b'EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTELIZ ABE TH WILLI AMSThe field specialist (FS) is a job role addedFlagger Force: How has your experienceit as a questionThe taper might be a to the field management team in late 2017.and training helped you when coachinglittle short, what do you think? I give them Their main responsibility is conductingfield employees?a chance to think about it, because they site visits, coaching, and helping fieldElizabeth: The ACL class was a bigmight have a good reason for the taper employees at job sites, but field specialistshelp. The trainers gave us scenarios andlength, but I might have a safer way. We do a lot more. Get to know FS Elizabethwe had to figure out exactly how manytalk it through and fix it.Williams, who currently canvasses all ofcones were going to be used in that workFlagger Force: Thats a respectful wayVirginia and helps whenever shes needed. zone and all the other details. Using theirto coach. Tell us about a tough day onFlagger Force: Hi Elizabeth, its a pleasuretechniques, Ive been at a job site withthe job.to speak with you. How long have yousomeone and pulled out the typical bookElizabeth: Right after I had become an been with Flagger Force? and a notebook. I draw the road and theACL, I went to downtown Arlington with Elizabeth: About three and a half years,dots on the line; together we look at theVerizon and set up my first ever lane shift. since October 2015. charts and review the typical. We use myThe lane shift was through the shared Flagger Force: What made you interestedcalculator and I divide to find the numbercenter turn lane. The speed limit was 35 in working here? of skips on the road. And then Ill havebut everybody was doing 90! I used the them draw out the work zone and gotypical book, set it up, and then quadruple Elizabeth: The hours were cutting backthrough the exercise. checked everything. But people were at my previous job. I decided to apply forFlagger Force: Good training! Whats adoing crazy things. They would stop in the things that I never had done before. Heretypical day like? middle of the lane shift and go through the I am and it only took me a week to realizeElizabeth: No day is the same. Some dayscones into the work zone and cut people that I really like it. I head straight to the work zone becauseoff. Others would cut through the cones Flagger Force: Were happy to hear that!Im on a job. Sometimes jobs get canceledand start heading into oncoming traffic. All How long have you been a FS? or we get an emergency order and Imday long I was like, Oh my God, Im going Elizabeth: Since August of 2018.heading one place and have to turnto lose my job. Eventually the client came around and go somewhere else. up to me. He just shook his head, laughed, Flagger Force: Outstanding! What do youand said, No, you didnt do anything like best about being a FS? Flagger Force: Sounds like being flexiblewrong. Its just Arlington!Elizabeth: I like helping people. When Iis a requirement for the FS job. Do youFlagger Force: What a day! After being come to a job site and someone is nothave a process for setting up pre-cons here for a few years, what do you think completely sure what to do, I like guidingfor clients? about the companys growth?them to understand it so they knowElizabeth: I meet the client at the location.Elizabeth: It was a little hard to get used exactly what to do when Im not around.I make sure I know exactly what kindto the OSC because wed spent time My other favorite thing is working withof work is required and where theyllbuilding relationships and then it felt a clients on a pre-construction meeting.be working. I drive through the area tolittle awkward suddenly talking to people When I go out to that job and everythingscheck for side roads or off-ramps or otherwe didnt know. Now its no trouble to set up correctly and the clients happy,things that need to be taken care of in thetalk with people in the OSC and its easier Im happy. planning. I write it all down and finalize theto get stuff done. Operations are more Flagger Force: Youve held multiplepre-con back at the office.organized and there are good rulespositions at Flagger Force. Tell us aboutFlagger Force: Interesting. What do youin place. your progress. do next? Flagger Force: Which shared value do you Elizabeth: I went from crew member toElizabeth: At the office, I pull up the siterelate to most?crew leader to advanced crew leader.on Google Maps. Sometimes I take aElizabeth: The value of integrity. I dont like Then moved into the office for a while asscreenshot of the map and draw stuffto cut corners or leave anything out.an operations specialist. In April of 2017, Ion it. Next, I pick out the typicals and went back into the field as an ACL. Aboutthe number of crew members and crewFlagger Force: When youre not at Flagger a year ago I left the company for aroundleaders needed, equipment, etc. If I haveForce, what are you doing?four weeks because I had what seemedquestions, I confer with an area supervisor. Elizabeth: Im with my kids. Wintertime, like a good opportunity that didnt panFlagger Force: Whats your strategy forwere probably doing a lot of sleeping, but out. I came back and applied for the FScoaching a work zone set up? in spring, summer, and fallanythingposition and went through all the crewElizabeth: I see how everybodys doing. Ifand everything!member training again before officiallythe site needs a field adjustment, I pose starting as a FS. EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT|7'