Message from the CEO

Submitted by: Jim Boland

Lou—isms

It’s been 20 years since Our Founder, Lou Boland slipped the surly bonds of earth to face our Creator. I just know Big Lou was well received and probably told “Job Well Done” and “Welcome to Heaven!!” I think about my Father everyday and often wonder “What would Lou do” when pondering the issue of the day.

Lou was a man of great confidence and upon applying to the Trane Company, he was drawn by the Entrepreneurial Spirit and Commission selling-----Commissions without a predisposed ceiling. The chance to allow your efforts to be unrestricted.

The parallels between Reuben Trane and Lou Boland are simply hard to ignore. Reuben understood that Distribution was critical to the Future of the Trane Company. History is littered with companies with great products that simply never got to market. You must think through how to distribute to be successful. Reuben never worried about someone making more money than the President of the Company, for this was often the case during Reuben tenure. Reuben understood how to motivate and encourage his salesman to reach for the stars. Reuben’s 1926 Student class for Engineering Salesman was a novel approach and still the Gold standard in the industry. Ironically, Lou Boland started at Trane in the Student Class the year Reuben slipped the bonds of earth. 1954 was a Big Year in the history of the Trane Company.

In my humble opinion, Lou Boland was to Distribution and the Future of the Trane Company, as Reuben Trane was to getting the manufacturing business up and running in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Big Lou was a disruptor---the kind of person every organization needs to move beyond the ordinary. Many of Lou’s ideas were considered at first contrary to the rules of the day, but in time essential to future success. As we all know, Lou had a constructive discontent with exiting practices.

In the early days, Trane wanted any investment to be made in hiring new salesman. Any service or aftermarket activity were encouraged to be run through local contractors. Big Lou knew that without a World Class Service Department, he could not support the quality efforts for products and systems in the field. This expertise needed to be local and professionalized. Any a District Manager learned how to open and grow a service business with lessons with Lou.

Buy-Sell products that complimented the Trane products was another Lou—ism that greatly benefitted Trane. It allowed sourcing to round out our offerings in providing a one stop shop for our clients. Once seen as a threat become a staple for all offices.

Service First----Remanufactured Compressors, oil and refrigerant analysis sated by Lou in the early 70’s. Lou saw this as another step in preventative maintenance and knew the demand exceeded supply for aftermarket compressors.

OPEC and the oil embargos offered an opportunity to get into Energy Management and early Controls. Aftermarket products were badly needed by our clients. Lou answered the call with sourced products and service support.

NATFH----National Association of Trane Franchise Holders was another early concern to Trane. Lou’s vision for NATFH was an opportunity for best practices and the professionalization of all offices. The maturation of all offices greatly benefitted from this association. It turned a loose federation of offices into a Fraternity of Business Excellence----making their members far better businessman for the effort.

Boland and Trane have always been complimentary to one another. Both Reuben and Lou understood and shared a client-centric vision for the company and executed this vision with pride and loyalty to each other

I know 20 years later, Big Lou is proud of all Boland associates for carrying on the mission and lessons learned. Big Lou created a Generational Business ingrained into the business fabric of the Metro area. As one client told me one day---- “Boland is more of a Utility Company----we cannot get by without your many services.”

Business for Lou Boland was serious business, however Faith, Family and Friends is another chapter for another day for the 3 F’s dominated his everyday performance.

A big Thank You to Big Lou!! It might be 20 years, but the lessons we learned are Universal and we are far better for the teachings.

Message from the President

Submitted by: Sean Boland

As we complete year 2 of our 3-year strategic plan Creating Clients for Life, we’re hard at work planning for year 3. I would really like your input on where we should focus in 2024. Last week, I released a video and a survey link. The survey can be found here: https://forms.office.com/r/Qkx3d8Y6bd 

You can submit the survey anonymously, or with you name and department. Either way, your suggestions will really help to focus our attention on the tasks we need to complete to have a successful 2024. 

We will continue to focus on our four targeted vertical markets: Data Centers, Life Sciences, Health Care, and Higher Ed. We have seen significant growth in each of these markets, and we hope to continue that growth next year. We will have a brand-new headquarters office space to utilize. We have new products to market as we electrify building heating. There is a lot we can focus on. Once we have your suggestions, the Executive and Advisory teams will review and prioritize the goals, and we look forward to sharing the plan with everyone on November 17. 

