Can you briefly explain what you do at EDA?

I am Ernie the duck, EDA’s mascot! You can see me on our social media pages, around jobsites, and on EDA merch and PPE!

What were you doing before your time at EDA?

I was just winging it for a while, but then my bills started piling up, so I had to get a job. I pitched my idea for weekly Duckumentaries highlighting the great people at EDA, and I was hired on the spot!

If you weren’t in the construction industry, where would you be?

That’s a tough question, probably crossing the road. Oh wait, that’s chickens. In all seriousness though, I would probably be flying south for the winter.

As EDA’s mascot, you have eyes everywhere, so let’s talk about 2022. What were some of your favorite EDA achievements from this year?

The people at EDA are incredibly hard-working, so we have a lot to reflect on. Here are some of my favorite…

• EDA opened its own masonry division and was able to onboard masons that had previously worked with RCS.
• We celebrated the one-year anniversary of our Operational Excellence Department. This milestone highlights a full year of commitment to improving processes company-wide.
• EDA has grown, onboarding 25 new individuals to office positions across EDA. This includes six positions that are new to the company. Our field staff has also expanded, with an average increase of 20 employees from 2021 to 2022.
• Several projects that EDA worked on received special recognition and awards.
• EDA received Philadelphia Top Workplaces for the fifth year in a row.
• EDA also received its first ever New Jersey Top Workplaces award.
• We hosted a We PACT Together Event where field and office staff, as well as representatives from a range of local organizations, came together to raise awareness about drug and alcohol abuse

Any news from our Safety Department?

Of course! Our safety team did a great job of keeping our employees safe and away from the duck-ter.

In 2022, the EDA Safety Department expanded to four full-time safety professionals, allowing one professional in each region that we work in. Our continued commitment to safety ultimately helped us reduce the number of recordable injuries by 65.6% and total claims by 67% from 2021 to 2022.

EDA Cares works with several local charities, what has been done to support employee's charities of choice this year?

Although my efforts to work with charities dedicated to stopping robber-ducks were denied, EDA Cares has completed lots of work to support local charities.

This year, over 60 employees from across EDA participated in more than 20 EDA Cares events. Their work helped numerous individuals at EDA charities of choice. Altogether, the EDA Cares committee contributed close to $60,000 and donated countless items to their charities of choice in 2022. We are always looking for ways to give back to our community and, appreciate everyone who volunteered their time to support these great causes. We look forward to continuing support for these charities and more in the new year!

What is new with BBCI?

BBCI has taken on largescale projects and expanded its presence in the Philadelphia region. BBCI crews have helped support key EDA projects including jobs at Swarthmore College and UPenn Quad!

EDA is known for its culture. What did EDA do this year for its employees?

EDA employees are certainly lucky ducks! In addition to several fun events like a fishing trip and bowling events, we resumed in-person town halls where we brought all employees together to receive company updates, ask questions to leadership, and connect with colleagues. These semi-annual events highlight EDA’s commitment to its employees and constant aim to improve as a company. We also rolled out a new intranet site (the EDA Journey) to help improve internal communications and get important news out to all employees. Additionally, we took strides to grow our culture more intentionally and equitably in the newly established NY/NJ Metro Region by creating culture and champions teams in the region.

What is your favorite EDA value, and why?

As you likely know, ducks are highly sociable, so it’s great to be with this flock who care so much about each other, their work, and our company values. My favorite value is Exceed Expectations. Each day I wake up at the quack of dawn, put on my ducks-edo, and head to work. Most ducks spend their day floating around the pond, but I understand that in order for me to play my part in us being successful together, I need to work hard and improve the stigma around ducks in the workplace.