Swinerton Quarterly - Swinerton Builders

Swinerton Quarterly
Volume 14, No.3 Autumn 2010
All in a Days
Archeological Dig...
Page 10
Jeff Hoopes on
Customer Centric
Culture
Page 3
Hats Off to
Historic Places
Page 11
Swinerton Helps
the Air Force
Bring Training into
the 21st Century
Page 16
Achieving New
Sustainable
Heights with xD
Page 22
260/5
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Swinerton Building
6
Swinerton Green
21
Community
24
Shared Services
26
Kudos
30
260/5
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Volume 14, No. 3 Autumn 2010
Corporate Marketing Director
Bill LaBranche, [email protected]
Coordination & Editing
Meggie Doscher, [email protected]
Mallory Buchner, [email protected]
Contributors
Amarili Galvez
Karen Glover
Ashley Young
Kenda Enney
Bernadette Estrada
Kevin Brooks
Brenda Reimche
Kyle Burnham
Bronwyn Johnston
Leland Rocchio
Bryan Holt
Lisa Landis
Carrie Paul
Lori Slivensky
Charlene Atkinson
Mark Sarvas
Cheryl Johnson
Melanie Lapointe
Chris Day
Melanie Price
Chris Tallon
Myrna Wagner
Christina Pantera
Nimone Li-Hardisty
Dan Gonzales
Rachel Goldberg
Gary Rafferty
Rick Moore
George Ehara
Sharon Martinez
Glenn Ashton
Silas Colliers
Glenn Bayliff
Sonia Coopwood
Heather Benson
Stephenie Northington
Holly Reindl
Taliye Zarraby
Janel Espinosa
Tim Erickson
Jeff Hoopes
Tony Williamson
Jeff Recob
Wil Farinas
Juan Restrepo
The Swinerton Quarterly is published four times a year,
on the first day of each new season. Contributions
are encouraged. Submit articles and photographs
to Meggie Doscher, Swinerton Incorporated, 260
Townsend St., San Francisco, California 94107-1790
or email [email protected].
©Copyright Swinerton Incorporated 2010.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Printed on recycled paper/15% postconsumer content.
Balance comes from sustainable forests.
From the Operations Corner
Customer Centric Culture
By Gary J. Rafferty
By Jeff Hoopes
Since 1888
B
eing in business for over 120 years is a very
telling statement. As Swinerton employee
owners, we have a very challenging task ahead of us.
We have both the honor and the obligation to carry
forward the Swinerton tradition as so many of our
predecessors have done.
In my last Newsletter, I spoke about our future being inextricably
linked to our being a Guardian of our Client’s Values. This message
will continue with that theme.
Client Loyalty
While recently visiting a job, our lead Superintendent commented that
doing work with this particular Client has been like being on a 6-year
honeymoon. What he meant by that comment is that we have become
loyal to one another and we know what is important to one another.
This long-term loyalty is a result of putting our focus on our Client,
and our efforts toward guarding our Client’s Values.
I could literally feel the positive energy in every one of our employees
the moment I walked on that site.
Loyalty is not an entitlement – it must be earned. Loyal Clients are
living proof that we are doing something well. It means that what we are
doing is being recognized and is appreciated. When this happens, every
Team member is inspired and becomes more determined to maintain
that momentum.
On the other hand, if our Clients are unhappy, chances are our
employees will be unhappy too. Nobody wants to work around a Client
who complains about their Contractor all day long. It can sap the energy
right out of the day – and right out of our employees.
Teamwork
Another Superintendent working with a different Client recently told me
about our Quality program on his job.
We self-perform the concrete on this project, and he said that there is
no way that one person could effectively manage all the Quality Control.
He shared that the expectation of each Team member is that they own a
specific role in Quality. One person is verifying the quality of the precast
shop drawings, fabrication, delivery, mock-ups and installation. Another
is validating all the concrete mix designs, the concrete truck loads
arriving onsite, and the placement of concrete…and so on. As a result
of these efforts, we have become a partner with the Owner’s CM, jointly
and collaboratively monitoring the Quality of Construction. ➤
Our Superintendent also made the
comment that, while many of his Team
members have a fierce work ethic, he
cautions them to not take on the whole
world of issues at one time or all alone.
He coaches his Team to get into a rhythm
in order to balance the phases requiring
intensive energy with the phases of the
project that are less demanding in nature.
➤
On any project there will be times when
one Team member is peaking while
another is decelerating. High-performing
Teams leverage these peaks and valleys
effectively because their members
understand each other, are loyal to each
other and are dedicated to the same
objective. And it will be high-performing
Teams, with the right people in the
right positions, that will make a highperforming Swinerton Company capable
of servicing our Clients and moving us
forward into the future.
To quote Vince Lombardi, the legendary
Green Bay Packer head football coach:
“Individual commitment to a group
effort – that is what makes a Team
work, a company work, a society
work, a civilization work.”
As we continue in our third century of
doing business with valued Clients, I
ask all of you to be role models to your
Teammates, partners with your Owners,
and loyal to all of them.
I
hope each of you has had the opportunity to
read the recent announcements regarding the
implementation of the Swinerton Center for
Excellence in Project Delivery. Don Adair, Dave
Higgins, Jr., Eric Foster, Chris Murphy, Dan Gonzales
and Jef Farrell have been tasked with the assignment
of taking Swinerton into the future with the ability
to understand and deliver new Lean construction
practices, IPD, Building Information Modeling and
Design-Build Project Delivery Processes.
Center for Excellence
in Project Delivery
IPD • Lean • Design-Build • BIM • Green
But the “Center” is about more than
just delivery processes; it is the
continuation of Swinerton moving
our philosophy and culture from
customer focus to customer centric.
After doing some research, I found a study by the Bain Consulting Group where
they interviewed several hundred large corporations to understand the correlation
of customer satisfaction to future profitable growth. The Bain Consulting Group
found absolutely no correlation between the company’s high customer satisfaction
scores and evidence of future profitable growth and shareholder value.
Let me clarify – customer satisfaction is a necessary element of customer loyalty.
But, in and of itself, customer satisfaction does not guarantee customer loyalty.
Bain has documented empirical evidence that in most industries the surest and
fastest path to increased profitability and maximized shareholder value is to
improve customer loyalty.
The key indicators of customer loyalty are: (1) The percentage of our customers
that intend to repurchase our services. In other words, Repeat Client Business.
(2) The percentage of our customers willing to endorse our services to others.
Or simply put, Our Brand Strength.
To achieve high percentage rates of customers who intend to repurchase and
are willing to endorse our services requires creating exceptional value for
our customers and delivering exemplary services. This often means that we
forego some short-term profits to create long-term customer relationships that
ultimately provide significantly more profitable work.
As Don, Dave, Eric, Chris, Dan and Jef move forward with the Charter and
Mission statements of the Center for Excellence in Project Delivery, I challenge
them to focus on processes, methods, policies and positioning that fosters a
culture of customer loyalty resulting in delighted clients.
How Customer Centric is Swinerton?
There is a clear definition of customer centric. To be customer centric, an
organization must have customers at the center of its business. Businesses can’t
just decide to organize around customers; oftentimes it is the customer ➤
3
2010 Shareholders Meeting
5
4
who dictates how an enterprise should be organized
to better serve their needs. Customers want their needs
to be met, to be cared for and to be delighted. Customers
don’t want enterprises to put up barriers; they are not
concerned with an organization’s policies or processes,
business rules, mission, positioning, the software they use,
or their infrastructure. And customers are not concerned
with an organization’s profits. Customers are the source of
Swinerton’s profits. Our existing customers are Swinerton’s
surest and most reliable source of future revenue and
customers are the one key asset that can differentiate our
organization from our competitors. Therefore, in successful
organizations, corporate strategies are customer strategies in
which customers have become the mission of the business.
➤
To enhance our customer centric culture, we must first
revive and strengthen our Swinerton Corporate Services
Group. Clients are searching for a single source solution
to their geographic challenges.
We are currently moving forward
with two initiatives that will
enhance and showcase our
customer centric culture, the first
being the Swinerton Government
Services, led by Fred Parker. The
greatest cultural impact with this
group will be the creation of a
traveling management/supervision
group that is willing and excited to travel around the country
to build work for their Client, the Federal Government. This
is a big cultural shift from local construction projects.
The second is Swinerton Renewable
Energy. This group has evolved to
meet their Client’s demands in a
market in which we traditionally do
not compete, providing a one-stop
shop for Engineering, Procurement
and Construction services. To date,
George Hershman and the Team are
doing a great job!
So, how is Swinerton doing? The Swinerton Management
Team sees the competitive advantage of a customer centric
culture, but success can not and will not be realized until
all of our people embrace this cultural shift.
Performance Drivers of Customer Loyalty
The most important organizational asset that will determine
the level of customer loyalty achieved by Swinerton is our
own dedication to creating superior value for our customers.
Employee engagement is a key performance driver that
creates long-term sustainable profitability derived from
customer loyalty. An engaged workforce is one of the major
factors within businesses that are considered the most
successful companies to work for in America.
Swinerton is in a prime spot to capitalize on customer
loyalty. We have reduced our staff count to our finest
employees; now is the time to ignite our passion and joy
in building projects and develop loyal customers. We have
committed to a slow growth strategy that will allow us to
maximize the skills and growth of our current employees
while only hiring the best new hands.
For us to engage our workforce, you, as Owners of the
Company, must commit to the following:
• Live and walk the talk of our Core Values.
• Support and embrace the Center for Excellence in
Project Delivery to operationally define customer
centric deliveries. Help the “Center” establish metrics
that define success and reinforce the right behaviors.
There Is No "I" In Team
O
n June 18th, Shareholders, guests, valued business
partners and graduates (retirees) enjoyed yet another
day of presentations and networking at the 2010 Annual
Shareholders Meeting in San Francisco. Held at Herbst Pavilion
at the Fort Mason Center, the theme of this year's meeting was
“One Company Providing Value to our Clients” – Swinerton’s
shift from an individualistic mindset toward a cohesive
Team approach in all aspects of our work. Speakers included
Mike Re, Jeff Hoopes, Gary Rafferty, Frank Foellmer, Eric Foster
and Dave Higgins, Jr.
Recognizing Excellence:
The 2010 Shareholders Awards
This year three groups were presented with
the Shareholder Recognition Award in
“Customer Satisfaction.”
This year’s Outstanding Safety Award
was presented to the Hawaii Division.
Accepting the award was George Ehara,
Gary Moura, Scott Schriefer and Gena
Roberts. The award was presented by
Wade Obermann and Gary Rafferty.
Chevron Richmond Technology Center
Team, accepted by Kerry Atkinson, Glenn
Ashton, Mark Capriotti and Andy Holden.
• Hire the best talent available and closely link their
incentive compensation to organizational performance.
• Emphasize the importance of communication and
building trust amongst our division/profit centers and
our customer-facing units (Account Teams).
• Put our people first. Invest in them by providing
training that’s aligned with organizational strategy and
empower those with the authority and responsibility
to make decisions that will provide customer loyalty.
When we are driven by values and a mission we believe in,
are given responsibility for the results of our efforts, and are
recognized and rewarded for what we do, we will deliver
exceptional value and service to our customers. These
dynamics create the conditions to establish lasting customer
loyalty, resulting in superior long-term profitability, growth
and increased shareholder value.
The David H. Grubb Outstanding
Achievement Award was presented to the
Construction Operations of San Diego,
Orange County and Los Angeles.
Accepting the award was Frank Foellmer,
Don Adair, Dave Callis and Emery Molnar.
UC San Diego Team, accepted by Mark
Payne, Jef Farrell, Chris Murphy, Bobby
Badillo and Mike Casey, and presented by
Eric Foster.
Shareholder Recognition Awards were also
awarded in the area of “Leading Edge
Technology,” honoring the Renewable
Energy Group, accepted by George
Hershman, David Grubb, Jr., Tom Bell
and Grant French, with Frank Follemer
as presenter – as well as the area of
“Profitability,” awarded to Swinerton
Builders Los Angeles. Accepting the
award was Kim Grant, Emery Molnar and
Lia Tatevosian, with Eric Foster presenting
the award.
