Plastered in Charleston !

Hayles and Howe’s Mark Mordhorst, Jim Meade, and Robert Johnson, trekked down to Charleston, SC, in a van loaded full of plaster materials to spend their weekend…plastering (a regular busman’s holiday!).

The weekend of September 28, 2012, Hayles and Howe participated in the 16^th Annual International Preservation Trades Workshop (IPTW 2012), put together by the Preservation Trades Network (PTN).  The Preservation Trades Network (PTN) is a 501(c)3 non-profit membership organization founded to provide education, networking and outreach for the traditional building trades. (www.ptn.org/index.htm)  The event was unique this year because it was a joint conference with The Association For Preservation Technology (APT).  APT is a cross-disciplinary, membership organization dedicated to promoting the best technology for conserving historic structures and their settings.  (http://www.apti.org/)

Seasoned IPTW presenters Mark and Jim, along with rookie IPTW presenter Robert, assisted historic preservation students applying plaster to the historic Old City Jail in Charleston.  Students came from all over the country, many from  the North Carolina region.  The Old City Jail is owned by the American College of the Building Arts (ACBA), and is a “living classroom” for students.  Our craftsmen and students worked together as they spread traditional three-coat lime plaster in a corridor.  They applied the plaster directly onto masonry, as the building was originally plastered.  Other trades offering training included masonry restoration with Andy deGruchy and his team from LimeWorks as well as  Ken Uracius of Stone and Lime Imports. Ken’s company manufactures the only authentic natural cement from the Rosendale limestone quarries in Rosendale, New York. 

Until the ACBA acquired the property, the Old City Jail sat vacant for some 60 years. The school has been working on the preservation of this building ever since.  Hayles and Howe was grateful to be a part of  training students in traditional skills and saving another old building that helps tell the story and legacy of American history.

Our craftsmen spent a busy Friday and Saturday working on the jail, but were able to sneak in a lecture on natural hydraulic lime and natural cement by Gerard Lynch, PhD, “The Red Mason”.  (Ok boys, get ready for your quiz!)  During the off-workshop hours they were able to catch up with old friends and make new ones, and have yet another great time at one more annual IPTW!

The Value of Association

 Hayles and Howe, Inc (H&H) has not escaped the challenges of the economic downturn that started in the fall of 2008.  Like other companies, we have had to adjust to the new economic reality of fewer projects with more bidders and more challenging contract terms.  Unlike many of our competitors, we entered the recession in a relatively strong financial position.  Fiscal prudence by management during the boom times has allowed us to ride out the volatile ride of the past few years.

At H&H, we have a management team that tries to act rather than to react to the changing market. We partner closely with our affiliated company in the UK, Hayles&  Howe, Ltd, as well as our outside advisors for management, financial, legal, HR, technical, safety and risk management advice, recoginzing that we do not have all the answers in house.  We also leverage our relationships with professional associations for education, training, and networking.  And finally, we work with our customers,  vendors and subcontractors, all in the pursuit of providing quality workmanship on time and on budget.

 

So what is the value of joining those professional associations?  Don’t they just have happy hour and pat each on the back?  That’s not my experience.  I am writing this on an airplane returning from the CFMA (Construction Financial Management Association) annual conference in Orlando, Florida, filled with information learned both in the classroom and out.  I return filled with pride in how far we have come since I joined H&H in 1999. We now have processes in place to manage a job from the first sales contact to the final payment and closeout (and sometimes beyond), and we have a group of people dedicated to making those processes work to the advantage of the entire project team from owner to vendor.

Don't get me wrong.  By no means have we perfected our systems, and I am excited to be able to share the insight I learned in Orlando with my colleagues and to see how we can continue to challenge ourselves to perform even better in all areas of our business.  It is through this learning process that we continue to evolve as a company that provides the best to the best by the best.   In future posts, I hope to share some of the specific insights I gained - and what we do with them - in this blog. 

Until then, let me close with the lesson I learned from the first conference speaker, Sam Glenn:  "Organizations get better when the people in them get better - and it all starts with attitude."  At Hayles and Howe, Inc., we believe that "together, it can be done" - and done well.  Membership in professional organizations is one important piece in our constant striving to move beyond “good enough” to “best.”

So what do you think about membership in organizations?  Do you leverage the knowledge and experience of the members you meet there?  What do you consider your most valuable association membership – and why?

Joselin R Martin ,CPA, CCIFP is the Financial Manager of Hayles and Howe, Inc. in Baltimore , MD.  She has been a member of the CFMA since xxxx, and currently serves as Treasurer of the ICCIFP, a related organization that oversees the CCIFP credential.  She is also a member of the MACPA Board of Directors and a member of the AICPA Governing Council.