Server Extraordinaire

 Hi, I’m Mary and I’ll be your server today.

That’s a common greeting we hear in restaurants.  We mainly go to restaurants to be served, served food that is.  I hold that we mainly go to restaurants to be served, period. We go to restaurants because we like the experience, we like friendly, attentive staff, being asked what we want and how we want it and then being served in an efficient, friendly manner.  Of course we have expectations of good food, but in most cases, great service will trump the food.  Great food alone doesn’t do it, the food doesn’t even seem great when provided with mediocre service. 

On the other hand, mediocre food provided by great service will leave you with a pleasant experience.  Which is the reason we go to one restaurant over another, a pleasant experience.  And, when we have  pleasant experiences, we tell others.  Usually by saying how great the food was, but we really mean the experience. 

I find it interesting to observe the differences between a good restaurant and a great restaurant.  Mostly it’s in service, and mostly it doesn’t cost the restaurant any more money to provide excellent instead of good service. 

It’s the “you’re welcome” instead of “yup” in response to a thank you; it’s the smile versus the sour look, the happy you’re here versus you’re bothering me.  It’s the appreciation shown you came there, even though you have many choices.  Some restaurants get that, others do not.  Those who do not, think that you come there just to eat.  They’re wrong. You can eat anywhere.

It’s like our business; many companies can build buildings, but those who understand that the client wants a pleasant experience will be successful.  We must give them that pleasant experience, from the first contact with us through the warranty period and beyond.  A pleasant experience with any one of us, any time, anywhere.

http://www.sturgisjournal.com/newsnow/x530599955/Work-begins-at-Colon-Community-Schools

Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. is pleased to announce that its President, Bill Schoonveld, has been elected to serve as 2nd Vice Chair for the Alliance for Health for the 2011-2012 term. A full list of board members, officers and committee chairs is listed below.

At its May 16, 2011 Annual Meeting, the Alliance for Health elected nine individuals to three year terms of office on its Board of Directors.

Elected to serve on the Board of Directors:

• Frank Bednarek, Frank Bednarek Associates
• Martha Gonzalez-Cortes, Chief Executive Officer, Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
• Joe Gavan, Vice President, Communications and External Relations, Van Andel Institute
• Gerald Kariem, Director, UAW Region 1-D
• John MacKeigan, MD, Executive Vice President, Spectrum Health System
• Phil McCorkle, President, Saint Mary’s Health Care
• Harold Mast, Commissioner, Kent County Board of Commissioners
• Marsha Rappley, MD, Dean, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
• Thomas Haas, PhD, President, Grand Valley Sate University

Elected to serve as officers for 2011-12:

• Chair, Larry Emig, Chairman, Osceola County Board of Commissioners
• 1st Vice Chair, Donald Hall, The Paradigm Consortium
• 2nd Vice Chair, Bill Schoonveld, President, Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.
• Secretary, Martha Gonzalez-Cortes, Chief Executive Officer, Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
• Treasurer, Jerome Schwind, President, Mecosta Branch, Isabella Bank

Elected to serve as chairs of standing committees or their representatives and serve as ex-officio Board members:

• Business Group on Health, Joyce Moore, Senior Benefits Consultant, Amway
• Evaluation Board, John Lichtenberg, Shareholder, Rhoades McKee
• First Friday Forum, Bob Wolford, Executive Director, Grand Rapids Ophthalmology
• West Michigan Association of Health Underwriters Representative, Carman Baines, Wells Fargo Insurance Services
• Rethink Healthy Expo, Norm Felker, Retired President, Michigan Blood

Planning Board Co-Chairs, Hon. Dennis Leiber, Kent County Circuit Court, and Greg Forzley, MD, Medical Director of Informatics, Saint Mary’s Health Care,

• Health Care Skills Alliance, Phil Weaver, President, Hope Network
• Physician Advisory Group, Khan Nedd, MD, President, Infusion Associates & Hospitalists of West Michigan
• West Michigan Nursing Advisory Council Representative, Robi Thomas, Director, University Detroit Mercy School of Nursing
• West Michigan Nursing Home Advisory Group, Donald Hall, The Paradigm Consortium

Grand Rapids, MI, October 27, 2010 – Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. (O-A-K) was awarded three Construction Awards of Excellence at the 25th annual Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) Awards Banquet on Tuesday, October 26. The winning projects included Van Andel Institute, Phase II; Ottawa County Courthouse; and Van Buren ISD’s Community-Based Transition Center.

Van Andel Institute, Phase II won in the category of Institutional Construction. The Institute promotes collaborative education and medical research with its flexible and robust layout. 90,000 of the 240,000 square feet are dedicated to new inspirational laboratories, filled with abundant daylight and offering panoramic views. The rest of the space includes a state of the art cafeteria, offices, conference rooms, large gathering rooms, a library and common space for approximately 400 additional employees. Diverse conference and support spaces contribute to the Institute’s role as a community center and a hub for exchanging ideas. Four of the subcontractors for this project also received awards for their work at Van Andel.

