SUMMIT SNAPSHOT:
Summit Anchor Company employee Daniel Mensah eyes its future
By Keisha Winston
Under the shrill of drilling sounds plays inspirational music. Daniel Mensah works steadily and peacefully, looming deadlines pushing him forward, keeping him on task. With nearly 120 projects at various stages going on at the same time, Mensah has no time to spare.
“That’s Daniel. He always comes with that mentality, ‘I have a lot to do,'” said Gus Strats, owner of Summit Anchor Company. “‘You assigned me to do a task, let me get it done,'” said Strats, describing Mensah’s work ethic.
Employees like Mensah make Summit Anchor what it is today: a small Frederick, Maryland-based fall protection solutions company poised for big things. Mensah is a company veteran that exemplifies the best of Summit Anchor. With 14 years at Summit Anchor under his belt, Mensah is a company fixture whose eye for detail, laser focus and work ethic cements Summit Anchor for future growth. And Mensah’s goal to become a certified welding inspector (CWI) shows that its employees are personally vested in company expansion.
“Daniel gives 150 percent. He’s a hard worker, and he doesn’t say ‘no’ to anything,” says Karol Longo, purchasing and production manager for Summit Anchor. “He always goes above and beyond.”
Welding and fabrication wasn’t Mensah’s first choice, though. He sought a civil engineering degree while at home in Ghana, but ended up majoring in construction technology. After moving to the United States, Mensah started working with Summit Anchor as an anchor installer. Then he moved into Summit Anchor’s warehouse where he was juggling installation, shipping and cleaning the new shop in Frederick, as well as testing new equipment prototypes, making threaded rod assemblies, and assembling and packing equipment. In 2008, Strats purchased a Lincoln Electric MIG welder but he nor Daniel knew how to weld.
“We knew nothing compared to what we know now and where we are today,” Strats said. But Strats had confidence that Mensah would become a proficient, qualified welder.
Mensah developed his welding skills by studying the American Welding Society Structural Welding Code, practicing the craft, and following suggestions from other certified welders and certified welding inspectors. He honed his skills as a welder, getting welding certificates covering various welding processes, such as fusing steel to steel, steel to stainless, stainless to stainless, and aluminum welding.
“I didn’t have the desire to be a welder, ” Mensah said. “Just that the opportunity came and I took advantage of it.”
When Summit Anchor’s welding vendor abruptly quit their contract agreement in 2017, the company was forced to do all in-house manufacturing of their products. Mensah and the production team were then under pressure to meet the need.
The now five-man fabrication team manufactures all of Summit Anchor’s products, including its well-known anchorages that are dropped, forged, quenched and tempered eyes and withstand 5,000 pounds. The team uses a tried and true recipe for success: discuss each project, make a plan, and preemptively resolve bottlenecks to avert issues with the finished product. Mensah said sticking to their plan helps the team finish projects often before the deadline. For instance, Mensah knows that any delay in production can hinder the installation timeline, potentially costing clients thousands of dollars if construction dates are missed. “We have to hit these dates, if not things will be behind,” Mensah said.
The shop workers are well-trained, know their duties and tasks, so no need to micromanage, Mensah said. “I love working with everyone over here,” Mensah said. “It’s really peaceful.”
Currently, Mensah is studying to become a CWI so the company could certify its own welders. Mensah missed passing the American Welding Society test by two points; he plans to retake the next American Welding Society exam at the next opportunity. Summit Anchor is proud that Mensah has the CWI certification within his reach and believes the certification will be an asset to the company, Strats said.
Summit Anchor employees like Mensah align with the company’s motto — safety from the top down — as they provide the best fall protection systems and suspended maintenance equipment solutions in the industry.
Trust Summit Anchor Company, safety from the top down.
Written by Keisha Winston
