Performance Contracting, Inc.

PCI: An Alternative Solution

November 2019

Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI) has been providing innovative solutions for over 60 years. Our roots date back to the 1950’s when PCI was a division of Owens Corning Fiberglas. Today, PCI has earned a reputation for providing value, exceeding customer expectations and raising the bar on performance. We offer a wide range of services and products, while continuing to diversify and grow.

PCI is not your typical soft-craft contractor. What differentiates PCI from the competition? Two things: Employee-Ownership & Innovation.

Employee-Ownership: Entrepreneurial Spirit, one of PCI’s Core Values, drives our business diversity and success. Our Leadership Team empowers each of our 50+ branches to offer innovative, creative and tailored solutions. This entrepreneurial spirit is what motivates our employee-owners to understand and cater to our customers’ specific needs, and has warranted our significant growth. Today, PCI specializes in several core businesses, including: insulation, scaffolding, painting and coatings, industrial cleaning services, and more!

Our company was built by fostering a progressive culture that empowers our talented team to achieve success. As an employee-owned company, every individual is engaged and shares in the success and wealth of the organization. Our employee stock ownership program (ESOP) provides continued growth, as tenure and career longevity build. This encourages retention and empowers employees to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.

Innovation: Business is changing, growing and evolving at an unprecedented pace and the construction industry is no exception. To thrive in this ever-changing environment, contractors must be proactive, forward-thinking, and have the foresight to see what’s over the horizon. At PCI innovation isn’t a buzzword or tagline; it’s a commitment. It’s a promise we make to our customers every day.

Innovation has always been a cornerstone of our success. By challenging the status quo and anticipating shifts in the market, we’ve made great strides in the areas of safety, employee recruiting and retention, field production, project controls, and more. So how does a company build a culture where innovation thrives? By empowering its people! We promote forward-thinking by cultivating an environment that anticipates future needs — both internal and external—coupled with the humility to partner and share ideas. Employees are encouraged to experiment strategically so these innovative ideas can be tested and ultimately become actionable.

One of PCI’s most recent innovation breakthroughs is the company’s forward-thinking approach to digital information management. Traditionally, the construction industry has used an outdated, siloed strategy for digital information management — having different systems for payroll, production, project controls, etc. This approach is highly susceptible to errors and fails to utilize related information that could enhance other data collection methods. In contrast, PCI has developed a digital continuity standard that streamlines, integrates, and automates these processes. In support of this effort, PCI has moved our field workforce to a mobile electronic platform called Mobility that enables multiple sources to operate accountably, effectively and efficiently.

If you’re looking for an alternative solution, consider PCI. We’re an employee-owned, ESOP company with more than 1,100 salaried employees, 8,000 craftsmen, and revenues exceeding $1.5 billion. PCI is ranked among the Top Specialty Contractors in the U.S. and is known for delivering on our promises. If you’re tired of the status quo, PCI will raise the bar on what you expect out of your specialty contractor.

People Going Places: PCI’s Joe Berish

February 2020

Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI) has added Joe Berish as the company’s Quality Control Supervisor for painting and coatings. Based out of PCI’s Kansas City-area headquarters, Joe supports PCI’s painting and coating operations for the company’s Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle offices. Joe’s primary responsibilities include instituting certification programs, implementing QA software packages, and developing applications to reduce risk and liability.

With nearly two decades of industry experience, Joe holds widely recognized certifications in the coatings industry: SSPC Protective Coatings Specialist (PCS), Master Coatings Inspector (MCI) Concrete Coatings Inspector (CCI), Bridge Coatings Inspector Level 2 (BCI) and the NACE Coatings Inspector Program Level 3(CIP) peer. Additionally, he is a member of the following industry organizations: SSPC, National Shipbuilding Research Panel (NSRP), NACE, ASTM, Association of Railway Engineers, and Maintenance Right of Way (AREMA).

PCI Opens Louisiana Office

February 2020

One of the leading specialty contractors in the United States, Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI), is proud to announce the opening of its newest office in Sulphur, Louisiana. Joining more than 40 PCI offices across the country, PCI’s Sulphur operation is eager to serve the petrochemical and energy markets from Southeast Texas across Louisiana.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for PCI, and we’re excited to expand our industrial service offerings in the Gulf region,” said Operations Manager John Kolessar. “We are a one-stop-shop for all soft crafts.”

Services include:

• Scaffolding
• Insulation
• Painting/Coatings
• Industrial Cleaning
• Hydro Excavation
• Fireproofing
• Abatement Services
• Heat Tracing
• Plant Maintenance & Turnaround Services

PCI Lake Charles
265 North Post Oak Road
Sulphur, LA 70663
Office: 337-533-8437
Operations Manager: John Kolessar

Children’s Safety Poster Contest

February 2020

At Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI), safety is our #1 Core Value. To help reinforce that value across generations, PCI held its 22nd annual Children’s Safety Poster Contest, where children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews of PCI employees create posters that convey a positive safety message. The top 12 posters, as voted on by employees, are included in a desk calendar that is distributed to PCI offices across the country.

