Client Based Construction

CREW Silicon Valley Presents: Silicon Valley Economic Development Panel – An Outlook for 2013

Posted Wed, 02/13/2013 - 17:47 by Summer Short

We were very pleased to be the program sponsor for the February meeting of CREW Silicon Valley. (http://www.crewsv.org)

Christine Velasquez of AEI Consultants was chosen to be the moderator with three distinguished guests from local municipalities. Christina walked the panelist through questions regarding new developments, trends and their outlook for the new year.

Kim Walesh, Chief Strategist and Director of Economic Development for San Jose, gave a compelling argument for the pent up growth needs in the area and the desire to work together with surrounding cities to make Silicon Valley, regardless of city limits, the place for thriving high wage jobs. Ms. Walesh discussed the changing demographics of the area, which are projected to dramatically effect housing and workspace needs going forward. Two segments of the population projected for dramatic growth are single, educated, under 35, professionals and the aging demographic moving into active retirement living. Highly visible national sports teams, cultural centers, effective mass transit and small single bedroom/studio apartment living spaces are all regarded as important factors in the competitive development of San Jose. One of Ms. Walesh’s most humorous, and perhaps telling, comments reminding us of the time in our youth when we all just couldn’t wait to get our driver’s licenses. We dreamt about it, clipped pictures of our favorite cars and pestered our parents. However, the generation coming up wants to avoid driving and seems to do everything possible to delay getting that once coveted driver’s license. This generation overwhelmingly wishes to live close to work in small low maintenance units.

Ruth Shikada,
Economic Development Officer at City of Santa Clara, echoed much of Ms. Walesh’s assessments and added that the city is working hard on the new stadium build and there will likely be some delays in services throughout the city departments as they work hard to meet deadlines on the build. The term “halo effect” was referenced several times in relationship to the larger projects in the area namely the new 49er stadium. The surrounding cities are fielding inquiries related to growth in supporting services such as hotels and hospitality. Ms. Shikada referenced that transportation issues around the stadium are the most pressing issues to be addressed in the coming months.

Connie Verceles, Economic Development Manager at the City of Sunnyvale, came with a message of service. Ms. Verceles presented strongly that the core focus of the city from the top down is to provide excellent service in all dealing with the public and business communities. Ms. Verceles noted that their most interesting and exciting trend has been the growth in manufacturing and R&D. Automotive R&D is very much alive in Sunnyvale with BMW, Audi and Nissan creating a presence in the market.

Overall the general consensus was that good growth is here and continuing. Solid mass transit options linking multiple types of transportation modes is critical to the overall success of growth initiatives and will require a collaborative effort of great proportion to get to the right solutions in place. There was one somber note in the lively discussion: Each member of the panel responded to a question from the audience inquiring how each city is dealing with the absence of the Redevelopment Agency dissolved in early 2012. To which there were no good answers other than they are doing the best they can with what little is offered through the federal government in relation to incentives for affordable housing builds.

The CREW Silicon Valley board put together an outstanding lunch hosted at the Capital Club in San Jose with a lively and informative panel. The even was well attended with an estimated 120 attendees. It was a great honor to be the program sponsor for such an exceptional event.

2013 Workplace Trends Report just published- Facilities management makes the list

Posted Mon, 02/04/2013 - 10:56 by Summer Short

We are happy to see facilities management recognized and earning a place at the strategic planning table. We at Tashcon are very familiar with the value of leadership at the C level within facilities management and real estate. Leaders empowering their team with a clear vision and supporting procedures are successfully shaping the overall efficiency and productivity of their organization.

As a service based builder we are a critical support to the strategic objectives of our clients. When the leadership in the organization is clear we are able to be impactful in the tactical execution. We are proud to support the teams making a difference in the productivity of the organization and the workforce satisfaction and retention.

According to Sodexo’s COO & Market President, Michael Norris “This
year’s report takes a comprehensive look at what is driving efficiency, development
and satisfaction in the workplace, and offers a unique perspective on what is
essential to organizations to help them be productive and grow.”

The 2013 report identifies the following trends:

1. The Built Environments Crucial Role in Organization Performance
2. Superstar Recruitment – the Power of Community
3. Inspiring a Connection to People, Community and Brand Through CSR
4. A Contemporary View of Inclusion and its Effect of Psychological Health
5. 21st Century Mentoring
6. Thriving in the Cloud
7. Ushering in the New Era of Recognition
8. Facilities Management: A Strategy, Not a Tactic
9. Data Reporting OUT; Predictive Modeling IN
10. International Design and Construction; a Shifting Paradigm
11. The Changing Office…Literally
12. Integration as THE Solution

Page forty of the Workplace Trends Report provides an in depth read on the facilities management portion.

