Samuels Group Team participates in Bowl For Kid’s Sake 2012

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The Samuels Group team of Shelley Rowe, Brenda Reid, Casey Nick, Amber Bliese and Daena Fleischhacker participated in the Bowl for Kid’s Sake 2012 – Big Luau.

The Hawaiian themed bowling was held on Friday, January 13, 2012 at Dales Weston Lanes and raised over $85,000 to benefit Big Brother’s Big Sisters of North Central Wisconsin.  This event raises nearly one-third of the organization’s annual operating budget.  The money donated through the Bowl for Kid’s Sake fundraiser is used to ensure the safety and success of Big/Little matches through volunteer screening, professional match support and much more.  Big Brothers Big Sisters is recognized by Forbes as a top 10 charity in efficiency of dollars collected and distributed.

“The Bowl for Kid’s Sake fundraiser was a great time for the participants and a great fundraiser for a worthy organization.  It was very rewarding to know that we were helping Big Brothers Big Sisters while having so much fun,” stated Amber Bliese, a participant and accountant for The Samuels Group.

The Samuels Group proudly participates in Bowl for Kid’s Sake each year and is already looking forward to next year’s event.

The Samuels Group Celebrates Safety Milestones

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The Samuels Group recently celebrated two major safety milestones.  On the week of November 20, 2011, The Samuels Group recorded 900,000 hours without a lost time accident and on January 13, 2012, they surpassed 9 years without a lost time accident.  The Samuels Group continues to exceed their safety records and anticipates recording 1 million man hours with no lost time near the end of 2012.  A lost time accident is defined as an accident in which a Samuels Group employee is injured during work hours and cannot return to work the next day.  These milestones were achieved through management commitment, employee involvement and an innovative safety program.

Samuels Group Safety Director, Tim Vick, attributes The Samuels Group’s success to the company’s safety program and to the dedication of the company’s employees.  The safety program begins with employees taking proactive measures to avoid accidents by starting each day with pre-task planning checks and stretching exercises. This ensures that employees recognize a hazard before it could cause an accident and prepares their bodies physically for all tasks.

“Safety is priority number one at The Samuels Group,” said Vick. “A safety record like this does not come by chance.  It takes a great effort by everyone to ensure that it continues year after year.” The Samuels Group’s safety program is taught to every associate working in the field or office, and all subcontractors working at every job site.  The firm is committed to having every individual return home at the end of the day in the same shape they left that morning.

Employees and the construction team are not the only ones to benefit from The Samuels Group’s safety record. A safe work environment during the construction of the Green Lake County Justice Center paid off big for Green Lake County.  On November 8, 2011, the county was presented with a $291,904 dividend check from the county’s insurer, for having a reduced number of lost-time accidents during the construction of the Green Lake County Justice Center.  The Samuels Group, Inc., the construction manager for the project, had 590 days without any lost time due to injuries.

“The Samuels Group has one of the lowest Experience Modification Rates (EMR) in their industry,” said John Guerndt, owner/president of Compass Insurance. “A lower number will have a positive impact on their clients because it reduces insurance related expenditures which can save their clients money.” EMR is a discount associated with workers compensation insurance premiums.

The Samuels Group Newsletter – In Your Space Winter 2012

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The Winter 2012 In Your Space has just been released.  A lot has been happening so this edition has a lot of news that you’ll want to check out.  In the newsletter you’ll find a lot of great information including the following stories!

 

 

 

Enjoy!  You can start from the homepage which features a picture of the beautiful new Student Center at Upper Iowa University recently completed by The Samuels Group by clicking HERE!

The Samuels Group announces addition of new employees

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The Samuels Group announces the recent addition of several new employees.  Joining the firm are Tim Vick as Safety Director, Nicole Sletten as Project Administrator and Daena Fleischhacker as Accountant.

Tim Vick will be responsible for overseeing safety conditions at Samuels Group jobsites and ensuring compliance with OSHA safety rules.  Vick will continue to foster a culture focused on a commitment to safety throughout all levels of the organization and will work closely with Project Managers and Superintendents to ensure that The Samuels Group’s 9 Year, no lost time record continues.

Vick’s experience with jobsite safety dates back to 1988.  He has been a master electrician since 1996 and has worked with clients at previous jobs developing safety assessments and has submitted safety presentations to The State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Buildings.  He will be working out of the firm’s Wisconsin office.

Nicole Sletten’s responsibilities as Project Administrator include daily project coordination, writing meeting minutes, processing subcontracts, issuing change orders, assisting with reviewing, processing submittals, maintaining project logs and other project management support.  Additionally she will assume the administrative assistant responsibilities in the company’s Waterloo, Iowa office.

Sletten graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa in December of 2009 and will work out of the company’s Waterloo, Iowa office.

In Daena Fleischacker’s role as accountant, she will be responsible for accounts payable and subcontract items as well as year-end and audit activities.

Fleischacker is currently attending Northcentral Technical College where she is pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Accounting, and expects to graduate in December of 2012.  Fleischacker will work out of The Samuels Group’s Wausau, WI office.

