part 1- introduction to the certificate in cpm

8/4/2019 Part 1- Introduction to the Certificate in CPM

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Many thanks to my wife Judy and my son Harlanfor allowing me to devote the time and energy todevelop this construction - general contractingmanual for others to learn and develop in thisunique industry.This construction - general contracting manualis dedicated to a few individuals that influencedme to share my experience and knowledge inconstruction and general contracting business.My mom, Concepcion Rozenberg for her abilityand know-how to work with many trades people.To the entire Architectural and Engineeringdepartments (teams) of the City of New York,Department of General Services (a/k/a DCAS)andState of New York, Metropolitan TransportationAuthority (T.B.T.A and Metro-North Railroad) forthe privilege to allow me to participate on thenumerous public improvements, renovations,restoration projects for the State and City ofNew York historic facilities and structures.Including mentors, Frank Baritone, Con Edison,Irwin Levine, City of New York, Department ofBuildings and special thanks to Lawrence Schur,Schur Management Co., Ltd.


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NYREI~Certificate In Construction Project Management - ("CPM")This level of study can be marketed towards individuals involved in the realestate industry, bankers, construction managers, general contractors,investors and developers with an interest to acquire knowledge inconstruction project management methodology.Phase I Course Objective: Contracts Administration Methods

I. Contract Construction Management MethodologyII. Design/Build - Supervision - Construction ManagementIII. Construction Bidding Process And RecordkeepingIV . Construction Specifications, Contracts and Change Orders

Phase II Course Objective: Interactive Field Trip On Construction MethodsPhase III Course Objective: Project Scheduling Methods

V . Construction Of Resldential/Oondomlnlum/Oo-op's,Com mercialllndustriallComm unity ProjectsVi. Construction Work Breakdown Scheduling, Gantt ChartAnd OSHA Compliance Protocols And Permits'VII. Urban Planning, Infrastructure Contracting,Zoning Regulation And Methodology For Construction

Suggested textbooks:Streetwise Project Management by Michael S. DobsonPublished by Adams Media Corporation, ISBN: 1-58062-770-6Fundamentals of Project Management by James P. Lewis, 2nd EditionPublished by American Management Association, ISBN: 0-8144-7132-3Construction Methods, Materials and Techniques by William P. SpencePublished by Delmar Publishers, ISBN: 0-314-20537-3Construction Contracting by Richard H. Clough, Glen Sears & S. Keoki Searsy th Edition - Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ISBN: 0-471-44988-1Management Basics by John and Shirley Payne, Published by Adams PublishingISBN: 1-55850-023-X


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Salvador Rozenberg ("Salvador") is a Consultant with Transaction MaintenanceCompany, a construction, development and real estate consulting company.Salvador provides his client's with construction and real estate consultingservices for a/l business related functions involving real estate construction,development and management. Salvador participates with building owners,owner representatives, and construction project managers on all phases ofexterior and interior, physical plants and renovations projects. Salvador preparesfinancial business plans, construction contracts, project scheduling and budgets.Salvador is a Part-time Adjunct Professor with the City University of New York atBorough of Manhattan and Hostos Community College providing instruction inconstruction and real estate management, a Part-time Instructor with New YorkReal Estate Institute providing instruction for the Property and ConstructionProject Management Certificate Programs and a Part-time Staff Instructor withMechanic's Institute, a technical trade school for the building trades providinginstruction in the field of Professional Development, Project Scheduling andConstruction Contracts.Prior construction and real estate assignments include being a ConstructionProject Manager on behalf of various real estate companies for commercial andresidential portfolios in Florida and New York. In addition, Salvador was a SeniorReal Estate Manager with the State of New York, Metropolitan TransportationAuthority. Involved with construction supervision, project development and realestate management for Metro-North Railroadand Bridges & Tunnel and a ProjectManager in facility planning for the City of New York municipal properties.Construction projects: Renovations: 2 Broadway, Battery Parking Garage andBronxville Train Station. Restorations: 231 W. 39th Street and 50 OrchardStreet. New Developments: Highbridge Train Yard, River Plaza ShoppingCenter at W. 225th Street, NYPDparking lot and 222 E. 41st Street office building.Salvador achieved his Executive Master of Business Administration degree fromthe University of New Haven, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree fromPace University, Certificate of Interior Design from New York School of InteriorDesign, Certificate in Commercial Property Management from New YorkUniversity and Certficate in Real Estate from Baruch College.In addition, Salvador holds a designation as a Real Property Administrator(R.P.A) from the Building Owners and Managers Institute, Washington, D.C., isa charter member of the Construction Financial Management Association("CFMA") and licensed by the State of New York and Connecticut as a RealEstate Broker. Induding licensed by NYS as a RE Instructor and Notary Public.

Website: NYJocal.yahoo.bizftransaction maintenanceco


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Section 1 Introduction to the Certificate inConstruction Project Management


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J l i " e L - a n g u a g e of, .. ,... Construction

Section 2 The Language of Construction andBuilding Code Compliance


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Prosperity

M C J . i k , .:

Section 3 Construction Business Marketing


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Section 5 Renovations, Maintenance, Repairsand Upgrades/Improvements


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Cons'tructionontractsSection 6 Construction and General Contracting

Contracts and AlA Sample Agreement


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Section 7 Risk Management and InsurancePolicies Requirements


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Section 8 Construction - General ContractingBusiness Operations - Development


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Section 9 Legal Compliance, Sarbones OxleyAct and Human Resources


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Scheduling Basics

Section 10 Project Scheduling Basics


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Required Text:Construction Contracting, RIchard H. C lou gh , John Wiley & Sons. Inc,N.Y. , N.Y.

Course Description:This courset wlJ l teach students the basics of construcnon contracts,construction business methods and organizatIonal models , bIdding,construct ion Insurance, an d Iabor rela tion s .. ': "

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Topics covered will include the f~Uowing= O verv iew of the con stru c tion in du strY. . '. : B usiness ow n ersh ip , c9rnpany organIza tIon C on str~c tlon con trac t docum en ta tion a n d procurement Drawings and specltlcations ',. Constructron contracts Projec t deHvery m eth ods , Ro le and responS Ib ilit Ies of organlzatlonai sys tem s of.mdustrv p~ry ;JC lpar1 ts ",' Cost sstfmathig and blddlng Contract surety bonds' C on stru ctron 'In su ran ce BusIness methods Project management and administration, etnlcs Project time management Projec t cost m an aparn en t

1 , , C on stru c tIon marketing stra teg y: C h oos~ n9 a c on tra ctor GovernIng l e g a l requlrernents: Building codes, safety, laborre latJ~~msa n d la w s, u nlo n a n d ncn-unten w o r k forces C on flic t and resc lu tton '"

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Wi le y.tC o n stru c tl on C o n tra c tin g , 6 th E d itio n

Construction

Page 1 o f I

Co ns tr uc tio n C o nt ra ct in g, 6 th E dit io nRfcfHl rd H. Crough , Glenn A. SearsI SBN ; 0 -471 -30968 .. .( JHardcover60 0 pa gesM arch 1 994U S $1 10 .0 0 11Add to C artTh is price Is va lid for UnIted S ta te s. C h an ge co untry to vtew lo ca l p ric in g a nd a va fla blit y.

41 fyou a r e a n l n sm r c to r, y ou m ay re gue st a n e va lu at i0 Q C , tW Y f or t h is t it le .*A nd su pple me nts, o nllna re so urc es , an d te ch nolo gy so lu tio ns for th fs t tt le o n \/V ile y's tifg he r E du~ .t ion Site.DescriptionTable of Con ten tsAYthgr In formati~! ( l

Af ter thirty years, it 's s tili th e refere nc e pro fe ss ion als a nd stu de nts tu rn to". In a lm os t e ve ryseason and business c l imate, C O l u ; t r u c t i o n C on trac tJ ng h as bee n th e co rn ers tone of th ep ro fe ss io na l's lib ra ry -a n a ll- .in -o ne h a nd bo ok a nd b lu ep rin t o n s uc ce ss fu lly r un nin g a ndm anag ing a construction o p er at io n . W r it te n by w o veterans of t he in du st ry , C o ns tr uc tio nC ontra cting ou t lInes som e of th e m ost use fu l cons tr u ct io n p ra ctice te eh nlqu es a ndt ec h no lo gic al t oo ls ava ilab le toda y a s w ell as th e keys to t um in g a c on st ru ct io n o pe ra tio ninto fl n e f fi ci en t , h i g h -p r of it bus iness. Fully updated fo r th e ' 90s , th e new SIxth Editionde sorib es ne w form s o f o on trac tin g. such as desi ,gn burrd, as w ell a s th e grow ing ro le o fcomputers in a const ruc t ion bus iness. I t a ls o featu re s .e xpanded covera.ge o f such bas ics ascos t est im at ing , bIddIng , contracts, and con trac t bonds as w ell as th e la tes t deve lopm en ts inln au ran ce , la bo r la w, a nd J abo r re la tio ns. E ffec tiv e ne w b usin ess m eth od s a s w eJ J asim po rta nt in side t ips o n su cc es sfu lly m an ag in ,g p ro je ct tim e a nd pro jec t co st a re a lsorev iewed . With many reacv-to-use forms, in clu din g t h e la test from th e A lA . CS I , AGe, andAAA, th e new est ed ition o f Cons t ruc t ion Con t rac tIng is a comple te w o rk in g re so urc e fo r tr leco nstru ct lon p rofe ssio na l In th e fle kl or o ffice a nd all in dis pe ns ab le p re pa ra to ry t oo l fo rstudents.

