0 kendall news—ground to sky · 2020. 10. 13. · kendall news—ground to sky ec 0 inside this...

Kendall News—Ground to Sky O

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Dec

2020

Inside this issue:

Word From Our President

Benefit Changes

Your Feedback Matters

Technology & Safety Tips

Customer Compliments

Milestone Anniversaries

Dear Kendall Family:

“This crew has the skill to do the job safely.” - Louisiana line foreman

The phrase above was used by a utility line foreman working storm

restoration on Entergy Louisiana. He was talking about a Kendall team

and was making the point that he wanted our Kendall crew to work with

them because they had the skill to perform tree work in a safe manner. I

cannot tell you how thrilled I was to overhear him say these words.

This storm season we have worked over 85,000 hours on hurricane

restoration. As we started our response, I communicated to our leadership

that I wanted our company to be known for working safely and with

quality. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! As the storm response went on, I

received regular updates and positive comments about our crews. I heard

comments praising our expertise, our experience, and our can-do attitude.

But the comments that thrilled me the most were about our excellent

safety culture. I am thrilled to report that we worked all 85,000 hours with-

out injury to a Kendall team member. What a testament to our Safety

Team and to each of you! I want to personally thank each of you for your

dedication to our safety cause.

It should not go without saying that most of our workforce was not on

storm. Most of our team members were working on home contracts doing

routine work. I want to thank these team members as well. These team

members worked without incident on their normal contracts. Through the

years we find that it is the routine jobs where most accidents occur. When

we relax our diligence, accidents happen. I want to thank each of you who

worked on your home contracts without incident during the past weeks.

2020 has given us the opportunity to make our reputation for safety and

quality—not only on hurricane work, but on our everyday jobs. I hope

each one of you will conduct yourselves in a manner that would have a line

foreperson say of you… “I want them because they have the skill to do the

work safely.”

The Kendall Way.

TREE TALK FROM THE TOP by Robert Williams

Open enrollment is just around the corner and this will be the time when you can add or

make any changes to your benefits for 2021. Everyone will be mailed a postcard in the near

future from Mercer, our benefits broker, to announce open enrollment. You will also be

sent a decision guide in the mail shortly after the postcard which will detail all of the

health benefit options for next year so you can decide which ones are best suited for you

and your family.

We’re not going to ruin the surprise by telling you all of the changes, but here are some

hints of what’s to come:

• Significant decreases to the employee+spouse, employee+child(ren), and family

medical coverage premiums

• Additional benefit to the dental plan

• Wellness option that will provide rewards towards your medical plan

All employees need to make sure your address is correct in Dayforce, our HRIS

system. Go to My Profile on the app or Profile & Settings on the website to view the

address we have on file for you. If it is not correct, let your General Foreperson or Payroll

Specialist know so we can update that information. We need your correct mailing address

so your open enrollment information can be sent in a timely manner to you.

EXCITING CHANGES TO COME FOR OUR BENEFIT OPTIONS

Kendall sends out quarterly surveys to all employees. Why? Because we want to know

your opinions and feedback on different topics. Last year, we heard that offering benefits

such as dental and vision were important to you. We added those options for this year.

We also heard that there were issues regarding non-productive time and we changed our

policy regarding those hours worked. Many of your responses to an earlier survey this year

indicated that you wanted lower premiums for other medical coverages besides employee-

only. That is going to happen for next year!

Everyone’s opinion does matter and we do take your feedback into consideration for the

decisions that the company makes. You, the employees, are Kendall and we want to have

the best workplace possible for everyone. There are never any bad ideas or suggestions.

Like any other company, we have a budget to adhere to and make the best decisions

possible while being mindful of staying within our budget. Your feedback contributes to

developing our budget each year.

If you haven’t taken the survey already, please go to this website address to take it:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JDLXWZC

The survey is only 9 questions long, will take you less than 5 minutes to complete, and asks

about your use of Dayforce and training that you would like the company to implement for

next year.

We already sent the survey to everyone who provided us with an email address and texted

it to everyone with a cell phone number. Thank you to those employees who have already

taken the survey! The survey will close soon so please don’t pass the chance up to make

your opinion heard.

WHY ARE YOUR SURVEY RESPONSES IMPORTANT?

