The complex, home to Space Prep’s new commercial infrastructure-as-a-service operations, will be located near NASA’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building on a 170-acre site with 60 acres of site improvements.

“The Space Prep infrastructure is critical to supporting the increased launch cadence in Florida and addressing an urgent need of commercial, national security, and NASA space missions,” said Phil Monkress, All Points CEO. “Our state-of-the-art complex on Kennedy Space Center is designed to serve multiple commercial and government customers just a few miles from the Florida launch pads.”

Haskell, ranked the No. 1 Aviation and Aerospace Contractor by Engineering News-Record, has extensive experience with aerospace clients, having built 1.4 million square feet of facilities valued at nearly $525 million on Florida’s Space Coast.

The Space Prep complex will comprise a 276,000-square-foot payload processing facility with 200-foot tall bays for spacecraft processing, fueling, and encapsulation in fairings up to 10 meters in diameter and a 266,000-square-foot logistics building offering extensive storage space, clean processing areas for small spacecraft, control rooms, and customized customer areas.

“Haskell is excited to get started on this state-of-the-art facility with the Space Prep team. The service they will be providing to the Space Coast is impressive, and we are excited to be a part of the continued growth of the Space industry in Florida.” Paul Raudenbush, Senior Vice President and Aviation & Aerospace Market Leader.

The Space Prep project team includes aerospace veteran RS&H providing civil and site engineering services, R.R. Simmons providing construction management services and Plante Moran Realpoint providing commercial real estate advisory and analysis services.

All Points is a leading solution provider to a diverse array of government and commercial customers, now with operations in 26 states across the USA. It developed Space Prep to focus exclusively on space launch infrastructure-as-a-service at major launch sites worldwide. Its diverse team has award-winning expertise in payload processing, integrated logistics, modeling and simulation and other technical specialties.

“Our dedicated and diverse team has award-winning expertise in payload processing, integrated logistics, modeling and simulation, and other technical specialties,” Monkress said. “We are excited to work with the Haskell Company and our other key partners to help bring our Space Prep facility and its full array of launch support services to the Florida Space Coast.”

The post Industry Leaders Team to Create a State-of-the-Art KSC Complex appeared first on Haskell Company.

His generosity in helping others in his life who do need a car, though, helps tell the story behind his receiving Haskell’s Living The Values Award, given quarterly to team members who embody its core values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust (TEST). That is explained in the nomination letter penned by Jason Hulsey and Gillian Simmonds, two project managers.

“He is often the first person to offer his assistance, even if it’s a task he’s not familiar with,” Hulsey and Simmonds wrote. “He is always willing to help and does not hesitate to offer his services. He is also the poster child for TEST. His calm demeanor and communication skills make him an added value to any project.”

What cemented the honor was his assistance to those close to him. Tiwari needed a new vehicle while on a job site in Columbia, South Carolina, and aimed to purchase a new pickup truck. But his brother had recently welcomed his first child and needed a larger SUV. So, Tiwari purchased the vehicle for his mother and took in his mother’s Toyota Corolla. Then, when a longtime friend needed a vehicle, Tiwari transferred the Carolla to him before departing for his current project near Kingston, Jamaica.

“I used to make fun of her car in college, and she still had it running, barely,” Tiwari said. “So, it was a good thing to let her have it. I didn’t need it in Jamaica.”

Born in Minnesota but raised in Queens, New York and New Jersey, he ventured south to Florida after high school to visit his father. He enrolled at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, earned a bachelor’s in Construction Management and held a couple of different jobs in the industry before joining Haskell three years ago.

“Knowing what I help build will be here for a while is rewarding,” Tiwari said. “It gives me a real sense of purpose. Not too many people can travel through an airport and say they had a part in constructing something there.”

Tiwari’s current project is a wastewater treatment plant for a rum production facility. As an assistant superintendent, Tiwari spends his days working with various personnel on the job site to ensure that Safety and Quality standards and the schedule are met and exceeded.

“The people I have been working with at Haskell offer a lot of connections and come from different backgrounds,” Tiwari said. “They’re all helpful, like a big family. I really appreciate that. In my previous jobs before this, it was always corporate, making money and getting the job done. Not that making money isn’t important at Haskell, but somebody is always willing to help and understand what I’m going through.”

The long hours in Jamaica do provide a benefit since he’s located in the Caribbean. As he has a hobby of enjoying worldwide travel, he will take the company truck and visit beaches on the weekend and find new restaurants to sample new food.

“It’s noisy on the job site so I enjoy anywhere where I can go out and just get some peace and quiet,” Tiwari said. “I’m not inside the house. I’m enjoying myself. Everybody always says they want to go to Jamaica for vacation. I’m having a vacation every weekend.”

Haskell is hiring! Explore the many options available to join a growing company committed to educating and developing team members, enabling them to have the BEST job of their lives.

The post Award’s ‘Poster Child,’ Horesh Tiwari Honored for Living the Values appeared first on Haskell Company.