The new Ottawa County Courthouse, winning in the category of Governmental Construction, adds character and definition to the skyline of downtown Grand Haven. With its dark wood paneling, soaring 16-foot ceilings, large courtrooms and a respectful nod to the past, it has the proper ambiance to command respect among all who walk through the doors. The 117,000 square foot building is the largest project the County has ever built. Nugent Builders also received an award as a subcontractor for this project. Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber was the architect.

Lastly, Van Buren ISD’s new Community-Based Transition Center won the award for Educational Construction. The center houses young adult, instructional based and work experience programs for special needs students. Fostering growth and hands-on experience, the facility includes a classroom, media center, conference rooms, and a residential instructional kitchen and cafeteria. The 14,365 square foot, single story building is composed of a steel framed skeleton with glu-lam beams. C2AE was the project architect.

O-A-K was very proud to receive awards for all three projects. “We owe our success to our hard-working personnel. They’re the real winners,” commented Bill Schooneld, President.

Media contact: Rachael Ritzema, rachaelr@oakmi.com, 616.456.1521

-END-

 

Bill Schoonveld, President

What Does it Look Like?

We interviewed at Zeeland Public Schools a little over a month ago. No decision has been made yet, but the committee meets on August 16.

As we wait for award notification, I have been thinking a lot about our interview with the district. We opened the discussion by asking Gary Feenstra, the Superintendent, what was most important to him when it came to construction. Without hesitation, Gary replied that having a project completed “on time” was the most important aspect. He shared that he doesn’t get involved with the daily details, but that it is vital to have the work completed when the school buses arrive.

Then, halfway through the interview, he looked at Jim Bockheim, one of our proposed Project Superintendents, and asked, “When I walk through your job site after hours, what does it look like?”

The comments about project schedule and job site appearance have stuck with me. We were fortunate that Gary was so straightforward, but not all Owners verbalize their concerns this way. It is safe to assume that staying on time and maintaining a clean site are important to all Owners, even if they don’t say this out loud.

Interesting how our success is partly determined by the answer to the question: “What does it looks like?”

On Tuesday, July 20, Governor Jennifer Granholm traveled to Benton Harbor, MI, to visit our InterCare Project. As General Contractor, Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. is currently supervising construction of a new $8.5 million, 41,000 square foot outpatient facility. The new facility will house three new medical providers, at least three new dental providers and additional mental health professionals. InterCare is also adding an education room to its new facility, which it hopes to make available to the community for special meetings, health education classes and similar uses. With approximately 85% of the funding provided through a Health Resources and Services Administration ARRA grant, the project will be constructed in accordance with the Davis Bacon (prevailing wages) and Federal Procurement Regulations. Check out the photos below of O-A-K Project Superintendent, Dan Szczepanek, with Governor Granholm.

Please join us for the Allegan County Transporation — Transit Facility Open House — July 9th 2010.

It is exciting to announce there will be an Open House to celebrate the grand opening of the Allegan County Transportation (ACT) Transit Facility.  ACT has completed a new 22,788 square foot Transit Facility.  The new facility is a result of $3,500,000 in State and Federal grants.

“The project features space for transit administration, vehicle maintenance, bus wash, inside storage and outside parking, and will be the facility to house all County transit operations.”  proudly explains Dan Wedge, Allegan County Transportation Director. The public is invited to attend any time from 2:00pm to 7:00pm for a site tour.  There will be a formal presentation at 2:30pm that will include special guest speakers. The presenters include: Congressman Fred Upton,�
Representatives, for Senators Levin and Stabenow,�
Administrator, Sharon Edgar, MDOT, Bureau of Passenger Transportation,
County Commissioner, Larry “Casey” Jones

Dan Wedge, the Transportation Director, says “the project was a great success! This facility is set to serve the citizens of Allegan County for many years to come.”   Wedge goes on to explain that the facility is strategically located in the “Highland Industrial Park” City of Allegan, 750 Airway Drive.

Please join Allegan County in the festivities to celebrate the completion of the new transit facility on Friday, July 9, 2010 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm.   Everyone is welcome to attend.

DLZ was the architect on the project.

Dan from Grand River Builders is just finishing up the first belltower lantern.  Pretty impressive!  This is just the small one.  There are two more to come. 

The Kent County Correctional Facility Renovation Project moved forward with a groundbreaking this morning. 

Project Highlights include:

• Replacing 563 beds
• Cells designed to allow for flexibility in number of bunks
• Direct supervision housing
• Energy efficient heating and electrical systems
• Video visitation
• Improved safety of inmates and staff

TowerPinkster/HOK is the architect on the project. 

On May 6, Ottawa County held a dedication for their newly built Courthouse in Grand Haven, MI. The new 117,000 square foot, $23 million dollar, LEED-expecting facility is the largest construction project the county has taken on to date. Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. would like to thank everyone involved. It was a pleasure to work with Ottawa County again!