For Immediate Service
800-864-7717
For Immediate Service
800-864-7717Live By Faith and Not By Fear.
Dec
27
2020
This is my last message for 2020, and I am struggling to capture all that I am feeling as we wind out this strange year. The virus is pernicious. Many have lost friends and loved ones; many have lost jobs; all have been impacted. The deep fissures in our society that run along the lines of race were reopened and are being reexamined. Our lives have changed in countless ways and will never return to the exact same previous state.
However, let us firmly keep all the good lessons from this year for the long term. My personal list of gifts from the pandemic continues to grow as we recover and I look back in reflection. I am inspired daily by the positive spirit and can do attitude exhibited by each of you. TDPartners have adapted and evolved in order to keep working safely. Your tenacious spirit inspired and pulled me up often over the last 9 months when I needed a lift. Let’s all keep encouraging one another through our actions and words.
Author Laura Kelly Fanucci, writing about our current pandemic, said that we should never again take for granted: "a handshake with a stranger, full shelves at the grocery store, a crowded theater, Friday night out, the taste of communion, a routine checkup, the school rush each morning, the stadium roaring, coffee with a friend, each deep breath, a boring Tuesday, life itself. When this ends, may we find that we have become more like the people we wanted to be, we were called to be, we hoped to be, and may we stay that way – better for each other because of the worst.”
I want to wish all of you, no matter what you believe or don’t believe, the true spirit of a Merry Christmas. And by that, I mean a few loved ones around you (or by video), thankfulness for what we have and where we are, and a generosity to try to help others who are less fortunate. Hold tight to an“attitude of gratitude.”
My prayer is for you to have a safe and Happy Holiday and a Merry Christmas! See you next year!
Sincerely,
Harold
Dec
23
2020
Dear Partners,
The brutal facts cannot be ignored. TD averaged over 3 new positive cases in our workforce each day for the last 7 days. It peaked even higher exactly 2 weeks after Thanksgiving. Near that point we had almost 6% of our workforce in quarantine for exposure or a positive test. That is declining now. We can also be thankful that our case tracing still finds no exposures in the workplace due to our safety protocols.
Please keep your holiday gatherings small-----be cautious and stay safe, so we can all be together for many years to come. This is hard but we can do it. #TDSTRONG
Sincerely,
Harold
P.S. More difficult USA statistics from the New York Times are below to bolster your resolve and perseverance for distancing and masks for several more months.
A Tragic Finish to the Year
Let’s check in on the latest coronavirus data, with help from three charts.
The first chart seen below shows that the situation in Europe has worsened over the past week — but not nearly to the level of the U.S.:
Controlling a pandemic during the fall and the winter is simply more difficult than during warmer months, when people can comfortably spend time outdoors. Experts long predicted that the later months of the year would be difficult in much of the world, and those predictions proved to be correct.
In Europe, several big countries have gone through cycles of having more and less success controlling this virus: Cases rise, and countries respond with new restrictions that bring down caseloads — until they lift the restrictions, become careless and then watch cases rise again. That has happened lately in Britain, Germany and elsewhere, and they have responded by announcing new restrictions.
The U.S. went through similar cycles in the spring and the summer. But since September, this country has failed to make another concerted effort to reduce infections. It’s worth emphasizing that the current U.S. problems were not inevitable. Just look at the lines in the chart above for Mexico and especially Canada, which has to cope with even colder weather.
The second chart seen below shows that the recent U.S. trends reflect a real increase in virus cases. It’s not a statistical mirage in which more widespread testing leads to a greater number of official cases. We know that because the share of tests that come back positive has surged:
The final chart below may be the most alarming.
Deaths in the U.S. are almost certain to rise in the coming weeks — probably to more than 3,000 a day, which would be by far the highest level yet.
The basic idea is that if you track the number of new virus cases, you can fairly accurately predict the number of Covid-related deaths about three weeks later. Every 100 new cases in the U.S. has led to an average of roughly 1.6 deaths, with a 22-day lag. (Trevor Bedford, a scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle).
The chart here suggests that the surge in cases during the first three weeks of December will lead to a surge in deaths during late December and early January.
