Let’s Take a Closer Look… Part I

This is the story of how we got here, ready to assist you with your next project…

I was born and raised in the Central Upstate New York region in a river valley amongst rolling hills filled with old farms, old towns and historical monuments in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains.  I’ve always had a love of the outdoors and of old houses and architecture.  We didn’t have a lot and anything we did had to last.  At the same time, we always had what we needed.  I learned about value and thrift, reduce and reuse.  As I grew, it began to seem self-evident that sustainability was a requirement of life on Earth.  To be as efficient as possible with whatever resources we have and to build durability into our life was and remains important to me.

My first exposure to the building trades was as an assistant/helper to my uncle who owned a painting business. He gave me a summer job when I was a teenager that was commensurate with my skills at that time: cleaning up, carrying things, holding ladders… Somehow, I thought I would be holding a paintbrush at some point - boy was I wrong; I didn’t paint a single thing that whole summer! But just because I wasn’t painting anything didn’t mean I didn’t have important things to learn, or that I could avoid scrutiny. I quickly began to understand that I, in fact, did not know how to sweep correctly, did not know the right way to carry things around the worksite, lay down drop cloths, pack equipment, talk to customers, really, much at all, apparently. In hindsight, I realized that what I was being shown was how to pay attention. To everything. That the more details you could include in your analysis and your process, the higher the resolution your finished product or service would have. You had to master the small things before you began to work on the bigger things. That you had to demonstrate competence and integrity in your work before you would be given more responsibility.

It was my uncle’s name on the invoice, his reputation on the line, and it was his responsibility to ensure that the finished result met his - and his customer’s expectations. My uncle was one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. He was always cheerful and optimistic, always glad to help. He expected much from you (and himself) but he also knew the value (and importance) of enjoying the work.

I’ve taken that lesson to heart, and it has stayed with me ever since. The details matter. Your consistency matters. Quality matters. You know it when you see it. Sometimes, you can sense it’s not there before you get out of the car, but you still need to get out and look at everything carefully and in the context of the situation before you decide on the best way forward.  And you need to keep things positive.  Finding and detailing problems can be heavy work emotionally for your clients, it’s important to project optimism and to support it with facts as thoroughly as you detail the problems.

My next adventure in the building trades was as a member of a set crew for modular homes. Our job was to arrive on time and ready to work at a building site with a foundation that was ready to accept prefabricated sections of a home. We worked with a crane operator and other heavy equipment to take those sections off their transport trailers, put them into their final locations, assemble them together to form a home, and make them weather tight. We also worked as a finish crew doing roofing, siding, and interior finishes to get the home ready for the new owners to move in.  It was residential 101: a little bit about all the aspects of home construction at the time and how they fit together.

Our workplaces were often very remote; conditions were usually rough at best. I worked for a man who ran his own small company. He would be contracted by home manufacturers, builders, homeowners or an investor to take responsibility (and liability) from the home manufacturer who wrapped the sections and placed them on the trailers until the home was assembled and weather tight. Once the plastic wrapping was cut, the buck stopped with him. Heavy equipment is expensive with hourly rates in the thousands. Delays were painful and needed to be avoided at all costs. He had to be sure he could make it happen before he said go. If he couldn’t, I’m not sure he could’ve stayed in business long.

Manufactured housing set crew at work installing the ridge beam with a crane. Catskill region, New York 2003

As before, I started at the bottom with all the little tasks. But this time, I already knew they were just as important to the bigger picture and that how well they were done mattered. I began to understand how important being efficient was to being effective. I learned that you need to have a plan. You need to be able to see many steps ahead and be able to anticipate as many problems as possible to have a chance of success. The order of operations is critical to reducing waste. You need to be able to coordinate all your labor and all the other assets involved.  You need to understand people’s strengths and weaknesses and leverage them correctly.  In short, you need a system that everyone involved can understand and execute well.

Teamwork makes the difference when things get hard.

I watched my boss use his experience and easy-going nature to encourage the confidence of his patrons and peers to believe that their risk was lowered by placing their trust in his judgement.

I also watched how his confidence, firm hand, and care won him the loyalty of his small crew who were willing to work together, to learn and refine a system, to push themselves and each other, to take ownership of the risk of the endeavor and of the responsibility of accomplishing the goal. I learned about the importance of teamwork and leadership under pressure.

The boss, watching me work and having a laugh.

I might’ve continued for much longer than I did, but, as it turns out, I got injured on the job.  Nothing too serious but serious enough that I couldn’t work for many months.  It was an accident that could’ve happened to anyone and it taught me that even if you are experienced and doing everything right, construction is dangerous with real consequences for those who do the work every day.  An ounce of prevention is worth it every time…

These early experiences set the foundation for the opportunities to come for me.  The lessons I learned have served me well and allowed me to build on them because I’ve seen and experienced firsthand how quality is achieved and how important every individual’s contribution is to the bigger picture and to the final result.  How deep understanding of the details allows you to take a bigger view of the project and hold these two views simultaneously to chart the path to success.  How leadership with a vision and a leader with real care for every crew member inspires everyone to do their best. 

We here at North Star Environmental Building Performance LLC can just as readily step into our position as a member of the team on your project as we can as a leader with the vision and experience to make it happen.  Ready to learn more? Reach out today, we’re happy to help!