SharpeSoft Newsletter (January 2025)
- Dylan C
- Feb 3
- 9 min read
Sharpe News
Quarterly Construction News
Inside...
FDM Contracting Finds a Work/Life Balance with SharpeSoft.
Introducing the SharpeSoft Webinar.
A window to mental health in the construction industry.
SharpeSoft Employee Highlight.
SharpeSoft Estimator Tips and Tricks, featuring the Trench Profiler.
Faith Without Works is Dead.
FDM Construction Finds a Work/Life Balance with SharpeSoft
The Story
Founded in 1975 and based out of Toronto, Ontario, FDM Contracting is a construction firm that prioritizes civil construction, emergency water main and sewer repairs jobs. From working small municipal jobs on a daily basis to teaming up with Petro-Canada to commit work to an oil refinery, FDM has enjoyed a stable pool of regular customers while experiencing positive growth in recent years. With a new office opening in 2021 in Vancouver, FDM continues to bring its brand of hardworking service to the British Columbia area.
The Challenge
Dave Fantini, President of FDM Contracting, is a child of the industry like many others in his position. Beginning as a laborer in the early 1990s under his father, founder Donato Fantini, Dave built years of experience while learning the ins and outs of the trade. When his father wanted to retire in the latter half of the 90s, Dave was given the go-ahead to take over.
“When I first started working with my dad–I started as a laborer, then I started learning how to use the equipment, drive the trucks, and do all that stuff–but when I first came on board, we were doing a lot of repair work and emergency callouts. More specifically, when I first started was with the city of Markham. So at that time it was more of an agreement rate, so the city would approach my dad at the time and say we’re looking for two contractors, because they wanted to split up the city into two sections, and they wanted local contractors."
But a change would be necessary soon. Though municipal work was consistent, and Dave was able to aim FDM at jobs he felt most appropriate for his crew, the situation couldn’t last forever.
“The push for a solution came when I felt that the contract we had with the city doing the emergency stuff was starting to get on me. The 24 hour calls. You work all night long, and then you go and work during the day. The money we’re making is fine, but there’s so much more opportunity where we can just go work a regular working day, and you don’t have to worry about giving up your life, basically. Because that’s what it had ended up being.”
“At that time, late 90s, when I took over…I was just getting married, so I felt that we had to switch it up. I didn’t want to be working all day and night and so on and so forth. So that’s why we kind of turned it around, and decided that we’d start bidding on the jobs.”
Previous Solutions
“I was basically doing it all by pen and paper. There was no Excel, there was none of that kind of stuff. It was ‘OK, here’s a water main at a townhouse complex they want to replace. It’s so many meters of pipes. Here are the valves, etc. Now figure out the price.’ So I kind of took on that role of pricing the jobs that way.”
It’s estimated that there are over 200,000,000 windows in New York City, and about as many doors. There are about 1,000,000 independent structures in the city, 42 of which have their own ZIP code. This is just one city, in one state, in one country, but there is a commonality shared with every other product of construction across the globe: they were all built by people.
Men and women who get up in the morning and who come home at night, day after day, until whatever project it is that they’re working on is completed. Some, tragically, do not return home at all.
The construction industry loses 1,000 workers a year to accidents occurring on the job. Each day, every day, two or three men ad women are expected to lose their lives in the process of completing their work.
Worse, still, are the figures associated with suicide. The construction industry is four times more likely than average to take their own lives, some of the highest rates that exist. We lose close to 6,000 people a year to these tragedies. We may never know how accurate these numbers are, as they are underreported.
That is not to reduce any of this to a game of numbers, because to do so is to already give up on the problem. Intelligent, hard-working men and women are struggling with the enormous burden the construction industry places on mental health, and ignoring the issue is consigning more of them to die.
People already familiar with the construction industry are also no doubt familiar with the problems it imposes on its workers. Common complaints of industry practices include a lack of control. This issue can be further separated into lack of control over work in a direct sense–such as no personal say in how anything is done, which contributes to a culture of silence–and an indirect sense–lots of construction work is seasonal, with unpredictable hours that adds to stress. Physical burdens not only take a toll on the body, but the mind as well.
How, then, do we approach a topic like mental health in the construction industry? Empty platitudes will get us nowhere, and may even cost the industry more lives. Open communication about these kinds of issues, at all levels of a given organization, should take precedence. No one’s perceived success or lack thereof should preclude them from being considered when talking about mental health. Removing any stigma attached to these kinds of discussions, whether it be about perceptions of masculinity or a fear of institutionalization, is absolutely paramount.
While mental health in the construction industry has been an issue for quite some time, so too have attempts to address and solve it. The CDC’s 2018 investigation titled Assessment of Construction Workers’ Mental Health to Improve Wellbeing may have brought the problem more into the public consciousness, efforts to improve the lives of construction workers has been going on for decades.
