Issuu

The Pipeline February 2021

The Pipeline 2 In this issue Company Corner 3 A Message from our CEO Our Employees are the Best in the Business 4 In the Know 6 Staff Shout-Outs 8 Celebrating You 10 Employee Spotlight Project Spotlight 12 Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors Office Updates 14 Jacksonville 16 Gainesville 17 Orlando Company Update 18 FL Mech Upcoming Events 20 Professional Development Workshop Schedule

Company Corner

A Message from our CEO

Dear

W. W. Gay Family,

In recent months you have more than likely heard me say that “change is here”. I know that for many, change is difficult. However, change brings new and exciting opportunities for not only our people but for our company, too. Fellow employees are being promoted, additional positions are being created and new faces can be seen across all offices. By embracing these changes, we are opening doors to fresh and innovative approaches to help carry on Mr. Gay’s legacy.

Something else I have repeated recently is “What got us here, won’t get us there”. Our company has a long history of greatness, but the elements that helped bring us to this point will not sustain us. We must take every opportunity to keep moving forward and reach for a new level of greatness. A task of that magnitude cannot be accomplished alone, though. It requires us to work as a team, to band together and meet that change with a positive attitude. Instead of resisting, let’s build each other up. Let’s support one another and be that helping hand when a fellow employee needs it. We should all put forth the effort to learn from each other and to always be teaching. When we all strive to be the best versions of ourselves, we will quickly see our company becoming the best it has ever been. What better way to honor our founder than that!

As you read through this month’s Pipeline, you will see some of those exciting changes first-hand. You will also hear more great stories of our success. I am always extremely proud to highlight those and you should be, too. I challenge you to continue to show your support for those in our family! We are all in this together.

Thank you for always being the best in the business!

Paul Jones President & CEO

The Pipeline 3

In the Know

Employee News & Updates

Congratulations are in order for the following employees! We are thrilled to announce their recent promotions and know they will excel in their new positions.

Miranda Carr (pictured left) was promoted to the Training & Community Service Coordinator this past December. She joined the W. W. Gay family at the Jacksonville office in October 2019 as an Administrative Assistant. She then took over the Receptionist role in August 2020.

With this new position, Miranda is responsible for all community service and outreach programs, including donations, and will also help in organizing training programs company-wide. If you had training recommendations, or questions regarding certificates and licenses, please contact Miranda Carr at mcarr@wwgmc.com.

In January, Jennifer Borum (pictured right) was promoted to a Project Engineer for the Military division in the Jacksonville office. Her career with W. W. Gay began in June 2018 as the Pipe Fabrication Shop Material Coordinator. Eight months later she also took over as the Material Coordinator for the Paint Shop.

Jennifer's new position will have her based out of NAS Jax (Naval Air Station Jacksonville), working with Superintendent Johnny Porter. She is excited for this new opportunity and looking forward to learning as much as possible.

The Pipeline 4

Miranda Carr Jacksonville Jennifer Borum Jacksonville

Just last month, Sabrina Bourque (pictured left) was promoted to the Pipe Fabrication Shop Material Coordinator. She has been part of the W. W. Gay family since September 2019 where she started as an Administrative Assistant.

In her new position, Sabrina will be responsible for all material receiving and deliveries. Congratulations Sabrina!

Maddy Morro (pictured right) started at W. W. Gay as a pre-apprentice in January 2018. However, she chose to not stay with the union in order to take a position as the Material Coordinator in the Plumbing Shop. Over time she became interested in the design aspect of the job and was just promoted to the CAD Department last month.

Maddy brings knowledge from both the Plumbing & Pipe Fabrication Shops to the design department. Great job, Maddy!

Kellie Wade (pictured left) joined the W. W. Gay Family just last month as an Administrative Assistant. She is new to the construction industry, having spent much of her time in hospitality. She will be responsible for the tracking of new packages, tasks related to the Plumbing Fabrication Shop and lending a hand to the Blueprints Department.

Welcome Kellie and good luck in your position!

Sabrina Bourque Jacksonville Maddy Morro Jacksonville

The Pipeline 5

Kellie Wade Jacksonville

Staff Shout-Outs

Great Jobs & Accolades

We have been flooded with so many wonderful success stories and are always proud to showcase the wonderful work our team does. Keep them coming!

