P1 Connection March 2023

ART AND SCIENCE

Fortune Favors the Prepared: 4 Ways to Make Your Future a Little "Luckier"

We’ve all had those times when we’ve felt either incredibly “lucky” or seriously “down on our luck.” But what is truly behind the successful side of “luck” and how can we all maximize our own?

Expert researchers, professors, and doctors in the study of “luck” tend to agree that, in a nutshell, good luck comes from four key factors:

1. SERENDIPITY, AKA MAXIMIZING CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES

Christian Busch, author of The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck, wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review about how to create your own career luck. He also believes we have more of a hand in our ability to create luck than we might think.

We typically think of luck as a random event that just happens to us and that we have no control over, but there’s another type of luck that the most inspiring and successful people studied share –serendipity. This means being mentally prepared to embrace the unexpected moments in life to create your own luck.

“You have to see something in that moment, and do something with it,” Busch says. And you can learn this behavior by staying attentive to opportunities and being prepared for anything that may come your way.

This year for St. Patrick’s day we have a Lepra-GNOME! He’s come all the way from Ireland, the place he calls his HOME. He’s always up to mischief and so he needs to HIDE. See if you can find this rascal on the pages INSIDE. When you find this wily GUY email Tiffany Oldham to REPLY. If Irish luck does not WITHHOLD, you could win the POT-O-GOLD.

3. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING: EXPECT TO BE LUCKY, AND KEEP A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

Steven D. Hales, a professor and chair of philosophy at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and the author of The Myth of Luck: Philosophy, Fate, and Fortune, conducted a study to determine whether there is a relationship between having an optimistic disposition and the attribution of good or bad luck to ambiguous luck scenarios.

Hales concludes that both lucky and unlucky things happen to us all, the difference is just a matter of how we see things. We make our own luck with a perspective on our experience that we interpret as lucky.

Lucky people are certain that the future is going to be full of good fortune. These expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies by helping lucky people persist in the face of failure, and shape their interactions with others in a positive way.

4. TURN IT AROUND: MAKING BAD LUCK ...BETTER

Wiseman states that lucky people employ various psychological techniques to cope with, and often even thrive upon, the ill fortune that comes their way.

For example, they immediately understand how things could have been worse, do not dwell on the ill fortune, and take control of the situation.

Overall, the consensus is that shifting your concept of luck to something more empowering can only make you luckier.

“We shouldn’t think of luck as a one-time phenomenon,” Kaplan says. “You want to make a lucky life — you don’t want to just make a lucky moment.” 

Sources: “The Art and Science of Being Lucky” | “Luck”, Dr. Richard Wiseman | How to Create Your Own Career Luck

March is Ladder Safety Awareness Month: Tips to Stay Safe this Year

300,000+ Injuries occurring from ladder accidents in the U.S. each year (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

100 Number of accidents that result in death Missing the Last Rung While Descending Most common ladder injury

 P1 has received more ladder injuries and near misses recently, caused by the very issues highlighted above.

The American Ladder Institute (ALI), the only approved developer of safety standards for the U.S. ladder industry, is sponsoring Ladder Safety Month for its 7th year, with the objective of spotlighting safe ladder use at work and at home.

Here are some important tips that can help turn those injury statistics around:

 SELECTION: Decide on the best ladder for the task before starting. Be sure it can reach the desired elevation.

 INSPECTION: Inspection of a ladder should be completed prior to EACH use. Inspect the rungs, rails, feet, labels, and the locking device. Look for cracks, bends, loose rungs, bad gripping, and missing labels. If defects are found, do not use the ladder.

 SET-UP: Make sure the ladder is secure before climbing. Extension ladders need a pitch with a 4:1 ratio. Secure the ladder at the top and bottom if possible to prevent movement. The top of the ladder must extend a minimum of three feet above the landing surface. Step ladders should be set up on level ground and in the locked position.