Copyr tgh t @ 2000-2004 by John VViley & S ons , Inc . o r re la ted com pan ies , A ll righ ts rese rved , P lease read ourPrillaE)' pori9:}:


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Book teaches contracting managementNEW YORK- McGraw-Hill ispublishing "Managing a Con-struction Firm on Just 24Hours a Day," written by con-

< MANAGING a . ,C ( ) N S T R t i C T I O N . ' F I R M' " . -, . - ~ ' . " > . ' . - ' . - ' : : ' - , . - ,

h o u r s a d a y

M att S teven s' book w ill b ea va ila ble S ept. 27 .

struction consultant MattStevens. The 416-page bookwith more than 100 illustra-tions is scheduled to come offthe press Sept. 27.More than 130 best prac-

tices and 25+ forms, templates

and checklists offer construc-tion contracting business waysto reduce risks and increaseprofits. Contractors will learnto work smarter in the areas ofestimating, pricing and bid-ding, pro] ect managemen tand financial management.This overview of the businessof contracting presents practi-cal insights for increasingefficiency, flexibility andprofitability. Readers will find: Analysis of major busi-

accounting and administratio 100+ illustrations t

capture key insights; and Examples of effective

ports and other necessamanagement information.The book contains chap

on the business of contractiacquiring work, keeping tof work, best practicespeople management.Stevens is a managemen

consultant with more thanyears of experience in all a

ness processes, including of construction, from fieldestimating, pricing and pervision to project manabidding, project and finan- ment and administration.cial management; 130+ best practices of the

contracting business; 25+ forms, templates andchecklists for estimating, pric-

ing, bidding, marketing,pre-construction planning,scheduling, budgeting, shortinterval planning, close ou t,financial management,

9 8 C O N T R A C T O R 5 E PTE M B ER 2 0 06

is president of Stevens Cstruction Institute Inc., a csulting firm tha t focusesfield productivity, projem-anagement, pricing/bidding strategy, estimatingand financial managemenThe book can be order

at http://www.books.mc-graw-hill. com.


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F r e e t h i n k e r s .d o n ' t c h a r g e f o r . a d v i c e . - _ . . . ..


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THE BUSINESS OF

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENTAND

GENERAL CONTRACTINGTHE FOUR (4) C' s

1- Clarity of Purpose - The MissionStatement - Type of business2- Communications - Making theverbal and mental connection3- Construction - Means andMethods - Trades - Quality Control4- Controls - Specification, Scope ofWork, Contracts, Scheduling,Building Code Compliance, Zoning,Regulations and Recordkeeping


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03WEEKEND , NOVEMBER 3-5 , 200 6' { : : ~ , , : S e c t o r '' ' 'statistics

" . ~. .."Thejobs: in,NewYork'City(asof9/06)"~ ... Total:3 ,654,700 ,','.' . ... . E d u c a t i o n and h e a l t h > ' : ',.,'.s~'r\dces:'688,600: :, ., ; ,. ' P r o f e s s i o n a l a n d b u s i n e s s"services: 5 6 6 , 8 0 0 " : ; " , ' " ,.1hlde, transportation a n d > "" u t i l i t i e s : 555;700 .: ,';"II 'Oovernfne'nf 543~500'; .",', ~ : -"" ',_ >" : " ~ r ' ': .F in a nc ia l a ctiv it ie s: "" ,";,457 ,000 ' .: ,,'. . L e i s u r e a n d hosp italit y : , ","

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T est Y ourContractor IQQUIZ

FEDEX I S CURREN T LY fa c in g ac la ss-ac tion la wsu it by drivers w hosa y tha t w hile they a re pa id (a n dta xed) a s con tra ctors, they rea llyfu n c tion a s em ployees. They are

dem an d in g the righ ts a n d ben ef its of regu la r em ployees. S o fa r, on e C a li-fo rn ia cou rt h as a greed w ith w ork ers, an d if FedEx even tu a lly loses thec la ss-ac tion su it, it c ou ld ow e m ore tha n $1 billion in com pen sa tion an dta xes. C om pan ies tha t trea t in depen den t c on tra c tors as em ployees cou ldfac e sim ila r su its a n d IR S in q u iries. Does you r com pan y fac e su c h a risk ?T ak e ou r q u iz a n d fin d ou t.1 ) R eq uirin g you r in depen den t con tra c tors to in corpora te w ill e lim in ate you ra ud it ex po su re. T R U Ef FA lS E

2 ) W hen work ers a re determ in ed to be misclassified, the c om pa ny rec eiv in gserv ic es c a n n ot on ly be held liab le for the ta xes they shou ld have pa id ,bu t for taxes they shou ld have w ithheld on beha lf of the w ork er.TRUEf FALSE

3 1 IR S g uid elin es spec if ic ally forb id re tirees f rom retu rn in g to their formerem ploy ers a s in depen den t c on tra ctors. T RU E/F AL se

4 J In stitu tin g an d stric tly a bid in g by a i z o -day leng th-o f -s t a y p olic y f or a llin depen den t con tra ctors w ill in su la te you r com pan y from exposu re.TRUEf FA l SE

5J Based on S ec tion 2 03 of Sarbanes-Oxley, o ffic ers c ou ld b e h eld p ers on allylia ble f or rnlsclassifying in de pen den t c on tra cto rs . T R U E/F AL S E

6] If m y in depen den t con tra c tor says he o r she w a n ts to be pa id on a1099-ba sis, sign s a con tra c t to th a t ef fec t, a nd dec lin es ben ef its, I amn ot a t risk T RU E/FA LS E

7 J T he m ajority o f sta tes u se the IR S "Tw en ty Qu estion s" gu ide a s theirm ain c riteria for d eterm in in g Ie vs. em ployee sta tu s. T RU E/FA lse

8J T he IR S rec en tly estim ated tha t in on e yea r- 2 001--50 [e proprietorsfa iled to p ay in taxes they ow ed .A. $81 MILLIONB. $7 BILLIONc. $21 BILLIOND.$81 BILLION

08 ~3SlV,-L ~3SWJ-9 ~]rllJJ.-s:)SlYj-P ~OISlV;I-S,Imll-i: :~SW:H :S!l3MSNI;!S e e c f o. com /q ui z f or m o re d et ai le d e xp la na ti on s.GRADEYOURSELF11CORHECT No worries, ta ke a vacation'.07 CORHECT . T ak e a c lo se r lo ok a t y ou r independent-contractor policies.3~ co,U(Cc, . Th e tax man corr.cth02 conauc r . Press your SUI\. You ' l l n eed I t in court .

26 C F 0 I U N E 1 0 0 6


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SQUARE FEET

Construction Manager Wanted, BadlyBy SANA S fWO LO r

Over tile last six months, Larry-rshman, tile chief operating officel 'd Asbury Partners, has uuervr cwedtozens of candidates for a retnil de -'clopm!l l job that his company isrying (0 f ill in Asbury Park, nJ.As career oppor tunines go, the job- senior construction manager ~.a s p le nty to offer II provides ahance (0 shape the future of ,I 56

ere waterfront project that Asbury'artners. the primary developer; ell-is ions will have more than 3,000ondomimums and town houses, en-eraainmeru spots and 450,000squareee t of stores along an a lready reno-,lted mile-long boardwalkThis manager is expected to over-ec (he development of u ie stores,H: r enovauon of {wo histone thea-:{S .:HldHconvention hall l ind a pro-.cicd $50 million III infrastruclUrenprovement s,like rebuilding roads,rdewalks and uti li t ies"HS all exciting project, i lnd it's (l

11) where yO U would be able III seew rruus of your labor il l a relativelynort period o f lime," Mr. FishmanaId last week. Asked aoout the corn-ensarion, Mr. Fishman said Ihal it'ou ld come wi th a competi tive six-gure salary, declnung to be more,lecific.Commercial real estate executivesJy the New York area has a short-~e of experienced managers withilent in real estale accounting, re-n an cm g , c ou stru cu on m a na gem en tnd condominium development.ompanies are par ticularly look ing" executives in their mid Or laicrswitl: a decade or more of pructi-~Iexperience.The shor tage, they invariab ly say,worse than it might have been be-ause of the real estate bust of therrly 1990's, when many collegeraduates shunned real estate jobs.Some IOC31executives report lhUl.ey have spent years trying to fill"'lam jobs because of the paruc-ar demands, as wel l as idIOS)IIlCra-CS , of lhe local development mar-,L For some companies, Ow searchr wlcni llas grown nercc.Pan of the problem is that real es-LC development IS less compart-entaliz ed than il once was, Withore projects combining both resi-~nljal andcommercial elements,Edgewood PrOpert ies of P iscata-ay. N.J. , for example , used to focusostly on res iden tial dcvo topmont,e condos and single-family homes.len, Iasr spr ing, it began aggres-"ely expanding its commercial di-Sian 10 handle a growing number oft ailing-dom inated mixed-usedejects, l ike H larg~ project tha: isMmed for tile site of the tormerlrdcn Slate Park racetrack in

[ .( "r l . Not m.: lnY LO~lClor Trl l ' Nl 'W York ' f'unus : r ji ;~~~.Dil l! Prl l l1/1'h.c NiCWYork TilHC-~Larry Fishman of Asbury Partners, len, and Joseph D. MOI"ti, of Edgewood Properties say they have Iwdtroubl e fiJling se ni or positi ons for construc tion tll.:lll(l.gers a( mixed-use devolopruent projectsCherry Hil l, N.J The project ISlO in-c lude more (han 500,000 square feetof high-end retau development, a230,000-squarc-foot shopping area, amillioli square feet of office spaceand more than 1,500residential units,inc luding town houses, condomin i-ums and rental apartments.Now, with 10 mi ll ion square feet ofprojects in various stages of develop-meut, i t has become a challenge find-ing strong candidates in areas likeproperty management, engineering,leas ing and marke ting, said Joseph

A lack of qualifiedcandidates plaguesprojects in the NewYork City area.o Morris, the vice president forcommercra l leasing and marke tingat Edgewood Properties. "Right now,f have some 50 construcnon mall-agel' posit ions that could get filled,and between 10 and 15of these posi-I ions are senior- level jobs," hesaid.susan H. Kane, the director ofsales for Selecrl .eaders, an Internetjob s ite tha t serves (he real estate in-dustry, said demand for nud- (0 up-per- level commerc ial real estate po-si tions now appeared to be strongerin New York than in any other metro-pclitan area.Some compan ies say they are hav-

ing a particularly hard time findingsenio r peop le to lead retai l redevel-opment projects, especially so-called

mixed-use ,projec(s that COIllI)1I1Cstores with of fices and res ident ia lspace,At Feldman Mall Properties,based in Great Neck, N.Y ., which ISredeveloping malls in tlle New Yorkarea and elsewhere, loan)' Feldman,the president and chief executive,said he first began looking for some-one to oversee overal l redeve lop-ment efforts three years ago, Af terstepping up the effort a year ago, MLFeldman finally hired Wayne Snyde l' , a mal i mdustry veteran , in Octo-ber.Jeffrey Freireich, the managingdirector at the Kushner Companiesin Florham Park, N.J., said his com-pany had been look ing for managersof various urban redevelopmentpro jects, wh ich usua lly inc lude a siz-able amount of retailing space.Kushner cnterec that market sevenyears ago.In early November, Mr Fn'lreichhired someone whose maln job willbe lOmanage t ile company 's Sizableprojects in Per th Amtoy and Allantic City, saying thai lhc IlC\\' 11IIehasworked extens ively In both urcan re-development and in New Jersey."This ts a dHfictlli niche to fill," hesaid. " It 's very l iard f inding someonewho has the fillancial acumen, whounderstands construct ion, whoknows how to deal wilh zoning andwith local offrclnls, and who also, 31the end of the day, can transtate allthis to tho bot tom l tne."Paul J. Lewis, the managing director a t Special ly Consul tants Inc.,all executive search linn In Pins,burgh, estimated that there werenow only about 200 executives na-tlonwide who were quali ficd 10 han-die large urban mixed-usc projects .