Jeremiah Santora, Enver Valjevac & Thomas Johnson (Jacksonville)

Kudos to Trevor Putt (pictured right) for the amazing work he has been doing for Infinite Properties in Gainesville. The client took time to express her gratitude via email and we're happy to share a piece of that:

"During the subcontractor meetings, Trevor came to the table with questions that he needed answers to as a proactive measure, not a reactive measure. I saw the way he headed off and planned for potential obstacles. He was attentive, actively participated in these meetings, and pushed back in a few instances, but I noticed and admired this about him. During our owner training meetings, I was blown away by the orderly and exacting handwritten list of HVAC item locations I saw him carrying around. At one point, I mentioned my surprise to a CPPI team member and asked if that level of attention to detail was typical for subs in this trade. I was met with a chuckle, and confirmation that this was not typical; Trevor is dedicated to his work at hand, and an asset to your team, the GC, and us as the client."

You're a rock star Trevor! Keep up the great work!

Pictured left is a great team getting it done for Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. This in-house team has been working hard prepping piping systems ahead of a planned installation.

Great job team!

The Pipeline 6

Trevor Putt (Gainesville)

In January, the Orlando team out at the SunTrax Facility were scheduled to install two (2) large chillers, weighing in at over 22,000 lbs each! None of that team had ever dealt with chillers of that magnitude, so Jacksonville's Jason Taylor drove in to assist and oversee the installation. The one-day install went smoothly and the team could not have done a better job! Way to go to the following team members on that big task:

Gabriel Riesterer - Dean Neyrinck - John Ashworth - Robert Weirich - Justin Adamkiewitz - Larry Matthews Angel Leon - Jamie Blankenship - William McDermid - Devon Chambers - Maxwell Heimowitz

The Pipeline 7

Celebrating You

Anniversaries & Birthdays

2/1 - Chedel Nelson: 16 years (Orlando)

2/1 - John Tickner: 4 years (Jacksonville)

2/2 - Matthew Furlong: 6 years (Jacksonville)

2/2 - Keith Gleaton: 12 years (Jacksonville)

2/2 - James Treece: 6 years (Jacksonville)

2/3 - Shelly Arnold: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/3 - Lee Eutsey: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/3 - Thomas Filosi: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/3 - Aaron Jervis: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/3 - Eris Vega: 6 years (Jacksonville)

2/4 - Jorge Cardona: 6 years (Jacksonville)

2/4 - John Caserta: 2 years (Jacksonville)

2/4 - Joshua Lord: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/4 - Eliot Smith: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/5 - Sarah Covington: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/5 - Raul Diaz: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/5 - Kevin Macmillan: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/6 - Freddie Holton: 4 years (Jacksonville)

2/6 - Joseph Napoli: 4 years (Jacksonville)

2/6 - Dylan Youmans: 3 years (Jacksonville)

2/7 - Justin Ellis: 1 year (Orlando)

2/7 - Jacob Jervis: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/7 - Dean Neyrinck: 10 years (Orlando)

2/7 - Christopher Stoia: 3 years (Jacksonville)

2/7 - Garrett Williams: 1 year (Gainesville)

2/8 - Larry Hauter: 8 years (Jacksonville)

2/8 - Clifford Murray, III.: 19 years (Jacksonville)

2/10 - Donovan Blaney: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/10 - Kyle Manion: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/11 - Dillon W. Rogers: 8 years (Jacksonville)

February Anniversaries

2/12- Randall Glisson, Jr.: 3 years (Jacksonville)

2/12 - Adam Hayes: 3 years (Gainesville)

2/12 - Rachel Roper: 3 years (Gainesville)

2/12 - Michael Whitener: 18 years (Gainesville)

2/13 - Joe Brabham: 15 years (Gainesville)

2/13 - Donald O'Neal: 4 years (Jacksonville)

2/14 - Kenneth Dalton: 9 years (Jacksonville)

2/14 - Richard Holder: 9 years (Jacksonsville)

2/15 - Jacob Stephens: 5 years (Jacksonville)

2/16 - James Echevarria: 5 years (Orlando)

2/16 - Ronald Loder, Sr.: 3 years (Jacksonville)

2/16 - Carl Ramsdell: 23 years (Jacksonville)

2/17 - Netfali Adorno: 7 years (Orlando)

