Year: 2018

Categories
Company Spotlight

Windsor’s History

It isn’t often that a construction or building materials company talks about culture as well as the product, but Windsor Windows does just that. The Des Moines, Iowa company started small in 1946, just after the end of the Second World War, and took pride in top-quality craftsmanship for fair prices that their customers could afford. Their reputation for good value spread not just to other trades, but to homeowners too.

Purchased by Woodgrain Millwork in 1987, Windsor ceased to be just a regional company. The largest molding and door manufacturer in the USA, the company now operates across 20 locations. However, the original Windsor ethos of not being a typical company persists – there is still a dedication to crafting not just the best windows and doors for the job, but the ones that meet the exact requirements of each individual customer. Custom builds that project both modern and traditional are not uncommon.

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It’s unusual for any large manufacturing company not to have a corporate responsibility policy nowadays, but Windsor Windows have a dedicated green policy unlike most others. Not only is the life-cycle of the products they manufacture carefully considered to make them as long-lasting and energy efficient as possible, they also take into account how energy efficient they are in terms of saving customer resources too, in terms of fuel bills. In short, their products have a direct positive impact on the environment.

Making it easier for the trades is at the heart of their policy too. Knowing that the pressure is on for builders and contractors to go green as far as possible, they actively seek out and join organizations that have a similar commitment to doing the right thing by the environment, thus ensuring the joint contribution to a carbon footprint is as small as possible.

They also know claims aren’t enough; they not only recycle themselves, they make purchases where a significant percentage of the components are recycled. Additionally, the packaging materials can be recycled too. The manufacturing facilities also join the crusade, with heating and lighting options to minimize energy consumption throughout the working day and outside of working hours.

Over the course of a year, the Windsor Windows list of materials that are reused or recycled is an impressive read; there are the obvious recycling aims, such as cardboard, paper, and scrap metal, but batteries, light bulbs and even toner and ink cartridges are recycled too. If a company takes their membership of the United States Green Building Council this seriously, the customer knows that they can rest easy in terms of their own efforts to protect the environment.

The Windsor Windows brand has become synonymous not just with an environmental impact commitment, but with quality. The original ethos of quality and value has endured through seventy years of trading, and permeates every level of the company, from manufacture through to customer service.

 

Categories
Company Spotlight

Company Spotlight: Guardian Industries

History

The retail lumber yard that Guardian Building Products can trace its humble beginnings back to means that 2017 marks its impressive 150th birthday. In 1867, W. M. Cameron opened his yard in Warrensburg, Missouri, and supplied timber for construction to the emerging Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. The ‘Guardian’ part of the name first appears in 1932, with the Guardian Glass Company in Detroit, contracted to make windshields for the celebrated Motor City’s car industry.

However, the company in its present form really started to take shape in 1980, as Guardian Fibreglass set up shop in Albion, Michigan, forming the foundations for the Guardian Building Products of today. Today, with more than 30 distribution centers across the United States, Guardian Building Products is a leading specialty building products distributor.

 

Products

Guardian Building Products pride themselves on quality, and delivering that quality to their customers. They select their suppliers through their consistency in terms of what they deliver, as this is what keeps their customers coming back. They offer:

  • Roofing products – with brands including Tarco (roofing underlay specialists), and Tamko (who specialize in color-matching existing roofing, adding visual appeal to residential properties)
  • Doors – including Thermatru (with a range of classic wood residential doors)
  • Acoustic solutions – USG offer ceiling and wall panels which make a significant impact on sound transfer out of the building
  • Ceilings – Armstrong Ceilings has an impressive global project gallery, showing off their innovative products in place

In short, they stock brands which cover every aspect of residential and commercial building, and which deliver quality and value to the customer every time.

Direct Services

Guardian Building Products also offer a team of sales experts to help customers with purchases. Twenty-plus strong, the team averages around two decades’ worth of industry experience each, giving their customers confidence that their answers aren’t just quick, they’re reliable too. Combined with their 30-plus distribution facilities, it gives them national reach, and the buying power that implies; in fact, one telephone call gives the customer access to hundreds of big brands and products, saving time and therefore money. They also offer a loyalty program to regular customers.

News

The company hasn’t finished expanding either; in 2016, Guardian Building Products acquired Hawkeye Building Distributors, a company based in Rock Island, Illinois, and a distributor of building materials including hardline roofing and millwork products. Hawkeye were serving independent lumber yards in the Midwest, and also had additional locations in Chillicothe and Joplin in addition to their millwork assembly facility in Rock Island.

2016 also saw the takeover of parent arm, Guardian Industries, by Koch International, who saw the company as a “world-class organisation, and a leader in providing innovative products”. Earlier this year, SRG Global, another company under the Guardian parent arm, opened a new Innovation Center in Taylor, Michigan.