“The Children’s Safety Poster Contest helps connect families and kids to our safety program in a way that’s personal and meaningful for our employees,” said Mike Hill, Manager, Corporate Safety. “When you see that poster on your desk each day, you’re reminded that people are counting on you to make it home safely.”

Poster by Cardina S., Age 14

People Going Places: PCI’s Tim Freeman

April 2020

Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI) has added Timothy Freeman as the company’s newest estimator at its Sulphur, LA office. With nearly 30 years in the construction industry, his responsibilities include industrial account management, estimating, construction management, and industrial sales. Timothy’s industry associations include ABC Golden Triangle, Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, BRIG, and ACIT.

Services available through the PCI Sulphur office include scaffolding, insulation, painting/coatings, industrial cleaning, hydroexcavation, fireproofing, abatement services, heat tracing, and plant maintenance and turnaround services. The office is located at 265 N. Post Oak Road.

PCI Announces Top Safety Awards

April 2020

Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI), recently awarded four of its branches with the Kenneth M. Spraetz Distinguished Safety Achievement Award, the company’s highest honor.

Ken Spraetz was one of the first presidents of Performance Contracting, and he knew that a safety-first culture was imperative to the company’s success. Named in his honor, the KMS award is Performance Contracting’s most prestigious recognition, recognizing branches that embrace his safety vision. PCI’s Atlanta ISS, Austin ISS, Houston ISS, and Los Angeles Interior operations were the four branches that, over the past year, have demonstrated exceptional dedication to safety.

A Conversation with Tim Lampard of Performance Contracting Inc.

May 2020

Serving as regional manager of Performance Contracting Inc.’s (PCI’s) industrial operations, Tim Lampard has fully embraced the company’s entrepreneurial spirit, a core value on which PCI thrives. As a result of that mindset, PCI expects annual revenues to exceed $2 billion in the next few years. BIC Magazine recently sat down with Lampard to learn more about his background and leadership approach.

Q: What led to your position at PCI?

A: I joined PCI in 2000 as an industrial insulation estimator. Over the next 20 years, I was fortunate to spend time working with our Houston team to expand our business into scaffolding, coatings and industrial cleaning equipment. This experience led to a role as general manager for our Houston branch and subsequently as regional manager over our Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast operations.

Q: What is the most important part of your position?

A: People are both the most important and most challenging part of my job. Business activity brings the opportunity to meaningfully invest in the lives of our people through training, mentoring and compensation. This investment in the people around us can strengthen relationships and prove life-changing both personally and professionally. In my perspective, a leader has the responsibility to think and treat others as equals and work only to bring them good and not harm.

Q: What is your best management tactic?

A: People are complex, and there isn’t one solution that works in every situation. I’ve found investing time is critical. In the whirlwind of our daily activities and responsibilities, this can also prove to be our greatest challenge. However, the investment in people is worth it. Nothing provides a deeper, longer-lasting level of satisfaction than knowing you have positively impacted the life of another person. Business activity will uniquely test the heart of a leader. There is the potential for both great encouragement and great abuse.

Q: How do you plan to address changes in the workforce?

A: As the economy expands and our workforce ages, finding qualified people at all levels is a struggle. Access to trained and skilled craft professionals is one of the greatest challenges our industry is facing. PCI is addressing this issue by partnering with organizations such as the Central South Carpenters Regional Council to utilize tested training programs even in merit shop-type markets. Our helpers and apprentices have real opportunities to participate in three-year training programs with market-competitive, regular pay increases.

Our skilled craft professionals are encouraged to participate in 40 hours of continuing craft education annually. Our supervisors have access to the same continuing education opportunities and are additionally provided with “stretch assignments” designed to enhance their career paths.

Q: What is a “fun fact” about you people might not know?

A: I have a great passion for mission and charity work — so much so that I’ve continued to invest in this area of my education and have made over 20 trips overseas during my career. Most of these have been arranged through an organization called Christian Business International, where I continue to serve on the board. Through this organization, we have been able to help people start dozens of small businesses in other parts of the world. The business experience I’ve gained at PCI has been very beneficial to this end.

People Going Places: PCI’s Victor Ramirez

June 2020

Performance Contracting Inc. (PCI) has added Victor Ramirez as the company’s newest senior project manager/estimator at its Pasadena office.

With more than 35 years of experience in the construction industry, Ramirez’s responsibilities include industrial account management, estimating, project management, industrial sales, coating inspection, coating and corrosion surveys, and project budgets.

Tasked with overseeing projects in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, Ramirez is a certified NACE Level 3 coatings inspector.

CSCRC, PCI team up for training initiative

June 2020

The Central South Carpenters Regional Council (CSCRC) is teaming up with Performance Contracting Inc. (PCI) to help reach the council’s goal of increasing scaffold-specific man-hours by 125,000 in the Pasadena and Dallas industrial/commercial markets in 2020. To reach that goal, CSCRC is offering foreman and skills training for PCI employees over a three-year period.

