Simpson’s “New Gig” Working Concrete for Wayne Brothers

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Does CAGC President & CEO, Dave Simpson, Have a New Gig Working Concrete at Wayne Brothers?

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Carolinas AGC President & CEO, Dave Simpson, got to spend the day working at Wayne Brothers!  (Check out the video evidence here) The agenda for the day included Dave and BYC Director, Tammy Ford, arriving bright and early at the WB Corporate office in Davidson, NC where they were both greeted by Keith Wayne, President & CEO of Wayne Brothers, and Ashley Huscio, Marketing Coordinator for WB.   Next, it was on to Kannapolis, NC to the site of the future Intimidators Stadium—where Wayne Brothers is the subcontractor overseeing the civil and concrete scopes of work.  Dave’s first duty of the day was to sit in on a safety orientation, and afterwards the troop made their way through the ball field and to the upper decks of the new stadium where the WB crew had already been hard at work since the wee hours of the morning placing and finishing the concrete.

Dave’s next assigned task for the morning was to spend time training with Wayne Brothers Foreman, Luis Frayre learning the fundamentals of the concrete trade from the veteran concrete finisher who has been with WB over two decades.  But, before Simpson could start receiving his on-the-job training, he first had to begin by participating in a group stretch and flex warm-up routine. Luis put Dave through a series of soft stretch exercises to limber him up, complete with jumping jacks and toe touches, and Keith Wayne even joined in on the workout session.   Bystanders observing on the sidelines were amused as they quickly learned that Dave’s idea of “toe touching” meant placing his hands on his knees and only looking at his toes.  (Please see photographic evidence below!)

After Dave was properly geared up, Luis expertly instructed him on how to smooth out freshly poured concrete with a handheld trowel and a bull float, followed by training him on how to safely and properly use a magic screed.  The WB trainer offered these words of wisdom to Dave to sum up the company’s philosophy and culture emphasizing the importance of jobsite safety:  “You can never be complacent on the job.  On the jobsite it’s never just about you being safe for only yourself, it’s about the safer and more aware you are, the safer you make the site for your team around you.  The safer the site is, the better the building is for everyone. That’s what they teach here at Wayne Brothers.  That’s what makes this such a great place to work.”  Just as Luis was a great trainer, Dave was a great student as he learned the ropes from the jobsite pros because he was all about serious business and jobsite safety as he put his newly acquired skillsets and WB training to good use.

Dave’s biggest excitement of the day came when he somehow convinced Keith Wayne to put him on the riding trowel to polish and smooth out the concrete that had just been leveled earlier that morning.  Once again, Luis and the Wayne Brothers crew gave Dave expert instruction on manning the controls of the screeter, so he looked like a total pro (and was all smiles) while operating it.  Dave had such a blast and so much fun the WB folks didn’t think they were ever going to be able to get him off of it!

When asked to describe how he felt while operating the equipment, Simpson beamed and said, “What an amazing feeling!  This has been an awesome experience, being on a construction site and working with concrete behind the wheel of power equipment like the riding trowel. What an honor to spend the day working alongside such an outstanding Wayne Brothers group, they really made me feel like one of their own today.  I think I might have found my new calling if this CEO gig doesn’t work out for me!”  The rest of the hardworking Wayne Brothers crew seemed impressed at how fast Dave was able to put his stellar WB training to use because they were right by his side all morning, offering helpful tips and words of encouragement while cheering him on and making him feel like part of their team.

After successfully implementing his training and showcasing his new concrete finishing skills, Dave then had the opportunity to sit down with several of his Wayne Brothers co-workers from that morning to learn more about their jobs and the value of the training they’ve received while working at WB. Dave’s first interview was with Alejandro Hernandez, Form Carpenter, who has been with Wayne Brothers since 1998.  Dave had the opportunity to ask Alejandro about the specific type of work he does for WB, the training he received and what he liked best about working for the company.  Hernandez stated: “I started out doing formwork, then worked in concrete finishing.  I like working for Wayne Brothers because of the opportunities they give workers coming into construction  They teach us everything we need to know to be good workers.”  The fact that seemed to impress Dave most was when he learned that Alejandro had already been on the jobsite since 4am finishing concrete at the ball field and was anxious to wrap up his interview so he could get right back to it!

