It goes without saying, when someone thinks of James CRAFT & Son, Inc. they think about our red trucks. They think about our Service Technicians in their red vans, the field staff that walks through their hospitals or is on the roof of their office buildings. Our field staff is our best form of advertising. Sporting their red hard hats, and company logo t-shirts, their day to day operations are spent outside of our office building. However, did you know that some of our most elite staff members are working behind closed doors?

In our main office in York Haven, eleven of the best and the brightest of their kind are keeping our field staff organized, ensuring our materials are ordered, directing our phone calls, coordinating our paperwork, double checking our pricing and making sure everyone gets paid on Friday. Essentially, they are running the show.

Who are these amazing people? They are our Administrative Team. These eleven ladies know all the ins and outs of our organization. Not only do they know their jobs and do them well, they can help out in other departments too. They greet our customers will smiling faces, answer our phones with professionalism and poise, and always willing to lend a hand when the going gets tough. They are our backbone and we often don’t tell them ‘thank you’ enough.

So, as we recognize Administrative Professional’s Week starting April 22^nd, please remember to thank the awesome members of our team. Whether you’re stopping by, giving one of them a call, or sending an email, tell them you appreciate them just as much as we do.

Jill, Chris, Ellen, Missy, Beth, Ruth, Lori, Diane, Tina, Jane and Sherry – Thank you for your hard work, dedication and warm hearts. James CRAFT & Son, Inc. would not be the same without you!

In terms of “office technology” we’ve come a long way from fax machines and pagers! Now-a-days it’s email messages, electronic documents and text messages…many of which are done right from our smart phones. Anymore I find myself making frequent trips over to the nearest copier/scanner to turn a piece of paper into an electronic document so I can get it into my computer and work with it. My, how times have changed!

Oh…and the piece of paper gets put into the recycling bin (of course) after its been scanned.

Anyway, we recently made a move in our office to adopt a “document management system”…just one more step towards added efficiency. Starting in one area/department, we’ll systematically incorporate our various processes into this electronic system. If done properly it’s designed to save time, money and

paper. Not that we want everyone to start going around “hugging trees”…we still need paper, and will most likely never get completely away from it. But paper and ink cost a business like ours a lot of money. Not to mention all the machines (printers & copiers) that we need to support a “paper filled” office environment.

One thing we’ve realized during this “project” is to also take a look at our internal procedures before (or while) transferring them to the new electronic system. It’s not smart to take an existing, cumbersome, multi-step, redundant process and simply transfer it over to an electronic format. If we do, we won’t gain any efficiency or productivity. So, as a part of the “project” we are also analyzing our workflows to make sure it’s being done efficiently and to eliminate duplicate efforts.

This is just one of many new enhancements we’re making in order to accomplish our mission of “being the leading provider of superior mechanical systems & services.”

James CRAFT & Son, Inc. offers a wide range of services from sheet metal, plumbing, HVAC piping fabrication, installation, ATC controls, design/build, and service. The highlight of this blog is on our design build services. James CRAFT & Son, Inc. serves the greater mid-Atlantic region in industries such health care, manufacturing, commercial & industrial. Our design department is currently staffed with two HVAC and Plumbing Design Professionals, two CAD technicians and one professional engineer offering quality engineering solutions. These engineering solutions paired with our 112 years of quality installation expertise combines for a powerful team that exceeds expectations and out ranks other firms with a one stop shop approach. Our website currently highlights a few of these projects such as…

Kline’s Services – Food2Fuel
Adhesives Research – Process Equipment Expansion
Lancaster City YMCA – Plumbing.

For more information on these services or if you have a facility in need of quality mechanical solutions please give us a call at (717) 266-6629.

There are currently 4 members of the 5th generation of James CRAFT & Son, Inc. who have joined the company full-time over the last 5 years. Jessica, Steven, James and I meet on a monthly basis to discuss our family involvement and any improvements or changes we would like to see within the organization. We recently decided to compose a mission statement for the company. It was presented to the current management team and the following statement was officially adopted on January 21, 2013…

James CRAFT & Son, Inc. is a family owned and managed company with a proud heritage, whose mission is to be the leading provider of superior mechanical systems and services, through quality CRAFTsmanship, committed customer service and professional solutions.

Although a formal mission statement was never adopted prior to this, we didn’t have much trouble coming up with something. The company has been operating with these values in mind for more than 112 years. Through our conversations, we wanted to make sure we created a mission statement that accurately highlighted and exemplified our company for the past, present, and future.

Being in the Mechanical Industry gives us many opportunities to demonstrate our “problem solving skills”. Perhaps more than anyone, our team of Service Professionals must apply their technical knowledge, skills, training, and experience on a daily basis to help our customers when they call upon us to solve problems.