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While the role of the developer may vary from project (0 project, in most cases the developer works forthe owner (in some cases the CDC, in others himself) and is the overall manager of the many facets of aretail development project including:

Leasina: Identifying and screening the tenants that arc the foundation of any retail project.Without tenants, there is no project. Tenant mix consideration is important, as well as businessterms like credit, rate, term and fit-out,Planning: The layout and eventual design of the center will in large part determine its viability.The developer works with architects and engineers to design a plan that is attractive to tenants,cost effective and pleasing to customers,0 0 . ' l ~ n . r : D g n L R Q V J t i Q n : T he developer m ay have to w ork w ith loc a l, sta te a n d federa loffic ia ls on site c on trol, fu nd in g; a n d site pla n approva l. 0 ften the C DC plays a lead orsuppor t ing ro le in th is p ro ce ss.Financing: T he developer m ay u se h is c ap ita l c on ta c ts to help sec u re fin a n c in g for theprojec t a n d w ill p repa re the in form ation n ec essa ry for bo th pu b lic an d priv a te sec torf unds .C onstru ctio n M a na gem en t: T he developer w ill w ork w ith the gen era l con tra c to r toesta b lish a sc ope an d c ost for the projec t. D urin g c on stru ction , he w ill oversee thec on tra c tor to m ak e su re the pro jec t c om es in w ithin c ost a n d tim e bu dgets.P ro pe rty M a na gemen t: U ltim ately , the developer w ill m an age an d a c cou nt for theO pera tion of the property to pro tec t the ow ners in vestm en t.

B a sed on ou r experien c e, w e w ou ld rec om m en d tha t C DC 's b rin g a q u alified developer in to theirteam as sooo a s possib le in a pro jec t's life . How does on e pic k a q u alified developm en t pa rtn er')A sk other C DC 's the developer ha s w ork ed w ith a n d look for the fo llow in g:1 . Experience in Reta il Development - A stron g d evelopm en t pa rtn er shou ld ha ve exc ellen tlea sin g c apab ilities a n d esta b lished rela tion ships w ith reta ilers a s w ell a s a tra c k rec ord inp la n n in g, c on stru c tion m an agem en t, fin a n c in g an d governm en t rela tion s. R eta ild ev elopm en t is a spec ia lty ; n on -reta il dev elopers a rc n ot q ua li fied ,2 . Experience in U ..ban Reta il Development - A developer m ust a lso have en ou gh u rb anexperien ce to apprec ia te the U niq u e c ha llen ges a n d c on c ern s of these types of projec ts .A sk : w ha t o ther u rb an reta il projec ts ha ve you c om pleted?3. Commitment - U rban reta il p ro jec ts often ta k e m an y yea rs to C om plete. A q ua litydeve lopmen t partner ju st be c om m itted to the lon g-term su cc ess of the projec t.4. Deep In Ta lent - T hese pro jec ts a rc c om plic ated an d req uire a developm en t c om pan y w ith

m an y d ifferen t sk ills. R arely is this a sin g le person ; look for a fin n w ith a deep team an dlots o f b ac ku p.


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~omarr0w:5: : :engineeJ_:_=-=-- : : i : I :HO;;AR~~~~W~:(P;- : -_I _ = _ t _I ME E T Y OUR PROFE SS IONALI. D evelopm ent No tebook

Mentoring doesn't alwayshave to be a formal

process. Mentors don'thave to be formally

assigned to you, either.There may be a person thatyou work with that you canobserve more often thancommunicating with them.

No t ju st a no th e r self-help b oo k, a ndno b a tte rie s r equir ed .

A re you c om mitted to exc ellen c e' H ow abou t c on tin u ou sim provem en t? A nd how abou t those peop le tha t you a rc respon -sib le fo r on you r p ro jec t, in you r g rou p, you r d epa r tm en t, o r you rcom pan y? I f you r a n sw er w as n o or n o t a ll the tim e, a n d you w a n tto c ha n ge, le t m e su ggest you go ou t a n d pu rc hase a 3 -by ,5 -in .s pir al-b ou n d n ote bo ok .

W hy a sm a ll n otebook in this e lec tron ic iPod a ge? First, it's a lo tless m on ey a n d doesn 't n eed rec ha rg in g . B y keep in g it w ith you ,a ll you ha v e to do is pu ll it ou t a n d c a p tu re the m om en t, q u ote ,a nd /o r a ctiv ity u pd ate. P ro fession al dev elopm en t is a c on tin uou sproc ess an d you n eed to w ork a t it on a d a ily b asis . To co n t i n u -ou sly im prove , you n eed to k eep you r eye on the roa d a hea d of youw hile rou tin ely c hec kin g the rea r-v iew m irro r (lesson s lea rn ed ) fo rc o u rs e c o rr ec ti on .ORGA NIZA TIO N'S T HE K EY

N ow tha t you 've ru shed ou t to get you rn otebook , it is tim e to orga n iz e it in to six sec -tion s an d a tta c h a sec tion tab eq ua lly spa c edthrou ghou t the book . T he sec tion s shou ld b ela be le d a s f ollo w s:

1. T im e M an ag em e nt2 . C omm u n i c a ti on3 . Me n t or in g4 . P ro fe ss io n al D e v el op m e n t5 . J ob D ev elo pm e n t6 . H e a lt hA t the top of the first pa ge for ea c h sec tion ,

in ser t you r goa l this yea r , in th ree yea rs, a n d in sev en yea rs. W ithyou r yea r on e goa l, item ize th ree m ileston es n ec essa ry to a ch iev eth e g oa L

O n the top of the n ex t pa ge , in ser t the title "R esou rc es &M en to rs." A t the top of the th ird pa ge , in ser t the title "T hin gs T oA ch iev e (n ot th in gs to do)." L ea v in g a cou ple o f pa ges b la n k, titlethe n ex t pa ge " Qu otes & W ords T o W ork B y ."

E a c h of the six sec tion s shou ld fo llow the sam e fo rm at, b u t thec on ten t c ha n ges b eg in nin g w ith you r on e-, th ree-, a n d sev en -yea rgoa ls . A yea r-on e goa l shou ld b e a m ileston e tha t c an b e m on itoreda n d rea c hed , su ch a s:

I . T im e M an agem en t: M aster you r A , B , a nd C prio r ity proc ess2 . C om m un ic ation : P a rtic ipa te in a p resen ta tion a s a speak er3 . M en to r in g: S ha re you r n otebook proc ess w ith a n other4 . Pro fession al D ev elopm en t: P ar tic ipa te a nd v olu nteer5 . J ob D ev elopm en t: B e pro fic ien t in spec ific ation w ritin g6. H ea lth : W alk a m ile tw o ou t of ev ery th ree da ys

66 Engin~ered Systems December 2006

For yea rs th ree a n d sev en , you shou ld b e less specif ic , witha m in im um of fiv e m ileston es in lieu o f three , w hile rem ain in gmea s u r a b l e .

P a ge tw o resou rc es fo r eac h of the six sec tion s c an b e spec ificbook s, a u dioc asse ttes, o rga n iz a tion s, erc ., w hile a m en to r c ou ldb e a spec ific person w ho c a n help you d irec tly or in d irec tly v ia as pe cif ic a u th or o r p u blic a tio n.

T he resou rc es pa ge c a n b e filled in a s tim e goes by , a s you c om ea cross an in terestin g pu blic ation , o rga niz ation , or c on cep t. As fa ra s m en to rs, you c a n lea rn from the very b a d as w ell a s from thevery good . I h a ve ha d the opportu nity, over the yea rs, to observepeople in c ha rge w ho w ere n ot v ery good a t w ha t they d id . L essonlea rn ed ? D on 't d o it the ir w ay .

M en to r in g d oesn 't a lw ays hav e to b e a fo rm a l p roc ess. M en torsdon 't ha v e to b e fo rm ally a ssign ed to you , either . T here m ay be aperson tha t you w ork w ith tha t you c a n observ e m ore o ften th a nc om m un ic atin g w ith them .

P ag e th re e, " T hin gs To A ch ieve (n ot th in gsto do)" is an a logou s to the w ord s o f Y oda :"D o ' o r do n ot. T here is n o try." T o a c hiev eprog ressiv e profession al d ev elopm en t, youha ve to b e c om m itted to do the thin gs th a tn eed to b e don e a n d n ot sim p ly try to b epro fic ien t in tim e m a nagem en t, c om m u nic a-tion , m en tor in g, p ro fession al d ev elopm en t,job dev elopm en t, a nd hea lth .

"Q u otes a n d W ords T o W ork B y" is thep la c e in you r n o tebook w here you c a n w ritedow n im porta n t sta tem en ts you hea r o r rea dth at in sp ires y ou , re in fo rc e y ou r c om m itm e ntto p ro fession a l d ev elopm en t, an d /o r m ayc on tr ibu te to you r p ro fession . A fter a ll, if yOll

ha ve to get u p an d go to w ork , you n eed to en joyyou r w ork a n d do you r pa rt to b e the b est you c an b e a t you r job .S om e of the ph rases I u se, I 'v e b een u sin g them for yea rs a n d theycon tin u e to in spire an d en c ou ra ge m e w hen I n eed them .

