another Air Force base, modified and upgraded it, and then certified several employees to use it. Before this equipment was in operation, maintenance staff walked the runway twice yearly to check for buildup hazards. Based on those inspections, they removed excess rubber by using chemicals and scrubbing with large brushes, which wore down the pavement. Mounted on a truck, the device measures every inch of the 11,000-foot-long runway. Using the equipment, Akima determined that the runway is operating within FAA friction guidelines and that rubber removal should occur about every 18 months rather than twice a year. “This is absolutely saving money,” said Kevin Hudgens, heavy-equipment manager. “It not only helps the Air Force plan when to do the rubber removal work, but can let them know how good of a job was done.”
“This company has the most robust safety program of any I have ever worked for. From the top down it is clear that they really do care about safety.” MARCUS ERICKSON, SAFETY MANAGER
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FACILITIES MANAGEMENT & LOGISTICS / NANA
LIGHTNING, LIGHT BULB MOMENTS Tampa has a subtropical climate. With 5.4 million square feet of air-conditioned space at MacDill, one of Akima’s most important responsibilities is keeping the AC running—not only for the comfort of the people on base, but also for the 400,000 square feet of climate-controlled data centers housing sensitive computer and communications equipment. It’s a big job for the 13 mechanical and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians in the shop. Tampa’s humid climate can corrode metal quickly, and that keeps welder Krzysztof Grzelczyk busy. Grzelczyk designed and fabricated platforms that allow maintenance staff to safely access air conditioning equipment, and he crafted handles that make it easier
to pull out the large chiller units for repairs. For these innovations, he received the Akima President’s Award for Safety last year. IMPROVEMENTS BY LEAPS, BOUNDS Akima maintains the security barriers and the 38 elevators on base—doing regular safety inspections and weight tests—as well as a variety of electric entry gates, hoists and rollup doors, said Pat Curry, special facilities supervisor. Curry, who retired from the military in 2000, has been at MacDill since 1995. He’s in a new role with Akima, after working for the previous contractor. “Things turned around leaps and bounds when they took over the contract,” he said of Akima. Akima has also generated savings through energymanagement projects, large and small. Akima runs three on-base electric shops with 12 staff members. “As you do repairs, you look for opportunities for energy savings,” said Dave Carlisle, the supervisor of the electric shops. As part of this effort, Akima is changing all of the street lighting on the base to energy-sipping LED lighting. TOP AIRFIELD DRIVERS PROGRAM Wilfred Santiago runs the Airfield Drivers Program to train and certify people who operate vehicles on the runway. People authorized to drive on the flight line have to be fully certified by Santiago, whether they are Akima employees, military firefighters or other contractors. Such training helps prevent potentially costly workplace accidents. Certification includes classroom training, online tests, night training and a daytime check ride. “One of