Some time has passed since I last addressed you all and it’s hard to believe we’re over halfway through 2022. I began the year speaking on the hopes and goals I had for those next 12 months and it’s nice to look back and see all that we’ve accomplished thus far. Improvements have been made, teams are continually growing stronger, and we all have overcome so much. If you take a good look, you’ll notice the one constant through it all has been change. Yes, change has been difficult, unavoidable and has tested us all in unimaginable ways. But as I’ve said before, change is the only way to keep success a possibility. Socrates had this to say about change: “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new”. That’s what each of you reading this now have decided to do each time a challenge has presented itself… to put all your energy into building the new, not constantly fighting the past. That’s much easier said than done, especially if you’re constantly going against the grain, but I’m grateful for each of you who continue to do so.
As we sit on the heels of our 60th anniversary, I can’t help but think of what “building the new” really means for us. Very soon, we will
literally be building new as we break ground on the HQ office building in Jacksonville. How fitting for this new chapter to get underway as we celebrate the beginning of a new era. Big monumental moments, like our 60th anniversary, should make each of us to want to look in the mirror, take responsibility, and ask questions about our company and our own specific roles. What do the next 60 years look like? What do you want our company to be and where do you see yourself in it? Those are questions I want each of you to be thinking about for the remainder of this year. No matter your answer, I hope you will use that as motivation to light the fire of your purpose. One person can make an enormous impact to our organization. Be the positive change you want to see in our company.
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new”.
For me, among many other things, my hope is that this new era helps us drive innovation. This new era gives us the tremendous opportunity to stay ahead of the curve, but we must continue to be open to new ideas and to learning new systems. More than anything, I hope we are all able to take a step back and look at the big picture. Think outside the box and find the “not so obvious” answers. Through the years, I’ve learned that when you’re too close, it’s easy to miss things. We’re so accustomed to the answers being obvious and directly in front of us. But sometimes the right answers are found in places we’ve missed. All it takes is to look some place you’ve never thought to look before.
Thank you for always being the best in the business!
Paul Jones President & CEO
We’re thrilled to welcome two new employees to the company, Anthony White and Tracy Mann. Both will be based out of the Jacksonville office and we’re so glad to have them here!
Anthony White is coming on board as our Vice President of Strategy. Anthony spent 17 years as a Design Build Contractor for Haskell and brings a full understanding of our customers. While at Haskell, he spent much time procuring and managing mechanical contracting services, all of which helps contribute to his role here. In this new position, Anthony will be focusing on business processes and analyzing analytics so we can improve the business overall. He will be working to achieve our company’s vision of being a leader in our industry and community through an unrivaled commitment to our craft and people. Anthony’s immediate goal is to absorb as much knowledge as possible about the company, our people and what makes us great.
Tracy Mann is joining the team as our Human Resources Manager. Tracy comes to us from Community First Credit Union where she spent nearly 33 years as their Human Resources Manager. Her greatest passion is being an advocate for employees and is excited to bring that over to our company. Tracy will be handling new hires, benefits, and the recruitment process, but is looking forward to finding ways to help make us the best we can be. While she knows she has a lot to learn, she has already realized during only a few short days that this is such a great company to work for.
Welcome aboard to both Anthony and Tracy! We’re happy to have you part of the W. W. Gay Family and look forward to working with you.
As the city of Jacksonville celebrates 200 years in 2022, we at W. W. Gay also have a reason to celebrate as this year marks our 60th anniversary! Throughout the remainder of this year there will be special ways we’ll commemorate the last 60 years, the first of which rolled out earlier this month.
I worked with Wingard, the company who helped with our brand redesign last year, to create a special “60th anniversary” logo. This is now visible in your email signatures and will continue through the end of this year. This logo focuses on our core values of “Dedication, Quality and Stewardship” and how we as a company will continue to forge ahead.
Our actual anniversary is Thursday, September 1 and we plan to have small celebrations in our Jacksonville, Gainesville and Orlando offices. More information to follow on these from your respective offices, but there will be food and special 60th anniversary shirts/ swag items for everyone!
A special 60th Anniversary issue of The Pipeline will be released in September highlighting some of the great moments in our history. But we need your help! If you have any past photos from monumental projects, office openings or special moments, we ask that you please share with us! If you do have photos, please send them directly to Marketing Coordinator Peyton Beasley at pbeasley@wwgmc.com.
