An Amazing Company

Every quarter my husband's company sends out a mini-magazine of the happenings within the company. It's always fun to look and see what projects they've been working on and different things that the company is doing nationwide. I have always said that Granite is a great company to work for (and I'm not even the employee!) but this story makes it all the more real. I was so moved by this story that I had to share. This story is written by Granite's President & CEO, Bill Dorey and is taken from the 4th Quarter 2009 Granite publication.

"I love telling stories. A good story is often a great way to communicate a message, emphasize a point of view, or provide a learning opportunity. Stories can tell us a lot about an organization; how it works and what virtues it embraces - this is such a story.

In April of 2008, Granite completed the purchase of the balance of Wilder Construction Company, and the transition of Wilder as a fully integrated part of Granite Construction was official. With the close of that transition, the Wilder personnel became Granite employees and were welcomed into what we at Granite call, the Granite family. One of those former Wilder employees was Bardie Scarbrough, who was working in contracts, risk management, and labor relations in Alaska. Bardie quickly distinguished himself as a quality employee with a unique skill-set.

Before long, people within Granite also became aware of a serious, yet rare lung condition that was afflicting Bardie's wife, Dianne. Dianne's condition was becoming so serious that, without a lung transplant, it would prove fatal. When Bardie advised his business unit manager (Joe Spink) that he would have to leave Granite to move near a world-class lung transplant hospital, the Granite family went to work. Joe spoke to Tracy Coppinger, who arranged for Bardie to interview with Steve Clark, Jigisha Desai, and Peg Wynn, who then involved Jay McQuillen...well, you get the picture!

In a matter of weeks, Bardie was transferred to Watsonville to provide support ot Steve Clark in our Labor Relations group. Meanwhile, Joe Spink, Jay McQuillen and others who had helped to facilitate this transfer, also worked together to share Bardie's salary and moving costs to help make the transfer happen. Being in Watsonville was critical for Dianne because, to be registered in Stanford's Organ Donor Program, it was imperative that she live within three-and-a-half hours of the transplant center. Granite's Watsonville Corporate Campus satisfied that requirement.

Within months of the relocation and being accepted into Stanford's program, Dianne got the call from Stanford on a Friday afternoon. Bardie left work, picked Dianne up and drove to Palo Alto. She was in surgery within hours and by the following morning, she had been given the gift of life; a new set of healthy lungs.

This story becomes intensely personal for me because my niece's husband, Tony Caffarelli, is a cardio-thoracic transplant surgeon at Stanford. Although not assigned to Dianne's case, he learned she was there and stopped by to check on her. Two days after her surgery, Tony called me at home to give me an update on her condition and then asked me, "Do you want to talk with her?" I had never met Dianne Scarbrough, but we had a brief and memorable conversation. Her voice was weak and her breathing was understandably labored. She told me she was doing well and said, "I can't thank you enough for making us part of the Granite family."

I hung up the phone and told my wife about that heartwarming conversation. And then I thought to myself - the Granite family is alive and well! Dianne Scarbrough is home from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Now that's a great story!

When asked to comment on this story, Bardie shared, "The Granite family took a leap of faith with us on this. Everyone involved in my transfer was aware that there was no guarantee that Dianne would even make the transplant list. We only knew that moving down here would give us a chance - Dianne's only chance - for a transplant. We still had to find a local physician who would refer us to a local pulmonologist; have that pulmonologist refer us to a transplant center; and then go through the evaluation process to be considered for the transplant list.

This is the true story within the story - that these wonderful people, representing the greatest company on earth said, "We understand, we recognize the challenges, and we are there with you, no matter what." That in itself embodies the true character and culture of Granite, and we are forever grateful for the courage and conviction that they showed in looking for a transfer opportunity and then making it happen in a remarkably quick time frame."

As of mid-November, Bardie added, "The support and encouragement from the Granite family continues to this day. Dianne is now seven weeks post-transplant and is doing fantastic. We are deeply touched and feel blessed by the tremendous outpouring of support we have received from everyone throughout Granite."