Chief Operating Officer
Scott Lawrence
Chief Operating Officer
The best advice I can give to someone new at Alamon is ask questions and pay attention. Take notes. Be a sponge. Try and align yourself with a leader or someone knowledgeable.
I think that some of the biggest disconnects happen when folks try and take the easy way. Doing things faster, shortcutting things, without attention to detail or quality. Deciding to punch a time clock and just draw a paycheck. I’m referring to people in technical positions that want to progress here.
You need to learn as much as you can and know how to do your job well, before you can effectively manage others.
It’s important to thoroughly learn what you’re doing when you’re working in a technical job here, because it can be dangerous to you and those around you if you don’t.
In the case of Network Services, for example, you’re working around DC power and some high amperage situations. If you arc that DC cable to a ground or a piece of metal, you’re going to have arcs and hot metal flying. People can get burned. In the case of AC power, you can get shocked and killed from the voltage being put out. Paying attention and learning is critical in our business.
You’re an asset here if you can get up to speed, learn your craft, and perform an installation task, for example, that is done right the first time.
If someone makes a mistake and wire wraps that block wrong or connects those cables incorrectly – then we have to go back and undo that and redo it. Now, we’ve paid for that service three times. We’ve paid for it to be done. Then we have to undo it, then we have to do it again and make it right for the third time.
The people that excel here are those who have a passion for the work, who are driven, and want to do well.
Sr. Operations Manager, Wireless Services
Travis Williams
Sr. Operations Manager
Wireless Services
It’s probably cliche, but show up on time, work hard, learn, and retain the knowledge. Reach out to people. We have some great guys here that would be more than willing to share their knowledge if asked. And I would just say, trust the process.
You know, it’s not going to happen overnight. It is probably going to take a while. Keep in mind that it is a career and that over time, your hard work will pay off and you will be recognized.
Technology Manager / ETS Sr. Engineer
Work hard and learn your craft. At the end of the day, management really does care about people’s relative happiness and success here. I just came from a bad work situation before rejoining Alamon, so I feel like I have a unique perspective on this. This is a good group of people wanting, by and large, to do the right thing. And there’s a lot of value in that.
Steve Jobs
Apple Co-Founder, Chief Executive and Chairman
Chief Financial Officer
Colleen Lillie
Chief Financial Officer
How to be successful at Alamon? The number one thing I’d say is be accountable. If you say you are going to do something by a certain time, make sure you follow through. If you can’t meet the deadline, communicate with others upfront. Don’t just let it pass.
Also, be invested in what you’re doing in your job. Don’t just do what you’re doing because someone else told you to. Bring strong engagement to what you’re doing. Take ownership of your work.
Be curious. Be inquisitive about your work. Those that want to understand the impact of the work they do tend to do well here. Ask yourself, “is there a better way to do what I’m doing?” Look for ways to improve how you work, and strive to excel at it.
There is pressure in our industry, and there are lots of different personalities working together. One piece of advice I would offer is don’t take things personally when conflicts happen. Being willing to work through those conflicts with others is a good quality to have in this business.
Advice for people in supervisory roles? It’s important to train your colleagues well so they’re equipped to handle more responsibility when we need them to step into new roles. We’re only as good as our employees. That’s how we build value in the company. And if we don’t bring people along and encourage their growth and engagement, we’ll all be impacted by that directly.
Chief Marketing Officer
Scott Harrison
Chief Marketing Officer
When it comes to success in this industry in particular, a lot of it comes down to “keep things relatively simple.” Don’t overcomplicate stuff. I’d say an awful lot of the the barriers to success have to do with overcomplicating things. It seems like we make things a lot harder than we really need to.
Stay focused on what the goal is. Have a clear understanding of what it is you’re being asked to do. And if you don’t have that understanding, ask. Communicate.
I see a lot of new people that just don’t know who they’re supposed to talk to, or if they’re even allowed to talk to certain people. That sort of thing. So good communication helps you, and it helps all of us.
