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Tom Bartosik is a notable figure in the field of Project Management. He was employed as a Survey Tecnhnician at Haegar Engineering, LLC. He also took up the role as an Instrument Man at Arnold Lundgren and Associates besides Vanderstappen Surveying Inc. He had worked as a crew chief in notable organizations including Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc.(HLR), American Surveying and Engineering, P.C, Mackie Consultants, LLC, etc.
Additionally, he was employed as a Project Surveyor at Atwell, LLC in the year 2018 and later on secured the role of a Project Coordinator. Eventually, he was promoted to the role of a Project Manager.
He is known for devoting his expertise and resources in order to yield better consequences by doing the right thing at the right time. Furthermore, he is noted for creating a warm and comfortable working environment for his employees, which in turn creates the space for better and the right outcomes.
"Maintaining professionalism and relishing life must go hand in hand "
In an exclusive interview with Construction Business Review, Bartosik shared his valuable insights on the challenges, trends and best practices in the Construction Coating space.
What are your key roles and responsibilities here at the organization?
As my father was a drafter, he introduced me into the field from a young age and I have embraced it since. After obtaining the required amount of experience, I went up the career ladder, embracing the roles of crew chief and senior crew chief. After about 16 years of gaining expertise in my field, I moved on to become a project surveyor, which too proved to be a learning curve for me. From there, I moved up to project coordinator and eventually to a project manager.
What keeps you up at night when it comes to some of the major predicaments in the industry?
One of the major challenges that I’ve faced in the industry is to find young and interested talents for the job. Getting employees who are inclined to the job requirement can be very difficult. Additionaly, keeping all the valuable employees happy and satisfied alongside searching for new talents has been much of a struggle.
How do you see the industry evolving today?
Keeping the interest alive in every employee is the most important hurdle that we have to cross today in an organization.
Finding the right candidates, keeping them happy and interested is something that I would indulge in as a part of balancing the workload
Maintaining them in their workspace can also be a problem to be cautious of. Our organization is running short of staffs and the process of procuring the right ones is a monotonous struggle that we undergo in the present scenario.
What specific roles and responsibilities does a professional land surveyor play in your project?
A professional land surveyor supervises the drafting of plans and the boundary solving, be it a boundary survey or a topographic survey. Additionally, they are equipped to bestow their signature if the need for certification arises.
Do you specifically have a strategy that you follow to retain the employees in this space?
One of the most important tasks, is to maintain an environment that is safe, enduring and fun to work in. But at the same time we have to make sure to offer work that is challenging enough for those who loves to be challenged. At Atwell, we foster a close-knit work family, where employees get the space to improve as an individual. We also developed a culture where we do a golf league on Wednesdays that ensures a tight-knit office community. We take pride in maintaining such an inclusive environment that focuses on keeping people happy and interested.
One of the most critical tasks is to establish and maintain a safe, enduring, and fun work environment. However, it is equally important to ensure that we provide work that offers sufficient challenges for individuals who thrive on being challenged
Are there any recent projects that you have been working on lately?
We had undertaken many solar and wind projects that intrigued our employees, which resulted in better outcomes. Most of them were community based solar projects. We have also taken up projects from Commonwealth Edison. Additionally, we provide surveying for them, whether it be a small scale or large scale project. In conclusion, we undertake a wide variety of projects, be it a renewable energy project or a regular survey like American Land Title Association (ALTA).
What advice would you offer to your fellow peers and colleagues in the industry?
My one piece of advice, would be to keep things interesting. Maintaining professionalism and relishing life must go hand in hand. Providing quality service, while making sure that the client understands that you’re a human and you understand that they’re human will go a long way.