 votes)

 nd Place! Quinn Duffy (29 votes)

 rd Place! Molly Salafia (20 votes)

~ The Wellness Team Emily Bidlingmeyer and Elliot Shibley (Camp Hill); Quinn Duffy (Hartford); Blair Richardson (Bridgeport); Olivia Mall (Norwood); Theresa Neri, Emilia Rubino, Susan McDowell and Annette Hyland (Meriden)

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WINTER PARKING LOT SAFETY ADJUST BEFORE YOU ADVANCE Do everything you need to do (adjusting seat, mirrors, linking bluetooth) before you exit the parking space. WALK THIS WAY When walking in a parking lot, stay to the sides of the aisle and watch for cars.

PLEASE HOLD Avoid talking on the phone or using headphones in a parking lot.

SLOW IT DOWN Obey parking lot speed limits and lane designations; don’t cut diagonally across the lot. I SEE YOU When walking in an icy lot (or any lot for that matter) make eye contact with an approaching driver. Stop if you don’t think the driver has seen you. FASHION MEET FUNCTION Wear boots or shoes with nonslip soles and good ankle support. If necessary, carry your work shoes with you and change inside. LISTEN! Snow muffles engine sounds; don’t rely solely on hearing to know if a vehicle is coming. Electric and hybrid vehicles are especially quiet. LOOK OUT FOR SNOWPLOWS! - and snow blowers. If possible, these should operate when the lot is empty or as empty as possible. DRIFTS ARE DANGEROUS Snowdrifts can prevent drivers from seeing traffic signs and crosswalks. Don’t take shortcuts over snowdrifts or plowed snow.

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Did you know that BL has approximately 48 field personnel? While many of us are working in the warmth (or in the warmer months, air conditioned) and comfort of the office, they’re out braving the elements and various less-than-pleasant environments. Recently, Matt Cote and Matt Owens worked on the Williams As-Built project (pictured here). As you can see, this isn’t easy terrain to navigate. On behalf of all of us office-dwellers, thank you to our field personnel who put in long hours in oftentimes difficult conditions.

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It's 2017 - and that means a new year of exciting programs and events by the ESOP Communications Committee! We're currently in the planning stages of developing our programming and are looking forward to sharing our 2017 look-ahead with you. For now, look to the right for our 2017 Committee Members and below for the goals that we've identified for this year. For 2017, each ESOP Communications Committee event/program will support the goal(s) established.

- Connecting Offices/Disciplines - - Reaching Field Staff - - ESOP Education - - Focus on New Hires -

Wayne Violette, Chairman Meriden

Mina Almengor, Meriden

Brian Gaulzetti, Meriden

Richard Holland, Meriden Jessica Osborne, Meriden Cristy Shamus, Meriden

Ranjit Bhave, Meriden

Manon Morande, Hartford Steve Collins, Bridgeport

Mike Layton, KOP

Dan King, Canton

Julie Schembri, Houston

Steve Hamilton, Norwood Stephanie Weitzel, Camp Hill

Emily Bidlingmeyer, Camp Hill

Andy Loraw, Camp Hill

Bill Metzger, Camp Hill

Jan - Feb: ESOP Communications Committee Planning

February: PROGRAMS BEGIN FOR THE YEAR! WHOO HOO! Stay tuned - all events and programs will be posted on the events calendar on the Intranet.

Don't worry - ESOP events will be starting up in February!

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Stihl Warehouse | Oxford, CT

Are you aware of any projects that are or will be completed that need to be photographed? Please let Jessica Osborne or Heather Halotek know. Great photos are the perfect way to showcase our portfolio -- and help us win the next project!

By now, if you’ve been online,

you’ve probably noticed that we have a new & improved Intranet! YAY!

This new intranet is actually an extranet. What does that mean? An extranet allows for access to our intranet from the web without being connected to the BL network. Of course, for security purposes, credentials for connection are needed. To access the intranet from your personal device, the web address for the intranet/extranet is https://www.blcompanies.com/ employees/ or a link is always available through the employee portal at blcompanies.com

We’d love to hear from you on what you think. So don’t be shy. We welcome the feedback as we continue to make this tool user friendly and helpful to all of our employee owners. Heather Halotek will be setting up communications in the next few weeks to help with any navigation questions or the process to get things posted onto the intranet. Check your e-mail, intranet “announcements” and “events calendar” for that training.

