Ajax Paving Industries of Florida, LLC's Annual Magazine "Paving the Way"

2021 -

AJAX PAVING

2022 Paving the Way

An annual publication to honor our people.

Folks, I have to say that after being in the asphalt paving and road construction business for 46 years, I have never experienced the challenges and successes we have seen these past few years. COVID-19 is still around and not going away, shortage in the labor market, inflation, influx of illegal immigrants, war in Eastern Europe, politics here in the USA to name a few, have all impacted our lives, and let’s not forget Hurricane Ian.

In our world the shortage of rock, escalating prices of both aggregate and liquid asphalt, and again shortage of qualified workers has affected our bottom line and every aspect of operations.

On the success side of the page, we have seen the most increases approved in Government spending of roads, bridges, and highways in our history.

Government spending on transportation is in record amounts, at both the State and Local level, but also in Federal Government spending.

This year President Biden signed into law the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”, which provides $550 Billion over a 5-year period beginning this year 2022. Overall, Florida will receive about an extra $600 million per year from the new law.

In addition, the State of Florida saw a record surplus of income from the surge of people moving to Florida and the strong economy we have experienced here despite all the problems.

Our state Transportation budget is around $12.7 billion, which is the most we have ever seen. Another $800 million per year is also coming from the American Rescue Plan Act “ARPA” which can be used by counties and cities to address the economic impact caused by the public health emergency, replace lost revenue, provide additional pay to essential workers, and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. Again, a very positive impact to our business now and in the future from all the sources of revenue we are seeing. A bright future ahead for the “A” Team.

A topic that is high on my priority list is developing best practices for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. Some people in the know say, “That it is just a matter of time when construction companies become more diverse”. I do not think so.

Unless we see a change in that diversity, not aggressively getting after workers of all races and ethnicities, we will see a tough road ahead to find people that are willing to do what we do.

Good workers will continue to have more choices, and they’ll choose to work for companies that make them feel welcomed and valued. That is our choice here at Ajax. To be the employer of choice. We can’t assume that talented, diverse candidates will just flow to us. We need to go after them.

Entry level people have to enter somehow, so if there are good jobs where no experience is required and companies are willing to train, then that’s like gold to graduating High School kids who don’t go to college.

To that end our Human Resources Staff have launched an aggressive approach by getting involved with the High Schools and establishing a way kids can come to our plants and job sites as well as offices to see what we do and understand better how roads are built.

This program would include summer internships for those 16 or older and curriculums that kids can get credits toward graduation. I am very excited to see Ajax be a leader in this effort and the benefits of attracting young workers.

The best way though for Ajax to find good workers is through our employees. Your family, friends, acquaintances, and others you hear are looking for a great company to be a part of has always been the best way.

The company has a policy of providing recruitment bonus for employees that bring someone to the company eligible for hire and they pass the orientation period. Let’s keep that in mind as we continue to look for high quality applicants. Be a recruiter and help attract good people.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate everyone on another great year. This business is fun, and makes me proud every time I drive by our equipment and see the great work our people build. Thank you all for continuing to strive to be the best, and making our

Stay safe out there!

Mike Horan, CEO

“This business is fun, and makes me proud every time I drive by our equipment and see the great work our people build. “

great company reputation so special.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

CHANGE IS CONSTANT, GOOD OR BAD

One thing in life that remains constant, is change. Change can be good or bad. Change can have impact or lack impact.

I originally prepared this article back in August, then Ian blew into town, and Cassie sent it back to me for revisions/change. How ironic, since the theme of my original article was change.

Let me say that I could not be prouder of our employees and the communities in which we work and live for the willingness to reach out and help one another. Wouldn’t it be great if that was our world every day? Compassion and caring always seems to come through in difficult times.

I am also impressed with our employees, subcontractors and material suppliers for the emergency repair work that we have done throughout the Florida Department of Transportation’s Districts 1 and 7. This includes reopening the Sanibel Causeway in record time. Hats off to everyone for doing a great job!

Now back to my original topic - change. As a leader, I welcome change and see it as the mechanism that moves us forward. Mike’s vision of being an industry leader in the area of quality control in 2002 is why I landed at Ajax. His vision to “change” from what the company was to what the company would be in this arena was impactful and raised the bar in the State of Florida. This change had impact.

Being an organization that does not want to accept being just an okay organization is what defines Ajax. We are all about embracing change.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND.

So how can our employees, partners, and customers help us continue down that path? There are two things that you can do every day that will keep us moving forward. When you arrive at our jobsite, lab, office, asphalt plant, or wherever we may be, visit us as a tourist and ask questions as a child.

What does that mean? A tourist is someone that is traveling or visiting a place. They have both open eyes and an open mind. They see sights and hear sounds that the locals may look right past. They observe for joy and relaxation. They are actively looking at the world they are visiting.

A child asks questions with curiosity. Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why do rabbits hop and turtles crawl? Have I lost you at this point? Just think how much safer we would be if we showed up each day and behaved like a tourist and ask questions like a child?

A tourist would look at the area and say:

“It sure looks like someone could hit that lip over there and have a bicycle crash.”

“Looks like there should be a sign-up alerting pedestrians that the sidewalk is closed.”

“I wonder why they do not have machine guards on that conveyor?”

A child would be inquisitive and ask:

“Why are we doing whatever it is we are doing?”

“What if we did it another way?”

“Could someone be injured by doing it this way?”

“What if we did it another way?”

“Is it safe to drive with a cell phone in your hand?”

Are you receiving the message? I once lived in a neighborhood and a visitor ask me where a particular street was. I said I had no idea. Next time I left the house, I realized I had traveled down that street daily for thirteen years. I had closed eyes and was not observing my surroundings like a tourist.

ARE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE

It may not always appear that we at Ajax are looking for input because some may be quick to shoot down your idea. Sometimes that may be the correct action, but not always. Do not let a negative person take away your desire to promote change. Stay positive, and have a discussion with them and be that kid and ask why? Challenge them to explain and make them a better supervisor or leader.

I encourage all of our vendors, suppliers, engineers, whatever your relationship is with Ajax to challenge us to be open to change.

In closing, I say thank you for all of your efforts in 2022. I am told that over the summer, we had the three hottest months on record. We made it through with no reported heat related illnesses that I am aware of. My hat goes off to everyone for taking personal responsibility for your health and for team embers also looking out for one another.

In 2023, my ask is that we focus on reducing the number of vehicle accidents that we are having. Obey the laws including posted speeds, and remain hands free if on your cell phone. If you are in traffic and congestion or unaware of where you are headed, stay off of the phone and pull over if you need to make a call and ask for guidance. If in the work zone, follow the Internal Traffic Control Plan (ITCP).

In twelve months, let’s celebrate an improved year safety wise.

Be safe out there and make the family proud!

Vince Hafeli, President

“I encourage all of our vendors, suppliers, engineers, whatever your relationship is with Ajax to challenge us to be open to change.”

“Being an organization that does not want to accept being just an okay organization is what defines Ajax.”

VICEPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

EXCITING TIMES IN ALTERNATIVE CONTRACTING

What do I mean by Alternative Contracting? In lieu of the traditional Design-Bid-Build method, multiple methods of Alternative Contracting are available to an owner for project delivery. The most common method today would be Design Build (DB). These type projects involve Ajax teaming with an Engineering firm to pursue a job which had started in design, but not been completed. Our team will then spend the next several months studying the goal of the project, how to best use the materials and resources available, then submit a proposal and price to the owner. The winning team is chosen based on a combination of score and price. We currently are building 11 of these Design Build projects totaling over $350 million and pursuing 17 others approaching $750 million in value.

A second method of Alternative Contracting that is gaining in popularity amongst owners is Progressive Design Build (PDB). In this case we select an Engineering partner (same as Design Build), the difference is it’s up to the owner to select a winning team based on understanding of the project, qualifications and past experience. The winning team then works closely with the Owner and Engineer to design and build the safest and most economical project. Once plans are far enough along in design a price is submitted and agreed upon with the owner. At this point work can often begin, before all design is complete which further expedites a project. We currently are working on two PDB projects, SR 31 widening at Babcock Ranch (Construction scheduled to start in late 2023) and Sanibel Causeway rebuild after Hurricane Ian.

There are other alternative contracting methods out there and our Team is well equipped to manage any method an owner so chooses. What is important to realize is the trend of our Industry, starting with our biggest customer FDOT and an ever-increasing number of Counties and municipalities, they are realizing the many added benefits to these types of project delivery. These jobs are delivered to the taxpayer much quicker than the traditional DesignBid-Build and are typically more cost effective, which is something Florida desperately needs to keep up with our rapidly growing population and traffic demands. Leading the Alternative Contracting Team for Ajax is recently promoted Felipe Jaramillo (Engineering Director). Felipe has been living and breathing Alternative Contracting now for nearly a decade and his relentless work ethic, attention to detail and relationship building across the State has helped make Ajax one of the most respected Alternative Delivery Contractors in Florida. He isn’t alone though, with the demand growing so has the Engineering Department. Mike Morgan, just a couple years in now as Engineering Manager is the grizzled veteran along with Natalie Woody and recently added Nate Hassler. This team is loaded with engineering experience and knowledge and their potential is off the charts!

MARKETING, SAY WHAT?

Who would’ve guessed 20, 10 or even 5 years ago Ajax would have a marketing team?

Well, welcome to the digital world! As our world continues to share and consume information at an exponential pace, it is essential for Ajax to keep up with the times. How we consume the information is also changing; 20-years ago we relied mostly on Newspapers and TV, 10-years ago it was TV and Computers and now it has become Phones and Computers. What will it be 10 years from now? Well, based on the recent trend one could guess Phones and Brain Computer Interface (BCI), with computers phasing out just as the newspaper did years ago.

Communication is the life-blood of our society, whether it be within a company, family, community, sports team, you name it and those that communicate best typically perform best.

To that end, our Marketing team has focused on the use of social media to reach as many people as possible and share the great stories of what our folks are doing every day to make Ajax who we are. This could be TPR events, project milestones, employee spotlights, anniversary’s, the list goes on, but the focus is to keep as many people in touch with all that is happening within the Ajax family.

Social media is just one of the many tasks of our Marketing Team leads, well I say team, but in reality, it is just two people making this happen! Some other responsibilities include;

• Organizing the Ajax Charity Golf Tournament which raised over $90,000 last year for charity

• Creating annual Ajax magazine

• Community Outreach Program

• Digital Marketing Campaign

• Creating video content for hiring ads and Industry Awareness

• Managing our website

• Creating proposals for Industry Awards

• Coordinating quarterly office events

• Volunteering opportunities

• The point of contact with the over 30 local charities we support

Cassie Rubio (Marketing Manager) and Megan Jackson (Marketing Coordinator) are the dynamic duo making things happen. Cassie, since the day she arrived at Ajax (hired as an Assistant Contract Administrator) always had her eye on creating a marketing department for Ajax. She had some tough old timers to push past, but with her persistence, vision, and passion, she pursued and created all that we have today.

Alongside Cassie and assisting at every level is Megan, who spent 6 months as an intern from University of Tampa, then came on board full time in January. Amongst her marketing skills, she also brings some impressive video editing skills to help grow our department. Most importantly, they both bring high energy and enthusiasm to work every day, which rubs off on those around them.

That’s right, marketing is here at Ajax and has come a long way in a short time!

Pictured, Cassie Rubio and Megan Jackson collabrating on their latest marketing efforts.

Did you know the majority of funding for our roads comes from a gas tax? Did you know the Federal gas tax was last increased 29 years ago?

Yes, the last Federal gas tax was increased in 1993 where it went to 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel. Worse yet, this tax was not indexed to keep up with inflation, so now the 18.4 cents is about half of what it should be today, leaving our funding for roads at the federal level woefully behind. That is the bad news; the good news is here in Florida we only rely on about 30% of the Federal Gas Tax to build our roads AND our State Gas Tax is indexed to keep up with inflation.

The challenge we face here in Florida is balancing the growth of our State with the capacity of our roadways. Currently we have 1,000 people moving to Florida to live every day, couple that with being the top tourist destination in the US and the result is constant congestion. So how do we handle this dilemma?

It starts with building strong relationships amongst our State Legislature, our Department of Transportation and our Contracting Industry, the three pillars needed to keep Florida’s roadways moving. Led by the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association (FTBA), who represents all Contractors in the State, we are able to consistently communicate with our Legislature and FDOT friends on the critical needs of our industry while also creating solutions we are collectively seeking. I have been fortunate enough to see these relationships evolve first hand over the last decade and I am happy to report it is as strong as ever.

Some of the results and/or items we are continuing to work on:

• Record Budget for Florida roads in 2022/23

• Safer work zones for our employees via slower speeds

• Increase enforcement in our work zones

• Limit the liability of Contractors via Florida Statutes

• Workforce Development

• Finding additional funding sources, such as a user fee for electric vehicles

• Create Alternative Contracting methods to move projects along faster

The State of Florida has set a goal to be a Top 10 global economy by 2030 and to make that happen Infrastructure is essential. We have to be able to move people and goods efficiently around and through our State to have a chance. This means we all will play a vital role in making this goal a success and I cannot think of a better team to be a part of than this group at Ajax!

Thank you, stay positive and stay safe!

Thank you to those who attended Ajax Paving’s 40th Anniversary Party in February 2022.

Scott Pittman, Vice President

“It starts with building strong relationships amongst our State Legislature, our Department of Transportation and our Contracting Industry.”

VENICE - AREA MANAGER MESSAGE

Another year in the books for Area 1, and another year of changes and additions to the Team. I first want to thank the folks of Area 1 for all your hard work and dedication this year. Without you all, none of our success would be possible. Some of the changes include adding a third paving crew for the majority of the year, several new Foremen, new Project Manager, a new Project Engineer, and several quality additions to the field with Operators and Truck Drivers. Throughout the personnel changes, we were able to complete some challenging work with the Punta Gorda Airport and the I-75 and SR-70 Asphalt Paving Project for Sacyr Construction. Although challenging projects, I firmly believe that we delivered a high quality product to the FDOT and Punta Gorda Airport. Our project and asphalt-paving backlog is strong as we continue to bring our momentum into 2023.

