Meet Jeremy, our new remote Drafting Technician!

My name is Jeremy Boniella. I live in Maryland, east of Baltimore. I'm married with three stepsons who are spread out across the US. I also have two dogs that keep me entertained.

I got into precast concrete in 1998, when I took a job as a ticket drafter with Concrete Technology, Inc. I was with CTI for 12 years, through their acquisition from High Concrete Group. I became a Senior Drafter, Assistant Project Manager and finally a Design Team Leader with High. My highlight was working on Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Get to Know: Gage Brothers Drafter Laurel Lioi

Laurel is one of the recent additions to the Gage Brothers drafting department. The Sioux Center (Iowa) native graduated from Western Christian High School before attending Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City. She studied Architectural Construction and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science.

Laurel relocated to Texas in the 1980’s to find a job and settled in Plano, just northeast of Dallas. She has worked in the field of concrete for the duration of her career, from forming and shoring, to precast concrete. She moved back to the Midwest last August just in time for that long winter that never seemed to end.

Get to Know: New Gage Brothers Engineer Jordan Twedt

Please join all of us in giving a warm welcome to Jordan Twedt, who was recently hired as an Engineer for Gage Brothers.

Jordan joined our team last month after graduating from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Jordan has previously interned with the South Dakota DOT and American Engineering Testing where he has performed site inspections, bridge inspections, and concrete testing.

Get to Know: New Project Manager Eric Schierholz

Please join all of us in giving a warm welcome to Eric Schierholz, who was recently hired as a Project Manager for Gage Brothers.

Eric joined our team last month.

EnGage: Who’s that guy? It’s Caleb!

Caleb Merrick was hired in June 2016 for Quality Control, he is now a Quality Control Lead I and will be transitioning over to the new plant this month!  You might recognize him from the Blink365 posters where he models perfect stretching form or as the guy in the plant who wears a Santa hat and Christmas tie around the holidays.   

When he isn't testing concrete and verifying form accuracy, Caleb enjoys playing pool competitively two nights per week, a hobby that he started when he met his coworker, John Akins here at Gage. He also enjoys competing as a runner, coming up he will be running a 6-mile relay in Minneapolis. 

Get to Know: New Architectural/Structural Engineer Jharna Pokhrel

Please join all of us in giving a warm welcome to Jharna Pokhrel, who was recently hired as an Architectural/Structural Engineer for Gage Brothers. Jharna joined Gage Brothers in August 2018. She holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tribhuvan University (Nepal), and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree with an Emphasis on Structures from South Dakota State University.

Welcome to Gage Brothers, Jharna!

Get to Know: New Payroll Specialist Tom Abrahamson

Meet Tito Vladimirov, Crane Crew Forklift Operator!

Tito has been working on the Gage Brothers Crane Crew since last December. Originally from Bulgaria, Tito received the opportunity to come to the United States through a lottery system that granted only 200 people from his country dual citizenship in the U.S. and Bulgaria.
In 2005, he arrived in Sioux Falls to stay with a childhood friend who had come here a few years before and they worked together at a greenhouse. The only people he knew when he first arrived were some people from Europe and the people he met while working. Tito's whole family lives in Bulgaria, but he has been back to visit five times since moving to the U.S. He typically stays for about six weeks so he is able to visit everyone in his family.
Travelling is Tito's passion-- he has been to places in Asia, Mexico and South America. The most interesting place he has been is the Philippines, which is where he met his fiancé. The pair were engaged recently, and she will be moving to Sioux Falls this summer.
CONGRATULATIONS TITO!
One of his life goals is to save up enough money to retire and go on a 265-day cruise of the world which includes stops in 94 countries!
Here are some more interesting facts about Tito:
If he were an animal, he would be a bird, so he could fly free and travel everywhere.
His favorite food is steak on the grill.
He has one pet, a cat named Nicky Jr.
The music he enjoys the most is relaxation music.
He plans to add to his tattoo collection during his next trip to Europe (he already has a few of Viking warriors and a dragon).
Tito can speak 4 languages fluently: English, Russian, Serbian and Bulgarian.
Connect with Tito to learn more about him!

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Get to Know: Steel Shop Manager Warren Meyer

Warren Meyer is approaching his 47th year of employment at Gage Brothers. That makes him one of the longest-tenured employees in company history!
He started working at the company in 1971 with his brother, Harlan. It seems like everyone acquires a nickname when they work at Gage Brothers, and co-workers started calling him Oscar…like Oscar Meyer hot dogs.
Warren began his career in the Steel Shop and a few years later, his supervisor passed away from a heart attack and Warren was promoted to Supervisor. He has been in charge of the department ever since.
Warren’s advice to new Gage Brothers employees: is to have a positive attitude and be accountable for your work—there is always a solution to every problem.

In terms of the Gage Brothers Core Values, Warren is most connected to the core value of Ownership. Ask anyone in the Steel Shop what his favorite phrase is and they will immediately respond, “Double check, double check, double check.”
According to Warren, if you are going to do something, remember to do it well because it is your name and ultimately the Gage Brothers name on it—our work is our reputation and we have a pretty good one.
When pressed as to why he has worked so long at Gage Brothers, Warren said it is because he knows his job well, has had advancement opportunities and that in 47 years he has never been bored.
Warren's efforts have helped the company achieve precast excellence for decades, and we are all grateful for his dedication and loyalty to Gage Brothers.

Get to Know: New Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist Trent Koppes

Please join all of us in giving a warm welcome to Trent Koppes, who was recently hired as the Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist for Gage Brothers.
Trent will perform safety orientations/training, coordinate employee health screenings and testing (hearing, respirator fit testing, etc.) and ensure Gage Brothers’ compliance with OSHA 1910 General Industry requirements .He will also maintain company safety campaigns and programs and serve the lead role in the administration of the return to work and transitional duty programs.

Trent lives in Parker, S.D., with his wife, Tiffany. Trent & Tiffany are the proud parents of six-month old identical twin girls (Addison and Carly), who take up most of their free time. They also have two dogs— an 11-year old beagle and a 9-year-old German Shephard/collie mix from the Humane Society.
Welcome to Gage Brothers, Trent!

Q. Where did you grow up? Tell us about your hometown. A. I grew up in Eldora, a small one stoplight town in central Iowa. My family had a hog farm before we moved to town. I spent most nights and weekends in high school cruising the loop. Q. How did you get into this line of work? A. I went to community college and earned a Pre-Engineering Associate of Arts degree and decided that more engineering wasn’t for me. I then went to Iowa State and found the classes for the Occupational Safety degree very interesting. Safety is Safety and there are different challenges in every industry and nowadays most companies are very concerned with the safety side of things. Q. What attracted you to the environmental, health and safety position with Gage Brothers? A. I was interested in working both in Sioux Falls and in a new industry. I also like the Lean and 5S aspects of manufacturing and what that can do for not only the production, but how much it helps safety. Q. What are you looking forward to the most with your new job at Gage Brothers? A. Learning about the processes and getting to know the people, helping with Lean and 5S and working with employees to make their jobs safe. Q. What is your dream vacation spot? A. Australia Q. What was your favorite subject in school? A. Probably physics or accounting. Q. What are your hobbies? A. I enjoy playing softball and baseball and shooting my bow. I like to hunt when I can, but lately I have been spending a lot of time with our six-month old twin girls! Q. What is your favorite movie? A. Top Gun or Tommy Boy. It’s a toss-up; I could probably quote the majority of the lines from either movie. Q. What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? A. Tamales or Chile Relleno.