When something is broken, noisy or leaking…when people are hot but want to be cool…cold and wish they were warm – there’s just one call to make – to James CRAFT & Son’s Service Department. We provide around the clock service to commercial, industrial & institutional clients with on-call service technicians who are trained and ready to meet any problems that arise.

If we don’t already provide you and your facility with quality maintenance and expert troubleshooting and repair service, please allow us to meet with you to explain what we can do to help.

“Get into politics or get out of business.”

This is a principal that we at James CRAFT & Son, Inc. have subscribed to since the beginning. With the upcoming Presidential election we are reminded just how important it is that we as Americans take an active role in the selection of our elected officials and get our opinions in front of them. Here are a few ways that you can make an impact in the political process:

• Contact your elected officials! Did you know that the majority of the Pennsylvania and US Congressmen actively engage in social media such as Facebook and Twitter? These are incredibly effective tools for getting directly to your officials. With the modern Smartphone revolution, they are constantly being notified whenever they are mentioned or posted about. If you agree with a vote let them know, if you disagree with a vote let them know, and most importantly if you have an opinion about an upcoming vote LET THEM KNOW! This is a fantastic way to get directly at your officials!

• Do your research! In today’s day and age, it is so easy for everybody to express their opinions. We see it so much with media today, where celebrities and the officials themselves work to portray a candidate as “cool” or “hip” or in touch with the people. So many people are making their decisions based solely on the opinions of others. Instead of turning elections into a popularity contest, let’s look into the issues that are truly important to each of us! Research the stance of the candidates based on the issues that affect you and use that for the basis of your choice.
• VOTE! So you decided who you want to win the election? Great! Now go out and do your part to secure your candidate’s victory. Remember, with Pennsylvania’s new Voter ID law, you must provide a valid form of identification upon arrival at your local polling place.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

For our 2012 Apprenticeship Application Period we have openings for men and women interested in careers in the Plumbing and Sheet Metal trades.Jessica1
Individuals interested in becoming an apprentice must apply in person and furnish copies of the following non-returnable materials:

1. Proof of age (copy for our records of birth certificate or similar document).
2. Copy of High School Diploma or GED Certificate, if applicable.
3. Transcripts of Last Grade Completed from Guidance Department of school attended.
4. Proof of Trade Work Experience, if any (letter from employer noting experience).
5. Form 214 for Veterans applying. Other forms may be needed.
6. Three Letters of Reference from acquaintances, other than family.

Applicants shall be of legal working age, and physically fit to perform the duties of the trade. All job offers are contingent upon passing physical/drug test, and furnishing ID and work eligibility documents required by U.S. Immigration Laws.

Applicants placed in the eligibility pool will be interviewed by a representative of our Company. They will be notified of the time and date of the interview.
We will have openings for the placement of apprentices as follows:

4 – PLUMBER/PIPEFITTER
1 – SHEET METAL WORKER

Interested persons apply to:

JAMES CRAFT & SON, INC.
2780 YORK HAVEN ROAD, YORK HAVEN, PA 17370

JUNE 4, 2012 thru JUNE 15, 2012 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday

We are an equal opportunity employer, and selection of apprentice applicants under this program shall be on the basis of qualification and without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or non job-related disability.

Continuing education has been a long standing tradition here at James CRAFT & Son, Inc. Our company has had its own state approved apprenticeship program since the mid 1970’s. Our tradition of continuing education carries on as we plan for our 2012 Application Process that will open in June.

Over the years I have had the opportunity to speak on behalf of our Apprenticeship Program to various groups from grade school and high school students to anxious parents and adults looking for a career change. My first question is always “Does anyone know what an apprenticeship program is?” Most of the time I get a lot of blank stares but every now and again some one will say “Does that mean we get paid to learn?”

It sure does!

The fundamentals are learned in the classroom through book work, hands on activities and instructor lectures. Apprenticeship instructors are unique. Many of them are still actively involved in their trades and work a full time job on top of their teaching. The rest have recently retired from their trade and are looking for a way to give back.

Tuition for these classes is paid for by James Craft & Son, Inc. We also pay for your books!!!

In total, our apprentices will spend approximately four years working for their journeyman’s card. It’s hard work, requiring around 8,000 hours of on the job training and another 575 hours in the classroom. And none of that includes the time spent working on homework and studying for exams.

So what do we look for in our future apprentices?

• A High School Diploma or GED
• Good Attendance in School
• Good Grades in construction related classes such as Math, Communications, Drafting, Metal or Wood Technologies, etc.
• Construction Related Work Experience
• Men and Women who are eager to work hard and are ready to learn

Our Apprenticeship Application Process will begin June 4^th. Check back later this month for more information.