I would like to highlight several of the personnel changes in the field and office here in Area 1. Wes Moore and Pete Walker were promoted to Grade Foreman and MOT Foreman. Both have worked hard as members of their crews and are looking to grow and produce as Foremen. Jason Wolfe was hired as a Paving Foreman for our third paving crew. Jason was once a Paver Operator for Ajax and brings years of experience to the Team. We are very proud of what Jason has accomplished this year and look forward to his continued leadership in the field. Raymond James was hired earlier in the year as a Project Superintendent and has been a tremendous asset to the I-75 Widening over Manatee River Project with the AjaxLeware Joint Venture. In the office, Sam Loumani was promoted to a Project Manager and Sutida Nimcharoen was hired as a Project Engineer after obtaining her Civil Engineering Degree from UCF. These new faces and positions have contributed to our success and I look forward to what the future brings for them.

Let us also not forget the rest of the Team and our accomplishments with multiple successful County Resurfacing Projects, Private Development Paving, and Design-Build work with the FDOT and the City of Sarasota. I am constantly amazed at the diversity of projects that we continue to deliver for our Local and State Owners. Our Team should be proud of our accomplishments and I ask that we continue our hard work and dedication into the New Year.

Taking some time to relax and build camaraderie at a

Matt Horan, Area Manager

Thank you for your hard work each day!

Working with Pavement Maintenance Inc doing base repairs for Sarasota County prior to resurfacing Gulf Gate neighborhoods.

barbeque at the barn and our Summer quarterly lunch!

Congratulations to Wally Cabral and Robby Popielarz crews for working on projects that won ACAF awards!

Routine Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance

The scope of this project included: full depth reclamation with asphalt emulsion, mill and resurface of approximately 67 miles of city arterial and sub-division roadways, storm water improvements and shoulder restoration.

I would like to congratulate Superintendent, Bill Meacham on a job well done! All of the paving, MOT and Grade crews from Area 1 (Venice division) worked on this project. I believe that these types of projects are very special for Ajax. The main scope is usually paving which gives our crews an opportunity to perform quality paving within our community. While we excel at these projects annually, they still come with their own set of challenges. Some of the challenges range from access, noise mitigation, residential traffic control and public interaction. Challenges aside, our A-Team did a fantastic job on this project!

• Full depth reclamation with asphalt emulsion

• Mill and resurface of approximately 67 miles of city arterial sub-division roadways

• Storm water improvements

• Shoulder restoration

Sarasota County Resurfacing Project

Sarasota County Resurfacing Projects have become a yearly staple for the Area 1 Crews, this contract was the Fiscal Year 2021 Increment 1.

In traditonal Ajax fashion, we completed Base Repairs, Milling and Resurfacing, ADA, and Signalization improvements throughout the Englewood, Venice and Nokomis areas.

Some of the roads we have completed are; Overbrook Road, Flamingo Road, Lake of the Woods, Albee Farm Road and surrounding roads on this project.

We even had improvements directly for Sarasota County at their maintenance facility. The majority of this work was done in the summer months to accommodate Laurel Nokomis school which is directly adjacent to the Albee Farm road area.

Our Subcontractors and Crews did a fantastic job on this project and is one they all can be proud of! This is also the first project for the county that we are utilizing our Designbuild team to fix a turn lane on Laurel Road in Nights trail and anticipate this to be completed this year.

Venetia

This project consisted of paving the Venetia community. Thank you to Robby Popielarz Paving crew: Aaron Chaffin, Desmin Belvin, Eric Mrazik, Felipe Monroy Mejia, Felix Tello, Paulo Chanfrante, Robert Rondeau, Scott Sugent & Chris Cook’s MOT crew: George Smith & Joseph Matheis for all of your hard work and dedication in seeing this project through to a successful finish.

We had been giving budget numbers to Venetia Community Association since 2017 to pave their streets. We had met with them several times over the years, so it was exciting after all of these years of budget numbers and meetings that we got to pave this job. Keep up the great work A-Team!

2017 to pave their streets. We had met with them several times over the years, so it was exciting

“We had been giving budget numbers to Venetia Community Association since

after all of these years of budget numbers and meetings that we got to pave this job.

As I type this reflecting on the past year, these past few weeks Area 2 came together to help our people. Next came emergency repairs from Hurricane Ian, which included restoring access to the Sanibel Causeway. It was and is a monumental effort by all involved and almost every person working in Area 2 was involved in this tight corridor of roadway to make it a success.

That same effort and success did not just take place these past few weeks in one tight corridor. It has been true all year spanning from Goodland Road East of Marco Island to Brighton Reservation near Lake Okeechobee leading back to the new shop and office renovations. I am grateful and proud to work alongside everyone in Area 2 and to help build on that effort and success into 2023.

Thank you for your hard work each day!

Matt Desotell, Area Manager

Chris Ance’s crew along with Sam Manahov (MOT) and Mark Slomski (QC) take a break to snap a photo and crack a few jokes!

Ajax Paving and Backbay Construction teamed up to build emergency access roads in the Town of Fort Myers, following Hurricane Ian.

Hawaii or Fort Myers? Pictured here are some folks from our Fort Myers office enjoying a luau themed lunch to celebrate a successful quarter.

Chris Ance’s crew paving at Gator Circle Park in Cape Coral.

New paver alert!! Chris Ance’s crew get their shiny new paver ready for production by putting on decals!

Lee Lamb’s crew celebrating their earned status as Quarterly TPR Winners. The crew recieved a breakfast and got to watch a recent CLAIRE event roll-out video. After the celebration this crew went right to work preparing for Hurricane Ian.

Rehabilitation of Taxiways A, F and G2 at Southwest Florida International Airport

This project started in the end of November 2020 and was a 454 calendar contract with 12 separate construction phases and no weather day forgiveness, these factors made for an exciting project.

This project was running simultaneously with our Cargo Ramp Project, both projects were airside (Secured Area SIDA). All employees and subcontractors had to go through the badging process with TSA or be escorted at all times.

Coordinating our construction work schedule with the flight schedule, while working inside the RSA (Runway Safety Area) was very challenging, especially since we only had a 4 hour window.

Working with LCPA and Aircom made this portion of our construction run smooth with excellent planning on all parts. The project was delayed 2 months by LCPA due to increased air travel for spring, after the COVID restriction were lifted. The biggest battle this project had was supply change issues with the Air Field Lighting composites. We overcame all obstacles and the project was completed in August of 2022.

Goodland Drive Rehabilitation Project

To deal with regularly occurring rain in the late summer in Florida is one thing, and we all know what to expect. To deal with that and working around the tidal patterns that regularly caused flooding issues on Goodland Drive, added an extra challenge.

The Goodland Drive Rehabilitation Project for the small town of Goodland in Collier County was a great paving project. The road serves as the only way in and out of the tropical community, and had long been dealing with flooding issues due to the tidal patterns along the low-lying road. To alleviate these issues, we raised the elevation of the road by approximately 1.5 feet, all of which was with asphalt.

