Pacific Northwest 21, October 8, 2023

October 8 2023

Vol. VII • No. 21

Halfway Home

Kraemer North America Reaches

Midway Point On Washington’s Purdy Creek Project

Construction crews from Kraemer North America are pressing forward on a project that is replacing aging culverts with new large bridge structures over Purdy Creek in Pierce County, Wash.

The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) recently provided an update on the project, which is now 50 percent complete thanks to diligent work from the general contractor.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $41.6 million, which includes repaving the spur, which will improve habitat and passage for fish in Purdy Creek under SR 302 and SR 16.

Purdy Creek attempts to flow under SR 16 inside 40 yearold culverts. This project removes and replaces the old culverts with large bridge structures to make it easier for fish to navigate through. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) estimates this work will create approximately 5.6 mi. of new habitat.

In October 2022, crews moved the westbound lanes into the median to construct the new westbound bridge. It opened on Aug. 15 of this year. Currently, crews are reconfiguring the median to shift the eastbound lanes there.

Under SR 16, the new bridge structure is 206-ft. long. Purdy Creek also runs under SR 302 through an old culvert before it enters the tidal flats of the Burley Lagoon. WSDOT also is removing and replacing this old culvert with a 77-ft.long bridge.

Crews started the project in August and it is expected to take three years to complete, according to WSDOT. The bridge top won’t be completed until the end of 2023.

PURDY page 6

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Preparation for the girders began in April, with truckloads of dirt dug out and hauled away. The six girders per bridge are 206 ft. long, taking three Separate cranes to position them. see

Ascendent Grows Into Full-Service Demolition Contractor

Destruction of the Kingdome — home to Seattle professional sports teams from 1976 to 1999 — provided the catalyst for Rick Estes to start his own business.

“I worked for a prominent company that landed the selective demolition,” said Estes. “Unfortunately, they underbid the job by quite a large amount, which led to it going out of business about a year later. During that timeframe, I was promoted from a field superintendent to project estimator, which kind of concluded my education in doing demolition work.”

Estes began learning about the demolition industry just out of high school in the late 1980s when he was handed a jackhammer.

“I performed about every role possible for various companies,” recalled Estes. “Once the one I was working for on the Kingdome job closed, there was really only one thing left to do.”

Estes took his “education” and approximately $10,000 he borrowed from a family member, obtained a business license and started Ascendent Demolition LLC in 2001. He believed the name was a perfect fit for not only the circumstance, but the type of work the company performs.

“Ascendent means on the rise and I believed that Ascendent was kind of like a phoenix rising out of the ashes of a failed company,” Estes explained. “Additionally, demolition is often the starting point of something new and better. I thought it really embodied who we were and where we wanted to go.”

Since Ascendent Demolition’s inception

in Puyallup, Wash., Estes has overseen operations as a co-owner and a project manager. His business partner, Heather Estes, also is a co-owner and the administrative manager. Their son, Mike, is a project manager and part of a team of 75 full-time employees.

“I was fortunate to have some contacts in the industry and I got a call from a prior client who had a $10,000 job,” said Estes. “I couldn’t have picked a better first job to get us off the ground because it led to additional work. Over the course of a year, we performed $200,000 in select demo at the same address.”

That fast start allowed Ascendent Demolition to hire additional staff and Estes was able to focus on sales, which spurred further growth. In 2007, the company bought a commercial property to house the business. Then, the Great Recession hit and Estes realized there was more to learn.

“It was a challenging time,” said Estes. “We came through it with several lessons in how to run the business that have led us to

where we are today. We’re grateful to have survived because a lot didn’t.”

Change in Focus, Bigger Machinery

Throughout its early days, Ascendent Demolition maintained a focus on selective work. That changed around eight years ago when Estes decided it was time to tackle full building demolition, which now accounts for approximately 60 percent of the company’s current portfolio of work, with the rest made up of mainly selective demo and hazardous material abatement.

“We now consider ourselves a building demolition contractor, but it’s important to us to facilitate any customer need, whether it’s pulling up some carpet for $1,500 or taking out a large structure for $4 million or $5 million,” Estes said. “Emergency response also is on our list and we offer other services, such as concrete polishing and restoration. We believe that diversification is important and we have added the civil market in the

last couple of years to go along with the commercial and industrial work that we mainly do.”

A stronger emphasis on full building demolition prompted Ascendent Demolition to look for bigger machinery.

“I decided it was time to take a chance and buy a big excavator,” Estes said. “We bought a used, low-hour Komatsu PC350HD in 2015, studied the production of what it could do and realized that we could drastically change our bidding metrics and compete with the big players. Our timing worked out really well because the market was good. Slowly, we started accumulating more equipment, and by 2017, we had five or six machines.”

The PC350HD wasn’t Ascendent Demolition’s first Komatsu excavator. Estes purchased a PC200 almost a decade prior. Both were acquired with the help of Modern Machinery Territory Manager Mike Foote.

