Building Strong Foundations through Quality Erections
Your Team Update for April 28th - May 2nd, 2025
Welcome to the first edition of the Sherman newsletter! In this space, we will provide comprehensive updates on all aspects of Sherman, including team achievements, upcoming events, and important announcements. Our goal is to ensure that every member of our team is informed and engaged, even in areas they may not be directly involved in. We believe that fostering a culture of transparency and connection is essential for our collective success. Please feel free to share this newsletter with your families and loved ones so they can stay informed about our progress and endeavors as well. Thank you for being a valued part of our team!
Sherman Life - Recently Completed Projects
Studio 76: A New Hub for Podcast Creativity
Some of you may already be aware that we have recently completed the final setup of Studio 76 in the north tower, located just off Iver Hall. This new studio is a significant addition to our facility, designed explicitly for podcast recording. Beth has collaborated with a talented team to produce heartfelt and insightful podcast episodes for her two productions: ‘Supernaut’ and ‘That’s What She Shed.’ We are excited to embark on this new journey and look forward to sharing our content with you, and hope you will follow along. We anticipate that some episodes will be made available in the coming weeks. Additionally, we plan to rent out the studio to anyone interested in recording their own podcasts or music. If you know anyone who might be interested, please direct them to Beth or Veda!
More Please! Cravings with Gourmet Food Truck Offerings
In conjunction with the grand opening of Studio 76, we are excited to introduce our food truck, More Please! Brandon O. is leading this venture alongside Angie and bringing his culinary vision to life. More Please! offers customizable baked potatoes, walking tacos, and nachos. Before our first scheduled event at BeerClub last weekend, we conducted a couple of successful (and delicious) test runs at Sherman. These trials helped us fine-tune our offerings and ensure the best possible experience for our customers, plus employees got a free lunch, which was a win-win.
We look forward to serving delicious food and making a positive impression at future events.
Making Quality Erections Known: Office Updates and Signage
Last week, some crew members gathered to replace the office building's front door and install new siding, showcasing the fresh options available to customers. They also hung up a large sign, which clearly speaks for itself. Additionally, we have a new billboard up in Mora on Highway 65. As of now, we haven’t had any complaints, but we’ll see how long that lasts.
Optimizing Workflow: Innovative Software and Woodshop Expansion
Deven has developed a custom software system designed to track progress with status updates. After a lengthy and challenging development process, he completed the system, and the initial feedback has been positive. Deven is pleased with the outcome and is optimistic about its ongoing performance. He was also excited to announce that the woodshop is expanding into a second building, which will allow for a clear separation between material preparation and component assembly. This expansion will enhance efficiency, enabling the woodshop team to work on various aspects of projects simultaneously, ultimately improving productivity and organization.
Iver Hall: A Tribute to Family Legacy
Andrew Iver Kelling, the visionary who founded Kelling Construction in 1976. In 1993, he established Sherman Lumber, and by 1996, he unified these endeavors into Sherman Lumber Inc., now recognized as Sherman Buildings. Thanks to Andrew's dedication, Sherman Buildings has flourished into a million-dollar enterprise. The name Iver, with its roots in Old Norse, embodies strength, meaning “yew tree” or “yew bow,” symbolizing the warrior's spirit. Andrew exemplifies that spirit through his commitment to hard work and enduring legacy. Steve’s decision to name the large gathering room in the south tower, Iver Hall, stands as a powerful tribute to a remarkable journey. This name will carry forward its legacy, as it is also Andrew’s great-grandson, Gaven’s, middle name, symbolizing the enduring connection between generations.
We’ve got a Quality Crew
We are thrilled to officially welcome the newest members of the Sherman team and recognize some recent promotions (or, in Beth’s case, demotions, sorry, Beth).
Jennae joined us in December 2024 as a receptionist and has since been promoted to Bookkeeping Assistant. Congratulations, Jennae! She will work alongside Heather, who can be found upstairs in the South Tower. Jennae has played a significant role in enhancing Sherman’s social media presence, and you’ll often see her creating content with Heather and Veda.
Julie M joined our team in February as a receptionist, working alongside Julie B. She has been instrumental in setting up More Please! for the proper licensure and permits—she is truly a rockstar! You can find her at the front desk, handling calls and assisting customers.
