Week 13 Tony Saucedo

Two major events took place this past week. For one, I was able to finish my intern presentation on the various generational gaps within the workforce today. Second, I had the privilege of visiting the new future home of my favorite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings.

I thank the entire Ideal Contracting DEEC team for their hospitality. The arena must be completed for the 2017-2018 hockey season, so every man hour counts. Many workers had to return to work during the weekend, just so we could be able to visit on Friday; so far that, I am grateful.

The summer is now coming to a close, but I sincerely look forward to presentations this Thursday in the training room. I invite everybody to attend (if you have time).

Tony's 12th Week

The first week of August was a colossal success. The month of July has come to a close, which means Virg and I had to collect all Home Depot purchase receipts made by employees with assigned Home Depot company credit cards. All receipts were turned in on time, except for 35 of them. This is understandable, however, because the men and women out on the job site are extraordinarily busy.  Virg and I made some phone calls to hunt down these people. By this morning, all receipts for July purchases will be submitted.

"More Saving. More Doing."

In addition to the Home Depot receipts, Dave delegated the small tool and equipment report to me, and this time the large consumables report to Roberto. Last month, I did consumables, and it was fantastically tedious. The small tool and equipment did not take as long to complete, and it is categorized which makes it easier to enter into the SAP system. This week was definitely one of the more bustling weeks at Ideal, and I look forward to next week.

Last Week's Staff Meeting w/ Crew

To see more of my blog posts, click here.  

Week 11 for Saucedo, Tony

Two events really highlighted my week this time around.  For one, I am just about finished with my intern presentation topic. It is going to be a hit: fun, interactive, and educational. My hope is that it sparks a conversation among all employees, especially even some of the execs. I really look forward to the presentation of others as well.

The second highlight was being able to see everybody at the quarterly staff meeting yesterday. I saw some new but mostly familiar faces. It is crazy how much the company has grown, both in revenues and employment, since the time I started back in June of 2014. Since my first day, more people have been hired, some people have left but have gotten replaced, the office has expanded, and so has our company outreached. It is an exciting time to be at Ideal.

I also had to do a couple of deliveries to and from Barton Malow. It is nice to get out of the office every now and then. As always, I look forward to next week's challenges. If you are interested in reading some of my other blogs, feel free to click on my blog link.

Throwback to 2014 SOY

Have a safe weekend everybody!

Tony Saucedo Week 10 - Bryn Mawr College

This week was cut short because I was out of town from Wednesday to Friday. I attended an editors' conference, on behalf of a campus publication I am a part of over at the University of Michigan, in the Philadelphian suburb of Bryn Mawr for tips on how to run and preserve a campus newspaper.  The college of Bryn Mawr is beautiful. Here are three pictures from the trip:

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr College

Merrion Cricket Club, for Dinner!

It is good to be back home and back at work now. I look forward to this week. To check out my other blogs from this year, click on this link. 

Tony's 9th Week

This mid-July week was one of the busier ones for certain.

During the beginning of the week, I assisted Virg in hunting down all the people who were missing Home Depot receipts. It is imperative that all employees with a Home Depot credit card turn in all of their receipts on time so that the purchasing can document all the transactions online for our reference. If Home Depot, and really any receipts for that matter, do not get turned in on time, then that can look really bad on the company come time to audit. Remember: General Motors is watching!

Speaking of audit, I had the opportunity to sit down with Alexandria to go through what a PDPM audit is like.  It taught me the importance of a PO, and not going over the PO dollar amount, which is basically an estimation or budget established by the estimating department on every job. I am extremely happy that I had this session with Alex because it taught me why the work of the accounting and purchasing departments here are so vital.

During the past two summers, I worked closely with Patti in PDPM audits. She is super meticulous and writes everything down; two things you look for in a good accountant. At the time, I was young and had very little knowledge on accounting, but Patti taught me some basics on how to successfully bill a job. However, due to my ignorance, I had not yet had a full grasp on why Patti taught me some of the things she does. I wasn't completely clueless, but I realized I still had a lot to learn.

The auditing segment helped everything make more sense to me. In the past, I understood the what and how of accounting and purchasing, but listening to Alex explain the basics of auditing helped me understand more of the why.  There is still much for me to be learned, but this definitely helped me move forward. Plans for the next few weeks include having me dive in and audit a few PDPM jobs so I can get my feet wet. I really look forward to these days. Special thanks to Alex for taking time out of her day to teach me these basics!

Check out the my other posts from this summer by clicking here.