Categories
Company Spotlight

Company Spotlight: Metromont

Construction industry leader Metromont has been operating in the area for over 75 years, and prides itself on building solutions which will last long beyond the generation they’re built for. Hands on, the company involves itself at every stage of the process, from design to construction, and they have a wide range of expertise ranging from educational right through to large-scale industrial structures.
A pre-cast concrete specialist, Metromont offers much more than initially meets the eye. More hands-on than the average construction company, they involve themselves in the sustainability and energy efficiency of a project, through developing the budget for the project, assisting with the layout of the structure, and even offering pre-cast samples to fit with existing buildings.
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Pre-cast Concrete
Pre-cast concrete can be more durable than steel for a variety of projects, and certainly makes a difference to the budget of larger-scale builds. It’s more resistant to wear and tear both from weather and time, and with the curing process carried out in a factory environment rather than onsite, the product is more durable.
It is also more fire resistant, leading to a greater safety consideration for the people using the building – vital for projects with a wide public footfall, and a major consideration for insurance purposes.
Metromont Projects
  • GSU University Commons, Atlanta – Metromont products were used for this project, designed by architectural firm Niles Bolton Associates Inc., and built by Hardin Construction Company as the main contractor. The project consisted of four buildings ranging from eight to 15 stories, with capacity for around 2000 students. The budget called for smart solutions; pre-cast concrete was the obvious choice, being more economical than metal and a brick veneer finish. Pre-cast concrete not only brought the cost right down, but enabled the contractor to set the panels at night, knocking several months off the schedule, and saving a great deal on labor costs.
  • A real hometown project, Metromont pre-cast concrete was also used for the National Bank of South Carolina Regional Headquarters in Greenville, with architects Neal Prince, and BE&K Building Group as the main contractor. This was originally intended to be a steel structural frame construction, but the design team faced a schedule which required building work to take place over the winter months. Metromont’s pre-cast concrete provided the ideal solution with no compromise on quality or aesthetics. The end result was described the contractor as “outstanding”.
Sustainability
Perhaps the most important aspect of pre-cast concrete is its sustainability – it’s efficient in terms of energy consumption, and also through its use of recycled material. A typical pre-cast building includes up to 35% recycled content. Additionally, off-site manufacture reduces waste, and also noise and dust pollution on site.
Metromont are industry leaders, recycling approximately 6.3 million gallons of water each year, leading to a 70% reduction in their water bill! The recycling doesn’t stop with water, as fly ash – a by-product of coal burning in power plants – can form up to 35% of structural products where appropriate.
Construction doesn’t have to mean destruction of natural resources; companies like Metromont are leading the way in sustainable construction.
Categories
Human Resources

Recruiting Strategy: Managing Fallout Candidates

How to Use Fallout Candidates to Your Best Advantage

Written By: James Aiken

Email | LinkedIn

The Disappearing Candidate(s)

A hiring manager for a manufacturer gets approval to fill one of their sales rep vacancies. The hiring manager spends hours posting jobs, filtering resumes, sourcing candidates, researching competitors and putting a group of candidates together. They begin interviewing, take interest in certain candidates, and suddenly the best candidates start falling out of the interview process. Candidates aren’t following up with the interviewer and they aren’t showing up for interviews. It seems like they’re not interested in the offers of employment. Candidate fall out hurts your ability to hire in many different ways, so it is vital to recognize it when it is happening. You must prevent it when you can, and utilize information from fall out candidates to perfect your position offering.

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good Hiring Managers?

The most obvious way fall out hurts hiring managers is the loss of candidate. The candidate has been identified, sourced, connected and interviewed. Hiring managers invest lots of time with (and preparing for) candidates.  Now, due to fallout, all that work is null and hiring teams are back at the starting line. A secondary struggle is the loss of goodwill. When a candidate falls out of the process, it’s an indicator they were unimpressed or uninterested with the offering or presentation.

If a firm is interviewing a major player, they’re going to go back and speak with some of their network. This would likely be a strong network reflecting the candidate themselves. They will speak with other associates on how they didn’t really like the interview process, didn’t get a good vibe from the workplace, or didn’t have much chemistry with the team. Perhaps, they didn’t think it was an impressive firm. While speaking with other candidates in your market, that gossip can make it harder to, or completely prevent you from recruiting the best talent in your market – even if it’s not true!

Remember to Keep the Ball Rolling

When it comes to candidates fallout out of the process, sometimes it ends up with a loss of momentum. If candidates are falling out of the process, candidate pools shrink into smaller options to choose from. Hiring managers are not able to go after the top candidates. They will then go back to the drawing board to search for more first-round interviews in hopes that their talents will match. This can lead to demotivation on the hiring manager’s team as well as the Human Resources team.

If a position goes long enough without being filled, it may be looked at as a lost cause or a sunk cost. There are times where the vacancy will just be put to the side, and some will say, “There are just no good candidates in the market,” while more accurately, the balloon of energy has been deflated due to all of the candidate fall out.

Don’t Forget to Call!