Cole, Haskell’s Manager of Operations Support, is in her 17th year as a Haskell team member, but her connection dates back to childhood. Her father, Charlie Salem, was a project architect, in the mid-1980s, for the headquarters building on the banks of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. He retired as a Vice President-Group Principal in 2018 after 35 years.

Cole has held multiple positions with the company. She often deals with Haskell’s global personnel and leads outside activities and fundraisers that are vital in giving back to the community.

“I think my talent is people,” she said. “My favorite thing about working at Haskell is the people, so I have found roles that help with that. In my current role, we’re doing a lot of training. We just launched our project delivery onboarding, which is new this year, where we’re bringing new team members into the Jacksonville office every month and doing an in-person onboarding that is specific to project delivery.”

In addition to her role at Haskell, Cole, a Jacksonville University graduate with degrees in dance and education, has taught hundreds of young girls the art of dance. She also sits on the board of Community Health Outreach (CHO), which provides acute healthcare, dental, and food services to those in need.

For her contributions in and outside her career, Cole recently received Haskell’s Living the Values Award, which is given quarterly to team members who embody Haskell’s corporate values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust.

The recognition and presentation of the award came as a surprise – she was invited to a last-minute meeting, where she entered to find her father, her husband, Haskell Chief Civil Engineer Kevin Crump, and other colleagues – and were especially meaningful given her longtime ties to the company and its culture.

“I saw my dad, and I got a little teary-eyed,” she said. “But then there was a roomful of people. So, you kind of have to gather your emotions. It’s very humbling because, of course, they read Mike McLauchlan’s nomination letter, which is written on the award.”

In his nomination letter, McLauchlan, the Director of Field Technical Training, cited Cole’s focus on improving things for everyone at Haskell.

“Heather has built a strong TEAM in AEC Operations Support and continues to assist with training efforts. She is a trusted ambassador for Change Management and has led many training modules, which provide a great SERVICE to others. Heather shares her contagious energy to many corporate fundraising campaigns, and even co-chaired Haskell’s annual United Way effort. Heather tenaciously drives towards EXCELLENCE and perfection in all that she does. You can TRUST Heather to get something done as she will give it her absolute best!”

Cole credited Haskell and her various supervisors for the chance to take on a variety of roles in different parts of the enterprise.

“I have found new opportunities,” she said. “I think that’s why folks want to jump around to other jobs is because they may be feeling like they’ve reached their capacity at a company or they’re not getting the opportunities that they want.”

“If I could talk to the younger generation, I would say that you have to be an advocate for yourself, and you’ve got to tell your manager or supervisor what your goals are. Even though it might not be your time, you shouldn’t wait around for someone to find an opportunity for you. Pursue professional development, work on your skillset and communicate that there are other things you might want to do or try. I truly believe Haskell provides those opportunities.”

Haskell is hiring! Explore the many options available to join a growing company that encourages and enables its team members to give back to their communities.

The post Focusing on People, Heather Cole Receives Living the Values Award appeared first on Haskell Company.

“If you could change anything from the day before your accident, would you?” she asked Antonio during the visit.

“No, I wouldn’t change anything,” Antonio quickly responded. “That was shocking to her. I say that because the accident changed me in a good way. It made me value things that I took for granted before, especially the people in my life. It made me focus on the people when before I would look at a project and deadline, deadline, deadline. You have to consider all the people you work with and how others are affected. If the people are not OK, the project won’t be OK. It’s actually a great ability for me now, a completely changed point of view.”

Nearly four years ago, Valdivia was cruising along the Dallas Parkway on his Honda CBR superbike en route to his Haskell office in the northern suburb of Frisco. A distracted driver cut him off, and the resulting accident inflicted devastating injuries. Two years of surgeries and rehabilitation finally resulted in the amputation of his leg, which he said allowed him to move on, both mentally and physically.

His transformation made a marked impression on teammates, who nominated him for Haskell’s Living the Values Award, which is given quarterly to team members who consistently display Haskell’s corporate values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust.

The award revelation came at a team meeting, where family members and associates surprised him. It was an emotional occasion, and one of his daughters broke the silence by exclaiming, “Daddy, Daddy!”

“After a life-altering accident that resulted in a leg amputation, Antonio has inspired all with his resiliency and transformation – including his selection to and participation in a life-changing program with the Adaptive Training Foundation and sponsored by the Texas Rangers Foundation,” wrote Lisandro Vazquez, Mirian Alvarenga, Marisela Luce and Preeti Kulkarni. “It took tremendous courage and grit to complete the grueling program, and it’s impossible to put into words how much admiration we have for him. We all feel tremendously blessed to work with Antonio – someone who truly Lives Our Values in every aspect of his life!”

Valdivia is living a lifelong dream of working in architecture. Born and raised in Mexico City, he comes from a family of architects, including his grandfather, father and uncle. His father, Alberto, still dabbles in architecture as he approaches age 80. Due to unsafe conditions in Mexico, Antonio immigrated to the United States in 2001 to complete his studies at Texas A&M. He was hired to work at Haskell in 2003 and has thrived in both the Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters and now in Dallas.

