Nominate Your 2018 Hard Hat Hero
Kicking off this year’s Hard Hat Hero contest is particularly exciting for me. Last year I had the honor of being named Procore’s Hard Hat Hero, getting the opportunity to visit the Procore campus in California and meeting Mike Rowe. Hard Hat Hero is a way we can recognize people in the construction industry who have gone the extra mile. When I was nominated to be the HHH by my wife, Rebecca, I was stunned. I do my job the best I can and try to do it well for everyone around me, but she saw more to my story.
When asked how I would define a Hard Hat Hero I was stumped simply because there is such a large range of people I would consider heroes in this industry. A Hard Hat Hero can be anyone who puts on that hat everyday – from the broom pusher to the CEO.
In my opinion, a Hard Hat Hero is not only someone who moves a project forward to ensure it gets done safely, on time and under budget, but someone who acts as a leader on and off the jobsite.
The book Passion and I.C.E. by Stephen Stefano, has defined a leader for me. The key leadership qualities highlighted in the book––passion, integrity, courage, and empathy––have stuck with me. It is the combination of these key qualities that I believe make up a hero. Hard Hat Hero brings to light the women and men in the industry who have impacted their communities in great ways.
For example, Gina Grundmeier was another 2017 HHH nominee who co-founded a remarkable charity called Pay It Forward, Inc. The organization donates services to people who are in need of improvements to their home. Pay It Forward serves those with mobility difficulties by creating bathrooms that are ADA compliant and rebuilding homes overrun with mold and mildew.
Residential contractor, Brian Allen, was another nominee. He has worked on building the St. Jude Dream Home in Northeast Louisiana, the raffle of which supports the research and funding of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. During his time on the project, he raised over $3.7 million to support the lifesaving research at St. Jude’s Research hospital. In addition, he raised $1.4M in land, labor, and material donations for the construction of the Louisiana Dream Home and, as a result, successfully delivered the home at zero cost.
These are just a few of many incredible stories shared from last year’s Hard Hat Hero contest. If you know someone in the construction industry who has gone above and beyond, nominate them to be this year’s Hard Hat Hero at www.procore.com/hardhathero. The hero will win a trip to Charlotte, NC and get the chance to stand in the pit at a NASCAR race!
