Springfield photo of Dog shaking water off

Beat the Heat

Written by SpringfieldJuly 7, 2017

 

The “DOG DAYS OF SUMMER” are closing in on our talented and physically fit team of construction workers.  Our team frequently works without shade which intensifies the heat exponentially.    Here are some tips to help you beat the heat

  • Drink water early, often and frequently – at least 20 ounces every hour
  • When on break, get into the shade or an air conditioned vehicle (if possible)
  • Wear synthetic, light colored, athletic clothing that wicks the heat and sweat away from your body
  • Come to work well rested and hydrated (note: alcohol consumption the night before work will hinder hydration)
  • Take shorter and more frequent breaks
  • Take it seriously: Know the signs of heat stress and monitor yourself and co-workers
  • Speak up if you notice yourself or a co-worker struggling with any heat related issues

 

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Springfield at dinner

Duro-Last, Inc. Admiral Club Award for 2016

Written by SpringfieldMarch 28, 2017

Duro-Last®, Inc. Honors Springfield Construction with Admission to the Admiral Club


SAGINAW, MICHIGAN – In recognition of outstanding achievement in quality workmanship, customer satisfaction, and 2016 sales volume, Duro-Last, Inc. recently welcomed Springfield Construction to the Admiral Club. Inductees were honored during Duro-Last’s National Sales Seminar held at Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida, January 29-31, 2017.

“Every year at the Duro-Last Sales Seminar, I am reminded of how our contractors are “Best in Class,” and Springfield Construction is a perfect example of that,” said Duro-Last Chairman of the Board Jack Burt. “Springfield Construction has been consistently going above and beyond for their customers with high-quality work and integrity. We are excited to see what they accomplish in the next year as an authorized Duro-Last contractor.”

About Duro-Last, Inc.

Known as the “World’s Best Roof®”, Duro-Last, Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of custom prefabricated, thermoplastic single-ply roofing systems. Factory controlled custom prefabrication eliminates up to 85% of field seams, resulting in lower on-site labor costs and easier installation. This highly sustainable and extremely durable roofing system is leak-proof, virtually maintenance-free and resistant to chemicals, fire, punctures, and high winds. Over two billion square feet of Duro-Last membrane has been installed throughout North America. Duro-Last is headquartered in Saginaw, Michigan with additional manufacturing facilities in Grants Pass, Oregon; Jackson, Mississippi; Sigourney, Iowa; Carrollton, Texas; and Ludlow, Massachusetts. For more information on Duro-Last, call 800-248-0280 or visit www.duro-last.com.

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Springfield CPR Training

Learning From Each Other

Written by SpringfieldMarch 17, 2017

“If you are going to ask someone for their opinion, you need to be willing to listen.”   Terry Umlor, CEO and founder of Springfield Inc.

Northern Michigan Winters tend to slow down the progress of roof installations.  While we do get a few nice “roofing” days in January and February, the Springfield management team is challenged to keep our dedicated and faithful field employees’ busy helping at the shop to minimize/eliminate having to lay them off during the dead of winter.  One successful project has been developing our training program.  Our field employees serve as our best consultants for this endeavor.

Many facets make up the Springfield training program.  Certainly OSHA training, equipment certifications, and scheduled hands-on sessions are key components.  However, LISTENING and LEARNING to feedback from our field people is perhaps the most critical component of The Springfield Training Program.  We learn our “best practices” from the folks making it happen in the field.  Because we listen and learn from our installation team, our training program manual will never be found covered with dust sitting on the back shelf of the storage closet.  It is a living, breathing, moving set of documents used frequently and updated regularly

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duro-last contractor logo

Springfield Inc. Earns Prestigious “Platinum Contractor Award”

Written by SpringfieldMarch 17, 2017

January, 2015

Springfield Inc. is proud to announce receipt of prestigious “Platinum Contractor Award” from Duro-Last Roofing of Saginaw, Michigan. This achievement has placed Springfield in the top 3% of Duro-Last contractors in the nation. Springfield has been installing the highest quality roofs utilizing made-in-Michigan materials since 1985.

Springfield, Inc., located in Kingsley between Traverse City and Cadillac Michigan, recently was awarded the John R Burt Award at the annual Duro-Last® Roofing conference in Orlando Florida.  This award was based on recognition of outstanding achievement in quality workmanship, customer satisfaction and sales in 2013.  We congratulate all of our employees for their efforts to continue to give high quality results even while confronting the elements of the norhern Michigan weather based on our customers needs.Springfield 2013 JRB Award

Complete Duro-Last® Press Release for Springfield Award

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Springfield fishing trip2

Friends and Co-Workers

Written by SpringfieldOctober 20, 2016

Maybe it’s possible to have a successful business without being friends, but who would want to?  Springfield employs local northern Michigan men and women – many who have known each other since childhood.  It is also common for our crew members to actually personally know the building owners we serve with our roofing, mechanical insulation and fall prevention systems.  Keeping family traditions at home and creating and maintaining friendly traditions at work, creates a positive and fun work environment. Springfield employees, along with their families, are friends who support and help each other out both at work and when not at work.

