C&E: Fitzgerald Creek Water Pollution Control Plant Expansion
Notice to proceed for the project was issued on June 1, 2021. To get a jump on cost escalations and extended lead times for delivery, procurement of materials and equipment commenced earlier in April. The project scope includes approx. 7,500 lf of buried DIP, ranging in size from 6”- 48”, plus approx. 600 lf of 18” storm piping & precast concrete structures. Yard piping installation commenced in mid-August and will continue through summer ’22.
Through April of 2022, the yard pipe crew, led by Ernesto Izaguirre, has installed, tested & concrete encased approx. 900 lf of underslab DIP, plus installed & successfully tested roughly another 4,000 lf of DIP yard pipe. Despite encountering seventy rain days (fourteen in excess of 1” of rain), the crew has managed to maintain the overall project schedule, and most importantly, perform safely. For this, and everything else that they do each day that is not mentioned, we gladly say thank you and proudly recognize this crew as outstanding members of the Crowder Team. Keep up the good work fellas!
Heavy Civil: Cowans Ford Floating Bulkhead Project
The Heavy Civil featured crew is led by Superintendent, Chris Harkins, on the Cowans Ford Floating Bulkhead Project. This project took a great deal of teamwork to overcome multiple challenges to deliver a superior product for our client. Chris and his crew spent many days in adverse weather maintaining equipment needed for the dewatering operation and placing 140 yards of concrete to within 1/8’’ tolerance. Not only did this team overcome these challenges, but they did so safely while maintaining a great work environment.
Thank you for your safe and hard work on these projects!
CROWDER
Pictured (Left to right): Joel Zambrano, Antonio Gonzalez, Ernesto Izaguirre, Joel Galeas Gradiz
Pictured (Left to Right): Wayne Mitchell, Lupe Hernandez, Chris Harkins, Mike Pate
[3] FEATURED CREWS
Crowder Chosen for Cornish Creek WTP and Water Supply Improvements
Covington, GA: Making large-scale improvements to a water treatment plant or water supply facility is never a simple task. Such was the case with Crowder’s recent project overhauling the Cornish Creek facilities.
To call the project complex would be an understatement. Indeed, the project encompassed construction of a new floating dock pump station,
equalization basin, two sludge thickeners, thickened sludge pump station, screw press dewatering facility, residuals splitter box, sodium hypochlorite storage and feed, lime storage and feed improvements, emergency generator and switchgear, and new 36” raw water and finished water line.
A $23M upgrade, the project was planned for an 18-month timeline.
Project Beginnings
As for the project’s genesis, the Newton County Board of Commissioners approved and issued a Notice to Proceed to Crowder on September 30, 2020, for Phase II-Construction of the Cornish Creek WTP and Water Supply Facilities Improvements Project in Covington, GA.
This came on the heels of a year-long effort by Crowder, along with design partner Hazen and Sawyer, to complete Phase I-Design of the progressive design-build project.
It’s worth noting that the majority of the project received funding through an SRF
Loan from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA). Work was begun utilizing Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and Davis-Bacon wage rates. Additionally, the American Iron and Steel Requirement (AIS) was incorporated into the project.
THIRD EDITION 2022 CORNISH CREEK WTP
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New Dewatering Building, Emergency Generator and Sludge Thickeners
Aerial view of new Dewatering Facility
New Equalization Basin
Unique Challenges
One unique aspect of the project involved a new floating dock pump station. The system was designed to include three 100hp pumps, intake filters and screens, and all piping and controls to provide additional intake capacity for the plant. The entire system was positioned approximately 250’ from the shore of Lake Varner Reservoir. An aluminum gangway was developed to provide easy access for operation and maintenance.
Crowder’s team faced a number of unusual challenges, including extended lead times for equipment and materials. Upon award of the project, the project management team was able to execute
the majority of the equipment and subcontract orders within the first three months, with all materials arriving on or even ahead of schedule.
The way Crowder met these challenges led to early success in this progressive design-build project… and, to new opportunities being awarded. Specifically, because of the successes on the Cornish Creek project, as well as Crowder’s relationship with Newton County, Crowder was awarded Phase 1 - Design for the Alcovy Pump Station and Williams Street WTP Improvements Project, another progressive design-build project for Newton County.
