Back in the early 80's Billy Martin was the manager of the Oakland A's. His team played a unique style of baseball that involved over using starting pitchers and speedy players at nearly every position in the field. The media dubbed it Billy Ball.
I think Billy Martin is an idiot and his type of baseball didn't last very long. But the phrase makes a very good title.
My son Mike is nicknamed Billy and he loves to play baseball. This story is about him and not about a drunk ex-Yankee that made it possible to sympathize with George Stienbrenner. (the origins of the nickname are to long to get into but I can tell you it story of inspiration about a kid that pushed through a tough time and a wonderful coach that help Billy believe he could succeed.)
Recently the Junior Legion Baseball team that I coach hosted a weekend tournament and although it meant spending 32 hours at the baseball field it was a good time. Like every thing in life it had its high points and its low spots.
Removing the unruly McCook parent from the stands wasn't fun. Losing twice to Pleasant Dale including a 11-1 pasting that involved only 3 hits but 9 errors by our team was frustrating.
Those moments where out weight by several other positive moments. Taylor Hanson's 3 hit game. Josh Dilley's 2 hit 2 RBI game. Good pitching in a losing effort by Phil Grothaus.
We had a great time off the field as well. Working together with the players and fellow coaches, serving the other teams was a good team building exercise. Watching the Bond family spent all Father's Day working at baseball with their dad was fun to watch. I am grateful to the Power sisters, Dilleys, Schafers, Jones and Terry Pieloch for selling tickets. The Hoffamans and Vanis families worked together for hours on end and other people pitched in to help with tickets, fields and scorekeepping all helped to make the tournament possible.
Each player wrote a Father's Day tribute to their dad. I know I enjoyed not only receiving a tribute from my son but also having the chance to give a tribute to my Dad. The two coaches had our Dad's throw out the first pitch and everybody seemed to enjoy the moment.
But wins and loses aside there is no doubt the high point of my Father's Day happened at the very end of the day. I was finally able to make it home around 8:30 on Sunday evening. My wife and kids had gotten me several gifts. I loved each one.
But the highlight for me was the hand written notes from my kids. Each of them took the time to write me a personal note. The last line of my Mike's card thanked me for running the tournament. It made me cry. My reason for running the tournament was to raise money of the team. The reason I coach the team is so my son can have a place to continue to play baseball because our high school doesn't have a team. The side benefit is spending time with a great bunch of guys. Any success on or off the field brings joy to my heart.
Not having a spring teams means Legion baseball is this great group of boys only avenue for baseball. The parents of the players have chosen to send their kids to a christian school. That means the parents are making sacrifices to make sure their son is getting a Christian education. Those sacrifices come in many forms. For some families it means paying tuition even though a free education is available through the public school system. In some cases it can mean taking a second job, traveling for work to make extra money, or teaching at the school and receiving lower pay in exchange for a christian education for their sons.
Our school's lack of baseball is small in comparison to the sacrifices I listed above. But it is still there and in the past a few families have considered it to big of a sacrifice and pulled their children so they can play baseball (or other sports) at other schools.
(On a side note I can tell you that it isn't worth it to pull your children from a Christian school so they can play sports at another school. This years senior class has 5 scholarship baseball players and at least 3 of the underclass we get scholarship offers!!!)
In the case of some the players, including my son, they are making a sacrifice by not playing spring baseball for a school team. They take what they get and make the most of it.
Thankfully Mike took the time to write me a note that I will never throw away. It makes everything I have done with him in baseball worth it. Playing catch in the backyard for hours, driving him to select games, and coaching a legion team are all worth the payoff.
Mike is a very good baseball player. Where his talents take him is hard to know right now. But as his father it brings joy to my heart knowing he is making the most of his talent and more importantly he is grateful for the opportunity he has.
Another lesson taught to me through the actions of my child. When he was born we named him Michael but on the baseball field I call him Billy and I likely always will. (Thank you Bob Petit)
Monday, June 24, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Honey, I Cleaned the Garage.
