Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Sometimes it's the things you don't notice....

I wanted to talk to you about the things you don't notice.  Have you driven Highway 54 from Kingdom City to Jefferson City lately?  What do you notice about the drive? Or is it what you don't notice?  The concrete replacement work that Central District crews have done is so smooth you don't notice it. If it was a little rough or it had a "thump, thump" at the ends, our customers would notice every day, day after day.  This is one of those things you may not think of as customer service, but it is critical. I always say if you can't walk away from your work for the day and say it looks good and rides good, then you're not done. In our most recent customer survey our customers have reaffirmed that pavement smoothness is their number-one priority. We want to make it so smooth they don't even think about it. Sometimes it's the things you don't notice that are important.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Innovations Challenge expands to everyone

Innovation is one of MoDOT’s greatest strengths.  Finding better ways to do our jobs has saved Missouri taxpayers money, improved safety and made us a national leader among other DOTs.
Last year, MoDOT hosted two challenges, the PrOMo and the Tool and Equipment challenges. This year, the two programs have been combined to form one challenge with broader categories to cover every area of the department. 
Whether you innovate by crafting a new tool, streamlining a process or delivering a superior project, the Innovations Challenge is your competition to win! 
First round competition ends in December, so enter today by going to:

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

State Visits Reaffirm Commitment

I wanted to share with everyone what I have been up to over the last few weeks. I have traveled around the state meeting with Team MoDOT in KC, SW, NW,Central and NE Districts. I have met with Management Teams, Maintenance Buildings and gone out to construction projects and maintenance operations. I also attended a couple of the training sessions for the on boarding for our new maintenance employees.

Here are few observations. I am very glad to see how seriously the teams are taking the on boarding plan. This will make a huge difference in making sure new employees feel welcome and are safe and productive. I sat in on in on a couple of Morning Musters/ Safety talk/ Risk Based Assessments. I was impressed with how crews are using these tools to make things safer. For example Tyler a Crew Leader did a great job of leading the safety discussion and made sure it was very appropriate for the work for the day. When I have been out on projects and maintenance operations I can see the pride you take in the jobs you do.

My travels have reaffirmed what I have always known. We have committed,enthusiastic folks that do great things.