San Antonio the Site of this Year’s Safety Directors Forum
NUCA Sponsors “Liquid Assets” Initiative
UCAC’s David Ambrose Receives LifeTime Achievement Award
EXPO ‘09 NUCA Auction Will Paint the Town Red
Johnston, Linde Receive PUCA Lifetime Achievement Awards
Dillon, Caldwell Visit NUCA of Las Vegas
GUCA Golf Tournament Benefits Education
New Members
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San Antonio River Walk |
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San Antonio the Site of this Year’s Safety Directors Forum
NUCA’s annual Safety Directors Forum will be held Dec. 1-2, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. This year’s theme — Safety Programs and New Ideas — will be examined in sessions like “Certification: Benefits, Types and How To,” “DBO2 — Identifying Hazards and Unsafe Trends,” “Understanding Your Experience Modification Rate,” “Confined Space in Construction,” “Heavy Equipment Safety,” “Alcohol and Drug Abuse: DOT Reasonable Suspicion Training for Supervisors” and “How Is Your Safety Program Working.”
As always, the event will conclude with an open forum where attendees have an opportunity to discuss their own company challenges and share successful safety solutions. As one regular put it, “Anytime you can learn from professionals ready and willing to lend their expertise and offer advice in matters related to safety and safety management, it’s time well spent.”
To register, visit the NUCA Web site at www.nuca.com and click on “Safety Services” on the navigation bar. The fee is $425 for NUCA members and $645 for non-members. NUCA 2008-2009 Safety Ambassador Club members receive one complimentary registration per company. To make reservations at the Drury Inn & Suites River Walk, please call (800) 325-0720.
NUCA Sponsors “Liquid Assets” Initiative
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The “Liquid Assets” crew gathering footage in
Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of WPSU. |
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Dedicated to raising public awareness about America’s water infrastructure, NUCA made a significant contribution to “Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure,” a public outreach initiative that seeks to inform the nation about the critical role that water infrastructure plays in protecting public health and safety and promoting economic prosperity. Combining a 90-minute documentary produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting (WPSU) with a community toolkit for facilitating local involvement, “Liquid Assets” explores the history, engineering and political and economic challenges of our water infrastructure and engages communities in local discussions about water and wastewater issues.
Screened for some 300 industry stakeholders at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9, the documentary began airing on PBS on Sept. 30. To view the trailer and/or download the community toolkit, visit the Liquid Assets Web site at liquidassets.psu.edu.
“Liquid Assets” was made possible by major funding from the Colcom Foundation and additional funding from NUCA and other organizations interested in raising public awareness about the U.S. water infrastructure. Copies of the DVD have been sent to all NUCA chapters; individual NUCA member companies that would like to borrow a copy should contact NUCA CEO Bill Hillman at (703) 358-9300.
UCAC’s David Ambrose Receives LifeTime Achievement Award
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Photo (left to right): NUCA President Terry
Dillon, UCAC President John Vasel and
UCAC Vice President David Ambrose. |
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UCAC Vice President David Ambrose of Wethersfield Construction got quite a surprise at the Utility Contractors Association of Connecticut’s Fall General Membership Meeting held in September at the Gallery in Glastonbury. Sitting with family and friends, he heard his name announced as the recipient of a UCAC Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment to the NUCA chapter. Also present at the event were NUCA President Terry Dillon, who spoke on the importance of the association’s grassroots efforts to keep local, state and federal officials aware of the need for adequate funding for the country’s aging water/wastewater infrastructure, and NUCA Vice President of Member and Chapter Relations Heather Caldwell, who reviewed upcoming events and noted the availability to chapters of the new “Liquid Assets” video produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting and sponsored by NUCA.
For more information on UCAC, visit the Web site at www.ctconstruction.org.
