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May 2022 eNewsletter
Safety today means Action tomorrow!
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Way to Go Tulsa Apprentice Team!!
The 2022 National Craft Championship was held March 14-17, 2022 in San Antonio, TX.
Our Tulsa apprentice team included Johnathan Cook, John Reschick, Michael Sturdevant, and alternate Juan Sierra! These men competed at a national level against the top teams in the United States.
The week was filled with competition, seminars, exhibits, and bonding with mutual participants.
We are so proud to say that our Tulsa team placed in the top 15!!
WAY TO GO TEAM TULSA!!
A special KUDOS to Joe Dye, Tulsa Apprentice School instructor!! Job well done!!
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Congratulations April 2022 Master Chefs!
The Barling "cook off" included recipes with only 5 ingredients or less...
Steve Meadow took home the 1st place with "Crack Bombs!"
Tied for 2nd was Jill Champion with "Ham & Cheese Sliders" and Chad Moreton with "Jalapeño Pie!"
GREAT JOB BARLING MASTER CHEFS!
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Congratulations, Gerry Navarrete!
Action, Inc. Apprentice of the Year
North West and Western Arkansas Region
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Gerry was voted as this year's Apprentice of the Year for the North West and Western AR Region!!
Standing behind him are some apprentice teachers to cheer him on! From left to right: Jerry Southerland FS 3rd year teacher, Donny Cook NWA all levels, and Evan Dvorak FS 4th year teacher.
Gerry is a FS 4th year, 2nd semester apprentice student and will be graduating this spring! He excels at both school and at work!!
Congratulations Gerry!
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Congratulations, William Hallman!
Action, Inc. Apprentice of the Year
Central Arkansas Region
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William was voted as this year's Apprentice of the Year for the Central AR Region!!
William is a LR 4th year, 2nd semester apprentice student and will be graduating this spring! William is an outstanding young man, both at school and in the field.
Congratulations William!
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Congratulations, Chris French!
Action, Inc. Employee of the Quarter
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Chris French
Foreman and Journeyman Plumber
This is what Project Manager, Donny Cook had to say about him:
"I chose Chris French for employee of the quarter because Chris goes above and beyond to make sure that our crew is prepared and organized daily. He teaches as he guides them. If an employee is struggling with a task, Chris will stop what he is doing to help them grasp the task."
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Project of the Quarter
Peak Innovation Center
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Scope of Work: Plumbing
Summary: The PEAK innovation center is a remodel of an existing building, which was donated to the Fort Smith Public School Board, into a 165,000 square foot education facility. PEAK is designed to train and educate students in the fields of advanced manufacturing, nursing, robotics, machining, technology, and much more. The general contractor was Turn Key Construction Managers, and in coordination with them PEAK was completed by March 2022.
PEAK has a compressed air system that services the classrooms for pneumatics, automation, and computer aided CNC machines. PEAK has 2 sets of men's and women's bathrooms, and 2 family bathrooms with a total of 29 water closets, 7 urinals, 4 bank Bradley lavatories, 4 three bank Bradley lavatories, and 3 single lavatories. The facility also has 3 water heaters with 2 recirculation pumps.
PEAK Innovation Center opened its doors to students on March 28th.
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Foreman: Clayton Parsley
Journeymen Plumber's: Corey Post, Dustin Redding, Scott Graham, Juan Lopez
Apprentices: Robert Harrison (1st year), Rick Reeves (2nd Year), Dustin Mays (4th Year) - Not Pictured
Welder's and Fitters: Errick Ellington, Bob Ryder, David Silkowski - Not Pictured, Paul Brown - Not Pictured
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Clayton Parsley (Foreman)
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Action's Maumelle Office Goes GREEN!
By Robin D’Onofrio
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Having worked at Action going on 6 years, it came as no surprise when I was told that our Maumelle office had gone solar. Action has always been in the forefront of modern change, efficiency, and working lean. Now, added to the list is, going “Green.” When Alan Wright asked me to write a story about this, I got really excited because every little bit of renewable energy will certainly help the planet….but how much can a few solar panels really help save the planet and global warming?.....
Well, I certainly found out when I talked with Nate Bell, the commercial sales consultant at Seal Solar! Nate is literally a walking encyclopedia so full of information, I couldn’t write fast enough! Here’s what I learned:
The new solar panel system at our Maumelle office is designed to produce 52,431 KWH annually. The KWH offset over the 30-year life of the system is 1,572,930. But what does that mean? What is the tangible offset? How can one office help save the planet while trying to save money? I would compare to the saying, “'It’s only 1 straw,' said 8,000,000 people.”
