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How Harrison & Burrowes used the aQuiRe™ platform to improve construction safety and close the generational gap

Meet Harrison & Burrowes

The DiStefano family has been building roads and bridges in New York State for four generations. Wally and Jeff DiStefano created Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. and built their first job as a company as a subcontractor to Green Island Contracting, a large road builder owned by their father, Walter, and Uncle Stanley.

H&B built eight bridges in Geneseo, New York, on what was to become I-390. H&B has seen the retirement of former President and Founder, Wally DiStefano, and the executive management team has been structured to transition the company into the second generation at Harrison & Burrowes. Today, Jeff DiStefano remains Chairman of the Board, while day-to-day operations are led by current President Mark Klingbeil and the executive management team.

The Company maintains an annual revenue of roughly $60 million and boasts over $15 million in equipment holdings. Headquartered in Glenmont, New York, one mile south of Exit 23 of the New York State Thruway, H&B sits on twelve acres and employs more than 150 full-time and seasonal employees during the peak of construction season.

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The Challenge

Like many construction companies, Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. faces a workforce development challenge. With an aging workforce and a shortage of qualified workers, H&B finds hiring and retaining skilled labor challenging.

They have been fortunate to have a workforce that is primarily made up of loyal, long-term employees. Some are even going into the third generation of their family working at H&B. However, the company recognizes they need to find ways to attract and retain qualified workers to continue to grow their business.

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Finding and developing new talent is a critical challenge many construction companies face, and Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. is proactively working on addressing it. Besides the knowledge gap created by an aging workforce, H&B wants to ensure they keep their workers safe and their company compliant as new technologies and regulations are introduced.

Ideally, H&B was looking for a solution that would make it easier for their employees to get the training they needed without taking them away from work for long periods. As many of their employees wanted to pick up a new skill or learn more about different techniques and trades, they searched for a way to allow them to get the required training without disrupting workflow or putting projects behind schedule.

Most of the training construction workers receive is on-the-job training. They finish OSHA training, get their PPE, and are expected to gain the required skills by working with more experienced employees. While on-the-job training is still an essential part of the process, as the industry evolves and new technologies and regulations are introduced, there is a growing need for more formal training.

H&B searched for a flexible way to provide their employees with the formal training they needed while being cost-effective and time efficient. In addition to the on-the-job training, they wanted a solution that would allow their employees to learn, upskill, and cross-train at their own pace and in a format that would fit into their busy schedules.

H&B searched for a flexible way to provide their employees with the formal training they needed while being cost-effective and time efficient. In addition to the on-the-job training, they wanted a solution that would allow their employees to learn, upskill, and cross-train at their own pace and in a format that would fit into their busy schedules.

Chris DiStefano - photo
The challenges we’re facing as a business are pretty well known in our industry. It isn’t easy to find folks that want to come to work and put in 40 or 45 hours a week and do what we do. We have to train many workers that come to us as they don’t have the experience or skills required to work in the construction industry. There is a lot of work out there, but not enough qualified workforce to do it.
Chris DiStefano
Chief Operating Officer of Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc.

Getting to know the aQuiRe™ platform

Chris DiStefano first heard about the aQuiRe™ platform from the company’s founder, Carley Hill, at an Associated General Contractors (AGC) of New York event. Through Carley, Chris learned that the app helps keep construction businesses safe and compliant through its Standards Logging feature, and offers training modules on various topics ranging from OSHA compliance to fall protection. Modules are created as short videos and recorded by industry experts, with a quiz at the end to ensure understanding and compliance.

Once Chris realized the aQuiRe™’s potential for their business, he brought it to the attention of the company’s president, Mark Klingbeil.

Klingbeil has been a part of H&B since 1981, starting as a laborer right out of high school. He was impressed with the app and saw the value in using it as a tool to help preserve institutional knowledge within the company. He looked over the modules and quizzes and saw it as a great way to refresh knowledge and help educate and train new employees.

