The joy of the holidays filled the Earle Brown Event Center on December 12 at Egan’s Annual Employee Christmas Party and Toy Drive. Each holiday season, we aspire to collect as many toys as possible for those in need in our community through our partnership with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
This
year was no different – Egan was able to donate over 650 toys as well as $650
to the foundation! Egan employees were also featured on KARE 11 to drop-off our
donation on Friday, December 13.
Another charitable gift was made from Egan Company to the Ronald McDonald House. For a second year, employees donated their Christmas gift; and Egan matched the overall employee donation. In total, Egan donated $8,450 to the Ronald McDonald House charity this December.
Check out all the photos from this year’s event on our Facebook page.
Exceptional customer service requires working the extra hour, making the extra calls, taking care of the details, or visiting a building after hours. Upholding our promises at the highest level is always our goal. And, if we’re achieving that goal, each and every Egan customer should experience exceptional service.
Many times throughout the year, stories are sent to us from customers. Long narratives or short commendation, each story is shared with our Board of Directors who recognize the team or the employee with a gift for keeping their promises.
At the close of each year, two of these special stories are also chosen for a Promises Kept Award. This “best of” award recognizes those who have truly gone above and beyond in service to our customers. The winners are announced, presented, and celebrated at our annual Employee Christmas Party in December. Look for this year’s recipients in a few weeks!
The ability to be consistent is often an invaluable characteristic of a great leader. Most people would agree that being consistent is challenging. Furthermore, the ability to build consistency within an entire team is a whole different degree of difficulty.
It first requires clear goals and expectations, followed by patience, focus, and ample accountability. However, once mastered, consistency breeds success. And, the art of consistency is exactly how Tim Woolworth, Egan Company Senior Vice President and Board Member, has built success within the InterClad (glass, glazing, and metal panels) team. After two decades, Woolworth will be retiring from Egan in January of 2020.
Leading by Example
Woolworth first joined Egan’s InterClad team in late 2003 as Vice President of Operations. In this role, he oversaw project managers, the fabrication shop, and field. Given his strong skill set and background in project management, he also ran projects simultaneously.
“When I came to Egan, one of the reasons I still ran work in my role was because I always did everything you’re supposed to do… the basics of managing a project,” Woolworth joked. “Leading by example is what I pride myself on. So, when it came down to doing what was needed, nothing was ‘one more thing’ or ‘I’m too busy’.”
His consistent, lead-by-example approach and ability to instill accountability within his team has been the pinnacle of Woolworth’s leadership style throughout his career. Woolworth will be the first to admit that everything from the time he arrives at the office in the morning down to the fine print of closing out multi-million dollar projects is precise and intentional – and without question, hard work.
That said, the leader’s knack for doing the details right have not only elevated his 40-year career, but elevated the InterClad team and his peers within the company. Both InterClad and Egan have more than doubled in size since the 2000s.
Keeping the Passion
Operations and growth aside, ultimately his love of the curtainwall industry has also played a huge part in the success. The opportunity to build the bigger, taller, or more architecturally masterful structures is what has kept him within the business over the years.
“You never really build two buildings the same. Every project takes on its own personality,” explained Woolworth. “Along with that, there’s a good sense of satisfaction to be able to drive around and see the work you do. It’s classy and one of the most appealing parts of this industry.”
A few notable projects InterClad has completed during Woolworth’s tenure include U.S. Bank Stadium, the Cargill Campus, Target Corporation’s North Campus, multiple University of Minnesota buildings, and numerous new Downtown Minneapolis high-rise condominiums like 365 Nicollet, Rafter, 4Marq, and Nic on Fifth. Furthermore, InterClad’s biggest projects to date are coming over the next few years with the construction of RBC Gateway in Minneapolis and the Essentia Health campus in Duluth, both of which are on the team’s list of record backlog.
The Future of InterClad
While Woolworth will be leaving InterClad with a historic backlog, he still believes that the best is yet to come for the strong team. “I believe getting to another level within our region is doable,” he said. “I truly hope that what we’ve established within InterClad and within Egan will continue… And, I hope it’s a better company years from now than when I left it.”
Leading the charge for the InterClad team moving into the future is Ryan Woodruff, who joined Egan in early 2019 as Woolworth’s successor.
