Spring 2016 Newsletter
Transcription
Spring 2016 Newsletter
The Latest Developments from The Doobin Family Companies Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE Engaging Success 1 Message from the Owners 2 Earth Day 2 Highly Spirited 3 Living Our Core Values 4 Security News 5 Safety News 6 Sustainability 6 Safe Building Award 7 Crown Award 7 Client Partnerships 8 Thank You Letters 9 New Employees 10 New Contracts 10 Employee Interviews 11 Engaging Success! Harvard has worked extremely hard over the years to make sure that we create a culture where people enjoy coming to work. Moreover, our well documented Inverted Pyramid®, drives us to ensure that every employee feels valued, is given the resources to be successful, and is empowered to execute flawlessly. In turn, our employees strive to provide superior client satisfaction. “Our ultimate goal is to be the employer of choice in the industries we serve”, stated Nathalie Doobin, Owner and CEO of Harvard Services Group. As a next step in helping us achieve that goal, we recently launched a comprehensive Employee Engagement Initiative. This initiative anonymously surveys our employees on a quarterly basis and captures their feedback regarding their level of engagement in our companies, their functional groups, and with our clients. The survey tool allows employees to write specific comments. Also done with 100% confidentiality. Our first survey took place in March 2016, and we got a resounding 91% participation. We are actively building initiatives around the feedback we received. EMPLOYEES SUPERVISION MGMT Harvard’s Inverted Pyramid® We see this initiative as mission critical for Harvard, as it is well-documented that companies who have a high level of employee engagement are more efficient and effective in their efforts, and get more enjoyment out of their work. Other benefits include: • • • • • More client-focused employees Employees who are more creative at work Employees who care more about the future of the company Employees who put in greater effort to help it meet its objectives Employees who feel proud of the company they work for and are inspired to do their best “Employee engagement is an important indicator of how our employees feel about our company and ultimately how well they will take care of our internal and external clients”, said Kim Beta-Tripodo, VP of Human Resources. Driving high level employee engagement is not a sprint, but a marathon, and we are extremely pleased to have begun the journey. Spring 2016 1 MESSAGE FROM THE OWNERS We all spend a significant amount of time at work. It’s important to us, as Owners, that our employees feel a sense of satisfaction from the time and energy they spend exceeding our clients’ expectations. That is why our recently launched Employee Engagement Initiative is so important to us and our Leadership Team. We are in a client-focused business where the positive interactions our people have with our clients and their fellow employees are critical to our success. It could be difficult for somebody who doesn’t feel connected to our company to deliver the best service possible. That’s what employee engagement does for us, it works to help our employees feel a greater sense of connection through a deeper understanding of our strategy and better communication. Employee Engagement isn’t only great for our employees, but also for our business. We get a number of our new employees through the referrals of our existing employees. When people say Harvard is a good place to work, it’s “their feeling the connection”, which makes that happen. Truly improving our employee engagement is a longterm journey that we are excited to be on with our valued employees. - Stanley K. Doobin - Nathalie R. Doobin EARTH DAY Celebrating Sustainability Celebrated by every country across the globe, Earth Day is recognized each year on April 22nd to help accelerate awareness concerning environmental impacts. Lauren Stephenson Vice President-Miami, FL Southeast Financial Center This year was another huge success as Harvard associates across each region directly participated in several client Earth Day activities to discuss the benefits of our role as a service contractor. Isabel Rego Account Manager-Boston, MA Brookfield - 75 State St. Each on-site event was supported by local Harvard employees who handed out Harvard postcards with flowering seeds for attendees to plant in their office or at home. Jason Tillman Dir. Business Development-TX Kinder Morgan Marnie O’Byrne Account Executive-MN Northland Center 2 Special thanks to everyone for volunteering their support to help coordinate and participate during Earth Day! More information will be provided throughout the year as we continue to celebrate gains and create new visions in for increasing sustainability awareness and reducing environmental impacts. Steven