For any company, its strength is in its people. At The Hagerman Group, we place a high priority on supporting and investing in our team members’ success. Through the Hagerman Institute of Learning, Hagerman offers a unique variety of training and continuing education opportunities related to professional, technical, and personal growth. In addition, the Institute is leading external education opportunities to promote careers in construction. Here are just some of the highlights of what we shared the latter half of 2017, as well as some of our plans for 2018.
The importance of collaboration
Collaboration was a prominent topic for The Hagerman Institute this past year, from Bob Harmeyer, MSKTD & Associates, discussing how Hagerman and MSKTD can partner more effectively to Jason Beehler, RJE Business Interiors, sharing new developments in office environments.
Masons from our Fort Wayne and Fishers offices came together for a full-day, collaborative summit at Ivy Tech Community College Marion. Rashod Johnson, Mason Contractors Association of America, provided training on wall bracing best practices, followed by content and discussions related to safety, goal setting, and other topics.
Refreshers and updates on the latest trends
Several companies visited the Institute in 2017 to share best practices and the latest trends in products and services. Kevin Lemler and Mark McKenzie, Irving Materials, provided a presentation on wintertime concrete, and Mark Riffey and the Ryan Fire Protection team presented on fire sprinkler technology.
Safety: not just for the job site
Safety is an important value at Hagerman, and it’s applicable beyond the construction site. Clint Coys from Circle City Safety provided a two-part series on personal safety, addressing how to be more aware and vigilant and teaching us technical tips to protect ourselves when encountering danger.
Valuable content from in-house experts
Many of our sessions involved in-house experts leadings presentations. For example, Greg Delagrange, project manager, shared his wealth of knowledge of Procore—our primary project management software—through interactive training sessions in Fort Wayne.
Attracting future generations to construction
The demand for skilled construction workers is high, and on the rise. The Hagerman Group and the Institute participated in and facilitated multiple outreach opportunities to position construction as a fulfilling career choice.
- More than 800 students attended The Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation’s High School Construction Expo, and Hagerman’s exhibit allowed them to try out our virtual reality system.
- Hagerman superintendents visited the Fort Wayne Community Schools Career Academy to talk with 30 students about the construction trades and why a career in the industry is rewarding.
- We took 11 Hamilton County High School students enrolled in an Ivy Tech School of Construction Technology course through Boys and Girls Club of Noblesville while it was under construction. Our superintendents educated students on their personal backgrounds, as well as the components of the building.
Setting the stage for 2018
The Hagerman Institute started offering multiple ongoing professional development opportunities that will continue throughout this year.
- On Feb. 6, The Hagerman Institute featured a Leadership Workshop for 30 members that focused on “Building a Healthy Culture.” This will be a quarterly effort to bring team members together to focus on developing our leadership culture for 2018.
- We’ve partnered with Ivy Tech Community College’s Workforce Training program to provide multiple programs, from Microsoft Excel training in 2017 to a “Time Management and Organizational Skills” series that runs this spring.
- Knowing it’s important for every team member to understand how The Hagerman Group operates, we’re in the midst of a 12-session program that takes participants through different aspects of the company, as well as the steps of the project process.
- The Hagerman Institute is working on an online training program that will help make our content more accessible to everyone.
Many of our programs are available to attendees outside of The Hagerman Group. If you’re a guest interested in teaching a specific topic or a Hagerman team member interested in learning about one, please contact me!