I recently have been part of family’s struggle to maintain an organized garage. In order to protect the guilty I will change the name of people in my story. But those of you familiar with the story will likely see through the hidden names.
You see at some people’s house the husband and the wife have different views of what is garbage and what isn't. The exact place where this battle takes place within the house can change from home to home but it seems to happen to some degree within most every house I know of. For some the battleground is the closet of the master bed room or the basement. But for the couple in my story it was the garage.
The husband, Donny, likes to save things. Until this weekend the place he kept these valuables was the family’s garage. The wife, Marie, thought that her car should go into the garage. But alas Donny and Marie's garage was too full to fit any cars.
Although the things in the garage didn't make Donny happy they did make Marie sad. She wondered why he can’t throw away those things. They are trash and they are in the way. He is never going to us them.
Donny couldn’t bear to get rid of these valuable. He looked at the items and thought “someday I can use that for something special.” To him they were worth something because potentially the items in his garage had a future use. Donny thought “if we save it we won't need to buy it later.”
Donny also looked at some of the things with a sentimental eye. The items brought back happy memories. (That reminds me of a different couple that has a Porsche that hasn't run since before they were married over 15 years and 2 houses ago. He won't get rid of it and she says it reminded her of his old girlfriend!!! But that is another story.)
This weekend Donny decided to clean out the garage and make room for Marie's car. It didn't take long and soon enough the garage was clean and everybody was happy.
I asked Donny what he did with the old stuff expecting to hear about a sale and how much money he made. Instead Donny said that it all went in the trash. (So much for the items being worth something.)
Marie is quite happy with Donny now. Instead of holding on to these items Donny decided to make Marie happy.
So what is the point of this story beyond being a good spouse that wants to please the other spouse?
Donny is also happy. He wasn't forced to clean his garage. Marie had let it be in the current condition for years. But now the garage is clean an organized.
That doesn't mean that you have to throw everything out to be organized. I am sure that if something truly still had value Donny found it an organized place with their garage. But if an item had lost its usefulness it was discarded.
It is Donny's organizational skills that make him such a valuable team member and co-worker at Willmar Electric. Willmar Electric promises our customers that we will be on-time, organized and approachable. It was has bringing that skill home that made his garage clean and his wife happy.
You see at some people’s house the husband and the wife have different views of what is garbage and what isn't. The exact place where this battle takes place within the house can change from home to home but it seems to happen to some degree within most every house I know of. For some the battleground is the closet of the master bed room or the basement. But for the couple in my story it was the garage.
The husband, Donny, likes to save things. Until this weekend the place he kept these valuables was the family’s garage. The wife, Marie, thought that her car should go into the garage. But alas Donny and Marie's garage was too full to fit any cars.
Although the things in the garage didn't make Donny happy they did make Marie sad. She wondered why he can’t throw away those things. They are trash and they are in the way. He is never going to us them.
Donny couldn’t bear to get rid of these valuable. He looked at the items and thought “someday I can use that for something special.” To him they were worth something because potentially the items in his garage had a future use. Donny thought “if we save it we won't need to buy it later.”
Donny also looked at some of the things with a sentimental eye. The items brought back happy memories. (That reminds me of a different couple that has a Porsche that hasn't run since before they were married over 15 years and 2 houses ago. He won't get rid of it and she says it reminded her of his old girlfriend!!! But that is another story.)
This weekend Donny decided to clean out the garage and make room for Marie's car. It didn't take long and soon enough the garage was clean and everybody was happy.
I asked Donny what he did with the old stuff expecting to hear about a sale and how much money he made. Instead Donny said that it all went in the trash. (So much for the items being worth something.)
Marie is quite happy with Donny now. Instead of holding on to these items Donny decided to make Marie happy.
So what is the point of this story beyond being a good spouse that wants to please the other spouse?
Donny is also happy. He wasn't forced to clean his garage. Marie had let it be in the current condition for years. But now the garage is clean an organized.