Tony Saucedo Week 8

This week has easily been one of the busiest of the summer. First, since the month of June just ended, Dave and I worked on a consumables report while Roberto did small tools and materials. Every month, Dave sends emails to PMs for them to approve certain transactions to the correct network and activity numbers. I then calculate the totals and report the correct network and activity codes to the corresponding cost centers, and enter all data into SAP for reference. We then scan the reports in case we need to print them off again. These reports needed to get done by Friday and we were able to do it with teamwork and effort.

I also helped Virg with Exxon Mobil and Home Depot receipts. Every month, employees who get reimbursement for their vehicles are to collect and submit their gasoline receipts to the purchasing department, and fill out an expense log so we can enter them into a system and give them their deserved reimbursement. It is tedious to look and make sure all employees have the correct receipts submitted in time but completely necessary. 

Similarly, employees on job sites must collect and submit their Home Depot receipts to the purchasing department if they are issued a Home Depot card. I went through the invoice/receipt list and highlighted all invoice numbers and corresponding invoice dollar amounts that were submitted. This week, Virg and I will have to reach out to the people with missing invoices so we can get them into the system and get rolling. 

It was a very productive week and I look forward to this week, so bring it on week 9.

 This stack of papers is a consumables report. 

Week 7 Blog -- Tony Saucedo

I am honored to publish the first intern blog of July.

Employees on the job site are often granted a company vehicle, like a pick-up truck, for a certain time period so that they can fulfill their job duties.  They must abide by all safety protocols in order for them to operate any motor vehicle because operating any company machinery or motor vehicles is a privilege, not a right. I sat down with safety and purchasing colleagues to revise and edit the current vehicle safety policy.  Due to my lack of experience, I was not able to contribute much to the discussion but what I like about attending these important meetings is that it gives me a feel for what a professional meeting is like, so that I am ready to lead them in the future. Open communication is highly advised, and meticulousness matters.  Ultimately, the highest and most important objective of the company is for every employee to get home to their families safely after a job well done. As Nick Luxon said during the first intern meeting last May, some companies operate on the basis of profits; Ideal Contracting LLC runs on safety, period. No excuses!

Another highlight of the week had to do with rental invoices. This is a standard practice for purchasing: After invoices have been put into the system once, we go back and record the network and activity numbers (given to us from a template on SAP) and record it onto the invoice in pen for our reference.  

Happy Independence Day to all. Remember to be safe, grill the burgers just right, and wave those American flags proudly.

PS: If you have not already, check out this video update of the Ft. Wayne project. This is where we interns were last week: Ft. Wayne BMC-Ideal Video

Week 6 Blog: Tony Saucedo

It was a rather eventful week here at Ideal.  During the beginning of the week, I revised and posted a large consumable report onto SAP once I received the approval of the PMs. Purchasing establishes the rates of the consumable items and then the PMs and PEs confirm the network and activity numbers for me to punch into SAP. Once that task was done, I shifted my focus to the master vehicle fuel report.  Every month, Virg must go through copies of receipts and punch in certain data containing mileage for each vehicle that was used on a job. Later on, I work on a few miscellaneous office assignments and gathered SOY shirts of superintendents for them to wear during the event in August.

The highlight of the week was obviously the Fort Wayne job site visit. We arrived Wednesday evening, checked into our hotel and had a nice steak dinner with Glenn and Derek. It was a great opportunity to bond with one another and learn about their respective career tracks. Glenn was a member of one of the first ever Ideal Contracting intern classes, and he is now the senior manager for this huge Barton Malow project which to me is very impressive. His loyalty to the company must be a testament to the training, mentoring, and family-oriented foundation Ideal provides to its people -- qualities that only certain companies can boast.

We got a tour of the job site. Jon Hautau and Gus Cerku also contributed to the tour, as they contain an abundance of knowledge on the subject of construction, both on the managerial and labor sides. The three of them, Glenn, Hautau, and Gus, touched on a multitude of concepts that are not explained in a typical college or university classroom. It taught me that much of what you do in the workplace is knowledge that is obtained on the job and passed down by more experienced professionals, rather than from a McGraw-Hill textbook.

Below are some pictures we took on the trip. A huge thank you goes out to the following people for helping make this field trip a success: Jon Hautau, Yesi Ramos, Alex Hamric, Gus Cerku, Glenn Peer, and Derek Wolo--You guys are the best!

 Cement laying. A laser beam helps detect the smoothness and levelness of the floor, so that there are no bumps. This is a relatively new innovation within the construction industry that has helped make the lives of these hard-working laborers much easier. 

