“It’s an honor to meet you, Eliza.”
“It’s an honor to meet you too,” she reciprocated. Then Brandy sat down.
His crew seemed very pleased to meet her. As they saw Eliza, they were taken back by how this beautiful, assertive, and gentle young lady was inviting, affable, and gracious. After introductions, she made astute recommendations from the T.O. menu and returned to the line with James. While James and Eliza were away, everyone at the table agreed the night with Eliza was bound to be unforgettable. His crew and their present guests were grateful to meet her and were especially happy that they had cleared a place for her to sit beside James.
It wasn’t until later that they discovered she had paid for their meals. In line, James and Eliza had some wonderful conversations, which later carried over to the large and quite eager dinner table. They sat and while waiting for food, they engaged in small talk. There seemed to be a harmonious chatter about everyone at the table. Chuckles were shared, stories were heard, and tales of James and his leadership were told. There was never a moment of awkward silence, perhaps an occasion of peaceful quiet, right after dinner was served. It was then that Eliza began a back and forth conversation in order to get to know them a little more. Perhaps she could learn a little more about “The 97” and YY Corp.
“Please, tell me a little about yourselves and anything you’d like. Perhaps we can start in the same order as we were introduced? Can we start with you two, Anne and Ryan?”
“Of course,” said Anne, who had a deep yet still very feminine voice, “I met Ryan about ten years ago while at the hardware store getting some tools, and he happened to be looking for the same item I was. We began talking about projects we were working on and we hit it off right away. That’s when we decided to start going out, hanging out and having so much fun. Although, for us, going out involved working together on each other’s homes engaging in do-it-yourself projects to up the value, in the event we were to sell. One day it donned on me, why not have one of us move in with the other? We could still both work, but it would be two incomes in one home instead of one. We realized after a couple of years though that only one of us needed to work, so the other could take care of the home, the garden, the cooking and other frequent tasks that are necessary for a healthy and happy home. He sold his home and moved in with me. We both knew that since James had become the boss at my workplace, my work environment would be the healthier of the two.
“James has gone to bat for all of us at one time or another, or on multiple occasions, and for that reason, we’re all together like this today. Plus, I was compensated for my hours at work much more than Ryan was, and in a better place compared to the toxic work environment he had been forced to endure, so naturally, we decided to have him move in and he became our ever-so-gorgeous homemaker. It has worked out excellent since then. Ryan is kind of my own personal chef. As an added benefit, during vacations every year, while camping, he’s the happy guy at the grill, and everyone else seems to enjoy it too.”
Ryan heard Anne’s pause and saw her smile, suggesting it was his turn to speak up, “Ah, thank you, Anne. I agree, Anne never comes home stressed, and I have complete confidence that it is because of the way she is treated at work. Every member of the crew and their families have brought me in like one of their own, and I have never worked for YY Corp or The 97. I’m proud of James, he’s built a wonderful team. He’s done a good job for all of us, even those of us who could be considered extended family, we all feel like we belong. As it is, I can be at home trying to bring her a little piece of heaven. I’m happy when she is.”
Eliza was intrigued and impressed with this unique couple. As she ate and listened she discovered that Anne was forty-two-years-old, and Ryan was forty. She also learned that she was James’ Team 07 Lead. “Please, can you tell me a little about The 97, what these teams are, and what do they do? I’m quite intrigued.”
James let Anne explain the details, “It has been thirteen years since James was promoted as Regional Architectural and Construction Manager. As far as his duties were concerned, he did pretty much the same then as he does now, and he has always done it well. His title changed to Global Project Manager since the corporation is trying to keep up with the times. We operate using James’ own management construct at “The 97,” and quite different from YY Corp. For each day, each week, and each year, he maintained a consistent cycle of integration, training, operations, responsibilities, and leadership opportunities to prevent our crew from growing bored or stale from the same sundry and monotonous details.
“Only four people have retired during his time in management, one of them is Ethel right here,” Anne pointed to her left at Ethel and continued, “and she, as well as Sophie, Ted, and Julio were thus given honors and fond farewells. No matter, they are always considered a part of our family.” She smiled at Ethel. “Since they are now gone from the workforce, four people were integrated into and properly trained to cycle through one of four coordination teams and eventually one of eight construction teams. Brandy, to my right, has been with us for more than two years now and is currently back in Team 04, where the integration into our crew begins. Now, she’s among the best in the industry.” She then looked at Brandy, smiled, and continued.
“Each of James’ twelve teams consist of eight personnel, all of whom will ultimately complete five major projects each year—or, one project every two months. In this way, of the twelve personnel that actually belong to one of eight Construction Teams, four people from each are delegated and dispersed in a cyclical manner to one of four Coordination Teams. From there, teams are cycled in a constant two-month rotation. With ninety-six construction team members, beyond James, who considers himself the 97th, this means that for each project sixty-four are in Construction Teams while thirty-two are in Coordination Teams. With his ten-month work cycle, followed by two months of vacation, James ensures each of us is the corporation’s most lucrative, productive, constructive, educated, motivated, and capable crew around.
