GCA Construction News Bulletin December 2014

Guam Contractors’ Association

NEWS BULLETIN

Vol.55 Issue 12 DECEMBER 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

16 6

S.A.M.E.

10

INSIDER NEWS

12

YOUR ENVIRONMENT

16

FEATURE STORY

24

FEATURE STORY

28

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

30

GARRISON REPORT

32

REPORTS/INFORMATION

2 | DECEMBER2014

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

24

Feature Story

Feature Story

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GCA

TRADES ACADEMY B u i l d i n g

S k i l l s

F o r

A

L i f e t i m e

Guam Contractors Association

THEDIRECTORS PRESIDENT James A. Martinez, GCA PAST CHAIRMAN Tom Anderson, Black Construction Corporation CHAIRMAN - ELECT Art Chan, Hawaiian Rock Products VICE CHAIRMAN - ELECT John Sage, WATTS Constructors SECRETARY/TREASURER William Beery, Tutujan Hill Group CONTRACTORS DIRECTORS: Narci Dimaoala, Amazon Construction Carlo Leon Guerrero, M80 Office Systems Conchita Bathan, Core Tech International Tom San Nicolas, dck pacific guam LLC Miguel Rangel, Maeda Pacific Corporation ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS: Jeffrey Larson, TakeCare Insurance Ray Yanger, Fastenal Patty Lizama, Pacific Isla Life Michael Kikuta, Matson Navigation

THEEDITORIALS Guam Contractor’s Association (GCA) in conjunction with AdzTech and Public Relations, Inc. publishes the Construction News Bulletin (CNB) monthly. Reproduction of materials appearing in this publication is strictly forbidden without written permission

by GCA. While we always strive for accuracy, we will from time to time overlook mistakes. In order to help us improve the quality and accuracy of this publication, we ask that you take the time to look at the information provided and notify GCA of any corrections as needed. Opinions and editorial content of this publication may not necessarily be those of the publisher, staff, GCA members, GCA Board of Directors and advertisers.

For more information about advertising in the GCA Construction News Bulletin contact the advertising department at (671) 477-1239/2239 or email at adztech@teleguam.net.

Distributed to GCA members or can be obtained by stopping by the Guam Contractors’ Association office located at 718 N. Marine Corps Drive, Suite 203, East West Business Center, Upper Tumon, Guam.

To find out more about how you can become a GCA member contact Guam Contractors’ Association at Tel: (671)647-4840/41 Fax: (671) 647-4866 or Email: gca@teleguam.net. www.guamcontractors.org Postmaster. Send address changes to Guam Contractors’ Association, located at 718 N. Marine Drive Corps Suite 203, East West Business Center, Upper Tumon, Guam.

THETEAM PUBLISHER: James Martinez SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR: Geri Leon Guerrero AD SALES: Tom Mendiola Jaceth Duenas PRODUCTION: Geri Leon Guerrero Christopher “Taco” Rowland Jaceth Duenas PHOTOGRAPHERS: Christopher “Taco” Rowland EDITOR: Adztech CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John Robertson R.D. Gibson Catherine Cruz Norton Dave Barnhouse Tammy Jo Anderson Taft GCA STAFF: Francine Arceo Desiree Lizama COVER: PPPT Frame Contest Winners

S.A.M.E. UPDATE

General Membership Luncheon Meeting November 20, 2014 Gloria B. Nelson Public Service Building GPA-GWA-CCU Joint Facility, Fadian Point

As the Gloria B. Nelson Public Service Building prepares to house it’s new occupants, joe Pangelinan from RIM Architects, design contractor for the project, presented some of the design details to the latest SAME General Membership meeting

handle their accounts.

employees and customers. Held on 15 acres, the new facility will provide the updated records system, adequate parking (400 spaces for customers alone), storage and working space needed as well as the upgrades necessary to meet current building code and ADA requirements. Also important to the design ws making sure the building would meet the criteria for LEED

DESIGN PARTNERS

6 | DECEMBER2014

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

Civil/Structural

GHD

Mechanical

EMC² Mechanical Inc.

Electrical

Wixon & Associates

Landscape

Belt Collins

Environmental

PCR Environmental, Inc.

Finance Consultant

Deloitte & Touche

Cost Estimates

RLB – Rider Levett Bucknall www.guamcontractors.org

S.A.M.E. UPDATE

LEED Design & Implementation • • • • • • • •

Efficient Air Handler/Chiller/Chilled Water Pump 25% reduction in energy 20% reduction in water usage Capture runoff & percolate on site 50% undeveloped use of the property 60,000 gal water storage tank Solar water heater Provisions in place for future PV installation

According to the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED rating system offers four certification levels for new construction -- Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum -- that correspond to the number of points earned in five green design categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. LEED Silver Certification comes

Sun Shading

enough points to reach the Silver level.