On another note, We found the following statistic interesting as we are always on the look out for great talent:
Seven out of ten employers report having successfully hired a candidate through social media—up from 58% in 2010. (page 14)

The full report can be accessed here:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/59261-sodexo-workplace-trends-2013/

Alternative energy commitment & EBay

Posted Mon, 06/25/2012 - 09:16 by Summer Short

EBay plans data center that will run on alternative energy fuel cells

EBay plans to build a data center to handle its billions of dollars in retail transactions that will draw its power from alternative energy fuel cells rather than the national power grid, which is heavily dependent on coal plants.

It will be the first major tech company to use alternative power as a primary source for energy-hungry data centers, although the new center will connect to the electricity grid for backup. Environmental groups have issued a series of rebukes to Internet companies because of their heavy reliance on coal-fired power to run their centers.

Some companies already use alternative energy to run the data centers that power social networks, stream entertainment or manage commercial transactions, but only as a supplemental source.

EBay plans to use about six million watts of power generated on-site by fuel cells, which are a substantially cleaner and more efficient source of energy than coal, in its new data center in South Jordan, Utah. The company also operates PayPal, the online payment service, out of the South Jordan site. Bloom Energy, a private company in Sunnyvale, Calif., will make the fuel cells.

The new center will double the size of an existing data center there, which will still be on the grid. The grid will serve mainly as a backup power source for the new center. Even so, the fuel cells will account for less than 15 percent of the energy needs of all eBay data centers around the country — a clue that the industry is likely to remain deeply dependent on the grid and its energy mix indefinitely.

“Does it have risk? Sure. Did it require investment? Sure. But it’s an investment and a risk that is worth taking,” said John Donahoe, president and chief executive of eBay. Mr. Donahoe and KR Sridhar, co-founder and chief executive of Bloom Energy, confirmed the fuel cell plans. EBay signed an agreement this week with Bloom for the fuel cells.

Haresh Kamath, program manager for energy storage and distributed generation at the Electric Power Research Institute, said that it was still unknown how the fuel cells would hold up.

“Purely from a power-reliability standpoint, it’ll be interesting to see how this proceeds,” Mr. Kamath said. “I’m glad that somebody is trying to do this.”

Mr. Sridhar sought to dispel those doubts, saying that the Bloom cells were specifically designed so that no simple string of failures could bring a system down. Thirty Bloom cells will be installed at the eBay data center.

Arrays of various sizes are in use by more than 20 major organizations, including FedEx, Wal-Mart, AT&T and Kaiser Permanente. But Peter Gross, vice president of mission critical systems at Bloom, said that nothing was comparable to the data center redesign undertaken by eBay. That redesign, Mr. Gross said, is “an extraordinary step to do something that has never been done before.”
Dean Nelson, the vice president of global foundation services at eBay, who is in charge of data centers, said that the shift demanded a radical redesign, since nearly all data centers now draw their main power from the grid and must have complex backup systems — absent in the new concept — available in case of a blackout.

“It is really throwing out the way people have done it in the past,” Mr. Nelson said. “You can build a better mousetrap.”
The cells are essentially large batteries whose charge is maintained by the hydrocarbon energy contained in natural gas. Fuel cells by various manufacturers have become more economically competitive with grid power in recent years as the price of natural gas has plummeted.
Although the Bloom cells function at high temperatures internally, the charge is maintained by chemical reactions, not combustion, so the efficiencies are much higher than at an ordinary power plant. The reactions produce mainly carbon dioxide and water. By generating power on-site, the fuel cells also save energy that is normally dissipated as electricity runs though transmission lines.

The Bloom cells can also run on so-called biogas, a byproduct of landfills and animal waste at large industrial farms. Annie Lescroart, an eBay spokeswoman, said that in another bow to the environment, the company would pay a premium to enable the production of biogas somewhere in the United States in amounts comparable to its gas usage in South Jordan.

EBay relies on large amounts of computing power to carry out its mission of connecting buyers and sellers among its 102 million active users. The company estimates that through its services, a men’s necktie is sold every 25 seconds, a pair of women’s jeans every 17 seconds, and a piece of golf equipment every 7.1 seconds. It handled $69 billion in transactions in 2011.

In all, Mr. Nelson said, transactions flow through eBay’s computers at the rate of roughly $2,000 a second. Those computers use large amounts of energy. Ebay estimates that its data centers will consume an average of 43 million watts in 2012. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that in the United States, 1 million watts powers about 600 homes.

Particularly on the Utah grid, that energy is supplied mostly by coal power, according to the research institute. “The energy mix there is what it is, and it’s not pretty,” said Gary Cook, an information technology analyst at Greenpeace who has assessed the industry’s energy appetite.
Moving some of that load to fuel cells from the grid, Mr. Cook said, would be a major shift. “Other companies would be wise, if they’re serious about their carbon footprint, to do so as well,” he said.

http://nyti.ms/MxXZVc

Service and steaks

Posted Tue, 06/12/2012 - 09:32 by Summer Short

Here at Tashcon we are proud to be a premier full service provider of construction services. One of our favorite things is to find ways to exceed the expectations of our client. Enjoy the story, it is right on point.