2/17 - Garth Beattie: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/17 - Ryan Carpenter: 5 years (Jacksonville)

2/17 - Michael Fenwick: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/17 - Dametre Lynch: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/17 - Tucker Stack: 1 year (Gainesville)

2/17 - Cody Zak: 1 year (Gainesville)

2/18 - Levi Gatlin: 2 years (Jacksonville)

2/18 - Cory Stanford: 6 years (Jacksonville)

2/18 - Terry Manning: 2 years (Orlando)

2/18 - Eldon Price: 2 years (Orlando)

2/18 - Randall Waites: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/19 - Kelly Byrd: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/19 - Brian Donnelly: 3 years (Gainesville)

2/19 - Hayden Hill: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/19 - Brayton Lowe: 3 years (Gainesville)

2/20 - Justin Manley: 8 years (Jacksonville)

2/20 - Lucas Nelms: 4 years (Jacksonville)

2/20 - Luis Vasquez: 1 year (Orlando)

2/21 - Russell Barker: 3 years (Gainesville)

2/22 - Harold Fall: 2 years (Jacksonville)

2/22 - Anual Ray, II.: 16 years (Jacksonville)

2/23 - Johnny Boehm: 39 years (Jacksonville)

2/23 - Chandler Hodges: 5 years (Jacksonville)

2/23 - Jacob Tabbot: 6 years (Jacksonville)

2/24 - Ronald Creel: 29 years (Jacksonville)

2/24 - Charlie Perry: 4 years (Jacksonville)

2/24 - Craig Shivers: 18 years (Jacksonville)

2/24 - Brandon Smith: 4 years (Jacksonville)

2/25 - Susan McLeod: 2 years (Jacksonville)

2/25 - Ikonakamaheu Pescaia: 2 years (Orlando)

2/25 - Ruben Rojas, Jr.: 2 years (Orlando)

2/25 - Michael Stenbeck: 3 years (Jacksonville)

2/25 - Conner Townsend: 2 years (Gainesville)

2/26 - Robert Lee: 35 years (Jacksonville)

2/26 - Robert Overmyer: 1 year (Jacksonville)

2/28 - Kelly Fish: 10 years (Jacksonville)

2/28 - Dwight Kisner: 2 years (Orlando)

**If you find that any of the above information is incorrect, please reach out to Marketing Manager Emily Vurnakes at evurnakes@wwgmc.com so that it can be corrected in our system.

The Pipeline 8

2/1 - Natasha Degrave (Jacksonville)

2/1 - Matthew Hunter (Orlando)

2/1 - Kyle Smith (Jacksonville)

2/2 - Aaron Cline (Jacksonville)

2/2 - William Dugger (Jacksonville)

2/2 - Jennifer Griffith (Jacksonville)

2/2- Ancil Odom, III. (Jacksonville)

2/2 - Jamaal Paulding (Jacksonville)

2/3 - Octavio Diaz Teran (Gainesville)

2/3 - Ricky Murphy (Gainesville)

2/3 - Daniel Pridgeon (Gainesville)

2/3 - Dale Reddish, Jr. (Jacksonville)

2/4 - Samuel Asker (Jacksonville)

2/4 - Colby Cothren (Gainesville)

2/4 - Jack Kersey (Jacksonville)

2/5 - Kristopher Dehart (Jacksonville)

2/5 - Justin Smith (Gainesville)

2/6 - John Ashworth (Orlando)

2/6 - Lancin Hersey (Gainesville)

2/6 - Kobe Pilcher (Gainesville)

2/7 - Robert Shreve, Jr. (Jacksonville)

2/8 - Charles Crosier, II. (Gainesville)

2/8 - William Craven (Jacksonville)

2/9 - Augustine D'Arco (Orlando)

2/10 - David Trantham (Jacksonville)

2/11 - Zachary Fanelli (Orlando)

2/11 - Jeremy Geiger (Gainesville)

2/11 - Michael Tepelides (Jacksonville)

2/11 - Kory Williams (Jacksonville)

2/12 - Walter Baum, Jr. (Gainesville)

2/12 - Joseph Bouchard (Jacksonville)

2/12 - Jerry Hunt, Jr. (Orlando)

2/12 - Charleene Moncrieff (Jacksonville)

2/12 - Andrew Ranard (Gainesville)

