WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Jack Miller Contractors (JMC) sent six team members to a Superintendent Mastermind Course & Boot Camp presented by Elevate Construction, in Mesa, Ariz., in January, as part of the company's ongoing investment in education and development.

 

Led by Jason Schroeder, author, podcast host, coach, international speaker, master builder, and owner of Elevate Construction, the bootcamp provided training that creates a strategic advantage to a new generation of workers in the field of construction.

 

JMC team members who attended the boot camp include Albert Aponte, Jerry Sargeant, Joel Kinney, Paul Barrett, Russell Chieffo and Jeff Deeley.

 

Operational excellence and implementing lean were two pillars of the bootcamp's foundation. Core tenets of the JMC team, these pillars are further defined as respect for the individual and continuous improvement.

 

"To me, that is eliminating all waste, have all work performed on time, deliveries scheduled perfectly, foresee roadblocks, and be able to adjust beforehand," said Joel Kinney, superintendent. "What I took away from boot camp was planning and organizing your work-home scheduling is most important. Also, a job is like going to war. You are the general in charge that needs to attack, attack, attack."

 

Best practices shared include the leader standard work week, TAKT scheduling, and workflow philosophy — the push to go above and beyond by finding ways to improve what has already been done. 

 

"Organizational tools, like the leader standard was number one but a close second would have to be the clean jobsite maxim. If a commercial site can do it, we can!" said superintendent Paul Barrett. "I would add the safety component was a valuable takeaway which our team has elevated to a new level."

 

Employees returned with a strong sense of best practices and improvement value. 

 

"My most valuable takeaway from bootcamp is realizing how much more I can improve in all aspects:  spiritually, personally, professionally. Even when I believe I'm already doing my best, I can always go further," said Albert Aponte, superintendent.

 

"The best practice for me is to give 100 percent," added Kinney. "When you think you're there, push further because you're really just above your average. You really need to push yourself to the absolute limit." 

 

"I didn't know what to expect but I came away with a lot of great material, personal goals and checklists, and developed a personal- and job-oriented game plan," said Barrett. "I'm not sure what else I could ask for."