HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
NEWSFLASH SPRING 2021
NEW OFFICE
Salt Lake City office is now open
MEOW WOLF
Completed project! “One of the most anticipated Las Vegas art exhibits for 2021.”
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
1
A LETTER FROM VICTOR 2020 was one of the most volatile and challenging years in generations. The corona virus pandemic and economic distress tested us all in many ways. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Helix Nevada had three top priorities—protect our employees (and our families), continue to provide our customers with the incredible service they have become accustomed to, and be prepared and flexible enough to take advantage of opportunities presented by the rapidly changing construction market. I am pleased to share that because of YOU, Helix made strides on all fronts. Ultimately, despite 2020’s challenges, I’m proud to say that we stayed focused on our mission of service. And in so many ways, it has never been more important. As we close the first quarter of 2021, and put 2020 behind us, we look forward with great expectations and hope for a healthier and more equitable future for our construction community. COVID-19 continues to test us as a nation, as a community, and as a company. And these challenges will continue into 2021 and beyond. But because of these challenges, and because of YOUR response, Helix is stronger and more resilient than ever! 2021 is already shaping up to be a new adventure with brand new opportunities. With your continued commitment and support, we close the first quarter of 2021 encouraged and inspired to keep moving Helix Nevada forward with the expectations of an even brighter future for all. As we continue to plan for the rest of this year, it is our hope that we all will continue to commit to investing in our own healing, health, and growth both personally and professionally. Our team, our family, need each one of you on this collective journey, as we unite and strive to be better together. 2021 is an important year for us. It represents a fresh start for efforts to achieve the growth and development of Helix Nevada that we all know is possible. This desire for us to do more is a direct result of decades of trust our customers have in us and we take great pride in that heritage. If the past year of disruption and uncertainty taught us anything, it taught us a lesson in our own resiliency. It taught us that we can continue to deliver our high level of service and excellence and we can even go beyond to deliver that service in new markets! I will forever be amazed by the vision, commitment and leadership displayed not just to open our new office in Salt Lake City, but to staff and execute a high profile project, all while setting the office up for big time future success. Truly amazing.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Northern Nevada
3
Utah 4 Estimating & Design Build 5 Major Projects
6
Special Projects
7
Prefab 8 Training 9 IT 10 Safety 11 Service Las Vegas
12
Service Reno
13
Service Salt Lake City
14
And finally, TOGETHER, we will continue to grow our business and our Helix Family to serve our customers and employees with renewed purpose and clear focus for future success for many years to come. GO HELIX GO!!
-
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
2
N O RT H E R N N E VA D A DARREN VANDERFORD VICE PRESIDENT The beginning of the year is always the time to look back, take stock of where we are, and look forward. At the begenning of the year I attend multiple forecast events held by builders or real estate groups. The message is always the same – be wary of these few factors but, aside from that, everything will be great! Despite working in an optimistic position at Helix (estimators on the whole would not last long with a negative outlook!), I tend to always be on the lookout for those warning signs. By the end of the year the results are usually the same. Some predictions came true and others no. The moral is if we listened to those readings, the tea leaves and followed their advice implicitly, our results would be mixed. It’s very difficult to manage a business when success or failure is a mystery until the end. At Helix, our procurement teams are very skilled at weeding through the sea of information and focusing on what’s most important. And that is … shut out the noise and focus on the task at hand. As always, our task is to land enough contracts to keep the crews employed and our company growing. One thing Helix “Get Work” people do best is capitalizing on opportunities. They’ve done that with wonderful success for our Reno office. Recent awards include the Element Hotel at Park Lane, Lake Street Student Housing, and Pacific Steel to name a few. At Park Lane alone we’ve been awarded $24,000,000 worth of work! That is an amazing accomplishment. That being said, our estimating team would not continue to be successful if not for our performance in the field. Well over half of all the work we do is repeat business. If our
office support staff did not turn in billings on time, respond to requests for insurance, provide lien releases, process payments, issue subcontracts, order material, conduct training, do safety audits, manage the tools and equipment, and more, we would not have any clients to speak of. That brings us to the question … How many people at Helix are involved with getting work? The answer is … all of them! Some other exciting news from up North, our offices were recently upgraded with new workstations. Our environment now more closely matches the open concept of Vegas. In addition, our Service Department is growing with several new workspaces established in their area. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Cody Kinnison moving up to Vice President. Congrats on a well- deserved promotion!