“I came into a new world with no friends, no nothing, no family, so Haskell became my family in 2003,” Valdivia said.

In Dallas, Valdivia sees himself as “a facilitator.”

“I try to make sure that everyone is in sync and plays together in the sandbox nicely on projects,” he said. “I make sure all the disciplines are communicating with each other and listening to the client’s wishes. Sometimes, I don’t have the solution and I just bring out the options that the teams can use to actually start working things out. I’m like the glue among all the pieces. I love cars, so an analogy would be all the components in an engine make energy happen. But without the proper oil within the engine, things don’t work. I guess I would be the oil in that instance.”

One of Valdivia’s most enriching projects is with In-N-Out Burgers, an account he has worked on since 2010. The revered West Coast burger chain has entrusted Haskell with several high-profile projects as they continue to grow and expand. 

“What is a disability for someone else is not for me,” Valdivia said. “You adapt.”

Haskell is hiring! Explore the many options available to join a growing company where the Core Values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust inspire everything we do.

The post Having Survived and Thrived, Valdivia Honored for Living the Values appeared first on Haskell Company.

Most OEMs supply only their piece of the puzzle, so engaging a partner to implement reliable packaging and material handling automation solutions is critical to making your line function seamlessly.

Incorporating additional layers of communication ensures that OEM equipment is fully integrated, improves overall line balance and maximizes critical data interface to reporting systems. Additionally, it’s crucial that you understand your controls platform to design and integrate a system that is familiar to the maintenance team, reduces spare-part costs and ultimately improves overall performance.

Haskell’s teams of packaging experts hit these marks, whether with a new or existing line, by following a simple strategy.

• Enforce the client or Haskell controls standards with each OEM to develop a common controls platform.
• Control the system using real-world values, such as product size, conveyor width and maximum conveyor speed.
• Incorporate product recipes that make the system flexible and allow personnel without a controls background to maintain existing products or add products securely.
• Keep the programmable logic controller (PLC) simple and easy to follow.
• Present operators with the information they need on the human-machine interface (HMI) to understand their status, helping avoid distracting nuisance warnings and alarms.

All of these practices result in an automation system that is reliable, flexible and easy to operate and doesn’t require a full-time engineering service to support it.

About the author: Donald Kocher is Haskell’s Director of Packaging & Material Handling Automation. He has 25+ years of experience executing food, beverage, and consumer goods packaging projects. Before joining Haskell, he provided controls design, programming, commissioning, and daily operational support for several major food and beverage companies.

The post 5 Keys to Streamlining Production with Reliable Packaging Systems appeared first on Haskell Company.

“My dad always said, ‘If you want something, work hard and get what you want,’” Walrath said. “Disney taught me that nothing is impossible. They taught me to think outside the box when there seems to be no answer. My dad taught me always to be honest. Disney kept that going. 

“That’s how I run my jobs. I’m pretty open. I have good relationships with subs. I don’t try to cheat them. My philosophy is that if you take care of me, I’ll take care of you.”

Walrath has over 40 years of experience in the construction industry. A friend from school got him his first job at a family-owned mechanical contracting company that worked on cooling towers, chillers and hospitals. One job took him to Cape Canaveral, where he watched a space shuttle launch.

“That got me into welding as a pipefitter welder. I really get into welding,” Walrath said.

After a couple of years, he moved to Alabama to be closer to a girlfriend. That didn’t work out, but he met Cynthia, who became his first wife and the mother of their two sons and a daughter.

He lived in Alabama for 10 years, working as a mechanical contractor, and moved into supervisory positions.

“I realized that I had a passion for things being done right,” he said. “I didn’t just want to be a welder. I wanted to be guiding the work,” he said.

The only drawback to the supervisory work was that it meant traveling, which was hard on the family. He was finishing a project in South Carolina and decided to make it his home.

In South Carolina, he worked on projects at the Eastman Chemical Plant in Columbia, which makes polymer pellets for water bottles, and for the Department of Energy at the Savannah River Site Salt Waste Processing Facility in Aiken.

Walrath took time off after Cynthia, his wife of 25 years, died unexpectedly. He returned to work as a mechanical superintendent, eventually joining Benham, which Haskell acquired in 2016.

“I like Haskell. I learn on every job,” he said. “My passion is building stuff and being a superintendent. Building is kind of easy. It’s all about processes and how you do them. It’s hard to direct people, and I’ve always been good at that.”

During his 12 years with Benham and Haskell, he’s worked on design-build projects for Starbucks, Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors, and water treatment plants in Collier County, North Carolina, and Annapolis, Maryland.

More recently, in Jacksonville, he’s worked on the new Jacksonville Jaguars Sports Performance Center and Boeing Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul hangar at Cecil Airport, which repairs military planes, including the FA-18s flown by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.

Walrath lives in Pensacola with his wife, Amber, and assists her with her business, making custom-printed apparel. Traveling as much as he does for work, he says he doesn’t have time for hobbies but likes to tinker on motorcycles, which he has been riding since he was 15.