Why does fall out happen? A major reason is lack of attention paid to the candidate. Perhaps the process is moving slowly because you have so many interviews that some people are put on the back burner for weeks. If they don’t feel like the process is moving forward, they might assume that they are moving backwards. They assume that you’re pursuing other candidates, and you have no interest in them. So, it is important to keep giving attention to your candidates.

The Critic’s Veto: Bad Personal Reviews

Another reason is there’s poor feedback from colleagues. After an interview, you can assume the candidate will go back and talk with their friends and associates. They might be told, “Hey, I heard about XYZ company, and I heard that the management is tough. I hear that their salespeople don’t make any money. I hear that they don’t have a good support system.” This is why it’s always good to go over your strong points and your weak points as a company at the beginning of the process. If you don’t address problems early, everything you accomplished in the hour-long interview can be undone in the following days. And the longer the hiring process takes, the more time they have to hear negative reviews of your firm.

 

Align Your Visions in Recruiting and Interviewing

Another reason for early fall out is bringing in candidates where the job opportunity won’t reasonably meet their vision. This is an issue of transparency at the beginning of the recruiting process. This should be addressed before you even bring them in for a face to face. Perhaps a prospective plant manager candidate is told the job has a 40-hour work week. That sounds pretty nice. Then later on in the process, they are being informed by other people in the company that, “No, we actually work tens, and we work Saturdays and Sundays on occasion.”

The Grass Ain’t Always Greener

Candidates often fall out because of a reluctance to change. You will encounter people with long tenures and established relationships at their company who will sometimes flirt with the idea of making a change. Perhaps they’re experiencing something negative in their current job and they’re thinking, “maybe now is the time.” Unfortunately, with these candidates, you’ll often see a lot of hesitation and second-guessing throughout the hiring process. The tendency to stay with who and what they know is powerful. Another obvious reason candidates fall out is simply because they’ve accepted another opportunity. This can be an issue from any angle including the length of the process or a loss of interest in the position.

Signs of a Fallout Candidate

Lack of Communication

So, let’s look at the telltale signs that a candidate will fall out. The clearest indicator is a lack of communication on the part of the candidate. If you are interviewing someone and they’re not following up with you or taking an initiative to move the process forward from their side, then you’ve got a candidate that really isn’t that motivated to make a change.  Whether that means you’ve got to change your offering, figure out how to sell the candidate better, or they were just a tire kicker to begin with, when you don’t hear from them, it’s a warning signal.

Lack of Flexibility

You might see lack of flexibility in schedule from the candidate. Say, for instance, it’s Monday, and we try to work out a time for a phone interview. The candidate says, “I can do Thursday of next week.”  When it comes to interviewing, you don’t want hr or the hiring manager slowing down the process, and you don’t want to see that from the candidates either. If they’re dragging their feet, they probably aren’t  as interested in the position that you think.

Another sign that a candidate is going to fall out is seeing changes in their requirements. For example, if they originally they say, “I am looking to be with a great manager. I’d like to learn from somebody.” And later on in the process, they’re telling you,  “Really what I’m looking for is more money.” That’s a sign that they really aren’t that interested, and one of the motivations they had listed for change has completely gone to the wayside.

Compensation Not Discussed

The issue of money should be handled upfront and as early as possible so everyone is on the same page. This is more crucial in higher management as well as sales roles where compensation can become more variable and be more focused around specific incentives. Money is the most objective thing you can use when it comes to enticing a candidate. Biggie Smalls may say “mo money mo problems” but I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty, I have never had a candidate ask for less money. Although there are a few exceptions when it comes to trading lifestyle for money.

Perhaps someone is a manufacturer’s rep, they’re traveling overnight four nights a week, and they’re tired of it. They hardly get to see their kids and their spouse is fairly unimpressed with their remote relationship status. That’s a trade-off; there’s value there. Perhaps you have a great salesperson making huge commission checks that really wants to step into sales management and would be taking a step up on base, but taking a step back in total compensation. If there isn’t lifestyle equity or responsibility equity added, everyone else is going to want more money in some way or another.

Figure out how they’re currently being compensated early on in the process. This way you know the financial offer is going to be accepted or have light deliberation when you get to that stage. Do not wait until you have decided that you want to hire a specific candidate to figure out that you have no way of paying them!

How to Nurture Fallout Candidates

Increase the Amount of Conversations

If you have candidates that are possibly going to fall out, you should change your outbound communication. Ramp up the number of touches you are making with your candidates. If the recruiting process is long, then you need to sink in multiple calls. If you’re having to wait weeks, you should be making short calls with the candidates and building a relationship twice a week.

You need to stay on the top of their mind in a good way. During these calls, reevaluate their current position, opportunities of interest, and pain points in their role. If when you originally speak with someone they tell you they’re sick and tired of their boss, and you talk with them the next week and they’ve made amends, you’ve lost one of your big selling points. Is there anything you would change about your current environment if you were given the opportunity? What would you like to experience in your next employer that you don’t experience at your current employer?

