Seedorff University is a continuing education effort that consists of curriculum offerings inside as well as outside the ranks of Seedorff.  While the vast majority of classes have been developed in-house and are taught by SMI team members, some course offerings are out-sourced or include purchased instructional materials.  The intent of Seedorff University is two-fold.  First, we are attempting to expand the knowledge and skills of our individual team members in support of continuous improvement, both personally and professionally.  And second, we are equipping our team members to reach their full potential and expand their scope of available opportunity.

Upcoming Course Offerings

Course Offerings include, but are not limited to the following:  

Course Catalog in PDF

DESIGN TRAINING

Masonry design is not a complicated process. This class, taught by members of SMI’s Core Management team, seeks to build a basic foundation of knowledge relative to the behavior of individual masonry units. With this foundation in place, we can then predict the performance of masonry assemblies and ensure long-term performance. This class is open to all SMI team members. It is also valuable to Architects, Engineers, Contractors, and Material Suppliers. **Customized programs available upon request**

With the introduction of “toxic mold” as an additional exposure for builders and the subsequent exclusions in insurance policies, the prevention of water intrusion through exterior building envelopes has become more important than ever. Offered to all SMI team members, as well as Architects, General Contractors, and Owners, Water Intrusion Prevention Program is an adaptation of our Masonry Design class. Taught by SMI Core Management, this course emphasizes water intrusion in all phases of construction, including the design, construction and operation, and maintenance. **Customized programs available upon request**

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An introduction to blueprint reading, Blueprint 101 teaches participants about the organization of plans and specifications. The course, led by an experienced SMI Estimator and Area Superintendent, explores all aspects of construction documents from symbols and line conventions, to shop drawings and detailing. Following an introduction to documents, participants engage in hands-on exercises and work in pairs to navigate an actual set of plans and specs to retrieve information. This course is available to all SMI team members.

Blueprint 201, designed for supervisory positions, is the second course in the Blueprint series. It expands the scope to include an in-depth examination of structural drawings and develops an understanding of the inter-relationship between the Specifications, Architectural, Structural, and Steel Shop Drawings. Utilizing the same plans and specifications from 101, the participants in 201 again work in teams to better understand the masonry scope of work, as well as the integration of related work items. The instructors of Blueprint 201 are experienced SMI Estimators and Area Superintendents. Suggested Prerequisites: Blueprint 101

The third in the series, Blueprint 301 focuses specifically on stone assemblies and their application on an actual project. Participants learn about the behavior of limestone, granite, and manufactured stone products, and analyze details related to their installation, anchorage, and long-term performance. Following a general understanding of the materials and their application, participants dive into the construction documents from an SMI project and work in teams to retrieve information from the plans, specifications, and stone shop drawings. The instructors of Blueprint 301 are experienced SMI Estimators, Project Managers, and Field Personnel. Suggested Prerequisites: Blueprint 101 & Blueprint 201.

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FIELD TRAINING

This course is intended to supplement other existing programs in the industry, which recruit and train the next generation of bricklayers. Lasting 8 weeks, Bricklayer Apprentice Training includes hands-on bricklaying, masonry design, and blueprint reading coordinated by the Bricklayer Apprentice Instructor and an Area Superintendent. Eligible candidates must have worked for Seedorff Masonry, Inc. in the field for a minimum of 1 year and are selected from applications and/or invitations to participate.

Offered: Annually 

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SMI Shop and Yard personnel developed an organizational guide for jobsite clean up. This program is based on best practices, as seen on various jobsites. Open to all SMI team members, the optimal audience for Jobsite Organization is Area Superintendents, Jobsite Superintendents, and Operators.

This series of 90-minute workshops target our field staff that install masonry assemblies every day in the field. A thorough understanding of the materials, details, and installation methods are what allow us to pursue our goal of Masonry Guaranteed for Life. With our comprehensive Masonry Design, Behavior, and Performance class as its foundation, the workshops dissect specific details through an in-depth 30-minute presentation and discussion, followed by a 60-minute workshop where participants have an opportunity to physically build the details. Proof of understanding is the ability to explain….not to mention actually build it!

Currently we have 6 Workshops in development:

1. Movement Joints I: Control Joints in Masonry Assemblies

2. Movement Joints II: Expansion Joints in Masonry Assemblies

3. Flashings and Vents in Masonry Assemblies

4. Brick: Behavior and Performance of Clay Masonry

5. Concrete Block: Behavior and Performance of CMU

6. Mortar and Grout in Structural and Veneer Applications

The Workshops are available to all SMI team members and are taught by a combination of Area Superintendents, Job Superintendents, Journeyman, and Management Staff.