Thanks for your input! 

Ring the Bell!

Congratulations and many thanks to the people who were recognized with a "Ring the Bell" over the past month for their hard work and contributions. Great job, everyone!

Executive Team Update

Submitted By: Kevin Bradley

Executive Team - Kevin Bradley, Julie Wolfington, Dan Spruill, Jerry Taylor, Kim Winokur, Brendan Dowd, Vince Dawson

It is that time of year when the summer is over, and we start to look at how we are going to close out this year as well as start thinking about next year. Below is an update on this year’s corporate goals. We also need to finish strong in the four vertical markets that we are focusing on. We are hoping to see a lot of great suggestions for the 2024 Corporate Goals.

Corporate Goal: Develop Space Plan and Policies to Facilitate Collaborative Work by 3/31 with implementation by 6/30.

Construction is moving along, and it will be exciting once it is done. It will be different; however, it will be exciting.

Corporate Goal: Draft Boland Sustainability Plan by 3/31.

Recently Boland completed the EcoVadis sustainability rating survey in response to requests by several clients. In addition to helping us stay compliant with clients, this comprehensive assessment will help us identify areas of potential improvement in all areas of our corporate sustainability efforts.

Corporate Goal: Account leadership plans, including all business streams, developed, and communicated for 8 target accounts by 6/30.

Each of the teams will provide an update on their action plan starting in October. It was great to see the teams in action as they put their plans together.

Corporate Goal: Develop Data Governance Policy, facilitating consistent organization of data, by 3/31. Fully implement by 12/31.

The long overdue Data Governance policy will be released soon, along with an implementation guide for core applications like SharePoint and supplementary training material. The policy itself will be a guideline, with the expectation that the policy will be a living document to support both, Boland process and overall business changes. Once published, the data governance work effort will continue, with a focus on creating and implementing policies at the department level. 

Corporate Goal: Build teamwork within Boland interdepartmentally by holding monthly in person all-associate events, including some healthy competition.

Football season has started and it has been a fun beginning to the season. Please come join us for the social event for September which will be a “Kick Off to Football”, Lunch will be provided with some fun competitive games where prizes can be won.

Date: 9/21/2023 12-2pm at the Boston Way Warehouse.

Communicate and Achieve Corporate Financial Goals all Year.

Once the month of August 2023 closes, we will update the financial goals with more detail and will be posted in the Boland Daily News.

Vertical Market Summary

Below is where stand through the end of August.

Data Centers = 115% of Goal YTD

Health Care = 85% of Goal YTD

Higher Education = 99% of Goal YTD

Life Sciences = 122% of Goal YTD

Thank you! Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the Executive Team Members with any questions, ideas, etc. you may have. {Executive Team: Kevin Bradley, Vince Dawson, Brendan Dowd, Dan Spruill, Jerry Taylor, Julie Wolfington & Kim Winokur}

Small Changes, Big Savings

Submitted By: Junelle Rivera and Mechelle Munn

Since 2017, Family Healthcare Hagerstown has been a dedicated ABI service contract client. When they initially provided us with their energy data, this medical office building had an Energy Star score of 51. Throughout the years, they have diligently acted upon the recommendations outlined in our ABI Consultation Reports, with the valuable assistance of our technician, Carl McClintock. Some of the measures they implemented included optimizing duct static pressure, adjusting temperature setpoints for efficiency, replacing faulty sensors, fixing outdoor air damper leaks, upgrading to Tracer SC+, and more.

Recently, they took further steps to enhance their energy efficiency by introducing RTU supply air temperature reset and a VAV reheat lockout program. These changes were prompted by observations in our ABI reports, which revealed excess energy consumption during summer months and the use of costly electric reheat that could be avoided during warmer temperatures. As a result of our continued partnership, their building's energy consumption has decreased by 15.7% compared to the 2017 baseline, resulting in savings of over $47,000.

Currently possessing an Energy Star score of 76, Family Healthcare Hagerstown is now eligible for Energy Star Certification. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and collaboration of Jimmy Murray, Mechelle Munn, Carl McClintock, Junelle Rivera, and the entire ABI team. Congratulations on a job well done!