Speed Up the Hiring Process

My favorite way to nurture possible fallout candidates is to speed up the process. This doesn’t necessarily mean hiring quicker, as much as packing in more meetings. We’re moving in a very fast world. Action items need to be happening. Even if that means scheduling an extra interview, a walk-through, or a meet up with other associates on the team, there should be an active attempt to continuously bring the candidate closer to your firm. Time makes hiring go stale, and, trust me, the recruiting process ages like bread, not like wine.

Fallout Candidates as a Resource

Uncover Candidate Referrals 

If you do have a fall out candidate, at least get some type of return on your time. It is important to uncover candidate referrals. If you’ve been good to these people throughout the recruiting process, and they still fall out (they feel like it’s a good opportunity, just not for them for whatever reason), they will give you referrals to other applicable candidates. What we continue to do is uncover the main competitors on an individual level. You may not get their contact info, but, let’s be frank, that’s easy to discover. The main thing is identifying the high-level players that apply in your market.

Exit Interview to Refine Recruiting Process

Lastly, just like you would do an exit interview for someone that quits, you should be doing an exit interview for fallout candidates. Firms need to review each step of the process, but focus on the process after initial contact by phone. Asking how they should re-approach the candidate later on often ends up as very valuable information. Just because the initial contact didn’t go well doesn’t mean that down the road it will be the same. Remember, the candidates don’t disappear, they’re still working in your market. Focus on long term relationships.

Ultimately, Respect the Candidate’s Time

Remember, when you’re recruiting, protect yourself against fallout candidates at every step of the way. Don’t assume everybody is going to say yes if you offer. 90% of offers are accepted but that drops to about 65% for true rockstar talent. It’s silly to make the assumption that everybody is interested in the role in their core. Most candidates aren’t sitting at home waiting for you to call to move them forward in the process. If you nurture and take care of your candidates, keep active information on them, and move the process quickly, you’ll protect yourself from fall out. Not to mention you will open yourself up to new candidate networks for you to recruit from now and in the future.

 


Categories
Company Spotlight

Company Spotlight: Jeld Wen Windows and Doors

JELD-WEN, founded in 1960 by Richard “Dick” Wendt, is an American company and has its headquarters in Charlotte, NC.

The company vision is to lead the international building products industry with incredible people making superior products and providing excellence in everything that the company does.

The company runs over 120 manufacturing facilities in about nineteen countries. Hence, the setup makes it one of the world’s biggest and most successful manufacturers of doors and windows. The company is known for its state-of-the-art technology and innovative products.

JELD-WEN is a public listed company and trades on the NYSE. Gary Michel is the current CEO of the company. The company has grown rapidly and currently has more than 20,000 employees.

JELD-WEN designs, manufactures and distributes exterior and interior doors, wood, aluminum and vinyl windows, shower enclosures, wall systems, closet systems as well as other components, used in the new construction. The company also repairs and remodels residential homes as well as non-residential buildings.

JELD-WEN’s founder Richard Wendt was an entrepreneur. He learned the ins and outs of managing a manufacturing entity under the guidance of his father, Lester Wendt. In early 1957, Iowa-based Lester sent Dick to Oregon to help run and manage his company’s millwork plant that was in Klamath Falls. Lester decided to dispose of the plant in an auction.

Dick along with four business partners, John Biehn, Larry Wetter, Gerry Wickersham, and Bill Taylor purchase most of the company assets on October 25, 1960. They named the newly formed company JELD-WEN.

JELD-WEN grew during the 1970s and 1980s, through acquisition and vertical integration. In 1989, JELD-WEN was officially ranked 7th among all privately held entities in Oregon with impressive revenues of over $350 million.

During the 1990s, the company continued to diversify and moved into additional service areas. Moreover, the company successfully expanded to new continents and countries.

Forbes ranked JELD-WEN 225th in 1996 among the country’s top 500 privately held companies. In addition, in 1997, the company clinched the 119th spot with revenues of about $1.39 billion.

While the company sought new and better business ventures to advance in the marketplace, they focused on investing in the local community as well. The company believes in preserving the environment as it is the ethical thing to do.  In 1969, JELD-WEN started community support initiatives. Thus, they continue to offer financial assistance via scholarships, grants, and matching JELD-WEN United Way donations.

The company makes various types of windows such as double hung, single hung, fixed, awning, sliding, bay, casement, bow, and garden. These windows are both functional and beautiful. Moreover, the company makes a diverse range of exterior doors, which include glass panel, Dutch and all panel. JELD-WEN also makes high-quality interior doors of various types which are stunning and will complement your home. These are all panel, glass panel, louver, and bi-fold doors.  Patio doors manufactured by the company include folding door, sliding door, swinging door and multi-sliding door.

The company uses a variety of materials in the construction of its products. Here are some of the materials we use:

  • EpicVue
  • Custom Wood
  • Siteline® Wood
  • W-4500 Wood
  • W-2500 Wood
  • Builders Vinyl (V-2500)
  • Premium Atlantic Vinyl
  • Premium Aluminum (A-500)
  • Builders Atlantic Aluminum
  • DF® Hybrid
  • Smooth-Pro Fiberglass
  • Design-Pro Fiberglass
  • Studio™ Collection
  • Steel
  • Molded Wood Composite
  • Flush Wood Composite
  • MODA™ Collection
  • DesignGlide™

Moreover, the company serves clients across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Although the company products changed, the company has stayed true to its purpose which is to bring beauty and security to residential and commercial spaces.