This year’s James R. Gilette
Outstanding Spirit Award
was presented to a special
group of people, honoring
All Swinerton Employees
The San Diego Division was awarded
this year’s Quality Management Award,
accepted by Don Adair, Mark Payne, Jef
Farrell, Bob Wilson and Roger Kazemier;
Dave Higgins, Jr. presented the award.
Swinerton Management & Consulting
Education Group, accepted by Myrna
Wagner, Anne Daley and Jeff Gee, with
Dave Higgins, Jr. presenting the award.
for their devotion, dedication
and can-do spirit!
Congratulations to all award winners!
An Early Start to the Final Phase
6
N orthern C alifornia
Teamwork: Just What
the Doctor Ordered
Time Flies in Fremont
T
he Team at Washington Hospital has had a busy
spring and summer! March and April saw the
placement of two fire tube boilers, four chillers and two
steam generators. May followed with the placement of
all six air handling units and 12 roof-mounted exhaust
fans – and those were the light
months! Juggling the logistics
of the delivery of a 40,000
gallon fuel tank, a 30,000 gallon
fuel tank, three two-Megawatt
generators, and a 10-foot-high
by 30-foot-long piece of
paralleling switchgear, all within
the span of three weeks was, to
say the least, challenging.
Shoring and excavation for each tank took the better part
of a week. Maneuvering the 40,000 gallon tank down
one of the busiest thoroughfares in Fremont and into an
operating hospital took advanced planning, participation
from all Team members and a little luck. An emergency
tow of a contractor’s van was the only hiccup.
All this took place in the same two-week timeframe as
the erection of the structural steel for the Center for
Joint Replacement. Working the deliveries of the cranes,
150-foot fuel oil trucks, steel and switchgear through and
around a working hospital
took the cooperation
and coordination of
the construction Team,
subcontractors and
the facilities staff of
Washington Hospital.
The Team atmosphere on
the Washington Hospital
projects is making the
building of the new Central
Plant, the Center for Joint
Replacement and hospital improvements a great success.
So much so that this summer we are proud to say we
celebrated our topping out two months ahead of schedule!
The celebration was held on July 30th as the final beam for
the Washington Hospital project was hoisted into place. An
American flag signed by all those involved with the project,
as well as a ceremonial tree,
were installed for good luck.
The crowd watched excitedly
as it was placed in its final
position. This topping off
ceremony was especially
significant as it represented
the beginning of the final
phase of the $115-million
project at Washington
Hospital in Fremont,
California.
The ceremony started with
a few words from Project
Executive Mike Harris, who explained to the crowd the origin
of the ceremonial tree. “This tradition migrated to America
with European craftsmen. A tree or leafy branch is placed on
the topmost beam, often with flags and streamers tied to it. A
toast is usually drunk and sometimes the workmen are treated
to a meal.” Mike then turned the ceremony over to Nancy
Farber, Washington Hospital CEO, and Dr. John Dearborn, for
whom the Center for Joint Replacement is being built. Nancy
Farber thanked steel subcontractor Kwan Wo for their efforts
in developing the building to this point, as well as the entire
Project Team for their dedication to the project. Dr. Dearborn
reminded everyone that the Center for Joint Replacement will
help hundreds of people recuperate and rehabilitate from their
surgical procedures.
To celebrate this
wonderful occasion,
lunch was served
prior to the beam
being raised. Laborers,
Vice Presidents and
Owners sat elbow
to elbow discussing
the strides made on
the project thus far
and their excitement
about starting the final
phase. The project is
set to be completed
and turned over by January 2012.
Special thanks to Sasco, FW Spencer, Kwan Wo Ironworks and the staff
of Washington Hospital for making this a very successful summer!
UC Davis a Challenge to Remember
A
fter a long haul of nearly eight
years, construction of UC Davis
Medical Center’s Surgery and Emergency
Services Pavilion (SESP) is complete!
July 30th marked a significant milestone
as the Project Team received OSHPD
sign-off of the 470,000-square-foot,
state-of-the-art facility.
The new SESP plays an important role
in the expansion of the UC Davis Medical Center Campus, with the addition of a
number of specialized departments which include a new Emergency and Trauma
Department; Central Processing Department; Radiology Department with two MRI
rooms, Cath Labs and CT Scan rooms; Intern and Residency Department; Clinical
Lab with Robotics Line; 12-bed Burn Unit; Surgical Department with 24 Operating
Rooms and Surgical Intensive Care Unit; and a new Kitchen and Cafeteria which
will serve the entire hospital.
Throughout the duration of the project, the Team worked relentlessly to mitigate
and overcome challenges. Most notably were the abundant design changes,
RFIs and the unyielding OSHPD
inspection process.
SESP by the numbers:
References: 3,650
RFIs: 9,966
OSHPD Change Orders: 930
OSHPD Instructional Bulletins: 190
UC Field Orders: 1,776
Inspections: 30,930
Over 70 individuals were employed
throughout the duration of this
project, not to mention all of the
operation support personnel involved. Thanks to everyone who participated in the
success and final completion of the UC Davis Medical Center. It was a long and
challenging adventure but
we have all become stronger
and better builders due to
this great achievement.
Special thanks to Randy Lawson, Dale
Williams, Susan Smith, Toni Lands,
Taliye Zarraby, Ethan Roschen, Jason
Boeker, Larry Crawford, Nick Lucas, Pete
Seadorf, George Whitfield, John Hubble,
Issa Tam, Mike Duran, Mike Ramirez,
Donna Horton, Yolanda Orellana, Pat
Connolly, Jason Silva, Stephanie Simonds,
Marcelo Moreno, Cary Thompson, John
Maxwell, Joel Leong, Tom Rasica, Gene Osborne, Brain Tetreault and Mark Ishizaki for their
efforts, dedication and hard work in bringing this project to successful completion.
7
Evergreen Window
The “Evergreen Window” next to
a story indicates that the project
incorporates Sustainable Design
and/or Green Building elements.
A Greener Quarterly
In order to better support Swinerton’s
Corporate Sustainability Initiatives,
the Swinerton Quarterly now has a
maximum length of 32 pages and we are
distributing the quarterly electronically
to all employees in lieu of print copies.
There will be a limited number of print
copies available; if you would like a
copy please contact your local Division
Marketer or Corporate Marketing. In
addition, we will continue to support
our extended “Online Quarterly Articles”
section located on www.swinerton.com
with additional articles, in-depth features
and photo galleries.
Correction from
Summer 2010 Quarterly
In “HMH the Cure for Lodi Memorial Hospital”
the author was inadvertently printed incorrectly.
We would like to recognize Steve Harless as the
author of the exceptionally well-written article.
The article “Always Dream Playpark” incorrectly
credited Chris Johnson instead of Chris Young
for his hours of dedication towards turning
an extraordinary vision into a reality. Thank
you Chris Young for getting us involved in this
amazing community project and for all your
hours of hard work!
260/5
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Swinerton Green
Community
Shared Services
Kudos
6 down and 30 to go!
By Glenn Ashton
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S winerton I nteriors
Not Teleport,
Telepresence!
W
e recently completed a pair of state-ofthe-art Telepresence Rooms for Union
Bank at their San Francisco and Los Angeles
Headquarters. Located on the Executive floors
of each building, these rooms allow Union
Bank Executives to have real-time, face-to-face
communication 24/7 without the cost and
inconvenience of air travel.
A key feature of these rooms was the need for
privacy – as evident by the sound attenuating
wall construction, door assembly and isolation
of the HVAC systems. In addition, a “PreMeeting” room consisting of a gathering area,
food service and other convenience features
were included in the project scope. All work
was completed without disrupting ongoing
business operations.
Special thanks to the Union Bank Team for working
tirelessly over several weekends and evenings to
complete this high profile project, including: Account
Executive Dale Beverett, Project Executive Peggy
Delach, Senior Project Manager Chris Brennand,
Superintendents John Campbell and Jesse Mendoza,
Project Engineer Sarah Grossman, Project Accountants
Sue Long and Rick Mortensen, and Principal-In-Charge
Andrew Holden.
J
une 7th marked the turn-over of the
first of 36 labs being renovated as part
of Chevron Richmond Technology Center’s
Build 10 Lab Air Controls Upgrade project.
The scope of the project involves upgrading
the HVAC controls from pneumatic to Direct
Digital Control through the use of a Johnson
FEC controller. New Tek-air control valves are
installed at each fume hood exhaust which
constantly adjusts the exhaust flow to maintain
100 feet per minute at the face of the hood,
no matter whether the sash is open or closed.
New supply variable air volume controllers control the amount of supply air
to maintain a negative pressure in the labs, which varies based on the use
of the fume hoods. New heating hot water coils were added to the supply
VAV’s to provide heating in the labs.
Meeting All SCIF’s
Project Needs
T
he State Compensation
Insurance Fund (SCIF)
program is in full swing with
several fast-track projects
recently completed and
several new projects in the
planning and starting phases.
The Northern California
Team recently completed
several interior projects at SCIF’s San Francisco home
office including a full-floor renovation, half-floor
renovation, a conference room upgrade project and
other minor projects. The Team is completing interior
renovation projects at SCIF offices in Santa Rosa,
Pleasanton and San Jose, as well as a security upgrade
project in Stockton.
Challenges for the entire project include completing the work two labs
at a time on an eight-day rolling schedule, with a new lab beginning every
four days, all while working in an occupied lab building with minimal
disruptions and no safety incidents.
The first step when working in the labs is to pre-clean the tops of the
fume hoods and construct extensive protection of the lab equipment
using masonite and plywood. Next, the control valves are installed in the
exhaust system while wearing full personal protective equipment including
respirators. Work platforms are built over the lab benches for safe access to
replace the Supply VAV boxes and Controllers. Heating hot water piping is
brought into the labs above the ceilings from the adjacent utility porches. A
new DDC controller is installed and connected, and the system is calibrated
and pre-commissioned by use of Verification
Checklists. The system is then commissioned,
the protection removed, and the space turned
over with new paint and cleaned floors.
Detailed preconstruction planning has paid
off for this project. Partnering with Marelich
Mechanical and Mesa Energy Systems we
provided a Design-Build project. Each lab
was surveyed for difficulty of access which
influenced the duration and the sequence of
the schedule. The schedule was then detailed
into daily task plans and scripting of the
work by trade for each days work. A “Lessons
Learned” session was held with the entire Team after the first lab to refine
the task plans even further.
Excellent Team communication and collaboration with Chevron project
management, the lab user groups, subcontractors and the tradesman have
lead to the successful turnover of the first six labs as promised; we are on
schedule to complete the overall project in February 2011.
Our Project Team includes: Project Manager Molly Jans, Project Superintendents Eric
Johnson and Gary Bernardini, Project Engineer Jessica Canales, Project Safety Manager
Jay Bosley, Project Accountant Kelly Perry and Project Executive Glenn Ashton.
The Southern California Team was challenged with
simultaneous fast-track projects in Glendale, Monterey
Park and Riverside, all of which had to be completed in
one-third to one-half the time normally allowed for projects
of similar scope. The SoCal Team met the challenge with
careful planning, attention to detail and flawless execution.
We are very proud to say the SoCal Team of Lynne
Delameter and Kevin Hostetter scored perfect 5.0’s
on the Client Satisfaction survey for these projects.
Swinerton has now been asked to assist SCIF in their
planning of major initiatives for facilities located
throughout California. Waterproofing, infrastructure
upgrades, building systems upgrades, as well as a number
of interior restack and renovation projects, should keep
the NorCal and SoCal Teams busy for quite some time.
“Our ability to structure our services to State Fund’s
real estate and facility needs throughout their portfolio,
regardless of whether the project is a multiple floor restack
or replacing the handle on a door, is the true definition of
partnership,” said Account Manager Peter Hau.
For providing SCIF with superior service, special thanks go to Peggy
Delach, Lynne Delameter, Kevin Hostetter, Salih Eroglu and Frank
Trainor in Los Angeles; Bryan Holt, Dennis McCann and Michael Biel
at HMH; and Andrew Holden, Kerry Atkinson, Adhamina Rodriguez,
Dale Beverett, Garry Shahan, Bill Green, Ron Pratte, Chris Figone,
Sarah Grossman, Sue Long and Peter Hau in San Francisco.