D&C Trane Awards for Critical to Close Program

Submitted By: Jerry Scanlan

Congratulations to Mike Ball, Thierry DeRaet, Chris Nares, and Jack Wright for securing the order for Erickson Senior Living at Grandview with Anderson Mechanical as part of Trane’s Critical to Close program. This program provides additional resources, transparency and communication for large projects that involve multiple offices, which in this case included Denver, Baltimore, Trane Key Accounts and Mitsubishi National Accounts. Coordination through multiple rounds of bidding and, Erickson’s involvement in the mechanical contractor’s equipment purchase decision required a lot of effort. In so doing, the team received a home plate signifying a Trane Home Run Award. Congratulations! Way to go, team!

2023 Benefits Survey Results

Submitted By: Min Oh

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2023 Benefits Survey. The results are in! We want to share the feedback with you and let you know that our goal is to provide a strong benefits package at a reasonable cost to our associates.

3% of associates answered “somewhat dissatisfied” to the question, “Please rate your level of satisfaction with Boland’s benefits package. None of the associates answered that they were dissatisfied.

94% of respondents answered that the benefits package has been explained to them in a clear and thorough manner.

84% of respondents answered that they are either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with Kaiser.

6% of participants answered that they were “dissatisfied” or “somewhat dissatisfied” with the medical plan network.

• “Hard to build a doctor patient relationship when you don’t see the same doctor every time.”
• “It’s hard to get hold of the right person to talk to at KP.”
• “Not as many Kaiser locations in VA as in MD and DC”
• “Kaiser has had long wait times and sometimes weeks of delays for access to primary care”

2% of participants answered that they were either “dissatisfied” or “somewhat dissatisfied” with the dental plan network.

• “My dentist is now out of network for Delta Dental”
• “Lack of mediation with dental providers when dealing with poor service or potential mal-practice, unable to find local dentists in network accepting new patients; as before fine with current pricing; children’s dentist is great”

91% rated our 401k plan as “good” or “excellent.”

88% rated our Volunteer Time Off plan as “good” or “excellent.”

84% rated our Educational Assistance program as “good” or “excellent.”

Did you Know?

The following comments were received in the survey. We have read all the comments given and discussed them with our providers and brokers. We are providing the comments and responses below:

Medical

Comment: “Hard to build a doctor patient relationship when you don’t see the same doctor every time.”

Response: All HMO plans require a primary care physician. The HDHP and POS options are available for you to seek care without having to consult with a Primary. One great incentive with Kaiser is the ability to email your doctor directly to get an answer or referral. I’m not sure what the specifics are am happy to hear more about the cause as to why you aren’t seeing the same doctor.

Comment: “It’s hard to get hold of the right person to talk to at KP.”

Response: I would love to hear more about the specifics that you may be experiencing in regard to getting hold of the right person.

Comment: “Not as many Kaiser locations in VA as in MD and DC”

Response: Below is the list of locations that are available. There’s always a Kaiser near our offices and jobsites so you can make an appointment while you are in the area.

Comment: “Kaiser has had long wait times and sometimes weeks of delays for access to primary care”

Response: We have been told that this is an ongoing issue across the industry outside of Kaiser as well. Research has shown that the average wait time to get a primary care appointment as increased to about 26 days from the previous year. Kaiser offers video visits, the ability to email your doctor directly, E-visits, Phone visits, and 24/7 advice.

Dental

Comment: “My dentist is now out of network for Delta Dental”

Response: We have been told that this is an ongoing trend. Dentists are no longer accepting any insurance plans and are going fully out of network because they do not want the restrictions that in-network dentists must conform to.

Comment: “lack of mediation with dental providers when dealing with poor service or potential mal-practice, unable to find local dentists in network accepting new patients; as before fine with current pricing; children’s dentist is great”

Response: It sounds like it was best that you decided to locate a new provider if they were providing you with poor service or potential malpractice. In regard to locating a local dentist in network, the website allows you to locate a dentist of your choosing. Please feel free to reach out – I’d be happy to help!