Chiprut Account Executive-NY Paramount-1325 Ave of Americas Peggy Shum Account Executive-NY Paramount Group - 712 Fifth HIGH SPIRITED AT WORK AND ON THE COURT Camille Sherman, the Administrative Assistant for our Minneapolis Branch, started competitive dance when she was only nine years old. She combined her love of dance and gymnastics to win numerous national dance titles as part of her dance studio’s competitive dance team. In high school, Camille continued to excel as a member of the varsity dance team. During her sophomore year at the University of Minnesota, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Child Psychology and Public Health, Camille decided to audition for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves’ Dancers. Although the competition was strong, she ended up making the team on her first try. “Dance has taught me to be disciplined, and showed me the value of hard work”, said Camille. The hard work and enthusiasm that she displays on the court is also apparent at work. “Camille is a dedicated employee that not only does great work, but brings a very positive attitude to the office every day”, said Jason Bergdahl, Vice President of the Minnesota Branch Office. Camille has made the most out of her opportunity to represent the Timberwolves and the NBA. She has traveled around the globe doing NBA promotional events, performed with some of the biggest artists in music, and in 2016, she was voted Captain of the squad and represented the Timberwolves at the NBA AllStar Game in Toronto. “One of the things I like best about my association with the Timberwolves is the community service and charity work that we get to do”. Managing a full-time job and the Timberwolves’ hectic schedule wasn’t easy to do with all the practices, workouts, and up to four games a week during the season. After five years on the squad, Camille finally hung up her dancing boots and poms this past April. “I will surely miss the team, but plan to stay involved with the organization. At the same time, I am looking forward to trying new things in life”, added Camille. Although the fans will miss seeing Camille at games, we still get to experience her energy and excitement as part of the Harvard team. 3 LIVING OUR CORE VALUES Living Our Core Values Nominees Harvard’s core values provide our business with important direction. They guide our daily interactions with each other, our suppliers, and our clients. Our goal has always been to have our Core Values as an important part of our culture, not just a set of words that hang on the wall. To help ensure they in fact become culture, we have set up an easy to use site, http://intranet.harvardmaint.com/livingcv, where our employees can go and nominate a fellow employee, supplier, or client that they see living our Core Values in support of our business. Below is the list of nominees from January - May of 2016. We congratulate them on their special contributions and for living our core values. If you see someone living one of our core values, please take the time to go to the link and nominate them. It will be truly appreciated. Nominee Core Value Key Result Nominee Core Value Key Result Gabrielle Hansen Accountability Risk Management Judith Vega Client Focus Performance Management Chris Wasley Client Focus Customer Satisfaction Marieh Valhedi Client Focus Customer Satisfaction Adam McHale Client Focus Customer Satisfaction Ricardo Tarud-Yidi Teamwork Business Continuity Anthony Kong Teamwork Business Continuity Manuel Bautista Teamwork Business Continuity Manny Marin Teamwork Customer Satisfaction Kshanti Morris Accountibility Community Involvement Dianna Thornburg Safety Customer Satisfaction Idalia Silve Teamwork Customer Satisfaction And the Winner Is! The Harvard Leadership Team carefully reviews each nomination received and picks one lucky Core Value winner for the period. NAME Dianna Thornburg 4 CORE VALUE ACTION Safety By observing and immediately reporting oil dripping from a machine in the Lab, in an area that Harvard does not clean, you mitigated risk and damage that would have otherwise impacted our client had the drip had gone unnoticed overnight. Your actions earned our client’s recognition, and is having a positive impact on Customer Satisfaction. HARVARD SECURITY NEWS Physical Security Services Harvard Protection Services began offering security guard services in 1996. Over the years, and especially after the events of 9/11, the demand for private contract security services has increased, and this trend is not expected to slow down anytime soon. As our clients evaluate their existing models and infrastructure in order to bolster their defense against a host of potential threats, Harvard Protection Services will be a valued partner in addressing those challenges. In addition to Security Officer Services, Harvard Protection