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June 2021
AROUND HERE, DADS STILL BUILD STUFF
A Father’s Day Thank-You to the Dads Working for Dri Tech — and Handy Fathers Anywhere
f you took shop class as a child, I believe chances are good you are over 45 years old. The noticeable lack of these classes is part of a wide decline in the importance our culture places on the ability to build and fix things in general. Ironically, shop classes themselves were, in part, a response to the very start of this
rather do their work and move on. They don’t need camera flashes or adulation to feel like they accomplished something because they get more satisfaction in the quiet moment after finishing up, knowing that it’s a job well done.
And that’s too bad, because we’ve got a lot to learn from construction dads. These men demonstrate some of the most important traditional masculine virtues: They show up on time, they take pride in their job, and they can tough out discomfort while remaining effective workers. They also have traits that we usually associate with “loftier” careers. For example, most of the men working at Dri Tech are expert problem-solvers. When fixing something in the real world, they cannot lean on theory or projections. They have to find something that actually works and will work in the long run. By now, readers may think that I am bitter about the future of skilled labor in this country, but this Father’s Day, nothing could be further from the truth. I’m
decline in the early 20th century. The skills were still considered essential (if only for one more generation), but we could no longer rely on children learning them at home as fathers turned to office work instead of traditional masculine pursuits.
I believe that it takes all kinds to make a world, but I also believe those skills continue to hold value — and by extension, so do the men who perpetuate them. These are fathers who teach their kids to drive a stick shift, change their own oil, and fix a dripping tap, and they’re more common than many people think. And yet, society seems certain that they’re an endangered species.
surrounded by hardworking men with impressive skill sets every day, and many of them are in the process of passing those skills down to their children. At the same time, I think the pendulum is swinging back the other direction. Often, jobs in construction and the various trades are paid more than those that require a college degree. Society is so short on men who can do things that they’re re‑evaluating the ones who remain in a new light. So, happy Father’s Day from me and Dri Tech to all the hardworking construction dads out there — especially the ones who work at this company. The men on our team are driven, ethical, creative, and prideful in their work. What could be more encouraging than that?
There are two things at play here. The first is, as I described, a decline in the value we place on working with our hands. In today’s world, you don’t have to be able to do any of that stuff to make a living, although you will be very limited in terms of what kind of lifestyle you can lead and the places you can live. The second factor goes hand in hand with the first, and that’s that “construction dads,” as I think of them, are just that: dads who fix things in their off time and work construction or trades jobs for a living. Their work is everywhere; without them, we wouldn’t have buildings, roofs, roads, or even the internet that depends on physical infrastructure to exist. But they don’t make up a large part of the population, and more importantly, society doesn’t pay a lot of attention to them. That suits most of the guys I know just fine. They’d
–Blaine DeBrouwer
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CAN ‘DEFINING MOMENTS’ BE CREATED?
ACCORDING TO ‘THE POWER OF MOMENTS’ BY THE HEATH BROTHERS, YES!
these questions and ultimately discern why specific moments can define us. They also explore whether those moments can be purposely created. According to the Heath brothers’ research, positive moments share four characteristics: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. When you look for situations in which you can foster those characteristics, you can create moments that you and the people around you will remember for years to come. “The Power of Moments” is great for anyone looking to leave a lasting impact on their employees or work team. Rather than have your next meeting be about unity — and leave your team grumbling about how that information could have been sent in an email — create a meeting that has, in the words of the Heath brothers, “drama, meaning, and connection.” You can’t bring your team together for a defining moment by just talking about unity; they have to experience it. While the characteristics the Heath brothers describe may seem a little vague at times, rest assured that “The Power of Moments” will give you a fantastic playbook for creating moments that define your team and stick with them. Check it out today!
Why do we remember our best and worst experiences and forget pretty much everything else in between? Why are we most comfortable when things are certain, but we feel so incredibly alive when we plunge into the unknown? These are the moments that stick with us — the moments that define us. They’re an organic part of the human experience, and they can’t be purposely created. Or can they?
In “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact,” brothers Chip and Dan Heath seek to answer
TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Talking Time Schedules and Dedication with VP of Operations Roberto Valdez
To say that our vice president of operations has to do a lot of things at once is an understatement. But with VP Roberto Valdez, you’d never know it talking to him. Calm and controlled, he knows exactly what’s going on — and where — at pretty much any time. “I can have more than 70 guys running, depending on how many jobs we have,” Roberto says. “We have to make sure all operations in the field go smooth and work is on schedule. All of my crews get whatever they need to run it smooth.” But that’s only the half of it. “I visit different jobs and attend meetings,” he explains. Roberto is in constant communication with our people and also with multiple contractors at any given time.