W ith eac h of the six sec tion s a n d the fou r pa r ts o f ea ch sec tion ,you don 't n eed to fill in the n o tebook befo re you get sta r ted . lnfa c t, th is book is a perpetu al p roc ess o f ta k in g n otes, listen in g,lea rn in g, a nd c on tin uou sly im prov in g you r c om m itm en t (0 excel -len ce , a n d a t th is siz e , it c an a lw ays go w ith you . Ju st don 't pu t it inyou r sh ir t poc ket. Y ou 'll look lik e a n en gin eer . ES


30/58

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31/58

Networking is about developing a support system of jll'll-pie that you can rely upon, and who Ol rely upon )'l)l! inreturn. It is about building relationships and asking {orinformation, not jobs. If you ask for something that (,111 lweasily provided such as information about the in du strv , h ir-ing trends, and job search tips, you make it much easier forsomeone to grant your request. This allows YOLI to build oncurrent relationships and make new ones. Remember, if voumake a good impression and handle this appropri,ltcly, )'Durcontacts are likely to think of you when they hear aboutopenings. Also, just because you're the one looking for ,l jobtoday doesn't me a n that you won't be in a position to hiresomeone in the future. In addition, as an active job seeker,you are in a position to share the knowledge yo u hi) vogained through research and talking with peopl ill variousindustries or jobs-vsomething a lot of ern ployed Iwopl,'can't find enough time to do.

Building Professional Relationships:N e tw ork in g) In form a tion al In terv iew in g) an d M en torin g

'l4 Columbia Univvrsitv Center for CMC'l'r Education

Networking is something we all do naturally, usuallywithou t even realizing it. We do not hesitate to ask somcorn:for a restaurant recommendation, nursery school iI110I'm- Relatives >- Professors & Deans>- Friends >- Doctors>- Parents ' fr iends >- Clergy>- Friends' parents >- Former employers>- Neighbors >- AlumniPay particular attention to the casual friends and

acquaintances that you know as these people may havea number of their own contacts that you have never mel.Next, do your research, Look for information on yourchosen career path by searching the Web, reading theappropriate professional journals and newspapers,and / or talking to career counselors.Identify your objective. Do you want more generalinformation about an industry, or are you ready to gen-erate leads for potential jobs?Contact your list and ask them if they know anyone inyour field of interest to whom you can reach out to forinformation.Prioritize your contacts. Once you've figured oulexactly what kind of information you are looking for,you can determine the right people to contactDevelop a strategy. Generate questions that will get youthe information you need, Hint: You'd ask differentquestions during an informational interview than you'dask when meeting with a potential employer.Above all , respect your contact 's time and don't forgetto send a thank you note!

IN THIS SECTION

13u iIding profess iona l relationships is one of the most impor-tant ski lls to learn and cultivate. Not only is it an excellent\\'il)' to learn more about career options, bu tit is also the best\\',1), 10 f ind out about opportunities and a crucial success(,ldor once you Me on the job.

I addition, while you are exploring career options, talk-ing w ith pe ople in the field gives you the opportunity to; Sec a profession. up close and get an "insider" perspective Ask quest ionsObserve the work environment Cain insight to guide career choices iVleet professionals who may be able to assist with thejob searchNetworking, informational interviewing, and mentoring

a r t' r e la t io n s h ip - bu i l d ing strategies you c an lea rn to u se toyour advantagr.

NETWORKINGWhen it comes to careers, nothing compares to talking withpeople who actually work in the business. Networking isyour chance to speak with people in your industry of choiceto learn more about their careers and how to develop yourown. Stud ies repeatedly show that over 50% of job seekersfind positions through networking,If you are currently working or involved in your commu-ni ty, you are likely networking already without even real iz-ing it. And, in fact, the best time to begin networking is when

you are nor looking for a new position but rather in your dayto d(1)' life ,1S you get involved in new professional or per"sonal activiuos and meet new people.A "Power" Tool

Networking enables you to uncover information youcan't find anywhere else: Insider perspectives on industry trends Pros and con~ of working in a particular job or field

Starting From Scratch: Building a NetworkMany people are nervous about the idea of networkingbecause it conjures up images of either rejection oropportunistically using other people with no benefit pro-vided in return. While rejection may be part of networking,and job searching in general, it is absolutely 110/ true thatthere's nothing to be gained from networking unless you'retill' person who wants , 1 job.


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(- .. , .. :

Job Seeker StrategiesTried and true techniques tor finding a new JobWe usually approach this column from theperspective of an employer. I'd like to focus thismonth's column on the job seeker because thefraternity of unemployed in our industry is growing rapidly as the housing market declines,'f ile L ist t im c I sa w o u rin du stry go throu gh sucha majo r d ow n t u r n w asback in th e days of R TC(Resolut ion Tru s t Corp. )in the late 80S. S in ce then ,sn a il m ail, faxes an d Fedlixhave been replac ed by th eab ility to blast a resu me 10hundreds of people w ith on ekeystroke. T he Internet ha schan ged the ru les a n d tac tic so f' th e game , m u ch to you r: Ic !vantagc but with somework . For those of yo u [ac-Illg u n em ploym en t, here a rcII ps to gel back in 10 th e job'search arena.Resume PrimerFirst get you r resum eiii order. DO N U T ' u sc aSu rn rn a r y o r Q u a l i f i c ai io n sor Career Objec tive a t thetop; It'S a w aste of valuab lesp;lce an d p eo ple ra re ly readrhern.The sam e goes C or thelaundry list of c areer a cc orn -pl ishmcnts Oil the first pa ge.A n d d on 't title it " Cu rric ulu mV ira c' u nless you 're a pplyin gfor a position a t Oxford.

T he best resum e form atIS c lean an d con cise. Besides

you r n a m e an d con tac t in fer-marion. lim it you r resumeto com pan y n am e a n d loca -tion ; position s held (in clu d-in g da tes em ployed ); a briefdesc ription of the company ' sproduc t lin e or n ic he if it isnot a recognizable name;c ore respon sib ilities in twoor three sen ten c es: c losedunit volume, revenue andprofitability: direc t reportsan d n um ber o r sta ff; a n dtw o to three k ey a cc om plish-men t s .Just the FactsAs you begin n etw ork in g ,I recom m end sen din g anin trodu c tory c -m a il tha tin c lu des you r ba sic c a reerda ta in the tex t body. T hiswill help the reader lea rnm ore abou t you w ithou t ha v-in g 10 open a n a tta chm en t.

N ote tha t a tta chm en tsa re on e of the key triggersC or S P AM filters. L eav in g ana tta chm en t off w ill im provethe c ha n c e of you r e-m a ilbeing received.

T he same is tru e for mesosages w ith HTML ; send th emessage in plain text fo rma tinstead.

Useful Links

\ : ; , 1 ouqJ-; www.uahb.orq

www.phbca.orq

Interviewing Tips

www.quintcurocrs,'behavioralintervi()winHhtml

www.probuilder.com

www.the lacnqro up.com LOG ON i() sco ;; ,;!l!llple

r G ;i Ul T1 e o r a n e X ; lm p fe o fhow 10wnlU i.l qUick c on wc l (" .rnail , Visit u s [' Itwww.ProBuilder_com

Think like AHeadhunterI t w ill lake ,I r ew days 10exha u st you r person :" Ill'twork a n d the m y ria d rc~ \ !n1 l 'postin g serv ic es su ch ;I:;Ca re e rBu i l d e r.c o rn orB u ild er] obs.c om . N ext COll1C'~a m ore ta rgeted a pproa ch .

Begin by idcnufying geo-gra phic m arkets tha t in terestyou, Nar row it to tile top 10'20 bu ilders in those marketsthrou gh n ew hom e gu it! ('~a nd sim ila r on lin e resou rc es.then iden tify sen ior (X(([1rives or own ers .:

Send them an innoduc-tory e-m ail or letter, thenrepeat till' process fc n oth.-rr n a r ke ts . T il i s \ 1 ' 1 1 1 !"( 'qlll !"( 'work on )'ou r pa rt bu t rc su lt.:in a more ta rg ete d jo b s c.r rc h.Y ou 'll a lso be m u ch 11101"('f;l lnil iar with the loc al m a rk etif you get an interview

C ood lu ck a n d I ) ( 's t \v is li l 'sto a ll o f" yO\! in 200,? PB

R o d n e 1 / ( 1 1 / i, n : ;ellio /"pent.ner lVil l l TI,,: Til/Oil CI"OI ' ,1),a l ea di ng cxn:ldiv( .\(:n/"i}; j imlspecializing il"l th e r(III,'SI(II,development IIlId h om e I!ln /d i n g i n du s ui c s.

43
http://www.uahb.orq/http://www.phbca.orq/http://www.probuilder.com/http://www.the/http://www.the/http://www.probuilder.com/http://www.phbca.orq/http://www.uahb.orq/


33/58

. . , _ - - - - - - - - - - .. ,-.~Sunday , December 1 7, 2 00 6 T h e journa l N ew s

- upda te , h t o o l . Check it eve~ ,ResUllle, ou r m ost irn po~t Job.sear~s in the best posslble w ayY o u r resume 1S y i t ' s presenting y o u r sn th or so to en su re 1me d bers K eep it short, Emp loye rs u nd er sta n nUID 'illy your valu e, , Quan , e skills, Em phaS lZ e langu ag ported yourself.. h you 1ve sup Descnbe ow . ' ast an d presen t. L ist in tern ships. . you !ve worked for illthe p D esc rib e the ~ om p a::d in g e.m a ll address. U se a p ro fe ss1onal'

Find a b .,Seek ~elp.ls~ fo!a .S~ ,.l 1 1 t e l ' V : i e w s with . a s S I s t a n c e With S tay 0 '. friends, Y our r esUIne Pr .positi P S J t i v e . Your fu tu r ' a ctic e ilJ oc k

U se v :nO ~~O k . e e I1 1ployer W an ts to h ire s111en t, to l11akere~ources a V a . i . 1 a . b l e t'. OlIleolle \Viti] c 1

T a r g e t h i r i n g : g s e a s i e r f o r YOur~f l U t l I 1 c l U ding o f B e e . ConSider tem . a . g e r s , tb e fea l dec ' ~ , eqUlp .P l J 1 g as a w a . y to lSlO n IIlak e rs a . t a .111ake l110ney whi l C o m p a n y or firm-, e you 're looki l lg ..

