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PRESIDENT’S LETTER | TOC
BRIGHT SPOTS
A Message from our President & COO
I am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. I believe that positive
things happen to positive people. In sports, we are told to visualize the shot,
see it happen in your mind, and chances are much better that the shot will be
successful. This theory holds true is all parts of our lives. A good attitude goes
a long way in helping us produce positive outcomes. However, having a good
attitude and staying positive can be a real challenge when we are surrounded
by so much negativity. It seems like all we hear is negative news. So how do
we maintain a good attitude no matter what?
In the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, authors
Chip and Dan Heath contend that even in what seems to be the worst situation
or conditions, there are “Bright Spots.” These are little successes that occur in
the face of many negative situations. If we are vigilant in looking at the entire
situation, we will find the little successes that defy the odds. It is the one inner
city school that, despite all the challenges, produces remarkable results. It is the
one production line that, for some reason, consistently out-performs all the other
lines. It is the one salesperson who produces results when his peers struggle.
The idea is to find and analyze what is working and not waste time and energy
on what is not. Why is that school excelling? What is that salesperson doing
that makes the difference? Once you identify the reasons behind success, those
ideas can be implemented across the organization to improve overall results.
These Bright Spots can be hard to find and sometimes are very small at first,
which is what makes it so challenging, but it continues to be crucial that we
concentrate on the positives and do not dwell on the negatives.
Change is always hard. Identifying the Bright Spots and identifying why they
work will help everyone to see the benefits and soften the resistance to the
changes needed to succeed.
So, when you wake up in the morning, make the conscious decision to have a
positive attitude, look for good in things, and find the Bright Spots and positive
things will happen to you.
Sincerely,
Jon Kinsley
President & COO
2011 | VOLUME 4
“In times of change,
you need a brightspots
focus. That is,
you need to look for
the early glimmers
that something is
going right. And when
you find a bright spot,
your mission is to
study it and clone it.”
Contents
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– Dan Heath
Virtual Construction
Vela Field Management Solutions
Construction Zone
Division Updates
Safety Matters
New Safety Incentive Program
Kinsley Education Center
Effective Communication Through Good
Listening Skills
Sustainability
Kinsley's Role In The LEED ® Certification
of A New Or Renovated Building
Wellness
Diabetes: Know Your Risks, Raise Your
Awareness and Take Action
VIRTUAL CONSTRUCTION
VELA FIELD MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS | FIELD MOBILITY
If you’re out on one of our jobsites and happen to see some of the staff walking around with iPads, don’t worry – they’re not playing Angry Birds
or updating their status on Facebook. They’re actually deploying some of the latest technology available in the construction industry. It’s called Vela
Mobile and its part of Vela’s Field Management Suite.
WHAT IS VELA? | VELA AT KINSLEY
Vela is a web-based platform that will revolutionize construction
management. Its main purpose is to bring solutions to the field. Before
Vela, when field staff performed safety inspections, quality control
inspections, pre-task checklists, or even daily walkthroughs, the staff
member usually carried a notebook or clipboard, intending to take notes
while in the field and then return to the office and type up the notes to
email them to other team members.
With Vela Mobile, a superintendent can take nothing but his iPad into the
field and not only have the ability to perform any one of these tasks, but
also the ability to view and mark up plans. The superintendent can also
attach plans, pictures, and locations to each issue that is created. After
issues are created, reports can be automatically sent out on a daily basis
to each subcontractor notifying them of any issues that need to be resolved
in their scope. Subcontractors will have access through a special portal that
lets them see all the issues they have outstanding with the project. They
will also be able to post comments on open issues as well as notify Kinsley
of work to be inspected. The real kicker is that all of this information
is recorded into one database of information that gives a complete
timeline of the project from start to finish. This will dramatically increase
accountability on the jobsite and it’s almost completely autonomous.
Now that you know all the cool
things that Vela can do, let me tell
you how Kinsley is implementing this
revolutionary new software. The first
thing we have done is developed a
core team of individuals who will lead
the implementation. Included are a
project executive, project manager,
project engineer, superintendent,
and safety representative. We have several large projects on which we will pilot this program:
Mt. Vernon, The Gunther at Brewers Hill, Hershey Next Century, and Volvo NE Headquarters.
We have already gone through all our training with Vela and are now ready to get started.
In order to ensure all subcontractors have access to this system, we will also be installing a
Vela/BIM workstation kiosk at each job site. In addition to accessing Vela, we are working
to give all site supervisors the ability to see the coordinated 3D model of the building.
We are very anxious to implement this software and start seeing results.
This is definitely a time of change within the construction industry
and it’s exciting to know that we at Kinsley are on the leading edge.
John Clemons | LEED AP BD+C
BIM Program Manager
THE KINSTRUCTOR NEWSLETTER 3