Categories
Human Resources

Recruiting Failures: Pick-Up Artists

Recruiters Want a One Night Stand

Written By: James Aiken

Email | LinkedIn

Kim from Human Resources needed to outsource her recruiting process for an urgent role. She had been contacted by dozens of different recruiters promising to deliver the best talent in the market. They all operated in her niche, they all had a guarantee and they all had the best network (what a surprise). Kim handed the role off to a few different contingency recruiters she felt she could trust with the vacancy.

After receiving an initial wave of candidates, most of which were inapplicable, she requested more candidates from her recruiters. Then she waited, and she waited… She emailed, she called, she even thought about sending a carrier pigeon, but no matter how much she reached out – she began to hear less and less back!

“There aren’t any superstar candidates in this tight market”

“Are you open to paying for candidate relocation?”

“This person seems relatively qualified…”

“The qualifications are too specific!”

“Lets have another call to revisit this…”

Kim wanted an ideal recruiting partner, but nobody sticks around past the initial candidate presentation! She had all kinds of recruiting resources, why can’t they pull anything off? Before they got the search, they were knocking down her door, now all she hears are crickets!

Recruiting Failures: Hitting it and Quitting It

I’ll share a secret about many recruiting firms that are famous for “playing the numbers”. They want the quick placement. They accept jobs and sign agreements in order to boost their numbers. They partner in hopes that something will set off quick and easy without having to really target down and run a true search. Large recruiting firms justify this by arguing “well, the client has no engagement with me – what do they expect?”

Many times, recruiting teams focus on getting an initial candidate or two in to test the waters. They only plan on sticking around if someone happens to get some type of interest. When that candidate gets an interview, they polish, promote and push the candidate as hard as they can in order to make a quick placement. Not to mention, they might be sharing those same candidates with your local competitors.

If You Liked It, Then You Should’ve Put a Ring on It

Imagine if the search was run with a trusted recruiting partner. Hiring managers aren’t being left in the dark as to how the recruiting process is going. Sub-par candidates aren’t being aggressively sold to your company. You have multiple candidates to interview and choose from. You understand why certain candidates are turning down the opportunity. You see that your recruiters are targeting local competitors, where, and what the results are. You have a strong, lengthy guarantee with your candidate.

Contingency recruiters don’t have as strong of a structured process. Their entire incentive is only on making a hire, not on making the right hire. The way to avoid this is to avoid the structure altogether and partner with a true professional search firm. Partner with a firm capable of giving you the guidance and quantifiable data of what exactly is going on in the process.

Setting Objective Recruiting Standards

When working with an external recruiting firm, there should be a focus on setting objective standards within the process. Hiring managers should establish an acceptable amount of applicable candidates presented (our process guarantees at least three). They should also have a good line of communication on candidates contacted and screened, as well as data from those conversations. Time until presentation is an important metric to watch as well.

Realistic timetables should be set by your recruiter on when they will present initial candidates, as well as secondary or ancillary candidates. They should also be setting objective experiences within the candidate profile to completely avoid any inapplicable candidates. Candidates who do not make sense for the search should never be presented by any retained recruiting firm.

Strategies: Tinder versus E-Harmony

When firms are looking for a long-term recruiting partner, they need specificity. Are recruiters quickly swiping left and right on candidate profiles from job boards and internal systems? Or are they surveying you, your firm and your hiring managers to best understand your situation? Firms need a partner that will properly diagnose vacancies and related operational pains. In order to have a long lasting relationships, both parties need to commit. Hiring managers are committed to filling their vacancy, they need a committed recruiter.

Building materials firms should partner with a recruiting firm that gets their vacancy down to a science. In a sales aspect, is the search for a consultative manufacturer’s rep dealing with architects and designers, or for a distribution rep who can better communicate with general contractors and developers? Recruiting firms need to best understand every intricacy of the role, or else they will end up with a sub-par placement, and run high risks of retention problems early in candidate tenure.

Recruiting a Team with True Chemistry

Do you want to look like a team-building aficionado or is it okay for you to hire average employees? Get away from the recruiters who are treating your job orders like a one night stand. You need a partner who is going to be meticulous and dedicated, not loosely tied and uncommitted. You need someone that offers structured updates and complete transparency through the process. If you’re focused on being seen as the talent mastermind at work – you need the strong recruiters of Legacy Search.