All of this points to the same conclusion. As encouraging as the vaccine news is, most Americans will not be vaccinated for at least another several months, leaving plenty of time for the virus to do damage. And absent a rapid change in the country’s approach, tens of thousands of more Americans will needlessly die.
Some perspective - By the end of March, one analysis suggests that the vaccines will have saved 25,000 lives in the U.S.
More frequent usage of masks could save 56,000 lives.
Oct
22
2020
Please take a few minutes to watch my latest video message - a 2020 Q3 update as we continue into the 4th Quarter.
Hear about some recent successes and what I'm thankful for, as well as a look ahead to the future and things to be excited about.
And don't forget: Open Enrollment is taking place now. It's a great time to look at your personal savings rates and ESOP/401K contributions. It's never too early to start investing in your future.
Thank you Partners.
Sep
30
2020
Where did the summer go? The last 2 months seemed to fly by! At home, my family finally celebrated a pandemic wedding and I got a fantastic new son-in-law! My daughter chose wisely! We enjoyed a post-wedding ceremony dinner with a small group of 15 family members. It was a weekend we’ll never forget with our special wedding masks as souvenirs.
Like most of you--my work days are very long, but we now have clarity on 2020 and what we must do for 2021 to keep all of our Partners working and keep TD growing in a very tough economic cycle. Texas and Arizona have come off their peak infection rates for COVID-19 and TD is also seeing lower infection rates. Our communities and nation continue to grapple with RACISM-20 and I can see baby steps forward on the long road ahead. Inside TD your leadership team continues to learn about systemic racism from wise counselors and each other through reading and dialogue. We are committed to continuous improvement so that TD can be a positive example for others.
Your company will have a very good Q3 financial result and our projections for yearend are currently solid at 3.3% operating income on about 10% less revenue than our original budget. Construction backlogs are relatively steady, but we are having to fight hard for every new booking. Our new work is not all located where we want it to be, which will continue to require many of us to travel, but the overtime and per diem will ease the pain of being on the road. Tighter cost estimates will require all our collective wisdom and great planning to squeeze all the margin that we can from every job. Thank you for planning your work and working your plan--while embracing change and new ideas.
We are investing more time and money in our future capabilities than we ever have before. This will position us for long term strength to capitalize on opportunity as we come through the pandemic. Most of this investment is in our new Enterprise Software Project (ERPr) which will go live in early February. It will simplify and transform our execution and accounting in all aspects of our business from marketing and sales to operations and finance. We are also making big investments in PROCORE project management software and many of our Construction Technology tools from estimating and engineering to fabrication and construction. The world is changing and we all have a lot to learn to keep up! Hold on to your seats!
After a really tough July and August, where COVID-19 positive cases were increasing, our TD rate has slowed to about 3 positive cases a week. We have had a total of 154 positive tests since early March, with most of those being traced to exposure outside of TD. We are blessed to have had only 2 very severe cases that were in ICU for weeks. PROSO has been working thru the loss of Luis Boch after a long battle due to COVID-19 complications. Thank you for your support of the Luis’ family and his 2 sons who are also TDPartners. Our prayers for strength and peace were felt by the Boch family. TDCares has also been able to assist over 100 Partners who have been severely impacted by the pandemic with an average award of about $1200 each. Thank you for your support of TDCares through your payroll deductions or PPT donations.
My own journey to learn about the history of racial injustice and systemic racism in our country continues to move forward. It has not been easy, and I am regularly shocked by what I did not understand and what I am learning. We continue to have regular dialogue with my direct reports to learn from each other and explore ways that each of us and TD can do better. The latest resource that I want to share is a YouTube channel by Emmanuel Acho titled“Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man." It was recommended to me by my kids and friends at TD. It is well worth your time and contains many powerful lessons that come in bite size chunks of 30-60 minutes---much easier than taking on a book like "Stamped," which is also excellent and available as an audio book too.
Thank you for your disciplined adherence to our safety protocols and your hard work that continues to create value for our customers. The virus has not changed, so please do not let your guard down.
