A tribute to the men and women who powered us through our response to the fire. With awe and gratitude, we honor each and every one of you! #strongerthanever
Mr. Gay's office after the fire...
While it’s the life and laughter we shared in the iconic “Gay blue” building that we’ll remember forever, it will be a long time before the images of its charred remains fade, if ever. See this week through our team’s eyes in the pictures they’ve snapped along the way.
This week has been like no other for the W.W. Gay family. The office building portion of our corporate headquarters campus sustained significant fire damage on Monday, August 31. It took more than 60 firefighters 15 hours to completely extinguish the blaze; the sight and smell were indescribable. While the building is a total loss and 58 years of mementos were almost all destroyed, our memories and resolve remain. Our amazing team has worked day and night to implement our recovery plan and great progress has been made. We are proud of our operations and service teams that have maintained uninterrupted service to our clients while we reposition the office team. In times of tragedy, we have a choice...either let the events set us back or draw strength from the challenges they give us to conquer. Thanks to the rock-solid foundation built by Mr. Gay and our team's unwavering commitment, we will rebuild, stronger than ever!
Congratulations to our President/COO Paul Jones on being recognized as one of the Top 40 Under 40 in Jacksonville by Jacksonville Business Journal!
From Business Journal:
The First Coast of tomorrow will be shaped by the young business leaders of today. So what do they want that future to look like? This year, as we celebrate the young executives selected as the 2020 class of 40 Under 40 honorees, we asked them what would improve the First Coast, what brought them success and advice for the next generation. Also, we asked each of the honorees how they are occupying their time, as the majority were working-from-home during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this special section, join with the honorees in celebrating the area's potential — and how its leaders should act to achieve it.
________________________________________
Paul Jones Jr.
President, W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor Inc.
How (if at all) would you like to see the First Coast change? Re-development and revitalizing our downtown waterfront properties. Great things are to come and we need to market our river and protect it for generations to come.
What has brought you to where you are today, as a leader and as a person? I had wonderful examples in my life of hard work, dedication and leadership. My parents owned a business and I saw the effort and sacrifice required to make it a success. It wasn't always glamorous. It required them to make difficult decisions. They made sure their employees had what they needed, even if it meant they delayed satisfying their own needs. My grandfather built his business on the foundation of trusting relationships and gave selflessly to his employees, clients and community. My family showed me how to be a strong leader and then required me to invest the time to become one myself. I owe all that I am today and all that I may become to my family.
What advice do you have for today’s up and coming leaders as they deal with a chaotic time? Don't ever be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Treat everyone with respect. Every single role is vital to a company's success and a great attitude outweighs qualifications. Never stop learning. Be grateful and let people know. Get a mentor. Build and nourish a valuable network.
https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2020/05/21/2020-class-of-40-under-40-paul.html
It is with great sadness that we inform you that our founder W. W. “Bill” Gay gained his heavenly reward on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at the age of 93. He was an amazing, big-hearted man who had a huge presence about him. He made a tremendous impact on every life he touched.
Mr. Gay was personally involved in many organizations and charities throughout Northeast Florida and loved the City of Jacksonville very much.
Mr. Gay was greatly admired throughout the industry as one of the leading mechanical contractors in the business. He believed he had the best employees and personally cared about each one of them.
He left the company in good hands with his grandson, Paul Jones, as President and Chief Operating Officer and David Boree as Chief Executive Officer to continue the great legacy he started many years ago.
Mr. Gay will be greatly missed by us all, but we know he is rejoicing in heaven with his beloved wife and those who have gone before.
There will be a celebration of life at a later date.
Thanks to both these groups that helped tremendously!
City of Jacksonville, Florida - Government
October 9 at 4:29 PM ·
After losing their founder in March, and having their corporate offices destroyed by a fire in August, to say 2020 has been tough for W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc. is an understatement. Despite all of that, they wanted to thank the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department and Miller Electric Company for their heroic efforts, professionalism and expertise by putting up this billboard at their headquarters. Hats off to all of you!
City of Jacksonville, Florida - Government
October 9 at 4:29 PM ·
After losing their founder in March, and having their corporate offices destroyed by a fire in August, to say 2020 has been tough for W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc. is an understatement. Despite all of that, they wanted to thank the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department and Miller Electric Company for their heroic efforts, professionalism and expertise by putting up this billboard at their headquarters. Hats off to all of you!
Last Thursday was a very special day for the W.W. Gay family. October 15 would have been Mr. Gay's 94th birthday, so to celebrate him we hosted a company-wide birthday bash! We live-streamed to our offices across Florida and enjoyed cobbler (his favorite dessert) together.