Chris Ance’s crew put down 12,500 tons of asphalt within a total project length of just one mile! Due to the one way in/one way out road, maintenance of traffic was also crucial to keeping the paving crew and residents moving – a big thanks to Sam Manahov, Tommie Harris, and their crews for safely securing the road! A project well executed all because of proper planning, strong communication, and excellent safety measures.

Location: Fort Myers, FL

In August of 2021, after months of plan changes and negotiations, we were contracted by Plateau Excavating, a sister company to Dewitt Excavating, to pave the Amazon Distribution Center, also known as RSW5. This project is literally 1 minute away from our Alico plant so naturally we had to have it. Chris Ance’s crew started some of the bottom lift while Lee Lamb’s crew finished the remaining bottom lift and the rest of the project.

Mark Slomski and Ariel Ortiz helped with the Quality Control by keeping track of where all 4,400 tons were placed. We could not have stayed on track without the mechanical help from Harry Hoxie and Zach Jahn.

We were faced with many scheduling challenges for the project and I can proudly say that we not only met their challenges, we exceeded them! Thank you Garrett Fons for making the schedules work! The General Contractor was very impressed with our crew’s work ethics, communication and skill.

In the midst of the RSW5 project, we negotiated and were awarded the Amazon Delivery Center DJX8, which was right next door to RSW5. DJX8 was more than twice as much asphalt as RSW5 at over 9,000 tons. Again, we were faced with tight schedule deadlines and again, we exceeded their expectations. DJX8 also had 90 sets of speed bumps that were completed by Lee’s crew with the assistance of Paramount Construction and Russ Berner Contracting to help meet the deadlines.

Every day the crew had to do Covid checks, attend safety meetings, complete toolbox talks and a daily job hazard analysis sheet. Every day the crew had a great attitude and were excited to get such a large parking lot project completed. They had every reason to be proud. RSW5 had a zero item punch list and DJX8 had one item. The Construction Manager, The Conlan Company, mentioned that they had never had a zero item punch list from a paving contractor.

I would say that Ajax delivered!

Thank you for your hard work and dedication!

Lee Strauss Estimator/Project Manager

TAMPA - AREA MANAGER MESSAGE

Area 3 started off 2022 with a few jobs that were major challenges and required all hands on deck. In the first quarter we started and 70 day closure of the intersection of US 301 and Bloomingdale to completely reconstruct the roadway. This included two 14 day closures that were basically worked 24/7. This operation had nearly everyone in the Area involved in one fashion or another and was completed in time. The FDOT was extremely pleased with this performance and this will probably give us the opportunity to come up with alternate plans in the future to be more competitive on jobs.

The other major task we completed in the was the mill and resurface of the runway at the Brooksville Airport. This job had just under 40,000 tons that was laid in a little over 1 month. Both of these jobs required extensive planning and long hours and I am extremely proud of the efforts of our crews, plants, QC, trucking and management. It was a team effort and everyone performed.

This year also marked a year of several moves within our area. Donnie Plensdorf has moved into the role of Asphalt Field Super, John Duncan has moved into the role of Grade and Pipe Superintendent. New foremen include Ryan McCutcheon in Paving, Baillie Hebert, Dave Lepeska and Alex Perez in MOT. We have also promoted Eric Dasaro to a Project Superintendent and added Kaleb McKinniss as a Project Superintendent.

Thank you for your continued efforts!

Joe Minich, Area Manager

Andrew Cary’s crew night paving

Check out this group rocking their “Fun Shirt Friday” gear at an employee appreciation BBQ!

Pictured is an emergency repair project on Gandy Boulevard in Tampa. The A-Team worked together to make road conditions safe again for the community.

Tampa office hard at work during a weekly planning meeting!

Hillsborough County

Projects

This contract was made up of 36 separate work orders that had to all be strategically sequenced in order to ensure efficiency, production, and reduced waste. At the peak of production there was nearly 17 work orders running simultaneously, each in different phases of construction, in order to ensure that critical path items were able to be completed in time for the next phase of work.

All of the paving crews completed their work without deficiencies and Matt Ford’s crew put down the most tons with a reduced crew count.

Cody Patsey’s crew not only managed all of the cleanup for the mills and paving operations, but he and his crew also supported the paving operation by filling in when other paving crew members were not available.

James Sirmons crew stepped in half way into the project and started producing strong results in the removal and replacement of curbs, sidewalks, aprons, and inlet repairs. His crew was able to stay well ahead of the game even with tight constraints which allowed the paving operation to keep moving from work order to work order without delays.

Kaleb McKinniss was instrumental as the superintendent on this project by facilitating the needs of all Ajax Crews and Subs to ensure that resources and direction were provided across multiple work orders at once. He also established an excellent working relationship with the inspection team and served as a key facilitator in addressing issues and concerns in a timely manner. This project was the definition of good team coordination and inter-crew support. The sequencing and pace of the project left little room for error and the team has done an exceptional job executing ahead of schedule and under budget.

Keep up the great work A-Team!

Paul Cobo, Project Manager

The Project had over 30 Subcontractors working on it through the life of the Job. Special thanks to IPC Paving – they performed the PCC paving and met all quality and schedule requirements! Below are a few of the key players.

• Acme Barricades – Barrier Wall

• Bob’s Barricades – MOT Signage, Detours, and Smart Work Zone

• Delamere Industries – Handrail

• Ferguson Land Surveyors – Survey

• Gosalia Concrete Constructors – Joint Sealing

• Highway Safety Devices – Signalization and Lighting

• IPC Paving – Concrete Paving

• McShea Contracting – Pavement Marking

• MRM Construction – Edgedrain / Gravity Wall

• Patel, Greene and Associates –Engineering Design and Support

• Payne’s Environmental – Tree Removal / Clear and Grub

• Penhall Company – Concrete Grinding

• Rollhard Inc – Detectable Warnings

• Sunbelt Sod and Grading – Sod

• TTCS – Quality Control

• Turtle Infrastructure Partners – Milling and Demolition

US 301 / SR43 FROM NORTH OF LAKE ST. CHARLES BLVD TO NORTH OF PROGRESS BLVD

Due to the extremely challenging schedule requirements – this Project was truly an all hands on deck for Area 3.

Curt Selbak was imported from Area 4 (Thanks Clay!) to begin the work and guide us through the intersection closure periods. Dana Martiello took over the Project and will see it to Final Acceptance. Both did an outstanding job in all facets of planning to execution. Along the way – nearly all of our Supers were asked to pitch in in some way and all have helped Ajax succeed in this job. We appreciate the many weekends and nights that were selflessly donated to the cause.

Many Foreman and Crews were on the Job and all contributed tremendously to its success.

Joe Blake was tireless in implementing the extensive detours and MOT challenges.

Dave Brower and his crew not only installed the drainage features, but were willing to do anything asked of them along the way!

Eric DeSaro and crew also contributed to the drainage construction.

Egy Hernandez Garay and Fredy Garay’s Teams constructed the concrete curb, median separators, sidewalk and ADA ramps.

Asphalt paving was achieved by multiple crews, special thanks to Lee Lamb for coming up from Area 2 to assist in our time of need!!