Prepared for Th e Journal News Advertising Department

List o f r efe rence sA stro ng re fe re nc e l i s t shou ld c on sist of five to ten people w h o canspeak to y o u r work pla ce stren gth s a nd sk ills, T alk t o your r efe rences . Tell them beforehand so they canprepa re a su c cin ct statement abou t you. Provid e r efe rences . Don' t wait for a rec ru iter to a sk for you rreferences. Instead, han d them over du rin g the interview, K eep in touch. Y o ur referen ces shou ld b e k ept u p-to-d ateo n y ou r c a re er! e sp ec ia lly if you 're la u nchin g a n ew job search.


34/58

C o ns tru ctio n L aw

SuccessfuL Projects Start W ith Smart PLanning

www.newyork .const ruc t ion .com/op i l l i 0 11 s /a rc l1 iv e/0 41 2 .. 1 a w . a sp

process to avoid deep p it fa lls . B ased on 30y ea rs o f p la nn in g, t ro ub le sh o ot in g, m e di at in g,a rb it ra t in g , a n d l it ig a ti ng c o ns tr uc t io n d is p ut esfo r c lie nt s, w e 'v e id en tifie d 10 construct ion

By J oh n O sb orn d is as te r p re ve nt io n tip s fo r o w ne rs .1. A ss em ble a s trate gic te am a t th e ou tse t

Ow ners should ch eck o ff 1 0 steps - o f t he c ap ita l p la nn in g p ro ce ss .both stra teg ic and con tractua l -th a t can lead to success on apro ject and cut dow n on unneces-sa ry lit ig atio n, de lay s, or w orseou tcom es like job sh utdow ns andbankruptcy .

2. prepare y our ow n contrac ts fo r des igna nd c on str uc tio n in y ou r fa vo r. In o th er w o rd s,set th e ru les and p lay by th e ru les.3 . E sta blish g ro un d ru le s a nd p ro ced ure sfo r e va lu at in g in cre as es in s co pe a nd p ric e.4. Fu lly deve lop th e arch itec t's des ign and during the pro jec t a re essen tia l, th e ow ner

know th e estim a ted cost as th e design sh ou ld avo id b ind ing d ispu te reso lu tionevo lves. D o no t b id befo re th e design is com - th rough th e courts o r a rb itra tion . If y ou m ustp le te . Do not b id be fore you know th e pro jec t en te r b ind ing d ispu te reso lu tion , th e courts

J oh n Osborn is a partne r in th e New York Cilyb as ed c on st ru ctio n c on tra ct lit ig at io n a nd e nv ir on -menta l la w firm o f J oh n E . O sb orn P C

Du rin g a c o ns tr uc tio n or renova tion pre ]- cost. Th e answ er is care fu l prepara t ion , not a re c learly prefe rable to arb itra tion.e ct , p ro ble ms a re in ev it ab le . D is as te rs a re n ot . v alu e-e ng in ee rin g a nd re -b id din g. 8. K ee p th e p ro je ct m ov in g d uring dis puteAt th e en d of th e d ay , a dv an ce d p la nnin g is th e 5 . Know your im pedimen ts and c lear them . reso lu t ion . Th e con trac t must require it.on ly w ay to preven t ty pica l p roblem s from Th e ow ner m ust know abou t and address w et- P rom pt, s tra teg ic, and dip lom atic act ion On t heturning in to disaste rs . lands, u tilities , zon ing , underg round tanks, and part o f construc tion counse l a llow s th e pro jec t

A t th e beg inning o f th e cap ita l deve lopment asbestos. Do no t le t th ese facto rs de lay you to move ahead even in th e face o f th e w ors tp rocess, th e ow ner m ust assem ble a team during construc tion, p ro jec t d ispu tes. To avo id s ign ifican t financ ia lth at s ets th e stra te gy fo r p lan ning , d esig nin g, 6. Look for po ten tia l ch anged cond itions dam age to th e pro jec t, ow ners sh ou ld no t fireand construc ting a p rojec t. and d isc lose th em to potent ia l b idders . If th e contrac to rs . L ikew ise , con tracto rs sh ould no tTh e ow ner's s tra teg ic team is best com - con trac tor d iscovers ch anged cond it ions such qu it .

prised from the ou tset o f th e arch itec t, con- as subsurface rock , underg rou nd springs, o r 9. E sta blis h a nd fo llo w c on sis te nt a nd c le ars tru ct io n m an ag er, a nd o wn er's represents- u na nt ic ip at ed s oil c on di ti on s d ur in g construe- lines o f com mun ica tion am ong th e pro jec ttive . The ow ner shou ld a lso h ave lined up on lion , it can be inord ina te ly expensive to cor- team members, It is crit ica l tha t th e team fo lthis team a construct ion a ttorney , an in -h ouse ree t. If y ou discover th em pre-b id, you can low up w eek ly p ro jec t m ee tings im med ia te lyeng ineering or fac il it ies d irec to r, and an exec- w ork around them and b id th e w ork cost-er- w ith a cc urate jo b m ee tin g m in ute s.ut ive decision-maker; such as a pres iden t or fec tive ly . 10 . Th e ow ner m ust cons istent ly m on itorb oa rd c h ai r. 7 . S et th e c la im reso lu tion procedure a t the perfo rm ance of each o f the pro jec t pertici-

In se tting stra tegy , th e team m ust ant ic ipa te ou tse t. G et th e procedure into every one of pan ts and w eigh in on decis ion-mak ing . Itpoten t ia l p rob lem s and incorporate sa fe - your con trac ts cons is ten tly . Estab lish th e must mon ito r the basic life s igns - sch edule .guards. O th erw ise, p rob lem s th at can cause stra teg ic , investigato ry , and decis ion-m ak ing budget, and qua lity - cons is ten tly .severe shortcom ings in budge t, sch edu le, o r ro les o f th e arch itec t, construc tion m anager, It is ve ry s im ple . Th e ow ner can , and m ust.qua lity can lead to abandoning th e pro jec t o r construc t ion a tto rney , ow ner's represen ta t ive , define th e p lay ing fie ld by se tt ing th e ru les,even bankrup ting th e ow ner. and pres iden t o r board ch a ir. S o lve each prob- d ra ft in g th e c on tra cts , a nd c on tro ll in g t he proi-

But th e re are basic act ions an ow ner can lem promptly a s it a rises during construc tion. ect. Th is top 10 l is t for proje ct su cc es s o ffe rstake a t th e outse t o f th e capita l p lann ing Wh ile se tt lemen t d iscuss ions or med ia tion ow ners a c lear ca ll to act ion .


35/58

remod ell ngmaga~i ne, com

VourB usinessW ays+Means con t inuedPeople+Skilis

Cle ar Ch a nn elsAre there communication stoppers in your business?

A r es ea rc h s tu d y q u o te d i n t he b o ok Deve lo p in g Man a .g emen t S k i ll s , b yD a v i dWh e tte n a n dK i m C a m ero n , fo u nd th at e ff ec tiv e in te rp er so n al c o mm u n ic a tio n w a s j o dg ed to b e th em o st im p orta nt m a n ag eria l sk ill to m a ste r fo r b usin ess o wn ers o r m a n ag ers w h o tru lyw a n t to b u il d a s tr on g c om pa n y.

G o od c omm u n ic a tio n s kill s c a n b e a n im p o rta n t f ac to r in b u il din g te am s , s el lin g a v is io n , a n de n c ou r ag in g t he m o s t f rom emp lo y ee s. P o or s k il ls c a n l ea d to d is tr u st , d is ta n t r el at io n sh ip s, i n-a c c u r a te me s s ag e s, f ru s tr a ti on , a n d d e c re a se d p r od u c t iv it y.

W ith th at in m i nd , w h at a re y ou d oin g to im p ro ve t~ e c omm u n ic a tio n f lo w w ith in y ou r o ff ic e? .T h e f ir st s te p is to re aliz e th at c o mm u n ic a tio n , lik e m a n y in te rp er so n al s kil ls , is a b eh av io r

th at c an b e im p ro ved w ith w ork a nd p ra ctic e. T he n it's tim e to fo cu s y ou r a tte ntio n o n th e w a yy ou c omm u n ic a te w ith th e p eo ple ' a ro u nd y ou . O n e o f th e m o st c o mm o n p ro bl em s is th e o ve ru seo f c o n v er sa ti on s to p pe rs . T h es e b eh a vi or s h a lt p ro d uc ti ve d is c u ss io n s in t he ir t ra c k s. In terru ption s. I f y ou ju m p in w ith a n a nsw er b efore th e o th er p erson is fin ish ed spea kin g,y ou 'r e a ss um i n g y ou k n ow th e a n sw e r w ith ou t f ul l in fo rm a tio n : I t's c o nd es ce nd in g a n d c a n le adt o p r ov id in g i n c o rr ec t s o lu t io n s . In ap pro pria te to ne o f v oic e. I f y ou 're ex asp era ted o r im p atien t, y ou r v oic e c an ea sily c arryth a t a tt it ud e i nt o y o ur c o n ve rs a ti on . F ew emp lo y ee s w i ll c o n ti n ue a s ki ng f or i np u t o r c l ar if ic a ti onif th ey 're feel y ou 're to o b usy fo r th em o r th at y ou th in k their qu e s ti on s a r e s t u p id . L ac k o f ey e 'c on ta ct. F ew th in gs m a k e a 'p erso n fee l le ss im p orta nt th an n ot ev en m a k in g th ee ff or t to l oo k a t th em . E xtern al d istra ctio ns. D o y ou a nsw er th e p h on e, a nsw er e-m a il, o r ta lk to o th er p eo ple a t th es am e tim e o n e o f y ou r e m plo ye es is tr yin g to d is cu ss s om e th in g w ith y ou ? If s o , y o u ' re i n st an t lytelegra phin g th at som eo ne - a nyo ne - is m ore im p orta nt tha n h e o r sh e i s,

I n ste a d, t ra in y o u rs el f to u s e t he f ol low in g c ommu n i c ati on e n ha n c er s, w h ic h e n c ou r ag e o p enc o nv ers atio n a n d s ho w y ou r e m pl oy ee s th at th ey a re im p o rta n t a n d y ou -c a re a bo u t t he ir is su es . Foc u s Oil th e in d iv id u al . S to p W h a t yo u 're d oin g a n d g iv e y ou r e ntir e a tte ntio n to th e p er so nto w h om y ou 'r e s pe ak in g . A c tiv ely listen . G iv e th e o th er p erso n a n o pp ortu n ity to sh are th eir th ou gh ts. U se verb al en -c ou ra ge m en t su c h a s, " Go o n" ; " Tell m e m o re" ; " W hy d o y ou sa y th at? " T his c on vey s t he id eath at y ou th in k em p lo yees a re im p orta nt a s p eo ple a nd th at y ou v alu e w h at th ey h av e t o sa y. D elv e d ee pe r. A sk q u estio ns u n til y ou 're S U rey ou h av e th e w ho le sto ry a nd u n de rsta nd th eircon ce rn . P ara phra se . T o m a ke su re tha t y ou u nd ersto od th em , rep ea t ba ck w ha t th ey to ld y ou . O nlyth en ; m o v e to h el p d ev el op a s olu tio n . R esc hed ule. I f y ou 're ju st to o b usy to g iv e s om eo ne yo ur fu ll a tten tio n, a sk th em if yo u c anr es c he du l e th e m e e tin g , a n d th en f ol low th ro u g h.