We will soon be breaking ground on the new HQ building in Jacksonville and are excited to share the progress with you by way of photos and videos. If you haven’t already seen them, the most recent renderings are available in this issue of The Pipeline.
The future is bright at W. W. Gay and we wouldn’t be here celebrating our 60th year if it weren’t for YOU! We look forward to celebrating with you soon and forging ahead for 60 more years.
Best,
Emily Andrews Marketing & Community Relations Director
We’re set to break ground on the new headquarters building in Jacksonville in late August. To share in the excitement, we’re thrilled to officially release renderings and speak on details of the new building.
• The new two-story 49,665-square foot building will sit on close to 4 acres, replacing the old headquarters building that was damaged by fire in August 2020
• Auld & White Constructors LLC will serve as contractor on the project with Kasper Architects + Associations Inc. as architect
• The building will house many departments including Executives, Project Managers, Accounting and many others
• The building will also contain many exciting features:
-Large break rowom perfect for fellowship amongst employees
-Gathering areas throughout entirety of building to invite more collaboration
-Windows to bring in natural lighting
-Training rooms
-History wall paying tribute to our roots
-Outdoor patio
• Project completion is expected for late summer of 2023
The new space will reunite so many of us who have been displaced by the fire and we hope it encourages collaboration across all teams. Stay tuned for photo and video updates once ground is broken. The future is looking bright!
07/01 – David Foster (Jacksonville)
07/01 – Jeremiah Combs (Jacksonville)
07/01 – Jesse Mayhew (Jacksonville)
07/03 – Terry Briley (Jacksonville)
07/04 – Shawn Cline (Jacksonville)
07/06 – John Culbreth (Gainesville)
07/06 – Robert Lee (Jacksonville)
07/06 – Enrico Ramsey (Jacksonville)
07/06 – Robert Lovett II (Jacksonville)
07/07 – Daniel Mullis (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Joanie Jones (Gainesville)
07/08 – Melissa Clay (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Joy Ashley (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Randy Hagan (Jacksonville)
07/09 – Joseph McCaffrey (Gainesville)
07/09 – Lucas Chapman (Jacksonville)
07/09 – William Wheeler (Jacksonville)
07/09 – David Andarcia Diaz (Orlando)
07/11 – Lawrence Richey (Orlando)
07/11 – Megan Mcintire (Gainesville)
07/12 – Jermal Keen (Jacksonville)
07/13 – Jeffery Strickland (Jacksonville)
07/15 – Michael Kennard (Gainesville)
07/15 – Craig Mills (Jacksonville)
07/15 – Clifford Murray III (Jacksonville)
07/15 – Steven Weldon (Jacksonville)
07/16 – Junior Rodney (Orlando)
07/17 – George Lee (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Valerie Polk (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Glenn Lynn (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Jorey Murphy (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Joseph Howland (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Jayce Rodgers (Jacksonville)
07/19 – Robert Frye (Orlando)
07/19 – Timothy Lietz (Jacksonville)
07/20 – Scott Long (Jacksonville)
07/20 – John Mitchell (Jacksonville)
07/21 – Daniel Andrews (Jacksonville)
07/21 – Christopher Bilodeau (Jacksonville)
07/21 – Gerald Mclendon (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Michael Debrule (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Gregory Debrule (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Ebonia Williams (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Robert Quillen (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Brett Watson (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Cassidy Musgrove (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Corey Lavoie (Gainesville)
07/22 – Ashton Thibideau (Jacksonville)
07/23 – Matthew Maynard (Jacksonville)
07/23 – Kaylob Carnley (Gainesville)
07/23 – Garrett Davis (Jacksonville)
07/23 – George Broughton (Jacksonville)
07/23 – Steven Dukell (Orlando)
07/24 – Cristian Arias (Orlando)
07/24 – Justin Chila (Jacksonville)
07/24 - Randall Glisson Jr. (Jacksonville)
07/24 – David Wiltshire (Jacksonville)
07/24 – Franklyn Mack (Jacksonville)
07/25 – Timothy Patterson (Jacksonville)
07/25 – Jeffrey Teetzel (Orlando)
07/26 – Joe Brabham III (Gainesville)
07/26 – Washington Horne Jr. (Jacksonville)
07/26 – Matthew Johns (Jacksonville)
07/27 – Mitchell Rizer (Gainesville)
07/27 – Kaleb Davis (Gainesville)
07/27 – Thomas Bernard Jr. (Orlando)
07/27 – Kenneth Sanders (Gainesville)
07/28 – Megan Gordon (Jacksonville)
07/28 – Ryan Young (Jacksonville)
07/28 – Matthew Gay (Jacksonville)
07/28 – Micah Powers (Jacksonville)
07/28 – Blaine Hopkins (Jacksonville)
07/29 – Joseph Giordano (Orlando)
07/29 – Trent Beckham (Gainesville)
07/29 – George Carpenter (Jacksonville)
07/30 – Dametre Lynch (Jacksonville)
07/30 – Ronald Marx (Jacksonville)
07/31 – Edward Green (Gainesville)
07/31 – Briar Shaffer (Gainesville)
07/31 – Frank Wheeler II (Gainesville)
**If you find that any of the above information is incorrect, please reach out to Marketing Coordinator Peyton Beasley at pbeasley@wwgmc.com so that it can be corrected in our system.
