PDF - MacDonald

HIGHLIGHTS
P2 Really cool creativity
P4 A truly uplifting accomplishment
F
P6 Being green, going the extra mile
VOLUME 2 | QTR 3 | 2014
Further beautifying Bellevue
:+: BY STEVE NICHOLES
A groundbreaking design-build
MacDonald-Miller has been a significant part
of the transformation of Bellevue from a sleepy
little town to a major city in Washington. The
first high-rise office building in Bellevue, One
Bellevue Center, was built in the early 80’s and
MacMiller was the Tenant HVAC Contractor.
Back then, Bellevue Square was a suburban
regional mall, and over the years we’ve built
Two Bellevue Center (now Rainier Bank Plaza),
Three Bellevue Center, Koll Center Bellevue,
City Center East, most of the tenant spaces
in Skyline Tower, the Bentall Summit Towers,
and the Washington Square Towers. During
this transformation, MacMiller also built all of
the Kemper Development buildings, executed
multiple expansions of Bellevue Square and
The Hyatt Hotel, completed significant work in
Bellevue Place, and, most recently, completed
the dramatic Lincoln Square development of
an office, a high-rise hotel/condo tower and a
virtual doubling of the existing retail. Now we
are poised to build the next major expansion
in Bellevue: Kemper Development’s Lincoln
Square Expansion which includes an office
tower with 700,000 SF of office space
DESIGN-BUILD | Kemper Development, Owner/Developer
PROJECT ARCHITECT | Sclater Architects
GENERAL CONTRACTOR | GLY Construction
and 177,000 SF for retail, dining and
entertainment. Another tower between the
office building and Westin Bellevue will be
created as a 244-room designer hotel with 250
luxury high-rise apartments. This 2 million SF
expansion is a defining project for the city of
Bellevue, and MacMiller is right there to help
make it happen!
FACES
I N TH E
FIELD
They do whatever it takes
to make a difference
:+: BY KELLY JOHNSON
Photo by Tom Booth
Hard working and steadfast, MacDonaldMiller Maintenance Technicians provide the
essential day-to-day service to customers,
keeping them comfortable and happy 24/7,
365 days a year. Through preventative
maintenance and repair of HVAC systems,
these diligent employees serve as the face
of the company and are truly why buildings
work better with MacMiller. In each issue,
we’ll highlight a different “face in the
field” to help you get to know the person
in the van a little better. In this issue you’ll
meet Joel Krueger, a 19-year veteran of
MacMiller.
: . CONTINUED ON P3 “FACES IN THE FIELD”
PAGE 1
Gus Simonds
President
It’s all about me.
That’s exactly what you should be thinking
when you read this. We are a collection of 700
individual “me’s”, together creating our living
MacDonald-Miller organism. As MacMiller has
returned to our pre-recession size I have to
pause and say thank you to all of you “me’s”
who on a daily basis carry our MacMiller torch
of integrity as part of your “personal brand”.
Sometimes it’s an individual effort like Chad
Hollmeyer who responds to a medical center
HVAC emergency at 1 AM, secures a part
from a sleepy supplier at McGuire Bearing
Company and has the situation resolved by
4 AM. Or, it’s a sophisticated team that
executes a new way of approaching our
installation work through multi-trade
prefabricated rack assemblies. (See the
cool video on macmiller.com!)
At the end of the day, it's our hearts and minds
that determine what it feels like to work with
each other, and, ultimately, deliver a quality
experience and product to our customers.
It’s this sturdy “I got your back” culture for
our customers and for each other that makes
us who we are.
Looking forward we have some tremendous
MacMiller projects in our pipeline for the next
3 years. It will be hard work but I know we
have the spirit, the team and the brawn to
get the job done.
Together we will.
Really cool creativity
:+: BY TYLER NELSEN
Although MacDonald-Miller is renowned for our unequaled level of technical expertise
and customer service, there is also another aspect of our work culture that doesn’t get
as much recognition. And that’s our creativity. We often come up against challenges
that have no evident solution. These situations require inventive thinking, and they
demand us to be creative in an effort to truly uncover the issue at hand.