“I called several dealers looking for a machine and Mike was the most responsive; he treated me like I was any other contractor and took the time to get to know me when others wouldn’t give me the time of day,” Estes said. “It said a lot about him and Modern and they haven’t let me down since. Their support is outstanding, whether it’s parts, service or the knowledge that Mike and Modern have in what we need in machinery. It’s a big reason why we chose Komatsu and have stayed with it.”

Ascendent Demolition’s current fleet includes 21 Komatsu excavators, ranging in

An operator cuts steel with a Komatsu PC490LC-10 excavator.

Operators work in tandem with Komatsu PC350HD and PC400LC excavators on a building demolition.

Kyle Jolk, equipment manager

Rick Estes, co-owner and project manager

Contractor Replacing Aging Culverts, Building New Bridges

PURDY from page 1

The creek was dammed and pumped through pipes around the work area during a July 16-Aug. 31 in-water work window. It had hugged the base of the highway. It now takes a winding path that slows the flow to ease fish passage and prevent erosion.

The new stream bed lies on alternating layers of river rock and sand, which was washed into the rock to prevent water from infiltrating.

The stream now enters Burley Lagoon just north of the old box culvert that was installed in the 1960s. The 6-ft. by 6-ft. concrete tunnel was filled in and the ends capped with large rocks and woody material.

After the in-water work, crews spent two days in August setting girders. They trucked in the 75-ft.-long, precast concrete sections on flatbed trailers and craned them into place. The 10 abutting 4-ft.-wide sections form the bridge’s backbone.

Preparation for the girders began in April, with truckloads of dirt dug out and hauled away. Twenty-seven concrete shafts, 3 ft. to 4 ft. in diameter, were poured 11 ft. to 35 ft. deep on each side and topped with cap shafts on which the girders rest. Wingwalls contain dirt along the approaches.

The six girders per bridge are 206 ft. long, which took three cranes to position them.

The culverts, buried 40 ft. under the surface, will continue to carry the creek until the fish window next summer. Then a valley will be carved out beneath the bridges. A new, pseudo-natural stream bed will flow through 9,000 new native plants.

The construction project is part of WSDOT’s program to remove barriers to fish under state highways. Specifically, this project helps juvenile Chinook, Coho, Chum, adult and juvenile Steelhead, coastal cutthroat and sculpin.

WSDOT has removed fished barriers under state highways since 1991. A 2013 federal court injunction also requires WSDOT to correct culverts that are barriers to salmon and steelhead within the case area in western Washington. Purdy Creek is among those included in the federal injunction. 

(All photos courtesy of WSDOT.)

Kraemer North America has completed 50 percent of the Washington Department of Transportation’s construction project that is building new bridge structures over Purdy Creek along SR 302 and SR 16.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $41.6 million, which includes repaving the spur and improving habitat and passage for fish in Purdy Creek.

Purdy Creek attempts to flow under SR 16 inside 40year-old culverts. This project removes and replaces the old culverts with large bridge structures. SR 302 features an old culvert before it enters the tidal flats of the Burley Lagoon. WSDOT also is removing and replacing this old culvert with a 77-ft.-long bridge.

Twenty-seven concrete shafts, 3 ft. to 4 ft. in diameter, were poured 11 ft. to 35 ft. deep on each side and topped with cap shafts on which the girders rest.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) estimates this work will create approximately 5.6 mi. of new habitat.

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Tadano America Names Lennon Crane Newest Distributor

Tadano America has added Lennon Crane as an authorized distributor in the states of Washington and Oregon. Based in Monroe, Wash., Lennon Crane has been owned and operated by the Lennon family since 1975. Their core business is full-service bare rental and direct B2B bare rental of rough terrain and telescopic crawler cranes in the Pacific Northwest.

“I’ve been in the crane business for almost 50 years and have bought, sold and rented cranes around the world,” said Gordon Lennon, president of Lennon Crane. “Over the years, we have owned about every crane brand out there, including a few brands that have been forgotten. I’ve become a true believer in the Tadano brand for its quality and reliability. We plan to continue to grow our fleet and resources with Tadano as a partner.”

Tadano America Regional Business Manager Justin Andrews welcomed Lennon Crane to the Tadano distributor family in North America.

“We look forward to working with the Lennon Crane team to help grow both of our businesses,” Andrews said. “Our existing and new Tadano customers in Washington and Oregon will benefit from this expansion in our distributor network. Our mutual commitment to customer service brings significant value to those markets and customers.”

“Lennon Crane has been an owner and advocate of the Tadano brand for many years,” said Scott Lennon, vice president of Lennon Crane. “From an ownership standpoint, I honestly believe the assembly line quality control, product reliability and overall ‘up time’ of Tadano is unmatched in the industry. Our rough terrain rental fleet is now 100 percent

Tadano. When you send a Tadano to a remote location on an 8-to-12-month rental and hear little to nothing from the operator, that’s a good thing for our business. Our customers remain impressed with the brand, and we remain committed to our customers. We look forward to offering new Tadano’s throughout the Pacific Northwest with local parts and service

support.”