The Squad

Week 5 Blog -- Tony Saucedo

Another successful, educational, action-packed week is in the books. I tried my best to approach this week the way I ought to approach every week: with a positive attitude and great enthusiasm. Everybody who works out of building C tends to have a positive, energetic attitude towards work; it is contagious, and can help make the day productive.

One crucial principle to maintain here at Ideal is our image. Dave Miller and I talk about image all the time. If Ideal's image looks flawed: that is, if equipment is left outside the warehouse, or if there are nasty weeds and patches of crabgrass everywhere, then the company will have a tough time attracting new business. That is why one of my assignments consisted of some landscaping. I used hedge sheers, the pruning lopper, and weed whacker to cut some of the remaining weeds and tall crabgrass along the fence. We will then pour huge loads of Round-Up to finish the job.

The rest of the week included more asset tracking and reporting, as well as a few sit down training sessions for posting materials and consumables with Dave. I will complete a few consumables reports starting Monday around 10 AM, once all PMs approve and return the billing transactions to me. Finally, I sat in during Linda's training session on Union Contracts this morning. I learned a lot from this event, as I was able to relate some of the things she discussed with the Union work I did with her a few weeks ago.  I look forward to more learning, productiveness, enthusiasm, and high energy next week at Ideal.




Here is a picture of a mobile orbit laptop unit I built today, with the help of Bill and Terry.

Tony Saucedo: Week 4 Blog

I have reached out to just about every Ideal Contracting employee to gather their computer model name and serial numbers. This will help the purchasing department carefully monitor our assets by being able to update and revise the document whenever a new laptop is issued.

Another project I worked on is cutting grass and weed-whacking in the area surrounding building c.  There are some ugly weeds and patches of crabgrass surrounding the warehouse, where customers, colleagues, and subcontractors come in to drop off and pick up orders. It may seem like hard labor, but keeping building c tidy from the inside and outside is completely necessary for maintaining strong relationships with customers and subcontractors. We at the yard agree that keeping the place tidy, clean, neat, and organized will help attract people and prosper business.  I used a large, heavy-duty lawn mower to cut large patches of weeds and crabgrass, and used the weed-whacker to cut the hard to reach places. Once this was done, I sprayed Round-Up weed killer in every possible sidewalk crack and patch of crabgrass I could find.  

Finally, I printed out a list of employees, with corresponding shirt sizes, and passed out SOY golf shirts.  They are white this year. Just about every Detroit, Warren, and Flint employee either has received or will receive their shirt by the end of today. Pontiac, Milford, DEC, and Fort Wayne, you are next. 

I look forward to Week 5, where I will hopefully figure out my presentation topic, plan my shadow/interview with executive, and possibly even visit the DEC job site.  

Tony Saucedo -- Week Two and Three

Over the course of the last week and a half, Dave and I have worked meticulously on finding a quicker and easier way to charge our large owned pieces of equipment (which include excavators, backhoes, loaders, telehandlers, and dump trucks) to jobs. There are currently around 14 pieces of equipment in our inventory (either at a job site or available for rental). Our hope is that, if implemented, this new costing system on this specific equipment will save PMs a few dollars since it is on an Excel spreadsheet instead of ToolWatch, a software that is not free.

Aside from this experiment, I also spent some time working with Linda on a few union payroll assignments. Each union that works for us has its unique set of rates and benefits. Every so often, these union rates change, so spreadsheets containing this data must be updated in a timely fashion. When that work was done, I helped Eddy with some yard recovery data entry into SAP.




Finally, my mentor, Dave Miller, recently celebrated a birthday. Happy birthday Dave--did you like the bouquet?

Tony Saucedo: Keeping Track of Inventory

In order for company operations to run smoothly,  the accounting department must successfully and carefully monitor all of its assets. During the beginning of this week, I had to take care of a few preliminary tasks, like orientation, picking up materials from Southfield, and working with Barton Malow IT to make sure my computer is ready for work.

Once all of that work was completed, I walked over to building c, the trailer, and the main office to record everybody's computer model name and serial number. In the afternoon, I drove over to WTC and did the same thing. For Milford and Pontiac employees, I sent out emails requesting this information. All of this data was recorded onto a spreadsheet for us to analyze.  

By next week, I should have everybody's computer information so we can figure out who needs a new laptop and who does not.  It was wonderful to see everybody again here at Ideal and meet fellow interns.  I look forward to week 2. 

Welcome Tony Saucedo!

My name is Tony Saucedo and I am a rising junior at the University of Michigan, studying International Studies and Business. Hobbies include running, reading, playing with my golden retriever, and attending sporting events with friends. At U of M, I serve on the executive board for ALPFA, a Latino business organization.