Matt Ford and Ryan McCutcheon’s crews did the asphalt base, structural course, and friction course for the Project. Nearly all grading crews were required at some time during the work.

Special shout out to Rene Cardona and his crew for their willingness to do any and all tasks as always.

The Project was a Design Build for District 7 and was pursued by our Special Projects Team. During the pursuit – Ajax proposed the closing of the intersection of US 301 and Bloomingdale for short periods of time to convert the pavement section from asphalt to concrete. The entire reconstruction was completed and operational in under 70 days, with only 28 days of full closure permitted. This schedule required 24 / 7 operations by the Ajax Team.

The reconstruction area required variable depth / GPS milling and was supported by Ben Harlan and his crew.

To add to the challenge – a large diameter ammonia line paralleled the roadway and had to be constantly monitored to complete the drainage and grading construction.

As part of the Project Ajax also implemented Smart Work Zone Technology during the intersection closures. This package was detailed and provided following multiple meetings with the Dept and Hillsborough County.

Keep up the great work A-Team!

Jim Price Project Manager

Runway 9-27 Rehabilitation at BrooksvilleTampa Bay Regional Airport

Chris Ferrara was Superintendent for this Project. Donnie Plensdorf and his outstanding crew placed all 40,000 tons of P-401 with no deficiencies (100 plus PWL’s). Cody Patsey was tireless on the pizza cutter, trimming over 35 miles of longitudinal joints. Also special thanks to both Plant 5 (25,000 tons) and Plant 6 (15,000 tons) for supplying high quality mix! Howard Smith was Quality Control in the field and as always helped ensure quality paving. Sam Noble and crew helped maintain airfield security for the life of the job.

The Project had a wonderful team of airfield specialists. Below are a few who helped make this Project a huge success:

• HL Pruitt – Airfield Electrical

• OnGrade Contracting – Sitework

• Sunbelt Sod – Sodding

• Swank Construction Company – PCC Milling

• Axtell’s Inc – Airfield Marking

Believe it or not – sometimes it pays to be second place! Ajax was awarded this Project as the second-place bidder by Hernando County. The project had a very challenging schedule – requiring all runway work to be completed in 40 calendar days. The Project Team worked long days and weekends to make this happen with a couple of days to spare. The Runway paving had zero deficiencies and passed all profilograph requirements.

The Director of the Airport stated that this “was the best construction project he had been a part of in his 30 years of experience.”

Thanks to the entire Ajax / Project Team for all of your outstanding efforts and dedication to a safe and successful job!

“The Director of the Airport stated that this was the best construction project he had been a part of in his 30 years of experience.”

Congratulations on a sucessful project and kudos on a job well done!

Jim Price, Project Manager

CONQUER CHALLENGES AS A TEAM

This year has been a challenging year for the Concrete Division and the area as a whole. We have had more work this year than previous years. We have had to use five other subcontractors along with our four crews to keep up with the demand.

Our Concrete Foremen Fredy Garay, Egy Garay, Paul Robinson, and James Sirmons have had to increase the amount of production and work scope this year to keep up too. They have branched out having to do more of their own grading, demo, asphalt, pouring, repairs, and final grade work.

We have also had some higher profile jobs like Bloomingdale and 301 where we came in behind our subcontractor that did the concrete paving. We had to push in order to make tighter deadlines than usual.

pouring, repairs, and final grade work.”

As with everyone, the higher heat index created its own concerns with dehydration and tougher than usual working conditions. Another obstacle that we faced was getting concrete. The materials seemed to be an issue on a daily basis as did the concrete suppliers not having enough

drivers to get us the concrete every day. There were many days where concrete was canceled due to the suppliers canceling on us.

On a positive note, we were able to add new members to our concrete division even with the shortage of people looking for work these days. With the new guys we added we also moved some people around. Both of these factors have significantly brought our crews up a level in performance and quality. One of the other things that we pride ourselves on as a whole is our go back rates are really low. I am proud of the guys I work with and I hope that we have many more years of success at Ajax.

work A-Team! Spencer Wadsworth, Concrete Manager

Great

“They have branched out having to do more of their own grading, demo, asphalt,

We focus on the above “whys” in an effort to make Ajax a safe place for ourselves, subcontractors, and the public. It is imperative that we work together as a team to be the contractor, partner, and employer of choice by promoting a culture focused on safety.

I was sitting in traffic the other day thinking about my “why.” It is because of my father. He taught me my strong work ethic, and I work hard to make him proud, knowing he is smiling down on me from heaven. Of course, I have a second “why,” my new dog Sydney. She deserves a great life, and that only happens if her mama safely returns home each evening.

SAFETY DIRECTOR MESSAGE

INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS

The Ajax Safety Department is always laser focused on keeping injuries and accidents as low as possible. Hidden costs associated with these events can overwhelm a company financially and lower the morale of the workforce. So far this year, we have had 6 OSHA recordable injuries and none have resulted in a “lost time” injury. Keep up the great work everyone! We are well on our way to meeting the goal for Ajax to have an OSHA log with under 10 injuries on it for that year. I am proud to call the people of Ajax, family, and as family, I will do all I can to keep my work family safe. We kicked off the year with a very successful Safety Day in January. Thanks to everyone who participated, contributed, or simply enjoyed that busy day. Safety Day is a great way to start the year and emphasizes the importance safety plays in our daily lives. Additionally, management met for a midseason safety meeting in July. This day was to show support for our managers and talk about current safety events and problems.

Unfortunately, at fault auto accidents continue to increase for the company. I understand that we have a much larger fleet from last year. We need to slowdown and continue to focus on our driving skills. Remember what you learned in your Smith System driver training. I challenge each and every driver at Ajax to use the 5 Keys from the “ SMITH SYSTEM “ that Ajax has in place to become a defensive driver because IT WORKS!

“

If you have not taken the “ SMITH SYSTEM” driving course, please let your safety manager know, and we will get you scheduled for a class. It is one of many resources that are freely offered that will not only make you a better driver at work, but the techniques taught can be applied to your personal driving, keeping your family safe.

Back at safety day in 2016 we mailed cards to all employees asking them why safety is important to them. Employees were asked to bring these cards to safety day and share with the group.

THIS YEAR: LET’S TALK ABOUT “WHY?”

So, I ask you, why does Ajax focus on safety? Below is a list of the safety programs we have in place:

• Boots on Boots off- make sure everyone makes it back home to their family.

• ITCP (internal traffic control plan)

• Daily jobsite huddles

• Daily pre-shift equipment inspections

Thank you for all that you do A-Team, Mandy Kustra, Safety Director

SAFETY DAY 2022 PHOTO GALLERY

I am proud to call the people of Ajax, family, and as family, I will do all I can to keep my work family safe.“

Now sit back and think about your “why?”

2022 has been a good year and has also brought about many new challenges to the asphalt industry. Even with all these difficulties we are on pace to have a record year in outside sales. Overall, the plants are about 10% higher in sales from 2021. A lot of our success can be attributed to our customer focused team from our plant employees to our salesman. This year I have received multiple calls from customers who expressed how much they enjoy working with Ajax due to how well they are treated by the plant operators. I would like to thank all of them collectively for making Ajax the contractor of choice.