 


Categories
Human Resources

Spraying, Praying, and Delaying

Recruiters are Spraying, Praying, and Delaying

Written By: James Aiken

Email | LinkedIn

The Spray

Joe the Human Resources Manager received an email from the General Manager. The GM was asking once again how their recruiting pipeline for a sales representative for an under-performing region was going. With the current union negotiations, safety ceremonies, scheduling, strategic planning, and middle-manning negotiations, let’s be frank – he didn’t exactly have the free time to source and recruit, let alone interview endless candidates. In this case, Joe decided to throw some meat to the wolves. Joe emailed four of his favorite contingency recruiters and gave them a shot.

Within a few days he heard the comforting ding, ding, ding from emails of candidates from his external recruiters. As he opened each email, he began noticing these candidates hardly had anything to do with the sales vacancy. They distributed hardwood flooring and most of his candidates didn’t have anything to do with flooring or distribution sales, let alone the construction industry.

The Pray

On the other side of the computer, Joe’s recruiters were praying…

They were praying that Joe wouldn’t have any other options. They were hoping that one of the stretch candidates would work. They were crossing their fingers that they could get a quick and easy placement, just this time…

While reading a hard sell from one of his recruiters on the ‘high potential’ of a candidate who only had experience selling telephone packages to local businesses, Joe started to wonder how is this possible. Joe gave the recruiters a specific outline, yet all none of the candidates so far are even considered eligible for interview! He rejects the candidates and waits it out hoping that they will bring some better candidates to the table. A few days pass, no emails. Another week passes, and he has no new candidates. “What the hell happened? Where are my recruiters?”

The Delay

Joe emails out to his recruiters asking where all of the candidates are and is lucky enough to get a response from about half of them:

“It looks like the market is pretty tight…” 
“We just aren’t seeing any applicable candidates”
“We have a couple in process… We should see a good candidate by next week!”
“Here’s a candidate, he’s a little on the green side, but he may work for this…”

Joe’s recruiters are already giving up on the role and he’s being put back into square one.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Opening Up Pandora’s Box of Candidates

The reason is: your external recruiters are “spraying and praying”! Many contingency recruiters are focused on making a ‘quick fill’ due to competition, leading to heavy selling and pressure on action. This isn’t necessarily their fault, after all, they know they’re up against other contingency recruiters so there is much more of a focus on speed versus quality. Some external recruiters keep throwing in candidates until something sticks, and quick! They aren’t as concerned with recruiting as much as they are aggregating.

Many are using less efficient tactics such as posting the job description anywhere and everywhere, then screen all of the people that apply and forward the ‘top’ candidates. This is much more popular in larger agencies where they are getting big discounts on posting jobs on LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Monster and ZipRecruiter. Heck, some of them even post professional roles on Craigslist.

Utilizing Your Town Crier and a “Help Wanted” Sign

Would you try to hire the top talent in your market by putting an ad in the local newspaper? How about staple it up on a board in city square? Would you put a sign in your window or hire the town crier to scream it at everyone downtown? You would get some type of response, but is the elite salesperson going to see it? If elite talent sees it, are they going to make the effort to make a contact when they’re already successful and satisfied in their current role?

\Although the internet has made connecting to more candidates through job portals and job boards, this still isn’t much more than putting a “Help Wanted” sign on your virtual workplace. This system worked great when it was a company-driven employee market, but nowadays it is absolutely outdated. Many, many more people were looking for work in 2008 so firms really were able to easily snatch up some of the pick of the litter through job postings that everyone was looking at.

Look at where we are today. Its 2018 and unemployment is lower than ever (especially in the construction products industry). Firms are fighting harder than ever to retain their top talent. The best players in your market aren’t applying to job ads on CareerBuilder and Monster. Top candidates aren’t posting their resume on Indeed. Heck, they may not even be on LinkedIn! If you’re outsourcing a search, you need to make sure you’re tapping into hyper-specific markets.

Don’t Run an Ad, Make a Friend

Associates in your industry and region need to be contacted directly. Yes, this does take much more time – but if it leads to a better hire, who looks like a hero? Due to the nature of a contingency search, external recruiters are much less apt to dedicate ten to twenty hours per week. They can’t isolate time on planning, searching, sourcing, interviewing and presenting when there is no commitment from the client. Think about it, would you send your taxes out to five different accountants working on a contingency basis, then use whichever one’s work looks the best?

Recruiting to Complete Your Firm’s Justice League

Do you want to look like a team-building aficionado or is it okay for you to hire average employees? Get away from the recruiters who are spraying your job descriptions everywhere and praying that a decent candidate applies. You need a partner who is going to be meticulous and dedicated, not under competitive pressure and rushed. If you’re focused on being seen as the talent mastermind at work – you need the strong recruiters of Legacy Search.


 

 

Categories
Industry News

Cool-Roofing Technology

Cool-Roofing Technology is a Breath of Fresh Air for Big Cities

Written By: Thomas Berry

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In the pursuit of both protecting our environment and ourselves, the construction industry has looked at all aspects of the building process. Green Building is one of the fastest growing technologies to date, and with the rapid expansion of urban areas it is only natural that big cities are where most of the new processes are being implemented first. One such technology is the technique of cool-roofing.

