2021 Results Magazine

2021

RESULTS A PUBLICATION BY THE AUSTIN COMPANY

STREAMLINE SPACE-AGE

MANUFACTURING NORTHROP GRUMMAN

PROJECT EMERALD IS NOW

MAKING

BACON

ACQUISITIONS EXPAND AUSTIN’S

GLOBAL FOOTPRINT AND SERVICES EOS DEEPER DIVE:

CORE FOCUS AND NICHE

STAFF Leslie Panfil Brittany Scheckelhoff Tamara Zupancic

CONTRIBUTING WRITER Leslie Panfil

ARTICLE CONTRIBUTORS Ken Stone and Robert Wang Aerojet Rocketdyne Los Angeles Campus

Austin helps Swift Foods keep up with the demand for ready-to-serve bacon, page 22.

Brandon Talbert Strategy Project Management and Leveraged Resources Contribute to Austin Consulting’s Exceptional Growth Amanda Mason Daily Reports Beyond the Paper Trail Fabricio Salinas Building a Path to Economic Prosperity in the Yucatan Peninsula Eric Marx Small Projects, Big Impact Eric Marx, Glenn Schultz, and Ken Stone Master Plan Helps Northrup Grumman Streamline Space-age Manufacturing Charlie Engel Working with OSHA Sean Barr Making Bacon – Assisting the World’s Largest Meat Processor to Keep up with Demand

Austin provided the planning, design, engineering, preconstruction and construction management services for a new 220,000 SF Aircraft Manufacturing Center at ADP Skunk Works in Palmdale, California.

Shown is the Welcome Center.

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RESULTS MAGAZINE VOLUME 5 IS PUBLISHED BY THE AUSTIN COMPANY 6095 PARKLAND BOULEVARD, CLEVELAND, OH 44124

PRESIDENT’S PEN 2 EOS Deeper Dive: Core Focus and Niche

SERVICES 6 Strategy & Resources Contribute to Austin Consulting’s Exceptional Growth 8 Daily Reports Beyond the Paper Trail 18 When a Storm Hits, Austin Engineers Respond with Boots on the Ground 20

Working with OSHA

SPOTLIGHTS 4 Aerojet Rocketdyne Los Angeles Campus 10 Austin Takes Center Stage at Innovation Days 2021 12 Building a Path to Economic Prosperity in the Yucatan Peninsula 14 Master Plan Helps Northrup Grumman Streamline Space-Age Manufacturing 16

Small Projects, Big Impact

22 Making Bacon Assisting the World’s Largest Meat Processor to Keep up with Demand

CELEBRATIONS 24 2020 and 2021 Employee Milestones 28 Acquisitions Expand Austin’s Global Footprint and Services 30

Pictures from Across Austin

EOS DEEPER DIVE:

CORE FOCUS AND NICHE Every year in early October, Austin’s executive leadership team holds its annual EOS retreat to plan for the next year and beyond.

At these retreats, we are constantly challenged by EOS Facilitator Ron Kaminsky to filter all our strategic decisions through our core focus and niche. Ron challenges us to remember that everything we do should support our core focus of “we build the future together” and our niche “to be the most trusted partner for complex and challenging projects.”

BUILDING THE FUTURE TOGETHER Many companies could easily say we build the future. But, what does this mean for Austin? When we say we build the future together, we are referring to the futures of all our stakeholders, our team members, our clients, our specialty trade subcontractors, and the communities in which we operate.

Building the future together starts with building the COMPANY. A healthy and profitable company enables us to make the decisions and commitments that are building blocks for the future; your future- your future - through great work, career development, a positive environment, and a culture that attracts the best to our family. When we have that foundation, we can do great work for our clients, enhancing their future through facilities that enable them to compete and prosper. When we are productive, growing, and profitable, we then have the resources to give back to our communities.

We visualize our future and understand that what we plan and do today, will get us to that future. The leadership team’s thinking and planning focus on how we reach that vision and, just as importantly, how Austin will evolve in the process.

For example, if we need to double our engineering capacity to meet the goals we set, we need to plan now to accomplish that. Just adding more resources isn’t sufficient. We need to think about how those additional resources are supported, managed, and developed within our core values and culture. We need to ask ourselves questions like “Where will the added volume come from?” and “How will we win this work?”

PRESIDENT’S PEN

EOS DEEPER DIVE

TO BE THE MOST TRUSTED PARTNER FOR COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING PROJECTS Personally, I believe this is the strongest and most relevant part of our identity as a company. It speaks to our history and our ability to rise to the occasion when our clients need help. During both World Wars, Austin took part in the war effort by ensuring that we could design and build in record time. Several clients have come to us when natural disasters have impacted their facilities. They look to us to get them back up and running, keep their workers employed, their clients’ orders filled, and their futures intact.

In these instances, it is trust that is most important. Trust speaks to how we partner and protect our clients, their budgets, schedules, and reputations. A partnership mindset communicates to our clients that we are in this together.

Projects are defined by many things—contract terms, schedules, budgets, and purposes, to name a few.

However, it’s people who complete these projects. And for every project, there are stakeholders who have their strengths and weaknesses, motivations and fears, and varying capacities to deal with the unknowns and uncertainties. Those weaknesses and fears can become amplified and create a drain on the project’s energy.

By the same token, a trusted partner can quiet unjustified fears and restore positive energy to a project through collaboration and partnership. This places the focus on the shared goal of client success and not protecting one’s turf.

I believe our unique, full-service heritage and client-centric culture encourage partnership and trust.

When your approach is single-source responsibility, there is no one else to blame. We take ownership; we get it done. When faced with challenges, we apply our expertise and innovative spirit. Along the way, we build teams. Our partnership culture creates passion. We value working at Austin because our coworkers get down to business, not waiting for someone else to get it done. And because we all know that being committed to service is our path to continued success.

These values are the foundation on which we will build our future. We are not perfect and never will be, but we can strive every day to represent these ideals. When we do, we will achieve our goals.