Cooling Tower

the top of the home page.

All data and photos courtesy of RIM Architects. For more information about RIM, visit www.rimarchitects.com To join SAME Guam Post, log on to SAME.org and click on “Membership” at the top of the home page. www.guamcontractors.org

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

DECEMBER2014 | 7

INSIDER NEWS

A DILEMMA IN U.S. – CHINA RELATIONS

By John M. Robertson

The Congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission has one job: to provide a realistic view of the relationship, unfiltered by diplomatic niceties. While some of its assessments may be overstated, it always contains important information, and this year’s report is especially sobering. The bipartisan commission of experts—including intelligence veterans, former diplomats and business executives—concludes, “As a result of China’s comprehensive and rapid military modernization, the regional balance of power between China, on the one hand, and the United States and its allies and associates on the other, is shifting in China’s direction.” This information is of special interest to civilians as well as the military on Guam because of proximity to potential diplomatic or even military confrontation in the decades ahead.

A Congressional Commission Provides Some Wake-up Calls Across 600 pages of the commission’s report, there are many such warnings. By 2020, when the U.S. Navy plans to station 67 submarines and surface ships in the Asia-Pacific (“budget permitting”), China could have 351. Twice this year Beijing appears to have tested a new hypersonic missile vehicle, the WU-14 that “could enable China to conduct kinetic strikes anywhere in the world within minutes to hours.” Yes, Beijing’s reach may exceed its grasp—even the U.S. faces difficulty in fielding a similar system. But the eventual payoff would be huge.

Approaching speeds of 8,000 miles per hour, it “could render existing U.S. missile defense systems less effective and potentially obsolete.”

Then there’s outer space, where “China likely will be able to hold at risk U.S. national security satellites in 10 | DECEMEBER2014

every orbital regime in the next five to ten years.” The report quotes U.S. Air Force General William Shelton to explain: “We are so dependent on space these days, we plug into it like a utility. It is always there.

Nobody worries about it.” Losing space assets to China’s anti-satellite weapons therefore “would be almost a reversion” to “industrial-based warfare.” The report also bears bad news about America’s vulnerable cyber networks: “China’s cyber espionage continued unabated in 2014, despite a concerted U.S. effort since 2013 to expose and stigmatize Chinese economic espionage.” The commissioners clearly think little of the Obama Administration’s indictment of five Chinese military officers for stealing secrets from U.S. industrial firms: “China’s material incentives for continuing this activity are immense and unlikely to be altered by small-scale U.S. actions.”

The report recommends instead that officials examine ways “for sanctions to be imposed against entities that benefit from trade secrets or other information obtained through cyber intrusions or other illegal means.” Elsewhere the commission indicts the government for keeping Americans in the dark about China. The Pentagon hasn’t publicly assessed the size of China’s nuclear arsenal since 2006, it notes, when the estimate was 100 warheads—a number that some experts believe China has since eclipsed by 30 times. Nor has the Pentagon reported publicly on China’s missile forces since 2010. The commissioners similarly score Pentagon leaders for failing to explain the “purpose and rationale” of expanding military-to-military engagements with a Chinese party-state that acts belligerently and refuses to “engage in substantive military diplomacy.”

As ever, some caveats are in order. Intelligence assessments, let alone the opensource material cited by the commission, can be faulty. China’s ships and planes remain inferior to America’s, its soldiers less well-trained and untested in combat.

The People’s Liberation Army has one aircraft carrier that is no match for any of America’s 11. And while the U.S. government has been open about many of its vulnerabilities, it stays understandably

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

mum about its own offensive capabilities in cyberspace, outer space and otherwise.

So no commission report can be all-knowing, but this blunt accounting is a public service. As it says: “Unfortunately, China’s pursuit of a more confrontational relationship with the United States likely will persist.” Rather than pretend the challenge from China can be wished away, the executive branch must be spurred to recognize and counter it.

The Dangerous Perception Gap

U.S.-China

Out-of-Touch Views of Each Other Could Prove a Combustible Mix The mocking tone of an editorial may have been unusual for a Chinese newspaper, but the sentiments were not: America, it scoffed, is a washed-up superpower. “Too lazy to reform,” is how the nationalistleaning Global Times framed the American dilemma just days ahead of a visit to Beijing by U.S. President Barack Obama last month, reflecting a widespread Chinese view about America’s decline.

U.S. politics are a mess and social cohesion is fraying, the paper said. As for Mr. Obama, he’s “doing an insipid job.”

In international relations, perceptions matter greatly. They can even lead to military conflict.

Today, a growing risk to global stability is the way that mainstream views of America in China--and common views of China in America—are losing touch with reality.