W o rk in g to im p ro ve y ou r c o mm u n ic a tio n s kills c a n h av e h u ge d iv id en d s f or y ou r b u sin es s.Y o u 'll f in d y ou r re la tio nsh ip s to b e m u c h m o re p ositiv e a nd w ork w ill b ec om e a n e ve n m o re en -jo ya bl e, p ro du c tiv e p la c e to b e. - V ic to ria D o wn in g i s p r es id en t o f R em o de ler s A d va nt ag e, F u l-t o n, Md . 3 0 1. 4 90 .5 6 20 , Vic t o r i a@Remode le r sAdvan t age , com .


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c o m m e n t a r y M a r k R i c h a r d s o nT en K eys to Leade rsh ip

Strong leaders have common traits. Where do you rank?

hat makes for strong leadership? We all know itwhen we see it; the trick isto articulate what the keyingredients are. Here are 10 key elements that I

believe form the common denominator among successful lead-ers in any industry.Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is learned

just like other skills, but only if you invest the time and effort.Managing and leading are not the same thing. Being a goodmanager is not, on its own, a guarantee that someone will be-come a good leader.Leaders must walk the talk. Leaders not only make

the rules, they must follow those rules, This is harder than youthink. Take sales, for exam-ple. Most business leadersare good salespeople, andgood salespeople oftenbreak the rules. BUl youearn your team's height-ened respect when youmake a deliberate effort tocreatively accomplish yourgoals without violating orcorrupting policies you putinto place.Leaders CUltivate

trust. But good leadersknow that trust is not a

right. It must be earned through honesty and consistency; bybeing proactive, not reactive, in looking out for everyone's in-terest; and by keeping promises.Leaders continually invest in their people. It takes

time to see a proper return on the expense of recruiting, inter-viewing, and training personnel. A poor leader looks for short-term results and often stops spending on human resources if fi-nancial returns are slow to appear. A great leader continuallyinvests, monitors, motivates, and trains, knowing that the re-turns will be there eventually.Leaders set realistic expectations. An o rg an iz a -

remodelingmagazine.com

lion is healthier when its goals - for sales, production, clientsatisfaction, and so on - are attainable. Employees experi-ence less stress and make better decisions in this type of envi-ronment.Leaders set objective standards. They understand

the value of performance goals that can be quantified, like sales,margin, and budgets. They know what their company's numbersare and what they should be.Leaders monitor progress.They establish systems to

measure actual performance against stated goals, then checkprogress regularly. Regular monitoring enables leaders to makeminor tweaks that keep the company's plan on course.Leaders have vision. Leaders know where their organ-

ization is headed, and they constantly communicate that visionto their team. If the vision is strong enough, a good leader candelegate its implementation without having to micromanage thedetails.Leaders find good teachers. Like top athletes, lead-

ers find coaches and mentors to help them and everyone on theirteam reach ever higher levels o f per formance , Good leaderslook both within and outside their organizations for people tofill those roles.Leaders take responsibility for poor perform"

ance. They understand that most underperforming employeesare the product of a poor hiring decision or poor training. Mostmanagers retain underperfonning employees too long becausethey set unrealistic expectations and lack objective ways toevaluate performance. Good leaders understand that retainingari employee under these circumstances works against the em-,ployee's interest as well as the company's.

Rank yourself against these 10 criteria. If you score muchlower on certain qualities, create an action plan to raise the bar.Leadership is a mastery process, and you will always be work-ing to reach the next level, -M ar k R icha rd so n is p res id en t o fCa se D es ig n/R em odelin g a nd Ca se H an dym an S erv ic es ,Beth es da , M d ., a nd th e author of 30-Day Remodeling FitnessProgram. H e c an be r ea ch ed a t 30 1.2 29 .4 600 o r m ric ha rd so n@casedes i gn . c om .

Remodeling September2004 37
mailto:@casedesign.com.mailto:@casedesign.com.


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W orkplace, ' ~~.)~ " " .

The art of questionsWhen people have a conversation,their questions and answers gothrough filter systems and are affectedby personal ~lants of perception. For thisreason, asking questions and analyzinganswers can become tricky.However, knowing how to properly

ask and answer questions can help youimprove communication with clientsand prospects.

QuestionsAccording to the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology's (MiT's) Teaching andLearning Laboratory, Cambridge, Mass. ,a good question is relatively short, clearand unambiguous. To be effective, askonly one question at a time, A string ofquestions most likely will confuse yourprospect or client.Pay attention to the responses you

receive because they will reveal howeffect ively you have phrased a question.Sometimes, when prospects don't re-spond or respond poorly, it's because thequestion has been too vague or broad. Itmay help to think backwards: Begin withthe answer you want to get, and devise aquestion that will lead to that answer.MIT suggests the best way to catego-

rize questions is from relatively closedto relatively open.Closed questions ask for a specific an-

swer; for example, closed questions askfor a "yes" or "no" response. Anothertype of closed question is the "Are youwith me?" question that asks the listenerto acknowledge his buy-in.Open questions require more

thought, such as "How long do youintend to live in your house?" These

Professional Roofing November 2005\

b y Karen Cortell Reisman

questions will provide greater insights:the trick is to be quiet and listen to theresponses.After asking a question, hold out as

long as possible for a response. Manypeople, if they don't receive an immedi-ate response, instantly rephrase the ques-tion, repeat it or answer it themselves.The latter is a particularly bad strategybecause the listener will be even lessinclined to answer the question.Let at least five seconds pass before

you say anything. A study at MIT of col-lege physics classrooms found increasingwait time to five seconds had a positiveeffect on class participation, not onlyduring that particular class session butfor the course as a whole.Also, be aware a customer's first an-

swer may not be his best. Izzy Gesell, apersonal and business coach for Izzy G &Co., Northampton, Mass., says, "A firstanswer rarely identifies the underlyingcause or motivation."

His rule of thumb is to go to thesecond and third levels. For example: Level 1 question: "Why are you hesi-tant to make this decision?"Levell answer: "I'm overwhelmed."

Level 2 question: "Why are youoverwhelmed?"Level 2 answer: "I think I'm confusedabout the insurance appraisal vs. yournumbers." Level 3 question: "How is this confus-ing you?"Level 3 answer: "My neighbors had abad experience ... "Gesell says: "The root of the issue is at

the third level, A much more potentiallyproductive conversation will happen

I , then. You know you have the best answer.when the issue' gets resolved or the clientI or prospect is able to challenge his limit-I ing assumptions."AnswersIf you are on the receiving end of aquestion, give your client or prospect achance to frame his question, The silencemay be uncomfortable, but it's impor-tant. Convince your potential customeror client with your tone of voice andbody language that you are receptive tohis inquiries.

When giving your answers, considerthe following: Be sure you understand the questionbeing asked. If you're not sure whatthe client or prospect asked, rephrasethe question in your own words.

Be as direct as possible with youranswer,

Be aware of your eye contact, I f you areanswering questions from multiple peo-ple at one setting. such as a husband-wife team during a home presentation.look at both people when answeringyour question, The passive participantmay be the decision-maker.

CommunicateAsking clear questions and givingthoughtful answers are equally impor-tant. Treating both with a thoughtfulattitude will improve the way youcommunicate and increase yourproductivi ty. "'. f : ! .Karen Correll Reisman owns a companyc alled S pea k For Y ou rse lf ," D alla s, a nd isa u t h o r of T h e N ck ed T ru t h a b o u t G iv i n g G re a tS p e e c h e s ,

21


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W orkplace

W hen meeting with small-businessclients, some questions I often askare: "When you retire, who will manageyour assets so you can continue to live[he lifestyle to which you have becomeaccustomed? Will it be your children?Your key employees? Your job foreman?"

Most small-business owners do notrealize if their succession planning hasnot been addressed, the people who willmanage their companies not only willdetermine their incomes following re-tirement but also whether they willhave businesses from which to retire.

For many business owners, the subjectof a succession plan is not addresseduntil it is LOO late and the values of [heirbusinesses already have declined. Whensuccession is not addressed earlier in thelife cycle of"a business, a business owneroften is forced to retain an income fromthe business that amounts to a returnon his lifelong investment. If subsequentmanagement falters, the retiree will havelost income and a decreased asset valueif the business is liquidated.

From the successor's standpoint. beingforced to pay retirement income creates aproblem by depriving the growing com-pany of the lifeblood it needs to grow~cash. In most situations, [his incomecould be used to expand the business,hire employees or purchase equipment.A business's failure becomes a possibil itywhen these factors force the two genera-tions to realize there is no plan 10 survive,let alone succeed. As a result, familiesoften are torn apart.

Forming a plan!-low can you avoid this situation? Isuggest you create a written succession

22

Be preparedby Brian Heckert

plan. The following list of business sue-cession essentials highlights the mostcommon areas of concern, as well as so-lutions to these concerns, so you can ad-dress them before it is too late. Planfor s u c c e s s o r m a r w g e m c n l . Far roo manysmall, family-owned companies as-sume successor management is a fam-ily right, not an earned right. The mostsuccessful businesses attempt to trainfamily members first and then, if it isevident they are not prepared to runthe company, hire outside talent to doso. If this seems harsh, it may help torealize many families other than yourown depend on the success of thebusiness. If selected carefully andhonestly, the hired talent can managethe business and return a profitthat exceeds the additional costto recruit and pay them to run thebusiness.