The greatest customer service story every told, starring Morton's Steakhouse

The following story is entirely true. More importantly, I swear on my entire professional reputation and all I hold dear to me that the story below was in no way staged, planned in advance, or in any way faked. This is real. And most importantly: This is AMAZING.

When my alarm clock went off at 3:30 this morning, I knew I was in for a long day. I was catching a 7am flight out of Newark to Tampa, Florida, for a lunch meeting in Clearwater, then heading back to Newark on a 5pm flight, getting me in around 8:10pm, and with any luck, to my apartment by 9 or so. We all have days like that, they happen from time to time.

Made my flight, everything was on time, got to my lunch meeting. Because of the training/workout schedule I’m on, my first meal of the day was that lunch. Was fine, I had a healthy piece of grouper, and a very successful lunch meeting that lasted just about three hours.
By the time I got back to the airport, it was close to 4pm. Flight boarded at 4:30pm, and I knew that by the time I got home, I wouldn’t have time to stop for dinner anywhere, and certainly didn’t want to grab fast food at either airport. When I got on the plane, my stomach was a rumbling a bit, and I had visions of a steak in my head.

As I’ve tweeted and mentioned countless times before, I’m a bit of a steak lover. I go out of my way to try steakhouses all around the world when I can, and it’s one of the reasons, no doubt, that my trainer at my gym is kept in business. But it’s all good – give and take. Over the past few years, I’ve developed an affinity for Morton’s Steakhouses, and if I’m doing business in a city which has one, I’ll try to schedule a dinner there if I can. I’m a frequent diner, and Morton’s knows it. They have a spectacular Customer Relations Management system in place, as well as a spectacular social media team, and they know when I call from my mobile number who I am, and that I eat at their restaurants regularly. Never underestimate the value of a good CRM system.

Back to my flight. As we were about to take off, I jokingly tweeted the following:
'Hey @Mortons - Can you meet me at newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)"

Let’s understand: I was joking. I had absolutely no expectations of anything from that Tweet. It’s like how we Tweet “Dear Winter, please stop, love Peter,” or something similar.

I shut off my phone and we took off.

Two and a half hours later, we landed at EWR. The fact that a flight got into EWR on time during summer thunderstorm season is a miracle in itself, but that’s not important right now.

Walking off the plane, I headed towards the area where the drivers wait, as my assistant Meagan had reserved me a car home.
Looking for my driver, I saw my name, waved to him, and started walking to the door of EWR, like I’d done hundreds of times before.

“Um, Mr. Shankman,” he said.

I turned around.

“There’s a surprise for you here.”

I turned to see that the driver was standing next to someone else, who I just assumed was another driver he was talking to. Then I noticed the “someone else” was in a tuxedo.

And he was carrying a Morton’s bag.

Now understand… I’m a born-and-raised New York City kid. It takes a lot to surprise me. A LOT. I see celebrities on the Subway. I see movies being shot outside my apartment, and fake gunfire from any given CSI show, five days a week. I’m immune to surprises.
Except when they’re like this.

Alex, from Morton’s Hackensack walks up to me, introduces himself, and hands me a bag. He proceeds to tell me that he’d heard I was hungry, and inside is a 24 oz. Porterhouse steak, an order of Colossal Shrimp, a side of potatoes, one of Morton’s famous round things of bread, two napkins, and silverware.

He hands me the bag.

I. Was. Floored.

Let’s make sure we’re clear on a few things here…

1) I was joking in my Tweet. I never, ever expected anything to come of it other than a few giggles.

2) Morton’s Hackensack is 23.5 miles away from EWR, according to Google Maps. That meant that in just under three hours, someone at Morton’s Corporate had to see my tweet, get authorization to do this stunt, get in touch with Morton’s Hackensack, and place the order. Then Morton’s Hackensack had to cook the order, get it boxed up, and get a server to get in his car, and drive to Newark Airport (never an easy task, no matter where you’re coming from) then, (and this is the part the continues to blow me away,) while all this was happening, track down my flight, where I was landing, and be there when I walked out of security!

Are you taking this all in? Because it happened to me, and I still can’t even fathom it.

Think about all the things that could have gone wrong: My flight could have been delayed or diverted. I could have exited out a different location. (Had I taken the AirTrain and not had a driver, I never would have even exited that way!) I could have just missed him all together, I could have landed early, etc., etc…

I have no doubt that countless companies think like that. They think along the lines of “Oh, too many logistics. That’ll never work,” and they leave it at that.

