Message from the CEO

Submitted by: Jim Boland

An Elizabethan Summer of 2022

Memorial Day weekend is behind us, and the unofficial start of Summer has begun.

We just watched history being made with the 70^th Platinum Jubilee celebration (70 years) of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign in Great Britain.

This seven-decade reign is the longest continuous reign of any monarch in history. Queen Elizabeth is highly admired, not only among the British people, but throughout the world. The Queen’s longevity is simply amazing - she has served during 13 US presidents and 14 British prime ministers. This Jubilee is a celebration of not only the Queen’s reign, but a recognition of her perseverance, sense of humor and elegance. Life will throw you some curve balls, nobody leaves unscathed, yet we admire our leaders that stay the course and do their jobs under trying circumstances.

We’ll all have our hands full this summer. We are already being warned of power outages. We are likely to see motors and compressors being compromised.

The commercial vertical market continues its long migration back to full occupancy. We will witness challenges with delayed maintenance on these buildings.

We’ve already had a 90° week in May – we can only anticipate a long and hot summer!

Inflation and supply chain concerns will continue to be a concern throughout 2022.

We’ll have many challenges in 2022, but like the Queen, we will stay the course and persevere through these challenges. It’s why our clients trust us as their building advisor!

Kudos to the Data Center vertical on the acquisition of another large Data Center order; sold by Blaine Terry in Atlanta to Holder Construction. Doc Goglio and Boland’s outstanding Service Technicians are the reason we are able to secure more work with this client. This phase of the order will include ten 3350 Duplex Chillers.

An Elizabethan Jubilee is being treated as a celebration of Service to the Nation of Great Britain. Similar to the Queen, Boland continues to be the Service of Choice – 62 and still going strong; allowing our Clients to concentrate on their business while we provide Optimal Building Performance.

Stay the Course – Stay Busy – Stay Safe!

Message from the President

Submitted by: Sean Boland

As June begins, we’re living in interesting economic times. Boland is extremely busy as our backlogs of work continue to grow in just about every area of the company. At the same time, we continue to see supply chain shortages, delayed ship dates, price increases, and increasing interest rates. We’re watching political instability in Russia and Ukraine, changing the structure of European politics, while tensions between China and Taiwan remain high, threatening peace in Asia. The global economy is more interconnected that ever, and an issue in one part of the world can ripple throughout the rest of the world very quickly.

All of our suppliers have raised prices this year, and a few weeks ago Trane announced a large, immediate increase. It was a surprise. It was unusual to not have any notice of a pending price increase, but the announcement was likely indicative of how future price increases may be announced. In a typical year, our manufacturing partners order many of the materials they need well in advance to limit the risks of price changes in metals, electronics, wiring and other components. Teams of people monitor markets looking for the best times to lock in pricing. This year, purchasing these future contracts for materials has not been a productive strategy. For some components, the only way to purchase them is in “spot buys,” paying whatever the going rate is at the time. Certain components are more than 10 times their normal price, driving the cost of our finished products up as well. The overwhelming demand for products, and limited shipping capacity continue are also limiting our ability to catch up on late shipments.

While some of the instability in the world is very difficult to contain, we are seeing some moves to attempt to contain inflation. The Federal Reserve recently increased their target interest rate by half of a percentage point, and they announced that they plan to continue to increase interest rates throughout the next year. Other central banks around the world have also indicated that they will raise rates, but they may not do it as quickly as in the US. Raising interest rates makes money “more expensive.” As the value of the dollar rises, your purchasing power for groceries, cars, metals, electronics, and HVAC products also rises.

The downside of the interest rate increases is that borrowing becomes more expensive if you need to take out a new mortgage loan, finance a car purchase, or finance the construction of a new building. The interesting thing right now is that inflation is moving so quickly, the Fed needs to raise rates very quickly to try to control inflation, and that’s going to be difficult. Some cooling to the economy may be ok as it will stabilize prices and allow the market to function in a more normal way. Due to our backlogs, Boland is going to remain very busy throughout the next year.

There is a lot going on in the world today, and we have no control over most of it, but Boland is in a great position in our local market. If we continue to focus on serving our clients, we’re going to have a great year. As I spoke about in our recent All Associates meeting, we have the ability to take this year from good to great by turning orders into revenue as best we can. I’m excited about the summer, and the second half of the year. Let’s make it great. 

