< Previousin line with the outlined goals. Check-in points include client kick-off and close-out meetings and 30, 60 and 90 percent project budget and status reviews. Other benefitting factors to this system include immediately identifying the team members who are accountable and responsible for the completion of tasks and evoking continued communication and coordination with the client to ensure project satisfaction. Regular training sessions are provided at all company office locations and are available to employees throughout the year.Assisting the team in coordinating this process work flow is a sophisticated and full-service enterprise resource manage-ment (ERP) tool in which the company has invested significant time, customizing it to fully support a project’s lifecycle. From marketing leads to project planning, recruitment, invoicing and employee timesheets, SCE utilizes many of the program’s available tools and resources. Both technical and non-technical staff members are set up and trained in understanding this program and its capabilities, so they can utilize it throughout their daily functions to complete tasks in a quick and efficient manner. This program is a one source system that provides real-time updates and is an essential part of SCE’s continued advancements and success. “SCE’s large knowledge base allows the company to respond quickly to project complexities and navigate a path that is economically considerate to the area and conscientious to the client’s budget.”OCTOBER 201820LEADERS IN ARTIFICIAL TURFOVER 600 FIELDS IN NEW JERSEYHOWELL HIGH SCHOOLHOWELL TOWNSHIP, NJFurther recognizing the importance of sophisticated tech-nologies, SCE encourages its employees to research the latest available tools in the industry that can utilized on their clients’ projects. In a continually evolving profession that demands creativity and customized project solutions, this investment is imperative and has fueled the company’s growth. The firm is particularly proud of the accomplishments its staff has made as inventors of customized data collection processes and resource databases for assisting clients with asset management. The information collected and filed in the cloud-based databases assist clients in operation and maintenance, as well as planning for future funding needed to facilitate system expansions and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure. It is through the use of these systems that clients can economically and efficiently manage and avoid costly and disruptive system interruptions and failures, which can be detrimental to the consumers and communities they serve. Some other advanced technologies which SCE offers include 3D LiDAR scanning and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), also known as Drones services. Both of these technologies have the ability to capture greater amounts of data when compared to conventional methods which require significantly more 21CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS time. Benefits of utilizing these technologies in projects include gathering data more quickly, improved access to challenged sites, eliminating return trips to the field and acquiring data in the form of georeferenced aerial imagery in full 360-degree form. Offering these technologies has gained the company new projects, valuable relationships and exciting recognition in the industry. Many of SCE’s projects have earned outstanding achievements and awards from organizations including American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers (NJSME), New Jersey Planning Officials, New Jersey Recreation and Parks Association (NJRPA), New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveying (NJPLS), American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and countless other professional recognitions have been gained by this exceptional team of professionals. Not once has SCE shied away from tackling intricate design projects. SCE’s talented team literally moved mountains out of the way for an all-women’s preparatory school to build an athletic facility that they were told for years would not be possible. Another challenging and award-winning project accomplish-ment was the restoration and reopening of a historic municipal OCTOBER 201822Beating waterloss with technology Less infrastructure - more data with Kamstrup AMIstaircase located in a beloved region of a municipality, utilizing the capabilities of the company’s 3D LiDAR scanning equipment. Reyna M. Burger, Vice President, sums this excellence up as, “SCE prides itself on innovative solutions to challenging projects. SCE keeps our clients’ long-term goals in perspective which allows us to offer thoughtful alternative approaches to current project needs.” This focus on innovatively and efficiently meeting client needs has enabled the company to fully embody the motto which drives it: Excellence. Economy. Environment. These are values which have guided the firm since 1986, and which continue to propel it forward into the future. “The managers work together as a team to develop solutions that meet each of their clients’ specific project requirements.” 23CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS OCTOBER 201824Written by Jessica FerlainoRight now, millions of jobs remain unfilled in the United States. Across industries and sectors, skilled labour is in high demand and without a viable pipeline of talent, it is posing a real challenge. This is especially true of the construction industry.in very different socioeconomic times. Unlike Baby Boomers who entered the workforce with ease upon graduating high school, Millennials are less likely to be in a position to secure gainful employment upon graduating. In fact, despite having more education than the generations before them, only 44 percent of Millennials are employed in permanent, full-time jobs.Millennials are less likely to secure gainful employment out of high school and thus go to college or university in hopes of becoming employable. As a result, they are less likely to be in a position to buy a home, more expensive now than decades ago, and they are likely to wait longer to start a family. Baby Boomers often accuse Millennials of being lazy and having no work ethic, being spoiled and lazy and wanting everything handed to them, rather than putting in the hard work, though this couldn’t be further from the truth. Where many Baby Boomers have a soiled per-spective of Millennials, that they are entitled job hoppers that are lost and have no vision or career path, recruiters see a highly technical, aware, creative, innovative, entrepreneurial generation that wants to share ideas and collectively and collaboratively develop better solu-tions and ways of doing things. Millennials might always be looking for the next best opportunity, but they aren’t job hoppers per se. If the right job comes along, they are likely to entertain the offer and will stay loyal as long as they are being fulfilled in their role with The construction industry across the developed world is experiencing a labour crunch. There is a shortage of skilled trades and labourers and fewer high school graduates are seeking out a career in construction, instead drawn to university degrees and professional career paths. When trends like these occur it causes wages, and thus costs, to rise and projects to be delayed. The markets that are in dire need of skilled labour are con-stricting and it is clear that more needs to be done to recruit workers. But who? And how? Millennials have overtaken the baby boomer generation as the largest living generation in North America. In 2019, Millennials will be the largest living adult generation, and by 2025, Millennials are going to comprise 75 percent of the global workforce. Currently, the gen-eration represents 35 percent of the American labour force. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2017, 56 million Millennials (aged 21 to 36) were working or looking for work, compared to 53 million Generation X-ers and 41 million Baby Boomers, which means there is labour available. If you ask Baby Boomers, the genera-tion primarily responsible for raising the Millennial generation, what they think of the cohort, they are usually happy to offer up criticism about how Millennials approach the world, especially the world of work, comparing it to their own youth and young adulthood which took place 25CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS the company. This makes it easy for competitive employers to reach out to these individuals. What Millennials want from a job is fairly simple; they want flexibility, work-life balance, support and feedback, coaching and mentorship over micromanagement, competitive wages, a culture that fosters collaboration and innovation, opportuni-ties to grow in the company, an organizational commitment to social justice and community, updated management styles and a fresh take on how to do business in the digital era. Millennials are highly technologically and digitally savvy and this can be used to the construction industry’s advantage. Investments can be made in leading edge technologies and innovative ways of doing things, and these adaptations will make a company more competitive in the long run.There are many advantages to a career in construction that need to be communicated to Millennials, using technology to pique their interest. Human resources departments and people who are hiring in the construction industry need to meet Millennials where they are, which is online. They are always connected via multiple social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like, and these can be used to com-municate job opportunities and information about a company. Communicating information about the company is more important than most organizations might realize, due to the fact that Millennials want to know about a company’s values and mission and social media can be a great opportunity to showcase the company, its employees, its projects and its phil-anthropic commitments. If this is outside of a company’s realm of capacity, there are countless marketing and human resourc-es specialists that can help set up a social media platform that can market the company and its job postings, speaking to Millennials in a way that will attract them to job opportunities. Millennials value success and appreciate career road maps that help them visualize opportunities for advancement in the company. Many would be open to opportunities to re- or upskill to secure gainful employment, and such an approach could help address the labour shortage internally rather than relying solely on relationships with educational institutions to create pipelines. Another tactic the industry can take to attract Millennials is to shed the traditional sense of masculinity in favour of a more open, authentic, collaborative, transparent organization. Millennials want to be a part of an organization that is having a positive impact on the world, one that is innovative and pushes the envelope as to what is possible. “Millennials want to be a part of an organization that is having a positive impact on the world, one that is innovative and pushes the envelope.”OCTOBER 201826Many Millennials simply want an environment where they don’t feel stunted