The entire Willmeng team recently enjoyed quality time together at Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, Ariz. for the company’s annual midyear retreat. An estimated 70+ employees, 55 spouses and over 60 children gathered for a weekend of relaxation, entertainment, good eats and reflection on the value of our company’s culture.
“Willmeng’s team-oriented culture is an asset to the work that we conduct, and the retreat creates an opportunity for us to become even stronger,” said James Murphy, president. “Bringing everyone together to formally introduce new team members and share personal stories is eye-opening, facilitates the forming of bonds, and is great for our office and field atmosphere, overall.”
Throughout the weekend, activities included hiking, zip-lining, swimming and an obstacle course. The team also experienced kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding at Lake Mary, where the children’s fishing tournament was held. Patrick Gleason’s children swept the competition, coming in first, second and third place.
The annual adult corn hole tournament was intense this year! Our first place, $2000 corn hole tournament winners were Martin McLaughlin and Juana Isela Morales. The second place, $1000 winners were Cassandra Sandoval and Jimmy Lindblom, and the third place, $500 winners were Lauren Reidy-Phelan and Jake Dittbrenner.
Parents were able to participate in the festivities peacefully as their children enjoyed the “kids experience room” all weekend long and were looked after by a team of babysitters. The fun included an inflatable obstacle course, twister, dart toss, foosball, air hockey, face painting, hair wraps, glitter tattoos, magic tricks and crafts.
In addition to all of this action, Willmeng also celebrated a birthday! “At the retreat, everyone sang and wished me well, and that was one of the best, most memorable birthdays ever because they were treating me like family and it was very nice,” said Ravi Pinnamareddy, project engineer intern who is from India.
“The pinnacle event of the retreat was when we gathered on the last night to recognize those within the organization that had excelled and improved this past year,” said Jimmy Lindblom, Willmeng’s community outreach specialist and first-time retreat attendee. Willmeng customarily takes time at the midyear retreat to individually recognize members of our team who made impossible projects happen throughout the year with our “Make It Happen Awards.” The recognitions were as follows:
Fast Track Project of the Year: Avella Specialty Pharmacy
Chris Brown, estimator; Mike Keller, pre-construction manager; Kotresha MMJ, project estimator; Mike Mongelli, chief operating officer; James Murphy, president; and Trevor Stantus, project manager.
Negotiated Ground Up of the Year: San Tan Charter School
Chris Brown, estimator; Ken Carter, project manager; Andy Hindson, superintendent; Kotresha MMJ, project estimator; James Murphy, president; and Keith Sabia, principal-in-charge.
Negotiated GMP TI of the Year: Goodwill of Central Arizona
Viviane Beck, estimating assistant; Ken Carter, project manager; Veronica Davis, project manager; Sam Dul, estimator; Tom Fyffe, project manager; Isam Ghandour, vice president; Arun Ghosh, estimator; Tino Hernandez, project engineer; Kirk Hill, superintendent; Renee Hurtado, construction assistant; Tom Jarvis, vice president of sales and pre-lease estimating; Dean Lutgen, project manager; Kotresha MMJ, project estimator; James Murphy, president; Juan Palma, job foreman; Cody Phelan, principal; and Dan Roelle, superintendent.
Qualification Based TI Project of the Year: Microsoft
Veronica Davis, project manager; Sam Dul, estimator; Tino Hernandez, project engineer; Mike Keller, pre-construction manager; and Richard Leon, project superintendent.
Hard Bid Project of the Year: Phoenix Country Day School
Caleb Heinold, project engineer; Mike Keller, pre-construction manager; Rick Meyer, superintendent; James Murphy, president; Gail Randolph, construction assistant; and Craig Waymire, project engineer intern.
Department of the Year: Operations
Frank Solis-Alvarez, project engineer; Tino Hernandez, project engineer; Renee Hurtado, construction assistant; Kotresha MMJ, project engineer; Gail Randolph, construction assistant; and Craig Waymire, project engineer intern.
Safety Award of the Year
Patrick Smith, superintendent
Cultural Example of the Year
Sam Dul, estimator
Standout Teammate of the Year
Richard Leon, superintendent
“We each left the retreat with a clearer understanding of why Willmeng is such a special place to work, and with a stronger desire to make Willmeng and the communities in which we live and work a better place,” said Lindblom.
“We all had a great time – some of my favorite Willmeng memories have been made at the retreats,” added Craig Waymire, project engineer intern. “Working at Willmeng means getting another family and a ton of experience.”
Willmeng looks forward to another awesome retreat in 2018!