All Hands Q&A

Submitted by: Jim Boland

At our recent All Hands Meeting, we received questions and comments during our town hall section. We promised that we would respond to all we weren't able to cover in the meeting.

A summary of questions/comments we received is available, and the respondent provided a detailed response to each. If you'd like further information, please talk to your manager.

Thank you to all for making the All Hands Meeting interactive and informative!

Local 602 Graduation

Submitted by: Jerry Taylor

Congratulations to Boland’s 2022 Union School Graduates!

On Friday, June 3rd, Steamfitters Local 602 held the graduation for the class of 2022 at Martins Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD. 165 new Service Engineers were presented with their certificates.

Congratulations to Jeremy Gainous, Bryan Minetree, and Brad Bazzarre (left to right) for completing the Apprenticeship program and becoming Service Engineers!

Congratulations to Brad Bazzarre who was 2022 Valedictorian! Way to go!

Special thanks to all of our instructors, Steve Barnes, Dale Best, Brad Graham, Allen King, Damian Young and anyone I may have missed.

Joe Best, son of Dale and Denise Best as well as Bryan Barnes, son of Steve and Diane Barnes were among those that also graduated from the Local 602. Congratulations to all!

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!

Account Review - NAC Mechanical Services

Submitted by: Jerry Scanlan

In accordance with one of our Corporate goals for 2022, the Advisory Team recently reviewed our relationships and performance with one of our top accounts, NAC Mechanical Services, in a discussion that included Mark Shell and Jim Mertz.  

NAC, known formerly as Noyes Air Conditioning, has a long-standing relationship with Boland that started with Bob Noyes in the 1980’s. NAC is now a Service Logic Company, which is a roll-up of mechanical contractors across various markets. 

Operating primarily as a mechanical service and replacement contractor, NAC purchases equipment, controls, parts and rental services. NAC is also a Trane Strategic Partner, which is a program in the industry, centered on relationships with top mechanical contractors who have demonstrated loyalty to Trane. Our relationship is mutually beneficial in that NAC performs as a subcontractor in our Equipment Installation and Solutions businesses. 

We have good relationships and will continue to work together to grow each other’s business. 

Boland Instructors Roundtable

Submitted by: Melissa Herazo

Thank you to our Boland Instructors for training another successful Professional Development course series! We recently had a roundtable meeting to discuss what is working and what can be improved.

These instructors are great subject matter experts who are also thinking ahead of how to give our clients the best client experience!

Big shoutout to Steve Barnes, Tony Murray, Steve Beaton, Nick Fleshman, Adnan Mohamed-Burhan, Brad Hornbeak, Nathan Fulkerson, Paul Singh, Dean Smith, Del Johnson, Damian Young, Fred Harris, and Dale Best!

Opportunities for All Associates to Socialize: Taco Thursday, May 19, 2022

Submitted by: Kim Winokur

Wow!! What a wonderful turnout we had for Taco Thursday held on May 19, 2022 at our Corporate Headquarters. It was wonderful to see everyone and re-connect and meet newer employees. I stood with Sean Boland for a few minutes having him point out faces I had not seen; there were quite a few😊. We received a great deal of positive feedback about this event and the previous events held this year. We hope that everyone can attend some or all of the upcoming events. We encourage everyone to attend. These events are important to our company culture. I know I may be repeating myself; however; I’ll say it again – Please let anyone on the team know if you have any ideas or feedback!

Below is a link of pictures taken at the event:

Linked here is the Taco Thursday album.

Upcoming Event:

June 23, 2022 (time: TBD) – Centered around National HVAC Technician Month - Breakfast at the Boston Way Warehouse. Please come celebrate all of our Technicians, Apprentices and Helpers for the marvelous work they do! See you there !

Boland Client Portal Updates

Submitted by: The Portal Team

• New features to be released every two weeks.

• At the end of May, 500+ customers and 29 internal Boland login users were registered with access to over 300 accounts.
• ​Please encourage your clients to register as the busiest months are upon us! 
• ​Click here to create an account on the Boland Client Portal: Linked here

NEW FEATURE: Portal user “roles” added on Tuesday, 5/31.



