Blog
Thank You Associated Builders and Contractors
An open letter to all the National and Chapter staff of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). As our country and industry go through these troubling times, I couldn’t be more thankful for my membership in ABC. Our dues investment has paid off several times...
Talking About My Generations
People love to talk about generations. My coworkers at Willmar Electric are no exception. Baby Boomers vs. Millennials seem to be the hottest divide right now. The term Baby Boomers wasn't developed because a certain group of people shared a certain way of life, but...
Get Out of My Way
Have you ever had somebody get in your way? Of course, you have. We all have. It is very annoying. I am an impatient person. When somebody is in my way, I tend to want to push or prod them. When I resist the urge to push or prod them out of my way, I don’t wait very...
Meeting Customers Needs
Yesterday I got some great feedback from our customer on the Lincoln Christian School remodel project. The Development Director, Mark Powell, says everybody from Willmar Electric has been great to work with on the project. Mark said Humberto makes a point to say hello...
Red Dirt, Twang, and Genuine People
I know George Jones is dead. I realize it was reported widely on April 26, 2013, when he died. I remember because I spent the day listening to his songs on Spotify. However, when he did not show up last night, I became 100% convinced. I am now sure of it. Why? Let me...
Watch What You Say: Your Children Are Listening
Sue and I, try hard to make sure we don't miss chances to impart wisdom on our children. The older they get, the more those sessions involve their help in breaking down the situation to get to piercing out the lesson at the heart of the case. When my children each...
Good Customer Service Involves Results
My back has been hurting for about three years. In 2016 I was too busy as National Chair of ABC to do anything about it when the pain started. For another 18 months, I just put up with the pain because I’m not very good at stopping to go to a doctor appointment. It’s...
Sue’s Secret Recipe is Simple: Execution.
I have a great wife. She has many wonderful qualities. People hold in her in high regard for several reasons. She is pretty, smart, organized, and a great conversationalist. She is so wonderful I could never list all the great things about her. But for the rest of...
What does Lean help us achieve?
Did you know we have a 10 Year Target at Willmar Electric? Well, we do. Our 10 Year Target is to “Choose the jobs we want and make money doing them.” On the surface this sounds like a normal expectation from a contracting company. We choose projects to bid with...
Do You See What I See
Every day at Willmar Electric we start our day off with a huddle. Immediately after the huddle, we break out into a time of what we call “Lean and Clean.” The huddles typically last about 10 minutes, and the Lean and Clean is about 20 minutes. During Lean and Clean,...