That doesn't mean that you have to throw everything out to be organized. I am sure that if something truly still had value Donny found it an organized place with their garage. But if an item had lost its usefulness it was discarded.
It is Donny's organizational skills that make him such a valuable team member and co-worker at Willmar Electric. Willmar Electric promises our customers that we will be on-time, organized and approachable. It was has bringing that skill home that made his garage clean and his wife happy.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
No Need to be Afraid
My oldest daughter has a pet turtle. The turtle stated as her accounting class's pet before to came to live with the Chapins. They named the turtle Petty Cash. We call him PC (To be honest it could be a her, it's a turtle so we aren't sure of the gender).
Inside PC's tank he has a few trinkets and things to climb on top of. If he makes it all the way to the top of the tank there is a platform that is out of the water and close to the heating lamp. He like to "sun" himself there. If you walk up the stairs at our house and look into Anne's room you can catch the sight of him sunning himself but once you move closer to PC he scurries away by diving in the water and swimming to the furthest corner of the tank.
PC isn't very approachable. Like I said PC is a turtle. They tend at pull away or get into their shell at the slightest sign that they might be attacked or in danger.
I don't live or work in a tank. (I'll be honest and tell you that I am frighten by things that are 200 times my size.)
Instead I work at Willmar Electric.
What do Turtles have to do with Willlmar Electric?
Approachability.
As far as I know all tturtles are like PC. They all lack approachability.
At Willmar Electric one of our brand promises is to be approachable. We want our customers to see us as approachable and open to getting input from others. We seek to be a place that when a conflict arises on a project others feel safe approaching us with the issue so that we can be part of the solution.
We want our customers to include us in the process of coming up with solutions on how to accomplish what is best for them and their project. If the plumber or HVAC contractor has conflict with where a pipe or duct is potentially going to go on a project we want them to feel that Willmar Electric is approachable and hopefully we can reach a resolution before a problem develops. Approachability is an important part of those things.
It means we can't be defensive (hide in our shells) or hard to contact (run away at the first sign of trouble). Being approachable isn't hard work and doesn't really take a lot of effort. Even in the case of the turtle all they would have to do stay right where they already are. In our case as humans it means we have to trust others and be willing to be vulnerable.
It is hard to arrogant and approachable.
I hope others see Willmar Electric as approachable. I am going to try to continue to get the message out that we seek to be approachable and hopefully anybody that doesn't see us as approachable takes what they might consider as a risk and approaches us and let us know what they are thinking. At that point it is up to us to respond to them in a way that shows we are approachable.
I don't think PC will ever be approachable but Willmar Electric will continue to seek ways to become more and more approachable.
Inside PC's tank he has a few trinkets and things to climb on top of. If he makes it all the way to the top of the tank there is a platform that is out of the water and close to the heating lamp. He like to "sun" himself there. If you walk up the stairs at our house and look into Anne's room you can catch the sight of him sunning himself but once you move closer to PC he scurries away by diving in the water and swimming to the furthest corner of the tank.
PC isn't very approachable. Like I said PC is a turtle. They tend at pull away or get into their shell at the slightest sign that they might be attacked or in danger.
I don't live or work in a tank. (I'll be honest and tell you that I am frighten by things that are 200 times my size.)
Instead I work at Willmar Electric.
What do Turtles have to do with Willlmar Electric?
Approachability.
As far as I know all tturtles are like PC. They all lack approachability.
At Willmar Electric one of our brand promises is to be approachable. We want our customers to see us as approachable and open to getting input from others. We seek to be a place that when a conflict arises on a project others feel safe approaching us with the issue so that we can be part of the solution.
We want our customers to include us in the process of coming up with solutions on how to accomplish what is best for them and their project. If the plumber or HVAC contractor has conflict with where a pipe or duct is potentially going to go on a project we want them to feel that Willmar Electric is approachable and hopefully we can reach a resolution before a problem develops. Approachability is an important part of those things.