07/01 – Joshua Waters: 3 Years (Gainesville)
07/01 – Michael Logan: 26 Years (Jacksonville)
07/01 – Chase Sallie: 2 Years (Gainesville)
07/01 – Michael Cooper: 2 Years (Jacksonville)
07/02 – George Macfadden Jr.: 7 Years (Orlando)
07/02 – Kenneth Murph: 32 Years (Jacksonville)
07/02 – Christian Moore: 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/05 – Megan Mcintire: 17 Years (Gainesville)
07/05 – Kristopher Dehart: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/06 – Blake Stewart: 6 Years (Orlando)
07/06 – Derrick Woods: 15 Years (Jacksonville)
07/06 – Douglas Colley: 12 Years (Jacksonville)
07/06 – Christian Holmes: 2 Years (Gainesville)
07/06 – Briar Shaffer: 1 Year (Gainesville)
07/07 – Larry Hammonds: 2 Years (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Conor Lewis: 3 Years (Gainesville)
07/08 – Kory Williams: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Ronald Loder Jr.: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Ronald Hubler II: 2 Years (Gainesville)
07/08 – Matthew Hunter: 2 Years (Orlando)
07/08 – Edward Galloway: 2 Years (Orlando)
07/08 – Michael Ruf: 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Aaron Gann: 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Lucas Chapman: 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/08 – Carlos Alcantara: 1 Year (Orlando)
07/09 – Joshua Stringer: 21 Years (Gainesville)
07/09 – Nicholas Dollison: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/09 – Fredrick Carter: 4 Years (Gainesville)
07/09 – Jeffery McCloud Jr.: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/09 – John Culbreth: 4 Years (Gainesville)
07/09 – Victor Howard: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/09 – Angela Jones: 4 Years (Jacksonville)
07/10 – Joel Prevatt: 3 Years (Gainesville)
07/10 – Chaton Croft: 2 Years (Gainesville)
07/10 – Blaine Hopkins: 10 Years (Jacksonville)
07/12 – Antonio Pratt: 3 Years (Orlando)
07/12 – Victoria Fawthrop: 6 Years (Jacksonville)
07/12 – Christopher Taylor: 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/12 – Randy Hagan: 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/13 – George Schwab: 2 Years (Jacksonville)
07/13 – Jayce Rodgers: 2 Years (Jacksonville)
07/14 – Jorey Murphy: 6 Years (Jacksonville)
07/15 – Lee Hodge: 3 Years (Orlando)
07/15 – John Hildebrand: 29 Years (Gainesville)
07/15 – Kevin Nobles: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/15 – Darrell Heath: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/15 – Jeffrey Teetzel: 2 Years (Orlando)
07/16 – Paul Vaughan: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/16 – Haylee Graham – 1 Year (Orlando)
07/17 – Bryce Olds: 3 Years (Orlando)
07/17 – John Gullotto: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/17 – Dalton Deloach: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Coen Purvis: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Taylor Gibson: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Ashley Butler: 9 Years (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Nicholas Bailey: 6 Years (Jacksonville)
07/18 – Leford Alexis: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/19 – Keith Griffin Sr.: 33 Years (Jacksonville)
07/19 – Harold Richardson: 32 Years (Jacksonville)
07/19 – Nathanial Taylor: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/19 – Kenneth Andrews: 10 Years (Jacksonville)
07/19 – Collin Hyatt: 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/20 – Heather Liddon: 6 Years (Gainesville)
07/20 – Jason Taylor: 33 Years (Jacksonville)
07/20 – Joseph Pinna: 2 Years (Gainesville)
07/21 – Halle Perez: 6 Years (Orlando)
07/21 – David Wiltshire: 8 Years (Jacksonville)
07/21 – Jeromy Pizarro: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/21 – Terrise Sharpe – 1 Year (Gainesville)
07/22 – Monte Graham: 9 Years (Orlando)
07/22 – Douglas White: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Seth Mobley: 20 Years (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Mitchell Rizer: 2 Years (Gainesville)
07/22 – Shawn Nye: 2 Years (Jacksonville)
07/22 – Roy Rutherford: 3 Years (Gainesville)
07/24 – Timothy Rose II: 3 Years (Gainesville)
07/24 – Jack Barnes: 16 Years (Jacksonville)
07/25 – Clinton Avant: 6 Years (Jacksonville)