China makes a habit of exaggerating America’s weaknesses and underrating its strengths.

America has the opposite tendency, hyping China’s ascent and underestimating its vulnerabilities. The effect is to exacerbate a dangerous rivalry in East Asia between the world’s two largest economies. A newly emboldened China has abandoned years of careful diplomacy and is openly confronting America and its regional allies and friends, including especially Japan and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, stricken by concerns that China will one day rise to become a military

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None of this is to say that China’s prospects are doomed. President Xi Jinping has made an impressive start to his program of sweeping economic reforms.

And it’s often noted that few people have made money betting against China in the past quarter century. Still, the odds that China can keep growing in a linear fashion without serious mishap get worse by the day. Nor is America’s success assured.

The Global Times makes fair points about American frailties (Who can deny the baleful consequences of political gridlock in Washington?)

Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping met during an Asia-Pacific leadership summit in November. ASSOCIATED PRESS peer in the Asia Pacific, America is “pivoting” its forces to the region. Perceptions have warped not just among ordinary Chinese and Americans but among top officials and, in particular, military strategists with a vested interest in perpetuating myths and distortions of this kind.

The perception gap has been widening ever since 2008 when America’s economy plunged into its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. This was a watershed moment for Chinese leaders since they understand very well that military power, over the long run, stems from economic prowess.

Determined not to disrupt its own growth pace, China sent its economy into expansionary overdrive, spurring a frenzy of construction to make up for lost exports.

To many in the upper echelons of the Communist Party, it seemed that the balance of power had shifted, that China’s time really had arrived and America’s days of global preeminence were numbered.

Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping met during an Asia-Pacific leadership summit last month.

This sentiment appeared to trump more sober analysis.

Writing in 2010, for instance, Zhang Bin, a scholar with the China Institute of International Studies, argued that “America’s status as the world’s only superpower has not changed fundamentally.” Time has borne out that assessment. It turns out that much of China’s recent growth has been illusory, the result of reckless lending and wasteful investment. Bridges to nowhere and empty “ghost cities” litter the Chinese landscape.

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Debt among state-owned enterprises is out of control; chronic overcapacity plagues the steel and shipbuilding industries, among others. When the cost of the cleanup from all this polluting, and increasingly unproductive economic activity is stripped out, China’s seemingly miraculous growth looks even less impressive. Some 20% of all farmland is contaminated.

Furthermore, these immensely complex problems need fixing—along with a broken education system, hopelessly underfunded pension and welfare programs and inadequate health-care coverage—just as China’s demographic tailwinds turn into headwinds. China is aging and its workforce is about to shrink. Nothing can be done to reverse this in the foreseeable future.

Larry Summers is one American who isn’t buying into the story put out by the economists at Goldman Sachs and other investment banks that China inevitably will soar past America in terms of overall economic output.

In a recent working paper co-written with fellow Harvard academic Lant Pritchett, the former U.S. Treasury secretary argues that after the greatest economic surge in history, China’s growth is likely to revert to the global averagemore like 2% than this year’s anticipated 7.5% or so. In other words, China won’t overtake America soon and, in fact, may never catch up.

But perceptions have a way of confounding logic. For years, Americans labored under a false sense that the Soviet Union represented a mortal economic threat. And, improbable though it now seems, in the 1980s many thought their country would be eclipsed by Japan.

And perceptions shape history, too. The Greek philosopher Thucydides explained the causes of the fifth-century B.C. Peloponnesian War in these terms: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this inspired in Sparta that made war inevitable.” There’s nothing preordained about either China’s rise, or America’s demise. The combustible mix of triumphalism and fear, though, are very real. That’s the true dilemma of contemporary East Asia.

The above is adapted from two recent articles in the Wall Street Journal. An article in the 29 November issue titled “Essential China Reading”; and, an article authored by Andrew Browne titled “The Dangerous U.S.-China Perception Gap” that appeared in the 26 November issue.

Meanwhile, America’s long-term economic prospects are brightening. Entrepreneurship and invention are alive and well:

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DECEMBER2014 | 11

INSIDER NEWS

Silicon Valley is filled with Chinese engineers who find more reward there than at home. Thanks to the shale-gas revolution, even manufacturing is making a modest comeback. America may become energy self-sufficient in the next decade.

YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Guam’s Water Lens

By Tammy Jo Anderson Taft

Water Facts - The majority of Guam’s drinking water is provided from drilling wells into the Northern Guam Lens.

- Guam Waterworks Authority currently produces an estimated 39 million gallons of water per day from the Northern Guam Lens.

- An estimated five to 10 percent of American homes have water leaks that drip about 90 gallons of water a day or more.

- Using a faucet labeled by U.S. EPA as a Water Sense faucet could save one household more than 500 gallons of water every year.

