springfield smart anchor group

Springfield Inc. – “Put your Life on our Line”

Kingsley, Michigan. July 7, 2016.

Springfield Inc.™ has acquired 3 commercial buildings in Grand Traverse County, next door to its company Headquarters.  The buildings were acquired to house the rapidly expanding Springfield SmartAnchor division.  Contact Scott Pryde, Springfield SmartAnchor general manager for assistance with cost effective solutions to your fall prevention needs.  Scott works closely with Tim Korson, Head Engineer, for SmartAnchor  to assure your facility safety requirement are met and that your rooftop safety plan is compliant.  Our products are designed to meet your needs – both indoors and outdoors.  Jobsite training is also available for your employees.

certifications-work

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Springfield Team

Building Trust with Clients in Michigan

Springfield Inc.™ started as a roofing company and over time “morphed” into a full service industrial contractor by expertly solving building envelope problems, building relationships and building your trust.  Here is what you can expect when you hire Springfield Inc.™

  • We show up when we say we will and do the work as promised.
  • We prepare our bid proposals with extra care to fully analyze the issues and concerns UPFRONT so there are no hidden up-charges and big scary expensive surprises for you, the customer.
  • Our clean up after job completion is stellar
  • Our warranties are the best in the industry.
  • We depend on your referrals and recommendations to further our services
  • Your job will be completed by homegrown local northern Michigan men and women.  We do not subcontract crews from out of state.
    Springfield-Group-photo

Please give us a chance to “dazzle” you with our industrial problem solving abilities.  We are available 24/7 to help!

 

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springfield handshake

Commercial Contractor Exceeding Expectations in Kingsley, Michigan

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One of our goals at Springfield is to EXCEED Customer’s expectations.  We understand that our customers are hardworking business people and that repairs to an industrial facility can be costly.  We are determined to provide the best possible solutions and the highest quality and at a reasonable cost.  Upon completion of our work, we ask our clients for feedback and LISTEN to what is said.

We generally ask:

  • Was our bid easy to understand?
  • Did we do what we promised to do in the bid proposal?
  • Did we show up when we said we would?
  • Were there any misunderstandings on the pricing/final invoice?
  • Were our crew members polite and mannerly?
  • Did the work we did solve your building issue?
  • What else can we do to help?
  • Who do you know that may be interested in our services?
  • Do you have any suggestions as to how our team could improve?
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Traverse Bay storm clouds taken by Springfield

Roofing in Michigan: Performing Re-Roof Jobs in Windy Conditions

Storm from Traverse City
Michigan Storms come on quick and Springfield is ready! This picture is of a storm in Traverse City Michigan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love performing re-roof projects in Cadillac, Michigan.  The spring weather does bring some very strong WINDS to northern Michigan. Here are some items to consider for windy day roofing.

  • Double and triple check all trucks and trailers to make sure the load is securely fastened to the vehicle.
  • Tie off your ladder – – attach it to the Springfield Ladder Anchor to ensure the ladder doesn’t slip, slide, or kick out on your employees
  • Only load the rooftop with materials that are absolutely essential for that day’s work – – keep those items secure on the rooftop
  • Use caution when opening bunks of ISO – – whether on the ground or the rooftop, a single piece of ISO can quickly blow away.
  • Is there an area of the rooftop that is sheltered from the wind? Perhaps the rooftop materials can be stored there?

It is important to consider the project when doing a windy day risk assessment.  Most of all, weight down your skinny employees by putting some heavy rocks in their tool belts.

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springfield shattered trocal example

Michigan Rooftop Dangers: Roof Collapses and Roof Shatters

Michigan has its share of cold brisk weather and heavy snowfall that can wreak havoc on your commercial rooftop.  Back in the 70s, membrane roofing was still in its infancy and many of the products such as Trocal were deficient and yet were installed extensively in Grand Traverse, Wexford, Antrim, and Charlevoix counties.  As the plasticizer in these early membranes disintegrated and cold weather caused these defective membranes to pull away from the edges, which caused massive shatters and complete failures during the winter months.

Further rooftop dangers occur when there is a heavy thick snow-load upon a structure causing parts of the roof to cave in or collapse due to excess weight.

Springfield has experience remedying both situations.  The Duro-Last PVC membrane is state of the art and built to last with the best warranty available on the market today. Since it is made in Michigan it is built to withstand the rapid climate changes and harsh winter months.  Springfield has installed Duro-Last roofs that have exceeded their warranties and are still performing well.  As far as building collapses – there no worries there.  The Duro-Last membrane is slippery and the snow slides right off or blows away without sticking to the rooftop.

If you are experiencing any difficulties with your industrial/commercial rooftop or wondering if your facility may be at risk of shattering or collapsing, give us a call.  We can help!