Improving Upon the Past

Cool-roofing is a direct response to the poor design and unforeseen consequences of traditional roofing methods. Today, as many as 90% of US roofs are poorly designed, being built with dark, non-reflective, and heat absorbing materials. Especially noticeable in tightly-packed urban environments, traditional rooftop temperatures can soar far above that of surrounding areas. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), average city air temperatures can be up to 10°F warmer than nearby areas during the day and up to 22°F warmer at night! This phenomenon of large-scale heat attraction is known as the “Heat Island Effect” and poor roofing design is widely believed to be one of the leading contributors. Although the disparity in temperature is not typically so significant, even a few degrees can cause major issues. As temperatures rise, demand for air conditioning and forced cooling leads to larger energy consumption, increasing both costs to consumers and greenhouse gas emissions from a/c units and power plants. And, of course, higher temperatures lead to higher rates of heat stroke and other heat-related deaths. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, heat kills more people each year (on average) than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and lightning combined.

Assemble the Scientists!

To combat this dangerous trend in the roofing industry, research has been conducted on cool-roofing technology as early as the 1980s. The departments of energy for California and Tennessee found that white-coated and foam-coated rooftops, as well as roofs with vegetation growing on them experienced lower overall temperatures compared to roofs with traditional materials. This in turn led to lowered energy costs overall, although at the time the financial advantages were not significant enough to warrant an overhaul of the current roofing system. It wasn’t until 2001, when California was experiencing rolling blackouts due to energy demands, the issue was again put under investigation and cool roofing began to be utilized to lower energy requirements and consumption.

Understanding the Solar Reflective Index

How energy efficient a roofing system ranks is measured by a roof’s Solar Reflective Index (SRI) which is derived from two factors: Albedo (Solar Reflectivity) and Thermal Emittance (a roof’s ability to release absorbed heat). For label of a “cool roofing system” one must score an Albedo and Thermal Emittance of greater than 65% (most conventional roofing materials score a rating of only 5-15%). The benefits of such an investment as cool-roofing technology are numerous, and only compound the longer they are installed in your roofing system, saving not only the environment, but also your wallet. First, cool-roofing is better for the environment. Everyone benefits from the reduced temperatures from your building, both inside and outside. This is huge when multiplied by the countless buildings in metropolises like LA and New York. A direct outcome of this lowered temperature is lowered emissions from both personal A/C units and power plants around the globe. In addition to the effects on the environment, cool-roofing systems are extremely cost-effective; conveying an energy-use savings anywhere between 7 and 15% annually. Of course this differs based on the size of the building, but most systems have a payback period close to 6 years. This is assisted by government-funded utility rebates aimed directly at cool-roofing strategies (much like solar panel installation) and can help alleviate the initial cost of installation for wary consumers. Finally, cool-roof options require little in the way of maintenance and typically have longer lifespans than traditional roofing materials, thanks to updated designs and less heat-stress from sun exposure.

Consult with Roofing Experts

When deciding what type of roofing system is best for you, it’s best to have a licensed professional come out and survey your current roof so as to best determine option would work best for you. However, the ability to be informed cannot be stressed enough these days, and in the vein, we’ve decided to list a few of the most common types of cool-roofing systems. First, roofs are broken down into two different types: low-sloped or flat roofs and steep-sloped roofs. Low-sloped roofs are generally flat, with a slight incline for drainage purposes and are the best candidates for easy, affordable cool-roofing options. The first of these flat-roof options is coated roofing. These are literally roofs coated with a paint or pain-like finish, typically pure white or aluminum leafing flakes in an asphalt resin (for a more aesthetically pleasing finish), and help to greatly increase a building’s natural solar reflectivity. Foam roofs are topped with a foam insulation material, a type of “air-barrier”, and are time-tested, having been used for over 45 years as a reliable coo-roofing design.

Other Roofing Options

Finally there are single-ply membranes, which are prefabricated sheets that are individually applied to roofs that may need repair or refitting. Steep-sloped roofs require different techniques and materials due to their high-angles, high-visibility, and the types of materials already installed. Asphalt shingles have a relatively low SRI (maximum of 30%) but are often used residentially due to their ease of installation and cost-effective nature. However metal roofing has seen a resurgence in recent years, achieving a reflectivity rating of up to 70%. This method is known for its weather resistance, lightweight nature, and recyclability.

Cool-Roofing for Consumers

Whether it is huge companies in major metros or one home in a suburb, cool-roofing can have major benefits for both the consumer and the environment. With the state of the world today, we all must do our part to assist in the prolonging of this gorgeous planet of ours, and if we can save a little money in the process all the better.

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Company Spotlight

Company Spotlight: Ply Gem Windows and Doors

Ply Gem is based in Cary, NC and is North America’s top manufacturer and supplier of exterior construction materials, including windows, stone, siding, and forty other categories.

The company has more than 65 locations in the US and Canada and employs more than 8500 people. The company mission is to be the building products maker of choice in all markets it serves.