07/25 – Macie Ray: 6 Years (Jacksonville)
07/26 – John Culbreth: 16 Years (Gainesville)
07/26 – Adam Baich: 5 Years (Gainesville)
07/27 – Stephen Napoli: 39 Years (Jacksonville)
07/27 – Mary Crews: 7 Years (Jacksonville)
07/29 – Dylan Pilcher: 3 Years (Gainesville)
07/29 – Ottavia Twiggs: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/29 – Wanda Reaves: 7 Years (Jacksonville)
07/29 – Michael Everett: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
07/29 – Morris Carroll: 30 Years (Jacksonville)
07/29 – Alec Cason – 1 Year (Jacksonville)
07/30 – Mark Garcia: 21 Years (Gainesville)
07/30 – John Wilson: 8 Years (Gainesville)
07/30 – Travis Denmark II: 9 Years (Jacksonville)
07/30 – Michael Harper Jr.: 21 Years (Jacksonville)
07/30 – William Willis: 10 Years (Jacksonville)
07/30 – Robert Alexander: 2 Years (Jacksonville)
07/31 – Nathanael Johnson: 2 Years (Jacksonville)
07/31 – Justice Geiger: 15 Years (Gainesville)
07/31 – Kati Bagley: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/31 – Jonathan Gullion: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/31 – Thomas Johnson: 5 Years (Jacksonville)
07/31 – Corey Lybrand: 16 Years (Jacksonville)
07/31 – Patrick Bozeman: 3 Years (Jacksonville)
**If you find that any of the above information is incorrect, please reach out to Marketing Coordinator Peyton Beasley at pbeasley@wwgmc.com so that it can be corrected in our system.
We’re thrilled to announce the recent promotions of two employees, Danny Pilcher and Matt Furlong.
Earlier this year, Danny Pilcher was promoted to Project Development in the Orlando office. He comes by way of the Gainesville office where he started with W. W. Gay in 2000. Over the course of his 22-year career, Danny has seen all aspects of our company. While most of that time was spent in the Service Department, he originally began in the field and moved up to serve as the Plumbing Services Manger, and then to serve over the Service Department. As this new position was being created, the success Danny brought to his department and his experience with customers made him the obvious candidate. Because of his dedication to the company, Danny jumped at the opportunity to help move the Orlando office forward and do what was best for W. W. Gay as a whole. His new role, which is still developing each day, is focused on meeting new customers, and recruiting new work for the Orlando team while also developing processes surrounding that office. Danny’s biggest goal is to develop the reputation of the office and help it grow by leaps and bounds.
Congratulations Danny! We’re proud of you and your efforts and look forward to seeing the progress in Orlando.
In our Jacksonville office, Matt Furlong was promoted to Vice President of Special Projects. Matt started with W. W. Gay in 2015 as an Assistant Project Manager but quickly moved into the Project Manager role after less than 2 years. His time as a PM allowed him to have leadership over each project, learning everything from estimating to close out. His most memorable jobs ranged from those that helped make a difference in people’s lives to beautiful buildings such as the PGA Tour Headquarters. Matt’s belief in teamwork is a quality he carries into his new position, knowing full well that working together is the only true route to success. His new role includes managing all IT functions, assisting senior leaders, and overseeing the new office building headquarters project. As essentially the Project Manager from the owner’s perspective for the new building project, Matt is responsible for working with all teams to ensure each piece is managed properly. This includes everything from earliest design and efficient layouts to furniture selection. On the IT side, Matt works with our four internal team members and external partners to ensure we are supporting our users with the right systems and processes. Matt hopes to bring excitement to his IT team and deliver superior support service to all users. As for the new building project, Matt is looking forward to creating a space that brings everyone together and encourages collaboration across all teams. Matt is grateful for the opportunity and knows he wouldn’t be where he is if it weren’t for those he’s worked with along the way who have taught him so much.