Samuels Group Employees Provide Winter Coats for Children

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Employees at The Samuels Group recently helped bring brand new winter coats to children in need this holiday season.  The Neighbor’s Place, a Wausau-based organization that provides help to those in need through a food pantry, emergency relief and other services, compiled a list of 20 children in the Wausau area needing winter clothing items.  Through The Samuels Group employee’s efforts, coats were given to The Neighbor’s Place on December 5th, 2011, fulfilling the needs of every child on the list at that time.  The Neighbor’s Place then distributed the new winter clothing to the children as presents.  Samuels Group employees who participated in providing the coats are pictured in the photo above and include from left to right, Melissa Springer, Shelley Rowe, Jeremy Kleman, John Treweek, Dean Henrickson, Brenda Skic and Sid Samuels.

Winter clothing is one of the most needed items in the community during this time of year and The Neighbor’s place has a continually updated list of children in the Wausau area needing warm clothing.  To find out how you can help children this winter, or if you know a child who needs winter clothing call The Neighbor’s Place at 715-845-1966.

The Samuels Group Welcomes New Project Superintendent

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Bud Bortz has joined The Samuels Group as a project superintendent. His primary responsibilities include managing day-to-day operations on the construction site, safety, schedule control, quality control, and subcontractor coordination. Bud has worked in construction for over 25 years and has an extensive knowledge of the construction industry. Bud will begin his career at The Samuels Group serving as the superintendent on various projects for the State of Iowa.

The Samuels Group Wins Build Wisconsin Award

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The Samuels Group was selected to receive a 2011 Build Wisconsin Award from the Wisconsin Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) in the General Contractor – New Construction Category.  The winning entry, Green Lake County Government Center, is a project that successfully met multi-usage needs associated with housing over 30 departments, each with diverse security and technology requirements, into one new facility. Extensive planning, coordination, and quality construction management resulted in an attractive facility that serves many needs and improves operation costs and efficiencies.  The Samuels Group’s commitment to sustainability and safety were also notable components of the project.

Samuels Group | Environments, the interior design and furnishing division of The Samuels Group, provided complete office systems specific to each department’s needs and assisted in selecting seating, tables, storage, and accessories that perfectly complimented each environment within the facility.

Projects are evaluated by a panel of construction industry professionals (including architects, engineers, city officials and other building experts) that select the top projects to receive the awards.  The panel judges each project and gives a project points based on criteria such as sustainable practices, unusual design, innovation, teamwork, overcoming challenges and client satisfaction.

The Samuels Group Welcomes New Project Manager

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Jason Somers has joined The Samuels Group as a project manager.  Based primarily in Iowa, he is responsible for the daily management of projects including bid reviews, supervision of contract administration, coordination of change requests, supervision of field engineering support, planning and scheduling services, project status reports, budgeting and cash flow projections, and supervision of material and equipment requirements.  Jason has worked in the construction industry for over 10 years, specifically as a project manager for the past seven years, serving the healthcare and corporate markets.

Safety pays on Green Lake County Justice Center Project

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A safe work environment during the construction of the Green Lake County Justice Center has paid off big for Green Lake County.

At the Green Lake County Board Meeting on November 8th, the county was presented with a $291,904 dividend check from the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (County Mutual), the county’s insurer, for having a reduced number of lost-time accidents during the construction of the Green Lake County Justice Center.

“These are tight times for our counties and the dividend payment clearly shows the partnership between the County Mutual and counties to provide effective insurance solutions,” said Lee Rymer, President of the County Mutual and Oconto County Board Chair. “We are very proud that this project helped to save taxpayer dollars, while protecting the lives of the workers on Green Lake County Justice Center.”

The Samuels Group acted as construction manager on the Green Lake County project and finished the project with no lost time injuries, totaling 590 work days.

“We worked tirelessly to create plans that take into account the safest work environment possible for our construction workers, as well as anyone involved in this project, said Tim Harmann, Field Superintendent, The Samuels Group, Inc “The partnership with the County Mutual fits well with our philosophy and dedication to deliver projects with zero incidents or injuries. The Samuels Group, Inc. is proud to have been a part of the Green Lake County team.”

For this project, Green Lake County participated in the County Mutual’s Owner Direct Insurance Program (ODIP). The ODIP is a cost-saving insurance product that allows counties to take control of their general liability and worker’s compensation insurance needs on building projects such as jails or law enforcement centers. Estimates have shown that the cost of general liability for these types of projects is typically three-to-four percent of the total contract value.

In addition to program administration, regular safety visits and training on site were conducted for the Green Lake County Justice Center project by Aegis Corporation, which is the general administrator for the County Mutual and administered the on-site safety program for the ODIP program.

“This is always a huge team effort and Green Lake County had a group in place for this project that made safety a top priority,” said Vance Forrest, Vice President of Risk Management for Aegis Corporation. “There was a commitment to safety from all parties involved in the construction of the new justice center. Because of this, the job site was safe and Green Lake County is seeing huge savings by using the ODIP.”

The total premium paid by Green Lake County was $425,690, with $219,904 coming back to the county in the form of a dividend payment.

The Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), along with county officials from around the state, created the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation in 1987 to provide quality liability insurance substantially at cost to its members. The company has a strong focus on risk management and currently insures 53 of the state’s 72 counties. To learn more, visit www.wisconsincountymutual.org.