Some of the major challenges we have faced this year have been supply chain restrictions and skyrocketing inflation. This has made it very challenging to stay ahead of all the rapidly rising costs. Every aspect from parts, steel, aggregates, trucking, fuel, natural gas and liquid AC have had significate price increase throughout the year. Along with price increases we have had aggregate and trucking shortages. The aggregate shortages created a major challenge in managing our inventories at our plant locations and keeping each facility open in order to fulfill hot mix asphalt orders daily. I am grateful to managers who spent a lot of time dealing with the shortages to make sure we had the material needed to keep the plants operating.

The Punta Gorda lab has been renovated to make the lab more functional. In Palmetto we have repaved the roadways and added landscaping around the plant.

In Fort Myers we are upgrading the plant blending controls to the Minds system. We are confident that with this upgrade we will see improvements in uptime due to the ability to maintain and trouble shoot remotely. In Odessa we have extended the scales to accommodate two new silos that will be installed by the end of this year and have improved landscaping and lighting around the plant. In Tampa we have upgraded the camera system around the plant. In Largo we have moved into the new control room and upgraded the camaras as well. In Lake Wales we installed a lime silo and fiber machine so that plant can run FC-5. For the last 2 years we have been unable to get paint. This year we will finally be able to paint seven of our plants.

We are committed to maintaining and improving our asphalt plants for the purpose of remaining a leader in our industry. We improve the appearance of our properties to maintain Ajax’s high standards and so that we have a positive impact in the communities we serve. In North Venice we have purchased a new 110,000 ACFM Maxam baghouse along with an upgraded air compressor that will be installed over the December Shutdown.

We are happy to welcome some new employees to Ajax and we are also always excited to see employees taking on new responsibilities within the company. Bill Gearheart and Nicholas Sellers are training under Barney Dominquez to be electricians. Virgil Workman is working at the Largo plant as a loader operator. Henry Morris was hired this year and is working as a plant operator at our Largo plant. KeOwen Walker a plant loader operator was trained and has now taken on the responsibility as plant operator in Palmetto. Michael Green transferred from the construction division to the plants and is now a plant level 2 certified lab technician. Brian Hooks joined the company this year and has taken on the newly established role at Ajax as our Environmental Health and Safety coordinator.

I would like to express my gratitude to our great employees at the plants for their dedication, flexibility and hard work that has contributed to making Ajax successful.

Stay safe out there!

Mickey Cox, GM of Plants and Materials

“We are committed to maintaining and improving our asphalt plants for the purpose of remaining a leader in our industry.”

2022 INDUSTRY AWARDS

A.P. Bolton AwardDistrict 1 Winner

Urban Road AwardDistrict 1 Winner

FDOT Roads & Streets AwardDistrict 1 Winner

SR 25 (US 27) From Glades Co. Line to S of Horn Rd.

SR 45A (US 41) (Venice Bypass) From Center Rd. to Gulf Coast Blvd.

SR 45 From 10th Street to 14th Street Sarasota County

Retirements

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our A-team throughout your career! The below are all of our Ajax employees who retired in 2022.

Jewel worked at Ajax for 15 years as a QC Lab Technician at our Odessa Plant. Thank you Jewel for your hard work and dedication over the years!

Mitch worked at Ajax for 17 years as a Plant Foreman/Loader Operator. He was a great team player!

Kurt worked at Ajax for 5 years as a Flowboy Truck Driver in our Venice and Lake Wales division. Thanks for all your hard work!

Betty worked at Ajax for 32 years as a Shop Administrative Assistant. She was an amazing asset to our shop!

Ralph worked at Ajax for 5 years as a Flowboy Truck Driver in our Tampa division. He was an amazing asset to our trucking operations.

Dianne worked at Ajax for 39 years as a QC Lab Technician at our Punta Gorda Plant.Thank you for all of your loyalty over the years!

Diego worked at Ajax for 12 years as a Traffic Control Foreman/Specialist in our Tampa division. He was an integral part to our Maintenance of Traffic operations.

Joe worked at Ajax for 18 years as a Plant Loader Operator. He was an amazing asset to our plant operations.

Congratulations on your retirement! We wish you all the best and the A-Team will miss you!

Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida (ACAF)

Florida Transportation Builders’ Association (FTBA)

Community Awareness

SR 82 Widening, Milling and Resurfacing in Collier County, District 1

Jewel Eggleston

Mitch Hain

Diego Jaramillo

Ralph Swain

Dianne Miller

Joe Gauthier

Kurt Truran

Betty Myers

LEARNING AND GROWING

2022 has been a learning year for the Transportation Division. We have grown the fleet by ten dump trucks and employees and seven material trucks. Growth will allow Ajax to control the majority of our trucking needs. The seven material trucks have been a huge addition to Ajax. Having a handful of material trucks dedicated full-time to hauling material to our plants is helping us gain ground in a tight trucking market. I’ve noticed the difference in material levels to Ajax is more than our competitors, mostly because Ajax has our trucks, whereas others are fully dependent upon outside trucking. We have cycled out numerous trucks this year, keeping the age of our fleet very low. Currently, the oldest tractor we own is the model year 2020 tractor. This is very uncommon in the vocational trucking industry, as I’m sure most of you notice the age of trucks that haul to us on our job sites.

I would personally like to thank Dejan and Todd for all that they do throughout the year. The amount of phone calls and emails daily is a momentous task. In the coming year, I’m excited to see where the Transportation Division goes and accomplishes in 2023.

work A-Team!

Josh Campbell, Transportation Operations Manager

The Transportation, Operations, and Plants have worked all year cohesively to better our operations. Managers across the board communicating issues and concerns have helped better Ajax’s operations.

Great

“Having a handful of material trucks dedicated full-time to hauling material to our plants is helping us gain ground in a tight trucking market.”

Do you know the single most important factor in the cost of maintaining your fleet?

Answer: The Hand that Turns the Key What is that? Our operators.

A good operator through proper training and experience will operate a machine more efficiently and minimize the costs associated with running that machine. A poor operator will increase maintenance costs through premature failures and abuse. Ajax has stepped up its commitment to ensuring our operators are the most trained in the industry.

Ajax is also committed to the training of its technicians. In 2023 we will strengthen our internal training program for technicians using a two-pronged approach.

1. General Skill Set Knowledge

Each technician will begin by taking an assessment offered by Caterpillar to establish a baseline of basic knowledge in the following categories: Engine, Electrical, Hydraulics, Powertrain, & Computer. Our goal is to focus training where it’s needed, and not waste effort where it’s not.

2. Machine/Brand Specific

We offer industry-leading training for operators on the following topics:

1. Cleaning and Lubrication

Remove grease, grime, and debris from equipment that helps expose leaks and potential defects.

Each technician will also receive very specific training on the types of equipment that Ajax has in its fleet. This may be administered internally or provided in conjunction with a vendor. The goal here is to have our technicians highly trained and specialized in components and systems unique to Ajax’s fleet.

Visually check and ensure all proper safety features are in good working order.

3. Daily Maintenance Inspections

Machine-specific checklists to help keep machines in proper working order.

