In the post you will find a message, we could refer to it as a “reprint” as it was written for and first appeared in our annual photo journal. This photo journal, dubbed “Year in Review”, houses images captured at random of many of the building activities taking place on a variety of our projects during a calendar year. After we pull them all together we present a finished album as a gift to each employee at year end. For me, this is much more than a gift of photos. This is about taking custody of our memories. Each yearly collection is somewhat exclusive, having its own story or stories to tell. By composition they provide an enjoyable pictorial account for our viewing pleasure today. For our tomorrows, they will be the chronicler providing the effective link from the trade professional to his past desired and pleasant memories. How wonderful it will be when that day comes and an adoring grandchild might ask “tell me what you did when you worked grandpa”, and Grandpa may respond “I built things to last. Here, let me show you some examples in these photos”. Having earned the distinction of mentor, or more precisely “oldest of the old” at Schrader and Company, I can now validate from personal experience the perception that time seems to pass more and more quickly for an individual as that individual continues to age. As each of us continue to make our own new memories we would be wise to consider “now” as a good time to verify access in the future to the memories we wish to preserve.
Back from our memories… we were calling your attention to our “reprint” through which we willingly expose a sensitive appreciation for the integrity with which our focused experts apply their skill and experience. And this is the case even when no one is observing. Admittedly, we also work in a world of one-of-a-kind design and promised deadlines just as much as noisy power saws, drills, pneumatic rapid firing nail guns, lifting and securing heavy building components, temperature extremes, and dust, jack hammers, banged thumbs, bruises, cuts… and stitches. Yes, we’re the ones who invade your homes. What we do can be incredibly invasive, we know that, and we strive to make the process as pleasant for you as it can possibly be. We dedicate our concentration as much to effective communication and job cleanliness as we do to the artistry of sturdy workmanship. So savor this opportunity as we present you with a glimpse behind our curtain. Take a look to experience how we communicate when we think no one is listening. It may be reassuring for you to discover the depth of our sense of duty and commitment to you, our client, especially when the camera is thought to be “off”.

The Test of Time
It would be far too easy for us to simply fail to remember the unmistakably beneficial impact our work output has on our clients and their families. After all, our work obligations and responsibilities can seem endless at times. We work tirelessly, every day applying our best efforts to the planning, building, and processing of our creations. This we do willingly, dare we say habitually, to ensure that our clients will have the highest probability of being unconditionally satisfied as a direct and memorable result of their experience of working with our company.
Conventional thinking in our industry believes that the conclusion of our work is a time of ending, a time to close our commitments. We see it differently, not as an end but more as a shift, a very critical shift, to when the value of the services we provide really start to show. After we conclude our work and move on to the next project, no longer encumbering a newly finished space with our presence, our clients realize they are free to pursue new comforts enjoying our most recent work. And our work is sound. A new lifestyle is born. Family memories begin anew, taking form during cooking and mealtime activities in that remodeled kitchen. Perhaps those are “Schrader Built” cabinets in that master bedroom addition. Bedtime stories are read to the little ones in a newly constructed third bedroom we created from a framed in over-sized attic space. And yes, undoubtedly there will be magazines and newspapers offering comfort to those who visit a bathroom we recently remodeled. Yes, we enhance lifestyles.
You are a part of something special. By applying your considerable talents in earnest to improve the quality of life of those we labor for, the good you do for others is far-reaching. As you consider your chosen career with Schrader and Company, do so with a well-deserved glow of pride knowing the quality of the work effort devoted to these projects will stand the test of time and have immeasurable lasting impact on those who enjoy them long after our work is complete.