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
3
UTAH NATHAN GOODRICH OPERATIONS MANAGER UTAH On July 24, 1847, my great, great, great grandfather John Norton, who was part of a 155-man advance scout party of Mormon pioneers, entered the Salt Lake valley for the first time. Since that first day in the valley, July 24th has been a state holiday. Because of this, it is very fitting that we are Division 47. Some of you may be wondering why we would want to open a new office in Salt Lake City. Let me share some recent statistics with you regarding some key indicators. • Utah’s Economy ranks #1 in the country Wall Street Journal • Utah is #1 in the US for employment US News and World Report • Utah is the #3 Best State for Business Forbes Best-Performing Large Cities US 2021: Foundations for Growth and Recovery - Milken Institute • Provo-Orem #1 • Salt Lake City #4 • Ogden #9 Best-Performing Small Cities US 2021: Foundations for Growth and Recovery - Milken Institute • Logan #2 • St. George #4 So, what does that mean for Helix? A lot of opportunities!! January 4th was our official first day in Salt Lake City and we are already growing.
Pendry Hotel is halfway finished, and the crew led by Chuck Foster is doing an amazing job on a very complex and difficult jobsite. We have several jobs lined up to start in the spring. Some projects with old friends like R&O and others with new clients that we have just met. Two weeks ago, we started our first (of many) Division 47 project #472 101 Sarcos Lab TI. Currently we have about 35 electricians in the field, 2 service vans, Jon Hunt is our Sr. PM, Alan Hall is Service Sales, David Alger is now taking over our Small Projects/Service Department along with his Business Development role, Mindy Larsen is our Office Administrator, Heber Haws is a recruit out of college helping in a PE role at Pendry and we are just getting started. If any of you have family members that are electricians in Utah that would like to join our team, please contact Sarah Kirk. The original advance party into the Salt Lake Valley was successful because it was a group of some of the strongest men and teams with very specific skill sets. Division 47 has gotten off to a strong start thanks to the help of many people. Nate Cartwright with his key contacts up here, Julie and her team and the training they are giving to Mindy, Mike Vita and his band of PE’s that are supporting us, Dave Wood, Lou Smith and the estimating team has been stretched trying to keep up with our bid schedule, Petra and Sarah with probably the toughest job of all, hiring a whole new team. One of my favorite parts of my new role is reaching out to new clients (most have never even heard of Helix Electric) and share our story with them and get to tell everybody how amazing team Helix is. My grandfather was selected to join the advance party because he was a good hunter. I cannot help but feel a kinship with him as we go hunting for the great opportunities up here in SLC.
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
4
ESTIMATING & DESIGN BUILD DAVE WOOD | VICE PRESIDENT, ESTIMATING It sure feels good to have 2020 behind us, and here is to enjoying a much more positive experience in 2021. In Estimating and Design Build, we were very anxious to see what the New Year would bring. When will restrictions relax? How well will the economy bounce back? Will there be tourism? Will people still want to come to Las Vegas? When COVID hit, we were in the midst of a tremendous boom period and job were plentiful. As the year wore on the market became much more competitive and Helix had to fight very hard to win projects. So far, the indicators in 2021 seem to be positive. Many of the projects that were put “on hold” have been resurrected and we continue to see activity in the multi-family, data centers, CCSD Schools and big box manufacturing and warehousing. So the answers seem to be YES, the restrictions have relaxed; YES, it looks like the local economy wants to come back; YES, there is tourism and YES, people still want to move to Las Vegas. Our Reno and Salt Lake offices have remained pretty constant and steady throughout the tail end of COVID and we have landed some real nice work in both offices. Not the least of which is a new project at SWITCH in Reno. We have been able to procure more than $25million in new work during January and February and we look to procure much more as the year moves along. The bid schedule has continued to get busier each week which is cause for us to be hopeful. With the opening of our Utah office in Salt Lake City, the preconstruction team has a whole new market to learn and adapt to, so the 2021 challenge has been set for Design Build and Estimating. To all the Team Helix families in Salt Lake City, Reno and Las Vegas…. Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!!
WELCOME ISABELLA BEDORA! Congragulations to our Design Build Project Manager, Andy Bedora, and his wife on the birth of their baby girl Isabella Jade Bedora.
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
5
MA JOR PROJECTS BOB JOHNSON | SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MAJOR PROJECTS Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, Ph. 1, Las Vegas The Catholic Charities enclosed dining area that was used to feed as many as 1,000 people in need in any given day had to be shut down in March of 2020 because of the corona virus pandemic. They could no longer operate safely under the new guidelines of social distancing, and though they did not stop meal service to the homeless, it was all done outside with limited tables and chairs, therefore leaving many to sit on the curbside to eat.