With his support, H&B started using aQuiRe™ to help manage their workforce development. The app has been a valuable asset, providing employees with easy access to the training and information they need to do their job. It helped preserve the company’s know-how, as employees can refer back to the modules and quizzes as needed.

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Chris DiStefano - photo
When I first showed the aQuiRe™ app to our president Mark Klingbeil, I wasn’t sure what his reaction would be. He started going through the modules and taking the quizzes and fell in love with it. Mark is an absolute well of institutional construction knowledge, and was genuinely impressed with the platform.
Chris DiStefano
Chief Operating Officer of Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc.

The Approach

Once H&B started using the aQuiRe™ app, the CAHill team organized an onboarding process that included scheduling Zoom calls with the executive management of H&B. The process allowed members of the team to get familiar with the app, its features, and the dashboard used to assign modules to employees.

After the initial introduction, CAHill team members went to H&B’s annual safety meeting to give a more detailed update on how the app works and how they can use it going forward. The app is designed to educate all employees, not just those new to the company, on:

  • safety procedures and protocols
  • inspection procedures
  • technical skills
  • and more…

It allowed Harrison & Burrowes to have a well-documented training process they can reference during an OSHA inspection or any other safety issue. It provides a way to show that employees have received training and are up-to-date on the latest safety procedures.

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This is vital to H&B’s commitment to safety and ensures a safe work environment for all employees.

Chris DiStefano - photo
The thing I appreciate the most about CAHill is that the people making these videos know what they’re talking about. The aQuiRe™ app is a great tool for anyone willing to spend a few minutes watching the modules. It’s a unique product that is exceptionally well made.
Chris DiStefano
Chief Operating Officer of Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc.

The Results

The results H&B achieved from using the aQuiRe™ app speak for themselves - their experience modification rating has decreased within a year. This is connected to the fact that safety is always top-of-mind for their employees, thanks to the culture that the aQuiRe™ platform has helped create and promote. H&B’s executive management team understands the safety of their employees is the most critical part of their business, and the app has helped to foster that culture throughout the company.

The gap between the generations in the workforce is slowly but surely closing, thanks partly to the aQuiRe™ platform. The app has helped train and educate H&B’s younger employees, giving them the skills they need to be well-rounded and productive team members.

The older employees at H&B have also benefited from the app, as it has given them a way to stay up-to-date on the latest safety procedures and protocols.

There are no more hours-long classes or lectures - with aQuiRe™, employees can learn at their own pace and in their own time. This has been a considerable benefit for H&B, as it has allowed them to tailor their training to the needs of each employee.

Overall, the aQuiRe™ platform has positively impacted Harrison & Burrowes. It helped to create a culture of safety, close the generational gap, and provide employees with the ability to learn at their own pace. Thanks to the aQuiRe™, H&B is well on its way to becoming a leading example of a safe and productive construction company.

Chris DiStefano - photo
Adopting aQuiRe™ is one of the better things we’ve done in the past five years. The app has played a big part in the accelerated growth of the second generation. It’s not only helped change our safety culture for the better but it’s given us a platform to close the generational gap and provide employees with the ability to learn at their own pace. aQuiRe™ is well-made, and it’s obvious that the team behind it knows what they’re doing. We couldn’t recommend it more,
Chris DiStefano
Chief Operating Officer of Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc.
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Looking into the future

The aQuiRe™ platform is constantly evolving and improving. New features and modules are added all the time, and the CAHill team is always available to help with any questions or concerns. To H&B, that means they can have peace of mind knowing that their employees receive the best possible training and education.

Going further, Harrison & Burrowes plans to use the aQuiRe™ platform to train their employees on using new equipment and machinery and to introduce new safety procedures and protocols. aQuiRe™ will play a vital role in ensuring that H&B’s employees are always up-to-date on the latest information and that their safety is always a top priority.

Get started with aQuiRe™

Get in touch, see aQuiRe™ in action, and let industry experts show you what makes it the construction industry’s best training and safety tool.