9
Patience Pays Off
at Arlington
O
n September 24th, 2007, Swinerton Interiors received a
proposal request from Mercy Housing California for a San
Francisco residential renovation project known as the Arlington
Hotel. This was a GC and fee RFP that included predevelopment
services. The latter was seen as an important component to
Mercy Housing; they understood the value of engaging a
general contractor early on in the design development process,
contributing building experience to
help manage the overall project cost through efficient design.
We bid against several other local general contractors and in
December 2007 we were notified we were the successful bidder;
preconstruction commenced in early 2008.
The project, just a few blocks from Union Square, is a four-story
building built circa 1908. Representative of the construction
in this era, it is an unreinforced masonry building with limited
seismic retrofitting. Its mixed-use consists of retail at the
ground level and low income housing on the upper floors. The
project scope includes entirely new utilities, additional seismic
retrofit upgrades, ADA modifications, and converting the 173
existing residential units into 154 self-sufficient, single-resident
occupancy units.
The original timeline for predevelopment, including
preconstruction, was to continue for 18 months. In Q2 of 2009,
the project looked to become the victim of declining property
values and unmatched state funding. After several months of
waiting, a very persistent Mercy Housing secured the necessary
funding for the project.
We are happy to report that after two and a half years
of predevelopment and preconstruction, we submitted a
$20.5-million GMP to the Owner the first week of August.
The Team is slated to break ground on the 19-month
renovation project in mid-September.
This will be the fourth renovation project for Mercy Housing by Swinerton
Interiors. Patience and hard work resulted in a viable project that would
not have been possible without significant efforts from Andrew Holden,
Kerry Atkinson, Peter Schoen, Bill Green, Pam Jefferis, Bronwyn Johnston,
Diana Cuellar, Laurel Strange and Kim Majit.
260/5
Swinerton Building
Swinerton Green
Community
Shared Services
Kudos
childcare facility with a 7,000-square-foot play area. This
Bright Horizons location will be one of the anchor tenants of
a new mixed-use development consisting of office, retail and
residential space. Construction is set to begin in November and
will be seeking LEED Certification.
➤
10
S winerton I nteriors
cont .
LEED for B of A
S
winerton Interiors adds yet another project to its
resume for Bank of America retail work! Cushman &
Wakefield has selected us for their
first Bank of America retail branch
in Washington since taking over
the account as Construction
Manager. This 4,100-square-foot
build-out is seeking LEED Silver
Certification and will consist
of demolition of an old video
rental store, new exterior skin, storefront, awnings and site
lighting. Special thanks to Senior Project Manager Derek
Jaschke for his relentless efforts to stay in front of Cushman
& Wakefield as well as Assistant Project Manager Chad
Cone and Superintendent Gary Foote for their efforts on
previous Bank of America account projects. Their hard
work, dedication and commitment have paid off as this
Team was specifically requested by the Owner to work on
the project.
Additional Project Team members include: Project Engineer
Steve Goff and Project Coordinator Judith Helt.
More on the Horizon
N
orthwest Interiors continues to work with Bright
Horizons Family Solutions...and we just received
the certificate of occupancy for
the South Lake Union project in
Seattle! This 20,000-square-foot
childcare facility included a
9,000-square-foot play area and
is just one of the new projects
and developments in the growing
South Lake Union area. This area
is home to Amazon’s corporate
headquarters and the future home of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation.
Additionally, preconstruction
efforts are underway for the
newest childcare facility in
West Seattle. This project will
be a 13,000-square-foot ➤
All in a Day’s
Archeological Dig…
G
o figure that the one
time a Client doesn’t
make any provisions for
archeological, weather, design
or permit delays, more than 14
human remains are discovered
and exhumed and nearly 30
significant artifacts are found
throughout the course
of construction!
This $18-million colocation facility for Terremark Worldwide
in Santa Clara, California, faced many challenges that
compromised the original project schedule. Each time a new
archeological item was found, excavation was ceased and
the most likely Native American descendent was called in to
monitor the exhumation or collection of artifacts. Additionally,
major structural design changes, such as a complete redesign
of the building entry and
lobby area, were required
by the City. Coupled with
offsite permit delays and
frequent severe weather
conditions, the schedule
seemed to slip further
and further.
It was the hard work and
quick thinking of Senior Superintendent John Mills who met
these challenges head on, implementing several workarounds
that allowed the majority of work to be completed by the
Client’s scheduled occupancy date.
The recently completed and turned over facility included
converting an existing 24,000-square-foot, concrete tilt-up
building into a Tier-3 colocation facility. The building was
also completely gutted to the exterior walls and the roof was
seismically braced, replaced and upgraded. The completed
facility is a key component to our Data Center portfolio.
Congratulations to the entire Project Team who made this a successful
project: Senior Superintendent John Mills, Project Executive Dale Beverett,
Project Accountants Kim Meadows and Kate Matinas, and Project Engineers
Jonathan Hoopes and Sarah Grossman. Jeff Recob provided quality control
leadership, Andrew Holden managed the Client’s expectations, and Kerry
Atkinson ensured the full involvement of the mechanical subcontractors.
S outhern C alifornia
Offering Valley View Casino
Winning
Odds
By The Valley View Casino
Hotel Team
I
n March of 2008,
Swinerton Builders San
Diego was selected to build
a 10-story hotel with two
levels below-grade for
the San Pasqual Casino
Development Group
(SPCDG). Designed to accommodate 138 guestrooms and 14 guest suites,
the project was phased to conform to budget restraints; but with the downturn
in the economy in 2009 the project was on the verge of grinding to a halt.
We provided the Client various proposals to overcome their budget snag and in
late 2009 the Client sought financing for a reduced scope which consisted of a
seven-story hotel with two levels below-grade, redesigned to accommodate 94
guestrooms and 14 guest suites. In mid-January of this year, SPCDG released our
Team to proceed with procurement of interiors, elevators and more. We presented
to Ownership an accelerated schedule to complete the project by mid-December
with the assurance of making every effort to advance the completion date.
We are currently targeting substantial completion by October 13th. The Casino
has a soft opening scheduled for November 10th and a Grand Opening on
November 19th.
Hats Off to Historic Places
By Janel Espinosa
S
winerton Builders is proud to announce the
completion of a very unique restoration project
originally built in 1926. The structure was originally
built by the Beth Israel Congregation and is adorned
in unique stained glass with a dome-like sanctuary
suspended high above the hand-crafted pews. When
Ohr Shalom took possession of the building in 2003,
preserving the unique landmark was a main priority,
along with complying with necessary seismic safety
codes. The landmark is eligible for the National
Register of Historic Places and we are very proud to have taken part in its
remarkable transition.
The project began construction in March with substantial completion due for
mid-August. The project required diligent coordination efforts between local
architects Zagrodnik + Thomas, several congregation sub-committees and
sub-contractors, and our own Lauren Nunnally, Greg McFaul and Courtney
Whyte, who were consistently knee-deep in subcontractor negotiations,
high-end, imported fixtures…and very tight deadlines. ➤
11
The restoration included complete
refurbishing of the historic stained
glass, sanctuary entry doors, social hall
entry doors and wood windows. The
interior remodel included new flooring,
plaster, light/lighting fixtures, paint,
ceilings and office design layouts. The
sanctuary seating was also imported and
hand-crafted. The entire kitchen was
completely remodeled and an elevator
was added to the building for ADA
access. Demolition of existing MEP
building systems and installation of new
MEP building systems are in place, and
installation of new fire sprinkler systems
and structural seismic upgrades were
included throughout the building.
➤
Annual SMPS
Build Business
Conference
S
o the economy is getting better…
but what does this mean for us?
The Society of Marketing for Professional
Services (SMPS) recently held their
annual conference themed “Build
Business: Reinvent, Retool, Rebound,” in
Boston, Massachusetts. Approximately
700 attendees met July 14th-16th at
the Boston Marriott Copley Place to
explore how AEC firms are positioning
themselves for future growth during the
economic recovery and to examine how
to use social media and digital marketing
as a tool to market and develop business
in the construction industry. This event
was attended by Myrna Wagner, Lisa
Landis and Holly Reindl, who came
back full of knowledge to share with
their Teammates.
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S outhern C alifornia
cont .
The (Temporary) Return
of Swinerton Industrial
By The Telemedicine Project Team
T
he UCSD Telemedicine
project scope includes a
four-level medical education
building in the heart of
UCSD’s School of Medicine,
as well as the utility
infrastructure for not only
the Telemedicine building but
also for the future southwest
portion of campus. Utilities include over 500 feet of heating
hot water (HTHW) and chilled water (CHW) supply and
return piping (totaling over 2,000 linear-feet), which
connects the campus central plant to the eastern edge of
the School of Medicine; normal power, standby power,
telecom and data; cogeneration duct banks and new vaults;
new domestic water lines and reclaimed water lines.
The Tricky Road of Challenges
Meanwhile, the Site utility subcontractor has shifted gears
and is working full speed with the electrical subcontractor
to install 700 cubic yards of concrete around electrical
duct banks which weave their way over, under and around
themselves adjacent to the mechanical work in order to feed
buildings north, south and east of their original start point.
One vault has over 30 conduits stemming from it and heading
in various directions!
The Monster Truss
We completed a major step towards topping out on August
2nd with the installation of three 87-foot-long, six-foot-deep,
prefabricated roof-trusses weighing nearly 10 tons each. The
saga of the trusses started with coordination efforts near the
beginning of the job and ends at installation, which was
planned for just three weeks prior to topping out.
UCSD Telemedicine, a publically funded project, has a Design
Team which has included efficiencies in work in the plans,
including shop welding of steel as much as possible. Per plan,
these trusses were to span between shop-welded and
concrete-embedded
knife plates which
were not to have
slotted holes as
the trusses help
comprise the
lateral restraint
system over the
auditorium open
space below.
One of the major challenges on the project is that the extent
of the utility installation chokes the major access road for
the project. The Team has worked with UCSD to create new
drives and a fire lane through parking lots to meet fire codes
as well as feed the job with
material while the road
is closed.
The Site Team started early coordination of these and other
embeds, shifting shop welding to field welding, including
slotted holes where possible, and discussing tolerances with
the concrete and steel trades. When all was said and done, the
truss embeds still had non-slotted holes but the knife plates
were field-welded to embed plates so that minor adjustments
in the span between concrete faces could be made.
Another challenge of putting
the work into place is the size
of the systems themselves.
The mechanical trench,
spanning from an existing
vault in the middle of the intersection of the only two
roads into the project’s area of campus, is 14-feet-wide by
16-feet-deep and houses the supply and return pipes of hot
and cold water. The hot water is installed in precast concrete
trenches to allow for expansion and has two expansion loops
included in the run; the chilled water is buried in sand
adjacent to its hot partner. The HTHW pipe is eight inches in
pipe diameter, but doubles with insulation around it, while
the 16-inch CHW pipe has a more reasonable four-inch
insulation wrap. These pipes are complete and were tested
at the time of publication; tie-in to UCSD’s system was set
for August 11th.
A second coordination effort was finding a path for the trusses
from the freeway to the project site. The closure of Osler Lane,
the project’s main artery for utility work, required the trusses
weave through parking lots and up large fire lane sidewalks
to reach the site. In order to secure a clear path, they were
delivered through the UCSD campus at four o’clock on a
Saturday morning, blocking 44 parking spots.
Once onsite, the trusses tested the integrity of the concrete
subcontractor’s eccentric baby blue tower crane. When they
were set in place, steel crews whirled into action to place the
remaining roof steel to prepare for the topping out concrete
roof pour that was held on August 16th. With just over a
month left in the summer schedule, there is never a dull
moment at Osler Lane on the UCSD Telemedicine project!
Clearing a Path to Success
T
he Garden Walk at Montgomery High School was once used by faculty as a
teaching resource, but budget cuts and years of neglect had rendered the garden
overgrown and impassible. Recently, our Team at the Montgomery High School
Renovation and New Construction Project volunteered alongside students, faculty and
community members to clear and beautify the school's Native Plant Garden Walk.
