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The writer of this blog is an employee of NHG and as such does not represent in all cases NHG opinion Content is not edited by NHG Home Archives Profile Subscribe NHG Website June 15, 2015 Concept to Inception When not every detail is known, for us a design concept is enough. Our value is best realized when you don’t have all the answers, but know what you want - that’s when NHG really shines... Posted at 03:08 PM in Architects , Clients , Products , Projects , Skills and Capability | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) June 02, 2015 Don’t be afraid of "What if" Sealants are a critical (indispensable) part of all glazing systems. Aluminum windows, storefronts and curtain walls depend on silicone at metal-to-metal joinery conditions. Insulated glass is sealed by use of high performance silicone sealants. 4-sided structurally glazed/unitized wall systems utilize silicone not only as a weather seal, but as a method of attachment for the insulated glass. Understanding the versality and value sealants bring to any quality installation is key to an installation that performs as designed/tested. One of the latest BE trends introduces redundancy based on failure of sealants. The question "what happens if sealants fail" can create so much fear that teams will abandon common sense and often times spend money chasing problems that don’t exist. While a belt and suspendors approach is extra insurance for some details their remains in every system those which can only be addressed via sealants. To better ensure redundancy’s aren’t being introduced unecessarily to your application, engage us in your design and tap into that hands on experience which only installers can bring to the table. Posted at 12:56 PM in Architects , Clients , Shop Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) May 11, 2015 Everything is not what it seems A jocose reminder to dig deeper... Posted at 10:46 AM in Employee HQ , Shop Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) April 29, 2015 Growing up with Glass I’m a 2nd generation glazier. My father started with the trade back in the 70’s estimating/selling/fabricating/installing, he was hands on every step of the way. My first job was cutting screen material and plate glass in the back shop. When I started with NHG in Sept. of ’94 I was 18 years old and just looking for a good job while attending a local college. As I continued to pursue my B.S. in business I moved from field/fabrication to CAD operator and asst. PM. The blending of theoretical business practice(s) with next day application provided a unique concept to inception experience and a comprehensive skillset. At this point in my career, I can’t imagine not working with glass and aluminum. I feel fortunate to both genuinely enjoy my job as well as the team(s) I work with. Several NHG employees share this history and we believe this passion is what keeps our customers coming back. 1994 Portsmouth Police Station... 2015 at the office Posted at 10:33 AM in Employee HQ , Hindsight , Shop Talk , Skills and Capability | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) April 07, 2015 Working Smarter New tools and technology come with learning curves. Finding time to learn in a competitive environment can be very challenging, so implementation becomes problematic. At times it can feel just like the image below. It reminds me of the time it took to become proficient in CAD. Now it is a staple in our business which brings efficiency and effectiveness to every installation. We’re people who constantly strive to do better, improving upon our own knowledge through experience. It makes us open to new ideas and concepts perhaps even more so than our competitors who have it "all figured out". We want to hear your ideas and find out how far they can take us. Posted at 02:04 PM in Employee HQ , Shop Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) April 03, 2015 Quest for the Holy Grail What makes a great project? Is it the 20+ page Exhibit ’B’ that holds you accountable for every possible circumstance known or unknown? The 200+ line item bid tab that assures every last possible item is included in your scope? Or how about the project schedule showing total duration(s) for each trades scope under perfect circumstances? It’s been our experience these tools are a staple for the beginning of a great project. What really determines the overall success are the team members; from leadership i.e. owner, design and CM all the way through each selected subcontractor. I’ve had experiences where from day one I felt almost like family and a welcomed addition to the group. The leadership set a tone of camaraderie establishing trust that lead to open and honest communication. On the other hand I’ve also had the latter experience where it’s everyone for themselves. Leader(s) will abuse their position, using fear and intimidation to force team members into precipitous action. The trick is discovering which team you have early enough in the bid process, so you can avoid the latter. We’re honestly still working on that part, but we do know great teams exist out there having worked with them already. Yup, projects with the best possible leaders and team members continues to be our "Holy Grail". Posted at 07:10 AM in Shop Talk | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) February 26, 2015 Weather you planned on it or not This has been one tough Jan/Feb even for us seasoned Northerners. Wind chills have reached record low(s), snow accumulation record high(s) and the impact to production has been significant. As we dig ourselves out and pick ourselves back-up, it’s important to keep our building partner’s informed, so we are beta testing our own LEAN construction model. Utilizing project 2013 we are creating schedules on a micro/finite level to help support our partners recovery pull-plan. Though we’ve only implemented it on a couple projects over the past several weeks, we can already see the benefits of improved communication and open praise from our builders. To do it effectively we find it to be a time commitment of anywhere from 4 to 8 hrs per week. We will continue to develop/improve upon this system to make us better more effective team members going forward. Posted at 07:18 AM in Clients , Scheduling , Services , Skills and Capability , What’s new | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) December 19, 2014 2014 Year in Review This truly has been a milestone year for NHG. We hit the ground runnning in January at the PNSY for Buildings 178 and 92 a total of 66,000+ sqft of installed custom glazing products. We added 3 new building partners and brought on 18 new employees. Our facilities were upgraded, we added new fabrication equipment and several new fleet vehicles. Then to round out the last quarter we pushed ourselves to record breaking volume through long hours and hard work. We never claimed it was easy being a MERIT shop in the heart of New England, but we believe in what we do and how we do it. Give us a try and you’ll find out what others already know - together we can accomplish anything. Thank You for our year and we wish you Safe and Happy Holidays! Posted at 04:14 AM in Clients , Employee HQ , What’s new | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) November 10, 2014 You Chose Well.. We all choose what’s best for our jobs, our family, ourselves and more.... our future unfolds based on the choices we make. When you choose NHG, we value that selection and will do our best to be your choice for a long time to come. - Here’s a Big Thank you to everyone who chooses NHG Posted at 12:03 PM in Clients , Employee HQ | Permalink | Comments (0) Reblog (0) October 10, 2014 When someone has to do it... Some challenges are known while others are only discovered over time and it is those unknowns which can become the quintessential "wrench in the works". NHG recently encountered just such a challenge with a project’s un-vetted logistical constraints. Amongst mounting restrictions in the form of access, loading, tie-off, work radius, off hour time and so...