At TP Mechanical, we believe in mentoring and growing everyone within our company. Each month we offer a variety of training & development courses to our employees.
Learn more about TP by visiting our website.
The People Behind TP Mechanical Introducing Greg Knue
Greg, Operations Leader of the Kentucky Region, has been with TP Mechanical 21 years. Prior to his current role, Greg has served in many capacities within the company, including superintendent, project manager and instructor for our apprenticeship program.
“I enjoy the variety of circumstances that I am faced with in my day-to-day operations; it keeps me on my toes and always learning,” Greg stated. “This position is very much like a ‘box of chocolate’ – you never know what you might get next.”
Greg works with our Kentucky staff to make sure we are meeting the needs of customers on and off project sites. He stands out for his commitment to helping his team succeed and for being honest with his team members and customers alike.
When asked why he believes TP Mechanical stands apart from other mechanical contractors, Greg said:
“Our company has a very generous training budget with a strong commitment to the personal growth of our employees. The company provides them with ongoing education as well as a career path. This allows our employees the opportunity to excel within our organization and industry while meeting their personal goals.”
Contact Greg either by email greg.knue@tpmechanical.com or phone 859-685-2198.
TP mechanical doesn’t take shortcuts when it comes to training.
We go above and beyond in our commitment to developing our workers’ overall skill and expertise. We provide opportunities for our workers to go past expectations and become advanced experts in their fields.
We have spent the past year developing a new initiative called “Building TP Talent.” The purpose of this initiative is the continued growth and development of our employees. We are dedicated to spending more time guiding employees, focusing on leadership behaviors and building technical skill talent. Our TP Mechanical team members are enrolled in a diverse group of classes – titles that range from Building and Enhancing Customer Relationships to a class that focuses on Site Safety Awareness and Identifying Workplace Hazards.
We encourage our team to pursue certifications, cross training and advancements that make them better at what they do. This year, we even launched an internal mobile app to make it easier for employees to sign up for classes and gain knowledge.
This continual growth for our employees is a commitment to them and to you. We know that a better trained workforce means higher quality, greater efficiency and better customer service. At TP Mechanical, our superior training programs allow us to be dedicated to delivering excellence and innovation.
Apprenticeship Program Updates
Apprenticeship Program
Woodford program offers mentoring, hot meals to middle schoolers | Bluegrass Moms | Kentucky.com
Follow the Arrows | Flow Direction
As you go about fulfilling your daily job responsibilities, it can be easy to fall prey to a sense of routine causing you to lose your focus and attention to detail. This can happen to the most experienced employee or the new guy on the block. Our workforce has installed miles of pipe and thousands upon thousands of piping specialties and devices. However, through many of our client’s eyes, our company is only as good as the last project we completed or the current project we are performing for them.
Losing that focus and attention to details results in the cost of troubleshooting and rework to correct a problem. This impacts not only the bottom line for the profitability of that project but can also cost us long-term by damaging relationships with owners, end-users, general contractors, architects, engineers, etc.
For example, even though it seems like a pretty simple concept, piping specialties and devices get installed backwards more often than most would think. First and foremost, it is important to understand the flow of the system. If unsure of the correct system flow, check the drawings or check with the superintendent. 
Check valves, strainers, balance valves, control valves, etc. generally have the required flow direction indicated on them. For example, while some strainers and balance valves look the same, the required flow through them is opposite. If the installer is not paying close attention, the valve can get installed in what would appear to be the correct orientation, but once you look at the flow designation on the valve, it clearly indicates the opposite flow direction.
The cost of troubleshooting and rework to correct the problem could be easily avoided by simply following the arrows. If direction of flow can’t be found, or is not indicated on the device, you can refer to the submittal for installation details. And again, it never hurts to ask, we are surrounded by a wealth of knowledge and experience in our workforce.
Writing Guidelines | Common Errors
Tip of the Week #8 | Writing Guidelines – Common Errors | By TP Mechanical Contractors Academy
Whether it is a simple email, formal letter, or part of a marketing packet, every communication counts. The easiest image booster is to use the spell check to correct spelling and grammar errors before sending out any email or document! If you are unsure of the proper grammar usage, www.grammarbook.com is a good resource.
The following are some selections from the common errors section of the writing guidelines document.
Common Errors
1. Confusion of ensure, assure, and insure – our documentation most commonly requires the use of ensure
- Assure means to promise or say with confidence
- Ensure means to make sure something will or won’t happen
- Insure means to issue an insurance policy
2. Proper Spelling of the word through rather than thru (informal spelling)
3. Improper use of apostrophe – apostrophe possession
- Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession (i.e. one boy’s hat)
- Place the apostrophe after the s to show plural possession (i.e. two boys’ hats)
4. Use two spaces after a period for a complete sentence in order to provide consistency
Suggestions or feedback on articles please email tpmcacademy@tpmechanical.com. Employees as a reminder all tips can be found on the Employee page of the website.
Tip of the Week from TP Mechanical Academy: Sharing Documents
Emailing a document is the fastest way of sharing information with another person or group of people. But did you know there are several different ways to share a document with another person? Here is a list of three methods with step by step instructions on how to use each method.
Attach document as a link:
This is the preferred method for internal communications (if the person or persons you are sending the document to have access to the server where the document is stored). Sharing links rather than the actual file prevents the creation of multiple versions of the same file and prevents loss of changes when multiple people are making edits. This is also a good method when the document is too large to email due to the size restrictions on email attachments.
- Start a new email in Microsoft Outlook
- When your cursor is in the body of the email, click on the insert tab
- Click on hyperlink
- Find the document you want to send in the directory
- Highlight the document you want to send and click ok
- Send your email
Attach a word, excel or other document:
This method should be used only if you want the person you are sending the document to have the ability to make changes. If you are sending a document to a person outside of the company and want to ensure that the information cannot be changed, use the next method to attach a document as a PDF.
- Start a new email in Microsoft Outlook
- Either click on the paperclip marked attach file or click on the insert tab and click on the paperclip marked attach file
- Find the document you want to send in the directory
- Highlight it, click on insert, complete and send your email
Attach a word or excel document as a PDF:
If you are sending a document to a person outside of the company and want to ensure that the information cannot be changed, attach a document as a PDF.
- From word, excel or the applicable program open your document
- Click on the Microsoft office button
- Click send and choose email as PDF attachment
- Complete the rest of your email and send
For questions, feedback or ideas on future tips please email TPMCAcademy@tpmechanical.com
4th Annual TPMCBiggest Loser Employee Challenge
How does it work? Every participant will weigh in at the beginning and end of the challenge. Starting weigh in will take place on Jan. 8, 9, or 10 at your regional office. Final weigh in will take place on April 2, 3, or 4 at your regional office. Weigh in will take place from 3 – 5 p.m.
For more information visit the Employee section of our website and the Company Events page.