Great Managers

By Ron Lloyd, President

What do the truly great managers of our world believe?

1. Managers believe that people are innately good. Without this core belief and faith in people, great management is not possible.
2. Managers believe they do not work on their people, they work with them; they enable and empower them.
3. Managers believe that "empowerment" comes from within, and has more to do with self-motivation and innate talent than with the acceptance of authority. They get their cues from the person, not the task or process.
4. Managers believe that all people have strengths which can be made stronger, and that their weaknesses can be compensated to become irrelevant.
5. When it comes to training, the great managers do not believe they train people, they believe they train skills and offer additional knowledge.
6. Managers believe they coach and mentor people, and they love doing so—not "like," love.
7. Managers believe that the people they manage are more than capable of creating a better future. They hold great faith and trust in the four-fold human capacities of physical ability, intellect, emotion, and spirit.
8. Managers believe in the power of positive, affirmative thinking and they have a low tolerance for negativity. They are confident and eternal optimists.
9. Managers believe it is their job to remove barriers and obstacles so people can attain the level of greatness they are destined for. They believe that “can’t” is a temporary state of affairs, and that everything is only impossible until the first person does it.
10. Managers believe that their legacy will be in the other people they have helped to achieve worthwhile and meaningful goals. They believe that success is measured in people who thrive and prosper.

Why Do Roofing Materials Continue to Cost More Money?

Once again, all asphalt roofing manufacturers have announced that they will be raising prices in the coming weeks. These increases are substantial and reflect the high cost of oil, energy, and transportation. In the current economic environment, forecasts of raw material and transportation indicate too much volatility to predict actual increases. The following explanation may help you understand why.

The U.S. roofing industry is unusually dependent on a number of raw materials that are experiencing dramatic price increases. Asphalt, a crude oil derivative, is commonly used in a number of different roofing materials. There is direct and immediate effect on the price of those materials when oil prices increase.

Another factor impacting the roofing industry is the difficulty in finding regular, reliable transportation. Roofing material manufacturing plants are located throughout the U.S., but cannot possibly serve every market without significant transportation costs. Some material is shipped by rail; most is shipped by over-the-road carriers. The trucking industry is also significantly impacted by the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel.

If you have a price quote situation or any concerns that need to be addressed, please contact us here at the office. We appreciate your support during these unprecedented times.

Getting to Know Tim Berry, New Field Manager

RR Roofing is pleased to announce that Tim Berry assumed the position of Field Manager on September 8, 2008. He will now be supervising our crews on a daily basis, making sure that each project is completed in a timely manner while maintaining the quality and integrity associated with RR Roofing.

Tim has worked with the company for the past couple of years as our Service Department Manager. Because of his hard work and dedication, he has been moved into this new position which will utilize his more than 15 years experience in roofing. He has been trained extensively in shingle roofs, concrete tile, wood shakes, flat roof systems, along with all associated sheet metal work.

Tim worked with several different corporations in California and also owned his own business there. He and his wife, Krissy, decided to move to Utah a couple of years ago. They are the parents of 2 sons and 2 daughters. He enjoys hunting, hockey, and coaching children’s soccer.

Employee Spotlight: Enrique Sanchez

This month our featured employee is Enrique Sanchez who was recently promoted to the position of a crew foreman for RR Roofing. He supervises three other installers.

Enrique has had extensive experience with our company over the past seven years. He first worked with Francisco Vasquez whose specialty is roofing LDS Churches and other large commercial projects. Enrique and Francisco have traveled to projects as far away as the East Coast and the Southern States. They were also part of our crew which shingled the roof of the Extreme Make-Over home in Bountiful a couple of years ago. He is pictured here on the back row, far left.

Guanajuanto, Mexico is where Enrique grew up with his 7 brothers and sisters. He has lived in Utah for the past 10 years. On a day off, he says he likes to walk in the park and just relax.

Unity

By Colleen Karren, Office Manager

With all the coverage of the Olympics and the Presidential nominations, I have been impressed with the theme of unity. It seems like that has been the focus. . . unity in a family, a team, a nation. Unity brings strength amidst diversity, a feeling of peace when surrounded by war, and harmony among confusion. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride as I watched Michael Phelps bring himself, his family, his team and his country together by winning 8 gold medals. I watched as the Democratic Party showed the nation that they could unite for the purpose of believing in the same principals and achieving the same goals. I watched as the Republican Party rallied behind what they believed in. In reality. . . don’t we, as Americans, want the same thing. . . a prosperous, peaceful place to live where we are free to be the people we were meant to be?

I believe that all problems stem from a lack of unity. We all need to unite in the knowledge that we are such a diverse people, each with unique character traits, trying to achieve a common goal. We are each just a single strand and as we unify in our causes, our strands are linked together, making an unbreakable rope.

In the workplace, companies succeed because the employees and employers work together, instead of against each other. They recognize the individual strengths that each one can bring to the table. They have a common goal and know that when the company succeeds so do they. They work together to solve problems and celebrate when accomplishments are made.

Unity in art is described as "a relation of all the parts or elements of a work constituting a harmonious whole and producing a single general effect." My hope is that we can unite as a team. . . whatever that team may be and together produce something GREAT!