AECOM awarded for support of small businesses

AECOM, Dallas, announced it is the recipient of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Industry Large Business Award for Support to Federal Small Business Programs. The award recognizes AECOM’s contributions in subcontracting, internal training and outreach activities to strengthen and support small businesses.

According to a release, the selection panel took note of AECOM’s subcontracting performance that resulted in $3.95 billion directly benefitting more than 57,000 small businesses in the past five years. AECOM says it annually exceeds the federal government’s average small-business subcontracting goals, with 60 percent of its subcontracting dollars going directly to benefit small businesses. Over the last five years, AECOM’s small-business program achievements have also included mentoring 21 small businesses through six federal mentor-protégé programs, participating in more than 200 small-business conferences and taking part in engagement initiatives between industry and government.

“Our federal small-business program is vital to the services AECOM provides our clients. I am continually impressed by the diversity of skills our small business partners bring and how they share our drive for operational excellence and flawless execution,” Steve Morriss, AECOM’s president of its Design and Consulting Services group in the Americas, says. “It’s thrilling to be recognized for our commitment to the long-term development of small businesses. The recognition is a reminder that by supporting small business, we help drive innovation, employment growth and opportunity for everyone.”

SAME National President Lt. Col. Wendell Barnes presented the award during the SAME annual Federal Small Business Conference that took place Nov. 20-22, 2018 in Dallas. Accepting the award for AECOM were Rear Adm. Gary Engle, AECOM’s executive vice president of National Governments, and Shawn Ralston, AECOM’s federal small-business program manager, who received the SAME 2018 Industry Small Business Advocate Award.

“AECOM’s support of, and advocacy for, small businesses in federal contracting is evident through its subcontracting performance, its mentor-protégé program and its continued participation in SAME’s annual Federal Small Business Conference, as well as so many of our local posts and other activities throughout the year,” SAME Executive Director Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel says. “AECOM is very deserving of the SAME Industry Large Business Award for Support to Federal Small Business Programs, and we congratulate the company on this honor.”

Founded in 1920, SAME leads collaborative efforts to identify and resolve national security infrastructure-related challenges by bringing together industry and government across the architecture, engineering and construction industries.

California completes year-long Camp Fire cleanup effort

On the heels of the one-year anniversary of the Camp Fire, the most deadly wildfire in state history, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), based in Sacramento, and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) have announced the completion of debris removal on nearly 11,000 properties.

The fire started on Nov. 8, 2018, in Northern California’s Butte County and wasn’t fully contained until 17 days later. It caused at least 85 fatalities. In addition, more than 150,000 acres had been burned and close to 19,000 buildings were destroyed. The total cost of the fire damage was estimated at $16.5 billion.

CalRecycle says in a news release that the debris removal project was the largest of its type in state history and was jointly managed by Cal OES and CalRecycle. Crews removed more than 3.66 million tons—or 7.3 billion pounds—of ash, debris, metal, concrete and contaminated soil in nine months as part of California’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program. The total tonnage of debris removed during the cleanup is equivalent to 10 Empire State Buildings.

“This is a story of resilience, and I am inspired by the people of Paradise’s grit and their resolve to move forward after last year’s devastating fire,” says California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the news release. “Our state continues to stand with the communities and all families that were impacted.”

The cleanup effort spanned approximately 13,400 properties. It was divided into two phases: removal of household hazardous waste and removal of other fire-related debris.

The first phase of the cleanup began Dec. 3, 2018 and took two months as crews sorted through on-site rubble and ash to remove remnants of household hazardous waste, including paints, cleaners, solvents, oils, batteries, pesticides, compressed cylinders and tanks and easily identifiable asbestos.

Crews started the second phase—which involved site assessment and documentation, debris removal, erosion control measures and final inspection—Jan. 7, 2019. It cost an estimated $1.35 billion, though final calculations are still being carried out, according to CalRecycle.

After a bid process that ended Jan. 22, 2019, CalRecycle selected ECC Constructors LLC, Burlingame, California; SPSG Partners JV, a joint venture including Sukut Construction, Pacific States Environmental Contractors, and Goodfellow Bros.; and Sarasota, Florida-based Ceres Environmental Services Inc., doing business as Environmental & Demolition Services Group, as the primary contractors for the cleanup. Each primary contractor employed a number of subcontractors to help facilitate the cleanup.

The debris removal operation was part of a wider effort by Newsom to help communities impacted by destructive wildfires rebuild and recover, CalRecycle says.