This story perfectly illustrates that MacMiller capability. The piping that serves this
outdoor fountain is on the interior of the building and located above the ceiling of the
floor below. We were informed that the piping has leaked at different times over the
years and the water has soaked the ceiling and damaged electrical equipment below.
They wanted us to fix the problem but we could not recreate the leaks. We suspected
it might be condensate on the piping, as the previous time they had “leaks” on the
uninsulated piping was last November before they drained the fountain for the winter.
Our team noted that last November Seattle had some incredibly cold weather, when
the outside air temperature would have cooled down the circulating water – resulting
in a situation where the piping would sweat in the warm interior air. Well, to test this
theory, we had to recreate 20-degree weather in order to chill an outdoor fountain
down to 35 degrees – way easier said than done! We decided it would be most easily
and inexpensively done with 1,000 lbs of block ice ($200 + install). So that’s what
we did, and sure enough we recreated condensate that was dripping at the problem
locations, confirming the issue. As a result, the customer will be spending a small
amount of money to insulate, rather than
$15-20K on resolving something
that wasn’t even the problem.
Special thanks to Ron Jimerson
for delivery of the ice, to Gary
Baker for installing it into the
water and to Greg Nanadjanians
for confirming our theory was
plausible before we brought in
the ice. Overall, this was creativity
and ingenuity at its finest! And,
beverages may or may not have
been cooled in the fountain
after working hours :-)
CONTINUED FROM COVER
A north wind
pushes Seattle living
to new heights
FACES IN THE FIELD
:+: BY BRET LOVELY AND JARED SHEEKS
2000 3RD AVE
Apartment living in Seattle is getting a boost thanks
to our neighbors to the north. Investment by British
Columbia Investment Management Corp. (bcIMC) is
bringing yet another 440-foot tall apartment tower
to the Belltown area. The building will top out at
41 stories and will house 433 high-end apartments,
6 levels of underground parking, 2 amenity levels,
and space for ground floor retail. The project
developer, Bentall Kennedy, is taking bcIMC’s vision
of a “timeless classic” building and making it a
reality. John Jackson, of Bentall Kennedy, a longtime client of MacMiller, brought us on board to
engineer and construct the mechanical, plumbing,
and controls systems. These include chilled water
fan coils for space conditioning, central gas-fired
domestic water heating, and central air handlers
to deliver fresh air to each apartment. The project
is being designed and constructed to achieve a
LEED Silver rating. This project marks our 15th new
construction project with John Jackson and we
want to thank John and Bentall Kennedy
for their continued confidence in our
design-build expertise in delivering
state-of-the-art buildings.
440
FEET TALL
41
STORIES
433
HIGH-END
APARTMENTS
2
AMENITY
LEVELS
6
LEVELS OF
UNDERGROUND
PARKING
Joel Krueger
J
19
YEARS
Joel
Krueger joined the MacDonald-Miller downtown service
team nineteen years ago and he’s been an integral part of providing
exceptional service ever since. A Washington native, Joel decided to
undergo HVAC training at UTI (Universal Technical Institute) near
Phoenix. Upon graduation, Joel moved back to Washington and
interviewed with MacMiller. He was asked to join the team up north,
but since he lived south at the time it didn’t make sense to drive that far. Then,
MacMiller called him in July of 1995 and offered him a chance to join the
downtown service team – an offer he gladly accepted.
Joel was turned out as a journeyman after five years of apprenticeship, working
hard and developing close relationships with his customers. Due to significant
leadership ability, Joel became a foreman, overseeing and managing a group
of technicians in the downtown area along with foreman Todd Zeller.
“As a foreman, I like working with the apprentices and tradesmen,”
Joel says. “I enjoy mentoring the younger guys because I remember
where I was when I came on – the questions they have and issues
they face remind me a lot of how it was when I started.”
In addition to leading a team as a foreman, Joel is the primary technician on
key accounts in the downtown Seattle area. He has worked on the Starbuck’s
headquarters building in SODO, and is also the lead technician for the Port of
Seattle, maintaining the waterfront buildings. These customers know that working
with MacMiller provides them with service above and beyond the competition!