By 2019, 84% of companies with 200 or more employees offered some kind of health program. A study from 2022 shows that an overwhelming majority of younger generation workers value mental health initiatives, and have used those provided by their workplace. But perhaps even more striking is that these younger workers come into work expecting a mental health apparatus to already be put in place. Older generations continue to struggle with acknowledging mental health, as many are familiar with a culture of toughing it out or not talking about these problems.
Mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry are not easy topics, nor can they be provided with easy solutions. Industry professionals in positions of power must provide avenues for relief and understanding, and those suffering must be made comfortable enough to discuss their problems openly.
Our windows don't need to be one-way. If you believe that someone you know is struggling, there is no better time to reach out to them than now. Working together, we can continue to make construction a great, and healthy, industry to work in.
Meet John Fortson
How long have you been with SharpeSoft?
"I have been with the company for five years and one month, and it has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience."
What does your job entail?
"I manage what's called the Helpdesk and provide IT support to our clients. This involves troubleshooting technical issues, resolving software problems, and ensuring that our technology infrastructure is running smoothly and efficiently. I also ensure that our clients are educated and supported on the latest updates to the program."
What's a cause you're passionate about?
"I am passionate about connecting people to God through my testimony. I believe that sharing my faith and experiences can inspire and uplift others and help them to find hope and purpose in their lives. I am actively involved in my local church community; I enjoy mentoring young people and sharing my wisdom with others."
What's an interesting pastime or hobby you have?
"I am a cigar connoisseur who loves fishing. I enjoy the art of selecting and savoring a fine cigar, and the peaceful tranquility of spending time near the water. Fishing allows me to connect with nature and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors."
What inspired you to join the team?
"Faith, friendship, and loyalty inspired me to join the team here. I was drawn to the company's values and the opportunities it presented for both personal and professional growth."
Build.
The Trench Profiler is a feature inside the SharpeSoft Estimator used to create interactive cross-sectional diagrams for trenches. Factors such as width, depth, slope, and shape of the trench are all calculated in real time. Enter multiple backfills at any desired depth within the trench to have the system automatically calculate each backfill section’s volume, as well as totaling all spoils. Need to place multiple pipes? That’s no problem for the Trench Profiler; any area displaced by inserted pipes is also automatically calculated.
In addition, fill materials and pipes can be linked to associated bid items in the overall job. Changes made inside the Trench Profiler are reflected back onto those items, automatically loading in adjusted quantities.
Save.
Save commonly used trench profiles as a Trench Profile Master for future use. Located in the overall Tables menu, the Trench Profile Masters table serves as a library of trench profiles created from past job bids to be saved and used for the future. The Trench Profile Masters table is set up with an intuitive breakdown of groups and subgroups, while also providing the freedom to arrange trench profiles as they make sense to you.
Worry less about repetition; Trench Profile Masters can be inserted into an infinite number of new jobs, retaining any associated bid items and detail along the way. Save massive amounts of time with the tools you can only find with SharpeSoft.
Print.
Instantly generate informative reports based on any given trench. The Trench Profiles Report includes a full-color diagram of the selected trench profile; a color-coded breakdown of each fill section correlating to its associated bid item is also provided.
Additional data covered by the report contains such items as Trench Code and Description, Start and End Station, length, depth, volume, angle of the slope, and even any spoils produced.
Faith Without Works is Dead
At SharpeSoft, our faith is a fundamental aspect of our work and the principles we uphold. I have noticed that many pastors express the idea that the opposite of faith is fear. Faith motivates us to act, while fear can limit our capacity to serve with a sense of purpose.
James 2:14-17 says:
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
I have asked myself this question many times over and still come up with the same answer after questioning my faith. Can faith save us without works? The obvious answer is "no." Faith by itself without works is dead.
We have talked about this in our prayer group on Tuesdays, and I don’t think James could be clearer on this passage. James 2:17 says faith by itself, if it does not have works, is “dead.” I had done this for many years before coming to SharpeSoft; I said I was a Christian, but there was no action in the things I was speaking about. I was just sitting on the sidelines wanting to be in the game but doing nothing about what I said that I believed in. I saw others around me who took action, and that inspired me to make sure my faith was not worthless.
When I put my faith into action, I truly see change and hope in my life and the lives of others. When I’m not putting in the work, my life feels worthless. When we allow the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and lead us, the love of God is working in our hearts, so we can also change the lives of others through our works.
Simeon Tanner
Solutions & Success Team Leader
SharpeSoft is proud to announce its referral program for all current clients. Ever want some extra cash in your pocket? The referral program provides a $500 Amex gift card for any referral given that results in a new customer of SharpeSoft Estimator.
To take advantage of this huge opportunity, simply follow the link in the button below to fill out a referral form. That's it!
After successfully filling the referral form, keep an eye on your email. Our team may reach out to you to get more information.
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