The Team
Operations Manager
Mike Powers
Project Manager
Nick Cacciola
General Superintendent
Bert Windle
Electrical General Superintendent
Jimbo White
Superintendent
Victor Martinez
Electrical Foreman
Kevin Chambers
Electrical Project Manager
Rick Barnes
CROWDER
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ENVIRONMENTAL
CROWDER CIVIL AND
Dewatering screw press and sludge conveyor
New lime storage and feed structure
One of two new sludge thickener tanks
Both sludge thickener tanks
Crowder Tapped by VDOT for Dual Bridge Replacement
Franklin, VA: Major infrastructure repairs are always massive undertakings. For instance, replacing a failing bridge is a fairly large-scale, time-intensive project. So, when the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) needed not one, but two identical bridges replaced, they were quick to enlist the specialists at Crowder.
Bridge Restrictions
Replacing a pair of 315’ long, two-lane bridges on Route 671 is no small feat, but this particular project brought some added challenges. For one thing, the bridges lead up to a cotton gin, which means a number of traffic restrictions during the harvest season. On top of that, the Crowder team wasn’t allowed to do any water work during seasonal fish migrations.
To address these issues, Crowder employed some tight scheduling, ensuring the bridges were completed promptly to avoid any long delays for the local traffic. And to ensure that all the water work was completed before the fish migration season began, Crowder leaned heavily on multiple crews, breakneck scheduling, and a whole lot of pre-planning to ensure seamless execution.
Technology also played a major part in the completion of this project. A large cylinder pile hammer was required for the job, which in turn needed a 300-ton crane to support it. A very hefty temp trestle was brought in to bolster the crane.
THIRD EDITION 2022 VDOT ROUTE 671 BRIDGE REPLACEMENT [6]
Driving Pile
Great Results, Fruitful Relationships
The Crowder team’s commitment and ingenuity paid off, not just for them but for local motorists. The team both finished the first bridge a week early and re-opened the road a week early, surely to the relief of everyone who lives in the area.
Additionally, the Crowder team says they enjoyed a great relationship with everyone at VDOT, collaborating with them to overcome a number of initial design issues and still completing the project ahead of schedule.
Project Manager
Kyle Wiley
General Superintendent
Michael Wilson
Superintendents
Pat Merli
Malachai Lawrence
James Felts
Nate Carmona
Project Engineer
Garrett Addis
Field Engineer
Jose Pineda Reyes
The Team
Foremen
Eric Ingram
David Estrada Flores
Eddie New Leadman
Robert Narvaez
Loader Operator
Nicteha Alvarez
Crane Operators
Jeremy Russell
Michael Smith
Lawrence Moser
Carpenters
Miguel Munoz
Miguel Diaz
Ruben Nunley
Jaime Lopez Flores
Brent Wilmouth
William Lusk
Jaime Espitia Cabrera
Jose Ramirez Lopez
Concrete Finishers
Ebrima Jammeh
Jose Murillo
CROWDER [7]
CROWDER HEAVY CIVIL
Bridge Work
A Look at the Bridge Structure
Crowder Team Upgrades Wiring at Goose Creek Power Distribution Center
Goose Creek, SC: A team from Crowder was recently recruited to rewire the 4160V Dominion Williams power system. Upgrading the system to a new Power Distribution Center (PDC) involved running cable bus feeds from the auxiliary plant transformers out to the motors and loads in the plant. The project also encompassed control wiring for the plant control systems and protective relaying.
A Massive Upgrade
The project was initiated due to a drive to have all medium-voltage plants upgraded, including switchyard control upgrades. A significant undertaking, the project required Crowder to send their typical 14-person crew, then to augment that team at various points with structural, civil, and electrical engineers. At times, the team swelled to more than 30 total members.
In total, the project encompassed 10 tons of rebar, 109 yards of concrete, 41 tons of steel, 6,900’ of cable tray, and 197,000’ of cable. In monetary terms, it was a $4.8M project
THIRD EDITION 2022 GOOSE CREEK POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER [8]
Turbine Crane Bay
A reel of 750 MCM aluminum wire
Trench
Challenges Faced
Crowder’s team faced a number of significant obstacles with this project, starting with the difficulty of installing foundations for steel when they had very limited space to maneuver their equipment. To address this challenge, Crowder’s team relied heavily on Foreman Steve Hartley, who has been with Crowder over 26 years and was promoted to Site Superintendent in May of this year. He used smaller equipment, installed foundations in stages, and planned ahead on which foundations to do and in what order so he did not paint himself into a corner.