Excellent customer loyalty and relations define the success of the company. Moreover, the factors contribute to the company’s position as a leading employer as well as superior profitability and growth.

Since its humble beginning, Ply Gem has always been a unique and forward-thinking company – focused on innovation and growth. From its start way back in 1943, the company has become an industry leader. The company offers customers throughout North America a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality exterior products from its diverse group of brands. Hence, homeowners can enjoy a comfortable, beautifully customized, and low maintenance home.

Bernard Hewitt founded Ply Gem back in 1943 at the age of 27. Hewitt started this company in New York by buying plywood crates for just twenty-five cents. Next, he resold this wood for a sizable profit margin. Eventually, his determination and hard work allowed him to save sufficient money to make it big into the plywood business.

Through its extensive range of top-notch exterior building products, the company helps its customers in building style via a complete and all-inclusive solution called The Designed Exterior™. It is a combination of materials, textures, and colors — all meant to work well together to create customized curb appeal.

The company’s line of products can enhance your home’s curb appeal. The diverse product range includes:

  • Siding
  • Proofing
  • Doors and windows
  • Trim and accessories
  • Stone
  • Fence and railing
  • Gutter protection systems
  • Door surround systems
  • Shutters
  • Window mantles
  • Mounting blocks
  • Decorative corner posts

Ply Gem believes in building smart by offering eco-friendly solutions while maintaining environmentally-conscious and efficient business practices. The company is also taking other steps to help the environment. Moreover, the company is increasing its operational resourcefulness and identifying new ways to reduce carbon emissions and lower environmental impact.

Throughout its business processes, the company follows socially and ethically responsible practices while minimizing its impact on the environment.

So, whether it is the materials it uses, how it gets them to market, or the precious energy Ply Gem’s products save in the long run– it certainly all adds up to a considerable commitment and dedication to future generations.

Some eco-friendly initiatives of the company include its:

  • Recycling program
  • Energy star windows
  • Energy efficient lighting
  • Insulated siding
  • NAHB Research Center

Ply Gem incorporated Foundation Labs in 2013. Foundation Labs is a separate business division exclusively dedicated to

  • Leveraging industry research and experts
  • Furthering building science
  • Innovating around testing, products, and design aesthetics

The company promotes career advancement and professional growth through:

  • Advanced Leadership Program
  • Training
  • Tuition reimbursement

Ply Gem manufactures its products in North America. Moreover, they back each product with warranties. Hence, customers can have full confidence in their remarkable quality.

 

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Industry News

Social Housing: Pop Up Villages

Pop Up Villages Could be the Quick Solution to High Growth Areas

Written By: James Aiken

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Social housing – especially homes suitable for families – is often in short supply. It is often difficult to offer anything other than a temporary solution, and waiting lists tend to be long and over-subscribed. Additionally, affordable rentals are thin on the ground in metropolitan areas, especially where the workforce tends to be young and mobile in combination with the aspirational nature of city living.

Social Housing through Temporary Villages

However, one borough in London, England, may have hit upon a solution which could be adopted not only across the United Kingdom, but in other cities worldwide. In what is termed London’s first “pop-up village”, a structure offering not just homes but ground floor office and retail space has sprung up on the former site of a leisure centre in Lewisham, in the south east of the city. Eventually, new social housing and a new school will be built here, but for now, The Place is a colourful and longer-term solution than the bed and breakfast accommodation the families housed there were previously living in.
The 24 homes cost £4.3 million (around $5.2 million dollars) to construct, and are completely portable, meaning that when plans for the new development are finalized, the units will literally ‘move house’ elsewhere, either within the Greater London area, other boroughs across the UK, or even overseas.
The housing units aren’t technically social housing – the rent is pitched somewhere between the usual social housing charge and a private rental – but the cost of living there is covered by housing benefit, paid to families on low incomes who cannot otherwise afford to rent privately, and for whom there is no suitable social housing available.

Quick, Combine-able Modular Housing

Aside from the social benefit of having a ready-made pop up village providing a mixture of housing and business space, the housing itself is an innovation. Completely factory-built, the costs of construction onsite are dispensed with, cutting costs further. The units were created in two parts – one comprising a fully-fitted kitchen and bathroom, the other, two reasonably-sized bedrooms. Fitting on the back of a lorry, homes The Place (as the pop-up village is called) are also cheap to run costing around $12-13 to heat per month during colder weather. The entire outer area is a floor to ceiling window, giving the apartments maximum daylight. The interior walls are MDF, meaning that refurbishment between tenancies is both quick and cost-effective, and the bright outer cladding replaces in much the same way a bright phone cover might be swapped for a more businesslike look during the working week.

Cheaper and Longer Lasting Modular Homes

The brainchild of architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (who were also behind the Y:Cube – studio apartments helping the homeless to get off the streets), the units are expected to have a lifespan of around 60 years, and cost under £100,000 ($122,000) to produce.
As the cost of buying a new home is out of the reach of so many, these versatile and cost-effective modular homes could be popping up near you soon.