By using the greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator, I was able to find out exactly what it meant. This calculator helped me translate from abstract to something concrete, or in other words, something I could identify with and understand. Here is the positive environmental impact of the solar system at the Maumelle office. This offset is equivalent to:
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Annual |
30 years |
| CO2 Offset |
37.2 metric tons |
1,115 metric tons |
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from |
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| Cars drove for 1 year: |
8.1 cars |
242 |
| Miles drove by average car: |
93,383 |
2,801,482 |
CO2 Emissions from |
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| Gallons of gasoline consumed: |
4,181 |
125,431 |
| Gallons of diesel consumed: |
3,650 |
109,500 |
| Pounds of coal burned: |
41,069 |
1,232,068 |
| Tanker trucks full of fuel: |
0.492 |
14.8 |
| Homes' energy use 1/yr: |
4.5 |
134 |
| Homes' electricity use 1/yr: |
6.7 |
202 |
| Barrels of oil consumed: |
86 |
2,581 |
| LP cylinders - home BBQ's: |
1,519 |
45,569 |
| Smartphones charged: |
4,519,867 |
135,596,022 |
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.........And the list keeps going. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THAT!
That just blows my mind that one business location can have such a positive effect on the planet and global warming!
In my conversation with Nate, we discussed the money, longevity, partnerships with electric companies for payback figures, durability, maintenance, living off-grid, and so much more. During this conversation, I found out that Nate does live off-grid, using only solar as his renewable energy. He and his wife built their own home, using the natural resources on their property. Their water supply is a spring that is piped into his home. My husband and I have been invited to their home to see in person, what living off-grid is like. I can’t wait to go!
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Solar Panels at Maumelle Office
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The Maumelle office is much different than living off-grid. Instead of using batteries to store energy, Action will partner with the local electric company and will receive credits for KWH generated by their solar panels. This credit will be used to offset their electric bill. Each electric company has their own policies regarding solar credits. With the electric company servicing Maumelle, AR, Action will have a 7-year payback on the solar panels. These particular solar panels have a rating of 85% usage at the end of 30 years. I would say that’s a win-win deal!
In closing, I would like to say, on a personal note, my husband and I will be using solar energy once we move. I cannot wait to be a link in the renewable energy chain and to know that we are also making a difference!
Nate Bell was amazing to talk to. His customer service was impeccable. Nate took the time to educate me on the importance of renewable energy and how it works. So glad we talked!
If you are interested in reaching out to the Seal Solar team, click on the logo:
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The Spotlight
How Action Became Action, Inc.
Ron Wright
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Today's spotlight story is on Ron Wright, co-founder of Action, Inc.
By Robin D’Onofrio
Ron Wright and Dan Johnston created the “Action” name in 1981. Together, they changed their dreams into reality. Working together, side by side, they created what would become one of the largest mechanical contracting companies in the region. Here’s how it all began….
Ron Wright was born in Fort Smith, AR and has lived there all of his life. Ron is the youngest of 4 siblings; an older brother and two older sisters. At the young age of 13, instead of playing with the other kids, he spent his summer days working with his father, learning the trade. His father owned his own commercial refrigeration installation business and Ron couldn’t get enough of it. He loved it. So, the dream began…
While attending Northside high school, he focused on classes that would help pave that path. And after graduating in 1963, he enrolled in Fort Smith Jr. College and took additional classes that he would need to help create his own company.
After college, Ron began working for Woolbright Fixture Company, a commercial refrigeration installation company. During his time there, he learned pipefitting, welding, and many other skills that he would use later down the road.
Shortly thereafter, he began working for The Fagan Company. The Fagan Company had headquarters in Little Rock and an office in Fort Smith. Dan was the manager of the Fort Smith office and Ron was a project manager there. In no time at all, the two became good friends. So, when The Fagan Company announced, they were going to down size and close the Fort Smith office, it was no surprise that Ron and Dan decided to create their own business together. For the next 24 years, Dan & Ron worked tirelessly, creating a name for themselves in the mechanical contracting business.
In 2004, Dan Johnston’s health began to seriously decline. Consequently, Ron and Dan sold Action to Alan Wright, Ron’s son and Clint Elliott, Dan Johnston’s son in law. And so began the next generation of Action…
Sadly, Dan Johnston passed on May 12, 2008. He is missed by many friends at Action.
