Stacy Tanner’s commitment to client success is a big part for her long record of success in the construction industry. She remembers a job early in her career working at a modular company where their building partner was a company that had a healthcare construction group and a medical equipment group. The building partner was set to walk away from a VA hospital project in California because the two groups thought the site was too challenging.
Stacy picks up the story: “They flat out said: ‘we can’t do this.’” But I believed that they could do it. I also thought they were the most qualified for the job, better than the other bidders. I worked really hard to pull everything together and convince both groups the project absolutely needed them to be successful. They ultimately committed to taking it on and the project was a huge success. We absolutely killed the schedule. The doors opened months earlier than projected. And the VA got a beautiful facility with state-of-the-art medical equipment.”
In fact, making the impossible possible is a hallmark of Stacy’s: “In the 90’s, Corning Glass was absolutely deluged by demand for the glass fiber used in fiber optic networks. But they had no facilities to house their engineers and researchers, no offices for the designers and construction workers that were going to build the manufacturing plant to produce the glass fiber.”
The modular company she was working for at the time was able to pull off an amazingly fast turnaround, building a compound with office buildings, research facilities, etc. in just 3-4 months. Two things stand out for Stacy: “One, the ‘temporary’ structures they thought would only be used a year or so ended up being used for 5 years or more as we continued to develop more space solutions. Second, it was the first time that someone handed me a check for a million dollars! Actually, it was $1,100,000!”
When asked about Women in Construction Week, Stacy recalls: “I remember a situation from early in my career. I think a few women in construction have probably experienced something like I did. I was working for a company that provided modular offices for job sites. We were contracted to deliver an office complex for a GC and Owner that were building a new paper plant. Early in the project, my client called. The GC was behind schedule and was blaming our company because mmodules hadn’t been set up. I checked with my field crew to see what was up. They let me know that the site prep work the GC had agreed to do—putting down crushed stone for our equipment to operate safely, to create the pads the modules sat on, etc.—was not completed. In fact, it wasn’t even started. So my client and I went down to the site. It was giant pool of mud. I mean, it was so bad, if you set a tool down, it literally sank and disappeared into the mud. Totally unsafe for our crew. And totally unusable for the modular buildings. We saw the GC and the Owner coming toward us. The GC got up in my face and started yelling that we hadn’t delivered the trailers and the delays were all our fault. He went on and on, screaming and hollering. I think he thought I’d be intimidated and would agree to take on additional costs. But I knew we were right and I was prepared.”
“When he finally stopped, I said: ‘I can’t believe you’re yelling at me.’ I pulled out the contract. I flipped to the sections I had highlighted in yellow. They outlined his responsibility to prep the site. ‘Read your contract,’ I pointed. ‘You have to finish the site prep before we can start, these are unstable ground conditions and that is your contractual responsibility to prepare. It’s not safe for my site crew or your crew who’ll be working in these modular buildings. Look, these are your initials. You signed it!’ We were face-to-face, staring at each other. By now some of the workers had gathered around. The Owner was frustrated and couldn’t believe how the GC was acting. Finally, the GC shouts: “In 3 days we’ll have the site prepped for your crew!” then spun around and stalked off. My crew and even some of his guys started clapping. I had not expected him to be that explosive. But I knew I was right to stand up for my crew and their safety. Being prepared is not just a Scout motto, it literally is the way of life, especially in construction when people’s lives are at risk.”
Being prepared, knowing the right thing to do, and sticking to first principles has served Stacy well in the 25 years she’s worked in the construction and modular industry. Although she’s been Director of Business Development at MODLOGIQ for only 6 months, she has known and worked with a number of the people at MODLOGIQ for years, including more than 20 years with Jim Gabriel, General Manager. “I really love the people here,” she explains. “Because of their creativity, their knowledge, and their commitment to teamwork, MODLOGIQ was just recognized as a Great Place to Work. But more important, I’m inspired that over the holidays our team raised thousands of dollars for charity and volunteered their time to help others outside our company.”
Stacy adds: “We’ve got so many exciting initiatives going on right now. Innovative programs that include developing Prototype Programs for QSR Drive Thru, Patient-Ready Program for Ambulatory Surgery Clinics, and much more. My days are jam-packed working with Estimating, Design and Plant operations teams to collaborate and coordinate on proposals, value engineering, and developing the most cost-efficient designs.”
Stacy, along with her Sales Team, continue to educate architects, construction management companies, and GC’s on the schedule, site and budget benefits of MODLOGIQ’s SMART OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION for hospitals, retail, restaurant healthcare, college and university clients. “We are completely unique in the industry,” she says. “Nobody is doing what we do. When we have people come tour the plant—following all CDC and Pennsylvania COVID safety guidelines, of course—they are blown away by what we build and are capable of. I’d love everyone to come tour the plant and see for themselves. We make an impressive building!”