Alligatoring

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vocabularyNo, this does not refer to a hunt for alligators in the Everglades, neither are were talking shoes or belts; relax, no need to contact PETA (but you may need to contact your general contractor). This term often refers to a condition where the asphaltic concrete is cracked and buckled so that it appears like the skin of an alligator.

This term can apply to a variety of surfaces including paint finishes, flat roofing membranes, and AC paving, and is also known as crazing or crocodiling.

According to the Construction Dictionary, 9th Edition © 2001 published by the Greater Phoenix, Arizona Chapter #98 of the National Association of Women in Construction alligatoring is defined as follows:

(1) Cracks in the surface layer of materials only, which widen from contraction caused by a sudden change in temperature, lack of binder, not sufficient drying time between coats, poor penetration or applying a hard film over a soft undercoat.

(2) Extensive breaking of paint film resulting from the second coat being applied over a primer not thoroughly dried. Sometimes referred to as crocodiling.

Want to Know More?

Featured Tweeter: @AZDuraWrap

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Everyone starts somewhere in Social Media.  Tips and tricks we’ve all learned along the way can be especially helpful to those still navigating uncharted waters.

This interview series features twitter accounts in and around the construction industry, a growing population within the Twittersphere.  My only disclaimer is that I do not always agree with the advice.

Stats:

Twitter Name: AZDuraWrap
Twitter Bio:  Large Scale Shrinkwrap packaging, shipping, and storage solutions for machinery, aircraft, inventory, boats, vehicles, scaffolding, and construction sites.
Company Name: AZDuraWrap 
State: Arizona
Main Website: http://azdurawrap.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/AzDuraWrap
Admin Name: Cyndi Ricca
Klout Score: 46
Followers: 603
Following:Follower Ratio: 1.05

Questions:

1. When did you start your twitter account?

Saturday, July 18, 2009.

2. What was your biggest obstacle in twitter?

Choosing whom to follow was a challenge, at first. As a business, you think you want to follow and be followed by people that may need your services or products, but twitter will quickly teach you that no one is here to be sold to. Twitter is truly about interacting, connecting, and, eventually, word-of-mouth exposure will follow. You must establish relationships first, tweet interesting or funny content, and be willing to push forward another’s agenda in kind. Over time, your stream grows and evolves into a great mix of friends and mentors and your agenda morphs along with it. Continue reading →

Social Media: “Forced to be Whole”

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A Forbes.com article entitled “Call to Socialize” by Julie Ruvolo dated April 20, 2011, has some interesting insights into social media and how it has affected the highly-guarded segmentation of our lives.  It stands out so much as a must-read that I felt compelled to assemble this blog; being more than one hundred forty characters, it is well out of scope for the Twitter venue.

One of the questions Julie posits matches one of my personal rants.

Why do we feel the pressure to evaluate every conference, cocktail hour and business card by its immediate ROI?

It seems that whenever I speak of a business on Twitter or Facebook, I get the Return-On-Investment interrogation.  Julie furthers her point with another series of questions:

Let me ask you this, how did you get your last job?

Did your resume stand out against impossible odds? Or did you know someone?

I highly encourage you to read the rest of the article on Forbes.com.

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Office Manager Tip: The Dishes are Piling Up

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One of the biggest pet peeves I have is dishes piling up in the sink. Not only does it totally gross me out, but I can’t start cooking with all of the countertop space consumed by dirty dishes–this is what gives the dishwasher the starring role among other appliances in the kitchen.  It is an out-of-the-way space to store dishes until it is full enough to run.  The key is this: after the dishwasher is finished, it needs to be unloaded.  The dishes have a place — the cabinet — not the sink, countertop, or dishwasher.

In the highly fluid office of a general contractor, items in my inbox are constantly reassigned priority levels, especially when the newest five tasks needed to be done last week. It is all too easy to pile up filing on my back counter and say to myself, “I’ll do it later.”

The back burner seems to be the purgatory of choice for incomplete tasks with even a slightly-lower priority; more often than not, this is the default for filing. A secretary I once worked with, who will remain nameless to protect her innocence, often left the back burner burning for quite some time. This would create more problems than it was worth: missing information, can’t find an invoice, where is the letter I received from Mr. So-and So?, and their cohorts. Ideas on time and task management were answered with the all-too-predictable response of “I don’t have time.” Continue reading →

Featured Tweeter – @Sundt

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Everyone starts somewhere in Social Media.  Tips and tricks we’ve all learned along the way can be especially helpful to those still navigating uncharted waters.

This interview series features twitter accounts in and around the construction industry, a growing population within the Twittersphere.  My only disclaimer is that I do not always agree with the advice.

Stats:

Twitter Name: @Sundt
Twitter Bio: We are a 100% employee owned construction company with national experience headquartered in Tempe, AZ. We currently have offices in CA, AZ, TX, NV, HI and NC.
Company Name: Sundt Construction
City/State: Tempe, AZ
Main Website: http://www.sundt.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/SundtConstruct
Admin Name: Wendy LaPlaca  (November 2010 thru mid-September 2011)
LinkedIN Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=29109492
Klout Score: 50
Followers: 857
Following:Follower Ratio: 1.19

Wendy J LaPlacaQuestions:

1. When did you start your twitter account?

We sent our very first tweet on December 8, 2010, at 10:55 a.m. It read:

120 Years of Going Beyond the Expected, all morning trying to figure out what to Tweet.

It really did take me all morning to figure out what to tweet. I was very intimidated.

2. What was your biggest obstacle in twitter?

Explaining what Twitter and further social media is and why we should use it to Upper Management. They have actually been very supportive. Continue reading →