February Birthdays

2/13 - Gabriel Ard (Jacksonville)

2/13 - Jose Diaz (Orlando)

2/14 - Johnny Velazquez (Orlando)

2/15 - Daniel Gaskin (Jacksonville)

2/15 - Tyler Sessions (Jacksonville)

2/16 - Jeremy Cribb (Jacksonville)

2/16 - Laura Jones (Orlando)

2/16 - Jonathan Kelly (Jacksonville)

2/16 - Brandon Kutylo (Jacksonville)

2/16 - Robert Mencner, Jr. (Jacksonville)

2/17 - Zachary Halifko (Jacksonville)

2/18 - Michael Runge (Orlando)

2/18 - Allien Tellechea (Orlando)

2/21 - Michael Wenzel (Jacksonville)

2/22 - Branden Raulerson (Jacksonville)

2/27 - Kenneth Colston (Jacksonville)

2/22 - Cory Stanford (Jacksonville)

2/24 - Daniel Giles (Jacksonville)

2/19 - Michael Farr (Jacksonville)

2/19 - Brandon Graves (Jacksonville)

2/19 - Klinton Kennard (Gainesville)

2/19 - Jeffrey Waters (Orlando)

2/22 - Mark Hudson (Jacksonville)

2/24 - Carl Ramsdell (Jacksonville)

2/27 - Henry Glover, III. (Jacksonville)

2/26 - KrystianPiwowarczk (Jacksonville)

2/28 - Robert Wasson (Jacksonville)

2/20 - Adam Baich (Gainesville)

2/20 - James Noviello, II. (Jacksonville)

2/20 - Angela Jones (Jacksonville)

2/20 - David Windisch (Jacksonville)

2/21 - Sarah Covington (Jacksonville)

2/22 - Joe Gaylard, Jr. (Gainesville)

2/23 - Randy Matney (Jacksonville)

2/24 - Samuel Bean (Orlando)

2/25 - Samuel Gibson (Jacksonville)

2/25 - Jerome Griffin (Jacksonville)

2/25 - Charles McLaurin (Orlando)

2/26 - Walter Laubach (Jacksonville)

2/26 - Matthew Mauga (Gainesville)

2/26 - Yalier Roman (Gainesville)

2/27 - Jeromy Pizarro (Jacksonville)

2/28 - Justin Manley (Jacksonville)

2/28 - Chris Stalnaker (Gainesville)

**If you find that any of the above information is incorrect, please reach out to Marketing Manager Emily Vurnakes at evurnakes@wwgmc.com so that it can be corrected in our system.

The Pipeline 9

Employee Spotlight

If you have ever worked on a project that required fabrication, Amanda Wenzel is someone who, more than likely, you are very familiar with. As the Coordination Operations Manager, Amanda has the very important job of helping each project get off the ground by way of coordination. While she is based in the Jacksonville office, Amanda can (and has) worked on jobs across all offices. We are thrilled to highlight her as our Employee Spotlight for the month of February!

Amanda is another true Floridian, born and raised in Jacksonville. An only child, Amanda was homeschooled beginning in the 4th grade. She is grateful for that experience as it allowed her the opportunity to travel the country with her parents, taking in the history of each state they visited. The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and Niagara Falls are just a few on a very long list of beautiful sights she has been fortunate enough to see. Out of all the places she has been though, the state of Wyoming was her absolute favorite, due to its weather and beautiful scenery.

Once she completed grade school, Amanda enrolled at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) where she received her Associate Degree. She then moved to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in December 2011. While she enjoyed her time in Gainesville, Amanda was happy to move back home to Jacksonville after finishing her studies. To fulfill a lifelong passion of working with animals, Amanda began as the Shelter Manager for Nassau County’s Animal Control, a position she held for two nearly years. From there she went on to work for First Coast No More Homeless Pets as a Veterinarian Technician. While she loved animals, she quickly learned that working with them on a day-to-day basis took too much of an emotional toll on her; it was time for a career change. Lucky for Amanda, her dad had worked for W. W. Gay for many years and just so happened to know of an open position. Her career at W. W. Gay began in January 2015 as a Billing Clerk, where she worked for 7 months before moving to the Pipe Fabrication Shop. In that position she was responsible for all material receiving, deliveries and an overall knowledge of each fitting and process. After one year, she moved to the coordination side and compiled information for fabrication and coordination. Because of her hard work and dedication in that position, she was offered an opportunity to run that department, and has done exactly that for just over a year. With this new role, Amanda not only oversees the entire Coordination Department, but she also plays a large part in obtaining all the upfront needs to get coordination going. She releases the main bulk of material buys and ensures her team is meeting each and every deadline, which helps keep the field on track, too.

