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FIFTH EDITION 2024: LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR

Happy Holidays!

As we approach the end of 2024, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for all that you have accomplished. Your hard work and dedication have been the driving force behind Crowder’s success, and for that, I am deeply thankful.

During this holiday season, I hope you take the time to relax and recharge. You all deserve a break and the chance to spend time with loved ones.

I am blessed to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, but I know that there are many that struggle during the holiday season. Some are challenged with the financial woes that come with this season of gift giving, while others may be missing a loved one at the table during a family gathering. As we celebrate the holidays, please remember those that are less fortunate. A kind word or act can make the difference for someone who may be feeling anxious, depressed or sad.

Thank you once again for everything you have done this year. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am excited to see what the new year holds for us. Wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Lynn Hansen,

to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, age, genetic information, national origin, veteran status, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation and gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. A list of our current open positions can befound here: https://www.crowderusa.com/join-our-team/jobs-listing

believe that you have not been treated fairly, WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. Please go to your bulletin board and use our Employee Concern and Complaint Procedure (or call 1-800-849-2966 and ask for Employee Services) to get your question answered, your concern addressed, or your problem resolved.

Proactive Efforts: The Key to Another Successful Year

by Scott Allen, Corporate Safety Director

At Crowder, we recognize that employee involvement is the cornerstone of an effective safety program. By actively engaging workers at all levels, we strive to foster a culture of shared responsibility and continuous improvement in workplace safety on our projects and office settings. As I visit projects across our company, it’s obvious that our employees bring invaluable firsthand knowledge of assigned tasks, enabling them to identify potential hazards and propose practical solutions during our Pre-Task Planning meetings. By continuing to encourage open communication, participation in safety committees, and collaboration on training initiatives, we ensure that safety protocols are not only followed but embraced. This proactive involvement not only reduces risks but also enhances morale, ultimately demonstrating our commitment to protecting our most valuable asset—our employees.

A strong commitment to preventing incidents is essential for fostering a safe work environment, as it prioritizes proactive measures, ensures adherence to safety protocols, and demonstrates a genuine concern for the well-being of our employees. Regarding proactive measures, your efforts are recognized and much appreciated. Below are some miscellaneous “leading indicators” that capture some proactive measures completed this calendar year-to-date:

15,747 Behavior Based Observations

1,010 Health, Safety & Environmental Inspections

386 Safety Committee Meetings

2,958 Corrective Actions - closed

1,131 Safety Meetings

383 Dynamic Learning Activities

With the holiday season approaching, this time of year often presents unique challenges with respect to incident prevention. Many of us may experience “seasonal stressors” that can easily distract us from completing our tasks incident-free. These stressors may derive from family matters, financial hardships, fatigue, etc. It’s imperative that we look out for each other, stay focused on our tasks, and continue to be proactive to prevent incidents both on and off the job.

One proactive approach that some of us (or a family member living in your household or child up to the age of 26) may need to take, especially during this time of year, may be obtaining additional assistance through our confidential and free Employee Assistance Program. Assistance with life’s hurdles is available through our EAP 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This benefit can be utilized by simply calling (800) 633-3353 (See page 5 for additional information.)

Your proactive approach and commitment to looking out for one another are what make Crowder an exceptional place to work. Thanks for all that you do…Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Your Financial Wellness Matters!

At Crowder we are always looking for ways to make a positive impact in the lives of our employees, and we believe that providing tools to create a solid financial foundation for their families is one of the most important ways we can deliver on our mission. For that reason, we’re very pleased to announce an integrated education partnership with Creative Planning, a division of Lockton Retirement Services as well as our longstanding 401k Plan Advisor.

We have arranged for Creative Planning to offer our 401k Plan participants a wealth of FREE tools and resources to help manage debt, save for college or retirement, understand investing and stock market volatility, and many more relevant topics. Plus, they offer free one-on-one financial consulting to help employees meet their financial goals, as well as options for employee-paid wealth management services providing more direct plan guidance.

Just click on the featured articles and available podcasts below to learn more about what Creative Planning can do for you. All of the training or participation in meetings is at your discretion, and your information will remain confidential. If you want to better understand the benefit or schedule a one-on-one meeting with your dedicated financial wellness consultant, you can contact Kymona Thomas with Creative Planning directly at the email below or you can click on the “schedule a meeting” button below to set up a 30 minute meeting. Kymona.Thomas@CreativePlanning.com

Schedule a Meeting

Don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone in Employee Services if you have any questions or concerns at: 1-800-849-2966 or employeeservices@crowderusa.com

Featured Articles:

Getting Started With Estate Planning

Six Reasons Why You Need an Estate Plan

Is Your Estate Plan in Order?

How to Discuss Your Estate Plan With Family Members

Read more (link to Insights page) Would You Rather Listen?

Click here to find podcast episodes to help you with Estate Planning!

