Hammr

How would you respond if you received a phone call that: Your equipment is flipped on its side... Your loader is stuck... A company vehicle is wrecked... Growing up in the industry, many of us have likely made a costly mistake at some point in our careers. Or you have surely witnessed one. It sucks. You might have the courage to call the boss, but you know you're about to get ripped apart and feel about an inch tall. Unfortunately, ripping people to shreds can be common in the industry. It's a terrible way to lead because it creates a culture of fear and resentment. Mistakes happen, but no one wants to continue working for an a**hole. If anything, it'll show them exactly who they don't want to become. Like my friend John Scepaniak says: "As a leader, you have to handle the bad news with with grace and help people learn from these situations. How you respond to these negative situations will show your people how much you support them regardless of the circumstances." We just dropped a dense podcast on this topic: How to lead when sh*t hits the fan. How To: - Handle the bad news - Develop a better leadership style - Communicate and support - Balance accountability - Keep (your) composure What I love about this episode is not only that John is real and raw about the topic but that he didn't always lead this way... It's been a process of pain, reflection, and growth that got him to develop this leadership style. -- How to lead when SHTF w/ John Scepaniak Check comments for Apple & Spotify 🔗 🎧 Bred To Build -- Episode 45

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about: many apps seem to die in construction when it comes to fieldworkers... I bring it up because we've been obsessed with this phrase: "Simple for the field, Powerful for the office." It's not an easy thing to do. Especially when you’re building tools for people running around jobsites and also for HR/office managers who use those tools from their desks. Two completely different worlds with how they interact with products and what they value as important jobs-to-be-done. Every time we’re building a new feature (especially the field side), I remind myself of a guy that used to work at my dad's drywall company and ask, "would Mike find this helpful and simple to use?" As a result, this is an email we received from a new contractor implementing Hammr this week. Makes our day when we receive emails like this from our customers 🔨

Are you noticing a dilemma in construction training? 🛠️ Hear me out. Construction seems to be at the crossroads... Where the pursuit of short-term profits threatens long-term quality & sustainability. I can't tell you how many times I've heard these over the years: "We don't have time to train." "We can't afford to train." "It'll slow us down." I don't think I'm alone here in noticing how the lack of training is hurting our industry's quality and leading to more turnover. What's slowing us down - contractors padding their pockets and prioritizing immediate profits over long-term investing into people and training. You might save some money in the short-term... but this only accelerates the cycle of shoddy work and price-driven competition. An absolute race to the bottom. Contractors that continue to neglect green workers or refuse to train will eventually go belly up. People won't want to work for them because there's nothing to learn. Since it usually comes down to money for contractors, let's put the financial implications in perspective... Without training: * Higher turnover * Decrease in quality * Increase in callbacks * Questionable safety * Lost profits In the long-term it's a big "L". Both in profits and reputation. But it's not too late... We still have industry veterans for the next 5-10 years who can pass along the knowledge to set our industry up for success. And we have contractors like Sargent who are leading by example with their Construction Academy, which is a (paid) training program providing high school seniors with an intro to heavy civil and training from Sargent mentors. Getting paid to learn? Sounds like something the Toolbelt Generation is getting behind. AKA Gen Z. Peter Parizo said it best: "Anyone can rent equipment, purchase materials, and build a project. What makes Sargent successful and a leader in the industry is our commitment to Invest In People. To be a mentor does not require a specific title or status, rather, it is an attitude and a choice." Contractors like Sargent will reap the long-term rewards of training. Hell, 25% of their field is now under the age of 25. I hope to see many contractors follow a similar path in creating a culture of mentorship. Investing in training isn't just about quality or profits. It's about securing a future for the industry. We can't fumble Gen Z. What are your thoughts on this issue / topic? -- If you like this topic, don't miss Herb Sargent on episode 41. Bred To Build Podcast

