Two Tindall Team Members Complete NPCA Master Precaster Program
Staff Report From Spartanburg CEO
Monday, June 4th, 2018
Joe Sikes and Jackie Gaddy of Tindall Corporation have completed the Master Precaster program through the National Precast Concrete Association, the governing body for the U.S. precast concrete industry. Most recently Gaddy, Production Supervisor at Tindall, completed the course among 32 others in 2018 and Sikes, Production Supervisor at Tindall, achieved this status in 2016 with 34 other precasters. Both Tindall team members are among 140 Master Precasters.
“By completing this coursework and earning the Master Precaster designation, Joe and Jackie have continued to develop their knowledge base and help ensure that superior quality products are made by the Utility Division,” said Joel Sheets, VP and GM of Tindall’s Utility Division. “I am proud that they are the first two Master Precasters at Tindall Corporation, and I look forward to their achievements in the future.”
The initiative was started in 2012 by NPCA as an opportunity for continuing education. The coursework balances technical expertise with leadership initiatives to ensure that the students learn NPCA standards and know how to teach their teams how to implement these practices. The popularity of this achievement continues to grow in the industry and the organization expects to have somewhere around 50 graduates in 2019.
“My favorite course was the leadership class,” says Gaddy of the program. “The presenter kept us involved and helped us relate our knowledge to the business side of the industry. I now know the rights and wrongs and I am confident in answering questions from my colleagues.”
The coursework is incredibly rigorous and some of the testing can take several hours to complete. Both Gaddy and Sikes remarked that they couldn’t have achieved this without the support of the NPCA and their team at Tindall due to the assistance they received when preparing for tests. Tindall encourages its team to pursue their goals and assists through flexibility with classes occurring during work hours and providing opportunities within the workplace. Though Sikes found the program through his own desire to learn, he encouraged Gaddy to participate and continues to inspire others to complete the process.
“NPCA opens up a world of resources that you just have to tap into,” says Sikes of his experience. “Now I have a better understanding of the precast industry and I love using the knowledge I’ve gained every day when leading my team.”