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Where am I making money?  Why am I in the hole?  How do I get these other guys out of my way?  Units 5 & 6 from AGC’s Supervisory Training Program will be combined and customized for a total of 8 class sessions in this Seedorff University class.  This training will help you understand and manage project costs on your job.  We will explore a variety of topics that include the estimate, how you can control your costs, reporting and analyzing costs, planning for cost control, and labor cost control. We’ll also investigate the impact, both positive and negative, that our suppliers and the general contractor can have on our costs, and we’ll look at tools to better manage the process.  Loss prevention, cost control strategies and post-job evaluations are methods to add value and control costs.  And finally, we will compare short term vs. long term project planning and review methods of communicating the plan.  This class is designed specifically for Job Site Superintendents and Project Managers who are responsible for directing project schedules and overall costs of a job.  If you are responsible for, or have an interest in, controlling cost on your project...this class is a must.

Accident Prevention and Loss Control (Field-Emphasis)

Accident Prevention and Loss Control is the seventh unit of the Associated General Contractors of America’s 10-unit Supervisory Training Program.  This course will cover the roles and responsibilities of the supervisor in the execution of the company’s safety program while creating a positive safety culture on the jobsite.  Unit 7 explores safety leadership, motivation, planning for site safety, and site security and protection.  Open to all SMI team members and led by the SMI Safety Department.  This course is a 6-week commitment for approximately 3 1/2 to 4 hours per week where you will be involved in discussions with real life examples.

Contact Hours: 20

Location: Regionally

Offered: Fall/Winter 2010

The ninth unit of the Associated General Contractors of America’s Supervisory Training Program, Productivity Improvement, explores the role the supervisor can play in increasing jobsite productivity and how a small increase in productivity can have a significant impact on the time and cost of a project.  Open to all SMI team members and led by SMI Core Management, Productivity Improvement provides an understanding of how productivity is measured.  The course is a 6-week commitment for approximately 3 1/2 to 4 hours per week.

Contact Hours: 20

Location: Regionally

Offered:  To be determined

Chosen by nomination and selection, a small group of SMI team members embark on a two-year Leadership Academy facilitated by outside training professionals. This diverse group meets monthly for leadership sessions that build core knowledge, practice management techniques, and affirm teambuilding strategies. SMI Core Management and Area Superintendents nominate SMI team members for this intensive two-year program.

Taught by SMI Mechanics, this hands-on course covers routine service and maintenance of all equipment ranging from Honda motors, gas saws, gas table saws, mixers, skid loaders, forklifts, etc. While open to all SMI team members, the primary focus of this training is for SMI field employees.

Wanting all SMI Operators familiar with the equipment, this course delves deeper into standard operation and troubleshooting of SMI equipment. By diagnosing and explaining frequently seen problems, the troubleshooting portion of this course helps Operators resolve problems in a step-by-step manner. SMI Mechanics share their knowledge and experience during this training primarily designed for SMI field employees.

PROJECT TRAINING

Project Cost Accounting

Project Cost Accounting provides the basics of how to read and interpret project labor and cost reports.  Covered reports include unit cost, variance, and productivity in both Timberline and HCSS.  The class, taught by SMI Core Management and Accounting Staff, is divided into 2 sessions.  Session 1, Labor Cost Reports, focuses on an in-depth understanding of labor costs and production units.  Session 2, Job Cost Reports, is to give Project Managers and Area Superintendents a more thorough comprehension of costs being charged to a job, whether estimated or not.  Both sessions concentrate on the analysis of costs determining the current financial status of the project, trends both positive and negative, and to predict final job costs.  This training directly benefits Area Superintendents, Jobsite Superintendents, Project Managers and Estimators.

This course ties all the process pieces together by providing a comprehensive overview of a project from procurement to closeout. It starts with estimating using Timberline software, exporting the estimate to accounting, tracking and documenting the project using PJ software, and monitoring costs in Timberline Job Cost software. Offered every three years, Project Administration is taught by industry consultants and is open to all SMI team members. It is supplemented annually by Project Cost Accounting and Timberline Estimating courses, taught by SMI staff.