 

 

 

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Boat Sunset

Employee Retention

Springfield Owners Terry and Terri Jo Umlor claim having fabulous employees is one of their biggest blessings.  But how does Springfield hire, retain and keep these fabulous people happily employed?  Let’s face it, Northern Michigan construction is tough – the summers are hot and many times there is no shade where we are working.  Additionally, brutal outdoor work during the wintertime poses many special challenges.  Even so, Springfield employees seem to maintain a friendly comradery with each other and with management that is impressive.

The following are a few tried and true pointers for retaining fabulous people

  • Ask your field teams for their opinions and thoughts and be willing to honestly LISTEN to their feedback and opinions—After all, they are the ones actually performing the work and their insight will be invaluable to you as the owner and will send them a strong message of “I care about what your work day is like”
  • Allow employees to give anonymous peer reviews of their team mates upon an employees work anniversary and READ and PONDER what your employees say about each other.  Watch specifically for their suggestions regarding safety and teamwork and you will be astounded by the quality and caliber of your team.  We find over and over again that our teams support and help one another and strive to keep each other safe.  Someone who doesn’t “buy in” to that mindset usually will weed themselves out and find another place of employment.
  • Do special activities with your employees – – – go fishing with the group, go to a shooting range with them, throw a Christmas party for them, a card party, and by all means – – -honor them when they have major life events such as marriage, birth of their children, etc.
  • Cover their health insurance and provide benefits such as paid vacation, paid holidays and retirement plans.  Be proactive and do more than what is required by law to treat your teammates as the VIPS that they are!!!

Terry and I hope you have enjoyed these tips on happy employees.  Our team is tremendous beyond belief and we are grateful every day to each and every member of the Springfield team

Below is a photo of some of our guys at the 2015 Fishing Derby and two of our girls at the yearly Girl’s Day Out!

3 guys on a boatgirls day 2

 

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Springfield durolast elite contractor awar 2013

2013 Duro-Last Elite Contractor Award

DuroLast-2013-Elite-Contract-Award

Our 2013 Elite Contractor award plaque has arrived! We are so proud of our quality standards and have won this prestigious Duro-Last award every year for the past 17 years. Congratulations to our field crews and THANK YOU for being the best of the best!

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Springfield permanent ladder safety anchor

Safe Roof Access with Springfield Ladder Anchor

White Papers—Safe Roof Access with Springfield Ladder Anchor

By:  Terri Jo Umlor, Springfield SmartAnchor LLC

Work Place injuries and disabilities create an enormous emotional burden on families and a financial dependence on our economy.  The ripple can be felt through many generations of families.

When a construction worker who is the head of the household is seriously injured or killed, there is a tremendous burden placed upon the entire community.  On average 400 people die each year and 135,000 people are injured as a result from scaffolding and ladder-related injuries.  Even if only 1% of those injured people become disabled that would equate to roughly 54 Million dollars of subsistence needed compounding each year to support the injured worker and their family.  The portable ladder is the most dangerous construction tool – 34% of all deaths on construction sites were from falls!

Further, there is a prevalent mindset accepted by the general population that construction workers have accidents and get hurt.

We honor our tradesmen and created the Springfield Ladder Anchor to address fall related deaths and injuries, which in turn, reduces the strain on the social infrastructures in our communities and throughout the state.

The Springfield Ladder Anchor safely secures an extension ladder to the roof of a building in order to keep the ladder from slipping sideways along the roofline or slipping out from the wall at the ground level. The product was invented through collaboration between Springfield, Inc., our related commercial roofing enterprise and Great Lakes Stainless (GLS), one of the country’s top stainless steel manufacturers. The Springfield Ladder Anchor is the result of decades of experience in the field, safely and effectively climbing ladders to reach rooftops of every imaginable dimension and grade.

OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) has a mission to help employers and employees reduce job related injuries, illnesses and death. As such, they provide safety standards and guidelines for multiple industries. The Springfield Ladder Anchor fully complies with the safety requirements for properly securing an extension ladder set forth by OSHA. The product can either be installed on the top edge of the roof or reversed and attached to the face edge of the roof. Because the Springfield Ladder Anchor was designed by people in the roofing business, installing the product to the roof will not cause any damage or create leaks as it is designed to be flashed into the roof providing safe, attractive roof access for years to come.

The Springfield Ladder Anchor was developed for very personal reasons. Springfield, Inc., a related company is in the roofing business with 27 employees out in the field regularly climbing extension ladders to rooftops of every conceivable design. As a conscientious employer and commercial contractor, we strive for excellence in our safety record and OSHA compliance. Of course, simply utilizing an existing ladder anchor system would have been the quickest and most cost-effective path to safety compliance. Unfortunately, as we field tested and reviewed the available solutions; we were not satisfied with the products available. Because this is so critical to protecting our employees, we decided to design and prototype our own device. Partnering with one of the best stainless steel manufacturers in the U.S., Great Lakes Stainless (GLS), we developed the Springfield Ladder Anchor.