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Safety director Josh Walton, Field Manager, Matt Brucker and CEO, Terry Umlor share a few moments together before Matt’s wedding

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Monthly safety meeting and breakfast

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Engineering Tech, Eian Richards, Field tech, Chad Allen, Project Manager, Jason O’Polka, and field Tech/CDL driver, Steve Johnson share a cold beverage before the company fishing derby

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Springfield sign hiring

2016 40Under40 – The Region’s Most Influential Professionals Under The Age Of 40

Written by SpringfieldSeptember 30, 2016

We our so proud of our President! The following segment was an interview with Nick cut from an article featured in the Traverse City Business news:

JacqmainNick Jacqmain

President, Springfield Inc., 31

Community involvement: TC Young Professionals – Connect Committee co-chair; Chamber ambassador.

Highlight reel from last year: The growth and job creation that our company has produced. Our fall protection department now has a general manager, professional engineer, two engineer technicians, and we have added four new field technicians who help with both the roofing and fall protection sides of the business. I am also proud of the quality we have maintained during our growth. Our roofing department had an average quality score of 98 percent out of 100 in 2015, ranking us as one of the top (if not the very top rated) Durolast roofing contractor in the nation.

Biggest need in GT region in next five years: Quality, affordable housing for young professionals. Finding a decent place that we could afford was a struggle for me and my wife when we were in our early 20s and it has become the most difficult aspect of the onboarding process for new Springfield employees.

Biggest risk/threat to GT region in next five years: The lack of middle class, which relates back to the affordable housing for young professionals.

My next big thing: Continue to experience controlled growth by adding 4-6 new employees to support the workload in the fall protection department. Company owners Terry and Terri Jo Umlor have built a business and working environment that is second to none and, as a team, we want to continue to build on that foundation.

Who knew? When I was in college, I was a wedding DJ on the weekends. The company that I worked for scheduled a lot of jobs in Traverse City and it was during those weddings that I realized this was somewhere I might want to live someday. More importantly, that job gave me experience working with people when their stress and anxiety levels are at their highest.

Biggest fan: “I’ve known Nick for about six years. I have always found him to be professional, while at the same time very personal. He has always taken care of our buildings as if they were his own. I am very happy for him to be receiving this award.”­ – Doug Plumstead, Graceland Fruit

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Michigan OSHA

The 16th Michigan Worker Death of 2016

Written by SpringfieldSeptember 9, 2016

miosha

The 16th Michigan worker death of 2016 occurred on August 10, 2016. Employers and employees are urged to use extreme care and safety diligence in all work activities. The information below shares preliminary details about the most recent fatality reported to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA). The description reflects information provided to MIOSHA at the initial report of the incident and is not the result of the official MIOSHA investigation.

Preliminary summary of incident: On August 10, 2016, a 48-year-old roofer was working at the edge of a roof and fell approximately 17-feet.

We extend our sincere sympathy and best wishes to the family of the deceased roofing employee. Accidents do sometimes happen despite the best efforts to keep people safe from falls. At Springfield we have tremendous respect for the inherent dangers of our occupation and are humbled and saddened to hear of the loss of a fellow roofer.

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springfield tips about hot roofs

Hydration

Written by SpringfieldAugust 29, 2016

Mother Nature has unleashed record-breaking heat on us. Our Roofing crews were battling extreme temperatures in East Jordan, Traverse City and Elk Rapids this past week.  We have compiled a few highlights from our safety meeting on hydration we thought may be helpful to anyone working or playing outside in our Michigan communities.

Before Work:  Drink 16 oz. water 2 hours before activity and then 8-16 oz. just before starting work.

During work:    Drink 4-16 oz. every 15-20 minutes and take in at least 1 gram per hour sodium (Gatorade/powerade, etc) during heavy activity (more during high humidity).  Check in with your body from time to time to be sure you are sweating (if you stop sweating, this could indicate a problem); and that your urine is clear (this ensures you are well hydrated).

After Work:  Continue to drink water throughout your time off work to speed up the rehydration process.

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Springfield front building sign

The Springfield family – Roofing, Mechanical Insulation, Fall Prevention, and Tiny Toddlers

Written by SpringfieldAugust 9, 2016

Springfield is seeing a significant population explosion here in our northwest-lower Michigan.  We applaud these tiny tots to our Springfield family -born to hardworking men and women of our small business.   I’m pretty sure all of these little ones were “made in Michigan.”  We welcome the opportunity to pinch hit here at the office covering for each other so that our new “daddy’s” can have the opportunity to take some time off and be with their young ones.  We love it that we employ dads who “love to be dads”.    Nonetheless, despite the small army of babies to care for, we stand ready, willing, and able to assist you today with your roofing, mechanical insulation, emergency rooftop repairs, and fall prevention needs.

the brucker family
Our Field Manager, Matt Brucker, his wife, Jessica and his daughter, Karsyn.
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springfield smart anchor group

Springfield Inc. – “Put your Life on our Line”

Written by SpringfieldAugust 4, 2016

Kingsley, Michigan. July 7, 2016.

Springfield Inc.™ has acquired 3 commercial buildings in Grand Traverse County, next door to its company Headquarters.  The buildings were acquired to house the rapidly expanding Springfield SmartAnchor division.  Contact Scott Pryde, Springfield SmartAnchor general manager for assistance with cost effective solutions to your fall prevention needs.  Scott works closely with Tim Korson, Head Engineer, for SmartAnchor  to assure your facility safety requirement are met and that your rooftop safety plan is compliant.  Our products are designed to meet your needs – both indoors and outdoors.  Jobsite training is also available for your employees.

certifications-work

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