We are on a journey that doesn’t end but has important milestones along the way. Our values, core focus, and niche make up the road map. When followed, it will get us to our destination of being a trusted partner. So let us each make that journey – our journey – together, and together we will build the future.

SPOTLIGHT

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

AEROJET

ROCKETDYNE Los Angeles Campus

MODERNIZING TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF A NEW ERA IN HUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION The Austin Company is working on a series of ten projects to expand, reconfigure, and renovate an existing facility to support Aerojet Rocketdyne’s propulsion system product development, manufacturing, and assembly areas at their campus in Los Angeles, California.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is a developer and manufacturer of advanced propulsion and energetics systems for customers, including the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA.

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The LA site is a fully operational manufacturing facility where Aerojet Rocketdyne is developing and manufacturing the RS-25 Booster Rockets for NASA’s current SLS Program.

This design-build project includes space for new and relocated state-of-the-art machinery, X-ray, grit blast, and welding booths.

In addition, the modernized facility contains multiple dust-free assembly rooms and a new material handling system.

On August 18, Aerojet celebrated the project’s substantial completion ribbon-cutting ceremony with dignitaries such as Congressman Brad Sherman and representatives from NASA and other agencies.

“We have gutted an entire building, installing a variety of underground and overhead utilities to support new and relocated machines,” explained Robert Wang, Senior Project Manager. “The new machines include state-of-the-art 3D printing capabilities utilizing laser technology to melt metal powder to create highly sophisticated rocket engine parts.” In addition, Austin worked closely with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to meet their exacting requirements.

Moving these specialized machines into tight places was challenging. Austin had to work with heavy forklifts, skids, and bridge or jib cranes to maneuver many of the devices into position.

“It was sort of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle,” said Wang.

THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE WAS BUILT IN THE 50S. DESPITE ITS AGE, THE BUILDING WITHSTOOD THE 1992 7.3 MAGNITUDE NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE.

“All the process gas piping had to be cleaned and pre-tested for foreign objects. Many of the areas had dust-free, pressurization, heat, and humidity control requirements,” said Wang

The newly renovated building also required structural reinforcement with a new PVC membrane roof capable of supporting the high capacity and efficiency HVAC units. New piping, plumbing, and mechanical system upgrades were needed. It was necessary to modify and widen hallways in another building to accommodate the larger machines, materials, and products. “We also undertook a significant structural upgrade within Building 101, adding an annex that includes a high bay assembly area and a new X-ray room to perform quality control. Additionally, to satisfy the electrical needs, a new substation was installed,” said Wang. These projects also included a 3,000 SF storage building and a small test enclosure roughly 200 SF.

These projects began in 2019 and were completed in November 2021. Austin provided planning, architectural design, engineering, project and construction management services.

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SERVICES

AUSTIN CONSULTING

STRATEGY & RESOURCES Contribute to Austin Consulting’s Exceptional Growth

THE

MEET

TEAM

LOCATION STRATEGY

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SITE SELECTION

INCENTIVES

DUE DILIGENCE

BRANDON TALBERT

JONATHAN GEMMEN

MATT POREBA

MANAGING DIRECTOR

SENIOR DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR

15 Years Experience

24 Years Experience

16 Years Experience

Site Selection Incentives Negotiation Economic Development

Site Selection Real Estate Development Economic Development

Site Selection Management Consulting

Some folks may think “Oh what a year!” referring to the negative impact of the COVID pandemic on their businesses, for Austin Consulting, “Oh what a year!” means business is up nearly 300%.

“This increase is due to several factors, including the successful execution of our growth strategy and strong project management.

We also leveraged several resources such as, industry subject matter experts (SMEs), engineering, business development, and our Kajima sister companies,” said Brandon Talbert who leads the Austin Consulting team. While the pandemic created significant challenges for the site selection industry early on, it also prompted companies to find ways to grow and strategically assess their manufacturing footprint, paving the way for new projects based on changing market dynamics. The food industry is a good example. Increased demand in certain retail segments, meat supply shortages, and labor constraints that prevented companies from expanding at their current locations all contributed to an uptick in site selection projects, many of which are greenfield, highly automated, scalable facilities.

Some projects planned several years out were now accelerated.

“Landing several large projects in Q4 20 and Q1 21 enabled us to accelerate our growth trajectory and make some strategic hires,” said Talbert. “We have an experienced team dedicated to the site selection and incentives profession. They bring their expertise from large real estate, accounting, and boutique consulting firms. The team offers outside perspectives, fresh ideas, proven approaches, and knowledge of some of the best data and technology tools available. We’re hyper-focused on client service and helping companies make the best possible decision, which requires a tailored and methodical approach to each project. We’re able to

deliver the most value to clients this way while at the same time allowing our team to focus on their passion as unbiased consultants in the site selection field. This can be hard to do at larger firms that are more transaction oriented.”

In May, Austin Consulting was also awarded a new five year contract with the State of Tennessee, following a nine year partnership with the state to identify, evaluate, improve, and certify industrial sites.

The Select Tennessee suite of programs has been a huge success, receiving recognition from Area Development Magazine as the #1 Site Readiness Program in the nation. “It’s been rewarding to see the number of economic development projects generated in part from the site readiness program and investments that the state has made,” said Jonathan Gemmen, who manages the program for Tennessee. Companies like Tyson Foods, Beretta USA, Hankook Tire, Williams Sausage, Titan Medical, and Toledo Molding and Die have all chosen Select Tennessee sites.

In 2021, we saw an increase in the number of green tech projects, including clean energy technologies, renewables, and electric vehicles. These industries have broad global support from both governments and consumers and are expected to be a huge factor in economic development over the next decade or more.

“We have a strong pipeline of active site selection projects that we are pursing for design and construction. And an even larger number of sales opportunities that we are tracking. We are on track to have another great year in 2022,” concludes Talbert.