It means we can't be defensive (hide in our shells) or hard to contact (run away at the first sign of trouble). Being approachable isn't hard work and doesn't really take a lot of effort. Even in the case of the turtle all they would have to do stay right where they already are. In our case as humans it means we have to trust others and be willing to be vulnerable.
It is hard to arrogant and approachable.
I hope others see Willmar Electric as approachable. I am going to try to continue to get the message out that we seek to be approachable and hopefully anybody that doesn't see us as approachable takes what they might consider as a risk and approaches us and let us know what they are thinking. At that point it is up to us to respond to them in a way that shows we are approachable.
I don't think PC will ever be approachable but Willmar Electric will continue to seek ways to become more and more approachable.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
What is the deal with "Merit Shop?"
One of the core values of Willmar Electric Service has always been what we today call Merit Shop. The term “Merit Shop” didn’t come along until the start of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) in 1950. So the first generations of Willmar Electric Service didn’t refer to Merit Shop, but they did live the philosophy.
Before I give you a long history of what the Merit Shop philosophy is let me tell you what it isn’t. Merit Shop isn’t just another way to say Open Shop. It also isn’t anti-Union.
The Merit Shop philosophy in its simplest terms is really equal to free enterprise. Under the Merit Shop philosophy companies and people are judged based on their abilities and not on their union or non-union status. If we have two qualified contractors going after the same project, we disregard the fact that one of the two contractors may or may not be union or non-union. The same would apply to individuals. As an individual you are evaluated based on you performance not you affiliations.
In practical terms it means that not every single employee is paid the exact same rate. What people get paid is determined by several factors like longevity, willingness to travel, knowledge, and willingness to get along with co-workers, past performance, local market rates, education, role, and level of responsibility.
In practical terms Merit Shop means we are willing to work for either union or non-union contractors and we hire and subcontract work to both union and non-union contractors. You may have seen Willmar Electric Service either work for union contractors or hire union contractors and wondered why, or thought working for and with the unions is contradictory to our philosophy. It isn’t. Since 1920 Willmar Electric has operated under the idea that the “best man should get the job.” Anything else would be un-American!
In the mid 1970’s Willmar Electric Service was a founding member of the Minnesota Chapter of ABC. Frank Chapin was the local Chapter’s first Treasurer. John Chapin served as ABC national Chairman in 1990. John Chapin also served ABC in many other roles including as the Minnesota Chapter Chairman. Steve Bowen has served the Cornhusker Chapter as Chairman and several other roles in addition to his current role as a member of the National ABC’s Business Development Committee. Al Hamilton served the Rocky Mountain Chapter as Chairman and several roles. I (David Chapin) served as Minnesota and Cornhusker Chapter Chairman, a national board member, been a part of the national Political Action Committee and I am currently the Vice-Chairman of the Midwest Region. Dave Jung, Larry Davis and Jay Tornquist have served on various boards and committees for ABC in the past.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Ouch!
Over the weekend I watch a lot of college basketball. Like most of the people that saw Sunday's game between Louisville and Duke I will never forget the sight of seeing Louisville's Kevin Ware brake his leg. It was gross. One of things that you are sorry you had to see.
It makes my leg hurt to think about it.
After it happened I went in the bathroom and when I came out my kids wondered if I went in there to throw up. I didn't but sight of Kevin Ware's leg was that gross. So gross my kids thought it reasonable for somebody to throw up after watching it.
The announcers talked about felling sorry for the young man and his family. People speculated that he would never be the same.
I agree. It was a very sad event that may have a lasting impact on the life of a man in his early 20's.
It also drove home a point with me about safety.
Willmar Electric as a company wants to make sure our employees don't have to suffer any injuries. We want to make sure that everybody we work with goes home in the same condition they arrive in.
Yesterday I read an article in this month's Construction Executive magazine that highlighted a company that has gone over 4 million hours since there last injury. In the article the owner of the company credited the company's culture for achieving such a high level of safety. He sited many examples of how at their firm unsafe behavior isn't tolerated and the health of every co-worker is valued at all times.
That is my message for Willmar Electric. No injuries. Ever.
