Welcome summer! Summer means time to spend with kids and grandkids on break, the chance to fish, camp or engage in another outdoor activity, or the ability to travel to the lake or beach to cool off. It also means long, hot days for many of our team members who are out in the field every day taking care of our customers. Let’s all do our best to take care of each other, remind each other to stay cool, drink plenty of water, wear sun protection, and take breaks! Working together, we can avoid heat related safety incidents. And I do hope you have some time to enjoy what summer brings with your friends and family – please be safe out there!
You heard about the rollout of our new Company Values on our last town hall in May. I have been genuinely pleased and thankful for the overwhelmingly positive response you have shown to them. Whether it’s at local visits, on Teams meetings or on LinkedIn, you have been showing us how proud you are of D&H United’s new Values:
At D&H United, WE…
WE work safely – no exceptions, no excuses. invest in people, processes and tools to enable our best work.
WE have integrity – our actions align with our words.
WE are accountable and we learn from our mistakes.
WE act thoughtfully, quickly and proactively.
WE respect and welcome everyone’s input.
Second quarter is almost over and fantastic things are happening all over the company. In the month of May we exceeded our goal to have 80% of our employees report a near miss, and we only had one recordable incident in the whole company. Thank you for your attention to safety! Our breakfix service business continues to grow at double digits and we have hired over 150 new Team Members to help us get it all done. Our automotive business has grown 17% YOY and is at almost double its budgeted revenue for the year. And our Compliance team’s gross margins are up 150 basis points (or 1.5 margin points) over last year.
It’s all thanks to you! Have a wonderful June and I hope you enjoy reading about your amazing colleagues below.
“WE invest in people, processes and tools to enable our best work.”
Blanca Ingnacz is the Installation Administrator for our San Antonio district. During her 8 years at D&H United, Blanca has always been willing to go the extra mile to help train the team to be the best it can be. Says Adam Rupert, Construction Manager for the East Region, “Blanca has been an extremely valuable person to the Installation team, as I rely on her to assist in training other district admins and project managers on the ‘right way’ to perform multiple tasks within our business. Having her in place and a resource for our team has been a contributing factor to any successes that we have had and will continue to have in the future. Blanca is someone who recognizes when someone is having a bad day and tries to lift them up or, at the very least, makes its clear that she is there for them if they need anything.” Blanca – thank you for living our D&H United values each and every day!
“WE respect and welcome everyone’s input.”
Kris Erickson is the Parts Manager in our Houston district. At the end of last year, the team losts its parts salesperson and was worried most of the business would leave with that person as well. Kris thought it was absolutely possible to save the business with a new approach to maintaining and improving our customer relationships and he took on the challenge. Says Houston DGM, Les Moss, “Kris has demonstrated a can-do attitude! Kris has kept this business and maximized its margins. When others thought it wasn’t possible, he has maintained and grown positive relationships with our parts customers!” Kris – thank you for challenging us all to think differently and leading us to success!
“WE act thoughtfully, quickly and proactively.”
Lane Kempa is a Service Technician out of the Little Rock, Arkansas district. In the month of May, Lane went above and beyond to help the team achieve success as the team was left without a dispatcher and the Service Manager was out on medical leave. Shane Jacobsen, Arkansas DGM, explains: “Lane came into the office and worked alongside me and filled in for the Service Manager. He ran the day to day and assisted in dispatch while also taking all technician calls day and night. Lane also acted as the first call after hours. Lane showed what our core values are all about – his move-forward-we will-overcome-attitude saved the day!” Lane – thank you for living our D&H United values and helping the team out of a rough spot!
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