Services provides Physical Security Services, which is comprised of the following competencies: Technical Security Solutions Harvard’s security professionals can design and deploy a variety of technical countermeasures and virtual safeguards to minimize risks that could compromise personal property, facilities, human capital, and ultimately the proprietary brand of an organization. The platforms we can deploy to enhance a facility’s physical security are: mantraps, electronic monitoring, alarm systems, detective controls, interior/exterior walls/doors/locks, perimeter fencing, logical access control cards/ credentials, drone guards, and magnetometers. Emergency Preparedness Strategies To protect a business investment, a solid emergency preparedness plan can help a business survive and recover from a disaster……whether a natural disaster, fire, weather-related catastrophe, power outage, or data loss, companies need to ensure that they are ready to respond. The Harvard security professionals work with clients to develop a comprehensive strategy to lessen the impact of disaster or catastrophic events to allow a business to survive. Successful preparedness requires detailed planning, periodic stakeholder training, and mutual cooperation among internal and external crisis management coordinators. It also requires robust public and private sector partnerships. The Harvard team is experienced in mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery planning as the foundation for a successful emergency preparedness strategy. Access Control & Credentialing Access control and credentialing systems are crucial elements of an enterprise protection model. An abundance of technologies and products are available that can ensure that an environment is secure, and that access to facilities and sites is controlled, monitored, and managed according to unique business requirements. Harvard Protection Services assists clients to select and deploy the appropriate levels of access control and credentialing, and to match available technologies with desired levels of enterprise security. Selective restriction of access to a physical location or other resource may include identity authentication to facilitate entering, using smartcard photo identification and login credentials, or access control systems such as mantraps, locks, keys, and physical key management, among others. Mail/Parcel/Package Chem-Bio Screening In today’s threat-rich environment, it is all too routine that threatening letters and parcels are mailed to corporate and government offices. Thankfully, most of these items are simply inconvenient and nuisance mailings, however some are not. A small percentage of such deliveries can cause damage, and may even be filled with deadly biological toxins that can cause serious bodily harm or death. Harvard offers comprehensive mail, parcel, and package screening and operational support for organizations and corporations. Harvard works with our clients to identify the most cost-effective, scalable solution to address this vulnerability and provide seamless business continuity operations. In our next Newsletter, we will feature Enterprise Security Services, the third of four core competencies of Harvard Protection Services. 55 SAFETY NEWS Safety At Work At Harvard, we are committed to the safety, health, and welfare of our employees and everyone we serve. With safety as one of Harvard’s Core Values, it is important that we look at the ergonomics associated with the tasks our employees perform. Simply put, ergonomics is the study of work and “fitting the jobs to the people who work in them” (rather than just making the employee fit the job). By putting simple procedures in place, such as purchasing the appropriate tools for the job, modifying existing tools/tasks, and implementing proactive training, we can make our employees safer. Ergonomics requires input and support from all of our employees. Simply purchasing the right tools for the job is not enough. Employees need to commit to using the tools properly and consistently. Training is an important element in the ergonomic process. This is everything from using a dolly properly, to ensuring that your office chair is the proper height to avoid awkward postures or contact stress. For example, we not only drill holes in trash barrels to minimize the suction created by the trash bags when removing them, but also have trained our employees to tie the bag and tip over the barrel to avoid having to lift the bags above their shoulders. We are also reminding everyone to test the weight of an item before lifting. By working together, we can ensure that our employees stay safe! An injury on the job not only affects a person’s job, but it keeps him/her from being healthy and enjoying time with their family. Please share your ergonomic best practices with a