RockBlog
Attentive Customer Service is Worth Millions
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
Editor's Note: Bruce W. Woolpert served as President and CEO of Graniterock from1987 to 2012.This article from our files explains the importance of great customer service.By Bruce W. WoolpertOn those days when things go badly at work and a customer is left dissatisfied, you might respond with, “Well, there’s always tomorrow.” This way of thinking is commonly accepted in many, if not most workplaces, but it is terribly misleading because it ignores the lifetime value of ... Read More
Great Customer Service: Strengthening Every Link in the Chain of Service
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
Editor’s Note: On February 14, 2014, Graniterock Celebrates 114 Years of Business. In celebration of our Company Birthday, we publish this article by Bruce W. Woolpert, who served as President and CEO of Graniterock from1987 to 2012. How does your business manage customer feedback? Your feedback could arrive in a letter, a phone call, a face-to-face meeting, or a formal customer satisfaction survey. Most organizations focus nearly all their time and energy on what didn’t go ... Read More
Lifelong Learning is Essential to Our Future
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
By Bruce W. Woolpert, first published September 2001I appreciate the opportunity to explain Graniterock’s commitment to lifelong learning. This commitment lies at the center of our respect for People and the future success of the Company. Let me address Graniterock Team Members first and then the Company.Graniterock People don’t expect that during their school or apprenticeship years they have learned everything they will need to be successful in their careers. Technology, materials, construction techniques and specifications ... Read More
More On the Economy...
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
The newspapers and politicians had a lot to say over the weekend about the disappointing hiring report for May. Only 69,000 jobs were created in May causing the unemployment rate to increase to 8.2% from 8.1%. The unemployment rate also went up because 642,000 Americans resumed their job search. The unemployment data confirms a downshift in hiring that began in May. A net of just 69,000 jobs added in May falls well short of what is ... Read More
Leadership: Part Flexibility and Part Structure
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
Professor Dean Chemers, Vice-Provost and Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has studied organizational leadership approaches and has a strong mastery of research and literature on the subject. In September, 1998, Bruce W. Woolpert summarized some of his thinking for Construction Update readers. What was written then holds true today.For effective leadership to exist in an organization, whether it is a private business, government, educational or non-profit institution, there must be a ... Read More
More on the Economy...
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
Another sign of an economic recovery is car sales were the strongest they have been in four years in March. Sales were 12.7% ahead of sales a year ago and are tracking a 14.4 million unit pace for the year, compared with 12.8 million vehicles last year. Demand for fuel efficient vehicles is increasing.Factory orders rose 1.3% in February as businesses ordered more machinery and equipment from U.S. factories. Factory orders make up 12% of the ... Read More
More on the Economy - Housing Trends
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
The Federal Reserve realizes that the U. S. economic recovery is not likely to strengthen appreciably until residential construction recovers. The recent agreement between state attorney generals and major U.S. banks to resolve disputes regarding the handling of housing foreclosures is a plus. Now progress can be made in dealing with the shadow inventory of housing that is in default or mortgages that remain unpaid. In communities with a high number of shadow inventory homes, it ... Read More
WHAT LESSONS HAVE WE LEARNED OVER THE LAST 112 YEARS?
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
When an organization extends over more than one hundred years, many opportunities arise to reflect on the achievement. I am often asked, “So what lessons are there from the last 112 years for you and Graniterock People?” It’s a good question.My response has been to credit our founder, Arthur R. Wilson, with establishing a very solid foundation for the Company. He guided the Company from its founding on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1900, until his death ... Read More
More on the Economy - Construction Added Jobs
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
The U. S. Economy added 243,000 jobs in January – the fastest rate since April, 2011. The increase appears to be a solid one based on economic information collected in government surveys. The official government unemployment rate declined from 8.5% to 8.3%. Manufacturing added 50,000 jobs and 21,000 new jobs were added to construction. In a separate household survey, a huge 847,000 increase in employment for January was found. It takes some months for employment data ... Read More
Leadership Tune Up - Part Five
Posted by Bruce W. Woolpert on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am
Having an Effective Leadership Framework. Graniterock Team Members have learned a great deal from seminars conducted by Larry Bonine, former Arizona Department of Transportation Director and now head of the Pinnacle Leadership consulting firm. Larry tells his audiences that the best managers view workers in the role of volunteers. Larry’s thinking offers a useful framework for managers to evaluate management approaches -- deciding between the effective ones and discarding those that should no longer be used. ... Read More
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