“The response time that we can provide is like no other I know of out there,”
said Joel. “We really excel at responding quickly to service calls. For a customer
to have to wait a day or more is unheard of!”
Joel’s work may bring him downtown almost daily, but he calls the small town
of Orting home. Joel and his family love the outdoors – fishing, hunting,
snowmobiling, riding dirt bikes and quads – you name it, they’re out
there doing it and having fun! As a successful hunter, his fridge is
stocked with 160 pounds of ground meat – mostly elk and deer.
Joel has proven to be the type of hardworking and
dedicated technician that sets MacMiller apart.
PAGE 3
NBK
Boiler efficiency upgrade
NAVAL BASE
KITSAP
A truly uplifting accomplishment
:+: BY AARON CROW
Photos by Tim Felton
On a calm and sunny day in early June at the Bremerton Naval Shipyards,
Foreman Don Swanlund and crew were preparing for the biggest and
most precision oriented crane pick they had ever executed.
The duct is being installed for a boiler energy
efficiency upgrade. This requires demo of
existing duct and installation of new flue gas
duct that routes around the original baghouse
building and scrubber to a new VFD Induced
Draft exhaust fan that MacMiller is installing
as well. This was a non-traditional fabrication
PATRICK TRUE
BRYAN ROBERTS
BRYAN VO
JUSTIN WOLFF
BRIAN MITCHELL
DON SWANLUND
JAIME QUILES
THE CREW
such good control of the duct that he could
move the duct +/- 1" in each direction. That kind
of precision is amazing when you consider the
600' of rope between the crane and the duct.
LOU GITCHELL
Imagine the intensity of lifting 8,000 lbs of
steel duct up 100' into the air and 300' across
to get it close to its final destination. The single
assembly of flue gas duct was 5' in diameter
and 53' long. The duct was hoisted with one
pick point and raised over two buildings and
became a blind pick after passing over the first
building. The 53' assembly had 6" to spare from
end to end as it lowered to its final elevation.
Luckily, there was enough room to make this
fit – otherwise it would need to be split into
two assemblies instead. Once at elevation, the
real precision movement began. The goal was
to slide the duct straight 25' with 3" clearance
on each side while maintaining the same
elevation. This required the crane operator to
not only rotate in its set radius, but to continue
extending the boom to maintain a straight line.
Don noted that although the operator was
relying on his rigger over the radio, he had
project for our shop since rolling steel into a 5'
diameter tube is not something we are tooled up
for. It was determined that we could use a local
fabricator to supply a quantity of 42 ten-foot
sections of fully welded pipe, fabricated from
3/16” mild steel. We then had sections delivered
to our shop where we modified the sections and
formed them into assemblies.
Despite being told early on that this pick would not
be possible, Don’s perseverance paid off. His team
worked through a few different scenarios, and
over the course of four planning meetings he was
able to convince the team of the reality of having
such a large assembly lifted. Magnum Crane’s
team played an essential role in making this all
happen – so kudos to their team’s ability to think
outside the box to make this work.
The productivity rate of this install is a testament
to how pre-fab efforts create efficiencies in the
field. The install rate ended up being 8000 lbs/
day or 333 lbs/man hr. This is productivity that is
way off the charts. Nice work to Don Swanlund,
Tim Felton, Bryan Roberts, Justin Wolff and
Magnum Crane!!!
2014
ENVIRONMENTAL
EXCELLENCE AWARDS
MacDonald-Miller continues to be
recognized as an innovator
in building efficiency
Association of Washington Business
2014 Environmental Excellence Awards
honored MacDonald-Miller as one
of eight Washington businesses who
are finding creative, green ways to do
business and improve the environment. MacMiller
received the award as an Environmental Innovator
for their ongoing work, making energy efficient
solutions a reality for all types of organizations.
SAFELY
AT THE TOP OF
OUR GAME
:+: BY LEE PYFROM
Recently MacDonald-Miller
has been recognized as a
leader in workplace safety and
health. Here at MacMiller, we are
all proud of our safety record and even prouder to be considered a
leader in this most important aspect of the workplace. In the past
few months, our diligence to working safely has been rewarded.