member of the EHS team, your supervisor, or email Safety@ harvardmaint.com. We are always looking for ways to improve our safety program! Remember… ergonomic safety is a team effort…. and not just when “team lifting”. SUSTAINABILITY CORNER Sustainability In The Workplace As another annual Earth Day celebration comes to a close, we are seeing more momentum around how sustainability continues to evolve in the workplace each year. While participating at one of our flagship client’s Earth Day events in April, our Sustainability Director, Jason Lee, met with tenants at a landmark building in New York City. They shared how changing their wasteful habits will result in residual cost savings and reduced operating expense following their recent LEED initiative. Earlier in the year, during an inaugural certification project in Chicago, our local Sustainability Council member, Jenelle Fairless, assisted a downtown client, 1KFulton, achieve one of the nation’s first WELL Building Certifications. As a testimonial from the WELL auditor, the project transition went seamlessly thanks to Harvard providing standard cleaning systems that help ensure no negative impacts to the indoor environment. The WELL Building Standard ® is an evidence-based 6 system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring the performance of building features that impact health while monitoring the performance of building features that impact health and well-being. Ergonomics requires input and support from all of our employees. Simply purchasing the right tools for the job is not enough. Employees need to commit to using the tools properly and consistently. Training is an important element in the ergonomic process. This is everything from using a dolly properly to ensuring that your office chair is the proper height to avoid awkward postures or contact stress. Consistent with Harvard’s CIMS and Green Seal 42 certification initiatives, sustainability programs are an integral part of our Service Excellence model. In addition to environmental advocacy, sustainability is providing a platform for corporations to become environmental advocates while increasing their bottom lines and improving the wellness of their building occupants. SAFE BUILDING AWARD Congratulations to the Harvard crew at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX The Safe Building Award is given to the Harvard location that conducts its work in the safest manner possible. Each Harvard employee in this building receives a $100 bonus for working safely and having no accidents. Congratulations to each of you for your efforts and success in workplace safety! Top row left to right: Arnulfo Gaytan-Alvarez and David Lima Bottom row left to right: Simona Gaytan, Isela Padron, Maria Lozoya, Maria Mendez, and Laura Fernandez-Escobar CROWN AWARD Congratulations to the Harvard crew at RBC Plaza, Minneapolis, MN The Crown Award recognizes the building with the highest overall quality and performance. Each Harvard employee at the winning building receives a bonus of $100 for his/her dedication and quality of work. Categories are: safety, overall cleaning quality, equipment care, number of cleaning complaints, supply usage, attendance, tardiness, and personal appearance. Top row, left to right: Chris Wasley, Aurelio Toledo, Rafael Campos, Danny Castro, Ben Schablin, Sofianu Shaibu Middle row. left to right: Morinse Oquendo, Elvia Sanchez, Luis Guiracocha, James Lindsey, Ana Calle, Valerie Miller Bottom row, left to right: Cecelia Quizhpi, Lucia Guaman, Olga Llangari, Edith Patino, Alicia Castro, and Dora Rodriguez. Not Shown: Blanca Flores and Kokou Wayi 7 CLIENT PARTNERSHIPS HOUSTON, TX Harvard employees working together with our client ConocoPhillips (COP) at their annual 2016 Rodeo Run for Education. From left to right top: Karen Fuentes, Rosa Fuentes, Alexander Ruemmele (non-Harvard volunteers), Pam and Sean Sadewhite - Director of Operations, Jason Tillman - Director of Business Development, our client Dean Holcomb - Coordinator of Property Contract Services, Greg Gomez - Area Manager, Cristina Carrion - Harvard Account Admin at COP, and Milagro Fuentes – Team lead at Conoco Phillips Bottom center: Jose Bolanos – ConocoPhillips Project Manager HOUSTON, TX Jason Tillman, Director of Business Development, with Ashley Stainback Kress, Development Director of the Rise School, in charge of the Rise & Shine 5k Walk / Run Event. The Rise School of Houston, part of the Texas Children’s Organization, is the city’s first and only school dedicated to early education of infants, toddlers and pre-school children born with Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities in an integrated environment. Top left corner: Jan Stailey-Director of Rise School Top right corner: Jason Tillman, Director of Businss Development, with Ashley Stainback Kress, Development Director of the Rise School, in charge of the Rise & Shine 5k Walk / Run Event. Bottom left corner: Harvard employees Jenny Gill, Ruben Gill and Maria Rodriguez. Bottom left corner: Wykena Tillman, Ashley Stainback Kress, former Rise School gradulate, and Jason Tilman. SCOTTSDALE, AZ Jones Lang LaSalle 2016 Property Management/IFM Conference Harvard was successful in “driving” our value to JLL’s Property and Integrated Facility Management during their annual conference in Scottsdale this past April. As a sponsor, we had a coveted corner booth, attracting traffic from all directions. Our logoed golf ball sets, along with a “Hole in One” drawing, were a success. 