• Standard User access:
• For users who should not have access to financial features (e.g., open invoices, payment, customer statements)
• Users may still access all order information, including status, service tickets, and building service reports

• Standard + Financial access:
• Users may access the entire portal, including the account dropdown for invoices and customer statements.
• When users self-register or add new accounts to their profile, they are defaulted to the standard + financial role
• ​Users may then be elevated to Account Admin or demoted to a Standard User

• ​​​Client Account Admins can review and manage user access on their account(s)
• Admins may be designated by AEs, accounting reps, or clients themselves 
• Contact us at clientportal@boland.com to have users setup as account admins

• Email clientportal@boland.com with questions, suggestions, or concerns. We'd love to hear what your clients think!



Important 401k Information: Investment Options Updates

Submitted by: Investment Committee

At each Boland’s investment committee meeting, the team carefully reviews the current investment options offered in your retirement plan. After reviewing the investment options, the Investment Committee has recommended and will be implementing the following changes effective July 12, 2022. This change is taking place in continuing a greater selection and overall performance.

401k Fund Change: The Hartford Midcap R4 will be replaced by JP Morgan Mid Cap Growth R3. The JP Morgan Mid Cap Growth management has consistently outperformed its peers. The strategy seeks to invest in a diversified portfolio of medium-sized companies whose earnings growth is underappreciated by the market.

Important: If you currently have a balance in Hartford Midcap R4 Fund, it will be mapped directly into JP Morgan Mid Cap Growth R3. Likewise, any future contributions you had allocated to the Hartford Midcap R4 Fund will be invested in the JP Morgan Mid Cap Growth R3 going forward.

401k Fund Addition: Based on recommendations from our financial advisor, Tom Ervin, and the Investment Committee, The Boland 401(k) plan will be adding the Calvert Balanced A Fund. Calvert Research and management is a recognized leader in Responsible Investing. Calvert's strategies integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) research.

In the next few weeks, Empower will deliver a notice prior to the funds being removed, changed, or added to each participant either electronically or via mail.

Contact Empower: If you would like to allocate a percentage to the new option or change your investment direction in any way, remember you have access to your account 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the plan website at participant.empower-retirement.com or through the Voice Response System. Just call 1-800-338-4015 during normal business hours.

Migration from iSolved Go App to Adaptive Employee Experience

iSolved is migrating from their former “Go Mobile” app, to an accessible and modern online user interface. You will no longer be able to access iSolved Go app on June 30th. Adaptive Employee Experience (AEE) will be able to access your Pay Stubs, W2s, Timecards, and employee information from any device – Smartphone, iPad, or Laptop. The new user interface also makes it easier to punch in & out, validate your timecard, and log time off on any device!

Managers/Supervisors will still need to access the current version to conduct corrective actions, performance reviews, and review certifications/licenses. iSolved is working to establish all access points but till then, the adaptive experience will allow employees to get what they need.

You can access the new user interface by navigating to the welcome page in your current employee access and clicking pink “Try our new look” button located on the top right. You can also access the enhanced interface directly by using this URL: https://payrollnetwork.myisolved.com/cloudservice. With this link, you can also download iSolved onto your smartphone for quick and easy access.

Below are instructions on how to download iSolved onto your smartphone (**Note that all login information is the same as your current iSolved credentials):

How to download iSolved using an iPhone:

1. Open the internet browser on your phone (Safari, Chrome, etc.)
2. Enter the following URL to access Modern Mobile UI: https://payrollnetwork.myisolved.com/cloudservice
3. After opening the URL click the icon shown below, and choose: Add to Home Screen

How to download iSolved using an Android:

1. Open the internet browser on your phone (Safari, Chrome, etc.)
2. Enter the following URL to access Modern Mobile UI: https://payrollnetwork.myisolved.com/cloudservice
3. After opening the URL click Add iSolved to Home Screen (shown below), and then choose to install.

Associate Professional Development

All our classes will be scheduled to be held in person until further notice. If you have any questions, please email marketing@boland.com.

