ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
December 11 2013
65
231
43 84 431 331
84
84 52
Vol. XXV • No. 25
31
45
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
65 98
Mobile
10
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Cowin Supplies Volvo Excavators for Sister Companies
wells. “We’ve worked very hard to minimize any inconvenience to our guests, and have opted to complete a majority of work after mall hours. One inconvenience that has been noticeable is the carousel, which is currently undergoing a complete restoration. It was taken apart by hand and carefully packed for a long truck ride to San Francisco. It’s being restored by craftsmen and will return in late July. It’s quite a labor- intensive project.” Retailer Von Maur opened its first department store in the state this fall at the Galleria. The mall’s Wynfrey Hotel is completing a $20 million renovation. Last year, Galleria owners General Growth Properties and Jim Wilson &
It’s been said that the only constant in the world is change. Such is the case for family-owned and operated Good Hope Contracting Inc. and its sister company Blount Springs Materials, both based in the same facility in Cullman, Ala. Two key additions to the staff over the last year or so have changed the face of the company. Richard Brown joined the organization as vice president of Good Hope Contracting Inc., and Ray Henry is the new vice president of Blount Springs Materials. Both work together on equipment acquisition decisions and agreed to change their equipment purchasing process. Blount Springs Materials operates five quarries and is the sole company supplying Good Hope Contracting Inc. aggregate material for its five asphalt plants in Alabama. For both companies, purchasing machines is an integral part of success. When Blount Springs Materials needed to replace excavators at two aggregate plants, Henry and Brown tackled the need by testing machines from multiple manufacturers. “During this specific evaluation, we looked at four different manufacturers’ machines,” said Brown. “We had distributors representing four manufacturers deliver to our quarry virtually exacting machines in the same weight class for a specified one week period of time to compare.” After testing four machines, the consensus of the operators and management alike was to invest in a pair of Volvo EC480DL’s. “With the Volvo machine, the operators really liked the layout of the cabin, the way it ran, the quiet operation and the overall features,” said Brown. “The one aspect of the machine that brought out a lot of comments from our operators was the speed of the Volvo. “When we did our test on the four different manufacturers’ machines, we realized about a three percent increase in fuel efficiency in the Volvo machine, which doesn’t sound like much but it adds up quickly. In comparison to the older machines that we traded, we saw about a 3 gallon per hour savings, which essentially equates to a 25 to 30 percent fuel savings over previous generation machines.” The machines were purchased as a package deal and were delivered by Cowin Equipment Company in April 2013. “The service that Cowin provides, and the price, fuel effi-
see RIVERCHASE page 6
see COWIN page 2
Hoar Construction photo
Operator uses the back bucket to mix the soil.
’Tis the Season: Shoppers Rejoice Riverchase Galleria Renovations By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
A $60 million renovation of the state’s largest shopping mall is nearing completion near Birmingham, Ala., just in time for the 2013 holiday season. Work began on the project in mid-2012. “Riverchase Galleria is currently undergoing an extensive redevelopment,” said Thomas Martin, senior general manager of General Growth Properties. “Shoppers will notice enhanced amenities with new soft seating and food court furniture, new architectural elements including pendant lighting in center court, remodeled food court restrooms, enhanced pedestrian bridge entrances and enclosed parking deck stair-