“I don’t have a big, fancy Harley. I ride a 1996 Honda, and I keep that thing going,” he said. “It’s peaceful to get out there and ride. And I like to walk. I’m in pretty good shape. I like to walk around a project. I see more that way.”

Haskell is hiring! Explore the many options available to join a growing, Field-Focused company committed to offering the BEST job of your life.

The post Lessons from Dad and Disney Shape this Superintendent’s Leadership appeared first on Haskell Company.

The 2024 Construction Trades Brunch took on added significance as it was the last for Carpentry instructor Stuart Cowen and Welding instructor Sherman Smith, each of whom is retiring after 29 years of teaching their crafts at Orange Park High, the very school that gave them their start.

Every year, the Gold Hammer Award goes to the top student in carpentry and building trades at each school. This year, Cowen and Smith received their own Gold Hammer plaques. Each bore this inscription: “On behalf of The Haskell Company and the Clay County School Board, we recognize your remarkable 29 years of unwavering dedication and service. This Gold Hammer represents all the lives you’ve touched, fostering skills and guiding them to the path of achievement. Your tireless efforts have enriched our industry, and we are honored to celebrate your retirement. Your legacy is one of inspiration.”

“It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, going to the right school where there was somebody who could provide me an education,” said Cowen, who spent 20 years as a Haskell team member before returning to his alma mater. “You look around at all these young kids, and we’re all the same. We had a program that could teach us how to go out and make a living and do the work.”

No fewer than eight Haskell team members who came through the Clay School District’s trades program attended to honor the longtime educators and engage the 60-plus students. They ranged from a first-year apprentice to a Project Superintendent and included Tim Mosley, Senior Manager of Field Personnel, who has led the annual effort for two decades.

“This is about the opportunity to have a career path, and it’s also about enlightenment,” Smith said. “These young people need to see this to say, ‘Oh, wow, this is possible for me.’ To see a company take the time out to give back to the community, that can deal with apprenticeships, take them by the hand and take away the fear of learning and a new culture. A lot of these young people are terrified of change. But Haskell makes it easy. So, it means the world to me to have a company that reaches out, that cares and also maintains the standard of what we try to instill about young people, which is work hard, crawl before you walk, be dependable, be respectable, know how to work well with others and you will be rewarded.”

Each of the six district high schools offers a carpentry program, and some have programs in other AEC industry career paths. Following are the 2024 recipients from each.

• Gold Hammer (construction): Annalise Crane, Orange Park; Jacob Davis, Fleming Island; Nate Helmuth, Middleburg; Naithan Stanney-Colón, Clay; Taylor Turner, Ridgeview.
• Gold Compass (engineering): Amelia Stiltner, Middleburg; Justin Boccieri Hart, Orange Park
• Gold Torch (welding): Kyrian Gruentzel, Orange Park
• Outstanding Student Electrical: Masan Lee, Middleburg
• Outstanding Student HVAC: Reme Graf, Ridgeview

Haskell is hiring! Explore the many options available to join a growing company committed to educating and developing team members, enabling them to have the BEST job of their lives.

The post Educators Honored for Shaping Construction Careers at Annual Event appeared first on Haskell Company.

“Success is measured in many different ways, from our record financial performance to the recent adoption of the enterprise project delivery model,” Chairman, CEO and President Jim O’Leary said. “But nowhere is our operational excellence, a cornerstone of the Haskell 2025 vision, more visible than in our record of keeping our projects safe. When Haskell team members align in a common goal, we safely deliver projects that serve communities around the globe.”

Executive Vice President and COO John-Paul Saenz added, “Our Haskell safety performance positions us among the safest contractors in the world. To be clear, we will never be satisfied until our projects, team members and contract partners are 100% safe, and that requires each and every one of us. When industry-leading safety is paired with our commitment to quality, we can ensure that our clients receive the very best project outcomes.

“As we continue to focus on safety, innovation and performance, I offer our sincere appreciation to our team members for their past and continued efforts to reinforce the Haskell standard of operational excellence.”

The post In Conclusion, Haskell Leaders Grateful for Deep Safety Commitment appeared first on Haskell Company.

“It’s an honor to be consistently recognized on an annual basis by ABC for safety. You can talk about safety compliance and safety results, but when it becomes part of your culture and who you are, that’s when it becomes special. And that’s where we are today as an organization,” O’Leary said.

On Day 4 of Construction Safety Week, the focus was on building and sustaining a strong culture, and Haskell brought that to life with a roundtable discussion of how that happens and what it takes.

Corporate Training Manager Taylor Williams moderated the panel, which featured the diverse perspectives of Corporate Safety SME Chris Bunch, Design Director Tina Sanchez, Operational President for Design & Consulting Frank Mangin and Project Superintendent Bobby Bradley.

During the roundtable, the panel delved into various topics, including evolving priorities in safety, the role of senior leadership in fostering a safe environment, the importance of open communication in a welcoming setting, and how resilience is nurtured through positive reinforcement. Watch the discussion to gain valuable insights.

