Michigan Archives

Springfield Inc. Earns Platinum Award for Quality Roof Installations

Written by SpringfieldMarch 23, 2016

Springfield Inc., a commercial contractor in Kingsley was awarded the Platinum Award by Duro-Last Roofing of Saginaw, Michigan. The Platinum Award is Duro-Last’s highest quality award and places Springfield in the top 3% of authorized Duro-Last contractors nationwide.

Springfield averaged a quality inspection score of 99% in 2015.”I am extremely proud of Springfield and continue to be impressed with their high quality workmanship. Our roof inspectors rarely see work of this quality.” stated Trevor Wagester, Sales Representative for Duro-Last Roofing. Nick Jacqmain, President of Springfield credits a great team of employees and an ongoing training program for the success. “Of all the awards we could win” he states, “this is the one I am the most proud of because it demonstrates that we truly do our very best work to serve our clients”.

Michigan Rooftop Dangers: Roof Collapses and Roof Shatters

Written by SpringfieldMarch 4, 2016

Michigan has its share of cold brisk weather and heavy snowfall that can wreak havoc on your commercial rooftop. Back in the 70s, membrane roofing was still in its infancy and many of the products such as Trocal were deficient and yet were installed extensively in Grand Traverse, Wexford, Antrim, and Charlevoix counties. As the plasticizer in these early membranes disintegrated and cold weather caused these defective membranes to pull away from the edges, which caused massive shatters and complete failures during the winter months.

Further rooftop dangers occur when there is a heavy thick snow-load upon a structure causing parts of the roof to cave in or collapse due to excess weight.

Springfield has experience remedying both situations. The Duro-Last PVC membrane is state of the art and built to last with the best warranty available on the market today. Since it is made in Michigan it is built to withstand the rapid climate changes and harsh winter months. Springfield has installed Duro-Last roofs that have exceeded their warranties and are still performing well. As far as building collapses – there no worries there. The Duro-Last membrane is slippery and the snow slides right off or blows away without sticking to the rooftop.

If you are experiencing any difficulties with your industrial/commercial rooftop or wondering if your facility may be at risk of shattering or collapsing, give us a call. We can help!

Expansion of the SmartAnchor Division

Written by SpringfieldFebruary 24, 2016

In the last few months we have begun expanding our SmartAnchor division. With the approval of our newest patent, the LadderAnchor, and our growing clientele that are looking for smart solutions for their safety needs, we have hired new team members for the division!

Scott Pryde
SmartAnchor General Manager

Scott Pryde has joined the Kingsley commercial contractor Springfield Inc. as the Smart Anchor General Manager, the Fall Protection division of the company. He brings to Springfield over 26 years of experience in Health and Safety, sales and technical service in a number of different industries.

Tim Korson, P.E.
Senior Engineer

Tim joined our team in December of 2014 and has been working diligently to help grown the SmartAnchor division. Tim manages all product design and is our lead engineer. He has 15 years of engineering experience.

Eian Richard
Engineer Tech

Eian has been with Springfield since January of 2015. He began working with our crew to learn the ins and outs of the business then was transferred to an engineering tech so that he could utilize his experience and education in engineering and CAD design. As well as designing fall protection equipment, Eian also handles material ordering, organizing and disbursement.

Nick Downey
Engineer Tech

Nick joined the Springfield team as an engineering technician. He has been working on designing custom fall protection equipment. Nick has over 10 years of experience in the engineering field utilizing his skills in product design.

Great Customer Service “RULES” the world at Springfield

Written by SpringfieldFebruary 1, 2016

By Terri Jo Umlor, Vice President

Whether its postage meters, cell phones, filing cabinets, or toilet paper, Springfield makes buying decisions based upon the level of customer service we receive. If the customer service is there, we will also be there with our checkbook.

A business, no matter what they are selling or producing, needs to “dial” in on customer service. It doesn’t matter how great the product is and how long it will last, if the customer service isn’t there – – – Springfield is NOT buying it.