Congratulations Matt! We’re thrilled for you and your new position!
Congratulations to Orlando’s own Jamie Blankenship!
Over the course of one week, Jamie competed in the Local Union 803 Proficiency Exam, where he placed 1st, in the pipefitting division. As a result, for placing 1st, in the local proficiency, Jamie was invited to attend the State of Florida Proficiency Exam, where he proudly represented the Local Union 803. There, Jamie competed to attend Nationals for the pipefitting category, which consisted of two non-stop days chocked full of skill assessments, where he placed 4th in the State of Florida!
Each competition included assessments/projects that put his skills to the test, as they are designed to challenge the pipefitters knowledge and ability. Those projects consisted of a tube bending copper project, pipefitting project, torch/burning project, screw pipe project, and crane tests. For each project, the apprentices are given diagrams, with specific end results and raw materials, along with a certain time frame to complete each project. The purposes of these projects allow the judges to see how each pipefitter can preform with limited guidance and under pressure.
Overall, it has been a great learning experience for Jamie, as he has participated for the last 2 years, in the Local 803 proficiencies, placing 2nd in the pipefitting division last year and this year he finished his 5th year apprenticeship strong. Congratulations Jamie, we are proud to have you as part of our team!
A big congratulations are in order for another one of our own in the Orlando office, Aimad Ait Darmouch. Aimad is a 5th year apprentice and just recently competed in the “United Association State Apprenticeship Contest”. This event features one apprentice from 7 different locals from across the state of Florida, Aimad representing Local Union #803. Over the course of three days, the competition had its apprentices showcase their skills in their specific trade. For Aimad, this was the plumbing category and included copper projects, written tests and plumbing modules.
Now that the competition has finally wrapped up, we are so proud to announce that Aimad took home the title of #1 Plumber in Florida! Way to go, Aimad! With this win, he now moves on to the national level and we’re wishing him the best of luck. Thanks for giving us another reason to say that our employees are really the BEST in the business!
Shout out to these teams from our Jacksonville location for spreading knowledge about the career opportunities here at W. W. Gay to up and coming high school students at ACE Trade Day and Nease High School!
Gone Fishin’
Shout out to this Gainesville crew for having an awesome time at the Doug Johnson’s Reeling for Kids Tournament! Congratulations to Brayton Lowe for winning 1st place in Trout and Brian Fogarty for winning 2nd place in Spanish Mackerel.
In February, a group from the Jacksonville office participated in the annual Ortega River Run at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, St. Mark’s Campus. The race features a 5-mile run/walk option or 1-mile fun run. We’re proud to have been Gold Sponsors of the run these last few years and love getting a group together to run/walk such a beautiful route!
This past May, our Tallahassee office participated in the inaugural Tallahassee Carboard Boat Race. Our team spent weeks creating the boat entirely from scratch, paying close attention to all rules and regulations of the race. From designing to painting, this crew did it all!
On the morning of the race, boat captains Bryan Strickland and John Mitchell braved the water at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park. Not only did their boat not sink, but they took 2nd place overall! What a fun day it was and we look forward to getting out on the water again next year! Congratulations to our team on a job well done!
Our July Employee Spotlight is no stranger to W. W. Gay. Like so many of our employees, this company has been a large part of James Poff’s entire life. Based out of the Orlando office, James is nearing his 24th anniversary and has a father who retired here. His dedication to W. W. Gay is apparent whenever you speak with him, and he’d do absolutely anything for our company.
James, or Jimmy as he’s known to most, was born and raised in East Orlando. When he was just 17 years old, Jimmy began working with a non-union residential plumbing company where he spent the better part of 7 years honing his craft. It wasn’t until his dad, who was working for W. W. Gay at the time, persuaded him that it was time to join the Union. Knowing how much his dad enjoyed his job, Jimmy wanted to follow in his footsteps, so he earned his GED and became part of Local #803. With many years of experience already under his belt, Jimmy came in with his plumbing license and was able to start out as a Journeyman. His career with W. W. Gay began on the Plumbing Service side, taking small service calls with Mike Runge.