- If all inefficient toilets in homes in the U.S. mainland were converted to water-saving toilets, more than 640 billion gallons of water per year would be saved.

Source: www.epa.gov/watersense/about_us/f acts.html and north.hydroguam.net/backgroundNGLA2.php

12 | DECEMBER2014

Reduce Your Water Bill. Protect The Northern Guam Lens.

Use Less. Smart Shopping.

Guam is so lucky. Unlike other islands, we can produce water from under the ground instead of relying on catchment systems and weather patterns.

One of the first steps to reducing your water bill is to simply use less water. Don’t use water to thaw foods. Run the washer and dishwasher only when they are full.

Stop spending excess time in the shower.

Although our amazing underground water resource relies on rainwater, it is so big (83 square miles) that it easily withstands our current levels of use. Guam has yet to run out of groundwater and estimates say we will not for a long time.

These are things most residents have been doing for years, yet at times, we still find ourselves committing these water sins.

Make a commitment to yourself and your family to do a better job of being waterconscious in 2015.

But of the 44 million gallons of water pumped up daily and turned into drinking water, 14 million of those gallons are lost through “leakage and undocumented or unmetered usage,” according to the Water and Environmental Research Institute (WERI) of the Western Pacific.

The next step is to fix any other leaks you may have. It takes time and plumbing fixes can be frustrating, but fixing leaks will soon pay for itself when your monthly water bill comes in the mail.

14 million gallons may not seem like a lot, until you think of it as 21 Olympic size swimming pools a day. Every day we spend the money to pump and treat water, and are losing the equivalent of the water needed for 300,000 loads of laundry.

Although individual can’t step up and help GWA fix leaks on main lines, every house and business can take steps to make sure they have no leaks on their property.

Businesses and homes can also be proactive and conserve water. Every year it is becoming easier to find simply, costeffective techniques to save water and save money on your water bill.

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

The final step is to keep your water bill in mind when replacing fixtures or appliances.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a system to label fixtures as part of the WaterSense program if they meet certain conservation requirements.

In general, if you are buying a washer, go with a front load machine. If you are buying a shower head, get one with multiple settings as they typically have a low-flow setting.

Another way to save water without replacing water fixtures is to examine your hot water heater. If you have family members who require hot water for showers and dishes, it may be smart to look into a tankless water heater. These systems heat

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rainwater to recharge the Lens. Every day, 238 million gallons per day currently recharge the water in the Lens, according to WERI.

Unique Resource

Help reduce the amount of water pumped out of the Lens by being water smart. Do your part to stop pollution by picking up and properly storing chemicals, especially if you live or work in northern Guam.

Guam continues to be blessed by the huge underground water source known as the Northern Guam Lens. But what many people don’t realize is the source can be compromised if we are not smart with our water use and development practices.

Most of the water pumped from the Lens comes from under the limestone in Yigo, Dededo, Mangilao, Harmon and other areas in northern part of the island.

Take a step to protect our water source so Guam can continue to enjoy the benefits of having a huge underground water source.

Learn More About Guam’s Water - Visit the Water and Environmental Research Institute (WERI) or learn more about Guam’s water online at www.weriguam.org.

- See a digital atlas of Guam’s waters including an aerial imagery database at hydroguam.net

- Guam has a kid-friendly water education site found at guamwaterkids.com. The site teaches children what they can do to protect Guam’s fresh water.

The Lens was created by rainfall dripping through the limestone of northern Guam.

The freshwater then sits on top of volcanic rock and salt water found under the limestone.

- See what products will help you conserve water at home and the shop at U.S. EPA’s Water Sense website. www.epa.gov/WaterSense/products

The same limestone that allows rainwater to refill the Lens, also allows chemicals or other pollutants to trickle down into the Lens if we are not careful. In addition to potential pollution, the Lens can be threatened by overdevelopment. Surfaces like asphalt and concrete that do not allow water to pass through make it difficult for

Happy Holidays!

From Guam Contractors Association & Adztech

www.guamcontractors.org

YOUR ENVIRONMENT

water instantly instead of storing it for long periods with continuous heat. It may also help the hot water for your shower and dishes arrive through the lines faster.

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DECEMBER2014 | 13

Repair Protect Strengthen

Installation of FX-263 Rapid-Hardening Vertical/Overhead Repair Mortar

Simpson Strong-Tie introduces its Repair, Protection and Strengthening Systems for concrete and masonry. Formulated and tested in the lab and proven in the field, our wide-range of repair mortars, coatings, grouts, epoxies, sealants and our FX-70 ® structural repair and protection system can help you tackle all types of repairs – small or large – in a variety of applications.