Let me close with a grateful heart. In spite of all the difficult daily news in our world, we have much to be thankful for! We are still providing essential services in the greatest country I know of, working in a company where Partners care about each other, and very few of us are experiencing a severe medical impact from the disease. Our partnership is strong and getting stronger through these difficult times.
I hope you get some backyard time this weekend with close family to enjoy these new fall temperatures.
Make it a great day for someone else! Stay Safe. Stay Above the Line.
#TDStrong!
Sincerely,
Harold
Bonus Thought! The 7 Commandments of COVID-19 Leadership Amidst Soul-Crushing Tumult (From Tom Peters)
Jul
28
2020
Please take a few minutes to watch my mid-year video message, where we talk about past successes and a look ahead to the future, as well as financial results and a special shout out to several awesome TDPartners who are currently going above and beyond in all they do for TD.
Update: Unfortunately, not all of these Partner names were included in the original video. To our Partners who are sacrificing by being away from their families in order to take care of TD and our customers, we regret any omissions from the previous list and say thank you for all that you do.
#TDStrong
CLICK HERE to watch the revised video with the updated list of Partners.
Jul
02
2020
What a strange couple of weeks it has been. As we head into a surreal July 4th weekend our country continues to grapple with COVID-19 and RACISM-20. Both challenges are amplified by job loss and a severe economic downturn. It will take time for the pandemic and systemic racism to be eliminated, but with perseverance I am confident that we can make big progress in defeating both challenges.
Two weeks ago, we thought that our TD COVID-19 positive cases were steady, but they were actually on the increase, mirroring the overall trend. On June 16th, we had 16 positives and now we stand at 54 and rising--over 2 per day for the last 2 weeks. Very few of our TD cases are traced to exposure at work. Our protocols are preventing Partner exposure at work, but it is very easy to unknowingly bring it to TD. Please take your temperature each morning, practice good hand hygiene, maintain a 6 feet minimum physical distance, and wear your mask. We have 96 Partners currently in self-quarantine due to exposure to a positive case or from exhibiting symptoms. PLEASE continue to follow our safety guidelines at home and at work for the protection of each other and our families. The virus has not changed, and it is very resilient.
We have been blessed that our one severe case, where our Partner has been in the ICU for 3 weeks, has improved and has been released home for recovery. Thank you for your continued prayers for this Partner and for all of us and our families until a vaccine is developed.
Our offices have been occupied on a limited basis and will continue to be so. The priority will continue to be Partners that need to be present to be productive and accomplish their work. Any Partner may go by an office or attend a meeting only after you have reviewed review the office protocol video - here is the link in the LMS: https://tdindustries.brainier.com/#/object/11479 . Our planned increase in occupancy on July 6th has been pushed out to at least August 3rd and will depend on an improvement in the current negative trends for community spread.
Our other great challenge is to make progress to overcome RACISM-20. Our nation has been grappling with the systemic racial and social injustices that have permeated our country throughout its history, much of it specifically targeting the black community, and similarly felt to some degree by all persons of color. It is clear that not all people experience the same promise of "liberty and justice for all" upon which our country was founded. Sparked by the recent killing of George Floyd, citizens everywhere are standing up to systemic inequalities and demanding change. We now have an historic opportunity to come together and precipitate reform that is long overdue. Coming together will require political will and ongoing safe dialogue to learn from each other and change lifelong patterns of behavior. Your TD Executive Leadership team continues to set aside time each week to listen and learn from one another’s individual experiences. Many other leaders and Partners are doing the same thing in their work groups.
Alicia Moore shared a wonderful dialogue tool: Managers’ Guide to Essential Conversations. I think you will find it helpful both in and outside TD. These conversations will help us learn how to stop long overdue disrespectful behavior and end systemic racial inequality. All of the recent events have given new energy and meaning to our Core Value of Celebrate the Power of Individual Differences.
Thank you for your disciplined adherence to our safety protocols and your hard work adapting to continue to create value for our customers. I hope you get some backyard BBQ time this weekend with close family or get to your favorite fishing hole early. 😊
I want to close the same way I try to start each day---with a grateful heart. In spite of all the difficult daily news, we have much to be thankful for! We are still providing essential services in the greatest country I know of, working in a company where Partners care about each other, and very few of us are experiencing severe medical impact from the disease. Our partnership is strong and getting stronger through these difficult times.