Veda is our newest team member; she officially started as the Digital Media Coordinator last week. Veda will collaborate with Heather, Jennae, and Beth to enhance the company’s social media presence and contribute to Beth’s podcasts in Studio 76, as well as writing this very newsletter. You’ll likely see Veda around frequently over the next few weeks, and she and Jennae may encourage (or force) you to participate in a TikTok or two!
Schae joined our team in early March as a Sales Administrator. You can find her in the north tower offices.
Ryan joined the Sales and Project Management departments in late February. He is located in the North Tower offices, right next to Schae.
Jess has been promoted to the Marketing department while continuing to support the overhead door crew. This dual role will allow her to effectively apply her skills across multiple departments.
Beth stepped down from her position as Crew Manager last October and transitioned to the role of Project Coordinator. This change allowed for greater focus on customer needs. Isaac Maser has taken over Beth’s former position. Beth is very excited for the upcoming summer season and is confident that the crews will have the utmost success under Isaac's leadership.
Our interns, Keana, Ledgyn, and James, have diligently worked on the QE website, fixing bugs and ensuring everything is perfect for our customers. Unfortunately, we must bid farewell to Ledgyn and James, as they will be graduating at the end of May and moving on to new opportunities. We extend a huge thanks to both of them for all their hard work and contributions! But lucky for us, we will continue to see Keana throughout the summer!
Season Start - Building New Beginnings
Crew manager, Isaac Maser, was pleased to highlight that we have successfully added two new crews this year, bringing Sherman’s total to an impressive six full crews. Jordan S. has confidently stepped up to the role of second man, and Max R. is currently in training to become a foreman. Additionally, Clint T. is now leading a crew at the Floodwood location. We can expect to take on some exciting projects by mid-summer, so stay tuned for updates!
Road restrictions will be lifted on May 2nd for the Central and North-Central regions and on May 12th for the North region. And with that, the summer season begins! Boding a good weather forecast, crews will dive right in on six projects starting this Monday, May 5th.
Spotlight on Innovation: Current Projects Making Waves
The Sherman team has entered the manufactured home business, partnering with NHL Homes to meet the growing demand for affordable and energy-efficient housing options. Manufactured homes are appealing to first-time buyers, retirees looking to downsize, and families seeking budget-friendly solutions. This initiative aims to provide accessible housing while addressing challenges in the housing market. Isac is especially excited about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the community by offering high-quality homes that improve lives and foster stability. Similar to the build types for Barndos, NHL homes will offer complete turnkey home options and a craftsman-style approach.
The crews have been diligently wrapping up two building projects that began last fall, and we anticipate completing them within the next month. A couple of weeks ago, we started two new barndominiums, and the team is eager about those. Additionally, the Project Management team is actively working to broaden the range of subcontractors, particularly extending outreach into Wisconsin.
This week, we had some fun before the kick-off of the season; we took a staff field trip to Duluth, which doubled as a celebration for Brad and Kyle’s birthdays. We enjoyed rock climbing, laser tag, arcade games, and much more! We began to wrap up the week with a delicious team breakfast before diving into some training on Thursday. Following the training, we had a Tug-of-War showdown and took updated headshots for employees who wanted them.
Quality Erections…Quality Content…Quality Laughs
The Marketing and Social Media team recently shared a video that unexpectedly took off, accumulating over three million views! Thanks to Aaron for his outstanding performance of leaning against a wall; we may need to hire a publicist soon. Seriously, though, going viral is a goal for many creators and brands alike. You never know when a video might suddenly attract thousands or millions of views, in our case, therefore transforming an individual or brand into a sensation overnight. We were incredibly surprised by the level of attention the video received and are eager to see if our future content can achieve similar or better traction. Some viewers were offended by the video's context, but that is likely to happen with any content; fortunately, most viewers found it amusing. With this success in mind, if you have any ideas for social media content, please don't hesitate to reach out to the marketing and social media team.
Alright, wrap this up already
In conclusion, we are filled with excitement for the upcoming summer season, which promises to be brimming with opportunities for growth and inspiration. From viral videos and culinary enterprises to the expansion of digital ventures and company partnerships, the “off-season” has been jam-packed with excitement. Let’s keep that energy going for the summer of 2025. As always, we remain unwavering in our commitment to excellence, continually elevating our craft through, you guessed it, Quality Erections.