We had just mobilized to the school jobsite
when the Team heard of the July 24th clean-up
event and were enthusiastic and eager to help.
After working all morning to clear the garden,
our Team grilled lunch for the volunteers on
the San Diego BBQ trailer.
The Montgomery High School project is located
in Southern San Diego County and consists of
the renovation of an existing technology center,
improvements to the school’s infrastructure and landscaping, and the construction of
a new two-story library building. We were awarded the take-over project after it had
sat idle for some time.
The Team has hit the ground running, continuing demolition and utility work
previously started while at the same time re-bidding the remaining work. Our Team
is working closely with the District to deliver this LEED Gold project on-time for the
start of the 2011-2012 school year.
Our volunteer work on clearing the overgrown garden has not only enabled the
students and faculty to renew and enjoy something that had been lost, but has also
helped to facilitate a growing relationship with school officials – a great beginning to
what will surely be a successful project.
Special thanks to George Hershman, Ruben Fontes, Anne Marie Mowatt, Anthony Tarantino and
Tim Erickson for volunteering at the event.
Ahead of The Class at UCSD
By Glen Bayliff
H
ow do we do it? Swinerton Builders San Diego recently celebrated yet
another success at UCSD with the capture of the Rady School of Management
Phase II project! The $31-million project marks a key success for the Building
Group in San Diego and is a measure of our cultivation of a very successful
business relationship with the University. The project is going straight to bid this
fall and will begin construction shortly thereafter. Once it breaks ground it will
be one of four major projects in construction that we are doing on the UCSD
Campus, including the Revelle College Apartments, Revelle College Housing
Remodel and the Telemedicine PRIME-HEq building.
Phase II of the Management School Facility will provide 81,113 gross square feet of
new constructed space. The project includes 33,496 actual square feet of instructional,
research laboratory and office space, 4,804 actual square feet of student support, 5,369
actual square feet of executive education, and 5,103 actual square feet of multipurpose
space. The building consists of a five-story structure that connects with an existing
earlier project on four levels and will complete the interior courtyard constructed as
part of the earlier project with pedestrian walkways, landscaping and outdoor seating
area. The building will replicate building systems, structural systems and design
elements used in the earlier project. Exterior walls will be a combination of curtain ➤
wall panels and windows, plaster stone
panels, high performance glazing
with sun shading devices and a highdensity composite panel system. A
structural steel load-supporting/resisting
braced frame with cast-in-place concrete
footings, foundation and retaining walls
with composite steel and concrete floor
and roof decks is proposed for the
structural system matching the
earlier project.
➤
Our capture of this project is a
representation of great attention to
customer satisfaction. Opportunities to
submit bids on UCSD projects derive
themselves from a prequalification process
that we have devoted our Business
Development and Project Teams to
over the past few years. We endeavor to
provide our Client a quality response to
the prequalification process that addresses
their project specifically and provides
detailed, value-added solutions to their
challenges before we even have the job.
Combine that with attention to customer
satisfaction on our existing jobs and you
have a formula for continued success!
The legacy of our excellent work on past
UCSD projects such as the Housing and
Dining Services Administration Building
and Mayer Hall Renovation has truly
paved the way to our success in capturing
approximately $134 million in sales since
the beginning of 2009.
Congratulations to our Team who took part in
this three-step process, including an interview,
which includes: Project Engineer Bobby Van
Hollebeke, Administrative Assistant Ashley Young,
Superintendant Will Carpentier, Senior Project
Manager Brian McCarthy, Project Executive
Steve Flint, Preconstruction Manager Randy
Vandewater, BIM/VD&C Manager Chris Murphy,
Business Development Manager Alex Beaton,
Chief Estimator Bob Wilson and our Teams
at UCSD Revelle and Telemedicine.
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HMH B uilders
14
S outhern C alifornia
cont .
Building Healthy
Environments
D
ue to a statewide shortage of nurses,
the Palomar Community College
District's Health Sciences Building was
critically needed by students waiting to
attend nursing classes. On August 2nd their
wait was over as the Project Team proudly
turned over the brand new, state-of-the-art
facility for nursing and dental students.
The 38,000-square-foot facility includes
classrooms, labs and administrative
offices. This project is seeking LEED-NC
Silver Certification from the USGBC and
contains LEED features such as optimal
thermal solar orientation, use of energy
efficient glazing, and demand based airconditioning. Additionally, the building uses
30-40% less water and 25% less energy,
generating 10% of the electrical power by
integrating rooftop photovoltaic solar array.
Additionally, all interior finishes are low
VOC, light-colored roofing and paving were
installed, and interior spaces contain high
levels of daylighting and exterior views
(75% min), with extremely high efficiency
artificial lighting used throughout. The
building was also sited to improve student
circulation through and around the project
from other campus nodes.
Bridging the Gap at UCLA
By Kyle Burnham
S
winerton Builders Los Angeles is putting the finishing touches on
a 120-foot pedestrian emergency egress bridge that spans above
the UCLA Northwest Campus Student Housing Infill Project: Sproul
Complex and Sproul
West Residence Hall
site. Once opened, the
bridge will maintain
emergency egress from
the existing Sproul
Hall residential tower
over a 30-foot-deep
excavation. In addition
to maintaining egress
from the Sproul Hall
tower, the Project Team
has coordinated the
protection of three other access corridors through the site that are used
by UCLA students and staff on a daily basis.
The project, which includes two dormitory towers and new dining
facilities, wraps around the existing Sproul Hall, marrying the existing
structures on the bottom three levels. While finalizing demolition and site
logistics preparations along the east and south side, the Project Team has
also begun excavation and shoring work to allow the free standing Sproul
West tower to begin footing work well ahead of the Sproul Complex
building and with minimum disruption to the students, staff and
visitors on all sides of the project.
The Project Team
includes: Lia Tatevosian,
Mike Franken, Robert
Lee, Maria Estrada,
Debra Leyden, Daniel
Kim, Stephanie Ishler,
Kyle Burnham, Jason
Montgomery, Kristi
Ababon, Jeff Crook, Kevin
Hostetter, Jr., Armando
Arellano and Patrick
Ryan Shaffer.
Third Time’s a Charm on UCDMC
Cancer Center
If at first (or second) you don’t succeed…
By Bryan Holt
H
MH was finally awarded the Cancer Center Construction package at the UC
Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, after bidding the job three times! In the
first bid, HMH came in second place. The University’s basis of award was for the
sum of the base bid plus all alternates. We argued that because the Alternates were
mutually exclusive and that in reality the University could only accept one of the
Alternates, the basis of award was flawed; the University rejected all bids.
On the second bid, HMH was listed as apparent low, but due to technical
irregularities with the submittal, the University rejected all bids again.
Finally, on the third bid, HMH was listed as apparent low again, but this time
there were no protests and no submittal irregularities so the $2.4-million contract
was awarded!
According to the University’s Construction Manager – the process wasn’t the
smoothest, but in the end, HMH is the “cat with nine lives,” demonstrating
great resilience.
Thanks to our resilient bid Team: Russell Green, Mika Reckers, Shari Trejo, Bryan Holt, Robin
Martinez, Macey Flores, Mike Hillman, Heather Benson, Jessica Andrews, Jason Johns, Corey
Coleman, Michael Biel, Kirk Thompson, Carl Arevalo, Nicole Frieling and Sterling Graham.
15
glass and glazing, pneumatic tube,
and fire sprinkler systems. You can
well imagine how large the core group
meetings have become as well as the
logistic challenges in keeping the Team
productive. We are hosting the CAD
document share-point site and are
responsible for version control and clash
detection for the BIM 3D work.
➤
While this project is not technically
an official Lean project, i.e. it does
not include a multi-party agreement,
several Lean and IPD methods are
being implemented. HMH is using pullscheduling techniques, forming trade
specific cluster groups, advancing our
ability to manage a design process, and
is exploring incentives and risk sharing
ideas for the design and subcontractor
partners. HMH is continually searching
for the level of detail and the tools
that make sense, to deliver this project
successfully to the Client.
HMH’s First Design-Build Hospital
Design-Build + Hospital + Lean + IPD = A Cluster Group
By Curtis Johnson
T
he HMH Team continues to explore new ideas on how best to deliver
hospitals. Located in Stockton, California, the Dameron Hospital Expansion
project is now in the Construction Document Design phase. This $95-million
project includes a 125,000-square-foot expansion on the existing Medical Center
campus. Anticipated construction start is Q4 2011 and project completion is
slated for Q4 2014.
At the end of the Design-Development phase, HMH bid many of the key
subcontractor packages and provided a price guarantee to the Client. An extensive
effort was needed to fill in the holes in the design and to document the scope
completely. HMH’s Team is now responsible for completing the design, obtaining
the OSHPD permit, buying out the remaining scope, projecting the escalation, and
completing the actual construction, all within the price guarantee! Our bidding
process leveraged price, escalation and OSHPD scope guarantees from the major
trades. The Design-Build Team has now expanded to include HVAC, plumbing,
electrical, elevators, framing and drywall, architectural precast concrete, ➤
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16
Lyda S winerton
Swinerton Helps the
Air Force Bring Training
into the 21st Century
The National Anthem Strikes Up
As Shovels Strike the Ground
G
round breaking ceremonies are always an exciting time
for a project as it symbolizes the start of construction.
When the project is located on a military base, the ground
breaking ceremony takes on an added level of appreciation
of the importance the completed project will bring to
our United
States Armed
Forces. Lyda
Swinerton
recently had
the honor of
being part of
the ground
breaking
ceremony
for the
Dining and
Classroom Facility #1 at Lackland Air Force Base in San
Antonio, Texas.
The playing of the national anthem indicated the start of
the ceremony at the site of the new facility, which was
hosted by Colonel Shane Courville, Commander of Air
Force Basic Training. The official celebration consisted of
several officers from the Air Force, members of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Swinerton Government Services
Division Manager Fred Parker and the Project Team from
Lyda Swinerton.
Colonel Shane Courville on Gateway to the Air Force
“For more than 60 years, Lackland Air Force Base has
marked the beginning of
service for our Nation’s
enlisted force of over
7 million Americans –
wherein Lackland has
rightfully earned the title
‘Gateway to the
Air Force.’ During this time our Recruit, and Housing and
Training complexes, which also include dining and classrooms,
were built in the mid-to-late-1960s timeframe. These buildings
have been ‘ home’ for our trainees as they began their service to
our country and these
complexes have also
served our Air Force
very well, as they
allowed us to accomplish
our mission.
We are now beginning
a new era in our Air
Force’s Basic Military
Training program.
Today’s ceremony marks
another step for the future of the new generation of Airmen.
About a year and a half ago, Basic Military Training transitioned
to a new eight and one-half week program – where we are now
graduating Warrior Airmen of Character with the best training in
the history of the Air Force. Now, as we move ahead, this Dining
and Classroom Facility will help us continue to train our enlisted
force of the future. This complex will be a modern facility with
state-of-the-art capabilities, allowing us to conduct this training
program in a world-class structure.
I am confident that Lyda Swinerton will do an amazing job and
I thank you in advance. For you and your Team are not just
building a facility, you are playing a part of creating something
that will house America’s most precious assets – its sons and
daughters – who volunteer for service in our great Air Force.
This facility you will build will eventually be first-rate dining
and classrooms for millions more brave young Americans as they
continue the legacy of being the best enlisted force in the world.”
From Our Team to the Next
Generation of Airmen
17
To date, our Lackland AFB
Dining and Classroom Facility #1
Project Team has completed three
Preparatory Phase Inspections in
accordance with the USACE Quality
Control program; excavation of the
building site has been completed,
site utilities are underway, and
work has begun on the completion of the 109 foundation piers. We have a long
history of building facilities at Lackland AFB and though it has been over 10
years since the last project was completed, both Senior Project Manager Dan
Wettig and Senior Superintendent Gary Mitchell are no strangers to performing
work with the USACE or Lackland AFB. They, along with the rest of the Project
Team, are honored and proud to be part of such a landmark project for the next
generation of Airmen.
