Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Employees honored for Outstanding Performance

The Edgar M. Jolley Awards for Excellence recognize exceptional work within the EMJ family of companies. The “Jolleys,” named in memory of EMJ’s founder, are presented in three categories: Outstanding Performance, Outstanding Servant Leadership and Outstanding Project. This is the first in a seven-part blog series about the 2018 Jolley recipients. 

 
The peer-nominated Jolley for Outstanding Performance is awarded to employees who go above and beyond in their roles by expanding their range of responsibility, developing junior team members, demonstrating initiative and creativity in tackling challenges and building relationships with clients.
Congratulations to the following high-caliber employees who were honored with the Jolley for Outstanding Performance:

Kile was presented the award at the annual meeting by Jack Bowen, Executive Vice President of EMJ Construction Chattanooga.


As a Warranty Manager at EMJ Construction Chattanooga, Billy Kile’s work ethic, adaptability and dedication to mentoring put him in this year’s outstanding performance category.
Described as a “team player” and a “very valuable asset” by his nominator, Billy goes above and beyond to get any task done, regardless of whether it falls under his job responsibilities.
He serves those around him, building trusting relationships with architects and subcontractors, while guiding them to bring value to our clients. He guides subcontractors to ensure our finished products are strong representations of the corporation. He is diligent and efficient, following up with a variety of team members to ensure that everyone is accountable and any outstanding issues are resolved.

His nominator writes, “If anyone I have worked with this year deserves this award, it would definitely be Billy Kile. I was very fortunate to get to work with him and learned a lot.”

 

Totzke (right), shown with Jack Bowen, Executive Vice President of EMJ Construction Chattanooga.


Steve Totzke, Project Manager in EMJ Construction’s Chattanooga office, serves clients and those around him by continually going above and beyond on any task. He simultaneously worked on three Lidl stores last year, and is completely dedicated to his work—even taking work-related calls as late as midnight to instill trust with the client.
He puts forth continuous effort to represent EMJ positively through his work ethic and service-minded attitude. Steve’s nominator wrote, “The relationship that Steve has built with Lidl is a strong one, and I’ve seen firsthand how much they respect, trust, and like Steve. He is able to communicate with people in a way that specific to the individual, and is always very in-tune with the client’s wants and needs.”

Steve’s nominator also wrote about his dedication to growing his employees, saying he has “put forth more time and effort into my career development than anyone I’ve ever met. He consistently looks for learning opportunities for me and challenges me on a regular basis.”

Lastly, Steve dives head-first into challenges, learning new techniques and training others in valuable skills. He is “always there for his team, and will not shy away from any issue— regardless of how messy.”
 

Pfeiffer, shown with Jack Bowen, Executive Vice President of EMJ Construction Chattanooga.

Anita Pfeiffer, Project Manager, EMJ Construction Chattanooga, regularly goes beyond her role to ensure that her team is successful on every project. She moved from Tulsa to Chattanooga midway through 2017, and jumped into what her nominator called a “very complicated project,” but “she did not let these challenges get her down or impact her attitude.”

Anita took a strained relationship and turned it around by dedicating herself to the client and guiding her team to create an experience rich with unique value.

Her forward-thinking leadership helps her team plan ahead and she leverages various team members’ skills to ensure success. She inspires her team with her consistently positive attitude and encourages them to do their best work by example.

 

Praniuk (right), was presented the award at the annual meeting by Chas Torrence, Executive Vice President of EMJ Construction Special Projects.

Nestor Praniuk, Superintendent for EMJ Special Projects, managed the construction team on the Public Defenders of Tennessee offices last year. He received a request from the client to cut the construction schedule by 25%, took ownership of the task, and put the effort in with his team to get the job completely early.

Through this, he has served EMJ by “developing a relationship with the owner of his project like no one else has been able to in the past. The owner has given EMJ repeat business and will not accept any other superintendent to lead his jobs except for Nestor.”

Nestor always has a positive attitude and leads his team by example. His nominator writes, “Even on a hard project for the sub-contractors, the attitude and energy of the job site is always high and positive. Nestor rewards good work and makes the job site a place where people enjoy working.”

Lastly, Nestor has exceeded expectations of the client and his team and has become a better superintendent doing so. His recent performance has increased his value and the value of those he has led throughout the job.

Congratulations to all recipients of the Jolley for Outstanding Performance!