With more than 55 years in the construction industry, you can count on Simpson Strong-Tie to provide practical, cost-effective solutions and personalized genuine service. Get your copy of our new product guide by calling 800-599-9099 or visiting www.strongtie.com/rps.

To speak with a Simpson Strong-Tie representative in Guam, call 671-689-6201.

Watch the FX 70 ® Pile Repair Cyclic Testing at www.strongtie.com/videolibrary and subscribe to our YouTube Channel at youtube.com/strongtie ©2014 Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. RPS13-C

SSTM-RPS13-C_7_1-2_x10.indd 1

5/29/14 3:24 PM

By James Martinez

Pizza, Pop and Power Tools (PPPT) introduces middle and high school girls to the extensive opportunities available to women in the construction industry. This interactive experience has proven to be a fun learning experience in a safe atmosphere and introduces girls to the high skill and high wage employment opportunities in the industry, working side by side with construction professionals.

First introduced by GCA and NAWIC in 2011, PPPT was developed in response to a lack of females engaged in the opportunities available in the construction industry. In its first year, 65 middle and high school girls attended the event. Now four years later, PPPT is facilitating over 100 participants in this single-day event.

GCA Trades Academy Certified Instructors and other professional craftspeople demonstrate and supervise the various workshop activities throughout the day. Before any girl could attend the workshops, they first had to go through an orientation and safety briefing including the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment for all the

workshops they will be participating in. The first workshop was the proper use of hand and power tools, sponsored by Matua Consultants and conducted by NCCER Certified Instructor Larry Taitano, Owner of the company. He was assisted of Aaron Snyder of Granite Construction. All the necessary personal protective equipment was provided to each participant. Aside from the proper use of hand and power tools, various workshops were also held, showcasing the skills needed in the various trades including electrical, plumbing, carpentry, masonry and heavy equipment.

In the electrical workshop, the girls first learned how to bend conduit and run electrical wiring though a conduit and connected the wires to a power source. They were then treated for a ride on a bucket truck reaching heights in excess of 50 feet. The electrical workshop was sponsored by Budazu Electric. Vince Bordallo, owner of the company and Master Electrician and an NCCER Certified Master Instructor for the GCATA and his crew provided the training.

The plumbing workshop taught the girls the proper installation of a faucet fixture and the proper connection to a water supply source. Having a female craft professional and business owner like Jessica Barrett, President of Barrett Plumbing who sponsored the workshop, showed the girls that women can do this job just as well or

even better than boys can and can be very successful in this industry.

Having a woman like Jessica demonstrating her trade inspired these young ladies.

Two new workshops were offered in this year’s line up, a masonry workshop and heavy equipment workshop. The masonry workshop, sponsored by Hawaiian Rock Products and conducted by Gary Bowen of Granite Construction, showed the young ladies the importance of laying blocks and ensuring the blocks are level. Plans for next year’s event will include mixing cement and applying and leveling concrete blocks to form a CMU wall. The girls didn’t mind getting their hands and in some cases their clothes a little dirty playing in the sand.

In the heavy equipment workshop, the girls were all excited to have the opportunity to operate a real backhoe under the guidance of GCATA heavy equipment instructor Jesse Pangelinan. Jesse had his work cut out for him as the lines were long to get on the backhoe. Some girls were trying out their skills on a GCATA heavy equipment simulator before trying the real deal. Words can’t describe the look on their faces when they got on this piece of heavy equipment for the very first time, even more so when they got off. The heavy equipment workshop was sponsored by Hawthorne Cat and the Caterpillar backhoe was provided by the GCA Trades Academy.

As the name of the event suggests, pizza and pop, or rather a healthier option of fruit juice, were served up for lunch and these girls were hungry!

Fifty (50) boxes of New Yorker-size cheese and pepperoni pizzas were ordered for the ladies courtesy of Watts Constructors and fifteen (15) cases of Aloha Maid drinks and Fastenal water were wiped out before the end of the day. The girls ate and drank in the open air environment of the GCA Trades Academy shop area.

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DECEMBER2014 | 17

FEATURE STORY

The Guam Contractors Association, in collaboration with the GCA Trades Academy (GCATA) and the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) held its 4th Annual Pizza, Pop & Power Tools event at the GCATA Training Facility in Barrigada on November 22, 2014.

