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| Plumbers Success International (PSI) 2005 Training Company of the Year Award |
Gem Plumbing & Heating has recently won the PSI (Plumbers Success International) Training Company of the Year. The Florida based consulting/contracting firm of which Gem is a member, choose the Rhode Island home services company from hundreds of entries. Gem Plumbing & Heating recently relocated to a 30,000 square foot facility complete with a state of the art class room training facility.
Gem University is a 60 person, fully automated classroom with real-time streaming video capability. This classroom offers employees a state of the art training facility with classes in plumbing, heating, cooling, drain cleaning, apprenticeship training, professional presentation training, and specialized classes for the many different products we use everyday.
We have a full time Training Director on site who facilitates and coordinates all of our training classes. Our training center can accommodate up to 60 people at one time and is equipped with the most innovative, state of the art training equipment known to the plumbing industry. We also possess the ability to broadcast our classes live via the internet and archive them for future use.
Many of our vendors also offer training classes and information update sessions in which our training center is utilized. In the near future, our employees will be able to obtain educational classes that will prepare them for degree programs at local colleges and universities.
Gem’s in-house training program consists of a team leader meeting every morning for one hour. At these meetings, the team leader follows the attached meeting agenda. All training at these meetings is based on the PSI System. We also provide in-house training for all technicians and plumbers every Saturday morning for three hours which includes the Seven Superstar Strategies, Value Building, Features and Benefits, Dealing with Objections and all other facets and systems from PSI. Gem also offers product, distributor and manufacturer training which is conducted by their company representatives. Currently, the following manufacturers/product training is ongoing:
Thermo Pride Thermo Products
Burnham Hydronics
Delta Products
Ferguson Integrated Supply
New Millenium Academy (PPC, CSR/DSP, DCP, RvsR)
Enviro-Clean (Mold remediation)
Insurance Reconstruction Services (Restoration)
Water Quality Assurance (Back Flow Prevention)
Gem’s external training programs currently consist of extensive training for the Malcomb Baldrige National Quality Award Program in conjunction with the Rhode Island Center for Performance Excellence and Roger Williams University. Several Gem employees have completed the Journey To Performance Excellence Training course and other related courses as we prepare to proceed with the application process for the Rhode Island State Quality Award for Performance Excellence and the Baldrige National Quality Award in 2004. As current members of ASQ (American Society for Quality) and Goal QPC, Gem is continually involved with performance excellence initiatives. Gem has been participating in a two year Continuous Improvement Program including both management and non-management employees in classes to improve Leadership, Team Effectiveness Training, and Steering Committee formation. The goal of this program is to create a systematic approach to achieve desired business results.
Managers have also attended many seminars in the New England area and beyond. Rod Rodrigues has attended the “Secrets to Dynamic Franchise Success” seminar presented by the International Institute for Franchise Education. Four personnel from Gem have also attended Successware training in Buffalo, NY in March 2003. In July 2003, Gem had nine employees travel to the Symmons Manufacturing Plant in Norton, MA for a tour of the manufacturing facility and training on Symmons products. In August 2003, Gem had eight personnel from the company tour the Veissmann Company manufacturing facility. They also received training of Veissmann Products. The Gem Leadership and Management team has also toured TACO Inc., a Rhode Island based company which manufactures small and large valve pumps and other plumbing products.
NMA training has been a tremendous benefit to Gem offering classes and training that are essential to our trade. NMA training has assisted us in helping to escalate the time line for policy and procedure changes as well as provided solid insight with regard to the “business” part of our organization. Gem has benefited both by company has grown to their current size and profit margin with the help of NMA training. The biggest benefit has been with our employees. By sending individuals to NMA training, they have learned a better understanding and have more buy-in on what they are hearing and seeing. A good company trainer will take his or her NMA training knowledge and validate and enforce it with their employees. The personnel that attend NMA training and practice what they learn, usually become your star performers.
The educational programs Gem would like to see in the future include IAQ type courses and plumbing company daily management courses. These courses should be designed for all levels of management and potential new managers to attend. This training should consist of the daily trials and tribulations of operating as a manager in both of the service areas. The IAQ courses that should be taught are basic IAQ (what is it and why is it important). Also included should be filtration and air purification. NMA should also have a few certification programs or partner with a company that provides certifications such as Air System Cleaning Specialist, Certified Mold Remidiators, and Certified Indoor Environmentalist. We would also like to see more online training with testing abilities and more technical training.
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