DAVE LASZLO

KATIE RIEGELMAN

MIKE FERGUSON

KYLE NEU

DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR

SENIOR CONSULTANT

CONSULTANT

10 Years Experience

11 Years Experience

15 Years Experience

7 Years Experience

Site Selection Labor Analysis

Incentives Negotiation Compliance Real Estate

Site Selection Environmental Consulting

Site Selection Economic Development Marketing Analysis

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SERVICES

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DAILY REPORTS

BEYOND THE PAPER TRAIL

A construction daily report is a narrative of everything that happens on the job site throughout the day. It includes the status of tasks, details of crews, equipment, and materials. In addition, daily reports collect pertinent information about job site conditions, from weather to inspections and safety. But what exactly makes them so valuable?

LIVING STORY. Daily reports tell the ongoing story of the construction of your facility. Not only do they have the details of the day-to-day activities, efficiencies, and productivity, but daily reports can help with planning and assessing the needs of the project.

Along with project progress, daily reports provide indicators of schedule performance and keep a clear narrative of project history.

DAILY REPORTS ARE THE IDEAL D.A.T.E. (D = Detailed, A = Accountability, T = Timely, and E = Everyone). While the ideal daily report is detailed, preacticality determines the level of detail. A report that is too broad is not informative. Whereas a report that is too detailed can be overly time-consuming and bog the project team down with unnecessary information. Reports should be clear and concise because a wide range of people will read them.

Daily reports create accountability by documenting and communicating project delays due to think like weather, client changes, or back-ordered materials. This lays the groundwork for handling a discrepancy quickly and efficiently.

Reports need to be timely. Filling out reports in the field prevents valuable details from getting missed. In addition, they provide the team with real-time assessments of progress made on the project.

REMOVING RELIANCE ON WORKING MEMORY. It is challenging to remember what happened two or three weeks ago. Having a written record of the project keeps details fresh. This is especially important if there are misunderstandings among project partners or added work to track.

EFFICIENCY. As we know, construction sites are complex, with lots of activities taking place simultaneously. Keeping a record of the day’s events allows resources to be monitored and adjusted, which increases efficiency.

CONTINUITY. When there are staffing changes, daily reports ensure that vital information is not lost. Further, the detailed information contained in these reports can help bring replacement staff up to speed.

CLIENT COMMUNICATION. Daily reports create transparency with clients and solidifies Austin’s role as a trusted partner. It is even more critical when key stakeholders are spread across the globe.

Technology has made keeping and communicating through reports more accessible than ever. Daily reports allow us to track progress, inspections, safety, and essential management details.

This information leads to better communication and greater continuity.

A construction site is an ever-evolving environment. Conditions can change rapidly within a short timeframe. Daily reports provide the tools to concisely document interruptions, communications, and possible impacts to the overall project.

It is essential to involve everyone, including subcontractors. Varied perspectives lead to a more accurate overview of the inner workings of the job site. Also, creating a means to be transparent about issues provides a solid foundation on which to build the project.

This article was authored by Amanda Mason under the coordination of the Austin Editorial Board.

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MEET THE

AUSTIN EDITORIAL BOARD

MATT EDDLEMAN

AMANDA MASON

JAY FISCHER

NIRAV MEHTA

DAN GUESMAN

MIKE PIERCE

The Austin Editorial Board is made up of individuals from across the company with industry insight and technical knowhow. The board meets quarterly to suggest topics and recommend Austin experts who are ideally suited to speak to these chosen subjects. Members also review content for quality assurance.

Content appears throughout our communication platforms and helps establish Austin as a design-build authority. To learn more about Austin’s authority marketing program: https://issuu.com/ theaustincompany/ docs/authority_ marketing

NICOLE ROSARIO

KEN STONE

BRANDON TALBERT

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Austin’s parent company, Kajima USA established Innovation Days in 2019 to showcase new viewpoints, philosophies, processes, and technologies that KII subsidiaries have implemented. An emphasis is placed on innovations that have improved profits, production in the field, relationships with clients, as well as the resulting product.

This year the two-day event featured 19 sessions through a twotrack system. The two-track system allowed for more content and a greater breadth of topics to be shared. Of the 20 presentations chosen, six were developed by Austinites. A recap of Austin’s presentations follows.

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SPOTLIGHT

JACOB EDDLEMAN

RECONSTRUCT

Intern Jacob Eddleman shared how the Michigan team uses Reconstruct software to help a client manage their project, monitor quality, mitigate risk, and make informed decisions.

Jacob explained how a 360-video camera is utilized to create footage that the Reconstruct team uses to generate a point cloud.

A BIM model can be uploaded to the point cloud to show current conditions in relation to the plan.

AMY HEWIS

BIDDING MEET & GREET Preconstruction Coordinator Amy Hewis explained how Austin is using meet and greets to improve bidder interest. Implementing these special events has substantially increased our subcontractor network on both a local and national level.

“We often team up with The Blue Book and local associations to set up a networking session. This is where local subcontractors and suppliers can meet with our preconstruction team to learn about The Austin Company and any future projects,” said Hewis.

NICK HILL

TAGGING EQUIPMENT Mechanical Engineer Nick Hill explained how he worked with Senior Mechanical Engineer Mark Osborn to save time and increase continuity while tagging equipment in Revit.

“In Revit, we added the leader line landing into the tag. Then, we moved the tag a known distance above and below the line for tagging a single line. We added toggles to break the equipment hex tag on the top and bottom as needed if the text was spilling out. All these features fall into different ‘types’ which makes selecting them easy,” explained Hill.

LORI KEENER AND JAMIE HULLMAN

CONCUR EXPENSE IMPLEMENTATION Executive Assistant and Travel Manager Lori Keener and Vice President of Finance Jamie Hullman joined forces to share how SAP Concur has streamlined the travel and expenses process. This powerful software system allows receipts that are photographed or scanned to be uploaded to expense reports electronically.