In February the Association of General Contractors (AGC) accepted
us into their Safety Team, in April we were recognized for our
superior safety program at the Occupational Medicine Forum,
and most recently we were awarded the Mechanical Contractors
Association of Western Washington Safety Excellence Award.
AGC’s Safety Team is a workplace-safety program that is
recognized by OSHA and the Washington State Department
of Labor and Industries (LNI). If OSHA or LNI visits us, this
designation allows us to receive a focused inspection instead
BEST & BRIGHTEST
Honeywell is proud to recognize
MacDonald-Miller as a Honeywell
ACI Elite Contractor
Outshining the rest and achieving ACI Elite isn’t easy. Only the best and
brightest contractors meet the high standards required to achieve ACI Elite
Contractor status, and Honeywell proudly recognizes MacDonald-Miller as
one of the 13 companies that earned 2014 ACI Elite Contractor status.
As an ACI Elite Contractor, MacMiller is authorized to install and service
the complete lineup of Honeywell building automation solutions.
MacMiller has certified staff to support the products they install and
they attend ongoing training to stay on top of the latest technology.
of a much more time consuming comprehensive inspection.
The award given at the Occupational Medicine Forum for superior
safety programs was for having one of the lowest experience
modification rates (EMR) in the construction industry. The average
EMR is 1.0, yet our EMR is 0.5934 – this equates to saying we have
40% fewer injuries than the average company in our industry.
Lastly, we were recipients of the Safety Excellence Award
from MCA for having one the best safety records in the industry,
having an excellent safety culture, conducting weekly safety
meetings, documenting our pre-task plans, having a formal
drug testing program, conducting safety training and for
our safety audit process.
Thank you for all your hard work and for choosing to
work safely every day.
ONE OF 13
PAGE 5
Being green, going the extra mile
:+: BY BRUCE BIRDSELL
You may have noticed some different types of vehicles sporting the
MacDonald-Miller oval recently. In our effort to be greener through
reduced emissions, along with reducing the cost of operation for our
vehicles, we’ve added several different models to our fleet.
Here are some examples:
1 RAM C/V van that replaced a Toyota Tacoma.
Mileage improved by 26%.
4 Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion hybrids getting
an average of 37.64 mpg.
15 Toyota Priuses, primarily in BPG, getting an
average of 43.60 mpg. Most of these replaced
Toyota Tacomas for a mileage improvement of 142%.
5 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids getting an
average of 160.80 mpg!
Some more things we’re doing include:
(LNG) and hydrogen are great options in
areas where a fuel delivery infrastructure
is present as well as for vehicles that return
to a central location each night like garbage trucks.
Unfortunately that delivery infrastructure is sorely lacking
in the Pacific Northwest, but when availability improves
we’ll certainly consider those fuel options as well.
At the top it started with Gus Simonds getting a Chevrolet Volt – a travel
wonder that can go thousands of miles without refueling – though he’s
not the only one driving a greener vehicle these days. Several of our
leaders have opted for more efficient vehicles when replacing aging ones.
Mark Webster improved his mileage by
11%, Stephanie Gebhardt by 65%, and
Steve Nicholes by a whopping 73%, just
by opting for more efficient vehicles.
Even your humble Fleet Manager, while most of his counterparts drive
company vehicles to and from work, rides his bicycle nearly 40 miles
round trip each day, rain or (on occasion) shine!
Adding more high speed EV chargers at the upper building to support
the growing fleet of company as well as personal plug-in vehicles. Personal
plug-ins include a couple of Chevrolet Volts, Nissan Leafs, and most
recently, a Ford Fusion Energi was sighted charging up.
Replacing gasoline Chevrolet Silverados in long-distance applications
with RAM 1500 Ecodiesels. The anticipated mileage improvement is 71%.
Conducting a year-long Mileage Improvement Challenge for individuals
driving company vehicles to promote green-driving practices.
