"It is incredibly expensive to show up on a jobsite with no plan and try to figure it out as you go. Yet, many of your companies will put you in that situation — if you allow it." That was a message from instructor Kirk Alter to the 26 attendees of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) Educational Foundation's Super Foremen Workshop, conducted June 23-24 at the Viega Training Facility in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Alter made it clear that the title of foremen comes with a duty to contribute to the success of the company. "It is your responsibility to get involved in the pre-planning process and to never step foot on a jobsite if your team doesn't have a solid project plan in place,"  he said. Alter further cautioned that "Subcontractor business owners get concerned when they see a bunch of their high-dollar employees talking in a meeting room all day. It's your job to remind your boss that every dollar spent on planning can result in $4 to $6 dollars of savings on the project."

The class was sponsored and hosted by Viega LLC. "Viega generously provides the training space, meals and more for the class attendees," said John Zink, vice president of development and communications for the PHCC Educational Foundation. "Their support lowers registration costs and allows employees of smaller companies to attend our program. It allows larger companies to send multiple foremen, which gets the field management team operating from the same playbook.

The PHCC Educational Foundation typically runs one Super Foremen Workshop and one Essentials of Project Management class per year. Visit phccfoundation.org/essentials for more information and to get on the notification list for future classes.