Alamon is like most other places, it’s not for everybody. We want people to have a passion for what they’re doing. You really do need to have a passion for this work, because that’s what it takes to do it well. And if you’re just punching a time clock, you’re depriving someone with that passion the chance to be successful here. And you’re probably doing yourself a disservice by doing a job that you aren’t fully invested in.
When we’re hiring, we’re looking for passionate people who can come here and make us a better us.
A lot of the time, new employees can be a whole lot more objective because they’re new to this environment. And that new perspective can really help the company. So, your ideas are valuable, even if you’re just starting out at Alamon.
Pelé
Legendary Soccer Athlete, 3-Time FIFA World Cup Winner
International Olympic Committee Athlete of the Century Recipient
Operations Manager, Utility Services East
Matthew Warner
Operations Manager
Utility Services East
When we’re posting jobs, if it’s a crew member that I’m trying to hire, I’m looking for someone who’s already got their their eyes set on the horizon. They want to be an inspector. They don’t want to be a crew member for life. If I’m hiring an inspector, I’m looking for my next project manager, and so on and so forth. We’re looking for ambitious, energetic, honest people with integrity who are eager to learn and willing to work hard.
Our unit pay method in utility pole inspection jobs is structured around ambition. It’s built around incentivizing people and rewarding those that are driven to do excellent work. So, success comes when you execute your job well, and share the goal of being the best at what we do.
In this business, there is a trickle-up effect, so to speak. None of us have paychecks if our front line field guys aren’t out there doing great work. We support them, and they support us. It’s a two-way street.
And it doesn’t matter if you’re a crew member just starting out who is making runs back to the truck for tools, or if you’re an operations manager supervising dozens of employees. The decisions every one of us make have a direct impact on the success of the department and the company as a whole.
Sr. Recruiter
Brandi Smith
Sr. Recruiter
In some cases you may have experience doing a particular task at another company, but Alamon has its own processes, and a particular way of doing the same task. Be willing to ask questions and learn our guidelines and processes.
It is important to be open-minded and willing to educate yourself about how our teams work.
HR Coordinator
Samatha Fausett
HR Coordinator
I would advise new employees to listen, learn and know your job, but also to do your own research and see what new ideas you can bring to your team. Always be thinking of ways you can improve, and help the company improve as a whole.
Bobby Unser
Hall of Fame Race Driver and 3-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner
Human Resource Manager
ShaShana Crocker
Human Resource Manager
When you’re first starting out at Alamon, be interested in learning, willing to work hard, be a good communicator, and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from other people around you that have more experience.
Be upfront and honest about what your work experience is, and what your qualifications are. And if there is knowledge that you’re lacking, reach out to others and ask questions. Don’t just say you can do something if you actually haven’t done it before.
We all learn every day. Everyone that works at Alamon at all levels. And you’re best served here if you are open and accepting of other ways of working, and not just thinking that your way is the only way.
Collaboration is huge here. As a manager, it would be a disservice if I’m not collaborating with my team and sharing my knowledge. Our goal is to grow the company, and that doesn’t happen if we don’t actively help advance the growth of our staff. We’re only as smart as the people we surround ourselves with.
Technical Specialist
Travis Hansen
Technical Specialist
As long as you put in the hours and you learn your craft, the direction of where you can go at Alamon is limitless. It’s a matter of how much effort you want to put in. With several different departments focused on different kinds of services, it’s totally possible to learn new skills or move down a different path if you decide you want to do that.
It’s worth mentioning that our Employee Stock Ownership Plan can set you up for personal success, in terms of your ability to accumulate wealth while working here. I’ve worked at Alamon dating back to before we became an ESOP, and since the day we became employee-owned, it’s been pretty impressive to watch my retirement balance grow. So, it is an important, valuable part of working here. And it does reward those stay here longer, by increasing how much you’re vested in the plan over time. The company is setting those funds aside for you, also, which is pretty great. You’re not contributing money to the plan. Alamon is.