In October 2020, Helix began work with Martin Harris Construction to bring power out to tents that would become a more spacious dining pavilion for the homeless. The tent structures created just over 15,000 square feet of sheltered space, enough room for 300 people to sit and eat while still maintaining the social distancing guidelines. We installed a new 80A sub-panel out at the tent structure and ran wiring for exit lights, general tent lighting and large ceiling fans. The project was complete in time for Thanksgiving Dinner, the first meal to be served in the tent. Project Team: • Project Manager: Marshall Thomson • Project Engineer: Alex Johnson • Project Assistant: Leeann Clement • Superintendent: Tony Pace • General Contractor: Martin Harris Construction
AND FOR A LITTLE SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU SMILE…. Introducing ‘Tessa the Boxer’, Joyce’s new puppy, and unofficial mascot of the Major Projects Team!
Creech AFB Major Projects is currently building the MQ9 Predator Project at Creech AFB, Indian Springs, NV. The Project is a one of a kind facility that provides Operations & Training for the MQ9 Predator Program. It consists of (2) 34,000 square feet split level buildings with raised floors for data rooms, 280 tons of cooling, (4) 500 KVA UPS units, (2) 750kW Generators and (2) 800kW Generators. We assigned our long-time Superintendent Tom Conelly and our recently hired Superintendent from Texas John Garcia to the Project. They have put together a Pre-Fab plan that includes an assembly of a complete conduit, wire, and 32 outlets that will be surfaced mounted to the walls of each 32 GCS Rooms. We expect that this will save over $20,000 in labor. We plan to take advantage of this type of Pre-Fab assembly in many of the other rooms in both buildings. The majority of the conduit in these buildings must be surface mounted for security reasons. We currently have 13 people on the project and expect to have as many as 18. The Project is scheduled to be completed by the end of August 2021. We are thankful for the opportunity to build another military project to keep America strong. We are partnered with one of our preferred General Contractors, The Korte Company, to build this Project. With their help, according to Tom Conelly it has been a smooth process like a ‘well-oiled machine’. Project Team: • Project Manager: Jon Homer • Project Engineer: Demarkes Delouth • Project Assistant: Danika Johnson • Superintendent: Tom Conelly • General Contractor: Korte Construction
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
6
SPECIAL PROJECTS MIKE VITA
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SPECIAL PROJECTS
What a crazy year 2020 was. Now that we are out of 2020, 2021 appears to be extremely active and hopeful. Our back log is extremely strong as we are waiting for 11 Contracts or LOI’s. and start dates by June 2021. We have several now under contract and are waiting to put boots on the ground. Projects such as Haas Automotive, Lindell Apartments, Volvo, U-Haul, IL luminarium, Palace at La Madre. Uncommons, Decatur Alta Apartments, and finally Alta Southern Highlands are underway. Our Salt Lake office is open and operational. Nathan Goodrich is our Operations Manager heading up The Utah operations. Utah is booming. We have 4 projects underway with new contracts coming in shortly as well as a full-service department with two vans. We have several positions open in Utah (Department 47) as well as Las Vegas (Department 46). Please reach out to Sarah Kirk (702.333.5526) our recruiter for more information.
W O ME
F L WO SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
7
P R E FA B D E PA R T M E N T
What is Prefab? Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a manufacturing site and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located and permanently installed.
ERIC OPSTEDAHL | PREFAB MANAGER Prefab can help to increase efficiency, decrease time frames, reduce cost, waste, and safety incidents. It’s been an eventful quarter in Prefab. We’ve managed to surpass 500 deliveries not including pass through requests in the warehouse while keeping up with our 95.77% OTD. Shout out to our top Superintendent, Chris Card, PM, Mike Roeder, and PE, Demarkes Delouth for sending in the most work! Thank you for keeping our crews busy. While keeping up with Prefab, we also acquired the Tool Department, which is now coordinated by Jim McDaniel. New requirements were emailed out that included updated request forms and a consumables catalog. A complete tool catalog is currently under construction and will hopefully be unveiled by the end of 2021. Joining the forces of Prefab, Warehouse and Tools, will surely contribute to streamlining processes and deliveries to help save our project teams time and money.