Helping Families at Crowder

Crowder’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a FREE mental health benefit for you and any immediate family member living in your household. This benefit gives you and your family members FREE access to a counselor for up to 6 sessions (per issue) per calendar year. The EAP can help with financial planning, mental health, anxiety, grief and loss, legal aid, home buying, and more!

You can call 24/7 to talk to a clinician at 800.633.3353. You can also click on the Employee tile on the MYgroup homepage (https://www.mygroup.com/) to read about the many ways you can get help. Finally, click on the Work-Life tile to access the login page for helpful information for you and your family.

To log in: Username: crowder Password: guest

Help When You Need It Most

At Crowder, you and your mental health and well-being are important to us! Did you know that the Construction Industry has the second highest suicide rate in the United States? With 123 suicides per day, which represents 1 death every 11 minutes, we want to share the resources we have available to each employee and their families including the EAP, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and our Cigna mental health support services. If you or anyone on your jobsite or in your office need help or someone to talk to, please contact your supervisor, Safety, your Employee Assistance Program (EAP), or the new national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also reach out to anyone in Employee Services (by phone at 1.800.849.2966 or email at employeeservices@crowderusa.com) and we will help you find the right person to talk to for you or your family member.

RISK FACTORS

Stress

Poor Sleep

Relationship Issues

Depression

Substance Abuse

Economy

Chronic Pain

WARNING SIGNS

Spending tine away from family & friends

Isolation

Extreme Mood Swings

Increased anger or rage

Sleeping more or less

Decreased productivity

Increased tardiness or absenteeism

Youturn Health

Youturn offers peer coaching, not therapy. A peer coach provides non-clinical peer support to help engage, educate, and support employees through issues such as stress management, mental health, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. Often, peer coaches have been on their own recovery path, so they understand the stress and anxiety of what you’re going through. Youturn focuses on connection, “here and now” solutions, and offers flexible platforms such as phone, email, and chat options through the app.

Youturn Health is available at no cost to you and your family members. The program provides confidential access to a virtual support program with online education and a peer coaching support phone line.

When logging in, your partner code is: Crowder

Making a Difference in Our Communities

Anyone who is familiar with how Crowder operates knows that we always strive to live up to our mission statement: “We are dedicated to superior performance and committed to making a positive difference for our clients, our communities and in the lives of our employees.” Making a positive difference in our communities is something that was very important to our Founders, W.T. and O.P. Crowder, and it is something that remains important to their sons and to everyone who is following after them. We serve many different organizations in the communities we live and work in and we do that in several ways. We provide monetary donations, make and deliver food, collect supplies and toys, walk as a team at events, volunteer our time and skills, and so much more. We would not have been able to serve all of these organizations without your care and support. Thank you for your contributions in 2024 to the organizations listed below:

The Relatives

Reelin for Research

Roof Above

Ronald McDonald House

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Foundation

Community Link

American Heart Association

Allenbrook Elementary School Supply Drive

Hurricane Helene Donations

Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)

The Learning Collaborative

Hejaz Shriners

Calhoun County Schools

Bells Chapel GMC

Gaffney Fishing Team

Charles Lea Center

The Mariposa School

Broom High School Fishing Team

Blood Mobile Donations

Local Fire Department (Spartanburg)

Industrial Holiday Toy Drive

Clean the Stream (City of Raleigh)

Rise Against Hunger

Five Hearts Therapeutic Horsemanship

Heroes Helping Heroes

Raven Rock Ramble

Western North Carolina Down Syndrome Alliance

Congratulations Retirees!

Thank you all for the years that you have dedicated to working at Crowder and for the difference that each of you has made while working here. You will be missed, but we hope retirement brings you many more happy memories and experiences. Thank you again!

Carlos Martinez Vasquez 12 Years of Service

William Culbertson 12 Years of Service

Gregory Finn 13 Years of Service

John Boswell 14 Years of Service

Bert Windle 25 Years of Service

Rick Turner 26 Years of Service

Retirement is still new and adjusting fine to the new way of life, definitely not an early riser anymore. Thank you, Crowder, for investing in your employees’ success. It has made this transition much smoother. Love to all.

-Rick Turner

A few photos from Bert Windle’s retirement celebration!

The Learning Collaborative Christmas Angel Tree Program

On December 17th, the Crowder Heavy Civil and Corporate offices participated in a Christmas Angel Tree event for The Learning Collaborative. The Learning Collaborative (TLC) “prepares underserved children and their families to succeed in school by providing tuition-free, high-quality preschool education through a unique partnership with children, families, parents, staff and community.” There were 72 kids total this year between Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten to buy a toy and clothing for. The school, teachers and staff also received a donation to go towards the education of the students.

Once all the presents have been donated by Crowder employees, Santa and his Elves, along with other Crowder volunteers, deliver everything to the school and each classroom takes turns visiting with Santa. They sing Christmas Carols, tell Santa what is on their wish list and even get a small treat. After a picture with Santa, the Elves help the children with opening their presents. This has been a long-time tradition of Crowder since their early days on 10th Street.

Thank you to everyone who helped put this wonderful event together!