He would eventually move on to bigger jobs with water treatment plants and hospitals, which lead to healthcare becoming a large focus for him. After 20 years spent in the field, Jimmy was promoted to General Superintendent in 2018, a position he still holds today. In this position, he oversees manpower across all jobs, ensures each is on track and is laser focused on virtually every aspect of a given job. While Jimmy loves his position, he is always reminded of where he started. “The guys and gals in the field are the ones getting it done. Without them, I wouldn’t have a job or be where I am today. That’s where I came from, and I’ll never forget that or take it for granted”.
Jimmy is married to his wife Kelly, who also works for W. W. Gay. Kelly has been with our company for 7 years and is the current Shop Manager for the Orlando office. They were married in 1997 and have a daughter, Courtney who handles cash management for Loomis. Together they are a tight-knit family who enjoys being with one another. They all three love the outdoors, fishing and visiting the shooting range. But most of all, they’re proud of their tradition of having dinner together every night.
“ You can’t find what we have here anywhere else.”
Besides his family and job, the game of golf is Jimmy’s biggest passion. Whether he’s playing a fun round, or as a stress reliever from a hard day, golf is his go-to. He is adamant about getting on the course every day after work and believes it’s good for his soul. Kelly is an avid golfer, too and you’ll usually find them playing a quick 9 holes at Wedgefield Golf Club where they’re
members. Bayhill and Sage Valley are two of his favorite courses in Orlando, but Augusta is their absolute dream. They were lucky enough to attend the Practice Round of the 2022 Masters Tournament and were blown away at the stunning beauty of the entire course.
For those who don’t know, Jimmy’s level of dedication to W. W. Gay runs deep. After the new logo launched last year, Jimmy unveiled a special surprise for us all…a tattoo of the new logo on his calf! Now that’s love and commitment to this place!
Favorite quote:
“There is no one of us better then all of us.” - John Russell
Last movie you saw or book you read: Coda
Dream dinner guest: Tiger Woods or Dustin Johnson who are both pro golfers
Best Orlando recommendation or favorite place in Orlando: Anywhere as long as I’m with my wife.
I’m happiest when.. I’m on the golf course.
Jimmy loves his job. He has a boss he’s grateful to work for and coworkers that feel more like family than they do colleagues. “I’ll work for W. W. Gay for as long as they’ll have me,” Jimmy says. “Most people don’t realize it until they leave, but you can’t find what we have here anywhere else. We work as a team and if I call someone day or night, I know they’ll always answer. It truly is a special place”.
Keep up the good work, Jimmy and we just may never let you leave!
While it should be everyone’s goal to avoid injury, we understand that some things are just out of our control. If and when an injury does occur, it is important to remember the procedures that are put in place. The below are a few reminders to follow in accordance with our safety program.
Employees:
All employees will inform their supervisor IMMEDIATELY of any injury, no matter how minor. Failure to do so is a violation of our mandatory safety rules and is subject to disciplinary action, including termination. A drug test is also mandatory within four (4) hours of any injury. If injured, employees must let their supervisor know the following:
• How they hurt themselves
• What they were doing at the time
• When and where the injury occurred
• Who they were working with at the time of injury
• Any other information, such as witness name, to aid the investigation of the accident.
Supervisors:
If a jobsite accident or injury occurs involving one of your employees, his/her supervisor will:
• Take care of the victim(s) FIRST
• Immediately complete and sign a “First Report of Injury or Illness” form and email it to Shelly Arnold, Safety Admin at sharnold@wwgmc.com or bring it to your W. W. Gay Office within 24 hours of the Injury or Accident. This form is mandatory, even if medical treatment is not required. Supervisors will complete this form ANY TIME a company employee reports an injury to them. If the injured employee does not want or require medical treatment, the Supervisor will note “For Information Only” at the top of the form and get it to the Safety Office within 24 hours. In an accident involving personal injury or property damage, the person(s) involved are required to submit themselves to a drug test. Refusal of the drug test will be treated as “Positive” and the employee subject to termination.