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)

Boland Cares in the Community

Submitted by: Karen Walker

What a day! The associates pictured above volunteered for Habitat for Humanity's Women BUILD event on May 25th in Glenarden, Maryland. A big shout out and thank you to Sahara Armstead, Emily Herchenroeder, Katie Kimmel, Andrea Ortiz, Stefanie Timpke, Teresa Yost and Rebekah Younan. 

We also had Boland clients join in on the fun! We worked hard and we are all looking forward to seeing the finished home that will be a wonderful place for the new homeowner to settle in this fall.

Please consider getting clients involved with our Boland Cares events. I can coordinate all of the details for you and I guarantee a great day for all! For more information, please contact me at karen.walker@boland.com

Rick's Quick Fit Tip

I have mentioned this so often.....the stronger you are the longer you will live! So....if you are not getting stronger.....you are getting weaker. That means you and I need to do some strength training every day!

Everyone knows that cardio-vascular activities are so important for overall health! However the key to staying strong and vital for life is not just in walking, running, swimming, biking and other forms of aerobic fitness. It's in your muscles!!!!!

In a 2021 review of 16 studies from around the world, researchers found that just 30 to 60 minutes a week of muscle strengthening or resistance exercise increased life expectancy by 10 to 17 percent. That's huge!

So make sure you put a little bit of weight training, push ups, pull ups and even carrying the heavy grocery bags into your day! Here are some benefits!

Weight training keeps your brain healthy!

Weight training reduces your risk of future weight gain!

Strength training helps you keep your blood pressure under control!

Resistance training will help reduce your risk or heart disease!

Strength training helps you fight cancer

So.....If you put some strength training into you daily lifestyle you will be strong, healthy and happy! 

If you need help designing your strength plan:

ricksquickfit@aol.com

Associate in the Spotlight

Submitted by: Emma Karch

Ben Feeney

Water Technologies Division Manager

Water Technologies

Describe Your Job:

Water Technologies Division Manager

What is your favorite thing about working for Boland?

Working for Boland has been extremely rewarding. Boland creates a “circle of safety” around its employees, encouraging everyone to bring their ideas to the table without fear of judgment.  The company is constantly looking to evolve and get better each day. That’s something we can all aspire to and get behind.

How have you grown your career?

My first job involved selling Verizon products door to door for 100% commission.  I would knock on doors from 7am and get back to the office at 7pm. If you sold three applications, you rang the bell. If you sold seven you rang the gong! After three years I built a team of seven who were able to sell door to door on their own. You learn how to handle objections and people yelling/blaming you for their high bills. It forces one to listen, empathize and try to build commonality with a variety of personalities. 

What is your hometown?

Houlton, Maine

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

I won best beatboxer at the international championship of college A cappella finals in 2002! 😊

Do you have a story to share about a famous person?

My vocal band in DC performed for John Stewart and Mathew Modine at a benefit concert they were hosting in the early 2000’s. 

Is there something interesting about your family or history?

I went back to Ireland a few years ago to see my great-great Grandfather’s house which is still in the family. I’m proud of my Irish roots! 😊

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

I like all sorts of shows, books etc.  “Office Space” is a classic movie and gets better with age.

Do you have any pets.

NO!

Are you celebrating any personal milestones?

In April, it will be one year since we moved into our new house! In Fairfax, VA. 

What’s your favorite restaurant and food?

Old Ebbitt’s Grill is pretty good. The Inn at Little Washington was a bucket list splurge. The food was incredible. I love a good Rib-Eye…Bloody!

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

New England Patriots & Thomas Brady.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to play the piano, golf, work out, ski….read leather bound books.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“Die with memories, not dreams” - Unknown

Who or what has inspired you? 

My father was the principal of my high school and a superintendent. His communication skills were excellent, and he inspired me to work hard. 

One tends to become a mixture of the five people you spend the most time with, so I try to surround myself with people with strong character.

SDS Database

Our SDS database is available electronically!

To access, visit out SDS provider's website:

www.DSDbinderworks.com

Username: BolandMSDS

Password: BolandMCA

Any questions, please contact any member of our Safety Committee.

Associates Who are Highlighted in Keeping Comfortable will be awarded a "Boland gift" (options available here) or a $20 donation to the charity of their choice.

Please contact HR via email at hr@boland.com