Aldridge Summer 2021 Pipeline

BUILDING AND STRENGTHENING AMERICA’S INFRASTRUCTURE

aldridgegroup.com

SUMMER 2021 Page |

In This Issue 3

Safety Committed

5

Learning Focused

7 9 11 13

Our Safety Journey Immersive Training

Growth Motivated Entrepreneurial Drive

Innovation at Work Fleet Specialty Equipment

Aldridge Builds Prefabrication & BIM

Socially Conscious Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Pipeline | Summer 2021

On the Cover The cover features many faces of the passionate people at Aldridge who build and strengthen America’s infrastructure. Shown in front of the United States Capitol, our crews in Washington, DC are working to assess more than 60,000 manholes throughout the District.

To learn more about this innovative project, visit aldridgegroup.com/ manholes or scan here:

From the Desk of Alex and Steve Aldridge Aldridge is recognized as one of the nation’s leading contractors. For nearly seven decades, we have grown our business by hiring, developing, training, and rewarding the best people. We attribute our success to the people here who have embraced our core values, driven ideals like safety, quality, and innovation, and made Aldridge who we are today.

We like to say that Aldridge doesn’t build projects; we build people who, in turn, build projects. We are proud to be a learning organization and continue to invest in the development of each of our team members. In this Pipeline, we are pleased to showcase our new safety initiative, Making Safe Decisions™. This program focuses on human performance improvement and is an ongoing investment in our people that will allow us to ultimately achieve our goal of being incident and injury free. In this edition, we have also focused on our growth mindset, commitment to training, and our industry leading innovations.

We hope this Pipeline portrays the heart of the passionate people at Aldridge.

Be safe,

Alex Aldridge, CEO

Steve Aldridge, CIO

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Safety Committed: Our Safety Journey

™ Seven years ago, Aldridge took on a company-wide culture initiative with Incident & Injury Free (IIF), making a large shift in our safety program. It drives our beliefs that: all injuries are preventable, we are intolerant of incidents, relationships are the foundation for all accomplishments, and all individuals have intrinsic worth.

This year, we began the implementation of Making Safe Decisions™. This is a significant undertaking and investment in the alignment of our craft, office, leadership, and executive teams on what it means to be proactively safe. The methodology is rooted in a system that helps workers identify vulnerabilities and teaches behavioral strategies for improving defenses. The foundation of the program is based on seeing, thinking, doing, moving, and teaming.

Our goal to be an organization free from incident and injury is a continuing journey and requires commitment from each employee at all levels. It is an investment in the safety and well-being of our people here at Aldridge that we will never stop working to achieve.

Aldridge is proud to be a part of this culture-changing system that is being embraced by other major contractors. Together, we are stronger by Making Safe Decisions™ and continue to grow as individuals, as teams, and as a safety-focused organization.

Pipeline | Summer 2021

MAKING SAFE DECISIONS™ DECISIONS PROGRAM TRAINING SEEING

THINKING

Noticing more exposures; detecting change.

Interpreting implications; comprehending meaning.

48 COACHES

DOING

Checking and verifying work; evaluating performance.

MOVING

Identifying and taking action on soft tissue load factors.

TEAMING

Validating team member's perceptions; approaching team members on exposures.

200 SUPERVISORS TRAINED IN BRAIN CENTERED HAZARDS

30+ SENIOR LEADERS ATTENDED MAKING SAFE DECISIONS™

20,000+ TRAINING HOURS 60 COMPANY IDENTIFIED TRAINERS

65+ WORKSHOPS PER QUARTER

"Making Safe Decisions™ is a human performance improvement initiative that increases high-quality work executed correctly the first time and improves critical error-free work. By addressing how our thinking as well as internal states like fatigue, distraction, and complacency can impact our safe decisions every day, we can positively change organizational culture, leadership, and systems."

-O'Brien Mills Director of Safety

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Learning Focused: Immersive Training

PASSION BEHIND TRAINING Bill Sullivan has a passion for training the next generation of tradespeople.

An electrician for more than 30 years, Bill came to Aldridge to help develop an entirely new way to train on complex utility work.

Before any Aldridge utility employee makes their way to a job site, their journey begins at the Utility Training Trailers. These trailers and Bill travel the country, training and qualifying union electricians to do complex vault and utility work in enclosed spaces.

196 EMPLOYEES TRAINED

7,500 MILES TRAVELED

750 TRAINING HOURS

UTILITY TRAINING TRAILERS The training program leverages two massive tractor-trailers: the Mobile Training Trailer and the Manhole Training Trailer, in which employees are trained on several modules, including safely performing work on network protectors, live network secondaries, manhole assessments, cable splicing, and other tasks associated with utility work.