Fortunately for Springfield, Northern Michigan is full of vendors and small business entities that have “customer service” as their middle name. This is why we do everything we can to purchase goods and services from our friends in Kingsley, Cadillac, and Traverse City. We continue to be awed by how much our local vendors care about our success.

Springfield Supports Chamber of Commerce in Traverse City and Cadillac

Written by SpringfieldJanuary 19, 2016

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Springfield Community Involvement Showcase at the 2007 Hagerty Small Business of the Year Showcase Event!

As our Fall Prevention Division experiences double digit growth, we pause with gratitude and thanks to the local organizations that have helped our small business over the past 19 years. We are especially grateful to the Cadillac Chamber of Commerce for its excellence with Lunch N Learn Events, a phenomenal Business Expo, Annual dinner and a golf outing that is super fun! Thank you Bill Tenzca and your team for all your fun and informative events.

Traverse City Chamber of Commerce leader Laura Oblinger is also at the top of our gratitude list for all the above mentioned events along with the Small Business Celebration. Springfield was honored as the Hagerty Small Business of the Year winner in 2008 and with the receipt of this award, our roofing division saw skyrocketing sales, giving our team the opportunity to provide high quality roofing services to our Traverse City friends and neighbors. Following is information on the 2016 Small Business Celebration. Nominate your favorite small business today for this prestigious award.

Now taking nominations for the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year!

It only take a few minutes to nominate a company. It will have a lasting impression on the nominee, knowing you thought enough of their business to nominate them for this award.

Click here to nominate a business.

2016 Small Business Celebration Timeline:
Nominations Open – January 18 – 29
Application Orientation – February 10
Application Deadline – February 26
Candidates Showcase Orientation – March 2
Candidates Showcase – March 15
Top 10 Announcement – March 21
Top 10 Site Visits – April 11-14
April 11 | 8 a.m. – Noon
April 12 | 8 a.m. – Noon
April 13 | 1 – 5 p.m.
April 14 | 1 – 5 p.m.
Meet the Top 10 Breakfast – April 19
Awards Ceremony – May 4

SPRINGFIED INC. – PATENT APPROVED

Written by SpringfieldJanuary 15, 2016

January 2016

The team of Springfield Inc. has reason to celebrate today. The Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent US 9,234,389 dated January 12, 2016 to Springfield C.E.O. Terry Umlor for his innovative Springfield Ladder Anchor product. Springfield Inc. is well known for its longtime leadership in problem solving, and the SpringfieldLadder Anchor follows that trend with a product that safely secures an extension ladder to the roof of a building in order to keep the ladder from slipping sideways along the roofline or slipping out from the wall at the ground level. Findings of the Bureau of Labor Statistics study of 1,400 ladder accidents indicate 53 percent of straight ladders had not been secured or braced at the bottom, and 61 percent had not been secured at the top.

The Springfield Ladder Anchor fully complies with the safety requirements for properly securing an extension ladder set forth by OSHA. It is the result of decades of experience in the field, with our own employees safely and effectively climbing ladders to reach rooftops of every imaginable dimension and grade. The Springfield LadderAnchor can either be installed on the top edge of the roof or reversed and attached to the face edge of the roof. Since this product was designed by people in the roofing business, it will provide safe, attractive roof access for years to come.

Everyone at Springfield would like to say “Thank You!” to the following individuals and organizations for helping, leading, and guiding us through this process: Terry Berden and his team at Great Lakes Stainless for consulting and manufacturing the finished product, Terry Boyd and the team at Gourdie Fraser for initial scope and design work and to Patent Attorney Doug Bishop for handling the legalities. Most of all, thank you to our valued employees and clients for your wiliness to participate in bringing our idea into fruition. “We were blessed throughout the process to be connected to so many intelligent and helpful individuals” noted Umlor.