INNOVATION DAYS

Prior to the implementation of Concur, employees submitted expense reports by attaching paper receipts to printed spreadsheets. Jamie created a team to integrate existing accounting and HR platforms with the expense portion of Concur, and Lori held training sessions and created support materials for company-wide implementation.

ERIC MARX

OFFICE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE Director of Design Eric Marx explored the topic of what the postpandemic office may look like.

“We need to look at how the current office space can accommodate the changing office landscape concerning teleworking, working from home, available technologies, and new projected postpandemic personnel growth,” said Marx. “Flexible and adaptable office environments that better enable productivity, collaboration, technology, and shared resources, while minimizing construction or lease of new office space will continue to be of importance.”

LESLIE PANFIL

AUTHORITY MARKETING Communications Manager Leslie Panfil shared how Austin is demonstrating our expertise in a way that resonates with potential and existing clients through authority marketing.

Leslie shared quantitative data substantiating the impact of authority marketing. She described how success has hinged on leadership engagement, removing the burden of writing, and short interviews that respect the subject matter expert’s time.

“Establishing an Editorial Board has helped us identify topics and authors that highlight our depth of expertise.”

Many thanks to Jacob Richey for serving as Austin’s Innovation Days 2021 Chairperson.

The Austin Company plays host to next year’s 4th Annual Innovation Days. We look forward to building on this program’s solid foundation.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE! To view this year ’s presentations https://kajimausa.sharepoint.com/sites/KUSAInnovationDay

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SPOTLIGHT

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Building a Path to Economic Prosperity in the Yucatan Peninsula Many of us have used the leaf of an aloe plant to soothe a minor burn. The leaf’s gel-like center is known for its healing and therapeutic properties. This is because the gel consists of water, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, hormones, minerals, and sugars, all commonly found in the human body. The food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries widely use aloe vera. As a result, the global aloe vera market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 7% from 2021-2026.

To meet the demands of this growth, Austin completed construction of an 80,000 SF manufacturing facility for Aloecorp, maker of high-quality Aloe vera products, including the product lines ACTIValoe® and CERTIFIED PLUS®.

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Aloecorp began its relationship with Austin on a consulting basis.

Pleased with our project development and project management services, Aloecorp encouraged Austin to pursue the construction of its aloe vera juice and powder processing and manufacturing plant.

The new facility includes a production floor, offices, and amenities such as dining, break, and meeting rooms.

Situated 185 miles southwest of Cancun, Mexico, the weather posed a significant challenge to the project. Summer in the Yucatan Peninsula is oppressively hot, humid, wet, and overcast. The geographic area experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall, October being the wettest with an average of 11 inches of rain. In addition, the plant is located a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico, subjecting the project to high winds.

“The weather was definitely a challenge,” said Operations Manager Fabricio Salinas. “We changed our normal working hours to be 5:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. in anticipation of the daily afternoon rains. It was particularly challenging during the build-out of the foundations.

However, weather wasn’t the only challenge for this team. Despite being a major tourist destination, the area is economically poor and lacks a workforce skilled in the trades. The primary level of education achieved by 31.4% of the local population is middle school. “The lack of skilled labor required us to adapt and put into place several procedures to ensure quality control.”

Construction on the plant began in June of 2020 and was completed in September of 2021. Salinas has nothing but praise for his team, who brought this project in on time and within budget. Salinas explains, “Alejandro Cervantes, our Preconstruction Manager, successfully oversaw the bidding efforts. Omar Martinez, our Cost Engineer, developed the cost sheets and prices. Alfredo Almendarez, our Project Construction Manager, drove the execution of this project. Finally, Fabian Lopez, our Project Engineer, assisted Alfredo in ensuring this project exceeded our client’s expectations. This team epitomizes the sentiment “a job well done.”

A manufacturing plant of this size is poised to significantly impact the area’s economic outlook. “The local economy relies on fishing and agriculture. This plant will bring many job opportunities to the community,” said Salinas.

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SPOTLIGHT

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

MASTER PLAN

HELPS NORTHROP GRUMMAN

STREAMLINE SPACE-AGE MANUFACTURING Additions and renovations within an occupied space can be challenging, but the bar is even higher when the client manufactures sophisticated satellite systems for the government. While Austin’s relationship with Northrop Grumman spans decades, our work on a master plan for their Redondo Beach Space Park renovation began in 2016.

The plan modernizes Buildings M1 and M2, transforming the complex into a highly efficient, state-of-the-art facility. The objective was to maximize, consolidate and expand labs into large, flexible open spaces with a cutting-edge production line.

STARTI NG P O IN T

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION OVERVIEW BUILDING M1

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION OVERVIEW BUILDING M2

Building M1 was constructed in 1961. It has a concrete panel exterior supported by steel columns, trusses, and beams. The 148,300 SF first floor consists of high and low bay manufacturing, cleanroom labs, and office space. The 13,300 SF second floor is dedicated entirely to office space. The high bay expansions, located along the east side of the building, were constructed at various times during the 1980s and 1990s.

Building M2 was constructed in 1965. It has a concrete panel exterior supported by steel columns, tapered girders, open web steel joists.

The 133,500 SF floor consists of high and low bay manufacturing, cleanroom labs, and office space. The 64,000 SF second floor is dedicated entirely to office space.

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TH E PL AN The master plan reduced inefficiencies and created greater process flow. The design expands lab space, increases utility capacity and service locations. Square footage was added to allow for new high bays with mezzanines to support offices, labs, and control rooms.

The building expansion consist of three single-story additions, totaling approximately 88,500 SF and one two-story, 35,500 SF addition. The new 8,300 SF lobby was designed with a noncombustible steel structural system and glass walls and roof. The result of the new construction fills in the gap between buildings M1 and M2, creating a single, continuous building.

“Before implementing this master plan, the client’s product had to be built in little pieces here and there all over the campus and moved from place to place. Every time they moved a satellite, they had to cover it and obtain special permission to transport it from building to building,” explained Senior Project Manager Glenn Schulz. “Our design allowed for minimum disruption and the end of having to take the satellite out of a building and move it somewhere else.”