Contract terms have become more and more complex as subcontract agreements grow in length. Indemnification, owner prequalification, prompt pay, additional insured, third-party over actions...the list goes on. What does it all mean? Contractual Exposures has been assembled in cooperation with our counterparts and consultants in the industry. SMI Core Management, in conjunction with outside resources, facilitate this internal class. The primary audience for this course includes SMI Project Managers, Estimators, and Area Superintendents.

Risk should be allocated to the party best able to control the exposure. In a construction environment full of indemnification and hold-harmless provisions, and with insurance exclusions on the rise, all parties to the contract need to have a thorough understanding of the risks and where they are assigned. Originally developed and taught by SMI Core Management as in-house education for SMI Project Managers and Estimators, this program is modified as conditions in the market dictate. **Customized programs available upon request**

Originally designed to orient Jobsite Superintendents to the “behind-the-scenes” support available in the Home Office, this course is a great refresher for current Jobsite Superintendents as well. As the program has evolved, we have expanded our target audience beyond new field supervisors to include Regional Office support staff as well. Course curriculum includes a comprehensive snapshot of available resources in Accounting, Estimating, Shop, Yard, Risk Management, and Corporate Management through personal interaction with staff in all departments. KickStart is open to Field Supervisors and Regional/Home Office support staff upon request or by invitation.

SAFETY TRAINING

Operators who successfully complete the course are certified and become eligible to operate SMI material handlers. This course is taught by SMI Field Safety Trainers and is made available to SMI team members at the request of their supervisor.

SMI owns and utilizes a variety of types of scaffold. Specific jobs may utilize traditional 6’ WACO tubular frames, EZ Scaffold, EZ Hydro, HydroMobile, HydroMobile II, swingstage or a combination of any of the above. It is imperative we know our equipment and its proper application and operation.

As an integral part of our safety training program, SMI Field Safety Trainers conduct on-the-job training to ensure that we have competent persons on all SMI jobsites.

You will gain an awareness of construction safety and health concerns that are industry-specific through the OSHA 10-hour course. Participants will have a broad understanding of the OSHA Standards for Construction and SMI’s expectations regarding these requirements. SMI Field Safety Trainers are certified to teach this course, which is open to all SMI team members. OSHA 10-hour is also offered through the local unions.

SMI field safety trainers, in coordination with the American Heart Association, offer employees an opportunity to gain a two-year First Aid/CPR certification or recertification. First Aid/CPR training is also offered through the local unions.

This session will demonstrate  rigging principles, load control and risk management.  These areas will focus on operating practices, rigging to the center of gravity, proper application of hardware and slings, proper angle, and checking for faulty equipment.

Contact Hours: 4-5

Location: Regionally

Offered: Annually

Are you enthusiastic about taking jobsite photos or pictures at different SMI events, but reluctant to download them? SMI’s Digital Camera course assists you in downloading pictures from our SMI digital cameras. Bring your SMI digital camera in and a trainer will walk you through a step-by-step process of transferring the pictures from the camera into the computer. For this individualized instruction, contact the Training Department at the Home Office to schedule a training session in your area.

SMI is offering small group training sessions on Microsoft Office products. The small group sessions, open to all SMI team members, are designed for 2-3 people. Basic operations and functions associated with Microsoft Word, Excel, or Outlook are covered by SMI in-house trainers. Contact the Training Department at the Home Office to schedule a training session in your area.

Training is offered through SMI Office Personnel on Heavy Job, a remote-time entry software program utilized by SMI Jobsite Superintendents to record man-hours and log information in the field on a daily basis. Basic training on a laptop computer and software orientation are referenced during this course. Heavy Job remote-time entry allows Area Superintendents, Project Managers, Estimators, Payroll, and SMI Management to have real-time information and monitor current jobs more efficiently. Technical support is available through HCSS on a 24-hour basis. Extended training is also available to SMI Jobsite Superintendents, Area Superintendents, Office Personnel, and Management concerning reports, scanning documents and images, and any on-going maintenance issues.

SMI has developed specific methods to estimate a masonry job. Timberline Estimating breaks down the process into 6 core modules: Beginning Takeoff, Modifying the Estimate & WBS Codes, Basic Estimating Reports, Add-ons, Estimating Tips & Tricks, and Estimating Tools. The core audience for this in-house training conducted by experienced SMI Estimators is SMI employees dealing with or operating in the Estimating Department.

This introductory course to the Timberline Accounting system covers basic operations and functions used by SMI. Further in-depth instruction can be given on each module by request. This course is designed for SMI Office support staff. Please contact the Training Department at the Home Office to schedule a training session.

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