C olorado
Colorado Makes
the News!
S
winerton Builders Colorado
has been awarded the interior
renovation of the KMGH TV 7
Newsroom in Denver. KMGH TV 7
is an affiliate of the ABC Television
Network and is owned by McGraw-Hill
Companies. Originally awarded in
March, it took some time for funds
to be available for the project.
The scope of work includes demolition
of the existing space including old news
desks, a sound room, video editing room
and partial demolition of electrical and
mechanical systems. The renovation
will include rework of electrical and
mechanical systems, new employee
locker rooms, relocation of existing
sliding office doors, new video streaming
room, new editing room, and a new
camera shot location to be used for
sports reports and breaking news stories,
making it quite possible that our work
will be seen on the nightly news!
This 6,200-square-foot project began
on August 9th and will be complete
by September 17th.
The Project Team includes: Senior Project Manager Dan Wettig, Project Manager Nate Kirwan,
Senior Superintendent Gary Mitchell, Superintendent Steve Cameron, Safety Manager John Frey,
Quality Control Manager Robert Carter, Project Assistant Kathy Webb, Project Accountant
Donna Stafford and Intern Preston Hill.
The Significance As Defined By Those Who Have Lived It
“The personal connection for me is deep. In addition to me, two of
my sons have gone through this base. This is a great project where
thousands of troops to be will train to protect the nation and learn the
core values that the Air Force represents.”
-Chief of Resources for Basic Military Training, Von Whelchel
“This is the next big step for military training. Our last construction
projects were in 1942 and 1968, and we’re happy to have this project
in 2010. It is very exciting to watch how this has gone from a plan into
project implementation and share in this historic project. We’re glad to
have Lyda as a partner.”
-The Commander, 37th Training Wing, Colonel William Mott the Fifth
“The Army Corps of Engineers is glad to be in partnership with the Air
Force and Lyda Swinerton. This has been a dream in the works for a
long time and now it’s coming to fruition.”
-Area Engineer, United States Army Corps of Engineers,
San Antonio Office, Mr. Thomas Smiley
Official Party
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Commander, 37th Training Wing, Colonel William Mott the Fifth
Vice Commander, 37th Training Wing, Colonel Patrick Vetter
The Commander, 737th Training Croup, Colonel Shane Courville
Area Engineer, United States Army Corps of Engineers, San Antonio Office, Mr. Thomas Smiley
Commander, 802nd Mission Support Group, Colonel Patrick Fogarty
Swinerton Government Services Division Manager, Fred Parker
Our Project Team is led by Project Manager
Ryan Shaw and Superintendent Mitch Felker.
Congratulations to the Special Projects Group,
especially Senior Estimator Bret Hall. We are
pleased to be working with Gensler, the Design
Architect for this project.
Other Military Members who participated in the ceremony
•
•
•
•
•
TSgt Gabriel Lewis
TSgt George Carpenter
SSgt Jonathan Aduddell
TSgt Kenneth Knodle2
SSgt Michael Whitman
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and 80% of the light fixtures as well as completing
the installation of an extensive filtration system.
18
C olorado
cont .
Divine Intervention
on CHI HQ?
C
atholic Health Initiatives (CHI) is a national nonprofit
health organization headquartered in Colorado. The
faith-based system operates in 18 states and includes 73
hospitals; 40 long-term care, assisted-and residential-living
facilities; and two community health-services organizations.
With annual revenues of $8.6 billion, CHI is the nation's
third-largest Catholic healthcare system.
Swinerton Builders Colorado was awarded the tenant finish
of their 98,000-square-foot headquarters relocation back
in February. Construction began on March 5th and was
completed on April 30th. Covering six floors, the scope
of work involved complete demolition of all walls except
the core ones. Break rooms
were added on each floor,
boardrooms and lobby areas
were finished in high-end
millwork trim, and extensive
tile work was employed in
both the break rooms and
reception areas. The project
also involved the relocation of
the Mercy Glass wall, which
was a Congressional Gift given
to Catholic Health Initiatives as
a symbol of Unity between the
Catholic Church and CHI. The
wall was located on the 40th
Floor of 1999 Broadway, CHI’s
old office location, and was disassembled piece by piece at
night over the course of a weekend, then transported to the
mill shop to be completely refinished. Once complete, it
was brought to 198 Inverness and reassembled in place
on the 8th Floor.
The project contained extensive electrical renovation
with motion sensors throughout, custom millwork in the
mailroom and extensive wall covering. Electrical changes
occurred in the meeting rooms, including the main
conference room and training room areas. The scope also
included lighting in the light cove areas in the hallways and
custom-built glass shelving into the wall; the shelving was
constructed without brackets so they appear as if they are
floating. We also replaced 80% of the ceiling tile and grid
Originally scheduled as a 12-week project, it was soon
accelerated to eight weeks. Floors one and four through
seven were
finished and
inspected
in eight
weeks. The
eighth floor
was 95%
complete
when we
discovered
that the
massive
boardroom table (31’x 6” long x 12’ wide) would not allow
adequate freedom of movement once in place. This required
the eighth floor to be redesigned, deconstructing approximately
30-40% of the newly finished area. The construction of the
redesigned eighth floor proceeded with “back of napkin”
drawings to allow the architects and engineers time to produce
CDs for the Building Department. Even with this delay, the
eighth floor was turned over to CHI within the original 12-week
schedule. When asked how the Team was able to accomplish
this, Senior Project Manager Jeff Carwile smiled and stated “We
had divine intervention. Seriously, however, we were able to
meet our deadline as a result of Superintendent Stephen Love’s
relationship with the Building Department, through the use of
extended work hours, working weekends, expedited shipping
and subcontractor and vendor teamwork.”
The Project Team’s sustainable efforts focused on recycling. All
metals on the project were recycled, which included steel studs,
metal piping, metal ceiling grid, light fixtures and door frames.
Fluorescent light bulbs were separately recycled and ceiling
tiles were sent back to the manufacturer and recycled into new
tiles for another project; cardboard, copper and aluminum were
also recycled. Bins were set aside for the various materials and
our Superintendents tracked all materials to make sure they
were routed to the correct areas. Our construction recycling
efforts saved:
• 47,415 pounds of metal
• 640 pounds of aluminum
• 2,640 four-foot fluorescent lamps
• 69,000 square feet of ceiling tile
• 19,560 pounds of drywall
• 9,980 pounds of cardboard
Our Project Team include: Senior Project Manager Jeff Carwile,
Superintendents Stephen Love and Gary Schell, Senior Estimator Bret Hall
and VP Ian Stevenson. Project Manager Ryan Shaw and Superintendent
Phil Mills assisted with submittals, RFI and change orders; Tina Munoz
served as Project Accountant.
H awaii
Courthouse Renovation by the Book
T
he modernization and renovation of the Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole
Federal Building and Courthouse continues with the first of ten phases
scheduled for completion in October. The first phase establishes 8,000 square feet
of new office, meeting and clinic space for existing tenants, allowing their current
space to be modernized and renovated in the third phase.
The second phase started in July
with removal of existing mechanical,
electrical and plumbing components,
and all but a few interior partitions.
This 36,000-square-foot area on the
second floor of the Federal Building
will contain office and meeting space
for two major tenant agencies.
The third phase is starting incrementally
as existing tenants relocate. This
58,000-square-foot space on the balance
of the second floor of the Federal
Building will contain office and meeting
areas for three major tenant agencies, as well as additional temporary space to
accommodate tenant agencies displaced during future phases.
The third through ninth phases work their way down the Courthouse Building, with
tenants swinging in and out of spaces to allow modernization and renovation to take
place. The 10th and final phase restores the last swing space in the Federal Building
to its permanent configuration and is projected for completion in April 2014.
The project is primarily funded via $121 million made available through the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. In addition to the
modernization and renovation of the over 30-year-old building, the project is
creating jobs and stimulating the economy
for both Hawaii and the nation. We have
a full-time staff of 10 people onsite and
a handful more sharing time with other
projects. We also have a crew in the field
and will be self-performing all concrete
and carpentry work.
We are the Construction Manager
as Constructor for this $76-million
GMP contract, which includes both
preconstruction and construction responsibilities. Gensler out of San Francisco
is the lead architect and Clifford Planning of Honolulu is the associate architect.
The GSA's Project Manager and Contracting Officer are also based in San Francisco,
just blocks away from our corporate office.
For the entire project, all design documents are created in BIM and we receive the
updated BIM model at each incremental design release. All MEP and Structural shop
drawings are then based on refining the BIM model, ensuring coordination through
technology before conflicts occur in the field. As demolition progresses, the as-built
information of the existing building is also verified and any major design issues are
brought to the attention of the Design Team.
19
WPY C onstruction
WPY Wrap-Up
O
ur determination and hard work
is paying off. As the public work
market is stabilizing, we have been able
to pick up
more work
and have
started three
new projects
which are all in
different stages
of progress:
BART C-Line
Earthquake
Safety Retrofit,
SLAC Building 50 Retrofit and Lower
Codornices Creek Phase III.
The BART C-Line project has just
started mobilization and initial structural
excavation. The contract value of this
project is $10.6 million and construction
completion is expected by mid-July of
2011. This project consists of retrofitting
over 146 piers and three abutments
from Orinda to Concord. The work
zone covers approximately 13 miles of
track and includes concrete foundation
overlays, micropile foundation
installation and fiber reinforcing
polymer wrap, shear keys, bolsters, and
bumper installation. The project was
bid with three work zones, allowing
us to schedule the completion of the
project in a third of the allotted contract
completion time of 900 days. This factor,
along with our previous experience with
BART on the Earthquake Safety Program,
allowed us to be the successful low
bidder on this project. ➤
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20
Green Library for the Town
of Los Gatos
WPY C onstruction
cont .
The Building 50 retrofit project at the
SLAC facility is a seismic retrofit project
that includes the installation of tensioning
brackets and rods on the exterior of the
building. This is a short-term project that
is expected to be completed by the end
of September. With a contract value of
$283,000, this is the third project we
have done for SLAC in the past five years.
➤
The Lower Codornices Creek project is
the third phase of the Codornices Creek
Redevelopment Plan which includes the
realignment of the existing creek as well
as creating fish habitat structures, bank
O
n June 21st, Swinerton Management &
Consulting took part in a groundbreaking
ceremony in the Town of Los Gatos for the new
$18.4-million Los Gatos Library.
This two-story, 30,000-square-foot building is
designed to LEED Gold standards and will serve
the growing population of this historic town of 30,000. The beautiful new Los Gatos
Library is scheduled to open in late 2011 and will be the newest addition to the
Town’s library facilities which date back to 1898. In 1898, a room was rented at the
back of a store on Main Street and the Town Trustees agreed to spend $16 in order
to make it ready for use as the Town’s first public library. Today, the new Library will
be the largest construction project undertaken by the town of Los Gatos in the past
50 years. This is made possible with funding from existing Town reserves and with
Redevelopment Agency (RDA) funds through Certificates of Participation (COPs).
In addition to expanded operational space provided by the new library, the plan
includes other specific site improvements proposed for the project which include:
• Strong pedestrian and visual connections between the Civic Center, Library
and Pageant Park
• Preservation of mature trees throughout the site
• Maximizing integration of the existing roadway and parking to minimize construction costs
• Clear circulation and arrival patterns for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians
• Traffic calming methods integrated in vehicular circulation and parking layout
• Additional new parking to meet the target identified for the new library
• Integration of biological swales to manage stormwater run-off
stabilization, irrigation and landscaping,
construction of pedestrian and bicycle
pathways, and the construction of an
outdoor classroom. This long awaited
community project for the City of Albany
and the City of Berkeley was funded by
the California Resources Agency River
Parkway Grant Program. The value of this
project is just over $750,000.
In addition to these projects, we continue
to work with Swinerton Builders at the
Washington Hospital project and are
awaiting our contract for additional work
with Swinerton Builders on the Jackson
Rancheria project, in which we are
scheduled to install shotcrete protection
on existing concrete columns.