In addition to designing for improved manufacturing processes, the complex required a significant infrastructure update. “While the facility had undergone several remodels since its original construction in the 60s, it hadn’t gone through a full-on renovation,” said Eric Marx, Associate Director of Design.

A significant challenge was converting office space into a cleanroom.

“Engineering the air handler units required strict coordination between all disciplines. We had to accommodate these large ducts while maintaining the ceiling height the client wanted. The ducts had to go through the roof, past an active second-floor office space to the first floor,” explains Marx.

SUSTAINAB ILIT Y FEATURES Austin upgraded the standard fluorescent lighting with LED. As a result, many areas of the building are illuminated 24 hours, seven days a week. By updating the lighting throughout, Northrop Grumman stands to see significant savings. They will also save on maintenance since the average commercial LED light provides between 50,000 to 100,000 hours of illumination.

The additions were constructed with insulated metal panels and efficient insulated roofing materials making for a highly thermal envelope.

ONGOING PR OJECT While the team has accomplished significant milestones, work on the campus continues. “The next phase that we’re designing is a tall high bay and a new lobby,” explained Schultz. “So, when all the phases of the master plan are complete, Northrup Grumman will have an efficient workflow capable of being accomplished under one roof.”

“One of the biggest changes we made to the building was the main utility corridor,” said Marx. “We almost doubled the size of the corridor and increased the ceiling height to accommodate both the product and process.”

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SPOTLIGHT

EDUCATION

small projects

BIG IMPACT While Austin’s most recent project on the Mater Dei campus may only be 400 SF, it is a testament to an ongoing client partnership with the school. The partnership began in 2000 with a master plan for this prestigious co-educational college preparatory high school in Santa Ana, CA. Over the last 21 years, Austin has brought Mater Dei’s plan to life, including a gymnasium, baseball field stands, science wing, multi-purpose spaces, and an expansion to the student activities center.

was essentially a new building with an outer envelope structure, HVAC, electrical, and all the finishing work to do. Getting all our subcontractors coordinated simultaneously while staying out of each other’s way was a hurdle.”

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

COVID protocols worked in the team’s favor when the school designated a portion of the parking lot as an outdoor lunch area.

The large tent that was erected served as an ideal laydown area for materials.

The existing student activities center consisted of a classroom and two offices. To get to the classroom from the offices, you had to go outside. Our design solution included an additional office and a lobby to remedy the disconnection between areas. The lobby is a flexible space where students can meet, promote, and sell tickets to special events. The classroom received upgrades to keep pace with today’s technological demands.

CHALLENGES COVID-19 PANDEMIC. Design began in 2017. Austin was in the process of value engineering when COVID put the project on pause until 2021. The summer months of 2021 were designated to complete the construction.

LOCATION. In addition to a tight timeframe, the Mater Dei campus is situated on a dense, urban site making logistics challenging.

SUBCONTRACTOR COORDINATION. “One of our biggest hurdles was the size of this building,” explained Associate Director of Design Eric Marx, RA. “Even though it was a small project, it

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MATERIAL & EQUIPMENT DELIVERY. Moving materials and equipment was also tricky. Crews had to traverse the outside edges of the campus and down alleyways to make it to the building site.

ONGOING CAMPUS ACTIVITIES. Despite being the summer months, many student activities continued. The team worked around student orientation, sporting events, and barbecues to complete construction.

RESULTS Work was completed on time and under budget. “I’d like to recognize Dan Guesman and Cathy Nolan for their leadership role on the construction team,” said Marx.

But, equally important, Austin continues to deliver results as Mater Dei High School’s trusted design-build partner. A new 400 seat performing arts auditorium, a black box theater, and classroom spaces for drama, dance, and broadcasting curriculum are next on the horizon.

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SERVICES

ENGINEERING

When � Storm Hits,

AUSTIN ENGINEERS RESPOND WITH BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Aerospace and aviation facilities have been a core component of Austin’s business since 1916. From Curtiss Aeoplane and Motor Company (1918) to today’s commercial and military aircraft manufacturing facilities, Austin has been helping our clients meet the industry’s ever-evolving technology demands.

One of the greatest measures of an organization’s performance is repeat business. Austin’s history with Northrop Grumman dates back to the early 1960s and has history with its heritage companies as far as the 1930s. This relationship has evolved into ongoing project assignments nationwide.

So when Hurricane Laura, a deadly and destructive Category 4 hurricane, affected Northrop Grumman’s facility located at Chennault Airport, Lake Charles, LA, a team from Austin was on a plane within 24 hours to help assess the damage.

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The facility, located near the center of the storm was impacted for more than six hours by rain and high winds of up to 137 mph.

This resulted in the aircraft maintenance and fabrication center suffering damage.

Austin’s assessment team included Project Executive Barry Rogers, PE, Design Project Manager & Structural Engineer Jeff Morris, PE, Preconstruction Associate Andrew Hoffmeyer, and Electrical Engineer Cindy Zaharchuk, PE. Their findings served as the basis for the design, engineering, and construction solutions to repair damage to the facility, minimizing impact to Northrop Grumman operations.

NO END IN SIGHT According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the incidents of major tropical storms increased globally by six percent in each of the last four decades, a trajectory that doesn’t seem to be altering course.

There were 22 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters across the United States in 2020, shattering the previous record of 16 events in 2017 and 2011. These 2020 events included a record seven tropical cyclones, 13 to severe storms, a drought, and a wildfires. All told, these events cost the nation a combined $95 billion in damages.

As of July 2021 there were eight weather or climate disaster events in the United States with losses exceeding $1 billion and the deaths of 331 people during the 40 years between 1980-2020, there were about seven weather events per year. In the last five years, that number has risen to 16.2 events per year.

