The team from Tec is currently working remotely like millions of others in our industry and around the world. Thanks to modern technology and communication tools; however, it’s business as usual for our team members. We’re still pushing ahead on projects, making connections with our clients, and adjusting to changes in stride in order to keep our firm thriving. Using Latest Communication Tools to Connect with Remote Staff Tools like Zoom, Google Meet, and GoToMeeting have become a part of our lives more than ever before in the last handful of weeks, which is giving our staff new ways to experiment with alternative meeting styles. Not only does it allow them to meet with each other for project communication, but they’re also taking advantage by setting up meetings with clients and colleagues in the industry. We have optimism that experiences with these online meeting tools now will allow us to have even greater flexibility for our clients in the future. Our marketing team integrated Slack in order to maximize their ability to communicate in the same day-to-day style they’re accustomed to in the office. Boosting the Conversations Between our Three Office Locations Our trio of offices in Cleveland, Columbus, and Pittsburgh offices always keep in close contact, but during a time where we can’t be in the same room, their digital coordination is becoming a key aspect of conducting our business. While our team may be farther apart than usual, our offices are coordinating work and setting, it’s important that we’re able to have the same level of conversation as usual in order to keep our projects running smoothly. Our offices have their own unique challenges and workloads, our ability to collaborate from across our three locations allows us to maximize our team, finding ways to match-up the best-suited team for our clients. Ease of Digital Communication among Staff Even with staff members working remotely, our teams are responding to these short-term life changes by keeping in quick and efficient contact thanks to modern communication tools. While office attendance may vary from day-to-day based on a team member’s daily client meetings or site visits, our staff now has the ability to meet face-to-face with quick video chats. Just like it would in the office, these digital meetings allow for a quick resolution of any questions and project coordination across the entire team. Further, our team is finding time to gather across our offices with Monday round-up meetings, which allows our team members to meet face-to-face and learn about the newest happenings with our projects and firm plans. Maximizing Our Time & Conversations with Long-Term Partners During a time of so much uncertainty and continuing our active communication plan, we’re finding ways to make sure our most frequent and longest-term clients are receiving any needed services as quickly as possible, especially as they adapt to changes of their own. Tec is lucky to have such a great group of clients, ranging from small local to large national companies, but along the way we’ve made some very strong partnerships. As many industries adjust to move forward from the COVD-19 pandemic, Tec Inc. wants to be there for our partners. Our Staff is Taking Advantage of Professional Development Opportunities During Unique Circumstances As Henry Ford once said, “anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Continuing education is important for any professional and we’ve always made that a tool for our employees. With the additional time added to the calendars of our team, who don’t have the same travel schedule as usual, we’re encouraging all members to chase learning experiences, such as webinars, online courses, and industry meet-ups. Whether it’s setting some time for one of our engineers to pursue their Professional Engineer license or other accreditations, we believe part of the work-from-home benefit for our team comes from our ability to pursue new educational opportunities. Maintaining an open mind to all market sectors During this time of great change in our world, we understand that some of the same project opportunities aren’t available, so we much adjust to the curve. While Tec Inc. always holds an interest in a variety of project types, our leaders are closely observing changes in the market to target new opportunities to expand our portfolio. Changes keep coming and they might not slow down for a while, but we’re keeping a close eye on the news to find ways to contribute, including ways we can help clients adjust to technological changes, which could potentially be required in the not-too-distant future. Our team has a lot of talent and we’ve put a priority on hiring members that can make the Tec team capable of tackling unique challenges. We believe that keeping an eye on all markets is something they’ll be able to handle and will only help our team grow in experience as a whole.
Contributors
John Milenius, PE, LEED AP
Principal
Recognized as a pragmatic and skilled expert in HVAC engineering and plumbing design, John focuses on making the most of project budgets and schedules for our clients. A skilled troubleshooter and proponent of increasing energy efficiency, John manages and leads or mechanical engineering staff at Tec. In addition, he is always looking to help future AEC professionals along the way.