Building Forward—Stronger Together: Our 2025 Wrap-Up & 2026 Kickoff

2025 Wrap-Up & 2026 Kickoff: Teamwork Fuels Growth

As we closed the chapter on 2025 and officially kicked off 2026, our company came together for a powerful Company wide Town Hall centered on one core idea: teamwork fuels growth. Satellite office staff joined virtually with local staff and our company headquarters in Richardson.

With field operations, administrative support, and leadership all in the room, the meeting served as both a moment of reflection and a call to action—reinforcing that every role contributes to building a stronger, more connected organization.

In today’s fast-moving world of utility construction services, that kind of alignment is essential.

Reconnecting to Our “Why”

The morning opened with an encore presentation of President Tomeka Herod’s interview on the Road to Why podcast, which discussed the history and community involvement of The Wilkins Group. Then, Tomeka shared a reminder of our company vision, mission, and purpose.

Leadership acknowledged the dedication of our field crews and administrative teams alike, emphasizing that our success depends on cross-functional collaboration and shared accountability. The tone was set clearly: 2026 will require intention, alignment, and continued professionalism across every level of the organization.

Teamwork in Action: Outside Plant, Inside Support

One of the most impactful moments of the meeting was our interactive icebreaker, “Outside Plant, Inside Support.” Mixed groups mapped the lifecycle of an Outside Plant construction project—from locates and permitting to construction and closeout—highlighting how field execution and administrative support are deeply interconnected.

Teams discussed dependencies, collaboration wins and breakdown risks, while also identifying time-wasters and opportunities to improve productivity in small but meaningful ways. The exercise reinforced a simple truth: successful construction is never a solo effort.

The conversation concluded with a reflection on what it means to be a Wilkins Ideal Team Player—someone who is humble, hungry, smart, and professional—and the importance of showing up as contributors, not passengers, stowaways, or pirates.

Investing in Our People

HR led a comprehensive update focused on people, culture, and growth. The session included welcoming new hires, celebrating work anniversaries, and sharing highlights from the Annual Employee Survey—what we heard and how we’re responding.

Maxine Walker presented key updates to training, benefits, annual reviews, and the Employee Handbook, reinforcing our commitment to clarity, fairness, and continuous improvement as we move into 2026.

Learning from 2025, Preparing for 2026

Department leaders shared candid updates on 2025 highs, lows, and lessons learned, along with prospect opportunities for the year ahead.

From administrative excellence and operational milestones to financial clarity around billable work and margins, the updates emphasized transparency and growth-minded decision-making.

Building on those insights, teams plan on meeting later in the quarter to participate in an interactive SWOT analysis to identify company wide strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats—tying feedback directly to safety, scalability, and operational excellence.

Project Coordinator Cathy Stoudenmire also shared an example of a Wilkins client who uses us as the standard for creating processes for other contractors, which shows that Wilkins sets the bar high within the utilities construction industry.

Looking Ahead: Innovation, Recognition, and Growth

The meeting also explored how Artificial Intelligence is shaping the future of work, highlighting both industry opportunities and everyday applications that can improve efficiency and decision-making.

We proudly celebrated our impact beyond the jobsite—through community involvement, industry leadership, and workforce development—before recognizing our Employee of the Year, Heather Bradley, whose contributions exemplify our values and culture!

We also announced the recent TX811 Damage Prevention Council appointment of Trenia McKinzie, Wilkins’ VP of Operations. Trenia is Historian in the North Texas and Northeast Texas regions of TX811! For the complete lists of North and Northeast Texas Officers, click the image below.

A Call to Action for 2026

The Company wide meeting concluded with a clear challenge: growth in 2026 will not happen by chance. Each employee was asked to commit to one personal growth goal and one team contribution goal, focused on communication, safety, quality, and mutual support.

The closing reflection encouraged everyone to consider:

• One thing to keep doing
• One thing to stop doing
• One thing to improve immediately

Together, these commitments set the tone for a unified, forward-moving year ahead.

Growing Forward—Together

Our 2025 Wrap-Up and 2026 Kickoff was more than a meeting—it was a reminder that we are one team, one network, and that our continued success depends on how well we support one another.

As we continue leading in utility construction services, we move into 2026 with clarity, purpose, and a shared commitment to building forward—stronger together!