Dave then wrapped up his interviews as he sat down with Crane Operator Andrae Brewer to learn more about his career pathway into WB and his experiences as an employee for the company.  Andrae was all smiles as he relayed the story of his personal journey into the concrete biz with the WB crew commenting, “I love getting out here with the guys every day.  Operating a crane isn’t easy work but it’s challenging and rewarding and makes me feel good when I see what I helped build.  It’s a fabulous job!”  Dave went on to ask Andrae what he most liked about construction and being a part of the WB team, to which Brewer replied, “I love the camaraderie with my crew, meeting new people and learning new skills every day to make me better at my trade.  Wayne Brothers is a great place to work because we’re all a big family here.”

These testimonials and endorsements from the Wayne Brothers employees were as honest and straightforward as it gets.  They are truly a great team of professionals who sincerely respect their trade and love what they do for a living every day.   The WB culture of focusing on safety and training has very obviously played a huge role in their aptitude, level of professionalism and their longevity with the company.

Wayne Brothers CEO, Keith Wayne, echoed the sentiments of his workers and acknowledged his employees for being such great company representatives as they taught Dave Simpson how to work concrete by stating:  “It was a wonderful day having Dave Simpson and Carolinas AGC here with us at Wayne Brothers today.  We had an opportunity to reverse the roles because historically CAGC has been all about educating us members for many years, but we turned the tide today.  Our crew educated Mr. Simpson on construction skills that are inherent in the work our concrete folks do and I think he learned a lot from them about concrete finishing.  It was a lot of fun seeing Dave working alongside our guys, learning from them and then putting his training to good use on the site.” 

 

Carolinas AGC President and CEO, Dave Simpson, BYC Director, Tammy Ford, and the CAGC staff are grateful to Keith Wayne, Ashley Huscio and the amazing Wayne Brothers team for not only allowing us to experience a day in the life of a Wayne Brothers employee, but also for their continued support and endorsement of the Build Your Career workforce development efforts.   At the end of the day, the message we need to send is clear:  the construction industry is full of amazing jobs and amazing people.  And, if the CEO of Carolinas AGC can get out on a construction jobsite with no experience in the morning, but with a little on-the-job training acquire the skills to be a successful employee by day’s end…ANYBODY can!  With or without a college degree and with or without certification, you can be successful in this industry and there are great companies, like Wayne Brothers and all the rest of our CAGC members, that will be waiting in the wings to hire you!

A full feature video of Dave Simpson’s site work at Wayne Brothers will be available on the CAGC YouTube channel next month and will also be featured in the July edition of the  BYC “Workforce Windup” newsletter for your viewing pleasure, so stay tuned—you won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to watch the video evidence of Dave’s day of “hard manual labor.”  But, in the meantime, check out this video trailer clip of Dave in action on the job site, it’s definitely view-worthy and guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

 

*To learn more about the CAGC Foundation’s Build Your Career workforce development initiative, for more information on how your company can join in the fun next year to secure CAGC Staff working on one of your jobsites, or to volunteer to become a BYC Ambassador, please visit our website at www.buildyourcareer.us/ or contact Program Director, Tammy Ford, via email at tford@carolinasagc.org or by phone at (704) 995-3901. To make a charitable contribution to BYC, please visit our secure online donation portal.

 *Founded in 1985, Wayne Brothers provides Turnkey Concrete Construction, Civil & Infrastructure, and Industrial Contracting solutions throughout the Southeastern United States. Wayne Brothers continues to lead the industry through cutting edge technology, award-winning safety standards, pioneering proactive solutions, and exceeding expectations.  To learn more about employment opportunities at Wayne Brothers Companies, please visit their company website or call their Corporate office at (704) 956-2200.