Social Media Account Spoofing

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

are wonderful tools for staying connected. Unfortunately, these platforms

are also wonderful tools to manipulate and phish unsuspecting users. One

way cybercriminals use social media to their advantage is through account

spoofing.

Account spoofing is when a scammer copies information from a social

media account, such as the user’s name, location, and photos, to create a

look-alike account of that user. And then, from the spoofed account, the

scammers send connection requests to everyone on the original account’s

list. Sometimes they even message these users with an excuse, such as

“Sorry, I got hacked and had to make a new account!”, to make the request

more convincing.

iTREE TECHNOLOGY TIP by Bryan Ballard

Social Media Account Spoofing

How Can I Spot a Spoofed Account?

We tend to trust the people we are connected with, so the bad guys exploit this trust to phish for sensitive information, share malware, and even request money. It can be tough to tell if a social media account is authentic just by looking at it. Luckily, scammers like to make the first move. Keep the following in mind:

• Be cautious of any links sent through social media. Especially those that are off-topic, unusual, or outlandish such as gossip videos, dramatic news articles, or fabulous prizes.

• If you’re being asked for money, it’s probably a scam. If you feel the request may be legitimate, validate who you are speaking with and request proof of their claims.

• Don’t trust connection requests or a suspicious message from someone who you are already connected with. Before responding, try to contact the person through a different form of communication like phone, text, or email.

• If you suspect that an account is a spoof of a real account, alert the owner of the legitimate account and report the suspicious account to the platform’s customer service department.

How Can I Prevent My Account from Being Spoofed?

Keep your friends, followers, and reputation safe by following these tips:

• Keep your account private. While this doesn’t hide your information completely, it greatly reduces your chances of being spoofed.

• Social media platforms have numerous security options that can easily be overlooked. Review and edit your privacy settings to be sure your information is kept private.

• Only accept connection requests from people you know and are comfortable sharing your posts with.

• If you suspect that your account has been spoofed, contact the social

media platform's customer service department.

iTREE TECHNOLOGY TIP by Bryan Ballard

Summer is over, sad but true. The kids are back in school, school buses are back on the roads, and we welcome the falling leaves and the rain that punctuate the changing season. During the autumn months, there are lots of things we can do to stay safe. Here are a few highly recommended tips to help you safely navigate your way into winter safely, both at home and on the job site:

Protect Yourself From The Flu

The drastically changing weather we see throughout the fall is a foreshadow of flu season. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that every individual six months or older should be vaccinated.

Tune In To Fire Safety

When the air starts to crisp and the winter jackets come out, many of us tend to huddle up indoors, using our fireplaces, furnaces, and space heaters to keep us warm and toasty. Before the mercury drops down too far, have your furnace, chimneys, and heating ductwork serviced by a professional. Replace all furnace filters and make sure everything is in proper working order before use.

Be Extra Mindful When Driving

Falling leaves, fog, rain, and condensation inside your car can cause poor visibility while driving. Be cautious about things like these that can limit your visibility. Always drive for the weather.

Wet Pavement Is Dangerous! Slow Down!

With autumn comes the rain, and if the roads are wet they can be extra slippery. Be sure to keep a safe distance from the car ahead as it may take longer than usual to stop.

SAFETY TIPS FOR THE FALL SEASON by Matt Irvin

Get vaccinated

from the flu!

Be cautious

and adjust your

driving for the

weather.

Watch for children!

In the fall, kids just love to play in big piles of leaves, so be sure to exercise extra caution when you see leaves piled along the curb. School buses will be on the roads more often too, so make sure to stop in both directions when their lights are flashing to allow children safe passage.

Prepare For Changing Light In The Morning And At Dusk

In the fall, the sun comes up later and sets a little earlier. This can create challenges for drivers who might be on the road during their commute. Keep a pair of sunglasses handy so you are not driving into blinding bright sunlight.

Watch Out For Ice – And That Deadly Black Ice On The Roadway!

As nighttime temperatures drop, you may find that you will need to spend time removing ice and frost from your car windows before heading out. Be sure to give yourself lots of extra time to warm up your car. Drive slowly when icy conditions are present as black ice can cause you to lose control of your car and endanger your precious cargo.