and can shine. While work is work, it is always ben-eficial to have a social element of fun for balance. Many compa-nies have social committees that organize team events which builds a sense of camaraderie with work peers, many of whom you spend more time with than your actual family. This is the kind of environment that helps Millennials thrive. Many Millennials believe a career in construction to be boring, though that couldn’t be further from the truth. Projects are ever-changing, sites come and go. The work can be hazardous and physical, but it is never boring.Another deterrent for Millennials could be the cyclical market. While many find a career in construction to be stable, others view it as a risky career choice long term. Of the two million people who lost their job in the construction sector during the global financial crisis, many of them never returned to the industry. Now, though, there a range of roles to choose from. Beyond the various trades, there are opportunities in design, architecture, engineering, and project management. If educa-tion is important to them, there are college programs and uni-versity degrees, in addition to apprenticeships, to look into. As a result of funding cuts, apprenticeship programs have fallen by the wayside at a time when they could serve a real purpose. There are an increasing number of partnerships between education and construction and programs being developed to address this and increase participation in the construction labour market. This includes campaigns to recruit women and other underrepresented demographics in the construction industry. Educators and guidance counsellors should present construc-tion as a viable career path to students. While many university and college graduates are searching for work in their fields, con-struction offers high school graduates an alternative to post-secondary education that will leave them gainfully employed instead of unemployed and saddled with student debt. And it is a sector in which some students will naturally excel. Construction professionals and tradespeople are responsible for building the infrastructure that society requires to operate. If Millennials are interested in doing impactful work, they need to look no further than construction, which is providing a tangible solution for real societal needs. Taking all of these points into consideration, for companies who aren’t hitting the mark with Millennials, it might be time to undergo rebranding efforts to become more relevant. This could pair well with a technological overhaul and upgrade to really position themselves as competitive and attractive to what is now the bulk of the workforce. While there are many things that can be done to recruit Millennials to a career in construction, one of the most important things a company can do is not make assumptions about what Millennials want in a job. Some stereotypes are not true, and once understood, members of this generation can have a major impact on pro-ductivity and profitability. Recruiting Millennials into the construction industry is no dif-ferent than marketing a product: know and understand your target market and reach them where they are with a product they want or need. Be honest and transparent, and build a human connection using all the tools at your disposal, includ-ing social media, and the rate of success will improve. Many Millennials went through school because they were promised the world upon graduation. If they are given a platform from which they can shine, they are likely to work harder to make their dreams (and the goals of the company if they are aligned) a reality.27Based in historic Savannah, the oldest city in the State of Georgia, is M3 Construction, Inc., a general contracting company based on the vision of its founder Michael Steimle.M3 CONSTRUCTION, INC.OCTOBER 201828M3 can provide general industrial or commercial con-tracting services and work as either agency con-struction management – representing the owner and not entering into subcontracts with trade – or construction management at-risk – responsible for delivering the project on time and within budget. Relationship building has been a recurrent theme in Michael Steimle’s life, and it was one such relationship that led to the formation of his company when Orchids Paper Products Company wanted a paper plant designed, and its chief execu-tive officer asked if Steimle could do more than just design it. Could he build it?Steimle jumped at the chance. “It’s always been a life-long goal of mine to build things,” Steimle said on his LinkedIn when announcing the formation of M3 and the paper mill project for Orchids Paper Products. This paper company specializes in Written by Robert Hoshowskymaking quality, private-label consumer tissue products from both virgin and recycled materials for a host of well-known brands. “This new project will provide the opportunity to reach that goal by building several things: Build a company, build relationships, build a reputation, and, of course, actually build the mill!”Steimle began his career working in engineering for one of Georgia’s largest paper companies before moving on to various management roles in industrial construction. His uniquely varied experience has given him perspectives of the many sides of industrial projects, particularly paper mills. So, with this fortuitous opportunity to build the new Orchids plant in Barnwell, South Carolina, he set about acquiring a contractor’s license and formed his own company in June 2015.“The building of the company begins with simple elements...most important of all is the foundation which is formed from Next >