The post Roundtable Discusses Haskell’s Award-Winning Culture of Safety appeared first on Haskell Company.

Valuing every voice creates an environment where every team member feels valued and heard. When people feel their voices are heard, team morale and engagement improve, teams are more productive, and a variety of perspectives are brought into the conversation.  

Haskell’s S4 program, short for “See Something, Say Something,” focuses on doing just that. The company’s Safety team collects input through S4 submissions via numerous channels, including web forums, a dedicated QR code and readily available comment cards.

The program promotes engagement, genuine communication and active listening. All feedback is carefully considered to reveal opportunities to create safer work environments and elevate overall performance.

“Haskell’s S4 program empowers each person on our job sites to contribute to safety, quality and the application of best practices,” said Lance Simons, Haskell’s Vice President of Safety and Quality. “S4 is an ongoing program that encourages and recognizes Haskell team members and contract partners who report unsafe acts and conditions as well as opportunities to enhance quality.

The post Empowerment on the Job: How Haskell’s S4 Program Enhances Site Safety appeared first on Haskell Company.

Construction Startup Competition promotes innovation, collaboration, and technology adoption with solutions that fall under the competition’s four focus areas:

• Green Construction (sustainability)
• Enhanced Productivity (efficiency)
• Construction Supply Chain (on time)
• Future of Construction (disruptive)

“We are elated to participate with this great group of industry partners committed to and investing in the digital future,” said Cutler Knupp, Haskell Director of Strategy and Technology Investment and Executive Director of Dysruptek. “The competition draws the highest quality entrepreneurs building solutions to address the current and future challenges of the built world.”

The competition is also an invaluable opportunity for startups to network with potential clients and partners, earn capital, pilot in global markets, and pitch to active industry investors and potential business partners. This year, three winners will receive cash prizes at Pitch Day, the final competition milestone, held at the Trimble Dimensions User Conference on November 11-13.

Over the past seven years, Construction Startup Competition has been a launching pad for almost 3,000 startups to facilitate fundraising and gain recognition. The competition has named 36 winners, raising more than $396 million in financing. More than a third of winners have received investment from and/or are working with one or more of the competition hosts, and three Contech acceleration programs use the competition as a qualified pipeline to build their cohorts.

“Every year we receive hundreds of applications from Contech and Cleantech startups, some of which have gone on to become big names in the industry, receive hundreds of million dollars in investment, and commercialize and expand their companies,” said Gonzalo Galindo, Head of Cemex Ventures. 

Contech & Cleantech startups looking to showcase their solution can take the next step and apply today: https://www.cemexventures.com/constructionstartupcompetition/

About Cemex Ventures

Launched in 2017, Cemex Ventures focuses on helping overcome the main challenges and capitalizing on the opportunity areas in the construction ecosystem through sustainable solutions. Cemex Ventures has developed an open, collaborative platform to lead the revolution of the construction industry, engaging startups, entrepreneurs, universities and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges in the construction environment and shape the industry’s future. For more information on Cemex Ventures, please visit: www.cemexventures.com 

About Caterpillar

With 2023 sales and revenues of $67.1 billion, Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. For nearly 100 years, we’ve been helping customers build a better, more sustainable world and are committed to contributing to a reduced-carbon future. Our innovative products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value that helps customers succeed. Caterpillar does business on every continent, principally operating through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and providing financing and related services through our Financial Products segment. Visit us at caterpillar.com or join the conversation on our social media channels at https://www.caterpillar.com/en/news/social-media.html

About Dysruptek

Formed in 2018, Dysruptek is the venture investment arm of Haskell, which ranks No. 1 in global insurance carrier AXA XL’s Technology Adoption Maturity Index (TAMI), its proprietary benchmarking service of construction technology adoption. Dysruptek seeks to invest in disruptive architecture, engineering, and construction technologies that will reshape the built world. Dysruptek acts as an agent of change and partner to innovators driving meaningful impact across the industry. Invest. Invent. Innovate. For more information, please visit: www.dysruptek.com  

About Ferrovial

Ferrovial, a leading global infrastructure operator, is committed to developing sustainable solutions. The company operates in more than 15 countries and has a workforce of over 24,000 professionals worldwide. Ferrovial is dually listed on the Dutch and Spanish stock exchanges and is a member of Spain’s blue-chip IBEX 35 index. It is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good, and all its operations are conducted in compliance with the principles of the UN Global Compact, which the company adopted in 2002. For more information on Ferrovial, please visit: www.ferrovial.com 

About the Hilti Group 

The Hilti Group supplies the worldwide construction and energy industries with technologically leading products, systems, software and services. With about 34,000 team members in over 120 countries, the company stands for direct customer relationships, quality and innovation. Hilti generated annual sales of more than CHF 6.5 billion in 2023 and invests approximately 7 percent of sales in research and development each year. The company is privately owned by the Martin Hilti Family Trust, which ensures its long-term continuity. The Hilti Group’s purpose is making construction better, based on a passionate and inclusive global team and a caring and performance-oriented culture. With more than 280,000 daily interactions with customers, Hilti knows that the most innovative ideas are born on the jobsite. To learn more about Hilti, please visit: www.hilti.group  

