That time of the year
Ah, spring is in the air (sort of) and construction companies are ramping up for another season (sort of). One thing that some contractors overlook, for one reason or another, is entering their projects for association awards.
Besides getting local (and sometimes national) bragging rights, awards can be good for your bottom line. When potential customers find out your firm has won a construction or safety award, they may be more inclined to hire you over Brand X. I believe awards can also fatten up employee morale.
One duty that comes with the territory of being a construction reporter is the role of judge. This year, I have sat on judging panels for the AGC of Washington, the ABC of Western Washington and the Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association. I have seen some amazing projects, but there always seems to be a few every year that don’t get submitted. Not sure of the reason why, but I know some in the past were definitely award-worthy contenders. That is a shame.
Then there are the great projects that get submitted, but fall on their faces when it comes to write-ups and presentations. Why not spend extra time on this or hire a pro to do it for you? Sloppy presentations are an indicator that management might also be sloppy. One project under consideration for a WACA award this year had NO write up to accompany a few photographs. Why bother?
Then there are the write-ups that technically comply with submittal requirements of say, one page in length. What do we get? One page, no paragraph breaks, no margins, 6 point type, etc. Next!
Now is the time to start thinking about next year’s awards. Record those interesting project details, snap photos of construction in progress and take the time to put together a knock-out presentation. The results could be rewarding.
Welcome to the 
April 29th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Ben,
Your observation on this is interesting. I wonder if it it rooted in something deeper, as most construction businesses are created based on talent in an area (someone is a great electrician, a great plumber, good with mechanical systems, etc.). Very few think in business terms, they don’t have the background. Those that do have a knack for business are lucky!
So do you think that that reason great projects don’t get submitted and those that do get submitted, get done poorly is because many of the businesses don’t have a business sense?
April 29th, 2010 at 10:38 am
I think a lot of companies are so focused on their work that they tend to de-emphasize their marketing efforts. If they build excellent projects, they will likely get referral business as a result. That’s great, but in this economy they need to put a little extra into finding new clients and markets.
Remember my comment about awards boosting employee morale? I was at the ABC awards banquet last night. There were big smiles on the faces of the winning teams as they took their awards back to their tables. Good job ladies and gentlemen.