Our ladder anchor has a provisional patent filed and has been tested in the field by teams of experienced roofing contractors. In every test, the product worked flawlessly to protect these workers and the product received accolades on the function, ease of installation and sleek, stainless steel design. The Springfield Ladder Anchor has received enthusiastic responses from Michigan OSHA representatives and safety directors at large and small contractors based on the ease of installation and maintenance-free stainless steel construction, coupled with the effectiveness of the device.

Through our affiliated company, Springfield, Inc. we have been installing these on all of our commercial roofs for the past year creating a safe roof access and have received rave reviews from the customers and the employees to the point that our own employees feel “naked” climbing the ladder without the Springfield Ladder Anchor protecting them.

Although there are some competing products attempting to solve this safety concern, the Springfield Ladder Anchor consistently provides superior safety without compromising the roof surface to allow leaks or other damage. In addition, its stainless steel construction makes it durable and completely rust-proof, without additional paint, stain or other treatments.

The Springfield Ladder Anchor was conceived in a collaboration between two successful, second-stage, Michigan 50 Companies to Watch. Although the product is being launched through a separate company (Springfield SmartAnchor, LLC), the enterprise will benefit from the experience and mentoring from both Springfield, Inc. and Great Lakes Stainless Steel.

Springfield, Inc., located near Traverse City, Michigan, started as a roofing company and evolved into a complete commercial service provider. Constantly solving problems on industrial and manufacturing facilities led the team to develop and implement a number of solutions into a system called the SmartRoof™! The company is certified in

  • Building Thermography and Building Science
  • Multiple Lift Operator Certifications
  • MDOT Certified Commercial Drivers
  • Fall Protection & Elevated Structures Safety Technician (SLT)
  • RIEI – Roofing Technology
  • Fall Arrest System Certified Installer
  •  Confined Space Certification
  • Safety Approved IS NetWorld Contractor
  • Live Roof System Certified Installer
  • Patented Mechanical insulation Systems
  • Energy Audit & Rebate Facilitator
  • Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) Certification
  • NASP – National Association of Safety Professionals
  • SmartAnchor™ Certification
  • Certified Installer of Duro-Last Roofing
  • Duro-Last Master Elite Contractor

Great Lakes Stainless, Inc. (GLS) is one of the top stainless steel manufacturers in the USA and has a mission to serve customers from a foundation of integrity and craftsmanship by building lasting relationships that enrich our lives and communities. They are certified ISO 9001:2008, AWS Welding Process Certification and Certified Minority Business Enterprise.

Both GLS and Springfield, Inc. have agreed to provide back-room support, infrastructure and “loaned employees” on a pro-bono basis until Springfield SmartAnchor, LLC can be self-supporting. This wealth of resources will be a tremendous asset to the start up.

Terri Jo Umlor, Chief Financial Officer at Springfield, Inc. will serve as CEO of Springfield SmartAnchor  LLC. She is so passionate about getting this product distributed widely in order to protect workers and save lives, she is leveraging her business acumen and network gained in decades in the commercial roofing industry to promote the Springfield Ladder Anchor.  She will add staff and grow the organization strategically, as the cash flow will support it.

The target demographic to build a customer base will be roofing contractors, safety directors and facility managers. Springfield Ladder Anchor will initially be distributed by Springfield, Inc. Every new roof will be installed with the safety device. A professional roofing company, Springfield has strong relationships with key customer influencers, such as facility managers, roofers, HVAC, maintenance, and construction workers. Terry Umlor, CEO of Springfield, has an established reputation as an innovator and problem solver. He will use his political capital to open doors and spread the word throughout his network.

We see the biggest challenge will be getting the safety “buy in” from smaller residential contractors who subcontract their laborers and aren’t liable for injuries and/or having people “do it” for compliance only and not really buy into the importance of embracing safety.

When we have succeeded, the 400 people that statistically die each year in fall related accidents will be returning home after work to their families; 135,000 fall related accidents per year will have been prevented; the workers that would have been seriously affected by death or injuries will be able to continue to support their families; the economy will not burdened with the estimated 54Million dollars of subsistence compounding each year to support injured/disabled workers and OSHA will no longer site falls from ladders as a leading cause of injury & death in construction.

The number of lives we protect will have a ripple effect on the families and communities we serve.  When safety directors and facility managers everywhere understand and embrace safety of their workforce – when a construction worker is viewed and someone worthy of all efforts to keep safe – we will have made our goal.

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