Tadano and Lennon Crane have a solid history of serving crane customers and this new partnership will help both brands flourish throughout the Pacific Northwest.

About Lennon Crane

The core business of Lennon Crane is the full-service bare rental and direct B2B bare rental of rough terrain and telescopic crawler cranes between 35-120 tons in the Western U.S. and Canada. The team of trained and experienced crane technicians are ready to assist anywhere our cranes go. Motivated by a commitment to service excellence, the Lennon Crane priority is to ensure customers gain value and flexibility with their projects.

In 1975, Gordon Lennon transitioned from an equipment manager with Hertz to the crane business and established Lennon Crane in Bellevue, Wash. Gordon found himself traveling the world in the global crane market, in which he built lifelong friends and business relationships along the way. In 2011, his son Scott Lennon transitioned from many years at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to Lennon Crane as vice president, where he manages a fleet of more than 50 cranes. Over the years, he has built trust and strong relationships with many companies across numerous industry sectors.

The team at Lennon Crane emphasizes project value and flexibility, has a very knowledgeable staff and fully equipped mobile service team, offers in-house transportation and takes great pride in service.

For more information, visit https://www.lennoncrane.com/ 

Tadano photo

(L-R): Dan Melnyk, Tadano; Scott Lennon, Lennon Crane; Gordon Lennon, Lennon Crane; and Justin Andrews, Tadano.

Machiner

FALCON WINCH ASSIST

FALCON GRAPPLE CLAW

Modern Machinery, Komatsu Assist Ascendent’s Success

size from a 9.6-ton PC88MR tight tail swing to an approximately 90-ton PC800LC. The larger machines stand out due to their branded red counterweights that bear the company name. All are plumbed to run attachments such as shears and hammers.

“We’ve wanted to add a PC800 for some time because we have gotten aggressive in the civil bridge demolition market and we see it as a key to our success of being able to honor our commitment of taking those down quickly like we did on the Main Street overpass in Bellevue,” said Estes. “We had 40 hours to break up and remove about 3,500 cubic yards of material. We got it done about six hours ahead of schedule, which was exciting. The PC88s are like shovels and brooms in comparison, but they are great utility machines that give us a lot of options. We tend to buy low-hour, well-cared-for, used machines, but we went with brand new on those because they duty cycle so much. We equip them with rubber pads over steel for sensitive work such as interior demo.

“Komatsu in general gives us great pro-

duction and longevity in a demanding application,” Estes added. “We have excavators pushing 10,000 hours and our fleet probably averages around 3,400 hours at this time. Every Komatsu we have purchased is still working and considered a primary machine.”

To keep them in top shape, Ascendent Demolition Equipment Manager Kyle Jolk uses an aggressive preventive maintenance program that includes tracking the Komatsu equipment with Komtrax through My Komatsu. He monitors daily service hours, machine hours, idle time, abnormalities and other critical data.

“It’s a great fleet management tool,” said Jolk. “The machine information is current. I also use My Komatsu to look at manuals for troubleshooting and to order parts. We take care of most maintenance ourselves, but when needed, Modern is right there to help. Their technicians and service department have been a huge asset.”

Estes added that Foote and Modern Aggregate Sales Specialist Ron Payne were helpful in Ascendent Demolition’s adoption of on-site crushing with the addition of an Astec FT4250 mobile impact crusher.

“It lowered costs versus trucking out, which has proven beneficial to our bidding strategy,” said Estes. “When we bought that crusher, it was completely foreign to us.

Mike and Ron came out and made sure we understood the crusher and how to make the most of it.”

Successful Initiative

Ascendent Demolition has identified additional bridge demo as an area for new growth and wants to expand its footprint by doing more projects in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The company also is focused on building a better future for the next generation of owners, and Estes stated that Jolk and Senior Project Manager Jon Ross are set to take over when the time comes. Estes also formed the Ascendent 25 team, which includes himself, Heather, Jolk, Ross and Administrative Team Leader Liki Estes. The team meets monthly to discuss ideas and challenges.

“I wanted to make sure that they were heard and given opportunities to learn, grow and implement their ideas and the results have been nothing short of amazing,” said Estes. “I see in them a lot of creativity, energy and desire that’s creating further success. Since its implementation, we have seen our log of work more than double.” 

(This story was originally published in Update Magazine/Sept. 2023 Issue. It was reprinted with permission. All photos courtesy of Ascendent Demolition.)

ASCENDENT from page 4

Ascendent Demolition recently added a Komatsu PC800LC-8, its largest excavator to date.

Modern Machinery Territory Manager Mike Foote (L) meets with Ascendent Demolition’s Rick Estes.