OUR TEAM
At work, we are laborers, apprentices, carpenters, master carpenters, foremen, engineers, superintendents, managers, bookkeepers, receptionists, truck drivers, and principals…all working together to hit the same target.
At play, we are soccer coaches, dog mushers, boat owners, mothers,grandfathers, architects, dancers, bike riders, motorcycle riders, theaterlovers, pigeon fanciers, photographers, ranchers, comedians, artcritics, fly fishers, cat people, musicians, audiophiles, gardeners,sailors, baseball nuts, scotch enthusiasts, bird hunters, birdwatchers, board members, chaperons, amateur psychologists, and friends…
Feagai Taale (Stein)
Feagai Taale - or "Stein", as we like to call him - is the 2009 recipient of KJ's annual Dale Gleich Award for Positive Impact, which is an award given to one KJ employee selected from nominations submitted by his or her fellow employees. Dale Gleich was a long time tuck driver for KJ, and he was known for being incredibly resourceful and willing to do whatever was necessary to achieve the goals put in front of him. While Dale was somewhat famous for his "tough love" bed side manner, he was perhaps better known for his willingness to go out of his way to help people in need, both personally and professionally. Sadly, Dale died of cancer in the spring of 2008, and KJ responded by honoring his memory with an award exemplifying the values by which he lived his life.
Stein came to KJ in the winter of 2000, recruited by Pili Pili, Jr. (Joe), along with a number of other American Samoans who had been previously working on fishing boats in Alaska. Stein's career with KJ began as an assistant to KJ's then resident surveyor, Robert Hermes. Stein's willingness to do anything that was asked of him, and do it with passion and to the best of his ability, provided him many and varied opportunities to expand his skill set. In the ten years since he came to KJ, Stein has been an integral part of our concrete crews and our framing crews - as well as a little bit of everything in between. No matter what Stein is engaged in, his drive to do his best combined with his positive attitude are constants on which all KJ employees rely. And as a result, Stein has developed a quiet leadership skill based on motivation and inspiration by example…qualities Dale Gleich would admire.