88 EMPLOYEE THANK YOU LETTERS Since Tim has taken over, we have had no complaints. He is so cordial, pleasant, and a very hard worker, and wants to be sure he completes all work requested. I hear the same accolades from our Executive floors. Good Afternoon – I just want to say “Thank You” to the great janitorial team we have at the building!!! Another owner visit with stellar results. You guys always make us look good! — Michelle Horn, RPA, FMA | CBRE-One Clearlake Center — Lori Piscitelli | JLL-Duke Energy Kudos to the team handling Sanford Ops center. The client mentioned to Tim, JLL Chief Engineer, that their recent janitorial service has been the best they have ever seen. Keep up the good work! — Lori Piscitelli | JLL-Duke Energy I am writing this note to tell you how much we appreciate having Ana as our housekeeping attendant on the 2nd floor of the McLean Building. Ana’s delightful personality is so enlightening and we so appreciate all that she does for us. She is an extremely hard worker and treats each person with extra special care. Thank you for the continued assignment of Ana to our area. She is an asset. I just wanted to let you know how pleased we are with the current cleaning company, especially Carolina Alonso. I met her for the first time last week when she came up to discuss some “extra” cleaning we needed done for a VIP visit this morning. She was extremely professional, courteous and helpful and made sure that the job was done correctly and completed on time. If at all possible I would appreciate you passing this along to her superiors at Harvard so they know how much we appreciate the excellent care she and her crew provide us. — Jackie Maya | Hogan Group and Sue LaCkore | Marriott — Barbara R. Miller | ConocoPhillips Jim, Billy, Sami and Anna, thank you for your Herculean effort this weekend with the snow removal. Clearing and removing almost 30” of snow in a 24-hour continuous storm was quite a challenge. And the sidewalks at 270 Park are clear and dry. There are no other sidewalks like ours in all of NYC! — David A. Genovese | JLL - JPMorgan Chase Just wanted to let you know of some great work by Lucy of the cleaning crew here at 25/75. She found a zipped bag full of money and coins, and turned it in to our security officers. We determined it belongs to Sodexo, who had a new employee servicing the vending machines and left it behind. It has been returned to Sodexo. Had Lucy not acted quickly, someone could have walked off with it. I complimented Lucy and Hector on a job well done! The note above was accompanied by a picture of a message found on our client’s tenant whiteboard) — Dave Maiden, CPP | CDW 9 FLORIDA TOBY AWARD WINNERS CATEGORY CATEGORY 250,000 Sq Ft – 499,999 Sq Ft Renee Hernandez-Borot, RPA General Manager JLL 801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 560 Miami, FL 33131 Area Manager: Al Sanchez CATEGORY Over 1 Million Sq Ft Renovated Sean Mcnamara Regional Manager JLL 200 South Biscayne Blvd., Suite 350 Miami, Fl 33131 Area Manager: Miriam Segu Elinne M. Dominguez Property Manager PARKWAY PROPERTIES, INC. 601 Brickell Key Drive, Suite 406 Miami, Fl 33131 Area Manager: Al Sanchez NEW HARVARD EMPLOYEES NEW EMPLOYEE POSITION STATE NEW EMPLOYEE POSITION STATE Luis Marino Site Supervisor CT John Agee Project Manager KY Rocio Pinto Pricing Analyst FL Maurian Gonzalez Field Supervisor MN Amelia Oropesa Area Manager FL Raul Capetillo Site Supervisor MN Alberto Dapena Quality Assurance Manager FL Julio Jimenez Marin Site Supervisor MN Bobbi Jo Kimmich Payroll Coordinator FL Ramon Gomez Salcedo Project Manager MN Desiree Butler Accounts Payable Coordinator FL Randy Howes Account Manager MN Eliot Perez Benefits Coordinator FL Anthony David Security Supervisor NY Matilde Quintana National Account Administrator FL Marc Madonna Account Manager NY Ramiro Alanis Working Supervisor IL Miguel Rodriguez Account Manager NY James Wissinger Director of Business Development IL Sam Williams Site Supervisor SC Ramon Rosales Site Supervisor IL Gregory Gomez District Manager TX Jeanette Garza HR Coordinator IL Nely Cortes Project Manager TX Marisol Higdon Site Supervisor KY Tamara Moffett Project