What does this mean for the design, engineering, and construction industry? First, designing for extreme weather is more important than ever before. We must be prepared to assist our clients in preventing and recovering from storm damage when disaster strikes.

WHY TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE Waiting too long after a major storm can cause secondary damage to the property, such as mold and mildew. However, cautionary steps should be taken to ensure no eminent structural, electrical, or chemical hazards make the structure dangerous. In addition, the longer a facility goes without being occupied, the greater the financial loss can be to the client.

strengthen and protect your building. Upgrading to impact glass windows is one important place to start. Depending on where your property is located, you may be at elevated risk for flooding and storm surge damage as well. The FEMA Flood Map Service Center provides helpful information for evaluating how susceptible your property may be to water and storm damage.

HAVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS. If you don’t have a disaster response plan in place, take the time now to create one or conduct an audit on an existing one. Document your plan to protect your property and employees in the event of a natural disaster and review it annually. Review your company’s insurance policy and take photos and video footage of your property to have on hand if you need to file a claim.

TEST SYSTEMS AND BACKUP EQUIPMENT. This may include generators, sandbags, tools, fuel, and other supplies specific to your business.

LAST-MINUTE ACTIONS. As the storm approaches, secure the interior and exterior property. This includes windows, electronics, exterior signage. Move equipment and furniture away from windows and turn off electricity before you leave.

PREPARE COMMUNICATION PLANS. Ensure employees know the processes and procedures before, during, and after the storm. Help them stay well informed about safetly returning to the building.

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION KEEP UP WITH MAINTENANCE. Complete a building inspection and take care of any past-due maintenance and repairs needed to

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SERVICES

SAFETY

WORKING WITH OSHA

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COMPLEXITY OF OSHA'S STANDARDS Knowing and implementing OSHA standards is no small task when you take a deeper dive into its standards. OSHA is focused on four different industry groups: General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Agriculture.

OSHA pulls together committees together made up of union workers who help develop the standards for each discipline. However, this one size fits all approach does not fit all criteria. For example, if you are working more than four feet off the ground in General Industry, you must be tied off. But, in Construction, that height is six feet.

KNOW AND IMPLEMENT OSHA REQUIREMENTS Knowledge is power. Austin field staff assigned to any project are all competent safety professionals with a minimum of OSHA 30 training. Training is centered around issues such as: •

Fire protection and prevention

•

Electrical safety

•

Excavations

•

Hand and Power tool

•

Fall protection and prevention

•

Heat stress

•

Forklift certification

•

Scaffold

•

Aerial and scissor lifts

TOP 10 MOST FREQUENTLY CITED STANDARDS

•

Steel erection

Following is a list of the top 10 most frequently cited standards following worksites inspections by federal OSHA.

•

Concrete & Masonry Construction

•

Material Handling

•

Confined Space

•

Cranes, Derricks and Conveyors

•

Machine guarding

•

Personal Protective Equipment

•

Stairs and Ladders

•

Hazard recognition

•

Welding

•

Ergonomics

Fall protection requirements for scaffold work is ten feet; for floor or roof decking, it’s 15 feet; and for ironworkers installing structural steel bolts it is 30 feet. Uneven work surfaces such as warehouse floor stepping down to the ground is nineteen inches (19”) or less. All open holes must be completely covered and pits barricaded.

Changes to OSHA standards can be a long process requiring complete agreement from the committee or unions members. It is not uncommon for changes to take years to make it into the manual. OSHA Quicktakes is a free, bi-weekly magazine that offers new OSHA regulations, safety tips, injury statistics, and more. It can be found by visiting www.osha.gov/quicktakes/.

1.

Fall Protection | CONSTRUCTION

2.

Hazard Communication Standard | GENERAL INDUSTRY

3.

Respiratory Protection | GENERAL INDUSTRY

4.

Scaffolding, General Requirements | CONSTRUCTION

5.

Ladders | CONSTRUCTION

6.

Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout) | GENERAL INDUSTRY

7.

Powered Industrial Trucks | GENERAL INDUSTRY

8.

Fall Protection Training Requirements | CONSTRUCTION

9.

Eye and Face Protection | CONSTRUCTION

10. Machinery and Machine Guarding | GENERAL REQUIREMENTS OSHA’s objectives are to prevent incidents from happening and, when they do, assist in investigating the root cause and make recommendations for the prevention of future incidents.

It is OSHA’s job to get to the bottom of any reported issue. Austin’s Corporate Director of Quality Assurance and Safety, Charlie Engel, explains. “We have the same mission as OSHA – to make sure everyone goes home safe at the end of the day.”

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SPOTLIGHT

MEAT & POULTRY

MAKING BACON ASSISTING THE WORLD’S LARGEST MEAT PROCESSOR TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND

Our work with Swift Prepared Foods’ Project Emerald began with multiple conceptual planning studies considering various products and processes, as well as expansions and greenfield solutions. Throughout the conceptual planning effort, Swift was able to evaluate their business needs and project alternatives, ultimately choosing to move forward with a fully cooked bacon slice and bacon bit processing plant. Austin Consutling provided site selection services in conjunction with preliminary engineering for the new facility.

Additionally, one design change implemented due to COVID was the entrance to the plant. A thermal imaging system was added to the entry, a practice that is poised to become the industry standard.

To support Austin’s preliminary engineering results, Austin Consulting collaborated with Swift to assess the prospective plant’s operating and strategic needs. The team considered land and labor requirements, plant expansion potential, electricity and other utilities, freight costs, community interest and support for the project, proximity to customers, and access to raw materials. Swift settled on a 40-acre greenfield location in Moberly, Missouri, as the best value option. (Read more in our 2020 issue of Results Magazine.)

Barr explains the manufacturing process, “Bellies are processed at other Swift facilities, where they are injected, cooked, chilled, and tempered. The bellies come to the Emerald Project facility stacked on pallets. Then they are pressed to obtain the desired shape, run through a slicer, onto a belt, and through a microwave for cooking. Next, slices are chilled and then undergo a quality control inspection. Finally, slices are placed on paper, stacked, and put into a packaging machine.