Woolworth will be moving back to his native state of Iowa, where his two children and grandchildren reside. His love for details and mastery of consistency will be applied to a very different kind of project scope which includes D.I.Y. projects at his newly built lake home as well as giving back through local volunteerism. He also wants to do more recreational fishing, boating, reading, and most importantly, spending time with his family.
The role safety plays – both in our work and at home – is an imperative piece to our success at Egan. Our goal every day is to keep our most valuable resource, our employees, safe. From the equipment, tools, and protective gear we use to the external safety classes and partnerships we provide, it is our mission to achieve zero injuries.
This Fall, Egan officially added another safety partnership to its list with the acceptance into the Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) program.
CHASE is an exclusive program created by the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota (AGC of MN) and the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Congratulations
to Egan Company on becoming a CHASE Level 2 participant this October and for
earning this recognition with its comprehensive safety program,” said Doug
Swenson, Director of Safety and Field Training with AGC.
The
ultimate goal of this partnership with Minnesota contractors is to reduce and
eliminate jobsite injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. With the addition of
Egan, it currently has 42 member contractors across the state.
Elected
participants are those that implement effective safety and health programs and
provide effective safety health training for management, supervisors, and
employees. The program also recognizes those that go beyond basic compliance
with OSHA standards and have an overall effective, long-term safety program.
With this partnership, Egan must continually meet and maintain yearly safety
requirements.
“Our
goal for every project we’re involved with is for it to be safer because Egan’s
team is there,” said Reid Romer, Safety Director at Egan. “The CHASE
partnership gives us, as well as our customers, a reassurance that Egan’s
safety efforts are being applied and continuing to move forward as an
organization.”
Next year marks a
milestone for Egan Company – 75 years in the trades – a milestone worth
celebrating and a chance to reflect on the history that makes Egan what it is
today.
The story of Egan is one of grit, growth, and an unwavering passion for the trades and construction industry. Before our 12 trades, 1,200 employees, countless valued customers, and four locations, there was one man in a single room pipe shop on the Northern Minnesota Iron Range. The year was 1905 and Joseph Egan was ready to put his business dream into motion.
Fast forward to today, and you’ll find Egan headquartered in
Brooklyn Park with projects throughout the Midwest and services ranging from
mechanical, electrical, and building systems to millwrights, curtainwall/glazing/panel
systems, engineering and design, and controls and system integration.
We’ve recently rediscovered our roots on the Iron Range, specifically with projects within the mining industry. Egan’s mechanical team and seven different trades have been busy at multiple mines with upgrades and changes frequently needed in a fully operational mining facility. The team has also been completing projects in pulp and paper plants. Additionally, other Egan teams are on the North Shore with projects in the healthcare and hospitality industries.
Lastly, as we celebrate our 75 years, we can’t help but reflect on the solid foundation that has shaped us into the company we are today. A foundation to deliver high-quality craftsmanship and innovative solutions while upholding the promises we make to our customers.This framework has helped us grow, kept us safe, and has played a fundamental role in the tens of thousands of projects we’ve touched in our community, across Minnesota, and throughout the greater Midwest.
We’re excited for this milestone of 75 years and the opportunity to take a walk down memory lane. Join us for the journey in 2020 as we remember and celebrate the many people, projects, and partnerships that is Egan Company.
With the colder weather quickly approaching, Egan volunteers were ready and eager to build houses for local families in need with the help of Habitat for Humanity. This year kicks-off our new partnership with the nonprofit organization which helps build strength, stability, and self-reliance with families in need of affordable housing.
More than a dozen Egan employees spent
the day building two houses located in the Twin Cities and Rochester areas. Their
work beyond the jobsite has provided a place that families can now call home.
Egan volunteers – Rochester
“It was a very rewarding experience,” said Megan Ring,
Egan HR Coordinator. “Through Habitat for Humanity, we were able to make a
positive impact while learning new skills that come along with homebuilding. At
the end of the day, it was also very neat to look back at the progress our Egan
team made just by volunteering on one Saturday.”
Scope of work included: installation of shed siding, measuring and
chalking for housing siding installation, drip strip installation above doors,
wind block installation in attic, finished basement framing, cleaning