Manager TX NEW CONTRACTS Centennial Lakes 10 Humana Energy Center III Kinder Morgan FL – ABB IL – AmTrust KY – Humana MN – Centennial Lakes KY – Lexmark OK – Seagate IL – LiliBridge TX – Energy Center 3 IL – Equity Commonwealth TX – Kinder Morgan EMPLOYEE INTERVIEWS Lauren Stephenson Vice President Lauren joined Harvard in May of 2015. Lauren brings to Harvard over 15 years of hands-on experience in all aspects of the commercial cleaning industry, from sales to operations. After college, Lauren spent 10 years in advertising and marketing before being introduced to the cleaning industry, which to her surprise, sent her career in a new direction. Lauren is passionate about the building services industry and is well established in the unique Florida marketplace due to years of building extraordinary relationships with her clients, as well as her involvement and leadership in BOMA South Florida and BOMA Miami. If Lauren had any apprehension about the corporate culture of Harvard in comparison to the boutique atmosphere with which she had become accustomed to, it quickly disappeared. Lauren said, “It was really refreshing to come from a boutique atmosphere to a company of this size and not be met with that “big company” attitude. People at Harvard care. I like that, and I need to be around people who are ethical and engaged.” Lauren enjoys creating solutions, and states: “I find creating deals when they don’t yet exist, such as profit strategies with commercial assets, and bringing added value to the table for both new and existing clients, keeps my engagement and is my favorite road to travel.” She adds, “I have a sign in my office that reads: If you want to predict the future, you must create it.” Lauren’s advice to staying competitive is, “Be flexible and responsive to change.” Lauren confesses that the aspect of her job she finds most challenging is the paperwork. Simply put, she would rather be in front of people than the computer. If she could clean any building, Lauren says it would be the White House, and “The first thing I would do is rewrite the scope of services!” When not working, Lauren enjoys fine dining, watching boxing, listening to live music (jazz, blues, pop, rock), or just relaxing at the house - commonly referred to as the Zen Pit or The Stephenson Crib! Ismael Camacho Director of Environmental Health and Safety Ismael joined Harvard in October of 2015, and works from our Miami office. Prior to joining Harvard, Ismael was a Senior Advisor at DNV GL, an international certification body and classification society with expertise in technical assessment, advisory, and risk management. Ismael’s partiality to the sciences, and his genuine interest in the well-being of people and the environment, pointed him in the direction of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico with an Industrial Engineering degree, Ismael progressed in his career from EHS Engineer to EHS Dept. Manager, then from Auditor Trainee to Sr. Lead Assessor for ISO standards, and from Regional EHS Corporate Manager to Regional Corporate Director for Safety and Sustainability. Over the past 20 plus years, Ismael has worked for various Multinationals such as Timberland, Phillip Morris, Kraft Foods, and Mondelez International. “It comes in handy to be fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese when your career has spanned the Americas from Canada to Argentina”, says Ismael. This is precisely why Ismael enjoys working at Harvard. When asked, he says that, “It’s the diversity of the people - at all levels of the company, hardworking, genuine, simple, committed, proud and smart.” Ismael is passionate about safety, and is eager to inspire, collaborate, and implement innovative programs and tools that align with Harvard’s strategic business initiatives for ensuring a safe environment for all employees and clients. When asked what he enjoys most about the cleaning industry, Ismael conveyed it was the opportunity to learn directly from the clients we serve who have implemented and time-tested benchmark programs for EHS. When not working, he enjoys anything and everything that makes his family happy. Finally, a little piece of unknown trivia about Ismael is that he has published a book called “Vacation on Earth.” It’s based on real events, and was written to help children connect to love and cope with loss, or difficult situations. You can find it on Amazon.com. 11 NEWSLETTER Spring 2016 SERVICES OFFERED General Cleaning Porter & Matron Services Carpet & Floor Care Cleanroom Cleaning Wood/Metal/Marble Maintenance Light Maintenance Exterminating Services 2 S. Biscayne Blvd. Suite 3650 Miami, FL 33131 Licensed Security Services Guard Force Protection Strategic, Consultative Security Services Window Cleaning Specialty Furniture Cleaning Venetian Blind Cleaning Engineering/Mechanical Services