• Provision of sunny, protected outdoor gathering areas
•
Visual accent and connection from Main Street to the Civic Center, Library and Pageant Park by means of a colorful allée of trees, decorative paving treatment of pedestrian promenades, specialty lighting, seating and gathering spaces along the promenade
Energy-saving features will include:
Solar Control: windows on the south, east, and west elevations have suncontrol
systems to reduce HVAC cooling loads from solar heat gain
Photovoltaics: will harness the power of the sun to generate electricity, and reduce
dependence on polluting fossil fuels
FSC Wood: wood is specified to come from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
Certified logging operations
Plaza & Roof: light-colored (high albedo) materials will reduce the heat island
affect and subsequently HVAC cooling loads
At the ceremony, Town Officials and citizens gathered at the site of the new library to express
their great joy and anticipation for the start of this historic building for the Town.
SMC’s Team includes: Project Executive John Baker, Project Manager Nimone Li-Hardistry and Project
Administration Elizabeth Rutlin.
www.swinertongreen.com
The Next Generation of Green
Building: When the Carrot
Becomes a Stick
California’s Green Building Code
By Kevin Brooks
W
e are all, by now, well familiar with the U.S. Green Building Council’s
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating System (LEED™)
and the various LEED products that have been developed (and continue to
be developed) to address specific building types. In recent years, both local
municipalities, as well as State governments, have adopted LEED and required
LEED Certification on both public and private projects. Governments have used
both the carrot and the stick as a means of motivation – San
Francisco, for example, uses an expedited permitting process
as a means of encouraging private projects to commit to
LEED Certification.
This past January a new benchmark was reached as
California became the first state to develop a green building
code; the California Building Standards Commission (www.
bsc.ca.gov) unanimously approved the first statewide green
building code, known as CALgreen, which goes into effect beginning January
2011 and includes both mandatory requirements as well as voluntary measures.
The voluntary measures are incorporated into two groupings, Tier 1 and Tier
2, with Tier 2 covering additional “green efficiencies” above and beyond Tier 1.
Obtainment of the Tier 2 voluntary measures (plus the mandatory requirements)
roughly equates to LEED Silver Certification.
The development of California’s green building code was motivated by AB32,
which calls for a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year
2020 – the implementation of CALgreen will help meet this goal by reducing
these emissions by an estimated three-million metric tons. A second fundamental
goal is to reduce buildings’ energy and water consumption. Finally, similar
to the LEED rating system, CALgreen is designed to ultimately create more
environmentally responsible as well as healthier buildings.
Many different building product types are covered by these requirements,
including residential buildings (motels, hotels, apartments, family dwellings)
of three stories or less as well as palette of non-residential building types. State
owned buildings, including State university and community college facilities,
as well as private residential, office and medical services buildings fall under
the mandatory requirements of CALgreen. In addition, The Office of Statewide
Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) has adopted the voluntary
provisions of CALgreen for hospitals and medical office buildings. Inspection
and enforcement of the CALgreen code provisions will be performed by local
and State building departments.
At a summary level, CALgreen is not only structured similar to the LEED rating
system – CALgreen is divided into five fundamental areas (planning and design,
energy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, material conservation ➤
and resources, and environmental
quality) – but also focuses on many of
the same areas as the LEED rating system.
➤
There are, however, some potential
complications and, perhaps,
unintended consequences associated
with the adoption of the new
2010 California Green Building
Code. Whereas the privately
developed LEED rating system is
voluntary, CALgreen is now a legal
requirement. On projects where the
specifications call for a specific LEED
Certification level, there may be
some complications associated with
working through any discrepancies
that may exist between the voluntary
standards and the legally mandated
requirements. The good news, from
a sustainability perspective, is that
CALgreen was developed with the
future in mind – many sections of
the new code have been reserved in
the anticipation of the adoption of
additional mandatory requirements,
including, for example, regulations
associated with the deconstruction
and reuse of existing buildings.
California is again leading the trend – an
International Green Construction Code
is currently under development by the
International Code Council, which plans
to use the new California Green Building
Code as a template. Just as the LEED
rating system has become the accepted
voluntary standard as the carrot, so
will an internationally accepted green
building code become the accepted stick.
Ultimately this evolution will represent
the completeness of the green
building movement.
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Swinerton Renewable Energy has evolved to become an overarching group that supports and works collaboratively with
all of our Divisions. We add value to our Clients as a one-stop shop for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction
of all their solar needs. We look forward to continuing to report on our collaborative successes!
22
23
Forecast Sunny
for Irvine
Achieving New Sustainable
Heights with xD
T
T
he Orange County Team just
completed a photovoltaic panel
installation on three office buildings for
The Irvine Company. The project included
the installation of two system types.
On two of the buildings, We installed a
combination of Suntech 200 Watt panels
with a SunLink ballasted racking system.
This system incorporated 690 panels
generating 138,000 Kilowatts of DC
power. The third building is equipped
with the Solyndra non-ballasted system.
This system incorporates 350 Solyndra
191 Watt panels generating 66,850
Kilowatts of DC power. As part of the
Solyndra installation, we also applied a
high reflective coating onto the existing
roof in order to reflect the sun to the
underside of the Solyndra. The Solyndra
panels are made up of glass tubes with
a thin film coating, which generates the
DC power. Each building has an inverter
that converts the DC power into AC
power and offsets the electrical demand
of the building.
ry as you might, you won’t find another
public building as sustainable, innovative
or close to the moon as Sustainability Base! The
$20.6-million, 50,000-square-foot, steel-frame
Sustainability Base located at Ames Research
Center at Moffett Field in Mountain View is
designed to achieve LEED-NC v2.2 Platinum
Certification. When complete in late 2010, it will
be the federal government’s greenest and highest
performing building, as well as the first new
NASA Ames facility constructed in over 20 years.
Sustainability Base is taking green building
to entirely new levels through adaptive, intelligent software developed for
planetary exploration and aeronautics that interprets real-time data acquired
from distributed internal sensor arrays, and interfaces with on-line calendars
and weather predictions. The Integrated Intelligent Building Control (IIBC)
will track light, heat, humidity, weather and
occupancy status throughout Sustainability
Base’s neighborhood micro-climates, and
optimize ambient environment and energy
efficiency, improving its performance by
learning. The state-of-the-art system, from
NASA technology, is being jointly developed by
NASA Ames and Integrated Building Solutions,
Inc. via the Space Act Agreement.
To test the state-of-the-art building systems that make up Sustainability Base,
Swinerton Builders teamed with NASA and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs
(LBNL) to build a full xD virtual model to simulate the future operation of the
building’s various energy saving and comfort systems. The modeling process
goes beyond the LEED Commissioning requirements. LBNL will provide
complete energy performance simulation of the virtual model using Energy Plus
software. The actual building is being fitted with energy monitoring sensors and
when Sustainability Base is occupied, sensor data will be fed back to Energy
Plus. This data will enable the building’s actual performance to be compared to
its predicted performance. The data will help to fine-tune the building systems
to ensure that it operates at peak performance. The data will also be used to
evaluate Energy Plus’ simulation algorithms, which will benefit Design Teams to
design and evaluate future high performing buildings.
In addition to providing a supportive and nurturing space for the building’s
end users, Sustainability Base will also serve as a test bed for a new generation
of earth-friendly building technologies. The building will enhance energy
efficiency, reduce energy consumption and maximize employee performance
and quality of life. Sustainability Base truly is a window to the future on
earth and the greenest and most forward thinking building to date in our
Government’s history.
Basking in the Sunlight at Caltech
S
winerton Renewable Energy in Los Angeles
continues to install Solar work at the
Caltech campus in Pasadena, California. The
1.25 Megawatt system includes Photovaltaic panels
on five active buildings on the campus, as well
as large solar arrays on two of the western most
parking garages covering most of the top levels of
parking. Work on the buildings was completed in
May, with the in-grid commissioning being conducted by our Client Suntech in July
and August. The work at the parking garages is scheduled to be complete in midSeptember and includes the installation of a space frame that was fully engineered
and manufactured in Turkey. The Team spent many hours speaking with the Project
Manager and Production Representative at Ukson
in Turkey working through questions and details.
The dedicated Team of Senior Superintendent
Richard Pratte, Project Manager Dave Cramp,
VP and Operations Manager Kim Grant, Project
Executive Chris Tallon, Preconstruction Manager
Jennifer Hawkins and Swinerton Renewable
Energy in San Diego, headed by George Hershman, have integrated perfectly to
create a cohesive Team crossing office borders to create a successful project we can
all be proud of. There is no “I” in Team and this project proves it.
through many obstacles to assure
construction did not affect their 24/7
operation. The solar project utilized
4,928 solar modules that will produce
1.13 Megawatts DC of supplemental
power to the facility. Commissioning was
recently completed and the solar farm
became fully operational on August 18th.
➤
San Antonio
Airport
Goes Solar
L
yda Swinerton Builders has been
awarded a 235 Kilowatt DesignBuild Solar Array at the San Antonio
International Airport. Through a
qualification submission and interview,
our Team, in partnership with the
Swinerton Renewable Energy, outshined
the rest of the competition. The key
separators were the vast experience
Livermore Solar Project Shines
By Kevin Kaanehe
I
n April, HMH and
Swinerton entered
into an Engineering,
Procurement and
Construction (EPC)
agreement with solar
developer Recurrent Energy
to deliver 15 Megawatts
of solar power to various
Kaiser Permanente facilities
throughout California. In
four short months, HMH has successfully completed the construction of the first
solar project at Kaiser’s Regional Distribution Center in Livermore, California. This
Design-Build project included self-performing the removal of 1’x 2’x 10” sections
of Cellcrete roofing to attach a block and post assembly to the structure. This
process was repeated 670 times across a 400,000-square-foot roof. Livermore is
home to one of the nations largest wind farms, so the design had to account for
the 115 mph winds that can blow through the region.
The Livermore distribution center serves as the main hub for all drug orders,
packaging and shipment to Kaiser’s California pharmacies. HMH worked ➤
of our firm in solar installations, our
commitment to meet the $1.5-million
budget, and the 90-day design and
construction schedule. This win is key
in solidifying our resume in an emerging
Texas solar market.
Team Members include: Senior Project Manager
Jason Boeker, Senior Estimator Ric Henderson,
Project Manager Roy Allen, Corporate
Sustainability Manager Grant French, Senior
Estimator Trevor Vasey and the rest of Swinerton
Renewable Energy.
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24
It’s in the Hole…
By Ashley Young
O
n June 18th Swinerton Builders San Diego hosted a hole
at the 13th Annual International Facility Management
Association (IFMA) Charity Golf Tournament. Sponsoring a
hole at a golf
tournament is
nothing new in
the construction
business but when
an e-mail message
challenged all
sponsors to get
creative, and even
Pictured, from left to right: Alex Beaton, Liz Hawkins, Holly
further
enticed us
Reindl, Ashley Young, Jason Chappell, Lauren Nunnally and
Brian McCarthy.
with a trophy and
sponsored dinner, we stepped up our game. Coming up with
a theme took some time, but when “Caddyshack” was thrown
out we got straight to planning the details! Our hole consisted
of our Swinerton BBQ trailer, a pool with a floating Baby Ruth,
posters of Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, a little Kenny Loggins
playing in the background, and last but not least, a dancing
gopher. Along with plentiful decorations, our employees
additionally played the part in their golf-themed outfits,
including our foursome golfing in “Bushwood Country Club”
t-shirts. We walked away with the golden trophy and dinner
to follow with IFMA co-chair and QUALCOMM Manager
Paul Fitzgerald.
The Most Wonderful Time
of the Year
S
ummertime means
golf time for the
Orange County and Los
Angeles Divisions…and
of course, our Annual
Swinvitational Golf
Tournament at Old Ranch
Country Club in Seal Beach! We look forward to this event each
year as it provides the perfect opportunity for us to spend quality
time with our Subcontractors and Consultants who help make
our construction projects a success everyday, while raising money
for the great causes the Swinerton Foundation supports.