About VINCI Group’s Leonard

Leonard is the innovation and foresight platform set up by VINCI, a global player in concessions, energy and construction businesses, employing more than 280,000 people in more than 120 countries. Leonard was created to imagine the future of the Group’s business lines and is tasked with watching emerging trends in VINCI’s areas of expertise and markets, identifying new growth opportunities, and setting up incubation and acceleration programs for Group employees as well as start-ups. Each year, Leonard supports the acceleration and development of over 40 of the best innovative projects in construction. To find out more about Leonard: https://leonard.vinci.com/en/ 

About NOVA By Saint-Gobain

NOVA, the external venture arm of Saint-Gobain, identifies forward-thinking startups around the world whose philosophies align with Saint-Gobain’s focus on sustainability and digital. It helps those startups nurture their ideas and grow their companies to scale through partnerships and investment. With a presence in Asia, Europe and North America, NOVA by Saint-Gobain connects the global startup community with the power, resources and experience of Saint-Gobain to address the needs of today and challenges of tomorrow. Learn more by visiting https://www.nova-saint-gobain.com and www.saint-gobain.com 

About Trimble

Trimble is transforming the ways people move, build and live. Core technologies in positioning, modeling and data analytics connect the digital and physical worlds to improve our customers’ productivity, quality, safety, transparency and sustainability. For more information about Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB), visit: www.trimble.com 

About Trimble Ventures

Launched in 2021, Trimble Ventures is a corporate venture capital fund focused on investing in early and growth-stage companies that align with Trimble’s mission of transforming work in the agriculture, construction, geospatial and transportation industries. The fund deploys strategic capital to accelerate the growth of innovative companies and partners that complement Trimble’s products and technology platforms and support its customers’ work. Trimble Ventures targets investing in companies with technologies and solutions related to hardware and software applications; artificial intelligence; augmented, virtual and mixed reality; autonomy and robotics; blockchain; the Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics; and sustainability. For more information on Trimble Ventures, visit: ventures.trimble.com  

About Zacua Ventures

Zacua Ventures is a dynamic, early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to tackling the most pressing challenges in Sustainability, Productivity and Urbanization within the built environment on a global scale. With our strategic footprint in North America, Europe, and Asia, Zacua Ventures actively supports the most visionary and forward-thinking entrepreneurs. Our mission is to not only fortify their value propositions but also facilitate the global expansion of their ventures, leveraging extensive corporate networks. Zacua has robust backing from industry-leading corporations worldwide across the entire value chain of the industry, establishing a distinctive value proposition for our portfolio startups by fostering direct relationships with leading building material manufacturers, contractors, engineering companies, developers and software companies. Learn more about Zacua Ventures at www.zacuaventures.com

The post Unlock the Future of Construction: Join the 2024 Startup Competition appeared first on Haskell Company.

Studies reveal that workers generally identify 45% of hazards in and around their work area. In other words, they identify and discuss fewer than half of the hazards that can affect them. A study of a cross-section of construction personnel representing 23 different trades and worker experience levels ranging from zero to 43 years revealed that hazards are typically missed for one or two reasons:

• The hazards are detectable, but the individual cannot identify them.
• The hazard wasn’t initially detectable, given the information available.

Data also suggest there may be biological, cognitive drivers at play. Hazards are often processed instinctively and with little mental effort, whereas those commonly missed must be identified through complex problem-solving requiring relatively high cognitive effort.

“The word hazard is traditionally understood as a source of harm or danger,” said Brian Roundtree, Haskell’s Director of Safety. “While the traditional daily work plan can yield positive results, most daily workplace documents focus on checkbox hazard controls to assess worker safety but lack meaningful content on hazards not typically identified.”

The Energy Wheel is based on two observations:

• A hazard can be defined as a source of energy that causes injury, illness or death.
• All injuries result from undesirable contact between a person and one or more energy sources.

The Energy Wheel is based on two years of full-time pilot testing by researchers at the University of Colorado and Virginia Tech. Each of the 10 energy sources is represented by its icon and segment of the circle. Haskell’s tool allows users to click or tap each energy type to reveal vital information on the potentially dangerous forms it can take.

“Because energy can be abstract, it is best communicated as the simple forms in which it commonly occurs when a project,” Roundtree said. “It’s a tool used to prompt the identification of hazards not easily recognized during task planning.”

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This year’s overarching theme is “Value Every Voice,” and today’s Day 1 emphasis is “Driving Personal Ownership.” Although the construction industry has extensive safety standards, processes, and procedures to keep everyone safe, severe accidents and dangerous events can occur at any time unless each individual remains present and mindful.

“We can have all the checklists, we can have all the policies, but it’s very difficult to policy your way to success,” said Mike Woods, Haskell’s Operation President for Construction & Manufacturing, “You truly have to believe it. You have to understand why it’s important, and we need to communicate, educate everyone on our job sites and hiring, and ensure that they understand that safety is a mindset that we want them to live by every day.”