“The first year he ran his operations using his cycle, we completed five major projects, and we completed at least that many projects each year, from that time forward, with award-winning results. With twelve teams in total, he organized us, so it would allow an individual worker to go through an entire integration cycle after twelve projects. Essentially, an individual would work eight Construction Team-specific and four Coordination Team assignments in training and production cycles.
“Team 01 is the Daily Project Coordination Team. This and all teams have eight crewmembers or one from each Construction Team. Unique to this team, these crewmembers are the ones who are responsible for daily project communication, coordination, and timely completion. They are the ultimate go-to personnel for the timeliness of accomplishment and details of any current project. Team 01, each of whom cycle in from Team 02 of the previous project, are in effect conducting daily coordination for the project they planned during the previous cycle they were in. As such, they see through with clarity to the completion of their project, and once their project is complete they cycle back into one of eight construction teams for eight subsequent projects.
“Team 02 is the Succeeding Project Design and Planning Team, whose eight members are responsible for designing, engineering, and planning the completion of the following project. They coordinate with Team 03 for all needed materials, supplies, tools, and storage. Once everything is lined up and squared away for the next project they provide manning and support to the construction teams as needed until the next project is ready to begin. Once the next project begins, they become Team 01 and assume the duties of that team.
“Team 03 is the Materials and Supply Management Team, whose eight members order all supplies, materials, and storage in coordination with Team 02 for the next project, as well as additional coordination and support for materials, equipment, and supplies needed for the current project by Team 01. They coordinate all transport through Team 05, and once the current project is complet
e, they cycle into Team 02.
“Team 04 is the Quality Control and Safety Team; whose eight members ensure project quality expectations are met. They coordinate with all of the construction teams and the other coordination teams to ensure repairs or corrections are made in a high quality and safe manner. They advise and brief the entire crew on safety and quality concerns. If there are any new personnel, this was where they are cycled in for training and given exposure to all aspects of each project through the innate nature of quality control. Once the current project is complete, they cycle to Team 03. Brandy is our newest crew member, she has already completed 24 projects with us and will be going to Team 04 when we return from our vacation.
“Team 05, or Tom’s Team, is the Heavy Equipment Operations and Transportation Team whose eight members coordinate and carry out all aspects of heavy equipment operations alongside Team 01 for the current project, and Teams 02 and 03 for all transportation-related aspects for the next project. In many cases, they are ready for and amenable to any cross-team coordination that might be necessary throughout any of the open projects. As with all Construction Teams, when project requirements are met, four Team 05 members will be on call each week to ensure project continuity. The others are at liberty to help as needed or spend time with family as they please.
“Team 06, or Mike’s team, is the Concrete and Masonry Team whose eight members coordinate and carry out their project-related duties while coordinating with Team 01 and the other construction crews to ensure seamless installation of all aspects of laying, pouring, finishing, and completion of concrete projects from buildings to parking areas and underground thorough-fares. They also coordinate all masonry projects and integrate with each construction team to ensure optimum completion efficiency and quality, while meeting plans and specs requirements.
“Team 07, or my team, is the Columns, Beams, and Framing Team whose eight members coordinate primarily with Team 05, as well as with all of the other construction teams to carry out and ensure timely and seamless installation of walls, load-bearing support structures, and upkeep to all aspects of infrastructural integrity, to make a guarantee toward the strength, safety, and security of any finished project handed over to the customer.
“Team 08, or the team that Joseph is on, is the Electrical Team whose eight members install all electrical conduit, electrical wiring, physical and digital connectivity to electrical equipment, and coordinate with each team to ensure electrical integrity and safety of the in-progress and completed product, as per spec from the customer, are met or exceeded. They also coordinate with the other teams to ensure temporary electricity does not reduce workplace safety, slow down project completion, or diminish the project integrity of the infrastructure.
“Team 09, the team Paul is on, is the HVAC/CRAC and Plumbing Team, or, as written out, the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning slash Computer Room Air Conditioning and Plumbing Team, whose eight members coordinate and install all aspects of air conditioning, heating, ventilation, and all plumbing to include that which is related to potable and non-potable sources. They cross-coordinate with all teams for efficiency and project integrity.
“Team 10 is the Carpentry and Walling Team whose eight members coordinate with all teams to carry out and ensure installation of walls, soundproofing, fire safety, and waterproofing for the project they are currently on, in an efficient and high-quality manner. In many cases, they coordinate with Team 06 for fur out walls, firewalls, security walls, etc.
“Team 11 is the Full-Scope Special Sciences Team whose eight members coordinate with Team 01 and carry out all aspects for the timing of and timely completion of ceilings, dropped ceilings, roofing, flooring, and any newly and specially integrated sciences within the project. They oversee, brief, and execute every aspect of laboratory capabilities, security and safety mechanisms, and industrial facilities installations. They do all of this in a manner that ensures pollution containment, prevention, and repurposing, with technologically advanced aspects necessary for project completion. Much of this is heavily coordinated and verified through Team 04 and then, likewise, carried out. They also are responsible for networking, network cabling, and coordinate with Teams 02 and 03 for follow-on projects. Crystal has her eyes on this team, and that is why she is planning on going to Harvard, to study an important aspect, biosciences.