One step is always to be on the look out of potential injury causing situations.
If you are on a Willmar Electric project site I challenge you to look around you project site and identify when the next injury is likely to occur and eliminate that risk. (Bonus points to do the same thing around your home.)
The goal is no injuries, ever, anywhere!
It makes my leg hurt to think about it.
After it happened I went in the bathroom and when I came out my kids wondered if I went in there to throw up. I didn't but sight of Kevin Ware's leg was that gross. So gross my kids thought it reasonable for somebody to throw up after watching it.
The announcers talked about felling sorry for the young man and his family. People speculated that he would never be the same.
I agree. It was a very sad event that may have a lasting impact on the life of a man in his early 20's.
It also drove home a point with me about safety.
Willmar Electric as a company wants to make sure our employees don't have to suffer any injuries. We want to make sure that everybody we work with goes home in the same condition they arrive in.
Yesterday I read an article in this month's Construction Executive magazine that highlighted a company that has gone over 4 million hours since there last injury. In the article the owner of the company credited the company's culture for achieving such a high level of safety. He sited many examples of how at their firm unsafe behavior isn't tolerated and the health of every co-worker is valued at all times.
That is my message for Willmar Electric. No injuries. Ever.
One step is always to be on the look out of potential injury causing situations.
If you are on a Willmar Electric project site I challenge you to look around you project site and identify when the next injury is likely to occur and eliminate that risk. (Bonus points to do the same thing around your home.)
The goal is no injuries, ever, anywhere!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Keeping up with the Times
Last Friday was a busy day in the Lincoln office.
I understand that what we do at Willmar Electric is install and maintain the electrical systems within large buildings. That is what "pays the bills" so to speak. Friday however we were busy in the Lincoln office updating some systems that allow our support staff to better help our projects get their work done better.
The first item that took place was iPad training for several Foreman.
Currently we have 4 Foreman, 4 Project Leaders and 3 support staff people that are equipped with iPads. On Friday we added 4 Foreman and another Project Leader. With two more Willmar based Foreman set to join the iPad generation in the next couple of weeks we will have over half of our Project Leaders and Foreman using iPads to manage Willmar Electric's projects and keeping them more organized.
You might be asking how does that help us with our core business of "wiring big building?" That is a good question. The current iPad users say that using an iPad save them up to half of their "paperwork" time. That means they have more time to be in the field helping the craft worker with planning work and lining up the resources it takes to work in a high productive, quality and safety manner. (Helping projects Meet the Customers Needs.)
The Foremen in the test group of iPad users also reported several other benefits including:
There is no question that it is fun to have something like an iPad to use on a daily basis but it is also a huge productivity gain and stress reliever to have the iPad on site. To us providing iPad is Thrifty/Financially Prudent!
The second item is a new phone system that we had installed within the office. The Kearney, Willmar and Oklahoma offices are also getting the same phones in the very near future.
The new phones have several new features on them, those features and some new habits are going to allow for the support staff to spend a little less time on answering the phones and contacting each other. The new phones are going to make the support staff easier to get ahold of.
The new phone system and new habits will make us more effective because field personal should be able to get ahold of support staff quicker, more often and more reliably. All of that helps them focus more on the task at hand, which is also the task that we get paid for.
It will allow for support staff and Project Leaders, who are also really support staff, to have more time to be supportive of the field.
The more we can streamline our support staff's functions the more work we can support.
Doing more work for the same overhead. Sounds like a great plan. Sounds like a win for everybody at Willmar Electric, even if you aren't one of the people that got a new phone for your desk. Sounds we are being both Thrifty/Financially Prudent!
I understand that what we do at Willmar Electric is install and maintain the electrical systems within large buildings. That is what "pays the bills" so to speak. Friday however we were busy in the Lincoln office updating some systems that allow our support staff to better help our projects get their work done better.
The first item that took place was iPad training for several Foreman.