 PROPER USE: Proper-use requirements include: keeping your belt buckle between the rails; using three points of contact and face the ladder when ascending & descending; and NEVER stand on the top or second to top rung of a step ladder. Always follow the manufacturer's guidelines when using a ladder.

 CARRYING LADDERS: Prevent strains and sprains by using proper lifting techniques, not twisting at the waist, and get help when needed if the ladder is too large.

Don’t let the first step on a ladder be your last. Take part in ladder safety awareness!

KU EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT NORTH EXPANSION IS IN FULL-SWING

Work on The University of Kansas Health System Emergency Department North Expansion is moving along! P1 is adding a new 40,000 CFM AHU and entirely new mechanical equipment to support it to the 42,950 sq ft space in Kansas City, KS. The work also includes 3.75 miles of new piping, 68,215 lbs. of new ductwork, 75 new plumbing fixtures, 43 new VAV boxes and 287 new grilles/diffusers – all while the rest of the highly active ED and hospital remains fully functional.

P1 is working with JE Dunn Construction, Brack and Associates, and Pulse Design Group on the job, with an estimated contract value of $3,938,984. Completion is scheduled for October, 2023.

In addition to pipe, plumbing, and sheet metal fabrication and construction, P1 used laser scanning, virtual design construction, and the new mixed reality HoloLens technology to lay out and detail the new mechanical room. 

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 It doesn’t look like much now, but our team is pictured in a soon-to-be emergency department treatment room. From Left: President Kollin Knox, Project Manager Brady Kyle, Plumbing Foreman Chris Lauver, Pipefitter Journeyman Garrett Trimble, Plumbing Foreman Mark Tolliver, Pipefitter Journeyman Cole Bartow, Pipefitter Apprentice Abraham Martinez, Pipefitter Apprentice Dorian Clause, Senior Project Manager Eric Affolter, and Sheet Metal Foreman Bob Smith.

 Sheet Metal Journeyman Allen Kluender (right) and Pipefitter Journeyman Matt Moffitt (left) work on the AHU installation.

 Sheet Metal Journeyman Pat Schmit and Sheet Metal Journeyman Jeff Schrader (right); Sheet Metal Journeyman Joe Watts (below, left); and Sheet Metal Journeyman James Hormann (below, right)

The Home Depot Distribution Center in Topeka, KS, has worked with P1 to keep its HVAC systems maintained for seven years.

The positive relationship on the HVAC side recently led the distribution center to call upon the P1 electrical team to help with some electrical needs as well.

With a distribution facility of that magnitude, imagine the sheer quantity of wooden pallets they go through.

When those pallets come off the truck damaged, the most costeffective way for disposal is to crush and shred them.

The Home Depot found themselves needing an energy boost when the crusher they had was no longer adequate.

It was replaced with a larger, more powerful unit, but the newer unit’s 100-horsepower motor (nearly double that of the previous model) was also going to take a lot more energy to run it.

According to Assistant Electrical Service Manager John Cropper, Home Depot contacted P1 to install the power supply and this came with an unusual set of challenges.

“The machine came with a control cabinet, but it needed 400 amps of power at 480 volts, and the main switchgear was on the opposite side of the building, so we had to run the cables along the entire length of the building to get to it,” John said.

John also noted that the existing service for the previous pallet crusher was only 200 amps. In order to get 400 amps - that distance at that voltage - they had to run three conduits in parallel, all with 500 mcm conductors, for roughly 415 feet, going one way.

The total distance was close to 4,500 linear feet, which is longer than a football field.

“Normally, we could have run one conduit with 600 mcm

"The machine came with a control cabinet, but it needed 400 amps of power at 480 volts, and the main switchgear was on the opposite side of the building, so we had to run the cables along the entire length to get to it.”

– Assistant Electrical Service Manager John Cropper

conductors in it, but because this was such a long run, we had to take the voltage drop into consideration,” John said.