“To complete the job on time, make the GC [general contractor] happy, and be on schedule for the next job, that’s what I like about my work.” Part of Roberto’s recipe for success is that he knows Dri Tech as well as anyone probably can. “I began here 30 years ago as a laborer and stayed with the company,” he says. “I plan to retire right here — when they wheel me out the door!” All of that said, when Roberto is home, he is home . “I learned early to separate my work from my family,” he explains. “I’m on call 24/7, but unless someone calls, I’m trying not to think about anything but spending time with my sons, my people, and my daughter. That’s it.”
Having such a dedicated, controlled, and capable person in a VP position doesn’t just make our work easier, it makes it possible . We couldn’t be more grateful to VP of Operations Roberto Valdez — a close, close member of the Dri Tech family.
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We tackled one of our favorite projects of the past year, the Kenworth facility, for Boyd Martin Construction — one of our premier contractors. For us, these kinds of projects demonstrate what we’re all about and the sort of work we’re capable of. In this way, the Kenworth Building is one of our signature projects. Kenworth Building DRI TECH PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:
The builder needed someone who could do multiple scopes of work on a single job site. For the Kenworth, that included:
• Insulated Metal Wall Panel Systems • Standing Seam Metal Roof Systems • Single Ply Roof Systems • ACM Wall Panels • Associated Sheet Metal
We’ve found that this capability really adds value to everyone’s experience. The builder spends less time looking for more contractors and worrying about delay on the timetable, and they usually appreciate that no matter how much work we’re doing on-site, there’s only one point of contact for them to reach out to. It’s just good business that reduces administrative costs, and as long as the subcontractor takes quality and safety seriously — which we do — the builder doesn’t have to worry as much about that, either. We’re proud of the work we did on this job, and we think it represents the best of what we can do, both in terms of the actual work and the ways we work with others on the jobsite to always find solutions.
AT THE ROUND TABLE
“... But That’s Hockey,” Says Knight Coach DeBoer of 2021 Season
TAKE A BREAK
Back in May, Coach DeBoer commented on the Knights/ Avalanche match that has to go down as one of the hardest- fought on ice in recent years. Short-handed due to injuries and other issues, it was hard to look at the Knights pre-May 10 record and see them not leading the division in the playoffs — but sometimes, a game comes along and stalls momentum.
The rest, as Coach DeBoer says, is hockey.
And there’s a lot more hockey left to be played by this team, which made Colorado work harder for those 2 points than ever before, and scored a point of their own, all while outmanned — but as we saw, never outgunned. May 10 may go down as the game that signaled a shift in the rest of the season. But in our opinion, it should go down as an example of exactly what we love about our Golden Knights: They’re hard-fighting, and they don’t give up. In turn, we didn’t give up on them — a stance that will be rewarded.
ADVENTURE CAMPING FATHER GEMINI HIKING JUNETEENTH
PARK PICNIC PRIDE
SANDALS SUNBURN SWIMMING
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5340 W. Robindale Rd. | Las Vegas, NV 89139
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Around Here, Dads Still Build Stuff
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Understanding ‘The Power of Moments’
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Team Member Spotlight: Roberto
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Dri Tech Project Spotlight: Kenworth Building
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Our Vegas Golden Knights
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Have You Explored a National Forest?
Many people in the U.S. and across the world have a national park trip on their travel bucket list. While Zion, Yellowstone, and the Great Smoky Mountains are all awesome locales, outdoor enthusiasts often overlook a resource that is less busy, less expensive, and usually right in their backyard: national forests. All but 10 states have a national forest (or more than one!), so if your home state doesn’t have one, it’s very likely a neighboring state does! And there’s no better time to hike, bike, forage for mushrooms or berries, or camp at a nearby national forest than this month. The tree-filled landscape will provide shade and help you beat the summer heat, and to further incentivize visitors, the U.S. Forest Service (the organization that oversees the national forests) is offering a fee-free day on Saturday, June 12, in honor of National Get Outdoors Day! While parking and day-use fees to access national forests tend to be relatively modest, fee-free days open up the opportunity to all visitors. The U.S. Forest Service has a great interactive map tool that prospective park-goers can use to learn more about the forests in EXPLORE A NATIONAL FOREST FOR FREE ON NATIONAL GET OUTDOORS DAY
their area, amenities and activities, and accessibility. Visit FS.fed.us/ ivm to access the map and see what’s near your hometown!
If you’re dreaming up travel plans beyond your state’s border, consider visiting these notable U.S. national forests. • El Yunque National Forest: Located in Puerto Rico, El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the United States. • Tongass National Forest: Spanning 16.7 million acres and several islands across Southeast Alaska, the Tongass is the country’s largest national forest. • Salmon-Challis National Forest: This Idaho forest is the largest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48 and contains the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness. • Cibola National Forest and Grassland: Spread across north- central New Mexico, west Texas, and Oklahoma, this forest and grassland area is notable for its diverse ecosystems and wildlife. The Sky Islands portion of the park is also home to over 200 rare plant and animal species.
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