Last month, Chris Richey, Performance Analyst for APAC-Alabama, Inc., was recognized by AMAT Construction SteerCo leadership for developing and implementing the ground-breaking innovation – Automated Mailing and Numerous Data Analysis (AMANDA). The AMANDA automation software simplifies workflows for our frontline workers and provides them with actionable and easily consumable data.
Chris was hired with APAC-Alabama, Inc. in 2016 as a Quality Control Specialist. After attending the Performance Forum in December 2021, he was inspired by a report presented by Deven Rau from Cadillac Asphalt which tracked daily target versus actual start times for each project.
Knowing that APAC-Alabama, Inc. did not have the resources to keep up with the schedule every day, Chris embarked on a coding journey to have DropTime, their scheduling software, speak to their Paver Tracker software. It took him a couple of weeks to get this up and running, overcome some challenges and fine-tune for use. In early 2022, AMANDA was implemented at APAC-Alabama, Inc. and has since expanded to APAC-Tennessee and APAC-Mississippi. Going full circle, in July of this year, Cadillac Paving, who originally inspired his innovation, adopted the automation software Chris developed!
“Innovation is our way forward is one of the CRH Values that guides us, and Chris’ unwavering commitment and work ethic is rooted in impressions gained from his own father's experiences as a foreman, and now superintendent, for APAC-Alabama, Inc.. Chris’ work on AMANDA and entrepreneurial drive to improve the lives of crew leaders speak volumes about his determination and passion for excellence,” said Barnes Barton, President of the South Division.