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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” March 7, 2012 • Vol. XXV • No. 5 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
CAT Expands Into Ga. With $200M Facility Caterpillar Inc. has selected land near Athens, Ga., as the location for a new facility that will build small track- type tractors and minihydraulic excavators. The one-million-sq.-ft. facility is expected to directly employ 1,400 people once it is fully operational. The total investment for opening the new facility will be
Crews Scramble to Repair Daytona 500 Track…8
SANY B uilds First North American Excavator …10
Komats u America Names New CEO…10
Table of Contents ........4 Attachment Section ...... ............................27-29 Truck & Trailer ....32-34 Recycling Section 35-44 Auction Section ....55-71 Business Calendar…..69 Advertisers Index ......70
Shale Energy Seen as Potential Game-Changer “Equipment distributors in Ohio and Pennsylvania overwhelmingly believe that the shale energy sector has the potential to be an economic game-changer,” Dennis Heller, president and CEO of Stephenson Equipment in Harrisburg, Pa., told a congressional committee Feb. 27. Heller was testifying at a U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee field hearing in Steubenville, Ohio, on the impact of shale energy development. Appearing in his capacity as a member of the board of directors of Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), an international trade association representing construction equipment companies, Heller spoke about the effect that shale energy production has had on his business and other local equipment dealers. “Energy companies have invested substantial resources in building and expanding roads and highways for hauling sand, water, pipes and other materials to and from sites in the Marcellus Shale formation,” all of which has driven equipment demand, Heller told lawmakers. Heller said that his company was not unique in having benefited from the shale energy boom and described an AED survey of equipment companies in the Marcellus and Utica shale area. Fourteen out of the 15 companies responding to the survey said some portion of their 2011 revenues was directly or indirectly attributable see SHALE page 50
about $200 million. In addition to the 1,400 people working in the new facility near Athens, Caterpillar estimates another 2,800 full-time jobs will be created in the United States among suppliers and at other non-Caterpillar companies that will support the new facility. Company leaders and officials from the state of Georgia
and the Athens area announced the decision at a news conference held at the Georgia state capitol in Atlanta. “We are making a series of significant investments around the world to position Caterpillar to maintain its leadership position, and I am see EXPANSION page 64
Construction that will add new lakefront walking and bicycle paths in New Orleans’ Jefferson Parish is about to get underway. The project, which also calls for improvements to an existing path, is expected to be completed by the end of spring.
New Orleans Builds New Trails By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Construction that will add new lakefront walking and bicycle paths in New Orleans’ Jefferson Parish is about to get underway in Louisiana. The project, which also calls for improvements to an existing path, is expected to be completed by the end of spring. Director of Jefferson Parish Public Works, Mark Drewes, explained, “Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the Lake Pontchartrain Lakefront provided the residents of Jefferson Parish and adjacent communities a 10.6 mi. (16 km) stretch of unfettered recreational area. The lakefront was easily
accessible and could be traversed along a continuous bicycle/pedestrian path. Although Hurricane Katrina only inflicted minor damage to the lakefront path, subsequent construction of vital flood protection improvements basically closed significant portions of the lakefront for the past five years. “Restoration of the entire lakefront bicycle/pedestrian path along with completion of the Parish’s $1M project to add rest stops and separate pedestrian pathways will give this treasure back to the community, with a statement that the quality of life in Jefferson Parish is better than prior to Katrina.”
Construction should begin in early to mid-March. Design was performed in-house by the Jefferson Parish Engineering Department with the assistance of the Regional Planning Commission and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. According to Josh Gunn, general manager of general contractor Three C’s Properties Inc., location is the main hurdle. “The biggest challenge will be getting our trucks and equipment over the levee, because it’s pretty steep and we will be working at the foot of it. We have to get everything see TRAILS page 8