FEATURE STORY

Before each girl left for the day, they were tasked with building something great! That something was a picture frame that they had to build by themselves under the supervision of Brad and Nicole Poetter of Poetter Construction and Education Consultants who sponsored the carpentry workshop. They were assisted by NCCER Certified Instructor Sixto Quintanilla of Hawaiian Rock Products and Kevin Kruger of Granite Construction. The girls learned how to measure and cut the wood per specifications for their project and how to use a miter saw to make the 45 degree angle cuts for the corners. They then assembled, stapled and glued the cut pieces to make their picture frames. They took their raw/unfinished picture frames home to make the finishing touches like painting and attaching decorations on the frames. They were then asked to post their finished product on the

18 | DECEMBER2014

GCA Facebook page and tell their friends and family to “like� it on Facebook. The entry with the most likes on the GCA Facebook page received an iPad Mini 3 (Gold), second most likes received an iPod Touch and the third most likes received an iPod Nano. These prizes were made possible by dck pacific guam LLC through their sponsorship of the event.

construction industry and some of the skills needed in the construction trades. They left with an everlasting impression that girls can do this job as much as the boys and be able to succeed in a career in construction and perhaps some day, even own their own construction company. Cost to do the Pizza, Pop & Power - $3,325.00, the smiles on their faces as they left, PRICELESS!

At the end of the day of the 2014 Pizza, Pop & Power Tools, the girls went home with a pink event t-shirt sponsored by Core Tech International, a pink drawstring backpack sponsored

by Adztech PR and Advertising and a pink hard hat sponsored by GCA. Additionally, six lucky girls also left with gift packs that were raffled off as door prizes provided by Fastenal.

Perhaps the biggest take-away these girls had during this event was gaining a little more knowledge of the

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

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William “Bill” Beery, P.E. General Manager, Tutujan Hills Group Ltd. Immediate Past Chairman, GCA

Retirement solutions for your small business.

“For some time our group had been asking for a 401(k) benefit. My first impression was that providing this type of program for a group as small as ours might be on the expensive side.

Not only did ASC Trust Corporation break this

misconception, they surpassed my expectations.

We were able to start a plan that was both fairly priced and made sense with what we were looking for. In the end, the tailored-solution was exactly what our team needed.” - Bill Beery

Finding a tailor-made solution is just the beginning. ASC offers a level of service that sets us apart from other retirement plan providers in the region.

Let us help you save for a successful retirement, one paycheck at a time.

Schedule to meet with our team today e: info@asctrust.com w: asctrust.com p: (671)-477-2724

GUAM

by R.D. Gibson

FEATURE STORY

Guam has grown so much in the last several decades. From the rubble and ruins of war to an epicenter of commerce in the region, our island exemplifies the true meaning of perseverance and growth. There are many families and companies that have made it a point to grow with, and enhance our island. For three decades, Triple J Enterprises, Inc. and the Jones Family have dedicated themselves toward providing quality products for Guam – and it doesn’t stop there.

It all begins with the commitment and perseverance. The Jones Family, led by their patriarch Robert H. Jones, have invested in the growth despite the topsy-turvy economy Guam has endured throughout the years.

On Guam, you can take a drive southbound on Marine Corps Drive and see their footprint at two separate locations: right in front of KMart, and not even half a mile down the road by the Mobil and 76 Circle K Gas Stations. For the last 30 years, through their dealerships and rent-a-car services, they’ve helped business folk get to-and-from work, seen families grow, and guided tourists toward enjoying the beauty and hospitality of Guam outside of Tumon. Triple J started off as a small auto dealership in 1984. From humble beginnings as a Subaru dealership, we now see Triple J Motors with a vastly impressive portfolio of automakers like Mitsubishi, Kia, Ford, Honda, Volva, Mazda, and Acura – just to name a few.

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With success comes growth, right? And why not dabble in different kinds of opportunities? It only makes sense. And the Triple J Family did just that with the Outback Steakhouse franchise. Then later they would take the family-eatery market by storm with Capriciossa: Ristorante Italiano and Tony Roma’s. On any given night, you’ll see tourists and residents celebrating birthdays, special events, or gathering because the food is just that good. Success in the restaurant business has also helped solidify their footprint in our community and our homes.

Some of the most famous familyeateries are right at home. The food prepared brings families together for laughs and memories. The Triple J Family has been a part of a bigger island family through their products we find in our pantry or refrigerator, like Certified Angus Beef ®, Hereford Pauls, California Sunshine Milk, Tyson, Dreyer’s, Kraft, Hormel Foods, and Hawaii Water.

Triple J Five Star Wholesale Foods Guam and Saipan, their foods division,

has found their way into the homes – and stomachs – of their customers.

Speaking of families, they also help families set roots and grow through their real estate division. This division focuses on development, property management, and leasing (among others), not just on Guam, but in Saipan, North Carolina, and Japan. Sandy Beach Homes in Saipan, Saddle Acres at Willow Spring in North Carolina, Apricot Pension in Hakuba, Japan are properties owned and managed by the Triple J Real Estate group. Ranging from affordable housing to ski resort properties, the folks in the Real Estate group have their work cut out for them in ensuring customers are well taken care of, and are not disappointed.

This demonstrates their reach globally.

