Meet DENNIS TROGGIO OF ACHEN-GARDNER ENGINEERING
Tell us about yourself and your organization.
I am the President of Achen-Gardner Engineering in Chandler, Arizona, and I have been in the construction industry for over 30 years. Our parent company, Achen-Gardner Incorporated, was founded in 1980 and the Heavy Highway Division was started in 1989. I am originally from New Castle, PA, near Pittsburgh, and I arrived in Arizona in 1979. I graduated from the University of Slipper Rock in 1977 with a degree in Environmental Planning, and I have been working in the construction trades since high school. I have 13-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and an 8-year-old daughter.
I had the opportunity to meet Doug Gardner and Sanders Achen in the late 1980s and started Achen-Gardner Engineering (AGE) with an estimator, a computer, and a pickup. Our first year we accomplished $700k in sales and in the last three years we have made in excess of $280 million.
How did you and your organization get introduced to Rapport Leadership International?
John Murdough introduced me to Rapport in 1998. John is a consultant we have utilized for almost 20 years, and he felt Rapport would help with teaching and implementing leadership skills into our organization. With the increase of participation, I believe Rapport is one of the primary reasons for our rapid growth in the last 4 years.
How many Rapport graduates does your organization have?
Since 1998, we have sent 74 employees to 211 different classes, and we have 52 Master Graduates and 34 Eagle Quest Warriors. We have also sent more than 30 family members of employees and business associates. Our investment to date is somewhere around 500 thousand dollars and it has and will continue to be worth every penny.
What is a memory you have about your Rapport experience?
After Leadership Breakthrough One, I realized how powerful this process is, how it could help me with my family and business, and how it could be beneficial to the employees and to the future success of Achen-Gardner. Every class was a different challenge - from attending Power Communication with my wife to Eagle Quest with fellow workers. My relationship with my kids has improved greatly since Rapport, and I cannot wait to send my 13-year-old twins this year when they become 14. Overall, I have fully realized that it is all about my journey to leave this world a better place than when I arrived. Life is a gift. Rapport is a gift.
How has Rapport influenced you personally?
I look back on the entire ten years since we started Rapport and my first thought is how much has changed in my life, from becoming an owner, having my youngest daughter and going through the life changing experience of a divorce. The constants have been the support of friends and family and the strength I gather from Rapport. Every class has provided me with new tools and awareness to press on and meet the daily challenge of life head on with passion and enthusiasm.
How has Rapport affected your business?
Rapport breeds success into a company. It has challenged our people to question what they are doing in life to help themselves, their families, our business, and our community. When a fellow worker is facing his or her demons and then defeats them because of the tools gained from Rapport, that person is happier and more confident; consequently, this happiness and confidence spills over into the workplace. Rapport has provided the tools that our people need to grow as individuals. Once this growth occurs, the “culture” changes because everyone begins to show more respect and trust for not only their families but also for their fellow workers.
What is the most surprising benefit you or your organization received from Rapport Training?
Accountability, especially among the men in the field, has gone up tremendously. People are less apt to point fingers at others to assess blame. On the contrary, they are more than willing to get all parties together and figure out how to overcome obstacles and meet challenges head on. The teamwork among fellow workers has also increased, especially among those who have attended Rapport and, to an even greater degree among those who have attended classes together.
How do you keep Rapport alive in your organization?
Wanting to improve this area of our organization, we are unveiling a program guided by a sub-committee that will oversee, develop, and implement Rapport participation and follow-up as well as incorporate concepts and a higher level of accountability throughout Achen-Gardner Engineering. This committee will not only become a vitally important contributor toward our vision of how best to utilize Rapport in the future, but it will also guide us in our involvement in our industry and in our community.
What class had the greatest impact on you and why?
Without hesitation, “Eagle Quest” has had the most profound effect on me. Not only was I able to participate with my business partner, but I had the opportunity to spend quality time with some fellow workers. I truly have learned to know and love those employees who, frankly, I had taken for granted, the people who are so much a part of AGE’s success.
When you face a challenge in your organization, what tools from the training do you call on first?
Without the challenges, I feel I would not be putting my organization and myself out on the limb, not reaching our full potential. I actually look forward to the challenges and gravitate toward them while not losing sight of our values during times of stress and difficult decision-making.
When a difficult challenge presents itself I ask myself how this decision will affect the company’s vision. Is it consistent with the goals we have created for our success? If the decision is in line with those values, I feel comfortable with it.