Recipient of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) National Safety Pinnacle Award for three consecutive years, Haskell consistently emphasizes that safety is everyone’s responsibility.

“Every day, there are hundreds and thousands of people working on job sites across the country,” Woods said. “Each individual is making hundreds or thousands of decisions every day, which will determine whether or not they are safe, the job site is safe, and their fellow craft workers are safe.”

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For me, the highlight of the event has always been the hands-on equipment demonstrations and the ability to see, in person, the latest advances in technology and product design. It’s inspiring to see the tangible result of innovators seeking to solve the industry’s challenges and progress toward our goal of helping patients improve their quality of life.

However, this year, the best part of the show for me wasn’t the equipment (which was incredible!) but rather the attendees. I realized this not even an hour into the event as I walked through the expansive exhibition floor among more than 10,000 of my industry colleagues. Thirsty, I spied a water fountain 100 feet away and began to make my way toward it. Nearly two hours later, I finally made it to my original destination. Along the way, I encountered multiple individuals who helped shape my career and others whose careers I helped build. The initial ‘hellos’ turned into fantastic conversations and amazing stories of their current roles, lives, successes and challenges. That walk to the water fountain was a great reminder that although technologies and knowledge are critical building blocks of any industry, people and relationships truly enable an ecosystem to thrive.

On the train ride home, I pondered why those interactions on the expo floor felt so impactful. Initially, I attributed it to the common theme of mentoring. Mentoring has long been an essential component of one’s professional growth and advancement. Like many, I defined mentoring as someone with more experience providing advice and guidance to someone with less. Especially in a complex industry segment like life sciences, having a mentor or guide to help you navigate the intricacies of the trade is necessary. There are thousands of acronyms and insider jargon to learn, organizational politics and preferences to maneuver and strong personalities to navigate – all while tackling the day-to-day elements of one’s role. It’s a huge advantage to have routine access to someone who can provide insight into the vast number of unknowns. Through my 20-plus-year professional journey, I’ve taken part in multiple programs as both a mentor and mentee.

Nevertheless, the concept of mentorship didn’t quite feel like the element that linked me to the individuals I encountered on my water fountain walk. Mentorship, in my view, still seemed a bit too transactional to describe our deep connections. Mentors get assigned to new hires at most organizations, and most professional associations offer mentor programs to link those with extensive career experience to those just beginning their journey. Mentorship links people with a shared goal and is critical to starting a successful work relationship. Most mentor programs feature recurring meetings, knowledge-sharing sessions or curated topics for discussion. Mentorship is an introduction, a structured program designed to connect people to impart knowledge. The evolution of mentoring – the element that I felt took the relationships to the next level and created the significant, lifelong linkages I experienced with the people on my water fountain walk – is all about advocacy.

Action and Accountability

Advocacy is a difficult concept to fully define, though, at its core, I believe it’s inextricably linked to both action and accountability.

Action is essential as advocacy cannot be passively performed; one can’t just show up to meetings or forward an email and expect exceptional outcomes. Those come from consistent participation, meaningful interactions, and genuine effort at developing a relationship with your counterpart, be they mentor or mentee. Action goes beyond one-on-one interactions; it extends to what happens outside the relationship. Some of the best advocacy actions I’ve witnessed and supported have occurred when a person was not present, yet their counterpart championed them for visibility, work credit or opportunities.

That ties into accountability, which I like to describe as “say what you do and do what you say.” In other words, accountability is about character and how one treats others. It’s about collectively lifting up individuals and teams, being on the lookout for opportunities, having the bravery to confront unfair situations and bringing others to the same table when they may otherwise be excluded.

Reflecting on my exhibition experience, I realized that the mentors who stood out to me were my advocates, who made it their mission to challenge me to make me a better professional and person. While I could directly sense their commitment to our relationship over the years, in many cases, I learned after the fact all they did behind the scenes to provide me with exposure, visibility, opportunities and credit. Those people made such an indelible impact on my life and career and gave me a roadmap for my actions and accountability toward those I mentor. Nothing gives me more pride than watching those I have supported rise to significant roles and make vast contributions to the body of knowledge within our industry. I relish the opportunity to have been a small part of their journey.

While I have spoken so highly of my own experiences with mentoring and advocacy, I’d be remiss if I didn’t address some of the industry’s shortcomings with those subjects. Life sciences, like many other industries, tends to be a bit homogenous in its demographic. That is not surprising, as people tend to connect best and be most comfortable with those like them. Unfortunately, that can result in a self-sustaining cycle of building and supporting teams of identical constituencies and missing out on the contributions and perspectives diversity provides.

Diversity’s Critical Role

One group working to break this cycle is the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) and its Women in Pharma (WIP) initiative. ISPE WIP runs a unique mentoring program that brings together small groups of people from across the globe. Within each group is a senior industry executive, a mid-level executive, an emerging leader and a student. Groups consist of all genders, ethnicities and ages. These groups aim to foster open discussion, create opportunities for the participants and drive the industry toward a more equitable, inclusive and bias-free dynamic where diversity of thought can thrive.

