The View from the Front Desk
As I sit at my desk listening to music and planning what I will write here, I have a thought. If I did not work here at Covenant Buildings as the office manager, I would have little to no idea what life is like in the construction industry. Even now I only see one small part of the whole. So it occurs to me that it would be interesting to learn more about this industry from those I work closely with who have different perspectives on this world. And what better way to learn, than by teaching. On this blog, I intend to start off by explaining the work I and those in the office with me do. Then I hope to expand and speak with those around us, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. And we will see where this goes from there.
But to begin, an introduction. My name is Parker, and I am the office manager here at Covenant Buildings. If you call us, chances are that mine will be the first voice you hear. I began with the company in February of 2023, and since then I have been trained in invoicing, some levels of HR and payroll, and I have had the opportunity to become a Notary for the State of Colorado. Most of my days are spent ensuring that receipts are entered promptly and correctly into our accounting system, creating invoices for work completed, and answering phone calls and emails so that no potential projects get missed.
In between those jobs, I make a daily post office run and run to the bank if it is needed that day, and I ensure that the office is well stocked for our staff and any visitors. This is my favorite part of my job. Very few things make me as happy as making sure that our guys have everything they need while at the office itself. Coffee, trail mix, water bottles, electrolyte boosters during the summer, hot drinks during the winter. It delights me to make sure they are comfortable and feel cared for here. As Christmas nears, I am also beginning to plan the company Christmas party, and appreciation gifts for the staff. I am grateful for my coworker Emilie, especially in this process. I like to think that I have a good eye for what kind of swag would look good for our guys. But Emilie is far more artistic that I, and her input is invaluable to me. Not to mention the joy that it is to work with friends.
There are multiple people in the office that I need to be careful around. If I’m not, we could easily spend our whole work day just chatting. I count myself very lucky to have such pleasant company.
Once a week, we have an optional time for an hour before the workday begins for us to hang out, chat about the weekend, and just socialize before we go on to work. On my first day, Robin, our HR and financials person, brought in bagels to celebrate both my first day and her birthday. This spawned a tradition where once a month I bring in a box of bagels from a nearby restaurant during this pre-work hour. I normally try to time this close to any birthdays we have during that month, as most of our guys are not exactly looking to celebrate becoming another year older. We have found this to be a good, quiet way of celebrating without becoming annoying.
I say guys a lot in this, so I want to clarify. All of the staff on the construction side of the business are guys, and they are the folks I interact with the most. We have two wonderful women in the office, both of whom are far more capable in their roles than I feel I am in mine. We also have both male and female janitors who do exceptional work. But because I mostly interact with the construction guys, I have a tendency to simplify my phrases that way.
But during all of this, the closest I have come to participating in construction is helping to unload materials into the shop, and the closest I have come to the planning of new construction, is that it is done about 10 feet behind my desk. So I have a lot that I can learn about the ins and outs of construction and project management. Therefore, I want to talk with those who know better and more, and I want to learn from their wisdom. Next month I hope to Interview the bossman himself, Toby, and learn about the history of the company, how and why he set it up the way he did, and what insights he has into the industry as it exists today.
If you have questions for me, or anything you want to learn from these experts, please feel free to contact me, and I will be glad to include the answer in the next months blog. And if I don’t know the answer, I will do all I can to find it, or find the person to ask.