Barriere is pleased to recognize Jermaine Mead as Foreperson of the Year for
the South Shore Asphalt Group. During a career that spans three decades at Barriere,
he continues to inspire with his exemplary work and dedication to the company and to
his co-workers. After joining the Barriere team as a craftsman in 1998, Jermaine worked
as an operator and subsequently as a foreman in training. In 2010, he was promoted to
foreman, a role he takes very seriously. He is laser focused on hitting his production
goals while keeping every employee safe throughout the workday.
In the service of shining a spotlight on Jermaine’s commendable work and leadership at
Barriere, we sat down with him for a Q&A.

What aspects of your job do you find the most enjoyable?

•The best part is just coming to work with my crew because we’re like a
family. Spending 10-12 hours of the day together creates a real bond. My
father-in-law is on my crew, which is great for crew morale. He’s constantly
spreading his wisdom along with his sense of humor, which adds to our
family environment.

 
What difficulties do you encounter in your job, and how do you address them?

• Sometimes there are offsite situations outside of the crew’s control. If you
pull up on a new job in the morning to find that the main piece of
equipment is missing or not functioning properly, that can be a challenge.
I’ll contact the superintendent to report the issue, and we try to figure out
how to get the equipment repaired or transported to the job site. But we
don’t just sit around waiting; we keep moving forward with the machines
we have until we can get the main equipment in working order.  

How does your team work together and communicate to accomplish goals?

• First thing in the morning, we host our Task Analysis Review meeting. We
go over the goals for the day, the potential hazards and the utility plan. We
also discuss who’s running what, who’s on the ground, etc. At the end of
that meeting, everyone knows the scope of the job and what’s coming for
the day. If we run into any problems on the job, we hold another meeting
to regroup. We then address the issue and discuss how to solve it and
proceed from there.

 
What skills and attributes do you believe are crucial for succeeding in your role?

• Social skills are very important. You must be able to communicate with
your people, the traveling public, inspectors and everyone on the job.
Computer and technology skills are also vital, because a lot of the
equipment we use is run by computers. But above all, it’s important to give
respect to people so they will give you respect back.

 
What are your aspirations and long-term goals and what hobbies and passions
do you pursue outside of work?

• I’m not a sitter. I like to move up and take the next steps in my career,
which is becoming a superintendent for the company. When I’m not at
work, you’ll find me spending time with my wife, Tawanna, and my son,
Markel, or working out in the yard trimming hedges, mowing the grass, or
working on some sort of home improvement project.

 
What values are most important to you?

• Loyalty, respect and trustworthiness — both at work and in my personal
life.

 
How do you manage to maintain a healthy balance between work and personal
life?

• I have a really good wife. She and I have been together for 25 years, and
she helps me stay balanced, especially when I’m going from working day
shifts to working night shifts. She’s very understanding, and she’s flexible.
If I’m working a weekend, she doesn’t get upset. She helps plan our life
around my work schedule.

Congratulations, Jermaine! And thank you for doing your part to make Barriere better
every day.