Voltage drop occurs when the voltage at the end of a run of cable is lower than at the beginning. Any length or size of wires will have some resistance, but as the length of the cable increases, so does its resistance.

“Because of this, voltage drop is a problem with long cable runs in larger buildings, like the distribution center,” John explained. “So when we did the voltage drop calculations, we knew that three sets of 500s were required to compensate, and still be within drop standard.”

Although the project isn’t quite complete, John says The Home Depot has expressed they are very pleased with P1’s performance.

“P1 Service has done a considerable amount of HVAC work for Home Depot but until recently, they have relied on a different electrical contractor,” John said.

Due to the ongoing relationship and the success of this recent electrical work, John says he is hopeful P1 will have a chance at becoming the Topeka Distribution Center’s preferred electrical contractor.

P1 putting our single-source capabilities to work yet again –congratulations to John and the team on a job well done! 

(Top Row) Josh Ellis, Brent Varney, John Cropper

(Bottom Row) Chris Smith, Shaqune Mecham, Richard Rawlings

PROJECT TEAM 

NEW FACES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please join us in welcoming our newest P1 associates.

the SHENANIGANS ARE COMING...

St. Patrick’s Day is not far away... Traditions full of legends and lore. But what does Culture Club have in store?

Lenexa Happy Hour - Gathering Room - March 16

(check with your office Culture Club liaison for information about what shenanigans may be going down at your location!)

STAY IN THE KNOW! Like us and follow us on

Ryah Ehlers Estimator Las Vegas

Kayla Hicks Safety and Fleet Coordinator Lenexa

Greg Murphy Project Engineer Lenexa

Luke Barber Project Engineer Lawrence

Kellie Davis Controller Lenexa

Jeremi Strasser Assistant Marketing Manager Lenexa

Richard Prockish Service Manager Lenexa

MARCH BIRTHDAYS

BIRTHDAYS + ANNIVERSARIES

Office and field associate birthdays and work anniversaries

21 ANDREW MAGINNESS

JASON MILES

BRANDON STEWART

22 CLINTON BARKER

ROBERT SMITH

THOMAS RYAN

23 DAVID BRAMBLE

LOGAN GLENN

JEFFREY REESE

GARY

WORK ANNIVERSARIES

5 YEARS: JOSHUA HARRALD, RICARDO MASCORRO, GREG OVERBEY

15 YEARS: BRENT VARNEY, JOHNNY HICKS, MEGHAN SCOTT

30 YEARS: PHIL NEHRING

26 CHRISTOPHER KIRBY

BRIAN NALLEY

ADAM ZWIESLER

JOHN STUMP

27 SEAN JAMISON

KARI BENSON

28 BRAD CLOVER

DANIEL LABRECQUE

JOHN MULARONI

LUCAS NELSON

KYLE POSER

30 BRIAN MILLER

ROGER MILLER

MARK TOLLIVER

BRAD WINSOR

RAY COLEMAN

31 CRIS RAY

BRAD THOMPSON

HAPPENINGS

 WE DID IT! P1 drank to a Chiefs victory and they went on to become the Champions. We’ll switch to blue soon in the hopes the Kansas City Royals can follow suit.

 MCAKC Kansas City Night: Some familiar faces, including Project Manager Brady Kyle and Project Development Engineer Swapnil Shende, were in attendance at the recent Mechanical Contractors Association Kansas City event “Kansas City Night” which celebrated the induction of the organizations newest officers.

Topeka Service is MOVING! The Topeka office has officially been vacated, and associates are waiting to move into their new digs this spring. The new location is 6531 SE Forbes Ave, Suite B, Topeka KS, 66619. Stay tuned for more information!

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 P1 Puppy Love: On Valentine’s Day, P1 hosted some very special guests in the Lenexa Training Facility. They weren’t great at HVAC, but they were stellar at cuddling. You can help these and other animals at Melissa’s Second Chances Rescue, https://www.mscrescue.org/.