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
8
CORNERSTONE IS COMING
T R A I N I N G D E PA R T M E N T JEFF SATTERFIELD | TRAINING MANAGER Happy new year from training! We are preparing for a busy year. Coming soon we will be launching Cornerstone. This is a new platform that is going to make it easier for employee training. For the first time field employees will have access to see training calendars and sign up for them from their own device. No more filling out the class request form and taking it to your superintendent to send in only to find out that the class is already full. You will also be able to see what certifications you have and when they are expiring. You can upload your certifications, and licenses also. Superintendents will be able to see the certifications of the employees that are assigned to them and assign the employee to a class. Each level will have a learning path assigned to it of skills and safety certifications. We will be out conducting trainings on the new system in the coming weeks. We received approval for our 2020 NEC changes class from ICC. We will start holding these classes starting May as CEU’s for the 2017 NEC code changes will no longer be accepted after July 1, 2021. For licensing in Clark County and Reno City 8 hours of a code update class, 4 hours of NFPA 70E and 4 hours of approved training are required for renewal. By taking our QEW class and the 2020 NEC changes employees will have the CEU’s needed for the renewal.
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
9
I T D E PA R T M E N T FRANK FARINA | DIRECTOR, IT DEPARTMENT The Information Technology (IT) Department’s mission is to provide high quality, responsive, secure, and cost-effective information technology solutions and services that will enable Helix Electric employees, departments, and agencies to be successful in achieving their respective missions while striving to always exceed expectations. Passwords are a critical part of information and network security. Passwords serve to protect user accounts, but a poorly chosen password, if compromised, could put the entire network at risk. As a result, all employees are required to take appropriate steps to ensure that they create strong, secure passwords and keep them safeguarded at all times. This policy applies to all personnel who access company systems which support or require a password, on any system that resides at any HELIX ELECTRIC facility, has access to the HELIX ELECTRIC network, or stores any non-public HELIX ELECTRIC information.
Password Construction: All users at HELIX ELECTRIC should be aware of how to select strong passwords. Strong passwords have the following characteristics: Contain at least three of the five following character classes: Lower case characters Upper case characters Numbers Punctuation “Special” characters (e.g.@#$%^&*()_+|~-=\`{}[]:”;’<>/ etc)
Contain at least eight alphanumeric characters.
Password Protection • Passwords should be treated as confidential information. No employee is to give, tell, or hint at their password to another person, including other co-workers, friends, and family members, under any circumstances. • If someone demands your password, refer them to this policy or have them contact the IT Department. • Passwords are not to be transmitted electronically over the Internet. However, passwords may be used to gain remote access to Helix Electric resources via the Helix Electric’s Virtual Private Network or SSL- protected Web site. • No employee is to keep an unsecured written record of his or her passwords, either on paper or in an electronic file. If it proves necessary to keep a record of a password, then it must be kept in a controlled access safe. • Do not use the “Remember Password” feature. • Passwords used to gain access to Helix Electric systems should not be used as passwords to access non- Helix Electric accounts or information. • If an employee either knows or suspects that his/her password has been compromised, they must be report the incident to the IT Department and change their password immediately.
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
10
SAFET Y LAWRENCE FRY | REGIONAL SAFETY MANAGER Productivity and Safety Combined in Our Best Pre-Planning Tool Quality planning is critical to the success of Helix Electric. Improving our ability to implement quality planning helps us become more productive and keeps our employees safe and healthy. The Pre-Task Plan (PTP) is our best communication tool for combining productivity and safety in a simplified format. PTPs are the critical preplanning tool employees complete before starting every routine task they perform. The PTP should be specific to the task and in the area where the work is being performed. This allows employees to identify the specific hazards associated with the activity. When multiple people are doing the same task in the same area, they should work together to create the PTP for the activity. Everyone performing the same task should be involved in describing the task and identifying the necessary tools, known hazards, and proper safety controls. Employees need to work together, ask questions, and come up with solutions as a group. The active dialogue will help employees find the safest and most efficient way to perform your task. Once the PTP is completed, everyone on the crew should sign the form. Throughout the day employees need to evaluate their work area for changes. If a change in conditions occurs mid-task (i.e. you are going to use ladders instead of lifts, painters start painting in the area) the group needs to re-evaluate the hazards and appropriate controls. Incidents are more likely to happen when we do not address hazards or deviate from our plan. The PTP also has a box next to each name in the Crew Signature section for a Mid-Shift Review (MSR). The MSR is intended to be a quick review of the plan when the crew returns to the work area from lunch. This will serve as a reminder of the plan, the associated hazards, and the safety controls. If you identify new hazards at the MSR, you should update the PTP or complete a new one if necessary. Supervisors should review PTPs and are encouraged to ask open-ended questions of the crew to ensure all the hazards are properly identified and adequate controls are in place. For example, “When you listed tools, what tools were you meaning”? After reviewing the PTP, supervisors are encouraged to communicate feedback with employees about any changes, improvements, or positive affirmation as to the quality of the PTP. Supervisors should also write down any modifications they feel employees should include on the PTP and sign it daily. It allows the employees to go back and review their supervisor’s expectations and make any necessary adjustments.
