Every company has its own unique culture or nuances. Whether it’s celebrating “Casual Friday” or wearing purple ties, a company’s ability to embrace and represent its personality is key to establishing a sense of belonging for its employees. In some cases, a company’s “personality” can be so unique that only those within its walls can really understand the true meaning behind a long-standing tradition. This is why we are introducing you to “chicken.”
A mere 25+ years ago, a C/S team member was working on a jobsite with an HVAC guy named Russ. Russ had a unique way with his words. Rather than using the commonly known words like “doohickey” or “thingamajig” when a word would escape his brain, he would improvise with “chicken.” Russ would say things like, “Hand me that chicken so I can hang the door,” or “Use this chicken instead of that one.” For some reason, he was able to understand exactly what the “chicken” that Russ was talking about every time. Needless to say, “chicken” became a new word in the C/S vocabulary.
And so the legacy of “chicken” began….
Over the last quarter of a century, the word "chicken" has worked its way through employees across the board. Whether it was superintendents, estimators, IT specialists or marketing professionals, the ever-useful “chicken” and as expected in most conversations, as it caught on like wildfire. People would throw out “chicken” on a daily basis.
“Click on that chicken.” (icon) – IT Manager Todd Miknus
“Put the owner’s chicken on the spreadsheet.” (logo) – PresidentJarrett Rosenau
“Sorry, buddy, but that’s the wrong chicken on that light fixture.” (canopy) Superintendent Steve Jessop
At Clark/Sullivan Construction, “chicken” has transformed from a dinnertime staple to an all-encompassing term that has worked its way into our company jargon. We would like to thank the HVAC guy, Russ, for instilling this gem into our culture and challenge YOU to see how “chicken” can enhance your vocabulary.
Visit our Facebook Page to tell us how "chicken" found a way into your vocabulary.