Challenging Project, Great Outcomes
Ultimately, this job was a very complex one, requiring much imagination during the initial bidding phase due to COVID restrictions on site walkthroughs. Crowder’s team was awarded this job over four other electrical contractors based on their previous job performances and their reliance on diverse suppliers.
The Crowder team worked 20,000-man hours without any safety issues and only one environmental incident, which was a ruptured hose on a rental lift.
Safety was a concern from the start, and Hartley and his team ensured that all work was done safely, approved by a third-party inspector, and did not require any rework. The civil work was particularly challenging due to the close work with high voltage plant systems and the actual proximity to the plant structure and foundation.
Running new power feeds to an operational power plant was also challenging, as all the best routes for running those lines were already in use by the plant. Crowder’s team
addressed this problem through careful planning, clear communication with the engineering team, and collaboration with site employees.
Still another challenge faced was pulling cables through some tight areas and some significant elevation changes. Here, Danny Moses and Shane Robbs worked to rig and setup three tuggers, three lifts, and scaffolding. Radio communication and timing were critical to get the cable pulled without damage.
The Team
Senior Project Manager
Rocky Hollingsworth
Technical Director
Bobby Manos
Site Superintendent
Eddie Lail
Superintendent
Fred Hall
Structural Superintendent
Agustin Jimenez
Project Controls
Walter McDaniel
Safety
Matt Green
General Foreman (Promoted to Site Superintendent May 2022)
Steve Hartley
Electrical Foremen
Alex Payne
Shane Robbs
Danny Moses
Derek Scott
Carpenter
Rafael Montalvo
Pipe Welder
Hunter Bagwell
Iron Workers
Roberto Rivera
Daniel Lucas
Electricians
Samuel Frazier
Edward Short
Robert Plemmons
Arturo Cortes
Emmanuel Cortes
Doug Todd
Joshua McDaniel
Wyatt McGaughey
Ronnie Lett
Jamien Schoonmaker
CROWDER CROWDER INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION [9]
The Crew Left to Right:
Front: Hunter Bagwell, Danny Moses, Fred Hall, Eddie Lail, Shane Robbs, Steve Hartley Middle: Arturo Cortes, Ronnie Lett, Julio Suarez Rodriguez, Ricky Gilliard, Emmanuel Cortes, Josh McDaniel
Back: Rafael Montalvo, Hector Cortes Encarnacion (hidden), Dominique Wallace, Robert Plemmons, Doug Todd, Edward Short, Walter McDaniel, Matthew Drew, Wyatt McGaughey
New Faces
Industrial
Laurie Bynum has a Petroleum Engineering degree from Louisiana State University and joined our Kings Bay Project last year. She and her husband, Jacob, have a majestic cat named Gotham, and a 100lb dog named Ruckus. Laurie’s hobbies include horses, gardening, artwork, hiking, and fossil hunting.
Jimmy O’Bryan rejoins Crowder as an Electrical Superintendent and is working at our MAS Wayne Township Landfill RNG facility in Pennsylvania.
Jimmy is busy with one son, three daughters, and two grand babies. In his spare time, Jimmy enjoys fishing, boating, playing pool, and just enjoys life.
Dusty Evans joined Industrial last year and is a Sr. Project Manager with a degree from Clemson in Mechanical Engineering with 17 years in construction.
Dusty and his wife, Lindsay, spend most of their time with their two sons, Mason and Sam, on the baseball field playing ball all year. Dusty also enjoys golf and working in his yard.
Bringing 27 years of construction experience, Trea Pittman started as a pipe welder and moved into Safety 12 years ago. Trea started last year with the Industrial Division as a Safety Engineer III. He has been married 22 years to his wife, Brooke, and they have a 14 year old daughter, Sydney Reese.
Richard Hamaker (not pictured) has joined our Hydro team at the Mt. Island Runner and Overhaul Replacement project as a Millwright Superintendent with over 40 years in construction experience. Richard and his wife, Mary, enjoy riding motorcycles.