Happy 4th of July! Stay Safe. #TDStrong!
Sincerely,
Harold
Jun
15
2020
I hope that each of you and your families continue to be healthy and remain diligent with the pandemic safety protocols. We cannot give up on physical distancing, masks when you cannot maintain 6 feet distancing, rigorous hand hygiene, and self-isolation for the protection of others if you experience any virus symptoms. The virus has not changed, and even though we are tired of all this, it is no reason to increase personal risk. We are very fortunate to have only 9 Partners who have tested positive, but one of us is very sick. Please keep this family in your prayers, as well as all of our frontline medical workers. Remember that TDCares is here to help Partners without paid personal time, who get sick or have to self-quarantine to avoid the risk of infecting others. See your supervisor or HR Business Partner for assistance.
Our detailed plans to reenter our densely occupied indoor office environments are ready and are being executed. However, we may delay the targeted July 6th return date for 25% occupancy if community spread continues to increase in the cities where we have offices. While video conferences are getting very old, and I miss seeing everyone in person, we will remain vigilant and flexible as we continue to adapt to our new normal.
We are very fortunate that TD remains slightly profitable through May at 1.9% operating income thanks to our hard work, but we have seen more jobs delayed, especially in Dallas. We are asking many Dallas Partners to travel to Arizona for work over the next several months. Many hospitals have postponed their much-needed big construction until their cash flow improves from normal operations, and speculative developers are very cautious for the near term. Prospects are still very good long term, but we need the economy to continue its restart in order to keep our construction backlog up. Dallas, Houston, and Arizona service teams, as well as our facilities businesses continue to solidly contribute to operating income. We are closely managing cash to accommodate ongoing business needs in the face of uncertainty, as well as allowing our retiring owners to sell their ESOP shares in a timely manner. We have been working hard on a new ESOP distribution policy and we will share the details this week.
I am learning a lot from reading "White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism." Some things I did not know about myself but also many things I did not know about the dark history of racial inequities in our country. I have asked our executive leadership team that reports to me to read or listen to the book. We have begun regular deep conversations about race to learn from each other. It is not easy and there have been emotional moments. I invite you to join us and read to learn. TD will pay for your copy of the book, kindle or audiobook if you self-certify through our LMS. We are also working on a model for book study dialogue groups that will be required for leaders and open to all Partners. So let’s all keep listening to each other, and work to be a part of positive change, and get some learning credit.
All of you are in my daily prayers for safety and good health. TD will continue to thrive by the strength of our collective Partnership and support for each other. Please continue to "Live by Faith and Not by Fear." Thank you for all that you do to listen and learn from each other as we work to stop racial injustice. Our Partnership and Spirit of Inclusion will serve us well in continuing to be an industry and community leader for positive change.
Stay Safe. #TDStrong!
Sincerely,
Harold
Jun
03
2020
To My Partners,
This is a painful time for our country and for us. On top of the stress of the pandemic, the recent events going on around us are heartbreaking and inexcusable, so I want to share a few thoughts with you.
Like so many of you, I am very sad and angry by the senseless deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmuad Arbery in Georgia, Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth, and Botham Jean in Dallas, and the many others that reflect the deeply ingrained racial prejudice and injustice that still exists in our communities today.
This is driving strong emotions, which it should. The unnecessary and unjust killing of anyone is unacceptable. The issue of race and the horrific experiences of too many people of color cannot be ignored. We owe it to ourselves, our customers and our communities to be very clear in condemning these acts of violence. They represent a disregard for basic human rights that has no place in our communities. We must support the reaction of peaceful protests and know that they can have a positive impact for change and a better future.
TDIndustries has long believed we are all better and stronger from the diversity that exists within our workplace and communities. Our Core Value of "Celebrate the Power of Individual Differences" has served us well and sets a high bar for continuing to improve. It calls us to create a culture of collaboration and inclusion and to learn from each other's perspectives. We need to keep actively working to make things better, which is why we will continue to invest in the strength that comes from diversity and inclusion. It begins not only by speaking out, but by listening. Listening to each other in dialogue about what it's like to be a person of color in our country today. "Seek first to understand" is why God gave us two ears and only one mouth. Servant Leaders seek to bring people together, not to drive them apart. We need caring leadership now more than ever.