4. Operation Techniques for efficient operation and machine usage.

By getting the operators actively involved in the maintenance process you achieve higher reliability and increased operational uptime.

At Ajax we believe our people are greater than our machines. That’s why we spend the time with our operators and technicians to make them the best in the industry. Thank you to everyone along the way who’s helped make this happen! It’s safe to say that Ajax’s fleet is in “good hands”.

The Transportation, Operations, and Plants have worked all year cohesively to better our operations. Managers across the board communicating issues and concerns have helped better Ajax’s operations.

Great work A-Team!

Dan Maitland, Fleet Manager

PEOPLE > MACHINES

“Ajax has stepped up its commitment to ensuring our operators are the most trained in the industry. “

“At Ajax we believe our people are greater than our machines.”

2022 finds us 5 years into Ajax’s Total Process Reliability (TPR) effort. Through hard work by all, our TPR initiative has grown into Ajax’s current equipment culture. Each day, our operator’s help with taking 10-15 minutes to make certain our equipment is ready to perform. This includes doing our 360 walk-arounds, checking fluids and filters and making sure the safety features are operational prior to each shift. Thank you for your part in making this a successful Our fleet management team at the shops and our mobile mechanics work hard each day to effectively and efficiently correct breakdowns.

Our continued success regarding our equipment takes a tremendous amount of dedication and discipline. Discipline to use our processes so we’re reducing down time and focusing on preventative measures to help eliminate breakdowns before they happen. Much like safety, it takes everyone to establish, drive and maintain our equipment culture. I’d like to thank leadership in their continued support and our Operator Care, Communications, C.L.A.I.R.E., Auditing and Root Cause Teams for their continued dedication and hard work.

Keep up the great work A-Team!

John Savage, QC Director

2022 CLAIRE EVENTS

Rollers (141573 and 161645)

This event took place in Ajax’s Venice Shop from February 28th, to March 4th, 2022. The team transformed two Rollers, equipment numbers 141573 and 161645. Team Ajax Predators consisted of Lynn Tramel, Carmelo Sanchez, Conchita Torres, and Lakisha Green.

Scan QR Code to watch CLAIRE event videos!

Paver (101746), MTV (951845), Prime Truck (351704), Broom Tractor (702018)

This event took place in Ajax’s Fort Myers Shop from April 26th to April 29th, 2022. This team helped repair and clean up 6 pieces of equipment during this event. Team X consisted of Harry Hoxsie, Kevin Kerr, Chris Ance, Gerardo “Jerry” Quintanilla, Alberto Rocha, Ramie “Shorty” Calhoun, Gerard Tarin, Larry Tolliver, Michael Walker, and Terrell Burdette

Rollers

(161709 and 161792)

MOT Truck (251608)

This event took place in Ajax’s Tampa Shop from June 13th to June 17th, 2022. This team helped repair and clean up 2 rollers during this event. Thank you to all who participated for your dedication and positive attitude.Team Thunder consisted of Jerry North, Perry Newton, Jacque Russell and Jaen Rivera.

This event took place in Ajax’s Fort Myers Shop from September 20th to September 23rd, 2022.

This team helped repair and clean up MOT Truck (251608) during this event.

WOMEN RAISING THE BAR

Why and what does this organization do for Ajax and the community? When we discussed putting an organization together of the Women within Ajax, our mission was to support and encourage the women of Ajax, give back to our community and bring awareness to the career opportunities available to women in the construction industry; but more importantly the roadway industry.

At Ajax we have Women not only in the office but the field, trucking, and the plants. At our first meeting two years ago, we extended our admiration for the women that work in the field in the heat and on the roadway’s day and night, the women that work at the plants and labs dealing with inspectors and customers, and for our truck driver’s that are in the mist of the motoring public day in and day out. We realized that a lot of the women in the room had never met each other, so it was nice to get a chance to build an atmosphere of support and comradery for the women who work here.

Shoe Drive on Thursday July 21st. With the help of the community, our vendors, customers, family, and friends we were able to donate 318 pairs of shoes for children in foster care! We hope to double that number next year!

RAISING AWARENESS

Danielle Bentivegna, Mandy Kustra, and I did a presentation on January 27th to 12 women at Our Mothers House in Venice. Our Mother’s House’s mission is to offer single mothers and their preschool-age children a safe and secure environment to achieve increased self-sufficiency through education, vocational training, and personal growth. Danielle, Mandy, and I explained our positions within Ajax and answered questions from the group, providing the mothers with information about potential career opportunities in our industry and company. The main office has shopped and donated Christmas gifts for the Mother’s and Children of Our Mother’s House for the last 10 plus years. If you are interested in helping or donating please visit their website at https://catholiccharitiesdov.org/charities/ our-mothers-house/

Later this year we have two events scheduled that we can’t wait to share with everyone in the next Ajax magazine!

On October 22nd we had a group of 12 women that volunteered at The Twig’s warehouse organizing clothing, shoes, and miscellaneous items. This is the second volunteer day we have done at the warehouse and plan to do 2 each year going forward. If you are interested in volunteering or would like to donate please visit their website at www.thetwigcares.com.

In addition, we also volunteered at All Faith’s Food Bank in Sarasota, and I have to say it was a great event. We had 19 volunteers from Ajax that packed backpacks for students so that they would have healthy meals over the summer. Our group put together 1,800 backpacks! This was not only a great volunteer opportunity but an excellent team building event. Our next volunteer day is scheduled for November 16th from 1-3:30!

We would also like to recognize our coordinating committee, because without these women this organization wouldn’t be possible.

• Christie Alvaro – Director of Estimating

• Danielle Bentivegna – Project Manager

• Jessica Kiesel – Project Manager

• Kara Coggins – Bid/Contract Specialists

• Natalie Woody – Engineering Manager

• Taylor Shaner - Estimating Coordinator

Special shout out to the following women for raising the bar a little higher!

• Cassie Rubio (Marketing Manager) – Chair of Women of Asphalt – Florida Branch

• Ginger Johnson – Promoted to Controller

• Linda Bailey (EEO Officer) – FTBA EEO Compliance Committee

• Mandy Kustra (Safety Director) – Co-Chair of FTBA Safety Committee

Last year we had a couple of different volunteer opportunities in an effort to continue to give back to those in the greater community in which we do business. One of the nearest and dearest to my heart was working with The Twig. The Twig is located in Venice and their mission is to inspire and encourage foster families by meeting their needs. The Twig operates two stores that serve foster children, providing them clothing, shoes, and books free of charge. Ajax Paving’s Women Raising the Bar had the privilege of hosting The Twig’s Fostering Feet

What an accomplishment! This group sucessfully packed 1,800 backpacks for a local food bank.

Let’s

WHY WOMEN RAISING THE BAR?

“We realized that a lot of the women in the room had never met each other, so it was nice to get a chance to build an atmosphere of support and comradery for the women who work here. “

GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY

Women Raising the Bar Coordinating Commitee.

Group photo from an end of year Women Raising the Bar Meeting at the Ajax Barn. Thank you to Mickey Cox for being our photographer for the day!

Thank you to everyone who helped volunteer at the Twig!