Civil & Environmental
Laura Buffington joined Crowder in January 2022 as an Administrative Assistant and was promoted to Office Manager in May. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa and St. Ambrose University. In her free time, Laura loves to do all things outdoors, as well as spend time with her family and her dog. She enjoys kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and rock climbing at the indoor climbing gym.
Allison Henderson joined Crowder in January 2022 as an Administrative Assistant. She attended ECPI University. Allison is the mama of two boys, ages 18 and 24. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with family and her animals, especially her ducks!
Kelly Stevenson joined Crowder in January 2022 as an Administrative Assistant. She’s a Georgia lady, born and raised in the Athens, Decatur, and eventually Woodstock, GA area. Kelly is the youngest of three siblings and attended Etowah High School and Dalton State College. She has one son, who is the Studio Manager of Historic RCA Studio B in Nashville, TN. She has one grandson, Holden Croft, who is eight years old. Kelly loves anything outdoors, especially water skiing, swimming, kayaking, fishing, hiking, camping, etc. She also donates as much time as she can to help homeless people and her community.
Christina Harris joined Crowder in January 2022 as an Administrative Assistant. She is from WV, but she has lived in NC since 1985. Christina has two sons, two stepdaughters, five grandchildren and a soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Church, her family and her two huskies take up her spare time.
*Crowder is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. It is the policy of Crowder to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, age, genetic information, national origin, veteran status, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
THIRD EDITION 2022 PEOPLE NEWS [10]
New Faces Cont.
Travis Warrner recently rejoined Crowder in April 2022 as an Assistant Project Manager. He is a University of Cincinnati graduate with lots of previous experience with Crowder, both as a co-op and a full-time employee. Travis is excited to get back to work with Crowder. His hobbies include rock climbing, hiking, and traveling. He is married and has family in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Georgia.
Tom Derry joined Crowder in January 2022 as a Superintendent. He grew up in Maryland and moved to NC within the last two years. He and his wife, Terri (married 16 years), have 4 daughters, ages 15, 13, 10 and 8. In his spare time, Tom enjoys hiking, swimming, playing games with his kids, and playing fetch with his dog. Tom attended Plumbers and Steamfitters Trade School in Baltimore, MD.
Corporate Services
Dale Pearson joined Crowder in February 2022 as a Superintendent. He was born and raised in Ogden, UT in a family of 7 children. Dale raised his children in Utah before moving to Caldwell, ID, where he spent lots of time exploring on his motorcycle. He moved to Wetumpka, AL in August of 2021. Dale loves exploring the South with his wife!
Amber Thomas joined Crowder in March 2022 as an Administrative Assistant. She is a native of North Carolina where she lives with her fiancée and her puppy, Dakota. She attended the Art Institute of Charlotte for Fashion Marketing and Merchandising. In her spare time, Amber enjoys spending time with her friends and family, puppy, fashion, and teaching dance.
Spencer Lovelady joined Crowder in February 2022 as a Project Engineer. He grew up in Buford, GA and graduated from Buford HS in 2012. Spencer attended Georgia College and State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physics in December of 2017. Spencer went on to work as a residential/ commercial service plumber for 3 years before joining the Crowder team.
Daniel Wilson joined Crowder in January 2022 as a Superintendent. He graduated from Pickens High School. Daniel is married to his wife, Elisha, and has an 18-year-old daughter, Chloe. His hobbies are hunting, fishing, and camping.
Margarita Gonzalez joined the Corporate Services team in February 2022 as an Employee Services Coordinator in the benefits area as well as the Bilingual Hispanic Liaison. She brings with her over 19 years of HR experience from working in the staffing industry. Margarita was born in Bronx, NY but raised in Reading, PA, moving to Charlotte, NC in 2013. She lives here with her husband, daughter, stepdaughter, two shih-tzus and her chickens. She also has an older daughter that lives in Pennsylvania with her grandson who she loves very dearly. Margarita is a member of a church where she is part of the chorus and a leader in which her brother is the Pastor. In her spare time, she loves to sing, play drums, cook for the whole family, and go on small trips.
