Faces of the Industry

Name: Micah Green
Company: Cascade Mfg. Co., Cascade, IA
Position: Project Manager/Estimator
Years in the industry: 9

•|• How did you get into the component manufacturing industry? I grew up in Cascade, and knew of Cascade Manufacturing because they were a big employer in our community. My dad was a contractor, so while I was in college, I worked construction in the summer and during Christmas break. I also had a job at a lumber yard for one year of college. After I graduated from college, I worked for a year doing design work for a custom cut stone company, then I applied for a job with Cascade in 2004. It was a good fit with what I had done in the past and my skill set.

•|• How would you describe your job responsibilities at Cascade? Our sales staff identifies potential customers who are accepting bids on a construction project. I then take a look at the bid, do the take-off and estimate our price. I’m then responsible to track that bid through the process to find out who is awarded the bid. If we are awarded the contract, I also follow it through our company from design to delivery.

•|• What is your favorite part about working in the components industry? I appreciate our ability to see a building come together from initial plans through to the final product. Since our company specializes primarily in the roof system, we get to be part of the finishing touches on the building’s framework. Our industry is very competitive and making a sale doesn’t always come easy. So closing on a job is very gratifying.

•|• Are there any ways in which your work responsibilities may increase or decrease your company’s exposure to risk? There are many instances when structural engineers will contact me to see if a particular design will work on a building. They rely on us to provide accurate information that they can then use to design an aspect of the building, whether it’s a roof or floor detail. Before I took the SBCA ORISK program, I didn’t necessarily realize exactly what we may have been committing the company to when we did that work.

•|• In your opinion, what did you think was the most valuable aspect of taking the ORISK course? I think the most valuable thing I learned was how to identify language in our customer contracts that are “red flags,” or language that obligates us to things that may not be in the best interest of our company. In the past, my manager reviewed most of the contracts, but now that I have completed this course, I feel I have the knowledge to begin to take on that responsibility more effectively.

•|• Is there anything you learned through ORISK that you now apply to your work? I now have a different perspective on the things that can potentially expose our company to greater risk, whether it’s through our design work or the customer contracts we sign. We receive contracts on a regular basis, and ORISK helped me know what to look for and potentially avoid.

•|• What do you like to do with your free time? I have three kids, all under the age of six, so “free time” is sort of a rarity. However, when I have the chance, I like to be on the golf course. I thoroughly enjoy being a dad, particularly watching them learn new things so quickly.