While Amanda may no longer be working with animals, they are still what she is most passionate about. She calls herself a horse, dog, and cat person, but loves all animals. At home she has 2 cats and 2 dogs, who are like family to her. She also loves the beach, a big reason she has continued to call Jacksonville home. Amanda is also an excellent baker, a past-time she has grown to love! While she doesn’t have much time to dedicate to the hobby, come the Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays, she’ll take over the kitchen to bake cookies, pies and all sorts of delicious treats. When she isn’t at work, the beach or baking up a storm, you can find Amanda and her fiancé doing renovations on their home.

Amanda feels grateful to work for a company like W. W. Gay, where the people are approachable, and the environment feels like home. “It’s such a unique place,” says Amanda. “No matter what you need, someone is always willing to help you. It really is one big family here”.

Great job, Amanda! Thank you for all you do!

Quick Answers

Favorite quote:

"Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the staircase" by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Favorite TV Show: "Life Below Zero" on Discovery Channel

Dream dinner guest: Princess Diana

Best Jacksonville recommendation: Jacksonville Beaches are a must!

I'm happiest when...

I'm enjoying the Disney World "all-you-caneat" buffets! They are amazing!

The Pipeline 10

Amanda Wenzel Jacksonville

Project Spotlight

Homes for Wounded Warriors

If you were to ask anyone in the construction industry to name a project they have been honored to work on, their answers would probably come to mind rather quickly. For many of our own employees, that project could very well be one that helped give back to an injured United States Military Veteran and his family.

This special story begins with professional football player, Jared Allen. While you may know him for his abilities on the field, Jared also has many contributions off the field, too. In 2009, he founded his own charity, the “Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors”, in order to build handicapped-accessible homes for severely wounded military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Jared’s goal has always been to build a home for wounded soldiers in every state. In 2018, an incredible veteran from the state of Florida was selected to receive support.

Four years before he was selected, Army Ranger Staff Sergeant Travis Dunn was stationed in Afghanistan. On December 2, 2014 he and a group of Rangers found themselves in an intense battle with the enemy, enduring six hours of direct fire engagement. During the assault, SSG Dunn was shot in the upper torso and fell from an embankment, resulting in paraplegia. For his incredible courage during battle, he was presented with the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart. Not long after returning home, SSG Dunn and his wife were looking forward to starting a family together. This is where Homes for Wounded Warriors comes back in. SSG Dunn had applied and was chosen among a large pool of applicants to receive a 100-percent handicap accessible home, built specifically for his needs.

To help build his home from the ground up, Homes for Wounded Warriors teamed up with Army Ranger Lead the Way Fund and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Before the project even began, our very own Harold “Curly” Richardson and Jody Crews were contacted by the Brotherhood of Carpenters to ask if W. W. Gay would take the lead on building the home. Needless to say, they both were honored and jumped at the opportunity to give back to one of our nation’s heroes. From there the project was a-go! Curly and Jody met with Travis and his wife to discuss their vision and then put them in contact with the architect. Our team, at least 20 W. W. Gay employees, was assembled and they went to work clearing the site, working with the architect, and pulling permits. The foundation was soon poured, windows were set, and little by little, the house began taking shape. Everything inside the home, including flooring, cabinets, A/C equipment, was all donated in honor of SSG Dunn’s service.

After years of anticipation, it was time for the unveiling of their home! On January 22, 2021, the keys to a brand-new, mortgage-free, injury-specific accessible home were finally presented to SSG Dunn, his wife and their young daughter. The home was designed to help his daily challenges and includes features such as: open floor plan, wider hallways, roll under countertops and sinks and bathroom accessibility amenities.

While building homes is not typical for W. W. Gay, this team was honored to be involved from start to finish on such a meaningful project. The entire W. W. Gay family thanks SSG Dunn for the sacrifices he made to keep us all safe! We hope he and his family enjoy their home and have many happy memories for years to come.