If you really want to learn more about race in America, I urge you to read "White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism." Doing so will help us all to have deeper conversations about race and become a positive catalyst for change. Our conversations will lead to action, so we can follow in the footsteps of our founder Jack Lowe Sr. He was an amazing man who gave his life up early through intense community work to help peacefully desegregate Dallas schools in the late 1970’s. He was a true servant leader who always sought to give back and improve opportunities for everyone. He left us big shoes to fill and I know that we can keep building on that legacy.
Our Partnership and Spirit of Inclusion will serve us well in continuing to be an industry and community leader for positive change. Thank you for all that you do to give back and help fight racial injustice.
Stay Safe. #TDStrong!
Sincerely,
Harold
May
12
2020
As we head into our 9th week of heavy restrictions and safety protocols, I remain cautiously optimistic after I was able to get a haircut Saturday with masks for me and my barber. The cities are trying to reopen, but it is still a time to be vigilant with our discipline and not throw caution to the wind. Please do not let your guard down and continue to set a good example for our families and friends on the importance of good safe practices and physical distancing. The race still has months to go before we will know the final outcomes.
It is very hard to see so many friends who are not able to work. We are faring far better than most. TD had a slow financial start through March, and it appears that the next 3 months will be tougher. Then we should begin to improve our current financial results and grow again. Your company has been preparing for this challenge since the difficult period of 1989 that almost put us out of business. We’ve been able to do this by remaining focused on the long game, and constantly looking for ways to improve via Continuous Aggressive Improvement (4th C). TD has always taken a long-term view by investing in the future when times are good. We keep cash reserves up for a storm like the pandemic that we find ourselves in.
We are blessed with a strong culture of employee-owners that work hard every day to live by our core values. These values guide our decisions, especially the most difficult ones that impact Partners and their families. It is painful for all involved, and the worst day for any supervisor is to have to tell a Partner that we do not have enough work for you. We are fighting each day for every project and order to keep our people working. Our current projections reflect an overall revenue reduction in 2020 of around 10%. One team is shrinking painfully, others only slightly, yet still some teams growing and needing help and talent transfers. In total, our diversity is helping provide options to many who can travel or move.
A quick update on the hard data: we have only 4 confirmed positive cases and none have been severe. The number of Partners in self-quarantine is declining due to new CDC guidelines and mandatory face covers. I know that masks are a hassle and distracting, but it is our new normal for the near-term future. Thank you for continuing to adapt to keep us working safely.
My weekly calls to front-line Partners and Supervisors, and the stories that they share of Partners helping Partners, continue to inspire me through this stressful time. Your pictures and videos on our Facebook group are very uplifting. Encouraging and supporting each other enables all of us to better handle the stress of the pandemic. We can boost this support even more by replacing worry with prayer.
I am preparing for our annual Shareholder meeting this week for our employee-owners. We will be broadcasting to everyone this Thursday morning at 7:45am CST. You are all welcome and hope that you can arrange with your supervisor to dial in and watch or listen. They are usually only about 30 minutes long, and important information is always shared.
All of you are in my daily prayers for safety and good health. We will get through this test---by the strength of our collective Partnership and support of each other. Please continue to "Live by Faith and Not by Fear." Thank you for all that you do to support each other and our customers. Let’s all go out and make it a great day for someone else!
Sincerely,
Harold
May
04
2020
Watch the latest state of TD address below, including first quarter results, a look ahead, a recap of my recent discussion with Ed Ramsey, and more. I appreciate your encouragement, and I ask that you keep encouraging and looking out for each other. Thank you for your hard work and all that you are doing, Partners. #TDStrong
TDIndustries is a premier facilities services and mechanical construction company. Founded in 1946, we are well-positioned to exceed customers’ expectations on any project regardless of size, complexity, within budget and on time.