With groundbreaking in March of 2020, Project Emerald was impacted by the full force of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The supply chain, specifically steel delivery, was challenging,” explained Director of Project Planning, Sean Barr. “We did everything we could to work with suppliers to make sure materials arrived at the job site as quickly as possible. Never working from a stockpile; steel was erected as soon as it got to the site.”

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The new 125,000 SF facility produces fully cooked ready-toeat bacon and bacon bits. The plant meets the strictest USDA regulations for food safety and contains more than 400 pieces of process equipment. In addition, it features a mezzanine, welfare area, offices, and contingencies for future expansion.

The bits line takes cured ends and pieces that are diced to size and spread on the belt, and then a microwave cooks the pieces. The cooked product is then chilled, reduced to customer specifications, and finally packaged in vertical form fill bagging machines.”

Powering a plant like this is no easy feat. According to Barr, each production line uses one megawatt of energy for the cooking process. One megawatt is equivalent to the energy produced utilizing conventional generators, such as a coal plant. This equates to about the same electricity consumed by 400 to 900 homes per year.

In addtion, Austin helped Swift turn a by-product of the cooking process into a profit center. “The grease that is cooked off the bacon is stored to allow for setting. It is then run through a centrifuge that turns it into choice white grease. This high market value product increases the payback for Swift,” concludes Barr.

A HISTORICAL LOOK AT MICROWAVE BACON Microwaved bacon processing was introduced in the 70s. The equipment sliced at speeds of only 200 slices per minute, microwave power levels were 100 kW, and packaging was completed by hand.

SNAPSHOT OF MOBERLY, MO POPULATION: 13,974 people | 4,960 households in the city.

AREA: 12.26 square miles

FOUNDED: 1866

COUNTY: Randolph

PROXIMITY TO MAJOR CITIES: 116 miles Northeast of Kansas City, MO 132 miles Northwest of Saint Louis, MO

SAFETY STATS ZERO

OVER

30,000 HOURS WORKED

LOST TIME ACCIDENTS

In the 80s, innovations such as higher speed, 3-lane slicers (capable of slicing 750 slices of bacon per minute), higher-powered microwave bacon processing systems (at this time, rated around 300 kW), and packaging automation were introduced.

By the 90s, installations of microwave equipment reached around 50 units worldwide. Equipment and technology continued to advance including higher speed slicing at 1,100 slices per minute.

Microwave power reached an average of 600 kW. The 2000s have seen dramatic changes to bacon processing.

Sales skyrocketed with the introduction of retail packaged bacon.

Households and fast-food corporations embrace using bacon as a flavor enhancer, and variations of the product were introduced.

Consequently, there are more than 100 microwave bacon processing systems worldwide. Technology continues to improve in terms of efficiency, speed, and power. Systems now slice up to 1,600 slices per minute. Microwave power is up to 1,000+ kW. Ventilation optimization and exhaust scrubbing have been introduced, and functions such as slicing, cooking, packaging have been combined into integrated systems. As always, Austin stands ready to leverage the latest technology ensure success for our clients.

*Swift is a subsidiary of JBS USA Holdings, Inc. the world’s largest meat processor.

JBS manufactures, markets, and distributes processed and canned meat products, poultry products, and commercial feeds.

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CELEBRATIONS

SERVICE MILESTONES

Employee Milestones

Thank you for your service and commitment to our core values.

Nothing speaks to our culture like our employees’ continued dedication to Austin and our clients.

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5 YEARS MICKEY JACKSON

BRIAN GREEN

DARREN GILLAND

CHRIS JACKSON

SANG KIM

JIM ASHWORTH

ERIC SPITZER

BRIAN ZUZIK MIKE FERGUSON

15 YEARS

20 YEARS

ROB HAWKINS

JASSI GREWAL

HERMAN MILLER

25 YEARS

30 YEARS

STEVE VANWORMER

DAN WIEGANDT STEVE LOTZ

35 YEARS

40 YEARS

STEPHANIE CHAMBERS

MIKE PIERCE KEN STONE

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CELEBRATIONS

SERVICE MILESTONES

Employee Milestones “A great team is hard to find and `impossible to forget.”

Anonymous

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5 YEARS BRANDON DAVIS

TOM MORRIS

DAN HEALY

BOB TUCKERMAN

AMY HEWIS

MIKE ZARUCHES

KARL MEWS

KEN DARNER VIET DANG

10 YEARS

15 YEARS

HOPE (HAYES) DONALDSON

JEFF DEEL

AARON GIPSON

JUDI SZABO-STULL

ANCA AVRAM VOGELPOHL

RENE BENJAMINS

MIKE LEONETTE

ERIC MARX

INNA PIVOVAR OLGA ZLOTNIKOV

25 YEARS

ERNESTO NAVARRO PAUL SEGAT

ALEX SESTAK

35 YEARS

45 YEARS

ROSE SIVAK

ERIC BOCKMULLER

DAVE HOUSTON RESULTS MAGAZINE

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CELEBRATIONS

ACQUISITIONS

AC Q U I S I T I O N S E X PA N D

AUSTIN’S GLOBAL FOOTPRINT AND SERVICES AUSTIN CLOSED OUT 2021 WITH TWO IMPACTFUL ACQUISITIONS: THE AUSTIN COMPANY OF UK (LONDON) AND GALA & ASSOCIATES (DETROIT).

THE AUSTIN COMPANY OF THE UK The Austin Company of UK was founded in the 1920s as Austin in the USA was developing into an international company. Operations in the UK were suspended due to WWII and then resumed in 1948. During the 70s and 80s, Austin UK established a strong reputation and loyal customer base in the manufacturing, life science, biosciences, and food & beverage markets. These markets have remained their primary source of business.

When Kajima USA acquired Austin US in 2006, circumstances prevented Austin UK from being included. The UK business was sold to the management team led by Prakash Davda, Managing Director.