F u n d an exit s t m t c 8 Y . Cash is needed tofund your exit salary, hire replacementhelp, and pay for survivor income andestate settlement costs that occur fromthe transfer. Proper planning for thiscash need will require a steady, consis-tent program.

A v o id s uc ce ss io n c on fl i c t b et w ee n [(lmilyand k e ye m p l o y e e s . Educating the parties involvedabout the roles and responsibilities ofeach job description and expectedprofit goals will help reinforce a teamapproach and reduce conflict. Anotherapproach is to assign different job re-sponsibilities to team members. DOingso wil l help reinforce accountabilityand give each member specific rolesand duties that should not conflictwith other team members.

Create( 1 1 1 e m e r g e n c y plan for retirement,death 01d i s a b i l i t y of k e y e m p lo y e es . If you create adisaster plan and list of important in-formation in the even! of an untimelydeath or departure, your business willrun more smoothly because employeeswill not be searching for information.Questions such as, "Where arc the im-portant business documents? Who isthe corporate attorney? Who can signthe corporate checking account? Whois the trustee for the retirement plan)Who signeclthe notes at the bank andare they due upon death?" should beanswered in a written format that iseasy to find when needed. Also, con-sider insuring key people to providethe cash needed to offset the financialeffect of this loss.

C rea te a blu eprintYou probably would walk away from aproject if the plans were simply verbaland so vague that you could not saidycomplete the project in a profitable man-ner. Yet you may be asking your family,customers and employees to continue toinvest their time and energy in your firmwithout a blueprint for the continuationof your business or the capital to allowthe business to operate in a viable man-ner after your departure. By addressingthese issues early on, you can create awriuen, enforceable agreement to en-sure your company remains successfuland profitable for generatiOns tocome. ~.#Brian Heckert is president of PENFiexServices Inc, abusiness consultingfirm with offices in Nashville, iu..an d Peoria , III .

j \l ly 2006 www.profcss.onalroofing.nct
http://www.profcss.onalroofing.nct/http://www.profcss.onalroofing.nct/


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O c t o b e r, . .Newsl ine. , .;'. '. .~.

IIIN ews Money Sports ' . t i r e 'G e t b r e a k i n g news u p d a t e d 2 4 h o u r s a d a y ,7 d a y s a w e e k a t w w w . u s a t o d a y . c o m

, .

' c r i s i smanagement !.~?~~~~~,~~~~~,E~~~~~.~~.

By Shannon Reil ly and SUlY Parker, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/http://www.usatoday.com/


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peopl~tSkills-. \.~.', '. ' - .

Delegate Effectivelyhink about a time that you were del-egated to poorly. In some cases, aproject was given to you without the

information you needed to successfully com-plete the task. In others, the project was onethat no one wanted, and "delegating" wassimply the term used to dump it on someoneelse. At other times, the boss second-guessedyour every move.

Now flip the coin and think about a timewhen the-delegat ion of a project went partic-ularly well. What happened? The managertook the time to explain the project com-pletely and to answer questions. You under-stood the expected results. You were giventhe resources to develop the project. Yourboss allowed you to devise solutions andchecked in with you enough to help - butnot to intrude. When you were successful,everyone was proud and happy.Now it's your turn. Here are some stepsto consider when beginning your journeyinto delegation.IiDecide when to delegate: A basicrule of thumb is to delegate before you haveto. Wait too long and two problems result:First, delegation becomes simply a methodfor relieving the manager's workload andstress - a primary reason for delegating isforgotten (that of training employees to be .thinking, responsible, contributing teammembers) - and employees will feel thatthey are pressure valves for managers andnot really valued.

Second, when delegation occurs onlyunder pressure, there's no time for training.Mistakes and failures will increase, and man-agers will be tempted to take back tasks in

order to ensure quality - defeating thpurpose.IIDecide what to delegate: Look aroutine activities. Are there simple adminis-trative tasks that could be given to others ostaff? If so, do it now.

If you're planning to delegate moreadvanced tasks, ask yourself if youemployee's capabilities will be expanded bthe assignment - a central reason that youchose to delegate.

Never underestimate a person's potential;delegate slightly more than you think theperson is capable of handling. Expect themto succeed, and you will be pleasantly surprised more often than not.

But don't just delegate scut work. Standard thinking is to delegate those things youhate doing. Yet some experts take the contrary view that delegating a few things thayou love will keep you interested in youremployee's progress and successes.

However, there are some activities youshould never delegate: creating the longrange vision for the company; hiring keydepartment managers; performance appraisalsfor management; disciplinary action fokey managers; financial management; andstrategic planning.

Should employees have some option inwhether they accept the delegation? Gettingbuy-in from the employee will definitelyincrease commitment to the project.

Next month we'll discuss how to choosethe right person and determine the level oauthority you want to give them. -VictoriaDowning is president of Remodelers Advan-tage, Laurel, Md. 301.490.5620.


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Anger Managementobody en joys bein g con fron ted by an gry c lien ts , b u t avoid in g them " is ab solu te ly thew orst th in g you c a n do ," pa rtic u la rly if you 're in their hom e n ea rly every d ay , saysB everly K oehn , a c on su lta n t to rem odelers an d bu ild ers . "T he m in u te you sta rt av oid -in g them , you d ig you rself in to a deeper hole."

R ather th an hopin g the p rob lem w ill go aw ay , show you c a re a bou t their c on c ern s, K oehnsa ys. H er sho rtha nd stra tegy is c alled LAUGH:

isten: "L et them ven t," K oehn says. T u rn off you r c ell phon e, ta k e n otes, a n d o ffer you ru nd iv ided a tten tion . N e ver in terru pt or ob jec t.cknowledge: M ake eye c on ta c t. N od you r hea d , soften you r sta n ce , a n d otherw ise u se

M. p ositiv e b od y la n gu a ge .nderstand: "D on 't a llow you r ow n em otion s to c on tro l the situ ation ," K oehn says, pa r-tic ula rly if the tw o of you have c la shed b efo re. T ry to see th in gs from their poin t of v iew .ive suggestions/options: A pologiz e for the in con ven ien ce , a n d a sk how they 'd rec -om m en d m ov in g forw ard . N ever m ak e dem an ds or u se the exc u se of c om pa n y po lic y .umanize the situation: "R em em ber, w e 're a ll hum an bein gs," K oehn says. "T ellyou rself tha t th is is on e o f the n ic est people you 'v e ever m et, a n d you 're ded ic a ted to re -

spon din g to their c on c ern s."If the c lien t rem a in s a n gry a n d bec om es a bu siv e, d on 't en gage them by sayin g n obody ta lk s

to you tha t w ay . In stea d , K oehn says, m ak e a soften in g sta tem en t an d defin e you r pa ram eters:you w an t to w ork th is ou t, bu t you w on 't pa rtic ipa te in tha t k in d of la n gu age. S u ggest a five-m in u te b rea k, a nd ex it profession a lly . T hey 'll p rob ab ly retu rn a sh am e d a nd c oopera tiv e.

T hese stra teg ies w ork fo r a ll fie ld sta ff , in clu din g laborers a n d others in c lay -to-day con -ta c t w ith hom eow ners. Pa ss them on .

Beverly Koehn can be reached at [email protected]. -L.T56 Remodeling February 2006
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected].


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expert [s] forcsigh l - o ver o bsta c les


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IIp1shmanspeyefi l L . . Wopm-t i ' i I JTishman Speyer PropertiesClick here for company Information

Project ManagerPost Date:Start Date:location:

Oct 01, 2004immediateUnited States - NewYork - NewYork,

Type:Salary:Job Reference:

Full t

1618

Job Description:The project Manager is the common thread of a project's management and execution from initial pre-constructthrough successful completion, turnover, and utifization of the project. It is the function of the Project Manger'supervise and coordinate the project organization in order to complete the work on time, within the budget aniquality specified, while serving as the Owner representative on the Owner-Construction Manger-Architect-Engilteam. In the performance of this function, the Project Manager is responsible to protect and promote the intencompany tnall matters, and to take actions as required to satisfy responsibilities which include, but are not limthe following duties and responsibilities.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

To coordinate and direct the design, engineering, cost, and construction functions and they relate to the(s) under his/ her direction.

To establish and maintain effective relationships with the Construction Manger (CM) and Architect & Eng(A&E) team.

To meet at regular intervals, or more often if required, with the CMand A&E team for the purpose of re vall aspects of the project.

To keep the Project Executive currently advised on the status of the budget, schedule, and project outlo

To ensure that the project's goal and objectives are an active part of the fabric of all interaction by the (designers and others.

To have complete knowledge of the general contract and subcontract documents on his/ her project.

To see that all drawings and specifications are examined by the consultants for suspected design deficie


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constructability, impractical details and code violations and see to it that appropriate changes are made to corrdeficiencies. To establish and monitor the administration procedures for the project as described in the Consultant PrManual. To review and understand the projects' budget and cost reports and ensure that the CM complies withadministrative requirements of both. To assure that applications for payment by the e M and consultants are properly submitted, processed, apayments are properly distributed. To keep management informed as to the progress of the project, its financial status, and current Owner"Consultants relations. To determine the requirements of local Building Department and zoning regulations and ensure that theArchitect, Consultants, and CM comply with same. Chair monthly or weekly meetings, to be attended by the CM, Project Architect, and Project Engineers a:any others the Project Manger may designate.Skills: Possesses exceptionally sound judgment, as a result of his/her experience, to determine quickly, accuraindependently, whether or not an opportunity is viable; values realism over ungrounded optimism. Strong, creative and intuitive leader, with an outstanding ability to develop, lead, motivate and mange cwell as be a leader who inspires excellence throughout the entire company. A self starter. Will be profit driven and capable of juggling a number of projects at one time. Current knowledge and understanding of general contracting and construction management including ccprices, materials, alternate methods of construction, and the workings and players of the trade subcontracting Must possess a keen and current understanding of building methods, cost reports, progress reports, estialternates, and process.