This year we hosted over 45 Subcontractor firms and reached
close to 144 players. Through sponsorships, donations and ➤
raffle tickets, we raised over $60,000! After a great 18-hole
scramble tournament, all scramble Team and individual player
scores were tabulated and the winners were presented with
trophies from Los Angeles Division Manager Emery Molnar at
the awards dinner. Special prizes such as iPods, Kindles, digital
cameras, DVD players, tools and golf clubs were raffled. As
always, the day was remarkable, memorable and a huge success!
➤
Swinerton Builders owes a huge thank you to all of our Gold Member
Sponsors this year: ACI Architectural Coatings, Inc., CEMEX, Dynalectric,
Xcel Mechanical Systems, Inc., Seeley Brothers, Unison Electric, CSI
Electrical Contractors, Bonas Company, Randall McAnany Company,
University Marelich, DK Mechanical, Control Air Conditioning, Bergelectric
Corporation, Performance Contracting and Tri-Signal Integration.
We are also very grateful to all the volunteers who donated their time to help
out at the tournament, including: Lauren Herzog, Christine Sevilla, Michael
Coakley, Matt Feehan, Morgan Stevens and all the Southern California
Division Managers, Operations Managers, Project Executives and Project
Managers. Last but not least, a BIG special thanks to Marketing Manager
Karen Glover and Marketing Coordinator Rachel Goldberg who planned,
prepared and made the event perfect for all of our participants.
Our Own All-Stars
Strike Out Cancer
T
his year, Major League Baseball All-Star Weekend provided
our Orange County division an opportunity to give
back, Team-build and even get some marketing done...all in
3.1 miles! With a
couple friends from
the Los Angeles
Division, Orange
County employees
and their families
were sponsored
by Swinerton to
participate in the
All-Star Game Charity
5K and Fun Run. Many of us took part in the experience in
memory of Orange County Project Manager Tom Teasdall. We
also ran in support of SoCal Human Resources Representative
Shurina Wilkins along with other friends and family who have
battled breast cancer. Major League Baseball donated 100% of
registration fees to four cancer charities: Susan G. Komen for
the Cure, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Stand Up to Cancer and
City of Hope. Over $200,000 was raised at this year’s All-Star
Run; the amount was more than double the 2009 total raised
last year in St. Louis. Thank you to everyone who came out to
support and fly the Swinerton flag in our community!
Proudly Supporting iSEE
Cal Expo
E
O
ach year, Swinerton’s Los Angeles Division
participates with Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD) in their “I’m a Student Exploring Excellence”
(iSEE) Internship Program.
Created in 2007, the iSEE Program offers LAUSD high
school students an engaging learning environment that
Pictured, from left: Project Manager
provides an introduction to architecture, engineering
Emre Terazi and Jose Benavides.
and construction. The iSEE Program provides meaningful
industry exposure and a rigorous academic program to all interested students and
includes college credit and work experience. Swinerton’s intern this Summer was
Jose Benavides, who is striving to be a structural engineer and is completing his
internship on our LAUSD CRES #14 project. Jose is a recent high school graduate
who will be attending Santa Monica Technical College with plans to later transfer
to a four-year college to finish his degree.
Spreading CEA Career Awareness
S
winerton’s VP and Director of Community Relations
Rick Moore participated in the Second Annual
Greater Los Angeles Construction Career Awareness
Day put on by the California Community Connection
Corporation. Held on March 26th at the Los Angeles
Southwest College campus, over 1,000 student and adult
Pictured, from left: Executive Director
participants were exposed to significant employment
of California Community Connection
Corporation Steven McGlover and
and career information about potential opportunities in
Steve Lamar.
various fields within the construction industry. To show
appreciation, the California Community Connection Corporation held a
reception on May 20th for those that had participated in the Construction
Career Awareness Day. Representing Swinerton at the reception was Community
Relations Associate and Project Manager Steve Lamar.
GSA Town Hall Meeting
I
nvited by the U.S. General Services
Administration, Swinerton participated in their
Large Business Town Hall meeting on August 11th.
Rick Moore served as Swinerton’s representative
at the event which was held at the Hyatt Regency
Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California.
Pictured from left: GSA Business
Other panelists included SunWize Technologies,
Specialist Lori B. Falkenstrom
Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, BAE
(involved with our Prince Jonah Kūhiō
Kalaniana'ole U.S. Courthouse project
Systems, Hensel Phelps Construction Company,
in Honolulu) and Rick Moore.
Northrop Grumman and SAIC. Topics discussed
included successful subcontracting partnerships, new policies, instructions for
completing and submitting updated forms (prequals), and the pros and cons of
this type of arrangement.
25
n August 12th, Swinerton
participated as an exhibitor at
the California Construction 2010 Expo,
the premiere gathering of contractors,
designers, construction
professionals, suppliers
and construction
workers in Los Angeles
and surrounding
counties. Hosted by
many of our Clients,
including the Los
Pictured from left to right:
Angeles Unified School Swinerton Community
Relations Associate and
District, Los Angeles
Project Manager Steve
World Airports, the
Lamar and LAUSD’s
Department of General Director of Contractor
Relations and Small
Services and Cal-Trans, Business Program
Veronica Soto.
the event focused on
MBE/WBE/DBE/DVBE getting contracting
opportunities from major contractors
such as Swinerton.
Business
Is Personal
O
n August 5th, we participated as an
exhibitor in the California Minority
Supplier Diversity Council’s Minority
Business Expo, with our booth sponsored
by our Client Chevron. The theme of
the event was “Business is Personal:
Build Your Network, Build Your Future.”
This event directly connects MBEs with
corporate members and helps position
them for success. VP of Operations
Kerry Atkinson and VP and Director
of Community Relations Rick Moore
attended the expo on behalf of Swinerton.
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S winerton G overnment S ervices
Swinerton Government
Services…Up and
Running
C
ontracting with the
Federal Government
is a complex process.
The creation of Swinerton
Government Services (SGS)
has been structured to provide
support and resources to
help The Swinerton Family of
Companies respond to the large
and complex requests coming from our Government, in
response to the military infrastructure needs for the design
and construction of a wide range of military facilities in
support of defense capabilities.
Working in tandem with the existing operations, the
SGS Team has been positioning systems, policies and
procedures to master these complexities. These efforts have
resulted in a new policy for reviewing federal work, new
tools to identify challenges unique to federal contracting
and critical proposal review input. SGS and Swinerton
General Counsel are also working to refine subcontracts,
develop training on federal contracting, and provide
support to ongoing projects in order to ensure compliance
with regulatory requirements.
Since December when SGS first mobilized, the Team has
been meeting with Swinerton
Operations Managers and
local Business Development
and Marketing Teams to
discuss what opportunities
are currently being targeted
and pursued, researching
future projects at Department
Of Defense installations,
and exploring other Federal
opportunities which may be
upcoming in the region with
agencies such as the General
Services Administration
Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole Federal Building
and the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affair. As a result of
these meetings, SGS is developing a
strategic plan for market penetration
and long-term sustainability in the
Government sector.
visible in the Federal sector by attending several events and
conferences including:
Leading the Division is Fred
Parker, who brings over 26 years
of construction experience with
extensive success in Design-Build
construction management to
Fred Parker
Swinerton. In his new role as VP
and Division Manager of SGS, Fred will lead efforts to
successfully deliver sustainable, large-scale complex design
and construction projects and professional services, to
a diversified base of national Government agencies. In
addition to his efforts with SGS, Fred was recently appointed
by The Associate General Contractors of America to serve on
the Army Corps of Engineers committee for 2010.
• Cannon AFB Industry Day and Open House: Clovis, NM
• Joint Engineering Training Conference: Atlanta, GA
• SAME 2101 Federal Sector Training Conference and 8-on-8 Federal Agency Lunch: City, CO
Supporting Fred is a group of seasoned professionals adding
to the strength of the SGS Team. The Team includes:
Since its launch in December of last year, SGS has assisted the ongoing efforts of
local divisions in the successful capture of these key wins:
• South Pacific Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) – $150 million
• The Palm Springs Air Traffic Control Tower – $14 million
• Lackland Air Force Base Dining and Classroom Facility (DFC) – $24 million
• U.S. Forest Service Acton District Office Construction – $6.8 million
• Business Development Manager Cheryl Johnson
• Department of Defense Account Manager
David Vaughan
• Quality Assurance and Compliance Manager
Harvey Robinson
• USACE South Pacific Division, 9th Annual Vet and SBE Training and Outreach Conference: San Diego, CA
• AIA Honolulu, 2010 Army Corps of Engineers Workshop: Honolulu, HI
• SAME Omaha Industry Day and Briefing: Omaha, NE
• Camp Pendleton Industry Day 2010: San Diego County, CA
• SAME San Antonio Post Small Business Conference: San Antonio, TX
• Opening Doors (GSA): Los Angeles, CA
• Navy 2010 Gold Coast Small Business Conference: San Diego, CA
In addition, SGS is currently teaming with divisions in several strategic pursuits:
• Senior Proposal Manager Kenda Enney
• Controller Roxanne Watson
• Hawaii: Multiple Award Construction Contract (MACC) – $500 million
• Senior Administrative Assistant Susan Linze
• Denver: Multiple Pursuits – $100 million
• San Antonio: Five Additional Projects at Lackland AFB – $400 million
• NorCal: USDA Los Padres – $15 million
Ray Haj will also soon be joining the SGS Team as their
Operations Manager. Over the next 12 months, Ray will
transition from his current responsibilities with Swinerton
Incorporated Shared Services
to join SGS. Ray has been with
Swinerton for the past nine years
and most recently serves as VP
and Corporate Manager of Project
Controls. His knowledge of
company philosophies, systems
and processes, along with his
established network of relationships
throughout the organization, will
position him to be a key asset in the
future success of SGS.
Lackland Air Force Base
Colonel William Mott the Fifth and Fred Parker at
the Lackland AFB groundbreaking ceremony.
SGS would like to thank all the Teams involved in these collaborative efforts. The
future is exciting for the SGS Team and for all Swinerton Operations in the Federal
services arena. Watch for more news from SGS in the coming months.
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helping Swinerton become more
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In Memoriam
B enefits
Q uality
I nformation Technology
Remembering Leonard Richards
H
MH Builders recently lost a very good friend and
family member to cancer: Leonard Richards, a
16 year employee with HMH. Leonard was a talented
carpenter and carpenter foreman
in the Medical Division, but he
was also talented in so many
other ways. He had a positive
influence on those he worked
with, was respected by Clients
and Subcontractors, and helped
shape the careers of many people
in the field.
Here are just some of the
many endearing comments
made by Leonard’s coworkers
on his behalf:
“I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with
Leonard on pretty much every project I have been on since I
started with HMH 12 years ago.”
– Project Manageer Amy Casado
“Leonard brought a calming presence to situations throughout
the project, sometimes just with his smile. I guess he knew that
somehow we would figure out how to live up to our word and get
the job done. Whatever the job was, big or small, it didn't matter
to him. He showed me that there are people who are truly at peace
with their emotions and don't let their frustrations show through –
ever. You are greatly missed, Leonard.”
-Project Executive Dexter Morris
Keep Your Retirement
Savings in the Right Hands
Y
ou work hard to save money for retirement, so make
sure you pass it on to those most important to you. Your
account in the Swinerton 401(k) and Savings Plan should have
a beneficiary – someone you designate to receive your savings
should you pass away. Choose one or more beneficiaries – it’s
up to you. You should review your beneficiary designation
information periodically and most importantly after any
significant life event (marriage, divorce, birth of a child, etc.).
If you do not specify who should receive your savings, federal
or state law may determine a beneficiary for you.
Why not take a few minutes to give yourself and those you care
about peace of mind? You can review your Swinerton 401(k)
and Savings Plan beneficiary information online at the Benefits
Complete website. Or you may call the toll free Participant
Service Center at 1-800-294-3575 or 1-888-440-0022 (if you
prefer to speak with someone in Spanish) and press zero to
speak with an operator.
When going online, follow these steps:
1.Log onto Benefits Complete at www.bcomplete.com
(a user ID and PIN/password is required).
2.Select the “Manage My Account” tab at the top of
the screen.
3.Select the “Beneficiary Election/Change” option on
the left side of the screen.
“He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word and to say he
was a good man does not even come close to the giant of a man he
really was…My world, as many others, is a better place because
of Mr. Leonard Richards! May his memory always stay with us and
bring a smile to our face to picture that Giant of a man.”
