How We Ensure Consistency
Doing something well is one thing; we’ve all heard of beginner’s luck. The art of doing something well every time is what industries are founded on. Guaranteed Energy Savings Companies (GESC) are no exception; consistency is the name of the game, and it’s also what makes or breaks you.
We all know which road in particular is paved by good intentions. The truth is a great idea doesn’t mean anything unless it’s backed by great execution. On the contrary, a good idea executed poorly will often leave your client in an even worse situation than they started. As engineers, we are no strangers to the understanding that, unless our vision is communicated and executed with consistency, we’ve failed at our job no matter the result. So, how do we ensure consistency?
Our Expertise Starts from the Ground Up
J.P. Kelly, Construction Principal, is the man we go to when it’s time to get things rolling. We asked him to explain his background a bit.
“I started in the Architectural | Engineering | Construction (AEC) industry with my feet on the ground and worked my way to the position of Project Manager for a construction firm. Today, I lead a large specialty construction and service firm. I have diverse project experience including commercial properties, healthcare, manufacturing, large utilities and nuclear projects. To put it simply, I’ve seen a lot and learned a lot.
My hallmark to success always starts by meeting the client’s expectation through understanding and sharing in their vision for their project and striving to meet or exceed my role in that vision.
The plans and specifications are the what. It’s excellence in the “how” that sets us apart. Success, when broken down, is about relationships and being present for clients for the long haul. That’s something every member of Ascendant Facility Partners (AFP) believes in, and what ensures our success and consistent standards.”
You Can’t Have One Without the Other (Ideas & Actions)
As the construction guy, it’s often J.P.’s responsibility to be the liaison between the engineers and their ideas and the client and their expectations. His job is easiest when both camps are on the same page, and his biggest challenge in the construction process is the synchronicity of idea and action. Yet, what’s even harder, is that synchronicity must go in both directions.
“Idea and action are yoked together and require differing attention and commitment at various points in the energy-savings process. Many great ideas fail to reach full potential or even properly launch due to a failure in execution.
Successful implementation is the marriage of an idea with action, which is the most valuable. To stress the point further, all actions, no matter how small, need to be rooted in intention. This means all ideas must have action, all actions must be founded on an idea. Anything outside of that ecosystem is a waste of resources.”
With Engineer-Led Thinking, No Two Solutions Are the Same
One of J.P.’s greatest contributions as the Construction Principal of a GESC is the abundance of out-of-the-box thinking. “At AFP, we are not bound by one set of solutions. We’ve said in the past that many aspects of a GESC are like a paint by numbers process. At AFP, we’re privileged to have the top talent in the region on board and the absolute trust that comes from our reputations.
It’s refreshing to have the right mix of multiple project specific engineering solutions coupled with constructability.”
Everyone Needs to be on the Same Page
Consistency is in your ability to communicate, says J.P. “If you expect to succeed then you need to communicate your plan to everyone involved. Not only that; you have to ensure that everyone actually understands and commits to understanding.
A project is not like a train; it’s not stuck on rails. At any time it can move left or right. As you go, it’s important to continually monitor progress by effectively engaging the construction team. You have to take the temperature of the room, so to speak, and ensure that everyone is at 100%.
Most of all, you need to plan and anticipate challenges. No strategy is perfect when applied to the real world. Mike Tyson once said; ‘everyone’s got a plan ‘til they get hit in the face.’ The truth is, you need to anticipate that smack the real world delivers and take it with a smile. Only then can you keep moving without a hitch.
Finally, it’s up to me to provide constant leadership. Today, my job is to promote the vision of the project and ensure the focus of the construction team to uphold the standards of the engineers and partners that rely on our expertise.”
When Everyone Wins, Everyone is Invested
We asked J.P. what excited him most about the guaranteed energy savings industry. “When you properly plan and you have your clients’ best interests at the forefront, everyone wins. No, I’m not just talking about meeting an efficiency rating; I’m talking about the community at large. When you improve facilities, you improve the health and happiness of the neighborhood where that facility lives.”
We Are Engineer-led & Consumer-Centric
What makes AFP different from other GESCs? “You cannot execute if you cannot communicate.” J.P. explains. “A proportion of consistency is in your ability to build trust in your vision and process. At AFP, we are engineer-led and consumer-centric. We’ve done our homework to couple those concepts into something which yields the best outcome for our clients. Our process makes them feel like they’re a partner, which they are. We want them to be just as invested in the outcome as we are.
I guess if I were to summarize what I feel enables AFP to set itself apart from other GESCs – it’s patience. We founded this company understanding that patience will reign supreme. This means putting relationships before revenue, making long-term decisions, and always choosing quality over quantity. We are not a one-and-done kind of business, moving from facility to facility. We want to fundamentally change the way your facility functions and make improvements that will bring your facility into a new era.
That’s why we founded Ascendant Facility Partners. We want to have a hand in making a better future for everyone.”