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20 Worcester Business Journal | May 15, 2017 | wbjournal.com L et's face it: contractor is often considered a dirty word. However, in an economy driv- en by budgets and deadlines, it may be in your best interest to qualify and select a trustworthy contractor at the earliest stages of your project. 1. Time – Time is money for all of us, including your contractor. The early involvement of the contractor will help you understand the cost, schedule and constructability of meth- ods and materials under consideration. Making changes after design docu- ments are underway, or after construc- tion has begun, costs significantly. 2. Budget – Many people feel that disclosing their project budget to their contractor means sacrificing savings or budget variances. This is not, in fact, the case. A good contractor always has the best interest of the customer in mind. Disclosing your budget will allow your contractor to help manage your project to fit within your parame- ters. Waiting to hire your contractor using a hard-bid method might yield lowest first cost, but it increases the likelihood for change orders to be issued during construction. 3. Headaches – Selecting your con- tractor at the onset of the project enables you to choose the team you'd like to work with, including the sub- contractors. Your construction manag- er has strong relationships with vari- ous subcontractors and knows their abilities. Awards based on a hard-bid process dictates subcontractors carried in final bid might not be a good fit. Know your team: request qualifica- tions from prospective firms and check references. Review the construc- tion manager's qualifications and refer- ences to develop a short-list of firms to meet with. Request that the project manager and superintendent be pres- ent at the interview. 4. Experience – Many projects involve new systems for your internal project team, including building meth- ods, safety and maintaining ongoing operations. A strong contractor with experience in your type of project will be familiar with implementing and managing these processes. 5. Management – What are your key objectives for your project? Chances are that you've included budget and scheduling items. Your contractor is an expert at managing these items – it's what we do, and we enjoy doing it. As an integrated part of your team, a con- tractor will be a budget and schedule watchdog who will advise you and keep your objectives in mind through- out design and construction. Selecting a contractor who you can trust and working collaboratively will yield an efficient (even enjoyable) project delivery. 10 T H I NG S I know about . . . . . . S m a l l b u s i n e s s l e n d i n g By Sandie Cataldo Sandie Cataldo is the economic development manager for the North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. Reach her at SCataldo@ northcentralmass.com. K N O W H O W Five reasons to trust contractors O nboarding new employees involves introductions, orien- tation, forms and office tours. But there some core tasks for a transi- tion you or your managers may be overlooking: levels of support that can truly empower new team members to become more productive. Investing in new employees' transitionary periods pays off in terms of productivity. Here are three things to keep in mind when you go beyond onboarding and into the ramped-up version: integration. Set up an integration checklist. According to HR4Free.com, this list shouldn't only lay out tasks associated with a new employee joining the com- pany – issuing an ID badge, dress code guidelines, etc. – it should solicit feed- back, with questions such as "How much autonomy did you gain by the end of the first week?" and "Does the position meet your expectations?" Know that integration is a layered approach. The first level of new- employee support is basic orientation. Active assimilation is next, according to an article at Harvard Business Review by Mark Byford, Michael D. Watkins and Lena Triantogiannis. Integration, the third level, is a cus- tom-designed experience to help an employee assimilate. "These might include team-building workshops and deep-dive discussions about strategy," the article says, to help identify cultur- al differences. Tailor their training. "Once the new hire has self-assessed their skills and competencies, you can create a learning plan so they are ready to meet the challenges of their new posi- tion," says a whitepaper by talent- management software company Saba, of California. These assessments give you the information to fine-tune new team members, building up their strengths so they can benefit your company to the highest extent possi- ble. By engaging the employee in their own transition, goals evolve, and you can get to work "choosing and priori- tizing development activities based on the immediate challenges." BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal 10 1: B e y o n d o n b o a r d i n g 10) There are more resources than you think. If you are thinking about starting a business or obtaining capital for your small business, many organizations in Central Mass. can help. 9) Don't get discouraged if a bank turns you down. This is not the end of the road for your dreams. In fact, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. only lends to businesses denied loans from banks. 8) Don't rely on high-interest credit cards. Putting expenses on credit cards can make it challenging to manage costs. 7) Put in the time and do your homework. No organization is just going to hand you money. You'll have to make your case for needed capital. Do your research and understand your credit score and report. 6) Have a well-polished business plan. You can find free help creating one from the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center. 5) Be patient. In most cases, when seeking business capital, it can take some time. Be patient with your financial organization. Do your research on your use of funds – obtaining quotes and estimates for how you will use loan dollars. 4) Create a support team. Having a solid support team is important for businesses seeking funding. Have good working relationships with professional service providers like attorneys and accountants. 3) Continually educate yourself. Attend seminars, workshops and utilize education opportunities that keep you polished and aware of market trends and evolutions. 2) Networking is important. Obtaining relationships with banks and credit unions will be helpful to you as you look for funding. 1) Lending is often about strong relationships, so cultivate those important partnerships. BY ANDY MCBETH, LIZ MASON & TOM DUBE Special to the Worcester Business Journal W W W (From left) Andy McBeth, Liz Mason and Tom Dube are the founders of Green Leaf Construction in Leominster.