Though their headquarters are on Guam, they also have branches in Saipan, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and California, too. In the last 30 years, we’ve seen the Triple J Family grow from a small auto-dealership to a major

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FEATURE STORY

front-runner in the business community on Guam. And not just on Guam, but throughout the Western Pacific.

It isn’t just about belief in their product, customers, or employees. No, it’s about the belief in strong relationships. It’s about a family of companies that are committed to putting their Customers First – their slogan, which differentiates them from many other enterprises on Guam. The Chairman and CEO of Triple J Enterprises, Robert H. Jones said, “Let’s all remember to put more into the pot of life than we take out.”

Whether it’s helping at the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life, supporting Guam Cancer Care, promoting good citizenship and leadership through the Guam Boy Scouts of America, or preserving and promoting the rich culture of Guam and her people through the Guam Museum Foundation, the Triple J Family maintains they are not just a group of companies, but a part of the tapestry of our island.

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They really aren’t putting just Customers First – they’re putting Guam first. That is what has allowed them to be successful: ensuring the community grows with them. They aren’t just a household name. They aren’t just a family name.

They are a community name. They’ve left an imprint on our island like the tires of their vehicles and foundations of their buildings.

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And, ladies and gentlemen, that’s only 30 years. Imagine what else they’ll do, or where else they’ll go. Their longevity is fueled only by their commitment to the communities they strengthen. As evidenced by their perseverance and commitment on Guam, China, Japan, the CNMI, and stateside, it looks just as good, if not better than the work they’ve already done.

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GARRISON REPORT I assume most companies want to improve their performance. The question is, How to achieve that goal? One obstacle to achieving that goal results from the belief that only major improvements will produce significant results. The problem is that large improvements are difficult to find and even more difficult to implement.

People tend to resist change. Therefore, the larger the proposed change, the greater the resistance to the change. The worker resistance to the change is often sufficient to cause the initiative to fail.

If you want to create a successful improvement program, you need a different approach. The keys to success include involving the workers in the process and recognizing that small continuous improvements are easier to both find and implement. Before discounting small improvements consider the fact; if you improve your productivity by 28 seconds a day, compounded daily, in just three years you will double your productivity. In other words, small improvements do add up and are easier to implement and often more successful.

However, in the United States continuous improvement programs usually do not work, because they are not implemented properly. In contrast, when they are implemented properly they are often very successful. This report helps explains how to create your company's continuous improvement program that will deliver outstanding results.

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The process starts with someone in management addressing the workers and asking for the workers' assistance in improving productivity. Often a manager says something like: "Times are tough, therefore, in order to remain competitive we need to improve productivity. What suggestions do you have to improve productivity?"

While the above statement may appear to be a neutral statement, it does not come across that way to the workers. The workers' internalize the comment something like: "You SOB. We are busting our butts, and now you want us to work harder so that you can make more money. Some chance of that!"

Workers with this attitude will make little effort to offer suggestions to improve productivity. The workers have no incentive to help because they believe it will only help the company and force them to work even harder.

However, a slightly different approach could create a totally different reaction. A better approach might be something like: "While the company needs to improve productivity, we realize that management is a major contributor to the problem.

Therefore, we need you to help us identify what management is doing that drives you crazy, gets in the way of you doing your

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job, or simply wastes your time. In other words, what changes can management make to your job to make it easier and more enjoyable for you?"

This approach will get the workers attention, and a few suggestions will follow. In the beginning, there will still be some reluctance. It will take some time for workers to overcome their skepticism that management will take their suggestions seriously. However, as you let the workers implement their suggestions, trust in the process will increase and more and more ideas will begin to surface.

Why Does This Process Work?

Studies have found that the two things that motivate workers the most are being in on things and being appreciated.

Therefore, by asking workers for their opinions and then letting them implement their ideas you are tapping those two motivators. Instead of saying you appreciate their ideas, you are demonstrating your appreciation by letting them implement their ideas. It is also impossible for the worker to be more in on something then implement his or her ideas.

By pushing the workers' two, hot buttons, you will begin to experience a change in your workers' motivation.

Further, in writing the book Strategic Thinking, I learned that frontline workers, not management, generate the majority of the innovative ideas in companies that www.guamcontractors.org

Keys to a Continuous Improvement Process • The changes proposed in a continuous improvement program should be limited to changes the individual or the individual's crew can implement on their own. They should require little, if any, capital to implement.

• More elaborate changes can occur after the appropriate trust has been established, but those larger changes are not part of a continuous improvement process.

• It must be clear to everyone that any suggestion will be measured against current productivity. If the suggestion does not improve productivity then, it will On-site Diesel GCA AD.pdf

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not be implemented.