By keeping these important fall safety tips in mind, you can be sure

you are doing everything you can to protect yourself, your family, and

your co-workers from seasonal dangers. This will leave your mind free

to enjoy the beauty of this wonderful season.

SAFETY TIPS FOR THE FALL SEASON by Matt Irvin

Watch out for

school buses

and children

while driving, as

well as black ice

on the roads!

DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN

Safety is one of our core operating principles and impacts every procedure, policy, and process we implement at Kendall. We cannot let our guard down on any aspect of safety when we are working. Safety impacts you and your family, your co-workers, our utility customers, their private customers, and the company as a whole.

While we have all learned to adjust to the new life “norm” regarding COVID-19, we can-not let our guard down when it comes to protecting ourselves. Measures such as social distancing, facial coverings, and regularly washing your hands will greatly prevent you from contracting the coronavirus, thereby safeguarding your loved ones and co-workers who can then help protect their families. Hopefully, all of you have received a Kendall neck gaiter. If you haven’t received one and would like one, please contact the corporate office. We also have some disposable masks if you would like those instead. Remember that it doesn’t matter what type you wear, but you must wear some type of facial covering if two or more people are riding in a company truck together.

Our crew in Elizabethton, Tennessee made for excellent volunteers and show off how nicely our neck gaiters look. The great looking model team includes:

Matthew McDougald - Groundsman

David Davis - Groundsman

Timothy Church - Trimmer

Casey Shover - Climber

Steven Perry - Trimmer

Gary McFadden - General Foreman

Jessie McDonald, a Trimmer on the

Grady EMC crew in Georgia, was super

creative and designed his own mask!

NOTCHWORTHY NEWS

Climbing trees is hard work, but is necessary at times when we are not able to get heavy

equipment into an area. Francisco Meza’s crew did a great job for Entergy Senatobia in

Mississippi as seen by the pictures below. The first two pictures represent before pictures

and the picture below shows how nicely the trees were trimmed from the power line.

CLIMBING HIGH COMPLIMENTS

We received a lot of compliments from various utilities’ private customers this past quarter.

Businesses tend to hear more bad news than good news from customers, so we are thankful

and blessed that people have taken notice of the hard work that we do. Thanks to all of you for

the great job you day every day! People are taking notice!

Chuck Stuber, a Service Manager with Jackson Energy, shared a message that they received

from a private customer on their Facebook page about our crew. The message said:

“I have to brag on Kendall. They have been super courteous while working around our community cleaning tree limbs from the power lines. Please thank them for us!”

Colby Barnett, a Utility Forester with the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), sent this email to

Joey Bidwell, one of our Regional Managers. A big thank you goes to William Henry and

Judd Summers for their work on this contract!

“I know we have not had a meeting in quite some time but just wanted to send an email to let you know how well [Kendall] is doing. We put them on a capital job starting last Monday and by the end of the day tomorrow they will have completed 71 removals. Half of them being entire removals. All of our expectations are being met along with getting the most production out of the crews. I met with [another rep] before they started the job and we both agreed it would take the crews 2.5-3 weeks to complete the work and they are beating our estimate and should have it all complete in 2 weeks. I just wanted to take a moment and brag on all the [Kendall] crews we have on system.


It is rare to receive a hand-written letter

these days, but that’s what the corporate

office at Clark Energy received regarding one

of our crews. John E., a private customer in

Paris, Kentucky, wrote to tell us he was

impressed with their work and the extra

steps they took to ensure there would be no

property damage. John made sure to note it

was even more difficult with the heat they

were working in.

Nathan Hall (Foreman) and Austin Trent

(Climber) were the crew members that the

private customer was referring to. Great job

to both of you on being recognized for your

hard work!

Mike D., a private customer in Choudrant, Louisiana reached out to us as he had concerns with tree

debris that was left behind on his property from work that we performed. Robert Williams, President,

reached out to him and let Mike know he should hear from one of our Supervisors within 24 hours. A

few days later, Robert received this response from the private customer.

“I would like to compliment you and Kendall’s services for the quick response. In this day,

customer service has largely gone out the window. I was shocked to get your reply and a phone

call on a Sunday afternoon. I was actually going to be surprised if I even received one on

Monday. The crew showed up in my driveway about 8 am as promised. I will add, they satisfac-

torily cleaned the area of concern. I sincerely thank you again.