Marriages
Congratulations to Hilary Hansen (Braun) and her new husband Ian Braun. Hilary is the Media Specialist and daughter of Lynn Hansen. The two were married in Uptown Charlotte on January 22nd, 2022.
CROWDER PEOPLE NEWS [11]
New Additions
Congratulations to Kelly and Lizz Kurc on the birth of their new baby girl, Ruth Amico Kurc. She was born on 1/28/22 in the afternoon, weighing 7lbs / 11oz and 22” long. Kelly is our Onboarding Administrator in Employee Services.
Congratulations to Malachi Lawrence and his wife, Parrish, on the birth of their new baby boy, William Christopher! William Christopher Lawrence weighs 5 lbs. 3 oz. and is 18” long. Malachi is a Superintendent in our Heavy Civil Division.
Congratulations to Esteban and Alma Servin on the birth of their son, Luka Servin, on July 2nd, 2022. He weighed 9 lbs. and was 20” long. Esteban is a Safety Coordinator for C&E.
Congratulations to Evans and Anna Townsend on the birth of their baby boy; Henry Evans Townsend was born on 3/14/2022 at 11:58 PM. He weighs 9 lbs. 5 oz.
Congratulations to Cassie and Jonathan Pence on the birth of their son, Bennett William Pence, on June 6th, 2022. He weighed 5 lbs. 13 ounces and is 19.5” long. This is Cassie and Jonathan’s second child. Cassie is an Administrative Assistant in the C&E Midlothian, VA office.
Congratulations to Proud Grandpa, Gary Hall, on his 3rd Grandchild (2nd Grandson). Ivey Walker Hall was born Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 1:33 pm. He weighs 6 lbs. and is 19” long. Gary is a Safety Coordinator here in our Heavy/Civil Division.
Congratulations to Charlotte Belk who is proud grandmother “CeCe” a third time as Emmy Dean was born March 22, 2022 to her son, Drew, and daughter-in-law, Carlee! Siblings, Addy Kate and Brooks, were excited to meet their new baby sister.
Congratulations to Jeremy and Mary Harrison on the birth of their daughter, Avery Frances Harrison, on June 11th, 2022. She weighed 7 lbs. 8
CAGC Summit Top Young Leader Award
Chris Boyd was presented with the 2022 Top Young Leader Award through the CAGC. This award recognizes those who play critical roles in the community and professional arenas of the construction industry. Chris is the Preconstruction Services Manager in Heavy Civil.
THIRD EDITION 2022 PEOPLE NEWS [12]
Crowder’s 2022 Annual Meeting
On Friday, May 13th, we celebrated a successful year at Crowder and kicked off the celebrations for our 75th Anniversary! Over 400 employees gathered together to celebrate the successes of the past year and look forward to future opportunies in the years to come.
Employees enjoyed breakfast and lunch together, heard from company leadership, and also heard from guest speakers David Lynn and Chad Hymas. David spoke about continuing to improve Crowder’s award-winning safety program and going one step further and becoming the “Chik-fil-A” of Safety. Chad Hymas shared his life story about travelling the world and overcoming day-to-day challenges and obstacles after becoming quadriplegic in a life-changing accident. You can see more about both of these inspiring men at:
David Lynn: https://peaksafetyperformance.com/about/david-lynn/ Chad Hymas: https://www.facebook.com/chadlhymas
Service awards were presented to employees celebrating 5-year milestones and more with Crowder. This tradition recognizes how important having long-term employees are to Crowder’s success. Crowder would like to give a special congratulations to and recognize Justin Elliot, Newt King, and Danny Moses for receiving their 25-year Anniversary watches, David Conrad for receiving his 30-year pin, and Bill Crowder for receiving his 50-year pin! Thank you for all of the time you have spent with Crowder and the hard work you have done to contribute to Crowder’s success.
To celebrate Crowder’s 75th Anniversary, we officially began our “75 Acts of Kindess” campaign. Employees in all divisions are encouraged to participate in volunteer activities and community service projects to give back to the commuities where we live and work in. What better way is there to celebrate being in business for 75 years than by giving back to communities that have supported Crowder over the years? You can stay updated on all of our acts of kindness by following Crowder’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Stay tuned for the next edition of Tagline where we will be highlighting these events.
CROWDER ANNUAL MEETING [13]