Austin UK is a design-build company with an in-house team of technicians, designers, engineers, procurement specialists, project managers, and construction professionals. They work throughout the UK and Europe from their offices in North London, UK.

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“Austin UK provides exceptional design-build services to the pharmaceutical and food and beverage market throughout the UK and Europe. They are outstanding practitioners of The Austin Method. We look forward to our growing collaboration,” said Austin US President and CEO Mike Pierce.

Davda adds, “Rejoining Austin US is fantastic for our business. It enhances our resources and enriches relationships… Partnering with our US teammates strengthens the overall brand, brings exciting new opportunities, and expands our area of service,”

GALA & ASSOCIATES Founded in 1987, Gala & Associates is an architecture and engineering firm serving the automotive industry. Based in Beverly Hills, Michigan, just outside Detroit, Gala employs approximately 50 staff members which include architects and civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers. The Gala team has designed and engineered assembly, stamping, paint, engine, battery, and other types of automotive plants for an expansive list of major manufacturers throughout North America.

Chuni Gala, President says, “When one of our clients needs to dial 9-1-1, they call Gala. Our reputation for design and engineering for the automotive industry is unparalleled. We take pride in our handson approach to every project.”

“Gala is an exceptional business. I have very high regard for Chuni Gala and his leadership team. The relationships and trust they have earned from automotive manufacturers are a testimony to their values and integrity. Those values align completely with Austin’s,” said Austin President and CEO Mike Pierce.

Gala will retain its name Gala & Associates and continue to provide architecture and engineering services. No changes in operations, culture, practice, or personnel are planned.

Both acquisitions will receive the immediate support of Kajima’s IT team and Austin’s corporate services of Accounting, HR, and Marketing & Communications.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT The Austin Company of the UK – austin.co.uk Gala and Associates – galaandassociates.com RESULTS MAGAZINE

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GLOBAL GALLERY

PICTURES FROM ACROSS AUSTIN

Jonathan Gemmen, of Austin Consulting conducts field work for the Tennessee’s site readiness programs.

Cleveland-based Austinites raise money for local animal shelters.

Shown are Judi Szabo-Stull, Laurie Kozakowski, Josh Doubrava, Jassi Grewal, Josh Moran, Anca Avram Vogelpohl, and Mike Zaruches

Western BU hosts an engagement party for Nick Hill and fiance, Caitlin.

Eastern BU sales team showing off their team spirit with matching jackets.

Shown are Matt Shank, John Ruyf, Brad Banks, Megan Bishop, and Eric Bockmuller

It’s all hands on deck as Austin’s MarCom team assists Pfizer in the MAPS Groundbreaking Ceremony. Shown are (Left) Brittany Scheckelhoff, (Center) Mike Pierce, Kathy Young, Pfizer Kalamazoo Engineering Director, Steve VanWormer, Matt Eddleman, (Right) Steve VanWormer

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Eastern BU interns visit the site of Project Lazarus. Shown are Julia McGrew, Alasia Gordon, Daniel Scullion, Nicholas Scherer, Andrew Kurth

Charlie Jewers and Chris Jackson look for top talent at career fairs help at colleges throughout Ohio.

The Cleveland Office’s Annual Picnic had a carnival theme with games created by staff and interns and a dunk tank. $500 was raised in donation to support the Cleveland Food Bank. (Left) Dave Oshins (Center) Judi Szabo-Stull and Dave Oshins (Right) Jerry Lyzen and various teammates

The Irvine office celebrates Ernie Navarro’s 60th birthday in an unexpected way by signing the “wall” during the office’s remodel. How fun it will be to find these treasurers years later. (Left) Ernie Navarro (Right) Viet Dang and Donna Lorenzen.

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GLOBAL GALLERY

PICTURES FROM ACROSS AUSTIN

Austin’s Irvine office undergoes a major transformation and leaves more hidden signatures.

Eastern Ops celebrates its Draft Day New Hire event at Cleveland’s Top Golf. (Left) Jacob Richey, Brad Banks, Juliana Lanese, Sadie Fazekas, Jerry Lyzen & Guests. (Middle) Michole MacPherson, Ken Jenkins, Andrew Hoffman, Ben Sestak, Ahmed Salih, Karthik Kondajji and guests. (Right) Juliana Lanese, Jacob Richey, Sadie Fazekas and guests.

Paul Segat, pictured with Jay Williams, Executive Director of OC United, Presents the Kajima Foundation Grant check of $1,000.

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Austin supports the Akron Art Museum’s Family Days through a grant from the Kajima Foundation. Shown are Megan Sevastos, Development Officer and Leslie Panfil.

2022 TRADESHOWS Tradeshows offer The Austin Company the opportunity to meet with potential and existing clients. Here is a list of the shows we will be attending in 2022.

INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING EXPO (IPPE) ATLANTA, GA | JANUARY 25 - 27

CALIFORNIA LEAGUE OF FOOD PRODUCERS (CLFP) FOOD PROCESSING EXPO SACRAMENTO, CA | FEBRUARY 15 - 16

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BAKING (ASB) MARKETPLACE CHICAGO, IL, | MARCH 1 - 3

SELECT USA INVESTMENT SUMMIT WASHINGTON, DC | JUNE 26 - 29

INTERNATIONAL BAKING INDUSTRY EXPOSITION (IBIE) LAS VEGAS, NV | SEPTEMBER 18 - 21

PACK EXPO CHICAGO, IL | OCTOBER 23 - 26

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHARMACEUTICAL (ISPE) ANNUAL MEETING AND EXPO ORLANDO, FL | OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 2

THEAUSTIN.COM CONSULT

▪

DESIGN

▪

ENGINEER

▪

CONSTRUCT

ATLANTA ▪ CLEVELAND ▪ DETROIT ▪ IRVINE ▪ KALAMAZOO ▪ LONDON ▪ SAN LUIS POTOSI