Last year marked the inaugural P1 Group Safety Calendar made purely from art by kids related to our associates. And the calendar is back for 2020!

Children ages K-8th belonging, or related, to P1 associates, entered their 8.5 x 11 hand-drawn artwork reflecting the theme “what does worker safety mean to us?”

Motivation and a “can do” attitude have never been a problem for Rachel Toney. And that is exactly what she summoned to make an unorthodox career move, creating a better life for her and her family.

Even as a teenager she had a strong drive for success. Dually enrolled in both high school and college, she walked across the stage to receive her associates’ degree in accounting two weeks before her high school graduation.

The January weather is cold and the Science at Play outdoor exhibit at Science City stands empty most days, but inside, preparations are being made to open two new exhibits, Creative Corner and Let’s Play.

Union Station in Kansas City is a celebrated historical landmark and home of the internationally awarded Science City.

Above, right: P1 Group’s EPM team graduates from CurrentSAFE training in Youngstown, OH. Pictured, from left: Kiley Taylor, CurrentSAFE NFPA70E Instructor; Jeff Gardner, EPM Manager; Clint Hines, EPM Technician; Branner Gordon, EPM Technician; Derek Baldomino, EPM Technician; Daniel Farnan, General Manager; Sean Samson, CurrentSAFE Vice President of Dealer Development; Kevin Dickey, CurrentSAFE President

When your values line up, it makes certain business decisions easier.

BOILER PICTURES - BEFORE & AFTER

One of the first questions a good brand consultant will ask is “How are you differentiating yourself – why do people want to buy from you?”

KASB Project Exemplifies P1 Group’s Facility Solutions Capabilities

P1 Group has been a prestigious partner with the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) for the past four years, providing facility master planning and solutions to Kansas K-12 school districts. When the Association was ready to renovate their own Topeka, KS, facility, it only made sense that P1 Group should put those capabilities to work for KASB.

That’s what the Performance Solutions team of Senior Development Engineer Tim Mense, Vice President Rusty Roderick, and Project Development Manager Bill Frede, set out to do in 2016 when they began the planning process, analyzing the overall efficiency of KASB’s unique facility, which is several decades old.

Marketing Manager Victoria Hoffman

Pictured Center and Right: Performing in FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS and NOISES OFF!

Maybe it’s the yellow car, the high heeled tennis shoes, or the cat ear headphones, but whatever it is, you can tell right away that Marketing Manager Victoria Hoffman has a flair for the dramatic.

But it didn’t start out that way.

P1 Group Expands Electrical

P1 Group isn’t the only group that embodies “The Expertise of Many, The Power of One.” P1 recently welcomed a group of 16 electrical and low-voltage technicians who have worked together for decades, putting aside rank, varying expertise, and barriers to work together as one.

Sound unusual? It is.

P1 Group is committed to helping fill the pipeline of talented construction and trade workers, which is why we developed the Construction Science Scholarship, awarded yearly to a promising student in the Kansas State University Construction Science program.

This year, Miguel Chacon Andrade was the lucky recipient.

Accuracy. Efficiency. Reduced Waste. In the ever-changing world of technology, P1 Group is always looking for ways to work better while increasing the quality of our work.The newly acquired CNC Machine will do just that.

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. This means a computer converts the design produced by Computer Aided Design software (CAD), into numbers. The numbers can be considered the coordinates of a graph and they control the movement of the cutter. Before this, dimensions had to be taken manually and then cut with the plasma cutter. With the CNC machine, Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is able to import the dimensions directly from a BIM model and make every cut in an automated process.

The successful man was out and on the job long before opportunity came a-knocking. And this same opportunity is often disguised as hard work." ~anonymous

Service Technician Jeremy Alexander is no stranger to hard work. As a teenager, he started working for his dad’s company pouring concrete and eventually moved on to remodeling homes.  Although it provided steady income, there were no benefits and when he found out he had a daughter on the way, he knew he needed to find something better to support his family. 

Most people are familiar with P1 Group’s distinctive position as a single-source provider, and the recently added Controls department brings yet another advantage to owners and customers.

The Controls department currently has staff operating out of the Kansas City (Lenexa) and Wichita offices, but supports all of the Kansas City metro, which includes St. Joseph and Lawrence/Topeka.

A multi-dimensional flag appears to ripple right off the wall at P1 Group’s Lenexa headquarters. The piece was created by our own Architectural Metal Division at the 32,800 sq. ft. Architectural Metal shop in Kansas City, MO.

The flag was unveiled at P1 Group's 100th Anniversary Celebration in September.

Customer relationships will always be top priority for P1 Group.

Kelly Masters was interviewing for a position with P1 when she was asked if she would be interested in the newly created position of C.A.R.E. Coordinator. With a degree in Nursing and three children, Kelly has plenty of experience in caring, and since customers have always been her favorite part of her work, she thought it would be a great opportunity.

Personal Training Builds Career Muscles

While trial by fire can be a good way to learn, no one likes the anxiety that comes with a brand new job, project deadlines, and all new software and systems to learn.

That’s where P1 University comes in. P1 Group goes above and beyond to train new project managers so they get up-to-speed about the company and their job function as soon as possible.

From Cheese to Freeze: Troy Stewart Finds Rewarding Career in Ammonia Refrigeration

Industrial Ammonia Refrigeration Technician Troy Stewart is the father of three little girls, who most certainly keep him on his toes. And that’s probably a good skill to have when you work in ammonia service, one of the most highly regulated, and dangerous, segments of our industry.

The career path that led the Wisconsin native to P1 Group began with the iconic staple of America’s Dairyland: cheese.

September 14 brought fantastic weather for the 66 golfers who participated in the 17^th Annual Charity Golf tournament to benefit Working Families' Friend. This is the second year the event was held at beautiful Shoal Creek Golf Course and the event raised $9,065. With the matching donation from P1 Group, the grand total collected was $18,130, surpassing last year’s total by over $4,000.  

The golfers were treated to food and drink, course challenges, and a vast amount of awards and prizes generously donated by our vendors. 

In January of 2017, Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) had a heat exchanger freeze and break, causing the ammonia system to be flooded with glycol. As part of the repair, P1 Group permanently installed a distillation unit to remove the water/glycol from the system. 

Pictured, clockwise from top left: Brandmeyer Great Hall Event/Lobby Space; Muriel Kauffman Theatre; Helzberg Hall; Casavant organ

Creating “customers for life” is P1 Group’s ultimate goal, and that means building trust and strong relationships during the time we spend with our customers.

P1 Group happens to share our 100th birthday with an integral component of our industry: the hard hat. One of the earliest pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE), the hard hat paved the way for the safety innovations companies like P1 Group pursue every day.

Where did the hard hat come from? The very ­first hard hat was inspired by the helmets worn by WWI soldiers, which protected them from the hail of bullets.

One of those soldiers was Lt. Edward Wheatley Bullard. Impressed by the effectiveness of the helmets, he invented the ­first commercially available industrial hard hat, called the Hard Boiled Hat®, initially designed for miners who were subjected to falling rock or tools dropped by workers higher up.