As always, we take your feedback very seriously and will work to help you navigate insurance or benefits issues. Please contact me (Min Oh) if I can be of assistance in any way.

Thank you for your participation as we continue to work to provide a strong, cost-effective benefits plan for our associates. 

Local 602 Apprenticeship Application Changes

The application process for Steamfitters’ Apprenticeship for the Heating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Process Piping and Environmental Systems Fields, for the Local 602 has undergone several major changes.

​​​​​​​Applications will no longer be held in person or held in January. Applications will be online and during the month of November (11/1 – 11/30).

For more information on the application process, please click here.

If you have any questions regarding the apprenticeship program, please call the office at 301-341-1555.

2023 Boland Family Picnic

Please join us for this year's Boland Family Picnic on Sunday, October 15th, 2023 at 12-6pm.

Please RSVP so we have a count for who will be attending.

We look forward to gathering with you!

Please click the photo above, or click here to RSVP

Professional Development Courses

Submitted by: Melissa Herazo

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES

Fall 2023 schedule is now live! Classes will be limited this year and seats will also be limited to 12 per class (seat limit for associates is 3 in each class). All in-person Boland training classes will be held in Lanham, MD (4720 Boston Way Unit J&K, Lanham, MD 20706).

For associates interested in taking any courses: Please contact Von Rowan (sarah.rowan@boland.com) if you would like to register for any of the classes. 

We highly encourage that associates advise ahead of time if they will NOT be attending the course. We already have associates on a waitlist, and we would love to have the opportunity for those who can attend. Please email Von Rowan (sarah.rowan@boland.com) to cancel. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We hope to see those of you who are unable to attend this semester attend the next one in our new training center!

• 2-Day Basic HVAC: October 10-11
• 3-Day VRF City Multi® Startup & Service Essentials: October 17-19
• Schematics and Wiring Diagrams: October 26
• Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Theory: November 2
• Voyager® Rooftops: November 9
• 3-Day VRF City Multi® Startup & Service Essentials: November 14-16
• IntelliPAK® Rooftops: November 30
• Direct Outdoor Air Systems (DOAS) Horizon® KCC: December 7
• 3-Day VRF City Multi® Startup & Service Essentials: December 12-14



If you have any questions, please email Melissa Herazo (melissa.herazo@boland.com).

Boland Cares in the Community

Submitted by: Karen Walker

As we say goodbye to summer, we say hello to fall and what the season brings...football, fall foliage AND more Boland Cares events! Getting involved and serving the community is both fun and rewarding!

Coming up on October 4th is the Habitat for Humanity Playhouse Build. This event will take place in the parking lot at 30 WWM so stop by and say hello if you are in the office. This year we have two teams who will be building and painting playhouses! This will be a great team building event for all!

Our annual Ride Allegheny Rest Stop is coming up on October 8th. We have a great crew who have already registered to volunteer but this event has no limit to the number of volunteers we can have... the more the merrier! The event takes place near the Antietam Battlefield on Sunday morning from 7:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

This is a great family event—students can get community service hours, too!

A brand new event has just been announced! We will be serving dinner at the Children's Inn at NIH on October 18th. 8 spots are available for this very special event. More details will be forthcoming in the Boland Daily News!

Hats off to Lisa Sweeney who took time to serve during her vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. Lisa volunteered twice with Beach Heroes-OC. Beach Heroes-OC. This volunteer clean-up group meets every Tuesday morning for an hour to help keep Ocean City clean. They provide grabbers, gloves, bags, and hand sanitizer. If you are in Ocean City, please consider volunteering one hour of your time to help keep Ocean City clean. Every bit of clean-up helps! You can find the schedule on their Facebook page (Beach Heroes-OC.) under the Events tab. 

Consider volunteering WITH your clients for Boland Cares events! It's a great way to build a relationship while serving those in need! Customized events can also be arranged such as serving a lunch at Central Union Mission in Washington, DC. or packaging meals for Rise Against Hunger.

