Dad….I want to thank you for the 35 plus years you gave to the industry. You have been retired now for a year and folks still ask about you every day. You’re a “living legend” in these parts of the Chicagoland area. You always put the customer’s best interest first. You gave your time, even when not getting paid, to give advice and to get their equipment up and running….without ever expecting to get a dime back from them.
Your attitude and work ethic was always something I held in the highest regard. For years, we traveled that same damn road to work together. Never really spoke much…but knew what we had to get done that day. Even at the worst of times when we were at each other’s throats…I always valued the life lessons and training YOU provided me. I owe you a lifetime of thanks. Many a days, we solved the industries problems with a few beers out in the garage. It was those times that we tried to leave work at work….but never quite happened. Our wheels were always turning…haha! Good times Dad…good times!
If I can do it half as good as you…I’ll be doing alright. I love ya and thanks! — Jeremy Fry
(Photo: Greg Fry, Journeyman Mechanic/Service Manager Retired)
On NBC’s Today Show it was hard to miss the resourceful IRWIN Tool employees holding up National Tradesmen Day t-shirts. Remember National Tradesmen Day is September 16, 2011!
Huntersville-based Irwin Tools employees honor tradesmen while in New York City.
Huntersville-based IRWIN Tools in NYC
By: abaker1067
On National Tradesmen Day, an annual day of recognition for America’s professional tradesmen, IRWIN Tools will say “thanks” to tradesmen in New York City. At the World Trade Center site, IRWIN will be distributing t-shirts and tools throughout the day, while treating hundreds of tradesmen constructing the Freedom Tower to lunch to show the company’s appreciation for a their dedication to building our country’s newest symbol of freedom and prosperity.
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Mike spoke to people attending LiUNA’s International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LIUNA is the Laborers’ International Union of North America. You can visit the LiUNA website – HERE
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America’s tradesmen: they build our homes, roads, businesses, and schools. They keep our cars running, our lights on, our water flowing, and so much more. They are the backbone of our functioning nation — and that’s why they deserve a national day of recognition according to IRWIN® Tools, a world-class manufacturer of a broad line of professional hand tools and power tool accessories. IRWIN invites the nation to celebrate National Tradesmen Day, on Friday, Sept. 16, 2011. This day will focus the nation’s attention on “The Hands that Build America” and will include celebrations, recognition events and activities throughout the country.
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National Tradesmen Day September 16, 2011
To celebrate tradesmen’s skill and contributions, IRWIN Tools has several initiatives planned across the country to salute and honor ‘The Hands that Build America and Keep it Running Strong’ as the inaugural National Tradesmen Day draws near. IRWIN Tools announced recently that the following activities will take place over the next few weeks to salute and thank America’s hardworking tradesmen.
On August 27, IRWIN invited 250 professional tradesmen to give the command for drivers to start their engines as they served as “Grand Marshals” during pre-race ceremonies at the IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Tina White, Vice President and Director of Operations of mikeroweWORKS was invited to join in giving the command and participating in the festivities. IRWIN also gave away 1,000 grandstand tickets to tradesmen to experience The World’s Fastest Half-Mile and show the company’s appreciation for the contributions they make every day to America.
Kenny Thompson, a concrete tradesman, and the winner of the IRWIN Tools Thank a Tradesman Sweepstakes, was given the opportunity to win $1 million if NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray won at IRWIN Tools Night Race. As the sweepstakes winner, Thompson won the “Pole Position” Grand Prize that includes an exclusive VIP race weekend for two in Bristol for the IRWIN Tools Night Race and the NASCAR Nationwide Series event.
IRWIN also gave the two top winners of the SkillsUSA 2011 National Automotive Service Technology Competition the IRWIN HANSON Ultimate Experience at the IRWIN Tools Night Race. Adam Minihan of Laconia, N.H.; and Michael Mullen of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; won a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with legendary NASCAR crew chief and FOX/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond, as well as a NASCAR pit crew during the race weekend. IRWIN partner, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, provided Minihan and Mullen with hands-on experience as they work alongside the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series No. 1 team’s pit crew to help the team prepare for the 500 grueling laps of the night race. After all their hard work, Minihan and Mullen watched the race from some of the best seats in the track, atop the No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Pit Box.
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Ian McAllister, Senior Manager, Traffic at Amazon.com offers his recommendations to help keep your mentor/mentee relationship on the right track.
What are the most important attributes of a successful mentor and protégé relationship?
Forbes.com
(This originally appeared on Quora. To read other answers to this question or add your own, visit the original question page – HERE.)
A: Ian McAllister, Senior Manager, Traffic at Amazon.com
I have several mentors at Amazon, and mentor a number of colleagues. I also mentor a number of startup founders. The most successful of those relationships share these attributes:
Mutually understood goals. Prior to entering into a relationship, the mentee, or the person matchmaking the mentor/mentee should be able to communicate the goals of the relationship. Goals might be to help the mentee get promoted, secure funding, resolve performance issues, improve communication skills, etc. It’s helpful if the mentor also has goals (e.g. gaining deeper understanding in a new space, getting first in line to invest), but the mentee’s goals should take precedence.
Mentee-driven. The mentee should be the person driving the schedule and the discussion topics. Each meeting, the mentee should bring a list of topics for discussion. For each, they should brief their mentor on the topic, present the problem/challenge/opportunity, outline their current thinking about strategy or next steps, and solicit their mentor’s advice.
Bandwidth-appropriate. Mentors shouldn’t commit to a new mentoring relationship if they don’t have the time to meet on the agreed to schedule. As a mentee, you’d be better off knowing you need to find a new mentor for a given area than depending on your current mentor for advice, but having your meetings frequently cancelled or rescheduled. Mentees need to make sure they aren’t too greedy for their mentor’s time. It is the mentee’s responsibility to keep up the relationship and to get a sense for what the appropriate frequency and venue is.
A focus on approaches, not tactics. A mentee will get more value out of a mentoring relationship if they pull advice from their mentor on how to think about a given topic (an approach), rather than focusing only on tactical ideas related to the topic. Getting “what”, “why” and “now vs. later” advice from a mentor is more valuable than “how” advice. Work with them to build mental models and frameworks that will pay dividends throughout your career. The most productive discussions may start from a narrow topic, but usually turn a little more abstract rather than staying narrow.
A focus on listening. As a mentee, it is tempting to want to promote yourself and your accomplishments to more senior and influential mentors. It is also tempting to want to top a mentor’s anecdote or idea with your own. Don’t. As a mentee, you’re better served by milking examples, ideas and learnings out of your mentor, and then leveraging your mentor to help apply them to your space.
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For all the Tradesmen
For some, it’s just a job – a means to an end. But for you, what you do is who you are. It’s a calling. It’s part of you. It’s what sets you a part.
IRWIN Tools® is saying THANKS – In fact, they have created a day for all the tradesmen. To celebrate all that you do to keep our country running strong the folks at IRWIN Tools® are inviting the entire nation to celebrate with them – September 16, 2011.
