I remember a time in the mid-1980s, Bernie Sweeney had taken a team of five guys to a large factory job about 60 miles away on a Saturday. The job had to be completed that day and it was beginning to snow. When the men arrived, they found that our ladders were two-feet shy of the roof so they could not get the equipment on top. Backing the van up to the building and setting a ladder on top of it would be too risky a maneuver, so on his team’s advice, Bernie scoured the area for a rental service where he got a longer ladder. Teamwork also involves coming up with the best solution.
When teamwork becomes second nature, work gets done with little or no trouble – almost effortless. Such is the case each year when almost half our staff volunteers to participate in “Heat for the Holidays.” Through this program, we donate heaters to needy families in our region and our workers donate their time on a Saturday to install the systems. After an outside board reviews dozens of nominations, Bernie and Tony Caserta visit the finalists and select the families to receive new heating systems. The other finalists are given a free furnace tune up and safety inspection. Because we send double and triple crews out to make sure installation is completed in one day, technicians have a chance to work with colleagues who they do not normally see in the field, which makes for a spirited day. Each year we have more volunteers than we need and our associates say that they feel good about helping out.