But what if it does work? What if it happens, and it works perfectly, and it shocks the living hell out of the person they do it to? Like it did tonight?

And what if that person’s first thought is to make it public? Like I did tonight?

We live in a world where everyone you meet is a broadcaster. Look around. Think of all your friends, all your colleagues. Do you know anyone anymore who doesn’t have a camera in their phone, or anyone who doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter account?

As I say in my book over and over again, customer service is no longer about telling people how great you are. It’s about producing amazing moments in time, and letting those moments become the focal point of how amazing you are, told not by you, but by the customer who you thrilled. They tell their friends, and the trust level goes up at a factor of a thousand. Think about it: Who do you trust more? An advertisement, or a friend telling you how awesome something is?

Of course, I immediately tweeted out what happened:
"Oh. My. God. I don't believe it. @mortons showed up at EWR WITH A PORTERHOUSE! lockers.com/s/130578715 # OMFG!"

And sure enough, Twitter lit up like a bottle rocket.

When I got home, I actually looked inside the bag at what Morton’s gave me, and again, was blown away:

And as to be expected, the food was amazing.

Of course, there immediately came a few tweets from the other side of the camp, specifically calling out that I have over 100k Twitter followers, and if I didn’t, this never would have happened:

But you know what? I don’t think that’s the case. I don’t think it’s about my follower numbers. I think it’s about Morton’s knowing I’m a good customer, who frequents their establishments regularly. If you look at their Twitter stream, Morton’s is known for always being on the ball, thanking those who mention they’re eating there.

So I don’t think the number of Twitter followers I have played a big (if any) part in this story.

So… What can we learn?

Stay on top of what people are saying about you. Respond accordingly. Perhaps most importantly, have a chain of command in place that actually lets you do these things in real time. Had Morton’s had to get permission to make this happen, at 5:10pm on a Wednesday night, there’s no way it ever would have.

Complete and utter respect and admiration to Morton’s The Steakhouse. This was the amazingly gooey icing on an already great day. Thanks, Morton’s.

http://bit.ly/q6oMzx

Steve Jobs was right: Reasons don't matter

Posted Thu, 10/06/2011 - 23:08 by Carl Fortney

Steve Jobs gave employees a little speech when they were promoted to Vice President at Apple, according to Adam Lashinsky in an article in Fortune.

Lashinsky calls it the "Difference Between the Janitor and the Vice President."

Jobs told the VP that if the garbage in his office is not being emptied regularly for some reason, he would ask the janitor what the problem is. The janitor could reasonably respond by saying, "Well, the lock on the door was changed, and I couldn't get a key."

An understandable excuse for why the janitor couldn't do his job. As a janitor, he's allowed to have excuses.

"When you're the janitor, reasons matter," Jobs told newly minted VPs, according to Lashinsky.

"Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering," said Jobs, adding, that Rubicon is "crossed when you become a VP."

You have no excuse for failure. You are now responsible for any mistakes that happen.

At Tashcon we are awed and inspired by greatness and try every day to live up to that philosophy.

Our condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Steve Jobs.

The desire to excel

Posted Wed, 05/18/2011 - 22:28 by Carl Fortney

When nothing else works, try this

From Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, an anecdote about how Charles Schwab wordlessly motivated the workers in one of his steel mills.

Charles Schwab had a mill manager whose people weren't producing their quota of work.

"How is it," Schwab asked him, "that a manager as capable as you can't make this mill turn out what it should?"

"I don't know," the manager replied. "I've coaxed the men, I've pushed them, I've sworn and cussed, I've threatened them with damnation and being fired. But nothing works. They just won't produce."

This conversation took place at the end of the day, just before the night shift came on. Schwab asked the manager for a piece of chalk, then, turning to the nearest man, asked: "How many heats did your shift make today?"

"Six."

Without another word, Schwab chalked a big figure six on the floor, and walked away.

When the night shift came in, they saw the "6" and asked what it meant.

"The big boss was in here today," the day people said.

"He asked us how many heats we made, and we told him six. He chalked it down on the floor."

The next morning Schwab walked through the mill again. The night shift had rubbed out "6" and replaced it with a big "7."

When the day shift reported for work the next morning, they saw a big "7" chalked on the floor. So the night shift thought they were better than the day shift did they? Well, they would show the night shift a thing or two. The crew pitched in with enthusiasm, and when they quit that night, they left behind them an enormous, swaggering "10." Things were stepping up.

Shortly this mill, which had been lagging way behind in production, was turning out more work than any other mill in the plant.

The principle?

Let Charles Schwab say it in his own words: "The way to get things done," says Schwab, "is to stimulate competition. I do not mean in a sordid, money-getting way, but in the desire to excel."

The desire to excel! The challenge! Throwing down the gauntlet! An infallible way of appealing to people of spirit.

http://kottke.org/11/05/when-nothing-else-works-try-this