For more information call us at (231) 263-5300 or find us on the www.springfieldroof.co

Be Proactive

Written by SpringfieldDecember 30, 2015

PRO-AC-TIVE

(Of a person, policy, or action) creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened. “be proactive in identifying and preventing potential problems.”

Joe arrived at work in Traverse City on a Monday morning in February in a great mood – the weekend was warm and sunny, the snow was melting in his hometown of Kingsley and “life was good” until he pulled up to the back door of the industrial plant where he worked as facility manager. The first thing he noticed was a large ice-cycle had broken free from the roof and smashed a window by the loading dock. As he looked at that he remembered what Nick Jacqmain of Springfield had told him last fall – “the expansion and contraction of a metal roofed building such as yours creates a situation for ice buildup that can damage your building during a mid-winter thaw.” If only he had listened and insulated the roof last fall… to make matters worse, he entered the building only to find water pouring in from several locations. If only he had listened to Nick and had the old roof replaced last summer -He wondered how much down time this would cost him.

Fortunately for Joe, he had his favorite roofing contractor, Springfield Inc. on speed dial and within the hour Matt Brucker and Nick Pascoe were onsite fixing the leaks. Joe watched them work their magic thinking “This summer I’m going to be PROACTIVE” because when it comes to taking care of my building time is money and being PROACTIVE saves both time and money in the long run.

Springfield strives to educate building owners and managers about the importance of being proactive and giving your roof routine “checkups” to avoid expensive emergencies that could affect your production schedules.

Employee Retention

Written by SpringfieldDecember 16, 2015

Springfield Owners Terry and Terri Jo Umlor claim having fabulous employees is one of their biggest blessings. But how does Springfield hire, retain and keep these fabulous people happily employed? Let’s face it, Northern Michigan construction is tough – the summers are hot and many times there is no shade where we are working. Additionally, brutal outdoor work during the wintertime poses many special challenges. Even so, Springfield employees seem to maintain a friendly comradery with each other and with management that is impressive.

The following are a few tried and true pointers for retaining fabulous people

Ask your field teams for their opinions and thoughts and be willing to honestly LISTEN to their feedback and opinions—After all, they are the ones actually performing the work and their insight will be invaluable to you as the owner and will send them a strong message of “I care about what your work day is like”
Allow employees to give anonymous peer reviews of their team mates upon an employees work anniversary and READ and PONDER what your employees say about each other. Watch specifically for their suggestions regarding safety and teamwork and you will be astounded by the quality and caliber of your team. We find over and over again that our teams support and help one another and strive to keep each other safe. Someone who doesn’t “buy in” to that mindset usually will weed themselves out and find another place of employment.
Do special activities with your employees – – – go fishing with the group, go to a shooting range with them, throw a Christmas party for them, a card party, and by all means – – -honor them when they have major life events such as marriage, birth of their children, etc.
Cover their health insurance and provide benefits such as paid vacation, paid holidays and retirement plans. Be proactive and do more than what is required by law to treat your teammates as the VIPS that they are!!!

Terry and I hope you have enjoyed these tips on happy employees. Our team is tremendous beyond belief and we are grateful every day to each and every member of the Springfield team

Below is a photo of some of our guys at the 2015 Fishing Derby and two of our girls at the yearly Girl’s Day Out!

Veterans and firefighters in the workforce

Written by SpringfieldDecember 2, 2015

By Terri Jo Umlor, Vice President

Veterans and firefighters are widely appreciated for their courage and selfless service to our communities and our country. As a veteran owned company, we participate in outreach efforts to attract job applicants who have served in the military and or who are firefighters.

At Springfield, we find that veterans and firefighters are dedicated, respectful, team orientated, and safe workers. As a northern Michigan fall protection and rooftop safety service provider, it’s important that we hire and retain individuals with good mental health, good thinking skills, that are extremely reliable, and possess a strong commitment to the team. For this, veterans and firefighters just can’t be beat.

Josh Walton and his family, Corporate Safety Director, Crew Foreman and (in his spare time) a volunteer firefighter and EMT.