Mandy Kustra, Safety Director & Jamie Simmons, Credit Manager

As many of you know, Ajax is the Florida Department of Transportations go to contractor for road repairs in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Two major east west connectors between I-75 and US 27 suffered severe damage from Ian’s flood waters hampering supply routes and emergency responders.

Both SR 64 and SR 70 were closed within 50 miles of I-75. Ajax was called upon to get one of them open as soon as possible. Since SR 64 had a bridge closed that will take us a month to repair we focused efforts on SR 70 in Desoto County which was washed out between Myakka City and Arcadia.

As soon as the flood waters had receded enough for construction to begin we were reconstructing the road. It was truly an A- Team effort.

Chris Stewart, Area 1 Superintendent and Andrew Cary, Area 3 Superintendent, collaborated to get the crews, subs and maintenance of traffic orchestrated. Rene Cardona and crew from Area 3 mobilized Thursday morning and had both lanes open by Thursday afternoon. By Friday evening grading was complete, fully sodded and friction course was put down by Lee Lambs Area 2 crew. Alexander Perez and Baillie Herbert from Area 3 teamed up for 24 hr flagging operations. SR 70 is now open from coast to coast. It was truly a total team effort, and Ajax showed up in full force!

No obstacle the A-Team can’t move, even a pickup truck. Big shout out to those A-Team members with the can do attitude and skill to make it happen. Thank you for all of your hard work to meet these goals: Chris Stewart, Andrew (Red Beard) Cary, Rene Cardona, Lee Lamb, Jonathan Jones, Jose Arellano, Marco Rada Jr, Robert Read, Tyler (my boy) Noble, Baillie Hebert, Damian Alexander, Jason Goley, Alexander Perez, Alex Berrios, Michael Brower, Eliazar Sosa Parada, Jesus Garcia, Jose Garcia, Nathaniel West, Pablo Paz, Ray Peters, Severe Clairfeus, Zachary Jahn and last but not least Tryston Threet.

Morgan, Project Manager

THE A-TEAM STEPPED UP

“No obstacle the A-Team can’t move, even a pick-up truck.”

Mike

The A-Team set a goal in 2020 to advance our community involvement initiatives by creating Ajax’s “Pave it Forward” program. This program is a multi-faceted approach to giving back to the communities we live and work in – which has a been a guiding principle since 1981.

Tampa office personnel volunteered at the Hillsborough Education Foundation to help prepare the ‘Teaching Tools’ resource center for the upcoming school year. Together, we counted 38,160 pens and organized them into smaller bags for 636 classrooms.

Ajax had two teams participate in Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America’s clay shoot. Their mission is to create and support oneto-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Fort Myers A-Team met up with fellow super heroes to make a donation to their organization. Heroes Unmasked goal is to partner nationally with companies to benefit all children who have illnesses, providing aid spiritually and emotionally during treatment.

21st Annual Golf Tournament

Ajax Paving’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament took place on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at Legacy Golf Club in Sarasota. With the support from attendees, sponsors and the help of our volunteers, Ajax was able to raise and donate $90,000 to various non-profit organizations throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Ajax hosted ‘Paws for a Cause’ pet photo contest to raise money for an animal charity that pairs working dogs with veterans of our Armed Forces. Ajax agreed to donate $20 for every photo submitted. Together we raised $1,780 for The Rescue 22 Foundation.

To dispurse the Annual Charity Golf Tounament donations this year, we cooridated Donation Meet & Greets to make a personal connection with our local organizations and learn more about ways to get involved. Ajax proudly donated to over 30 local organizations.

Starting Right Now - Tampa, Florida

Boys and Girls Club of Sarasota County - Sarasota, Florida

Suncoast Charities for Children - Sarasota, Florida

Habitat for Humanity - Sarasota, Florida

Ajax Pet Of The Year - Millie

Finalist - Kiki

Finalist - Missy

Finalist - Remi

Ajax

Ajax is grateful for the hardwork and dedication you have given over the years.

25 Years

Scott Pittman

Erica Washington

20 Years

10 Years

David Brower

Jason Prokopetz

Paul Robinson

Steve Ayers

Cody McKeand

Christopher Stewart

5 Years

Dragan Savic

Manuel Valle

Carl Wright

Damian Alexander

Christopher Cook

William Meacham Sr.

1 Year

Justin Korp

Roy Brown Nathan Green Jerry North

Andrew Yoakam

Jefferson Florido

Jonathan Doucette

Randy Moore Lawanna Stanley Vincent Allen

Miguel Carpio Hernandez

Ben Harlan

Stephan Stewart

Leonard Lowe

Dean Gallant

Vincent Ferrone

David Reid

Christian Schaare

James Wynn Reginald Lewis Mickey Cox Dana Martiello

Edwin Flores Vince Hafeli

Danielle Bentivegna

Sevdelin Manahov

Leo Steen

Paulo Chanfrante

Darrell Dobson

Shawn Cole

Christopher Ance

Jesus Garcia Matt Horan

Philip Nace

Alberto Rocha

15 Years

Felix Tello

Miguel Recarey

Russell Moorhead

Robert Burrell Jr.

Hector Arroyo

Shane Williamson Mandy Kustra

Jim Price

Lee Strauss

Nancy Bachop

Deicy Spennachio

William Van Houten Jr.

Leo Will

Mike Woody Aaron Saenz Jr. John Savage

Jaime Santana Lee Johnson

Harry Hoxsie

Samuel Noble

Skylair Mrazik

Paul Jaramillo

Ryan McCarthy

George Smith III

Myrtis Harrison

Michael Brower

Darren LaBolt

Thomas Roman

Cassie Rubio

Daniel Peters

Ray Peters Jr.

Robert Kern

Michael Walker Tyler Mather

Raul Soler

Gene Williams Jr.

Charles Webb

Omar Berry

Michael Peery

Jonathan Jones Dondray Belvin

Pervis Stinson

Sharon Radford

Jordan Miller

Jose Santana Ribot Matthew Posada

Carmelo Sanchez

Dominique Figueroa

Austin Roseberry

Michael Trask

Joseph Tarver Megan Jackson Patrick Kennedy Eliazar Sosa Parada

Joshua Bailey

Eric Dohm

Kyle Elder

Jacque Russell Michael Bosco

Joseph Matheis

Carolyn Reed

Allen Seltenreich

Phillip Vigo

Ramie Calhoun

Justin Pereira

Sonja Banks

Ronal Lopez Martinez

Carlos Mejia Lopez

Gregory Reynolds

Lakisha Green

Samantha Johnson Jaen Rivera

James Coleman Jr. Robert Read Nicholas Sellers William Abadia Daniel Cockram

James Stevenson Jr.

Helver Velasquez

Reynaldo Guerra Jr. Jonathan Tiffany

Charles Conway George Muncan Jessica Kiesel

Andy Decraene

Tom Schaare 20 Year Service Award

Cody McKeand 10 Year Service Award

Darrell Dobson 10 Year Service Award

Paulo Chanfrante 10 Year Service Award

David Ramirez Morales

An Annual Publication for Ajax Employees.

Thank you for all that you do. www.ajaxpaving.com