The training employees receive is fundamental to maintaining our strong safety culture and keeping each and every one of us out of harm's way.

Pipeline | Summer 2021

SPLICER QUALIFICATION PROGRAM

LIFESAVER AWARD

One of the main objectives of the training trailer is to provide Splicer Qualification certification and testing.

The Aldridge Splicer Qualification program includes a practical skill review by a Subject Matter Expert, manufacturer training (if applicable), as well as the practice, preparation, and testing of joints. Passing completion of this qualification determines if an employee is qualified to perform splicing tasks.

30 SPLICERS QUALIFIED

1.1 M UTILITY WORKHOURS

ALDRIDGE ALLEGIANCE Aldridge strives to ensure each employee is trained and that they are confident in the field. Our loyalty and commitment to our employees and the reassurance that any employee within the company has the right and the ability to stop work if they feel unsafe are true testaments to our allegiance to each individual within the organization.

In Spring 2021, Journeymen Ebonie Purvis and Stephen Chase performed life-saving CPR on their unresponsive crew leader while awaiting emergency responders. The IIF mindset and training they received at Aldridge empowered Ebonie and Stephen to jump into action, and their heroic efforts saved a crew member’s life.

Thank you for your brave actions, Ebonie and Stephen!

Scan below to watch them receive their awards!

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Growth Motivated: Entrepreneurial Drive Over the next decade, our infrastructure landscape will continue to evolve given the advancement of technologies, alternative energy sources, systems integration, and smart mobility. Aldridge has invested in industry experts that have heightened our focus on these emerging markets.

Pipeline | Summer 2021

ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES BESS Systems | Wind Farms | Solar Farms Greenfield Energy Centers A new and important energy innovation - Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) - stores electric charge by using speciallydeveloped batteries. That energy can then be utilized at a later time.

Aldridge has a long resume of working inside substations and on advanced energy projects, as well as installing BESS for major utilities.

ELECTRIC MOBILITY Electric Bus Fleet Pilot | Bike Share Electric Fleet Pilot EV Charging Stations Electric mobility sits at the intersection of Aldridge’s vast power and transportation expertise. We support our clients’ advancements in sustainability with design, procurement, construction, and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure, transit and fleet conversions, utilities, and system upgrades.

ITS | SYSTEMS INTEGRATION Freight ITS at Port of Oakland | NICTD West Lake Corridor CTA Track Rehabilitation Projects | AirTrain Systems Aldridge is a top innovator in the delivery of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and a key partner in Systems Integration. Our teams advance design-build programs and offer value engineering on the interoperability of mobility devices, as well as networks to keep travelers moving.

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Innovation at Work: Fleet Specialty Equipment

DUCT BANK PUSHER Our PreFab team saw an opportunity to drive schedule certainty through quicker duct bank assembly and installation.

They then created an entire execution solution which included an innovative system with rail supports, rollers, and carts. This system allows field workers to install two 20-foot duct bank systems simultaneously and couple them together in a few easy steps enhancing quality, execution, and safety.

Pipeline | Summer 2021

AMPHIBIOUS RIGS Innovation drives our business. Our ability to create and customize tools and equipment has allowed us to take on some of the industry's most challenging projects. When our drill rigs needed to access transmission lines in the middle of the Everglades, our team of experts engineered a drill rig outfitted with the world's largest amphibious tracks allowing our crews to safely execute work in marshy conditions.

MECHANICS BASKET

OCS TEST CART

The Mechanics Basket is a substantial investment in a new work practice and a new means of fall protection. Based on the recommendation of our Fall Protection Task Force, we are now using aerial platforms attached to equipment, keeping our workers off ladders and providing a safer way for mechanics to work from heights above six feet.

To expand the capacity of a maintenance facility, crews are installing a new overhead catenary system (OCS) and performing signal work. The Aldridge crew designed a test cart that simulates the profile of a train to perform clearance checks and provide the height and position of the overhead wire in relation to the rails. Crews ensure safety and quality by running the cart through the building to check for any interference before running a live train under power.

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Aldridge Builds: Prefabrication & BIM

The Aldridge PreFab/BIM team has changed the way we look at our pre-planning process.

These passionate people have transformed projects with their innovations and showcase our design, engineering, and integration capabilities with every build.

CENTRAL PARK PUMP STATION | CHICAGO, IL The Central Park Pump Station is one of 12 active stations in Chicago and has come a long way since its opening in 1893. The current project involves full electrification of the equipment. Given that this station provides water to 42 percent of the Illinois population, it was critical that the pump remain in service during the electrification process. To achieve ongoing service, the pumps needed to be removed and replaced in phases.