“Team 12 is the Detailing and Final Installation Team and these eight members coordinate with each team as is situationally dependent to do detail work, furniture and equipment installation, and they ensure the highest quality delivery and integrity of the project prior to and during the turnover of the project to the customer.
“Because of James’ on-the-job and refresh-as-needed training programs, each worker is now well-versed on every aspect of construction, and each of us could effectively be general contractors and are fully-licensed in every aspect of any given project. In this way, we share duties and spend a lot of time helping each other out in areas that need more attention to ensure high quality, high efficiency, and customer satisfaction. As a result, all of our projects have been completed in award-winning fashion and corporate leaders have afforded James more management leeway. In total, our crew consists of ninety-six personnel, and he considers himself the ninety-seventh—even though we think of him as the first. Of course, when we hire Crystal, our crew will grow, but who’s counting anyway? Eventually, we’ll all form a new company with James as the President, but we are all trying to keep that under wraps for now. We’ll get there.”
Eliza listened intently, and it was impressive how well their team was in sync with each other. Anne was phenomenal. She was well-educated with a BS in Logistics, had served six years in the Army, was heavily decorated from her services during Desert Storm, and with YY Corp and James she had received a wide variety of certifications. Some of her strongest skills were in carpentry, general contracting, masonry, heavy equipment, and of course, logistics.
Ethel carried the torch from there, “Back in James’ early days, he asked me to work with him to build his revolving and coordination schedule. I helped, but he did most of the work. I was merely supportive and cheered him along the way. Two years after working for James, my son and daughter-in-law were killed by a drunk driver. James funded the funeral, helped us get by until we were emotionally back on our feet following the devastating news. The only silver lining I can find through that tragedy is that our beautiful granddaughter, Crystal, became a close member of our family in our home, and as a retiree, I had more time to spend with her. I was able to teach, mentor, coach, and simply be there for her during each important phase of her life. She was our granddaughter, but we raised her as our own daughter. She is a brilliant young woman, and now she’s getting ready to go to Harvard to study Biosciences. My husband will be here Monday, otherwise, I would have introduced you. I am sure he would have been excited to meet you. Tom had been hired on, so when I left, he was ready to fill my shoes.”
Crystal, seventeen, smiled, hugged her sixty-six-year-old grandmother as if she were her mother, and then looked toward Tom as if to indicate she was just a little too shy to speak. In some ways, Eliza could tell she crushed on Tom since he was a nice guy and had it together. She introduced him, “and this is Tom, who is twenty-eight years old. He is James’ youngest team lead, for Team 05. He has an associate’s degree in Heavy Equipment and Logistics and started working at YY Corp just out of high school. You should see some of his personal projects. He is quite the naturally-gifted architect.”
“Thank you, Crystal.” Tom at first off seemed bashful, but he was quite assertive, yet gracious, where it was necessary. He was also fairly humble. “I was struggling in high school when James took me under his wing. It is because of him that I received my GED, my Associates of Applied Science in Heavy Equipment and Logistics, and certifications on all of the typical heavy machinery, and was appointed as Team 05 Lead. The crew was very patient with me.”
James then sensed Tom’s typical selflessnes
s and spoke up, “There are museums and other buildings all over the world that were designed by you, I might recall. Tom is one of my 96 best crew members, and Crystal might find herself a part of my Full-Scope Special Sciences team once she feels ready. Knowing Ethel, I’m sure she’ll wait until she has completed her BAS in Biosciences,” he said with a friendly smile and an assuring wink toward Tom and Crystal. There was an age gap, but it was obvious Crystal was awestruck with Tom, who was actually quite a handsome young man. She had grown up before his eyes, and he hadn’t yet seen her as a young woman, rather as the sweet little girl she was when James’ entire crew attended her parents’ funeral. To him, she was like a little sister, and he’d always respected her in that way.
After some small talk in Tom’s direction, Eliza asked Joseph about his background and he opened up. “My girlfriend, Janine, and I are studying for a BS in Physics, but that is courtesy of James going to bat for our crew, and education is something that James treasures. Since Janine and I have been together for about thirteen years, he saw that if we were to study as we wished, stress would be reduced, and our lives would be better. He thinks beyond the job.
“I am glad that he found a way for Janine and me to study together with a little extra time each day and tuition assistance. She is currently working as a paralegal and due to the fact that her place of work is a bit of a stress-tank, unfortunately, she couldn’t be here today. We purchased a home together and share the chores to keep our home in good shape.
“Yes, it is nice taking turns each week; she does some and I do some, and then the following week we switch. I started working with YY Corp about a week before Tom and worked as a handyman making ends meet before signing on. During James’ initial hiring phase for his crew, I was recruited to be on his team.”
James then spoke up, “He was very gifted in all things electrical, and when I saw his work ethic, I knew I needed him.”
Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars Page 25