For more information or to register for any Boland Cares events, please email karen.walker@boland.com

Lack of Sleep is a Safety Issue

Submitted By: Safety Committee

Some say “you can sleep when you’re dead!” We say, get your 7 – 8 hours of shuteye! Lack of sleep isn’t good for a lot of reasons. It can mess with your memory, immune system, blood pressure, heart, etc. Lack of sleep can also be a work safety hazard. If you’re sleep deprived, you’re more likely to cause a mishap that injures you or someone else. Lack of sleep can also cause people to fall asleep at the wheel. We don’t want anyone getting hurt! Below is a list of tips to help everyone get better sleep!

1. If you’re mind is racing around about something while trying to fall asleep, write your thoughts down on a piece of paper! Or you can send yourself an email. or jot it down in the “notes” app in your iphone! This action tells your brain, “I don’t need to think about this anymore because I have it documented.”
2. Make sure your bedroom temperature is cool enough.
3. Use blackout curtains. Dark rooms help some people fall and stay asleep.
4. Make sure your mattress is comfortable. Gel mattress toppers are great for side sleepers!
5. If you’re a light sleeper, consider getting a sound/ white noise machine such as the Dohm sound machine.
6. Don’t eat right before bed. Also, don’t drink a lot right before bed.
7. Read a book. It can help calm your mind.
8. Limit TV and phone exposure close to bedtime. The light can trick your body into thinking it’s daytime.
9. Go outside in the sunlight during the day.
10. Exercise during the day.
11. Avoid daytime naps.

Identity Protection

Submitted By: Mick Suray

Click here for an easy read on how to protect your identity and what to do if identity theft occurs.

Rick's Quick Fit Tip

Heart to heart talk again!

Last month we talked about your heart rate.......Now let's talk about your heart!

Did you know that between 2010 and 2020 the death rates from heart diseases rose 8.5 percent for adults ages 45 to 64. That is amazing! As we know more and more about heart disease this should not be happening at all. This can be prevented!

During COVID (2020 and 2021) the heart attack deaths in this same age group increased by up to 21 percent. Crazy for sure! This statistic may simply be caused by the side effect of the pandemic's long-term legacy of weight gain, inactivity and stress. However, the virus itself may be playing a direct role also. A large 2022 study found lingering heart risks a year after COVID infection.

All that said.........what can we do?  The answer is really simple......lifestyle change!

Change your lifestyle the easy way! Add some aerobic activity to your day. Start eating better by avoiding fried foods and added sugar. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water and make sure you get eight hours of sleep each night! That will help you change a sedentary lifestyle!

If you need any help planning a lifestyle change...........ricksquickfit@aol.com

Associate Professional Development

If you have any questions, please email marketing@boland.com.

Full Schedule: linked here

Boland Professional Development Catalog: Click Here

We encourage associates to attend training to deepen knowledge, develop and strengthen their skills. This catalog offers a robust variety of Boland's professional development options. Please contact 

HR@boland.com for any questions.

Our goal is the provide educational and training opportunities which will help our associates along on their successful career path. These sessions are open to all associates.

Please click here to view all courses

Boland also offers online courses (role and industry-based) which are available via Trane Education Center. Please see your manager to review courses, and once approved, contact hr@boland.com for registration.

Trane Education Center (TEC)

Safety Training (TPC)



Associate in the Spotlight

Submitted By: Von Rowan

Garrett Boland

Service Coordinator

Describe your job:

I'm a service coordinator. In charge of receiving/scheduling service requests from both internal and external customers, checking/managing time entries for a team of technicians, issuing POs and appointments, and more!

What is your favorite thing about working for Boland?

The flexibility and my coworkers! Being able to work from home a majority of the week is awesome and getting to do it beside a group of great team players is a huge plus.

What is your hometown?

Towson, MD

Is there something interesting your associates may not know about you?

I'm an only child and I have a fish!

Do you have a favorite movie, TV show, book, magazine?

Favorite movie has to be The Graduate (1967). And I'm a big fan of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and The Office!

Do you have any pets?

Just a fish and a snail.

What is your favorite sports team and who is your favorite athlete?

Big Wizards and Ravens fan! Don’t really have a favorite athlete.

What do you do in your spare time - do you have any hobbies?

I like to run and bike. I have family in both Delaware and Tennessee, so I like to visit them as well.

Do you have a favorite place to vacation?

Used to spend a lot of summers down in Avalon, NJ. Haven't been back in a while but it was always fun!