Foreman of the month: Wick foreman combines his love of dairy farming and barn building /
When it comes to providing superior customer service, there’s nothing like knowing your customers — especially when you can understand how they think. That kind of knowledge builds loyalty, trust and often good friendships.
Field construction and safety foreman Nick Welch, of Mazomanie, Wis.–based Wick Buildings, was raised as a dairy farmer. On the family farm in northern Wisconsin, he learned the value of hard work and a respect for his product: cows. He also had a wise father who advised him when he graduated from high school to try another line of work before committing himself to the challenging life of farming.
Welch heeded the advice. In 1996, he took a job in construction with Wick Buildings, thanks to a lead from a family member who worked for the company. He spent the next few years going back and forth between dairy farming and construction, enjoying both worlds.
A few years later he met his future wife, Joan, while working on a farm. They moved to her home state of Ohio, where Welch continued to work in both professions, flourishing in his career with Wick Buildings. Then, in 2005, a new opportunity arose.
“One of my builders up in McBain in northern Michigan needed somebody who he could count on and Nick was our guy,” says Jeff Welbaum, field safety and construction supervisor at Wick Buildings. “We offered Nick a transfer, which he accepted, and he’s just been going gangbusters there ever since.”
“He’s just a master of free-stall barns. Because of his farming background, Nick can predict problems and is able to work closely with me and engineers to get issues with barns corrected before they become problems.”
Welch fits perfectly in McBain, a close-knit community of more than 70 dairy farms, where he especially likes building large barns. “He gets along well with all of my customers and understands their goals,” says Kevin Fredricks, salesperson for Richland Enterprises, Inc., where Welch is currently constructing a Wick Buildings project. “He does a real nice job of keeping customers happy and he helps sell buildings. I have even sold a few projects under the stipulation that Nick serves as the foreman.”
Welch understands the value he brings to construction, but he never forgets the opportunities that Wick Buildings and his many mentors have provided him. “Everyone in McBain builds free-stall barns, so with me coming off a farming background, the customers just love it. If I see something on the plans I don’t like, I go to them and say, ‘I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but before we start building, I’d like to change some things in the plan.’ I like building structures just one time, which people appreciate.”
“I’ve learned a lot at Wick,” he explains, adding that his wife served on his crew for several years after they moved to Michigan. “When I first started with the company, I couldn’t hold a hammer. Now I’m one of the top foremen. I built the second highest volume last year.
“I just want to thank everyone at Wick for giving me a chance, giving me equipment and believing in me,” says Welch, whose work often qualifies him and his appreciative crew for “labor incentives” at Wick. “Wherever I go, it seems like people want me back. It’s nice when you pull off a job and the customer wants you back for the next one,” he says.
Welbaum says Welch’s tougher-than-nails work ethic makes him a favorite choice among fellow builders as well as customers. He insists Welch is more than a good worker. “Nick has become a good friend over the years. He’s my go-to guy, and I love him like a son. I know that I can depend on him,” Welbaum says.
Nominate the next winner:
Give a crew leader a bonus — recognition in Frame Building News and a $100 check compliments of American Building Components. One winner will be named Foreman of the Year and will receive $500 at the Frame Building Expo in Memphis in February 2013.
