We recently had fun with a company photo contest, where staff entered artistic field photos for a chance to win prizes. We received SO MANY amazing photos, and we wanted to share our top three winners as decided by their coworkers. Congratulations to John Oswald for his photo of an Early Morning Concrete Pour with Southwest Construction Services taken at the MRMC ED Expansion project, AND Jonathan F. for his... read more
Skiles Group Supports Backpack Drive with TEXO
Hope Supply Co. serves homeless and at-risk children through the distribution of important or essential items, like school supplies. The TEXO Young Constructors Council recently held their annual backpack drive in support of their mission, and we were grateful to have that opportunity to participate again this year. Pictured is Shelby McEntire, Ana Melecio Patino, Rebecca Smolik, Katayoun... read more
Skiles Group Wins Two 2023 ASA North Texas Awards
The ASA North Texas Chapter held their awards night a few weeks ago at The River Ranch Stockyards in Fort Worth. Pictured here are Skiles Group team members, who picked up TWO Platinum Awards on behalf of the firm—for Parker University Clinic at The Star and for The Tom Landry Fitness Center Refresh! Please help us congratulate our entire team for these accomplishments. Big thanks to ASA for a fabulous... read more
Skiles Group Celebrates Topping Out for Peterson Health Facility
We recently celebrated our “topping out” for the future Peterson Health “Amanda and David Williams” Surgery Center in Kerrville, Texas! The centuries-old tradition commemorates a significant milestone in a building's construction. This future 3-story, state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center will expand Peterson Health’s services with new operating rooms and endoscopy rooms on the first floor. The... read more
D Magazine: Five Lessons I’ve Learned in My First Year as a CEO
Last year, my company, Skiles Group, celebrated its 50th anniversary in business. The construction industry has undoubtedly realized considerable change over this half-century, but important observations and lessons learned don’t require decades to acquire. Part of our golden anniversary celebration included a leadership transition, as I took over the helm as our firm’s CEO. As I conclude my first year in... read more
The Zweig Letter: Benefits of Empathy Mapping
This tool can help you develop a deeper understanding of your client’s experience by exploring their emotions, motivations, and attitudes. Recently, my marketing director, Dara Davulcu, suggested that we host facilitated empathy mapping workshops for our firm. Empathy mapping is a tool to understand a client’s needs, fears, and behaviors. This process develops a deeper understanding of the... read more
Construction Dive: Interview with Keyan Zandy on Construction’s Age Problem
Construction’s Age Problem: A Foreboding Exodus of Experience About one in five construction workers is 55 or older. Failing to recruit and retain labor soon could mean a sudden dearth of experienced workers. This Construction Dive article, by Zachary Phillips, explores the problem and possible solutions. Our CEO, Keyan Zandy, and other industry experts discuss ways to enhance recruiting and... read more
Annual Meeting Recap: Celebrating Growth, Gaining Traction, and Mastering Pickleball
We got together a few weeks ago for our annual meeting and had a wonderful time reconnecting. We were fortunate to have Jill Young of EOS Worldwide with us for a keynote and then she led us through some fun teambuilding exercises centered around gaining traction. Our leadership team reviewed the previous fiscal year’s accomplishments, and we explored what’s ahead. Celebrating our achievements, learning,... read more
Annual Awards: Honoring Our Safety Star and Legacy Award Champions
Each year Skiles Group honors two staff members each year who have championed our safety programs and who best embody our core values. As part of our annual meeting in May we revealed this year’s winners. Safety Star Award: Andy Middleton, safety coordinator Skiles Group annually recognizes an individual who has provided an exceptional contribution to our safety program through their leadership,... read more
Constructor: Five Fixes for Construction’s Productivity Predicament
While virtually everything in life seems to be moving faster and expanding in efficiency, productivity—succinctly defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as “a measure of economic performance that compares the amount of goods and services produced (output) with the amount of inputs used to produce those goods and services”—in construction is indisputably on the decline. Why? There’s no easy answer... read more