• Management should not critique the suggestions. Let the workers implement all their ideas, even if management does not believe the suggestion will work. Let the workers find out for themselves. When management decides what idea will be or not be implemented without testing them, management undermines the system and suggestions stop flowing. When a worker discovers his idea does not work, he typically just moves on especially when he is supported for trying.

• Encourage workers to submit ideas.

Support their ideas. Make it clear that it is okay if their suggestions do not work, because the idea of innovation is try new things. The only way to find out what will work is to try them. Since the cost of implementing the ideas are minimal, cost should not be a deterrent to testing the suggested change. The only exception where management will reject an idea is if it creates a safety issue.

Management should simply respond by saying something like; "Will will not consider this idea because it is not safe.

We will not sacrifice safety in an effort to increase productivity." However, it is critical that management praise the effort of suggesting ideas, not just focusing on the successful ones.

If you would like to learn more about how your company can implement a continuous improvement program, feel free to contact us for assistance.

Ted Garrison; president of Garrison Associates, is a catalyst for change. As a consultant, author and speaker; delivers his Construction 3.0 Strategies that offer breakthrough solutions for the construction industry by focusing on critical issues in leadership, project management, strategic thinking, strategic alliances and marketing. Contact Ted at 800-861-0874 or Ted@TedGarrison.com. Further information can be found at www.TedGarrison.com."

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GARRISON REPORT

win awards for innovation. It's not that management is dumb, but the people in the trenches have the best view of the issues that negatively impacting the company's operations in the field. The construction industry must avoid wasting its valuable resource - the minds of its workers.

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1

1

5

1

1 13 1 1 1 0 10

9

1

2

0

10

2

2

1 6 4

0 0

Goldsmith

Golf Instructor

Heavy Equipment Mechanic

Hvac Technician

Japanese Specialty Cook Landscape Gardeners Laundry Supervisor Les Mills Certified Instructor Machinist Marine Maint. Machinist Marine Maint. Mechanic MRI Technician

Massage Therapist

Motor Rewinder

Nursery Worker

Painter,Transporter Equipment

Pipefitter

Quality Inspectors

Radiologic Technician

Restaurant Manager Refrigeration & AC Mechanic

Shipfitter Sous Chef

Scuba Dive Instructor

Electrical Drafter

0

Field Supervisor

5 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

Maintenance Electrician

Elevator Installer Chef Spa Supervisor - Trainer Biomedical Equipment Specialist Automotive Mechanic Baker Mechanic Auto Body Repairer Tech.

OSH Instructor

Total Non-Construction H2-B Workers

1

1

2

Mechanic

Baker Master

Welder Welder - Fitter

2

148

2 4 19

1

1

Wedding Service Attendants

20

Ulatrsound Technician

Specialty Cook Training & Dev. Specialist

Electric Motor Repairer

2 8

Other Non-Construction Occupations

Concierge

Baker Mechanic

Auto Repairer Baker

GUAM DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Alien Labor Processing Certification Division

6

0

7

General Maintenance & Repairer

HVAC Mechanic

Heavy Equipment Mechanic

TOTAL Construction H-2B Workers

Total OTHER Construction

Welder

Tower Crane Operator

Project Supervisor

Plasterer

31 1118

0

2

0

5

3

0

Foreman

Landscaper

3

0

0

Field Supervisor

Estimator

Electrical Power Lineman

1

1

Architectural Drafter Civil Engineer

3

AC& Refrigeration Mechanic

Other Construction Occupations

1244 12 8 2 0 1266

41.31%

4.88% 0.46%

36.89%

Sheetmetal Worker

Reinforcing Metalworker Structural Steelworker Plumber

Carpenter

Cement Mason

0

1000

1500

Prepared By: Sherine Espinosa Contact information: Greg Massey, ALPCD Administrator P.O. Box 9970 Tamuning, Guam 96931 (671)475-8005/8003

Camp Cook Grand Total H2B Workers

1.75%

Japan

Korea

Philippines

500

11.13%

1.10%

1.84%

0.64%

Common Construction Occupations

Japan 0.63%

Heavy Equip.

Operator Electrician

Total U.S. Workers

1266

Philippines 98.42%

Korea 0.95%

H-2B Population by Nationality

MONTH ENDING: October 2014

REPORTS/INFORMATION

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

US Workers vs. H-2B

Grand Total H-2B Workers

3993

39 87

Total H-2B Employers

Total U.S. Workers

48

Construction Non-Construction

Employers By Industry

Total by Nationality

Philippines Korea Japan

Workers by Nationality

Total Common Const.

1087

53 5

Electrician Camp Cook

19

7

12 20

121

Heavy Equip. Operator

Plumber Sheetmetal Worker

Structural Steelworker

Reinforcing Metalworker

Common Construction Occupations 401 449

Cement Mason Carpenter

Employers Workplace Monthly Report Statistics

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