“Debris removal is an important first step in the rebuilding of Butte County and the town of Paradise,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline says. “From our contractors to our state, local and federal partners, we are proud of everyone who has worked to help this community rebuild while keeping public and environmental health at the forefront.”

The debris removal program offered survivors a streamlined option to clear their properties at no out-of-pocket cost. The state, along with local and federal partners, has assisted in:

• Establishing temporary short-term housing solutions for nearly 700 households displaced by the fire.
• Facilitating technical and grant expertise for the Paradise Irrigation District to help restore Paradise’s water system.
• Supporting public assistance projects to restore public infrastructure.
• Providing support and coordination for emotional and behavioral needs of children and their families.

Newsom also approved a rural designation for Paradise and other surrounding parts of Butte County, making the areas eligible for additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program funds totaling more than $500 million.

BLS releases injury and illness data on construction industry

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its 2018 Employer-Reported Injury and Illness Report Nov. 7, 2019.

According to the data, there were approximately 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers in 2018, which occurred at a rate of 2.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. This represented no change from 2017.

The total recordable cases of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported specific to the construction industry rose from 198,100 in 2017 to 199,100 in 2018; however, the cases that resulted in days away from work dropped from 79,800 to 77,500 over that same period.

While the data shows construction remains more dangerous than the average private industry occupation, the slight drop in cases that resulted in days away from work suggests construction employees suffered less severe injuries and illnesses than in 2017.

Overall, the construction industry’s nonfatal injury-illness rate declined to 3.0 per 100 workers in 2018, down from 3.1 per 100 workers in 2017.

Arcosa Inc., a Dallas-based provider of infrastructure-related products and solutions, recently announced that it reached a definitive agreement to acquire Houston-based Cherry Industries Inc. and affiliated entities for $298 million. Established in 1952, Cherry is one of the nation’s largest producers of natural and recycled aggregates.

Reid Essl, president of Arcosa Construction Products, a division of Arcosa Inc., spoke with Construction & Demolition Recycling (C&DR) about what the acquisition means for the company.

C&DR: Can you give any background on the acquisition and what attracted you to Cherry Industries?

Essl: The team at [Norman, Oklahoma-based] ACG Materials, who we became familiar with after we acquired the company in December 2018, introduced us to the Cherry leadership team, and we quickly realized the strategic fit of the business with Arcosa’s platform. The Cherry acquisition expands our aggregates business into the attractive Houston market, builds a leadership position in the growing recycled aggregates market and provides a platform for Arcosa to replicate Cherry’s natural and recycled aggregates offering in new geographies. We are confident in the long-term fundamentals of infrastructure spending in Texas, driven by population growth, strong fiscal health and major highway investments throughout the state.

C&DR: What made them a compatible partner?

Essl: Cherry’s team has a strong cultural fit with our team, as we share the same core values of safety, customer focus and entrepreneurialism. We have been very impressed with the team as we have spent time with them over the past year. Ivan Svec, the current president of Cherry, will continue to run the day-to-day business and will report directly to me. Leonard Cherry, the majority owner, will still be involved in the business and will transition to a role working primarily on reserve acquisitions. The rest of the leadership team will stay the same.

C&DR: What kind of assets will be added to Arcosa’s portfolio under this deal?

Essl: Cherry operates 12 Houston-area locations—a combination of natural aggregates plants and recycled aggregates facilities—and they have additional reserve positions in the area. Their network of strategically located facilities and reserve positions is a unique competitive advantage of their platform, allowing them to efficiently supply customers across the Houston area.

C&DR: How will this acquisition enhance your offerings?

Essl: Cherry has a fantastic set of long-term customer relationships that they have built over decades, and they sell many of them natural aggregates, recycled aggregates and provide demolition services. We think there is an opportunity to expand this product offering to new geographies, as well as to grow the natural aggregates part of their business in Houston using our team’s deep expertise in sand and gravel.

C&DR: How do you envision that your company will evolve in the coming years?

Essl: At the time of the acquisition announcement, we noted that the acquisition gave us an immediate leadership position in recycled aggregates. We believe recycled aggregates are positioned to continue growing as a category due to resource scarcity and [environmental, social and governance] ESG benefits, and we are seeing increased product acceptance of recycled aggregates by DOTs across the country. We look forward to working with the Cherry team to find additional ways to grow our recycled aggregates platform through acquisitions or organic growth.