Trade School Instructors Be Like... The skilled trades are experiencing a surge in interest. And Gen Z is leading the charge. Why? Rising Wages: Median pay for new construction hires are surpassing professional services. Median pay for new construction hires rose 5.1%. Professional services, 2.7%. New Tech: Tech is giving the industry a much needed face-lift. Gen Z will likely experience better jobsite efficiencies and easing of hard physical labor with robotics. Fear of AI: With the rise of Generative AI, Gen Z thinks blue-collar jobs offer better job security than white-collar ones (Jobber survey). Fear of Debt: Demand for trade apprenticeships have boomed. What's better than getting paid while you learn, without taking on college debt. Many high-school graduates say they’re reluctant to take on college debt given the skepticism around the value of traditional college education. Influencers: Social media has take the industry by storm over the last few years. Trade secrets are becoming a thing of the past. Gen Z has nearly every tip and trick at their fingertips. Not only is the information readily available but Gen Z now has the necessary role models to follow. We're already seeing younger folks in the field, second/third generation owners taking over businesses, and younger decision makers. New tech & digital natives - will accelerate new efficiencies. Industry influencers - will inspire & engage. And robotics - will ease the physical burden. This sound like a perfect storm 🛠️ 🚀 I believe industry will go through a massive renovation over the next 5-10 years. We could be on track to build one of the most well paid and fulfilled generations. Now it's time for the industry to build the career paths that help retain this Toolbelt Generation. What are your thoughts on these trends? -- My friend Herb Sargent is already experiencing youngsters taking over his workforce. Ten years ago: 10% of their field was under 25. Today: 25% is now under the age of 25. We chat about this with Herb on our Bred To Build Podcast (episode 41). Don't miss this episode if you want hear how Sargent has been able to attract, train, and retain. -- #construction #toolbeltgeneration #skilledtrades

"We're not highway builders, we're people builders" Herb has an inspiring mindset when it comes to building people... He believes it's so fundament that he transitioned Sargent to become 100% employee owned. We talk about: Building career paths for the next generation. Transitioning to employee ownership. Investing in people and development. Utilizing their internal podcast for company growth His workforce getting younger and younger. Insights into how they train and retain. And who changed Herb's life forever. ⁠ Don't miss this episode w/ Herb Sargent. Bred To Build Podcast - Episode 41. -- #construction #skilledtrades #constructionpodcast ⁠

Introducing Our New Duck Tape Product! 🦆💪 Things get complicated when contractors are running separate systems… That’s why we launched the most innovative solution for siloed systems! Introducing: Duck Tape 3,000! A perfect product for contractors running a jerry-rigged Ducktopus-Rex. How can you defeat Ducktopus-Rex? 3 Simple Steps: 1) Use some duct tape. If that doesn’t work, see 2. 2) Upgrade to Duck Tape 3,000. If that doesn’t work, see 3. 3) If all else fails, end the ducking. Drop the hammer & try Hammr. And yes, f-ing Ducktopus-Rex landed on our website 🦆😂 #DuckTape3000 #AprilFools

Born in 1940, my grandpa has had a long history in the logging industry... Growing up, I’d spend almost every weekend with him. At an early age, he introduced me to his 1986 D3 CAT and his excavator. Every time I visited I’d ask, “what are we working on this weekend?” I rode in the equipment as we graded roads, loaded rock, and cleared brush. Even though my weekend's were spent "working" alongside my grandfather, it felt more like play. Because who doesn't love rubbing oil on their jeans to look like grandpa. Or riding in an old CAT that shakes you to the core. Some of my favorite memories are with my pops. I recently ask him, "what’s your biggest piece of life advice?" He responded with: “A man/woman in motion stays in motion.” He recently turned 84. And boy is this man still in motion! And yes, so is his 1986 CAT. #construction #3rdGeneration #hammr

If you grew up in a construction family, you've likely had a similar experience... The scenario: I'm in the car with my dad headed to (anywhere). And he decides to take a quick detour. He calls these the “scenic routes." He drives by a job and says, "See that house over there? We did that house. It’s a 10k sqft modern house." And he sits there with a proud smile on his face. My grandpa does the same... He'd say, "See that road cutting through the hilltop? Your uncle and I cleared all the trees and built that road along that entire hillside." Working in the construction industry can be hard. But it can be incredibly rewarding. In this industry, it can be early mornings, late nights, weekends, delays, etc. Sometimes you gotta go through hell to get the job done. But there’s nothing better than the feeling of letting your work speak for itself. I'll never forget the *drive and point at project* car rides with my dad and grandfather. Still happens to this day 🔨 #construction #hammr