Here in Jacksonville, we were thrilled to have many special guest speakers in attendance. Ronnie Fussell (Duval County Clerk of the Circuit & County Courts) was there and officially declared October 15 as "Mr. Bill Gay Day" in the city of Jacksonville!
To close the event, all guests were asked to raise their flags to honor Mr. Gay and his love for the country. It was a wonderful day spent celebrating our wonderful founder!
To all of our veterans, especially those here at W. W. Gay, THANK YOU for your service! Today and each day, we honor the sacrifices you made to protect the freedom of our great country. Happy Veterans Day!
In honor of Jacksonville’s “40 Under 40” winners, the Jacksonville Business Journal is hosting a golf tournament at Queens Harbour Yacht & Country Club today! ⛳️🏆 Paul Jones and Tom Smith are representing us out on the golf course, and we’ve got swag to pass out on our sponsored hole 🙌🏼 It’s a great day! 😎 #wwgmc #wwgaymechanical #golftournament #40under40 #jacksonvillebusinessjournal
Hello from Orlando! 👋🏼 A group of our Project Managers and Leadership team have been in town for a 2-day training course 🤓 PMs from across all offices will eventually go through the same course, which is broken up over several months. These sessions will help educate them to be better leaders and who doesn’t want that?! 💪🏼 #wwgmc #wwgaymechanical #learningisfun #leaders #projectmanager
⭐Fortunate Friday⭐
This week, the spotlight is shining on a team doing great work at a very special place. Gabriel House of Care, located on Mayo Clinic campus, provides affordable and temporary lodging for adult organ transplant and cancer patients, as well as their caregivers.
W. W. Gay's work began there about 4 years ago, when our service team was called in to make repairs on their existing air conditioning unit. These repairs continued for close to 3 years with the team always going above and beyond, proving why our employees are the best in the business.
This past week, the team began the process of installing brand new air conditioning equipment. They have done an amazing job from day one, always keeping the mission of the Gabriel House of Care at the forefront of their minds. They know the work they are doing each day is helping to improve the lives of the patients.
Casen Crews, Chad Cushman, Johnny Ray, and Tim Taylor, thank you for your continued dedication to such a special place!
#wwgaymechanical #wwgmc #fortunatefriday
Save the date for a very special event! We are thrilled to be partnering with the YMCA and other community leaders to celebrate the life of our founder, William W. Gay.
Join us at the virtual celebration on Tuesday, March 23 at 6:30 pm as we honor his legacy.
Registration details to follow.
#wwgmc #wwgaymechanical #Community
⭐️Fortunate Friday⭐️
A big shout-out to this Jacksonville team working with Black Knight Financial Services. This crew has been working throughout the pandemic, showing true professionalism throughout the many changes. Not only has their work been done with no issues, but it's been done with no impact felt to the business. Great job, team!
Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty!
#wwgaymechanical #wwgmc #fortunatefriday
We are so fortunate to have this group on our team! These talented individuals make up many different departments of our massive operation: Coordination Department, Pipe Fabrication Shop, Plumbing Fabrication Shop and Steel Fabrication Shop. They are such an integral part in our success, and it takes each person in these departments to get a job started. Most importantly, our crew in the field could not move forward with their jobs without them!
As soon as a job is awarded, our Coordination Department receives initial drawings and files, and immediately goes to work. This team works in conjunction with all other trades (duct, electrical, design, etc.) to coordinate floors and all mechanical and plumbing systems. This process is tedious and requires accurate, precise measurements.
Once these are signed off and approved, the files are then turned over to the separate fabrication shops. These file packages include cut lists and details of all materials needed for a job. From there, material is cut, welded, and created specifically for that job. Once everything is built and completed for that small area of the floor, it is then loaded on the truck and sent out to the field.
This process continues for each and every job we are awarded. Talk about a well-oiled machine!
Great job team!
#fortunatefriday #wwgmc #wwgaymechanical
Our employees are the best in the business! To showcase their talent and dedication, we'll be highlighting an exceptional group of our people each week in a special segment called "Fortunate Fridays".
First up is our Project Foreman group who head up the Commercial, Healthcare, and Military divisions here in the Jacksonville area. This group includes over 50 hardworking individuals, many of them with 15-20 years of experience. Collectively, that's close to 1,000 years of experience! Wow!
Not only are they tasked with overseeing millions of dollars of plan & spec, mechanical and plumbing work, but they are also the front lines of our company.
We are so fortunate to have each of you! Thank you for all that you do, day in and day out, working tirelessly to keep the project moving.
#wwgmc #FortunateFriday
Training with a view! 🙌🏼 Our Project Managers are at it again with another 2-day training session, this time right here in Jacksonville. Thank you for the hospitality Timuquana Country Club!