I am currently participating in this initiative, and this program has been especially meaningful to me as I have gotten to hear directly from individuals about those (sometimes uncomfortable) topics that have influenced their careers. One young woman shared with me that despite her eagerness to learn, her proven work ethic and her tremendous qualifications, she was passed over for what would have been the ideal assignment; instead, that went to a male colleague who was far from qualified but was the life of the party at the team leader’s frequent happy hour outings. Another participant recalled when a career opportunity was hindered by someone who made limiting assumptions about their ability to communicate because they spoke with an accent.

Stories such as these have helped shine the light on the human impact of inequalities in the workplace and provide me with a deeper insight into the issues that women, minorities and those who deviate from our perceived notions of typical face in the workplace. Many small biases or assumptions these individuals have encountered have significantly impacted their careers. How would those situations have differed if they had an advocate present? Would someone have pushed for the team leader to give the opportunity to the ideally qualified young woman while challenging an undesirable behavior of providing an opportunity solely based on happy hour camaraderie? Would a fellow manager have shared examples of strong written and oral communications to counteract their peer’s assumptions about an accent?

How might our teams, projects and organizations look different if someone were constantly looking for the blind spots in our thinking due to biases and incorrect assumptions? How might we positively impact the lives of others and create opportunities if we support them both in the open and behind closed doors?

I am fortunate to have many fantastic advocate mentors. They have invested their time and insights in me and have looked out for my best interests throughout the journey. They have shown action by utilizing their positions, access, reputations and influence to provide me with opportunities, whether by removing a barrier, opening a door, changing a perception or opening someone’s mind to something different. They have shown accountability by behaving in such honorable and ethical ways when everyone is watching, as well as when no one is watching, and expected the same great character from me. I bring the same approach to those I support, aiming to be that fantastic advocate mentor to whom they look with the same admiration. I’m grateful it took me two hours to walk 100 feet.

I invite our readers to share their thoughts, comments, and experiences on our LinkedIn page to start a dialogue and impart your perspectives to our life sciences and broader engineering, architecture and construction community. We’d love to hear from you!

About the Author: Michael Asher is Director of Operations for Haskell’s Life Sciences Division. He is a credentialed Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a Certified Project Manager (CPM) from the Project Management Leadership Group (PMLG). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

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Temple projects in Bacolod, Urdaneta, Alabang and Davao each received honors from the Safety Organization of the Philippines, Inc. (SOPI) and the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE):

• The Bacolod project achieved 1.01 million safe work hours without a lost-time accident from October 2022 to April 2024. It was honored for its Perfect Safety Record and received the Award of Merit.
• The Urdaneta project achieved 7.10 million safe work hours without a lost-time accident from November 2020 to March 2024, was honored for its Perfect Safety Record and received the Award of Excellence.
• The Alabang project achieved 2.26 million safe work hours without a lost-time accident from June 2023 to March 2024 and received the Award of Merit.
• The Davao project achieved 4.57 million safe work hours without a lost-time accident from November 2020 to March 2024, was honored for its Perfect Safety Record and received the Award of Honor.

“This is a significant accomplishment,” said Jim O’Leary, Haskell Chairman, CEO and President. “I appreciate the focus and dedication to safety that all of you continue to demonstrate.  Safety is core to Haskell and truly defines who we are as an organization.”

International Safety Manager Cesar Castro credited the performance of each project site to the implementation and monitoring of Haskell’s structured safety program.

“I remember when we arrived in the Philippines in 2018, the person who met us at the airport told us, ‘The country has a rich cultural and linguistic diversity, with more than 170 different languages spoken throughout the archipelago,’” Castro said. “I couldn’t think of anything but the strategy we would use in communication, as the operations supervisors of the contract partners speak English, but the workers speak those 170 different languages.

“I am very proud of what the Haskell team has achieved in the Philippines over the years. We have impacted families with our safety culture, overcoming all language barriers. I congratulate the Safety team led by Jeffrey Acosta Regional Safety Supervisor. “We are contributing to everyone involved in Haskell projects having the best job of their lives.”

SOPI recognizes companies that achieve excellent safety performance with no lost time accidents. DOLE enforces strict and continual compliance with the minimum public health standards (MPHS) in business establishments, construction sites and prominent public places.

Haskell’s temple job sites have received DOLE’s Safety Seal Certificates in consecutive years.

“This recognition from the Philippine Safety Organization and DOLE is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Philippines team, whose commitment to maintaining rigorous safety standards has set a benchmark across all our projects,” said Brian Roundtree, Haskell Director of Safety. “The efforts have not only safeguarded our team, contractors, and clients but have also solidified our standing as a trailblazer in safety in the Philippines and beyond. This accolade is a significant milestone for Haskell and serves as a compelling motivation for us all to continue striving for excellence in safety practices.”

Haskell’s safety culture is one way it ensures the greatest possible risk management on its clients’ projects. Contact our project management team to discuss your facilities needs.

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