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
11
SERVICE LAS VEGAS SCOTT ROBERTSON | SERVICE MANAGER The Las Vegas Service Department has continued to thrive throughout the last year despite the challenges presented throughout the pandemic and are excited for the future. We would like to congratulate Service Technician Rey Vizcarra and his wife Ricci on the birth of their twin girls Logan and Reyvan. Congratulations as well to Service Technician James Brundage JR and his wife Stephanie on the birth of their baby girl Layne!
Congratulations Yohatzi Mendoza on 5 years with Helix Electric. Thank you for your service and being a key member of our team! Special congratulations to our Service Coordinator Charisa Carlton on her engagement to Seth Goddard! We look forward to seeing Seth at some of our events! Helix Electric Service Department recently had the opportunity to install DAS (Distributed Antenna System) Systems at (4) of the Affinity Gaming Properties (Buffalo Bills Hotel & Casino, Whiskey Pete Hotel & Casino, Primm Valley Resort & Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino). Project Manager Ed Plana had plenty of challenges with this project as the project was put on hold in the middle of construction due to the pandemic, not to mention the technology and scope of this project are new to this area. DAS Systems are often used in large or complex venues and buildings to improve existing cellular coverage. In particular, the systems provide an amplified radio signal inside buildings to ensure Charisa Carlton and Seth Goddard that emergency responders such as firemen, paramedics, and law enforcement officers can maintain radio communications during an emergency. A DAS requires several requirements to be approved by government officials as set forth in Sothern Nevada Code Amendments IFC Section 510 such as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), SNACC Southern Nevada Area Communications Council, CCFD, and CC Building Safety Inspectors. When implemented, they have the ability to connect people at the top of a multistory building to the security guards in the basement, and even individuals in a parking garage. DAS is a way to get more from your current wireless signal. You already have some degree of signal in your building, even when the signal is at its weakest. DAS amplifies that signal where it needs it the most. Thank you for our team leaders Jared Ward, Travis Shillereff and Shawn Barragan who each managed a property and in the process installed over 29,000’ of conduit, 22,000’ of Fiber, Coax and Jumpers, 6,500’ MC Cable, 50 pieces of equipment and 250 Antennas. Congratulations on a job well done!
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
12
SERVICE RENO TALLON CARGILL | SERVICE DIVISION MANAGER 28 & 29 The Reno Service team has grown in the last two and a half years. Our total staff has expanded from one employee to fifteen! A special recognition goes out to superintendent Travis Lacovara who graduated from the Associated Builders and Contractors apprentice program on June 10, 2020 with a GPA of 93.43%. Way to go! We also welcomed Kaitlyn Crannell to the team as our newest Service Administrator. We are so happy for her support! The Reno Service Fleet is rolling out two service trucks, seven service vans and, as a special addition, a brand-new bucket truck. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Reno Service has never stopped or slowed down; service has logged 1,154 jobs in 2020 and to date a total of 1,931 jobs and is still going strong! One of our highlighted projects NPSG with Nextek Construction. What began as a simple job quickly evolved into a multifaceted endeavor with intense accelerated schedule and multiple electrical infrastructure improvements. One of which was a state of the art, one of a kind CNC Laser. Helix is there every step of the way to assist all customers like Nextex and NPSG with the optimal electrical design.
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
13
SERVICE SALT LAKE CIT Y ALAN HALL SERVICE SALES MANAGER We’re proud to announce the opening of the Salt Lake City Service Department and Welcome aboard Alan Hall – Service Sales Manager as well as David Desvari – Service Technician Servicing the Greater Salt Lake/Park City Area, the Utah Service Dept. offers all the same services as the Las Vegas and Reno locations…including 24hr Emergency Service. We’re already sending up more vehicles and are looking forward to continued growth in the area!
LAS VEGAS
RENO
SALT LAKE CITY
702.732.1188 3078 E. Sunset Road, Suite 9 Las Vegas, NV 89120
775.440.2391 961 Matley Lane, Suite 190 Reno, NV 89502
801.280.2228 3060 W California Ave, Suite A Salt Lake City, UT 84104
SPRING 2021
HELIX ELECTRIC NEVADA
14