Jim W. from Terry, Mississippi called the corporate office to say the crew who was working

near his property was very nice and did a great job.

The picture on the left shows Nathan Sullivan (Foreperson) and Edward Hollie

(Foreperson) and the picture on the right shows Edgard Cruz (Trimmer) and David

Mann (Trimmer), all of whom were the recipients of the private customer’s praises.

Michael F., a private customer in Bonaire, Georgia, sent us a message via our website to express his thanks to the crew who trimmed the trees around his house. Just wanted to pass along my kudos to your crew that was working the power lines in my subdivision today. I should have gotten their names, but I was very impressed with how quickly, hard, and skillfully they worked. I don’t know how he did it, but the guy doing the trimming carefully pruned my 70’ pine tree without one branch hitting my blueberry bushes underneath. And the cleanup crew was equally professional.

Pictured from left to right are the members of

Bobby Towns’ crew who were the recipients of

this great message.

Zackery Woodall (Trimmer)

Johnny Jenkins (Foreman)

Antoni Nix (Trimmer)

Shane Gregory (Trimmer)

Lynwood Harvey (Trimmer)


Stefan M., a private customer in Rayville, Louisiana, called the office to compliment Ricky Tyson (Foreperson), Tabboris Snell (Groundsman), and Darryl Harris (Foreperson) on clearing the right of way on his property. In addition to mentioning they were very nice, Stefan stated they asked permission to enter his property and they promised they would not damage his fence. A few days later, we heard from another private customer in Oak Ridge, Louisiana - Paul L. Paul mentioned Tabboris and his General Foreman, Moses Perkins were especially help-ful in making calls that helped him to get proper line clearance on his property. He needed some work done for a while and he appreciated both gentlemen going the extra mile to make sure everything was taken care of properly.

Judy P. in Jamestown, Kentucky called to give kudos to the crew who trimmed the trees at her property. She appreciated our employees who took the time to handle and care for her Ginkgo tree properly.

Kendall Vegetation Services

P.O Box 831

Lawrenceville, GA 30046

770-963-6017

770-962-8510 (fax)

Here are the new hires who joined the Office staff during the third

quarter:

Jeri Ballard - Payroll Specialist

Jenna Jones - Administrative Clerk

Alexis Seymour - Assistant Controller

Like our Facebook

page!

Kendall Vegetation

Services

Chip Chip Hooray to the employees who are celebrating

a milestone anniversary this third quarter!

FAMILY TREE

1 Year

Mario Aburto Daniel Andrews Edward Arnwine Cody Bailey Kaden Barber Austin Brewer Jacob Bumbalough Ivan Castleberry Jerry Conley Jose Corona George Courson Timothy Darda David Davis Ricky Diaz Michael Dozier Jason Flatt Eddie Ford Jimmy Foy Rigo Garcia Joshua Gibson Nelson Girona Rivera

1 Year

Vernon Hammonds Michael Haney Billy Joe Hendrix William Henry William Henry, Jr. Demarcus Howell Garrett Ison Trent Jackson Justin Jenkins Charles Keen Timothy Lane Herbert Lane, Jr. Alexander Lawrence John Lawson Dylan Lay Shawn Locke Ximena Lopez Alonso Anthony Martin, Jr. Manuel Martinez Luvinue McVey Boz Meyers Cody Monroe

1 Year

Patrick Moore Kyle Morehouse Joey Perri Anthony Potter Matthew Potter Joel Ramos Rebecca Renteria Danny Reynolds Logan Roberts Justin Shelton Judd Summers Coy Swindle Ronnie Taylor Jordan Tullos Kyle Turner Felix Valdez Colome Jayson Vazquez Millan Matilde Villaneuva Brennen Walker Charles Webb Randy Whitehead Justin Yearwood

Look for

our next

Newsletter

in January!

5 Years

Craig Faulk

Timothy Johnson

Jimmy Terry

Arturo Urbina

10 Years

David Berry

Steve Stone

15 Years

Govie Bradshaw

Kenny Glisson

Please share any great news with us including work accomplishments, promotions, compliments, and crew pictures so they can be included in the next newsletter!

Email any pictures and information to: [email protected]

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