Currently we have 4 Foreman, 4 Project Leaders and 3 support staff people that are equipped with iPads. On Friday we added 4 Foreman and another Project Leader. With two more Willmar based Foreman set to join the iPad generation in the next couple of weeks we will have over half of our Project Leaders and Foreman using iPads to manage Willmar Electric's projects and keeping them more organized.
You might be asking how does that help us with our core business of "wiring big building?" That is a good question. The current iPad users say that using an iPad save them up to half of their "paperwork" time. That means they have more time to be in the field helping the craft worker with planning work and lining up the resources it takes to work in a high productive, quality and safety manner. (Helping projects Meet the Customers Needs.)
The Foremen in the test group of iPad users also reported several other benefits including:
- The ability to efficiently take p[roject's drawings into the field by carrying the iPad with them. It is my understanding that Luke Fosket was never far from the Super Saver drawings because he had the iPad with him at all times.
- The ability to work on an as-built drawings as the project moves along. Chris Mohr was able to discuss the plans with Design professionals right at the point of installation.
- The ability for crew members to use Facetime from their cell phones to connect with the Foreman to literally show a foreman remotely what situation he was faced with. Lucas Jung reported how an a day when he was off site he received a Facetime call from a craft worker that showed him live video of a problem we were facing.
There is no question that it is fun to have something like an iPad to use on a daily basis but it is also a huge productivity gain and stress reliever to have the iPad on site. To us providing iPad is Thrifty/Financially Prudent!
The second item is a new phone system that we had installed within the office. The Kearney, Willmar and Oklahoma offices are also getting the same phones in the very near future.
The new phones have several new features on them, those features and some new habits are going to allow for the support staff to spend a little less time on answering the phones and contacting each other. The new phones are going to make the support staff easier to get ahold of.
The new phone system and new habits will make us more effective because field personal should be able to get ahold of support staff quicker, more often and more reliably. All of that helps them focus more on the task at hand, which is also the task that we get paid for.
It will allow for support staff and Project Leaders, who are also really support staff, to have more time to be supportive of the field.
The more we can streamline our support staff's functions the more work we can support.
Doing more work for the same overhead. Sounds like a great plan. Sounds like a win for everybody at Willmar Electric, even if you aren't one of the people that got a new phone for your desk. Sounds we are being both Thrifty/Financially Prudent!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Third Time Around
I spent last week in Florida at various meetings for the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
I serve on both the board of directors and the executive committee of the national organization and they each met last week. ABC also hosted its annual Bizcon meeting last week. Bizcon is a conference to brings in several authors, speakers and other experts that help a business person like myself understand upcoming trends within the contraction industry and also provides education on best practices within the industry. It is an excellent conference and well worth my time.
I had the chance to have long personal conversations with people such as Karl Rove and Patrick Lencioni. Both of whom are famous and well respected within their fields of expertise. I also got to meet and talk with high level construction industry people like Carl Crowe, Wal*Mart VP of Construction, and Greg Stein, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) VP of Construction, just to name a few.
I mention all of this not to give you some huge name drop but rather as an introduction to the topic of why does Dave Chapin spend so much time at ABC meetings. It takes a lot of time away for both my home and Willmar Electric. That means a sacrifice for both the people I live with and the people I work with.
(I understand that some of you that know me well are questioning whether or not having me be gone is a sacrifice for the people in my life. I have been told that having a break from me can be more of a reward for others then a sacrifice but for the purposes of this blog we are going to assume that my family misses me when I am gone and that my co-worker are forced to do more work because I am not at the office.)
At least that is how I would like to think that it is.
The more time I spend with ABC the more people come to think that like my father before me I might become ABC's national Chairman. That would make Dad and I the first father/son combination to serve is such a role for the association.
I would guess that during my week in Florida last week I was introduced to a stranger with the opening line that went something like "if Dave becomes the National Chair the Chapins will be the first father/son combination to serve as Chairs." It is a nice sentiment and compliment. I know my Dad joins me in thinking it is an honor. As of today I told the others on the executive committee I would like to serve as the 2016 Chair.
Many people suggest that I am a second generation ABCer. That simply isn't the case.
