Freeze II Day TWO
Thursday
2-24-2022
too many twos
The Grand Prairie office will be closed Thursday. Dakota and friends will answer the phones remotely.
All that can work remotely should.
The office will reopen on Friday as the roads permit.
Service will be in emergency mode. Case by case until roads improve.
For those that cannot work because of the weather, the company allows inclement weather pay. See Ray's Ramblings in the Feb. newsletter.
Use the Normal Admin task, change the Time Bill Category to INCLEMENTWEATHER.
Instruction video below.
Always communicate with your supervisor what you choose. They will be approving your time bill.
Freeze II
Let's talk about the weather.
Wednesday and Thursday looks like a freeze events are here.
The Office will open late on Wednesday. Time to be determined. Maybe by 10:00am. Dakota will be answering the phones remotely.
The road conditions are forecasted to be covered in ice depending where you start or end your journey.
If working remote is an option, this will be a good choice. Consult with your supervisors about your best choice.
The road and jobsite conditions will require a judgement decision.
Consult with your supervisors and advise all that need to know your choice.
The plan is to have the warehouse open if possible. Call ahead,
Thursday morning commute
Kyle Kotrla
Kyle joined Lone Star a little over 2 years ago. Kyle has embraced the Project Superintendent role whole heartedly. He has earned the respect of his co-workers and proven to be reliable.
What do you do at LSC?
Project Superintendent.
I supervise projects on the Education side and act as the liaison between PMs and the Techs. Make sure material, equipment, and assignments are managed.
What positions have you held at LSC?
Project Superintendent
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
Graduating college, Texas A&M, with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology-sport management.
Ran a full marathon in Park Cities Utah. (26.2 miles).
Tell me something we do not know about you?
I’m ambidextrous.
Ambidextrous I am.
I grew up in a very small-town of 1100 people, one stop sign and one policeman. The Kotrla family heritage goes back for several generations settling from Germany and Czechoslovakia. (Rogers, Texas)
What jobs did you do before LS?
I was an assistant basketball coach at the college level, medical sales rep, worked in the airline industry (Southwest). I was with DJM as a PM for 4.5 years installing Hill-Rom NC.
What do you do for fun?
I enjoy working out, sand volleyball, snow skiing. Basically, anything sports related or physically challenging.
What is your most memorable vacation?
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – I really enjoyed the deep-sea fishing, swimming with Dolphins, culture, and scenery.
Do you have a story reflecting one team, one purpose and one family?
One team –
I was assigned a project in Highland Park with security in the scope. Our techs working this job had limited experience in that area (as did I), but James Schwendig offered to jump in and help us further understand the system and what needed to be done to complete that part of the work. That was very much appreciated.
One purpose –
At Mesquite Vanguard (originally Choice), Richard Nguyen worked with the MISD IT department to help them understand how the security system tied into the TCU.
One Family –
There’s been a couple of different instances where we’ve received emails with co-workers needing help or going through personal struggles, and the outpour of support (monetary and non-monetary) from everyone else is just mind-blowing.
Hello Grand Prairie!
Friendly reminder to cast a vote for your teammates if you have not already.
Don’t forget you are voting two individuals for this recognition!
The average time to vote is less than two minutes!
Voting closes at 5:00 pm on Thursday.
Please use this survey link to cast.
Get your vote in!
February 8
Mask update:
As of today, the wearing of masks in the office is optional. The numbers have come down and the risk has diminished. Masks are available for small gatherings in conference rooms and classrooms for your comfort as you see fit. The team thanks you for your participation.
Clear weather ahead.
Weather update February 3rd, 2022
Day Two
If your road conditions are not drivable, please do not put yourself at risk.
Please follow the same plan as Thursday.
Work from home.
Service will follow the same instructions as yesterday.
Field ops. Consult with your Superintendent for scheduling.
Weather update February 2nd, 2022
Thursday Morning ICE
What should I do?
If your road conditions are not drivable, please do not put yourself at risk.
Office:
Plan on working from home Thursday February 3rd.
The telephones will be answered remotely.
Stay tuned for Friday updates.
Service:
Due to adverse weather and poor driving conditions expected in the metroplex over the next 72 hour we are taking the following steps for everyone’s safety.
Our scheduled Responder 5K training has been cancelled that was to take place on 2/3 & 2/4. This will be rescheduled for a later date.
Service Department office personnel will work remotely on Thursday 2/3 and potentially 2/4 if weather conditions don’t improve.
Installations and other low priority work planned for this week will be moved to the following week.
Emergency after-hour service will be handled on a case-by-case basis and will need approval from the Service Manager or Director.
During normal business hours we will also encourage our customers to allow us to perform service when safe to travel. Escalated requests will also need approval from the Service Manager or Director.
If we are unable to travel due to extreme weather, you may be asked to take a PTO day for each day missed.
Please tune in to your regularly scheduled service huddle at 7:50am and monitor Teams.
Operations:
All field work for Thursday has been suspended.
Friday work will be determined depending on weather conditions.
Field techs will communicate with their Superintendents concerning the Friday schedule.
There may be limited Saturday work available for make up hours.
Scheduled Operations Huddles will be at normal scheduled times.
This is a good time to discuss the work schedule.
The LSGP Warehouse will be closed.
There is an ICE Event coming!!!