In 2009 Doug House, at that time Zachry’s craft performance manager, started putting together a Craft Specialist Team, and their activities are still very much a feature of the Zachry workforce today.
The idea was to have specialists bring their expertise to real-life challenges on site, where they would work with site superintendents on solutions that made sense on the front line, and also on the bottom line.
Jorge Mendez was a typical candidate for specialist.
After years of doing civil and site work in the field, Jorge knew concrete, rebar and carpentry. He also knew when it would be right to solve a problem on the spot, and when to make a call to ensure an idea would work from an engineering or safety standpoint.
In addition, a major benefit for Jorge has been that as much as he’s sharing his experience, he’s gaining knowledge as well — knowledge that helps Zachry continuously hone its resources and processes.
“When you’re working at a site, you’re focused on that site,” he said. “As specialists we have the advantage of seeing what’s happening across the country. If a situation pops up at a number of different sites, we can help superintendents avoid reinventing the wheel.”
The other part of Doug’s vision involves efficiency and profitability. “When everyone executes each step of the work the same way you get consistent results,” he said, “And this produces the same levels of quality, safety and cost management.”
That mindset also helps Zachry deepen relationships with customers. “When a customer knows we consistently deliver there’s comfort and confidence in doing business with us.”
Of course, you can try putting a process to everything, but the unexpected still happens. That’s where the specialists’ experience and critical thinking come in. Knowing how the pieces integrate together — and where barriers and surprises may be — only adds to their value.
“Out in the field, you have to think on your feet,” said Doug. “The craft specialists understand that, and it makes finding the solution a lot easier.”