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On the personal side of things, in Ron’s younger days, he loved to golf, was an avid hunter, and loved to fish. His was especially fond of fly fishing and deep-sea fishing. When I asked him if he liked to deep sea fish, he proudly displayed some pictures for me! The first is a 28 lb. red snapper he caught in Key West, FL. The second picture is an 18 lb. snook caught in Captiva, FL. He is a huge Razorback fan and attends as many games as possible! He also loves to cook, especially recipes that include fish!
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Ron is married and has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Ron and Katie Porta knew each other from their high school days, but they didn’t get serious until about a year after graduation. They married in 1965 and have been married for 57 years! Together they have 3 children. Rhonda, Alan, and Jamie. Rhonda, the oldest, currently lives in Chattanooga, TN and is a high school educator, Alan, the middle child is the president of Action, and Jamie, the youngest, is a project manager at Action in the NWA area.
When I asked Ron what words of wisdom, he would say to inspire the young, he responded with, “Hard work never hurt anyone.” When I asked him how he made Action successful, he responded, “Be honest with everyone and treat your customers right.”
In closing, I would like to say that I am honored to have met Ron Wright. Ron is a kind and gentle man that displays sincerity and integrity with each word he speaks. When we first met, almost 6 years ago, he always made it a point to ask how I was doing, when I was going through chemo. I will never forget that. Still to this day, he always stops to say hi to me. I truly believe that the “bones” of a company begin with the managers and owners, and he is all of that!
Job well done Ron!
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Welcome Ila Aurora Nichols!
Born: 03/19/2022
Congratulations to Ryan Nichols and Rayne Lewis!
Illa Aurora Nichols was born March 19, 2022, weighing 7 lbs 12 oz, and 13.1" long.
Ryan is a 4th year apprentice plumber out of our Little Rock office and proud grandpa is Josh Nichols, Little Rock foreman.
CONGRATULATIONS!!
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Visit our website to learn about our
Apprenticeship Program!
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Safety Training Videos
The Action Safety Training Videos are now on the company website! You can access this page by scrolling down to the footer of the website and clicking the link "HR Videos" or follow the link below.
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Employee Suggestions
In an ongoing effort to improve our company and our employees, Action Mechanical encourages you to participate in an Employee Suggestion Form. This form is open to all employees and can be submitted quarterly. This provides you the opportunity to improve and benefit our company and customers.
Suggestions that identify specific problems or opportunities and propose suitable solutions to enhance Action Mechanical's efficiency and effectiveness will be provided cash awards. Cash awards will be authorized each quarter for employees who's ideas are adopted and implemented or result in measurable dollar savings.
Cash awards are based on the best idea each quarter. The winner will receive $500. An employee suggestion form is attached for your use. Upon completion of this form, please submit to the following:
awright@action-mechanical.com or celliott@action-mechanical.com.
We look forward to your participation in this program and the success we anticipate it will bring.
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Family Scholarship Program
Action, Inc. has established a scholarship program to assist employees’ children who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. Scholarships are offered each year for full-time study at an accredited institution of the student’s choice.
This scholarship program is administered by Scholarship Management Services®, a division of Scholarship America®. Scholarship Management Services is the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability or national origin.
Follow the links below for additional scholarship information and scholarship application form.
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2021-2022 Scholarship Recipients
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Alan Wright - President, Dyllan Newell, Allan Newell - Father & Shop Manager
"Thank you again for your continued support for the last 4 years. This scholarship has been extremely helpful for me and my family as I continue my studies at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. I have been working on getting my bachelors degree in Media Communication for the last 3 years. As I enter my senior year, it is a blessing to know that I will be leaving my undergrad with zero debt. As through this scholarship and some others from the school and state I have been able to attend college for free and actually get paid to attend school. After my senior year, I plan to either get a job in higher education through my fraternity's main office and pursue a master's degree in business administration, or go straight to grad school for my master's. Again thank you for your support through this scholarship and helping further my education."
- Dyllan Newell
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Alan Wright - President, Hunter Cook, Donny Cook -Father & Project Manager
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting higher education. It is an honor to have been selected to receive the Family Scholarship Award for the 2021-2022 academic years. My major will be in Marketing and Management at UCA in Conway, AR."
- Hunter Cook
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Click here for a list of birthdays for this quarter!
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