McCarthy Holdings Inc., St. Louis, Missouri

Case Studies
McCarthy Holdings Inc.

With thousands of employees in the construction industry, McCarthy Holdings needed a way to efficiently issue a vast array of communications to its workers on sites all over the country. As one of the largest private companies in America, it sought out a best-in-class mass notification platform that was flexible enough to serve a variety of daily and emergency situations — from weather emergencies to day-to-day notices such as building entrance changes for construction workers and contractors.

MCCARTHY IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST WELL-KNOWN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES IN AMERICA. FOUNDED IN 1864, THE HOLDING COMPANY’S SUBSIDIARIES SPECIALIZE IN BUILDING JUST ABOUT EVERY LARGE FACILITY IMAGINABLE: HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, INDUSTRIAL PLANTS, PARKING STRUCTURES, RETAIL BUILDINGS, ENTERTAINMENT VENUES, OFFICE BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, HIGHWAYS, WATER TREATMENT PLANTS, AND MORE.

It operates several offices nationwide, and has had construction sites in nearly every state in the nation. With the complexities and sometimes hazardous work that comes with the construction industry, as well as the sheer size of the McCarthy operations and workforce, it chose Regroup to handle its mass notification needs.

A Much-Needed Technological Approach to Communicating

The construction industry comprises some of the most dangerous jobs. From the soaring heights of buildings to heavy equipment and sometimes harsh outdoor conditions, the industry has to focus first-and-foremost on keeping its workforce safe and healthy. When a company operates in nearly every state in the United States, its work sites may have severe heat or dangerous blizzards. Every site no matter where its location also has mandatory meetings, changes in entrances and exits, safety walks, and more.

A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION SITES WORK IN THE SAME WAY THEY HAVE FOR MANY YEARS, AND MCCARTHY NEEDED A MODERN AND EFFICIENT APPROACH. CONSTRUCTION SITES WERE OFTEN RELYING ON BULLETIN BOARDS, GROUP TEXTS, WALKIE TALKIES, PA SYSTEMS, PHONE CALLS, INTRANET, LISTSERV EMAILS, AND RADIOS TO CONVEY BOTH EMERGENCY AND DAY-TO-DAY NOTIFICATIONS.

The Problem

This way of communicating with a workforce is inefficient and risky. It had a limited reach, and not everyone would receive important information. It was too dependent on the few people issuing the notices, and there was little accountability. Regroup solved these problems by allowing McCarthy to have unlimited admins, unlimited messages, and the ability to reach workers on any device. Preconfigured templates in the Regroup system allow McCarthy to have an easy way to send out familiar notifications, and our two-tap sending solution allows for emergency and weather alerts to be sent to tens of thousands of people within seconds. Additionally, Regroup’s automatic message translation feature is a must-have for an industry with a highly diverse workforce as it allows any message to be translated into over 60 languages within seconds.

“Regroup helps us communicate more efficiently within our project teams and trade partners. We use the system to communicate various types of announcements, reminders, and alerts, which range from stair closures to building entrance changes, meeting locations/times, and even severe weather alerts. It’s a great tool to quickly distribute important information throughout the entire project team.”

C.J. Reed
Manager of IT Training Programs at McCarthy Holdings.

An Easy End-User Experience

McCarthy works with Regroup to keep its workers safe and informed. Reed said the end-user experience has been simple and efficient. That’s the main goal with a mass notification platform: To ensure that construction workers stay safe and informed, so they can return home to their families.

“Regroup has been such a great application to our partners here at McCarthy and I look forward to our continued partnership with Regroup”

C.J. Reed
Manager of IT Training Programs at McCarthy Holdings.

How Construction Companies Use Regroup:

Emergencies

Notify everyone on a site about dangerous conditions, such as gas leaks
Alert everyone if lightning or severe weather requires a temporary site closure
Send all-clear notifications to resume work faster
Get advance warnings about approaching severe weather

Routine Notifications

Send reminders about safety walks, meetings, and more
Enable workers to anonymously report dangerous conditions
Enable workers to anonymously report unsafe coworkers, including coworkers suspected of being inebriated
Notify contractors and delivery drivers when an entrance changes
Send regular safety reminders and updates to all teams