PCI is the nation’s largest employer of United Brotherhood of Carpenters members. Leaders from CSCRC recently welcomed PCI employees to an open house at the Pasadena Carpenters Training Center. The group included management personnel, field operations lead workers and foremen.

People Going Places: PCI’s Darren Gast

August 2020

A recent addition to Performance Contracting Inc’s (PCI’s) Gulf Coast operations, Pre-Construction Manager Darren Gast, oversees all efforts supporting the company’s estimating of all major projects related to the oil and gas and power sectors.

His responsibilities also include supporting the team’s business development group with customer relations and tracking projects.

Gast, who has more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry, including 14 years with PCI, leads training for all of the company’s industrial estimators nationwide.

PCI partners with Blackline Safety, taking safety program to new heights

August 2020

An effective safety program should never remain stagnant; it needs to constantly evolve and grow as technology advances. Performance Contracting, Inc. (PCI), known for its award-winning safety culture, was exploring options that could take its safety program to an even higher level.

“Working in an industrial setting, you encounter safety hazards you don’t have on typical commercial job sites,” said Blake Salem, operations manager at PCI. “Hazards such as confined spaces, working from elevation, and the presence of gasses create challenging environments.”

After carefully evaluating its options, PCI made the decision to equip its field team at WA Parish Generating Station with Blackline Safety’s G7 gas detector and lone worker monitoring system.

G7 is a complete personal safety monitor that pushes beyond conventional gas detection. G7 was designed from the ground up, to support environmental gas detection, lone worker monitoring, evacuation management, two-way voice communication, text messaging, and complete customization. A choice of sensors tailors gas detection to every working environment, and online user accounts make it simple to configure devices to meet the needs of every team.

“Our goal was to maximize the use of technology on-site to not only increase safety performance, but to help us in terms of productivity and accountability as well,” Salem said. “The G7 system is a fantastic piece of technology that helps us achieve those goals.”

In addition to providing reliable and comprehensive safety measures, G7 also gives PCI’s team full situational awareness by streaming real-time data to make informed decisions that impact employee safety and productivity. G7 devices automatically collect and stream more data than ever before to the cloud, totaling more than 126 billion data points from G7 devices deployed across the world. Companies can access their own data through easy-to-understand reports to gain insights into how and where equipment is being used, where hazards are taking place, compliance status and more.

“Gaining complete visibility – who is on your site, where they are and reacting to a safety incident as quickly as possible – has traditionally been a large challenge for companies. Our technology allows companies to see real-time where incidents are happening and retroactively address safety or productivity concerns through data,” said Sean Stinson, vice president of sales and product management for Blackline Safety. “Understanding what PCI was aiming to do, we immediately recognized the impact G7 could have on its safety program and overall operational efficiency.”

To date, Blackline has responded to 5.5 million safety alerts and increased productivity by 500,000 man-hours across its customers using G7 devices.

“In addition to real-time gas detection, we’ve also used them to measure personnel flow,” said Doug Black, construction manager at PCI. “For example, we’ve used them to make sure we don’t overstaff production areas, creating a trade stacking environment. We’ve also used it to track the night shift crew to ensure they have not entered any danger zones or restricted non-production areas.”

Since starting the pilot program with the G7 devices several months ago, PCI has been pleased by the results. The company has seen positive trends in overall production by adjusting work areas based on the GPS data to make the job site layout more conducive to getting work done efficiently (break areas, travel routes, supervision staying in designated work areas.) Having a live feed of all employees, allows PCI to make real-time adjustments – maintaining very proactive – not reactive – day-to-day operations at its sites.

“The data that you can dissect from this software is endless, and can be adjusted depending on each site requirements and customer needs,” Salem said. “This data will also be used for history to show our proven work methods to existing and new customers.”

PCI is very excited to launch phase 2 of this pilot program and start it at other sites with multiple crafts.

PCI Earns Recognition from Louisiana Senate

September 2020

Performance Contract-ing Inc. (PCI) was recently recognized by the Louisiana State Senate for stepping up to help graduating high school seniors enjoy a memorable graduation ceremony.

Louisiana State Senator Cleo Fields and Central South Carpenters’ Executive Secretary-Treasurer Jason Engels asked PCI to provide the manpower to build a stage in the parking lot of the Louisiana Leadership Institute for a recent graduation ceremony. The outdoor venue was created in order to give students a ceremony despite limitations from COVID-19.

As a token of thanks, the Louisiana State Senate issued a proclamation recognizing PCI’s dedication to the community.

People Going Places: PCI’s Andrew Cloy

October 2020

PASADENA, Texas — Performance Contracting Inc. (PCI) recently welcomed Andrew Cloy as an estimator at its Pasadena office.

Cloy comes to PCI with over 14 years of experience in the construction industry. His responsibilities include technical sales, estimating, site audits, conceptual design, quality control, system commissioning and training services. Cloy specializes in electric process heating and heat trace systems.