Every project requires an exceptional amount of teamwork.
Still, even then, sometimes people go above and beyond.
A recent example: In the process of competitively bidding a major project in the southwest U.S., the owner inquired about a Value Engineering session with a quick turnaround for the meeting.
Steve Reap, Vice President of Engineering at Superior Electric, spent those days re-engineering a completed electrical distribution concept for the project, which spanned more than 3 million square feet.
But, continuing in that collaborative spirit, he didn’t stop there. He traveled with the Walbridge team to present to the client, including historical data based on similar facilities and helped encourage conversation with the client.
“Steve’s work was not just exceptional, it was instrumental in this project,” Mike Smiley, Walbridge’s Group Vice President of Estimating, said. “His quick revisions and re-engineering were impactful.”
For Reap, he had no clue that Smiley and Walbridge Chief Estimator Paul Visioni submitted his name for the award.
“I was quite surprised,” he said. “I’m so honored that they both went out of their way to do such a thing.”
Reap said his process came from years of experience. With two decades of design-build experience, he was accustomed to that process, which means estimating and engineering work collaboratively.
When this opportunity presented itself, he immediately found distribution opportunities from an electrical perspective, based on other automotive facility experience.
He’s excited by the continued relationship with Walbridge and thankful for the Heart of Walbridge program, which highlights these moments.
“I look forward to many years ahead of working with the Walbridge team and creating opportunities together,” he said.
The Heart of Walbridge is a recognition program designed to recognize the commitment of excellence of Walbridge employees, subcontractors, suppliers, and any other entity that bolsters Walbridge’s relentless and innovative work ethic. The program is a vehicle that could display an array of examples of the tenets of the BRIDGE Initiative and the time-tested processes and attitudes that have allowed Walbridge to continue a heritage of excellence over the last 103 years.
“At its core, this is what the Heart of Walbridge is all about,” LaShira Champion-King, Walbridge’s Quality and Lean Manager, said. “We see many of these stories every year about employees, contractors and team members going above and beyond – we want to celebrate that spirit.”