-Superintendant Mike Piper
4.Click on the appropriate fields to add or change
your beneficiary designation(s).
“I am going to miss Leonard a lot. He's one of the greatest guys
I've ever met. He taught me a lot about life and work. He will be
greatly missed by my family and me.”
-Carpenter Foreman Mike Doyle
6.Should you choose a contingent beneficiary, this is the person, persons or entity to receive your retirement savings should something happen to you and your
primary beneficiary.
“Although we have only known Leonard a short time, his presence
was large. I always found Leonard to be a positive individual and
committed to giving his best!”
-Lodi Memorial Owners’ Representative
5.A primary designation is the first person, persons
or entity (a Trust) to receive your retirement savings should something happen to you.
Inquiries can be directed to the Employee Benefits mailbox at
[email protected].
Quality Management
Q
uality is integral with every aspect of the
construction process, from the preconstruction
assignments we perform, through any warranty issues we
address after construction is complete. You may ask: how
can warranty work help us improve quality? By the time
we have a warranty call-back, the horse is already out of
the barn. That may be true for your particular situation,
but you can help the rest of us keep that same horse in
the barn the next time, by sharing the lesson you learned
from your experience. That is part of the “continuous
improvement” mindset that will help make our program as
successful as we all want it to be.
There are a variety of ways we can share these lessons.
Some of you have already submitted yours on our
Lessons Learned form, while others are gleaned from the
online Incident Reports submitted when problems arise
during construction or well after a project is complete.
Additionally, some are also generated from the daily
conversations we have about issues and challenges on our
projects.
Whatever the source of the lesson, the important thing is
that we make sure everyone has a chance to learn from it.
Our process to do this includes the following steps:
• Does our Site Specific Quality Management Plan (SSQMP) require the tasks that can help us avoid this in the future? If not, we will revise it.
• Do our checklists prompt the necessary considerations that will identify this potential problem before it becomes a reality? If not, we will update them.
• Are our Best Practices the most effective way of meeting the challenges they address? If not, we will replace them.
In order to benefit from the lessons we are sharing, you
can take advantage of the tools we have available. These
can be found on SwinNet in the Quality Management
section of Risk Services.
Why No
Administrative Rights?
O
ne of the most common questions we get is why
employees do not have “administrative rights” on their
computers, allowing them to do things like install software and
printers. While we recognize this can be a mild inconvenience,
there are real productivity concerns driving this decision.
First and foremost, please remember that if any employee ever
needs to install anything for legitimate work purposes, they
need only submit a HelpSTAR request asking for the necessary
access. Things like printer installs are given a high priority and
are usually sorted out quickly.
The restriction on admin rights – which covers everyone
from the executives to temps – is in place due to the hours of
lost productivity Swinerton experienced with computers that
became riddled with viruses, spyware and malware. A few years
ago, more than half of all IT work hours were spent rebuilding
these machines which endangered not only themselves but
every other machine they might be connected to via a network.
We have found over the years that the inconvenience is mild
when compared to the tremendous savings in lost work hours,
when we would see entire jobsites taken down because one
person had an infected machine.
Currently in Windows XP, the same rights needed to add a
printer also allow the installation of software and viruses.
Microsoft has promised to address this in future versions of
Windows, with talk of a more granular level of installation
rights (printers but not software). We are evaluating Windows
7 and should that feature be available, we will evaluate it for
future deployment. Until then, this policy remains in place
for the protection of the company and its employees.
We appreciate your understanding.
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Chris’s Corner
SUCCESS, TONY GWYNN-STYLE
WE ARE WINNING WORK, TONY GWYNN-STYLE
Companywide we have sold (in $1000s) $1,247,530 worth
of work against a goal-to-date of $1,113,124 and a 2010
goal of $1,618,619. That's 112% of our goal-to-date and
77% of our 2010 sales goal. Following 15 months of draught
we have been ahead of our sales goals since February.
Woman of the Year!
S
Feature Project Wins of the Quarter
he just keeps getting better and better! Earlier this year
Senior Corporate Safety Manager Gena Roberts received
recognition from the Construction Employers’ Association
at their Annual Membership Meeting. Gena received the
Leadership in Safety Award, an award only received by one
special person. More recent kudos comes from the National
Association of Professional Women, where
Gena was selected as their 2010/2011
Woman of the Year! No doubt her professional achievements have
made others step up and take notice. She is a valued individual
for her diligence and dedication in her work and has made a
significant impact as a female in a male-dominated industry.
Congratulations, Gena! We expect nothing but good things from
you now and in the future.
INFRASTRUCTURE: BART Earthquake Safety Program
William P. Young Construction has been awarded the BART Earthquake Safety Program Aerial Structures – C Line Project,
a seismic retrofit of the aerial structure from Orinda to Pleasant Hill.
Excellence in Better Builders
By Chris Day
I
n his 20 years with the San Diego Padres, MLB Hall-of-Famer
Tony Gwynn was never a major homerun threat – in fact he never
hit more than 17 in a season. Instead, Tony was one of the most
consistent hitters in the game's history, winning the National League
Batting Title seven times, mostly with singles and doubles. He struck
out just 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats, and never batted below
.309 in any full season. He concentrated, focused and consistently
swung the right swing at the right pitch more than anyone in his era.
Why do I say Tony Gwynn-style? Because of that $1.25
billion we’ve sold this year, only one project has been
over $100 million and only three have been over $70
million. Most of our wins have been in the $30 millionand-under range, projects that are truly within our core
competencies…with a couple of home runs in there, too.
MILITARY: Our first Army Corps of Engineers Multiple Award Task-Order Contract (MATOC)
Our Swinerton Government Services, teamed with the Southern California Region, Swinerton Renewable Energy and
HDR Architects to win a place in this $150-million, three-year MATOC. Several of our Divisions will benefit from this win.
EDUCATION: LAUSD’s South Region Elementary School #9
The Los Angeles Management and Consulting Division won the Construction Management contract for the Los Angeles
Unified School District’s South Region Elementary School #9.
MEDICAL: Dameron Hospital Expansion
HMH has received the call to get started on this $95-million, Design-Build hospital expansion in Stockton.
FEDERAL: U.S. Postal Service IT/ASC Upgrade in San Mateo
This third phase of work builds on the upgrade completed by Swinerton Interiors in 2009 by adding three new 250 Kilowatt
generators and upgrading the associated switchgear, UPS and battery systems.
SPECIAL PROJECTS AND INTERIORS: Lots all over!
Colorado: An interior renovation to the KMGH TV 7 Newsroom in Denver
Texas: The Executive Area TelePresence Room Renovation for USAA
San Francisco: The Sierra Atlantic biotech office build-out at the Pacific Research Center in Newark
San Diego: Another QualComm TI in an existing research and development office
Los Angeles: Two more Kaiser and three more JPL projects
Northwest: The Newport Terrace Office build-out on the T-Mobile main campus in Bellevue
HOSPITALITY RENOVATION: Fairmont Kea Lani Guestrooms and Suites Renovation
Hawaii wins the partial renovation of all 450 guestrooms and the replacement of the Fairmont Pool Deck. The luxury Maui
resort is a repeat Client.
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Solar Array at San Antonio International Airport
Lyda Swinerton and Swinerton Renewable Energy have been awarded a project to design and build a 350 Kilowatt solar array
for the City of San Antonio.
Nice work, everyone! Keep pushing, stay focused — it pays to be a winner!
S
winerton Incorporated Training & Development would like to recognize the
following employees for their outstanding participation in the Better Builders
Program over the last few months:
Daniel Camin
Los Angeles
48 Tasks
Carl Arevelo
HMH
35 Tasks
Edgar Vilca
HMH
28 Tasks
Josh Garcia
Northern California
26 Tasks
Justin Cochrane
HMH
25 Tasks
Mike Ranney
Northern California
19 Tasks
The Quarterly
Photo Contest
Congratulations to John Mills, winner
of this issue’s Swinerton Quarterly Photo
Contest. You can see John’s unique
photo on page 10, which captures
Underground Foreman Jim Phipps
from William P. Young holding one of
the many bones that were unearthed
during construction of the $18-million
colocation facility for Terremark
Worldwide in Santa Clara, California.
For his prize, John has his choice of any
item from the Company Store, which can
be found at: http://swinnet.swinerton.
com/marketing/store/index.html.
Please contact Ann Irwin at
800-929-2456 to claim your prize.
Congratulations to the Newlyweds
O
n August 7th, two Lyda Swinerton employees, Tina Baca née Munoz and
Clayton Baca, were wed at St. Louis Catholic Church in Castroville, Texas.
Tina began her career with Lyda Swinerton as an Administrative Assistant in
2003 while attending high school, and worked full-time as she completed her
BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas San Antonio; her current role is
Project Accountant. Clayton started as
an Intern with Lyda Swinerton in 2004
while attending Texas A&M University.
Upon graduating in 2006, Clayton joined
the firm full-time as a Project Engineer.
Clayton is currently Project Manager on
the Crate&Barrel Homestore in Plano,
Texas. The Bacas will reside in San
Antonio once they return from their
honeymoon in St. Lucia.
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Blind Spots, Sharp Edges and Progress
By Brenda Reimche
“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
I
f you're like me, one of the toughest things to do is listen
to someone tell you that you're not perfect. Granted, the
conversation is generally more subtle, highlighting something
that we could do better or haven’t mastered yet – but it can
still be hard to hear. Even so, these suggestions and feedback
can be among the most valuable interactions we have with
others. And the truly astute seek out this kind of conversation
as often as possible because they know, as challenging as it
might be, it will benefit them.
It’s challenging because it takes courage to give meaningful,
sincere feedback, just as it takes courage to receive it. We all
have blind spots that can limit us and sharp edges that may
need some refinement in order for us to realize our potential.
To progress as an employee, you must know how you’re doing
and where you need to focus. To progress as a manager you
must be able to communicate your expectations and inspire
your employees to excel.
Both sides of this equation take practice. No one is born
knowing just the right way to coach another and give them
constructive feedback, just as no one is born with the insight
and self-awareness to immediately absorb and put into practice
suggestions for improvement. The only way to hone these
skills is to use them regularly. Giving and receiving feedback
is not a once a year event. It is an ongoing conversation built
on trust and the understanding that both parties have a stake
in each other’s success. As employee owners we all have a
responsibility to ensure this feedback cycle is well-established
because it keeps us focused on Excellence.
So why do we often find this process challenging? I think
it comes down to this, being uncomfortable with either
delivering or hearing the message – so we put it off and
figure no news is good news. What a lost opportunity.
Without feedback we stay static, or worse, we may head in
the wrong direction.
Feedback is a gift. Ask for it. And if you have the opportunity
to give it – do so thoughtfully and with an eye toward pointing
that person toward success. Whatever your role, below are a
few things to consider when the next feedback opportunity
presents itself.
- Ken Blanchard
Receiving Feedback
•Be open to what you will hear. Receive feedback as honest information about your perceived performance.
•Let the person finish what they are saying, then ask clarifying questions and ask for specifics.
•Invite alternative suggestions for approaching the
next situation.
•Be aware of your nonverbal and emotional responses.
•Don’t take it personally – their intent is to help you.
•Avoid becoming defensive or interrupting to explain – take the time to really listen.
•Thank the person for being helpful to you.
Asking for Useful Feedback (key questions to solicit
constructive, meaningful input)
•“How do you measure success?” Understand how your work is measured and where the priorities are.
•“What areas do I need to develop to advance my career?” Demonstrate your willingness to learn
new things.
•“What strengths do I have that will help my career?” Talk about development, but don’t forget to ask about your strong points and how they can be better
utilized also.
•“What avenues for growth do you see for me within the organization?” Know your options and the perceptions of where you add value.
•“What can I do to help you?” A simple and important question that is often forgotten.
Becoming skilled at giving and receiving feedback takes
practice and it takes stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Whatever your role, developing this skill is a key to success.
Don’t fear it, don’t avoid it – seek it out. Excellence and high
performance thrive on feedback. Take the risk – dare to be
even better!