The Stretcher - September 2023

THE STRETCHER

SEPTEMBER 2023

INSIDE:

Christmas Party

Employee Spotlight: Edina Aukett

Hydro Mobile

Project Highlights

Suicide Prevention Month

Sun Valley Online Store

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:

We are excited to have begun work out at Portico in North Scottsdale! The project is comprised of nine buildings, each spanning five levels of structural concrete. The concrete construction phase is slated to last a span of 14 months, commencing from the initial footings, all the way to topping out the roof levels on all nine buildings.

The project also consists of 1208 concrete columns.

Adding to the grandeur, our work includes 173,000 square feet of elevated concrete decks.

Our lead field engineer making sure everything is in the correct location.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: SVM TUSCON: U OF A ANDREW WEIL CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

This was a challenging project from the start. Stacked bond, NW CMU that is exposed as the finished product. Every wall in this project was a radius and all walls on the Office Building Phase were 42’ in height. The SVM Tucson Team was tasked with making three different specialized corner CMU that could not be made by our supplier for this project. The office team made cardboard templates, transferred those over to ¾” plywood, then created forms. The field team then made all the cuts, dry fitted each CMU into the forms, and used specialized epoxy mortar to glue them together. The last step was tooling each miter to look like a factory finish. After our first phase of production and mock up, our custom made CMU were accepted by the design team for use in the exposed finish of the building. The miters included an 8816 with a 58deg. corner, 8816 with a 67deg. corner, and a 12816 with miters of 45deg. and 115deg.

Vince Fallecker and Hector Hurtado were tasked with running the job in the field. The masons onsite had nothing but their levels to plumb each wall as they were built. No string lines on this project. THE UAAWIM Project is one of the highest exposure projects the UofA has going on right now, being funded in part by Dr. Andrew Weil. DPR was the contractor, and as always, Edgar Tena and the Hydro Mobile Team knocked it out of the park with their set up and tear down.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: TEXAS TECH STADIUM:

Sun Valley is excited to kick off our work at Texas Tech’s Jones AT&T Stadium. The project will revitalize the south endzone and create a more modern entrance for gameday. Additionally, it will provide the Red Raiders more than 300,000 combined square feet of space for important player development areas such as a locker room, an expanded strength and conditioning weight room and a multi-purpose space.

HYDRO MOBILE CREW

The Hydro Mobile scaffold is a complex piece of equipment and the crew that sets it up and dismantles it deserves some recognition for the hard work they do. I worked with them at the BMS job on Thursday the 24th for about four hours, Sadly I had forgotten the hard work and attention to detail that goes into the operation. It takes a lot of planning and skill to set up and dismantle the Hydro Mobile scaffold safely and this division of Sun Valley gets it done. I would personally like to thank Edgar Tena the superintendent of the Hydro Crew Fredi Enriquez, Alonso Veliz, Eulogies Ortega Sanchez and Francisco Hernandez for their hard work and dedication to Sun Valley and all the employees who work on the Hydro Mobile scaffold.

Dan Shepherd Safety Director Sun Valley Masonry

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: EDINA AUKETT

For the past nine years, Edina has been a vital part of the Sun Valley Family.

For Edina, it was her father who ignited her passion for masonry. “After school, I’d go with him on his small jobs remodeling bathrooms.” Those early days of hands-on experience, where she was tasked with grouting and cleanup, laid the foundation for her expertise in the world of masonry. Her connection to her father’s work not only ignited her skillset but also fostered a deep love for the artistry and precision required in this field.

One project that holds a special place in Edina’s heart is the “Our Lady of Angels” project. It was here that her craftsmanship intersected with a deeply personal connection. “I got to set all of the candle holders in the worship room on the wall,” she shares. Beyond the technical aspects of her work, this project held significance as it became the location for the celebration of life for Danny’s daughter that passed away.

Beyond her role in masonry, Edina finds stress relief in gardening, and spending time with her husband Danny.

Edina’s journey also carries a message of empowerment for aspiring women in the construction industry. Her advice is simple yet powerful: “If you are willing to work hard, nothing is impossible.”

Reflecting on her role at Sun Valley, Edina’s favorite aspect is the collaborative nature of her work. “My favorite part of my job is that I get to work with an amazing stone crew and that we make some awesome artwork on these different jobs we work on.”

Our bonus question for Edina was: Cowboys or Eagles? With unwavering loyalty, she answered, “Eagles of course. GO EAGLES!”

As Edina continues to shape the landscape of Sun Valley with her craftsmanship, Edina reminds us that with hard work and passion, nothing is beyond our reach.

SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), construction occupations have the highest rate of suicide at 53.2 per 100,000 workers, as well as the highest number of suicides across all occupational groups.

Sun Valley has taken a pledge to to STAND Up for Suicide Prevention through the principles set forth by the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention.

Safe: We pledge to create a culture in which team members feel safe to ask for help if they are having suicidal thoughts or if they are concerned that their fellow co-workers are at risk of suicide.

Training: We pledge to make suicide prevention training available to all team members so that they can recognize the warning signs and be equipped to help those at risk.

Awareness: We pledge to raise awareness by sharing the message of suicide prevention through such organizational activities as trainings, safety meetings, toolbox talks, team meetings, newsletters, and social media posts.

Normalize: We pledge to normalize the topic of suicide prevention as a health and safety priority by talking about suicide, suicide prevention, and mental health.

Decrease: We pledge to help decrease the risk of suicide in construction by ensuring that all team members have access to an awareness of our EAP/MAP, behavioral health benefits, screening tools, community crisis support, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and Crisis Text Line.

We are committed to this model to STAND up for Suicide Prevention.

We invite you to join us in taking the pledge by visiting: www.preventconstructionsuicide.com and clicking “pledge to stand up” in the top menu.

If you or someone you know is at risk, text or call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.