Everyone at some point in their interaction with a Computer has used the functions of Cut, Copy and Paste. I have said in the past that those functions are not always your friend since you can inherit “Extra” stuff that may cause some confusion. Anything you copy goes to a function called the “CLIPBOARD” where whatever was Copied or Cut sits until you choose to Paste that information into a different location. It is usually a “One and Done” item. Meaning, once you can copy something and

Keyboard Commands: CTRL+X = Cut CTRL+C = Copy CTRL+V = Paste CRTL+Z = Undo CTRL+Y = Redo

paste it as many times as you want until you use the function again. With the Office Clipboard, you would be able re-use elements that have been copied prior (up to 24) between the Microsoft Office applications. It does matter what Microsoft operating system you are using as well as what version of Microsoft Office since it has changed between Windows XP, Windows 7,8 and now Windows 10. For this article I will only talk about Microsoft Office 2016 and Windows 7. I will just talk about Microsoft Outlook 2016 since pretty much everyone has that running continually throughout any given day. **It is important to note, that the Microsoft has provided you the “SNIPPING TOOL” to assist in capture sections of anything visible on your screen and at the operating system side of things is what many have been using to enhance the Cut, Copy, Paste needs. As it pertains to Microsoft Office you will find the same options outlined here in Word, PowerPoint and Excel.** THE OFFICE CLIPBOARD VS. THE SYSTEM CLIPBOARD After you exit all Office programs, only the last item that you copied stays on the Office Clipboard. When you exit all Office programs and restart your computer, the Office Clipboard is cleared of all items. The Office Clipboard is related to the system Clipboard in Microsoft Windows in the following ways: • When you copy multiple items to the Office Clipboard, the last item that you copy is always copied to the system Clipboard. • When you clear the Office Clipboard, the system Clipboard is also cleared. • When you use the Paste command, the Paste button, or the keyboard shortcut CTRL+V, you paste the contents of the system Clipboard, not the Office Clipboard.

The Office Clipboard is on the HOME menu on the Clipboard Panel and accessed through the pullout arrow in the lower right of that panel.

Selecting the option will display the CLIPBOARD side panel for the application.

Find the “OPTIONS” pulldown at the bottom of the panel and select it. Each of the selectable options will allow you to tailor a few things on how you would like to have it operate.

Option

Description

Automatically displays the Office Clipboard when copying items. Automatically displays the Office Clipboard when you press CTRL+C twice. Automatically copies items to the Office Clipboard without displaying the Clipboard task pane. Displays the Office Clipboard icon in the status area of the system taskbar when the Office Clipboard is active. This option is turned on by default. Displays the collected item message when copying items to the Office Clipboard. This option is turned on by default.

Show Office Clipboard Automatically

Show Office Clipboard When CTRL+C Pressed Twice

Collect Without Showing Office Clipboard

Show Office Clipboard Icon on Taskbar

Show Status Near Taskbar When Copying

Once you activate it using “Collect Without Showing Office Clipboard” at a minimum, you will be able to open most Microsoft Office Applications and have access to your Office Clipboard history without the need to re-copy that content.

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s Carolyn has been emphasizing over the last few Employee Owners’ meetings, confidentiality is an important consideration in our business. Often before we receive information from a client on which to form a proposal, we are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. Many of the contracts we sign that are produced by our clients contain confidentiality paragraphs. What these agreements and provisions typically say is we will use the information given to us only on a need-to- know basis – meaning that it should only be shared with your project team. Additionally, these provisions and agreements often ask us to guard the confidential information in the same manner and with the same controls that we guard our own

information. Therefore, the information that Dave provided in his recent Lunch and Learns is not only important to safeguard BL’s data, but it’s critically important for meeting our contractual obligations to our clients to safeguard their information. Please continue to be mindful of what you disclose in conversation around the office and outside the office. Please continue to be wary of suspicious e-mails and links. In kick-off meetings prior to the start of projects, this topic should always be discussed and it is best practice to simply treat all client information, whether we’ve signed a confidentiality agreement or not, as confidential.

March 12 Daylight Savings (“Spring Forward”) February 2 Red Cross Blood Drive (Meriden Office) 3 Wear Red for Women Day 9 Back to Basics Day 14 Valentine’s Day 20 President’s Day (Office Closed) 24 Employee Owner Meeting

17 St. Patrick’s Day 20 First Day of Spring April 16 Easter Sunday 22 Earth Day

Did you know... BL anniversaries can be found on the events calendar on the Intranet!

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2017  issue 9  winter

NEWSLETTER TEAM: Heather Halotek Jessica Osborne

CONTRIBUTORS: Doug Campbell Julia O’Brien Paul Graebener Wellness Committee ESOP Communication Committee