Just like working on a jobsite, in the fleet world there’s always a right tool
for the job, and having that right tool can make all the difference. While
a hybrid like a Prius makes sense for urban applications, they generally
get lower mileage on road trips than in town. Plug-in hybrids are most
efficient when they can be operated within their battery range. Diesels are
the kings of highway efficiency, but don’t do as well in town as hybrids.
Alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas
Biking to work not
only SAVES ENERGY,
it also BOOSTS ENERGY!
Mark DeWeirdt, Bruce Birdsell, Gus Simonds,
Brad Sharp, Rick Mock of Washington Holdings
and his son-in-law Greg (far left) at the finish
line of the Flying Wheels Century in June.
Applause for our apprentices
Dustin Kinzel, Steamfitter for Seattle Local 32 and HVAC apprentice
Marshall Crites, of Portland Local 290, achieved TOP SCORES and
came in 1st Place at the West Coast Regionals Competition.
“I was strongly encouraged to participate and I
had no idea that the payoff would be so great.
The funny thing is, the payoff really isn't winning.
Between the sheer volume of learning I've had
to do to prepare (including learning volumes
about myself) and the outstanding mechanics
I've had the opportunity to spend time with, I
would have never guessed the blessings would
be so enormous and humbling. It has been a
truly amazing experience! I am so grateful for all
of the support and encouragement I've received
from both MacMiller and Local 290 members,”
says Marshall Crites.
The recent District 5 Regional
Contest in Pasco, WA encompassed
12 States west of the Rockies.
Each year the competition offers plumbers,
pipefitters, welders, HVAC/R, and sprinkler
fitter apprentices a unique learning experience
in a competitive environment. It encourages
apprentices to focus on a variety of skills required
to successfully complete the apprenticeship
program. The competition is designed to enable
apprentices to showcase their existing skill set
while providing them with the opportunity
to develop new skills and improve their
Dustin Kinzel
Marshall Crites
RECENT MAJOR PROJECT
understanding. It’s an exciting way to learn and
allows apprentices to put their skills into practice
and increase their confidence. Competing with
apprentices from other Apprenticeship Programs
give us an excellent way to measure our own
program’s strengths and weaknesses.
A judging panel assesses and scores the
apprentices’ performances on a range of skills
and competencies. At each contest the judges
choose the top performing individual apprentices
to advance and compete at the National UA
Competition this August.
“I wasn’t convinced that I should enter the
competition,” laughs Dustin, “but my teacher
highly encouraged me to do it. And that proved
to be a great thing. I learned a lot and gained
a ton of experience.” Dustin, who hails from
Wenatchee, has been employed with MacMiller
for two years.
Both apprentices will move on to the National
Competition this August where they will proudly
represent MacMiller, Local 32 and Local 290.
MacMiller currently employees 435 union
workers.
AWARDS
Red Wind Casino Expansion,
Olympia | 40,000 SF Design-build,
HVAC & Controls, New smoke-free
gaming area with 2nd floor offices,
Korsmo Construction
Swedish Medical Center, Seattle
20,000 SF Main Surgery VAV Retrofit,
Design-assist, Swedish Direct
Virginia Mason, Seattle
38,000 SF Level 5 Cath/EP Labs,
Integrated Project Delivery,
Turner Construction
Group Health, Federal Way
Energy Upgrades, Design-build,
CBRE/Group Health Direct
Swedish Medical Group
Outpatient Clinics (3 Clinics),
Seattle | 29,000 SF Design-build,
tenant improvements GLY/Abbot
1ST PLACE
PAGE 7
PRSRT FIRST-CLASS
US POSTAGE
IN THIS ISSUE
P1
PA I D
Further beautifying Bellevue
PO Box 47983
Seattle, WA 98146
P1 Faces in the field
P2 Really cool creativity
P3 A north wind pushes Seattle to new heights
P4 A truly uplifting accomplishment
P5 Awards
P6 Being green, going the extra mile
P7 Applause for our apprentices
P7 Recent major project awards
macmiller.com
SEATTLE
TACOMA
EUGENE
EVERETT
1-800-962-5979
BELLEVUE
PORTLAND
BEND
VOLUME 2 | QTR 3 | 2014
MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital
Photo by Guenther Media
SEATTLE, WA
PERMIT #1578