Highly organized and self motivated with excellent verbal and written communications skills. Has the initiative to pull a project together on his/her own, while still being flexible and objective enouglchange as conditions warrant. A strong ability in negotiating, structuring, and documenting all relevant agreements and materials incJuadministration, interpretation, and controls. Must have the sktlls and style of a good negotiator and deal- make

EducationGraduate degree in Architecture, Engineering, or Construction Management.Comments:Tishman Speyer Properties offers an excellent benefit package, which includes:medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, qualified transportation expense, long term disability, life insurance,and profit sharing


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~6 Inursuay, January LO, LUU( Sound Snore Express1 msin 55

Engineer's dreamhas come .trueFor Larchmont man,restoring Manhattanbuild ing a ca reer h ighAllan DruryThe J o ur n al N e w sWhen Rick Lefever and his bud-dies from Lafayette College in East-on, Pa., would make trips to Manhat-tan to enjoy the New York nightl ife,Lefever would gaze in wondermentat the soaring buildings tha t formedthe world's most famous skyline.',Hill Iascination., with the city'sbuildings and their design datedback to his childhood, when he reada sjory inTime magazine about a re-habilitation of the exterior of the the

5S.stoty Woolworth Building, the so-called Cathedral of Commerce, thatwent awry.Today, Lefever, 46, is putting hisown mark on some of New York'smost storied buildings.Lefever, a Larchmont resident, isthe president of Facade Mainte-nance Design PC, an engineeringand architectural firm that designsand plans the renovation and con-struction of commercial and residen-tial building exteriors.LIst year, the company received aLucy G. Moses Preservation Projectaward from the New York Land-marks Conservancy for the restora-tion of 90 West St., a 25-story Goth-ic-style building in lower Manhattanthat was ravaged by fire and debrisin the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacksall the World Trade Center acrossthe street.Lefever and his company seem tohave a knack for being in on jobstied to historic events.Facade also planned work on TheRitz-Carlton in New Orleans, starlingin 1999, when i twas being convertedfrom a department store, and againin 20m, when it was getting an up-grade.'DIe work that began in 200:~ wasinter rupted hy Hurricane Katrina,which forced Facade to reassess thesoundness of the building's outsideand make extra repairs.It's a good lime to be in the busi-ness of inspecting and designing theexteriors of buildings in New York

E X P R E S S Y O U R S E L F

R i c k L e fe v e r. u . Title: President, Facade Mainte-&:. : : : ,. . . nan ce D es ig n PC" ' t ~ > . Residence:; ~ . , - , .: ; : ~ ~ c " Larchmont\. Age: 46' i > < . !:?:~I:~~e~~~h'Rick Lefever meta l lu rg ica l engtneermg fromtarayette College, E as to n, P a.Personal : Married, three children

City. A 19981aw requires owners ofbuildings. six stories or greater tohave the exterior walls inspected forunsafe conditions every f ive years.Facade is a private company anddoes not disclose its finances, hutLefever said r evenues had tripled inseven years and the company wasf inding more high-end work comingits way. The company has worked onthe Woolworth Building OIl Broad -way, the McGrawHill Building on42nd Street and the New Amster-dam Theatre in Times Square.'111ecompany's clients have includ-ed '111eTrump Organization, financialservices giant HSBC Holdings PLeand White Plains-based Starwood Ho-tels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.About 90 percent of Facade'swork is in the city, but Facade hasalso worked on Verizon Communi-cations Inc. buildings in WhitePlains, Mount Kisco, Ossining andMamaroneck.Working out of an 111h-Qoor suitein a building in the shadow of theEmpire State Building, Lefever di-rects a staff of 15, mostly architects.Lefever, whose degree is in metallur-gical engineering, joined the finn in1986 after a short and failed attemptto get a degree in architecture at Co-lumbia University.Lefever said he was "totally thesquare-headed engineer" and hadtrouble mastering the artsy side ofar-chitecture. He said he knew it wastime to leave school when an in s t r u c -lor ridiculed him infront ofhis class-mates, most of whom were severalyears younger than him.Lefever considers the work on 90West St., now an apartment building,the highlight of his career so far,During the planning. he was a voicefor leaving some of the nonhaz-ardous damage unrepaired as sort ofa monument to those who died inthe attacks."We thought it was important toshow that something terrible hadhappened here," he said. "If the


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T e ll y ou r s to ry : Details at LoHud.com/SoundShore

Mark Vcrgnri/The Journal NewsThis te rra-cotta griffin was removed from the exterior of 90West St. andplaced in the lobby of the building.building were pristine, it would belike ill! the memory of it (the (errorof (he attacks) was gone."In other sections, Facade arguedfor using the same kind of materialsthat ha d been inplace since construc-t ion was completed in 1907 . Buildersreplaced.the copper membrane onthe roof with copper. Where granitehad to be removed from the base,they placed n ew granite.Though Lefever is a native ofPhi ladelphia, his sense of personalidentity has moved north to NewYork."Ninety West Street really goes tothe heart because I'm a New York-er, and tha t was a bruta l, nasty, phys-ical attack all my city, our country,"he said.Lefever recalled standing on theroof of an apartment building on theUpper West Side with others whohad been a ttending a meeting insideand watching the second WorldTrade Center bui lding crumble."1 said to somebody, 'If anybodywanted everyone in this country topull together, they couldn't havedone anything more effective thanthis, ' " Lefever recalled.On a snowy day 15 months later,Lefever was on scaffolding examin-ing the gouges all the north side of

the terra cotta-c lad building wheresteel columns [rom the south lowerof the trade center had left hugemarks as they crashed toward theground.111e granite at the base of thebuilding was damaged by the smol-der ing piles ofdebris that remainedthere months after the a ttacks, TIlecopper mansard roof was wrecked.Lefever 's company provided TheBrack Capital Real Estate Group, thebuilding's owner, with a proposal fordesigning repairs to the outside ofth e building. He recal led meeting foran interview with representatives ofBrack and more than a dozen otherswho who would decide which com-pany got the contract.After answering their rapid-fireand pointed questions, Lefever leftthe room and bumped into a m annamed Donald Friedman, author of'The Invest igat ion of Buildings: AGuide for Archi tects, Engineers , andOwners," which Lefever calls th e d e-finitive book on the topic , Fried-man's company was also competingfor the 90 West St. job. Lefever feltlike his company W


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Sound Shore Express Thursday, January 18, 2007 1.7

Share your opinion: Details at LoHud.comjSoundShore

Company cements its place in history;;caboard contractorsire well known for.vork on landmarksay Loomislw J ou rn al N l" WSPO }U CHESTER - Michael Y .\ilearn didn't want his workers toual: too much noise and upset the-lephnnts.Tile elephants in question, along

vith rhinos, hippos and othervfrican animals, were longtime resi-ients of the Bronx Zoo's Elephantlouse. Ahearn's job was to replacelie copper roof on the domed struc-l ire that was originally built in 1908.t was it major project for his family-,wiled company, Seaboard Weather-JrrJofing and Restoration. A J : ; the roof'cplacement progressed over threenouths during a brutal winter four.cars ago, the contractors were sen-.itive to the peculiarit ies of workinglear giant creatures that weighed asnuch as 15,000 pounds."The last thing you want to do is.pouk an elephant," said Ahearn,.rc sidc nt of the company. '111e ani -nals always came first. So we were.ery conscious of the types of toolshat we used. Noise levels were crit -cal, ... We had to check in with the


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H e a d s f r e e B x . e n g i n e e r i n g s c h o o ltion (mill a lifetimehandyrnau who W,IS certi-fied to teach in N ew jer-sey vocational schools.Some of his students havestepped right into cngi-nee ring jobs, he said.Anthonv Kenner, 51, hast ak e n c la ss es < It Free Techfor six weeks. The secur i-ty-guard - c um - pa i n te r-cum-sheet rocker said hehopes to pick up extrawork performing electri-cal jobs."I would put l Abcln] inth e same class as a saint,"Kenner said. "Who else isgoing to teach you aboutelectricity for free'"A Maltese immigrantwho keeps his life history._- from 56-year-old inuni-gratiUIl papers to dog,

cared letters from em-ployers - in. it three-ringbinder, Abela said the jobis his "religious obliga-tion" to help people.He lives in the auic olEv,ll)gciical ChristianC hu rch 10 blocks from S I.Roch's and uses Social Se -curity checks to pay forschool supplies. Elect ricalappliances he uses toteach - doorbells, lightsocket s, meters _ . . :1 re do-nated by manufacturers.Free Tech holds three ..hour classes three nights ,Iweek and gets from five to30 students, who walk inoff the street to see aboutthat curious sign.asv ta .enoreou

(iPny post.com

By DAVID ANDREAnAIn the hardscrabble Hubof The Bronx, dozens begpassers-by for sparechange - and one elderlyman asks them if theywould l ike to tak e a freeelect ncal-euginceringcourse.Anthony Abela, 77 , is ajack-of-all-trades who fo rseven years has fished thestreets for anyone eager 10learn to rewire rooms orrepair an oil burner at theFree Tech & Trade Schoolhe runs Irom the boilerroom of a church base ..mc r u ."I get my st udcnts byjust going out on thestreet and asking, 'Wouldyou like 10 rake a free

e le ct ric al c ou rs e? ' >~ hesaid among his lair'svalves and copper wires.The sign on the ironfence guarding St. Roell'sCathol ic Church on WalesAvenue is inviting: "FreeTech "" Trade School,WALK RIGHT INTOBASEMENT." The onlyprerequisite is a cleancriminal record."I discourage peoplewho come in here withfel 0 Il ies," A h e 1015:1 id .Free Tech is not li-censed by tlte 51


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Hom e builders : T oo Little T oo lateU.S. homebuilders may report the lowest earnings in five yearsbecause the housing market has not rebounded in time torecover enough to clear the backlog of unsold homes.Number of new homes Net income of top homefor sale, in thousands builders by market value600 D.R . Horton ., j-\littJ Hc)( ' ( ' , t>) l.ennar500400

'02 '()3 'O~ '05 '06SUUICC D!oorniJerg U S Census i3uroau

$1.5 billion

1.0Estimate

I!

0.5

Bloornb or q

Bounce may not save buildersU.S. home-builders, stuck with ITIOrethan 500,000 unsold houses,

I11ay report the lowest earn-ings in five years because arebound in the real estatemarket is too little too lateto save 2007 sales.N et income at D.R . Hor-ton lnc., the industry's

largest company, mayplunge 60 percent in f i sca l2007 to $498 million, theworst since 2002 when thedomest ic economy wasrec overi

part 1- introduction to the certificate in cpm

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