The use of BIM played an integral role in coordinating with other trades, determining the sequencing of work, and identifying conflicts. Once an area is cleared of conflicts, we utilize the coordinated BIM model to create accurate material lists, prefabrication details, and locate Trimble points for installation.

One of the most significant opportunities for prefabrication on this project was to build the large rack that ran more than 300 feet underground through the lightfil area. This transitioned to an exposed conduit rack with 43 rigid conduits, ranging from 1-½ to 4 inch, through the boiler room basement. In addition, using our CNC machine to create duct bank cards, we held the duct banks in place throughout the installation.

Creating templates within the Revit software allowed the team to easily isolate the racks in the model, tag the conduit and support steel, and create schedules itemizing quantities.

Pipeline | Summer 2021

TEMP POWER SKID As part of the contract requirements on a Midwest Data Center project, Aldridge was tasked with providing four temporary power skids. Each power skid is 32,000 pounds, 36 feet long, and 9 feet wide - the largest build PreFab has ever completed. The CAD department detailed out each piece of equipment, allowing for a smooth installation. The PreFab team designated areas where equipment and conduit were prepped, which allowed us to speed up the process. This project has allowed us to demonstrate our ability to react quickly and deliver high-quality products safely and on time.

RIVERBEND STADIUM In Beloit, Wisconsin, Aldridge is working on lighting the new Riverbend Stadium. The PreFab team used Trimble technology to map out over 100 reference points to install light kits. These pre-assembled kits increased efficiency, provided safer, easier installation in the field, improved coordination with other trades, and reduced waste.

MCCLURE TUNNEL | SANTA MONICA, CA McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica, California, has greatly benefited from the use of prefabrication. Our PreFab team 3D scanned the tunnel, plotted the light fixtures, and built out the 254 light fixture installation in 20-foot sections.

Because of the seamless coordination between the project manager and the PreFab team, all the onsite workers had to do was install the fixtures. Completing the labor-intensive work in a controlled environment, rather than on the side of the busy highway, made the job much safer and more efficient.

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Socially Conscious: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

DC INFRASTRUCTURE ACADEMY Aldridge is proud to support the District of Columbia Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) as a partner contractor. This program prepares graduates for entry-level positions in the construction industry, including the utility segment, which will help meet the need for skilled infrastructure professionals in the DC Metro area.

Twice this year, Aldridge has welcomed students from multiple DCIA class cohorts into our DC office for a handson training experience. As part of the cohort’s 15-week program, each partner contractor provided a glimpse into what their company can offer the graduates in a future career. This hands-on training included exposure to our Incident and Injury Free (IIF) Orientation, enclosed space training in our custom Utility Training Trailer, and a oneon-one career development discussion with Aldridge representatives.

To date, Aldridge has hired three DCIA graduates to work on utility projects in the area. We are proud to support workforce development in the region as we build out critical local infrastructure.

Pipeline | Summer 2021

GREENHOUSE SCHOLARS Since 2019, Aldridge has supported the Greenhouse Scholars Program, a 501(c)(3) education organization cultivating leaders who hope to create change and become leaders and role models within their respective communities. We currently sponsor a scholar, Sanah, and also support the program through participation on their selection committee. This year, one of our recommended scholars, Alexis, was selected into the program, and Aldridge has also committed to sponsoring her. Both Sanah and Alexis are future leaders in their communities and are sure to represent Greenhouse Scholars well in the future!

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION In a statistically male-dominated industry, Aldridge takes pride in the diversity of our workforce, especially when it comes to the hardworking women we employ. The women of Aldridge have shown nothing but ambition and resiliency in all of the work they do.

Krista Roberts, Vice President of Talent Management and a woman in construction for over 20 years, has been our strongest advocate for inspiring women to join the construction industry. Krista enforces the firm belief that construction is a great place for all women, both in the field and the office. This year, Krista spoke at ENR’s Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference on safety and the women Aldridge is honored to employ. Connecting through forums like this is just one of many ways we encourage the involvement of female workers within the construction industry.

We have also focused on:

• • • • • •

Partnering with various women’s colleges Providing professional development workshops for associations and women’s organizations on college campuses Growing the female population of our internship program Hosting various executive-level speakers who reinforce the value of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Showcasing women role models and mentoring new employees Offering best-in-class benefits and work/life balance

We take pride in the fact that the Aldridge team includes a strong group of women who encourage future generations.

Our goal is to continuously add to this talented and fierce group of women that we call our own.

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Aldridge 844 East Rockland Road Libertyville, IL 60048

For more information, contact marketing@aldridgegroup.com Aldridge is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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