Remember: If you are involved in a traffic accident while driving a company vehicle, you are to call the police, file a report, and obtain the names/contact numbers of any witnesses along with the tag number of all vehicles involved. A copy of the police information must be sent to the W. W. Gay Jacksonville Safety Office (sharnold@wwgmc.com) as soon as possible. Call Don O’Neal at (904) 252-4920 or Steve Ray at (904) 874-9364. Drug tests are also mandatory within four (4) hours after any vehicular incident. Complete the accident investigation form located in your vehicle.
Near Miss Incidents: In the event of a Near Miss, the W. W. Gay supervisor will fill out a “Near Miss Incident Report” and notify the Safety Office right away.
Stay safe,
Steve Ray Director of Safety
Don O’Neal has been a Safety Specialist in the Jacksonville office for the last 5 years. He typically works on the industrial side but has been known to take care of the commercial side as well. Don enjoys his job and is always willing to help out wherever is necessary. On a day-to-day basis, Don can be found answering safety and workers comp related questions and spends quite a lot of time sorting through vehicle claims and workers comp injuries. He also ensures all employees have the proper training for the jobsites they will be on, and he even visits the facilities for safety specific reasons as needed.
Before W. W. Gay, Don was previously employed as a Safety Manager at one of our customer’s facilities. As fate would have it, this company was in the process of shutting down when W. W. Gay recruited him. He couldn’t be happier here and continues to stay for the family atmosphere. “I’ve worked for a few familyowned companies, but W. W. Gay’s atmosphere is absolutely the best”, Don says.
At the end of each day, Don’s goal is the same as everyone else in safety: To ensure our employees have all the tools they need and for each of them make it home safely.
Thanks for all you do, Don!
Hard to believe we’re more than halfway through this year! Timing is moving fast but we have been diligently working on finishing up some extensive projects, and have also been successful in landing new ones and look forward to getting those off the ground. Our teams are growing daily not only in size, but also in talent. Although we are all not perfect, we work every day to become better. All of our teams are putting in the work with training and teaching, and we look forward in seeing the growth that will come from it.
As we move into the second half of the year, let us be mindful of all the great opportunities we have in this ever-changing market. We must always work together and help each other along the way. Aristotle once said “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution”. Those are the exact tools we must continue to work with each day.
#One Team, One Mission
Chris Stalnaker Vice President, Gainesville Director of Operations
Recently, a team at our Orlando office was able to complete a project at Walt Disney World that involved demolishing and disconnecting a laundry ironer at the property. The Walt Disney World Property has 4 large laundry facilities that operate nearly 24 hours a day while accommodating over 20 hotels and 4 themes parks.
W. W. Gay along with other subcontractors had approximately three days to do as much rough-in of gas, compressed air, exhaust flue piping, electrical and fire sprinkler work as they could do before a new Jensen laundry ironer arrived from Chicago, IL. Once the new Jensen ironer arrived, our team nearly worked around the clock to get all systems and utilities up and running within 3 days before commissioning began. The schedule was condensed by WDW, but we still had everything up and running in the given timeframe we received from the owner. The Disney representatives were very pleased with our efforts and the result.
This photo shows Jeff Waters, Charles McLaurin and Mark Bracken from W. W. Gay alongside the entire Engineering Services staff for the All Star Cast Services Laundry Facility including leadership and Facility Asset Management (FAM) Project Manager.
The Key personnel for this project include foreman Dean Neyrinck, Mark Bracken, and Charles McLaurin.
Great job everyone!
Our Jacksonville office has long been involved with a local nonprofit children’s ministry called Sidewalk Funday School. Kimberly Hansen, who oversees all construction for each Baptist Hospital location in Jacksonville, heads up the organization with her husband, Richard Hansen. The non-profit aims to reach and serve under-privileged children all over the city of Jacksonville. A handful of our employees volunteer with the organization on a weekly basis and enjoy their time getting to know the children while they learn about the Bible.
In addition to their weekly teachings, Sidewalk Funday School has put together special “career nights” at several of their locations in an attempt to make the kids aware of job opportunities after high school. In April, we hosted a special career night and brought along two special activities for the kids. Florida Mechanical brought in a crane and the operator taught them the correct hand signs when directing. Some kids even got to try their hand at it! We also brought in a pipe activity where the kids read blueprints and learned how to construct all pieces.
It was a fun evening teaching the kids about our company and all we have to offer. We look forward to continuing this in the future!