Justin and I (plus the entire organization) are third generation ABCers. Our Dad's uncle Frank was the Treasurer for the Minnesota Chapter of ABC in it's very first years. Willmar Electric was a founding member of the chapter. Willmar Electric's first ABC leader was in fact uncle Frank!
And if you truly know Frank it should come as no surprise. ABC's core philosophy is the Merit Shop and the Merit Shop philosophy does a perfect job of describing Frank and explaining why I spend so much time with ABC.
The official definition ABC give for the phrase Merit Shop is:
That phrase sums up how Frank thought business should be done and how Willmar Electric should be run. Frank wasn't in the room when that statement was written up but for those of us that know him we know that is how Frank operates. Allow people that freedom to work and reward high achievement regardless of labor affiliation sums it up.
It explain why Willmar Electric joined ABC and why Frank was willing to serve as it Treasurer in its early days.
It is what I spend my time working and fighting for when I am away from home at ABC meetings. It is what Willmar Electric has been based on for 93 years.
The Merit Shop. It is still one of our core values today.
Willmar Electric's core values are;
I serve on both the board of directors and the executive committee of the national organization and they each met last week. ABC also hosted its annual Bizcon meeting last week. Bizcon is a conference to brings in several authors, speakers and other experts that help a business person like myself understand upcoming trends within the contraction industry and also provides education on best practices within the industry. It is an excellent conference and well worth my time.
I had the chance to have long personal conversations with people such as Karl Rove and Patrick Lencioni. Both of whom are famous and well respected within their fields of expertise. I also got to meet and talk with high level construction industry people like Carl Crowe, Wal*Mart VP of Construction, and Greg Stein, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) VP of Construction, just to name a few.
I mention all of this not to give you some huge name drop but rather as an introduction to the topic of why does Dave Chapin spend so much time at ABC meetings. It takes a lot of time away for both my home and Willmar Electric. That means a sacrifice for both the people I live with and the people I work with.
(I understand that some of you that know me well are questioning whether or not having me be gone is a sacrifice for the people in my life. I have been told that having a break from me can be more of a reward for others then a sacrifice but for the purposes of this blog we are going to assume that my family misses me when I am gone and that my co-worker are forced to do more work because I am not at the office.)
At least that is how I would like to think that it is.
The more time I spend with ABC the more people come to think that like my father before me I might become ABC's national Chairman. That would make Dad and I the first father/son combination to serve is such a role for the association.
I would guess that during my week in Florida last week I was introduced to a stranger with the opening line that went something like "if Dave becomes the National Chair the Chapins will be the first father/son combination to serve as Chairs." It is a nice sentiment and compliment. I know my Dad joins me in thinking it is an honor. As of today I told the others on the executive committee I would like to serve as the 2016 Chair.
Many people suggest that I am a second generation ABCer. That simply isn't the case.
Justin and I (plus the entire organization) are third generation ABCers. Our Dad's uncle Frank was the Treasurer for the Minnesota Chapter of ABC in it's very first years. Willmar Electric was a founding member of the chapter. Willmar Electric's first ABC leader was in fact uncle Frank!
And if you truly know Frank it should come as no surprise. ABC's core philosophy is the Merit Shop and the Merit Shop philosophy does a perfect job of describing Frank and explaining why I spend so much time with ABC.
The official definition ABC give for the phrase Merit Shop is:
Merit Shop is a way of doing business in which contractors reward
employees based on performance and encourage them to reach their
highest level of achievement, and in which contractors are awarded
business based on quality, safety, and cost effectiveness regardless
of labor affiliation.
It explain why Willmar Electric joined ABC and why Frank was willing to serve as it Treasurer in its early days.
It is what I spend my time working and fighting for when I am away from home at ABC meetings. It is what Willmar Electric has been based on for 93 years.
The Merit Shop. It is still one of our core values today.
Willmar Electric's core values are;
- Treating others the way you want to be treated
- Merit Shop
- Thrifty
- Meet Customer Needs.
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