The Pipeline 12

Jody Crews (far left) & Harold "Curly" Richardson (far right) pictured with SSG Dunn and his family

**Thank you to Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors website for providing information on SSG Travis & his family.

The Pipeline 13

Jacksonville Office Update

The Gabriel House of Care, located on Mayo Clinic campus, is more than just a house. It is truly a special place, a “community of healing”. Founded in 2011, their mission is to provide affordable and temporary lodging for adult organ transplant and cancer patients, as well as their caregivers.

W. W. Gay’s work began there about 4 years ago, when the service team was called in to make repairs on the existing air conditioning unit. While the original equipment was not W. W. Gay’s work, the service team continued with these repairs for close to 3 years. Over that time period, the team always went above and beyond, and proved why our employees are the best in the business.

This past November, new and more modernized air conditioning equipment was finally approved, with our team scheduled to complete the job. All equipment was received in December and January, allowing work to finally begin just last week. The installation process will be done in 4 phases, with completion scheduled for June or July 2021.

The team on this job has done an amazing job from day one, always keeping the mission of the Gabriel House of Care at the forefront of their minds. They know the work they are doing each day is helping to improve the lives of the patients.

Casen Crews, Chad Cushman, Johnny Ray, and Tim Taylor, thank you for your continued dedication to such a special place!

The Pipeline 14

The Pipeline 15

Service Team with Service Manager Ronnie Creel & Gabriel House of Care Executive Director Valerie Callahan

Gainesville Office Update

Update from Director of Gainesville Operations, Chris Stalnaker

Gator town is busy to say the least!

Our heath care team are in the finishing stages on some major projects at North Florida Regional Medical Center, Ocala Regional Medical Center, and Trinity Medical Center. We are currently kicking off new projects at Lake City Medical, West Marion Hospital, and a new VA Medical on the west side of town.

We have started the new UAA Indoor Football Practice Field and are excited to be a part of the great project. 2021 is going to be a great year and we are very excited to see all the great accomplishments made to our company and community.

Go Gators!!

The Pipeline 16

Orlando Office Update

The Orlando crew is finishing up the Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon Water Park Filter Tank Refurbishment Project at Walt Disney World. Both parks are scheduled to re-open to the public this spring.

This project is in the second year of a possible 5-year filter tank preventive maintenance plan, originally proposed by our own Bob Carson, totaling around $2,000,000. The project involves (10) filtration tanks: five at each park requiring filter media (sand and gravel) being vacuumed out, new interior piping laterals installed and new filter media replacement. Our team of foreman (Jeff Carter, Charles McLaurin and Jimmy Elliott), mechanics and apprentices have worked closely both with the Disney Facility Asset Management (FAM) reps and our subcontractors to ensure this project is on time and within budget.

The job posed several safety factors including Confined Space entry and Lock-Out-Tag-Out. Safety Specialist Phillip Brundage has visited the site regularly to ensure site specific safety compliance. The job is scheduled to be completed by early February and lasted approximately 10 weeks under a tight schedule through the holiday season. This project has phased plans of additional filter refurbishment through Disney Worlds FY 2024 or Winter of 2023.

The Pipeline 17

Florida Mechanical

Company Update

For the past 8 months, Florida Mechanical's Jake Jones has been the resident operator for C&C Powerlines in Clermont, FL. Setting power poles takes immense patience, concentration, and confidence. Jake doesn't wince at the daunting task of this great responsibility. His wincing comes when he finds the job sites American Flag thrown on the ground by a passerby the night before. Jake took to the flag, respectively dusted it off and raised it high enough for all to see and for none to disrespect.

Thanks for being a true patriot, Jake!

This past January, Mary Kreitner set off on her retirement after 21 years of dedicated service at Florida Mechanical. Thank you for everything you did, Mary! We will miss you and wish you the best in your next chapter of life.

The Pipeline 18

Florida Mechanical's flagship crane, the Grove GMK7550, coined "Beverly" by the crew, was needed to dismantle and replace a chimney at Suwannee American Cement.

At 354' of tip height, using 180' of luffer to pick up 34,000 lbs from 125' away, this lift was Beverly's largest and highest pick to date. Operators Bo Petty and Marttie Simmons completed the 2-week turnaround safely, seamlessly, and successfully.

The only thing higher than this chimney is Florida Mechanical's safety standards!