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Artwork by Marnix van der Meulen. |
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EXPO ‘09 NUCA Auction Will Paint the Town Red
Anyone who has attended a NUCA Auction knows that it’s not only an important source of funding for the association’s educational programs and lobbying efforts, but also tremendous fun. This year, please join us for some good food and good times as we Paint the Town Red! What’s up for auction ranges from the ridiculous (Three Stooges tie) to the sublime (exotic vacations) with all sorts of can’t-miss, must-have items somewhere in between. If you’re interested in donating items or cash in support of NUCA’s vital initiatives, call NUCA at (800) 662-6822 by Jan. 12, 2009 to be included in the Program Book.
Johnston, Linde Receive PUCA
Lifetime Achievement Awards
The Pennsylvania Utility Contractors Association (PUCA) presented two 2008 Lifetime Achievement Awards during the association’s Annual Special Event held Sept. 12-14 at Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pa. The awards were presented at the Awards Dinner on Sept. 12.
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Left to right: William J. Kukurin, PUCA Board Member and
friend of recipient Eric R. Linde. |
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Glenn Johnston, founder and retired president of Glenn Johnston Inc. of McKeesport, Pa., became a member of the PUCA Board of Directors in 1991 and continued in that position until his retirement. He served as the first two-year term president of PUCA in 1995-1996 and was named PUCA’s “Contractor of the Year” in 1999. His company received a PUCA Annual Safety Award in 2006 and again in 2007.
A NUCA regional Vice President for two terms, he also served on NUCA’s Board of Directors for more than 10 years and was chairman of the Safety and By-Laws Committees. The first contractor member of the Pennsylvania One-Call Board of Directors, Johnston served for 10 years and was active on a number of committees, including the Legislative Committee charged with rewriting the law in 2006. Johnston was also a participant in the Common Ground Study commissioned in 1998 by Congress to identify and develop One-Call best practices across the country. He is presently serving as a neutral on the construction industry panel of the American Arbitration Association, an alternate dispute resolution organization.
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Left to right: Glenn Johnston, award recipient, and
Tim Greenland, PUCA President. |
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Eric R. Linde is president of Leeward Construction and companion company E. R. Linde Construction Corp., both located in Honesdale, Pa. Leeward Construction, an integral part of the construction industry in northeast Pennsylvania and parts of New York and New Jersey, specializes in utility, highway, heavy and building site construction. Leeward, whose motto and promise is “Whatever It Takes,” has experienced steady growth since its founding in 1993 and now completes more than $20 million in construction work annually. Linde has long been active in industry-related association activities. He has served two terms as PUCA’s president and as a member of the NUCA Board of Directors. Linde has personally challenged many legal issues over the years that benefited the utility construction industry in Pennsylvania. He and his company are involved in their local community, particularly in service organizations and emergency service and youth programs.
For more information on PUCA, visit the Web site at www.puca.org.
Dillon, Caldwell Visit NUCA of Las Vegas
On Sept. 25, NUCA of Las Vegas hosted a Utility Industry Mixer at the Las Vegas Country Club. The special guest speakers were NUCA President Terry Dillon and NUCA Vice President of Member & Chapter Relations Heather Caldwell. Members and guests were given national/chapter packets and an opportunity to win some nice prizes during the raffle, including NUCA of Las Vegas leather jackets, a NUCA poker chip set, Hit Kit, NUCA shirt and training DVDs. The following morning, NUCA Las Vegas President Larry Fortin took Dillon on a tour of jobsites while NUCA of Las Vegas Executive Director Dick Schneider took Caldwell on a tour of potential locations for the 2009 Chapter Leadership Conference.
GUCA Golf Tournament Benefits Education
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Afternoon first-place and overall winning team (left to right): Joe
Wright, Arcadis; Mark Accetturo, Reynolds Inc.; GUCA President
Ricky Harp, Richard Harp Excavation Inc.; Steve McCullars, Cobb
County Water Systems; and Peter Johns, Wiedman & Singleton. |
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On Sept. 15, Georgia Utility Contractor Association (GUCA) members hit the greens at the Orchard Hills Golf Course in Newnan, Ga., for the 2008 GUCA Larry S. McReynolds Golf Tournament to raise money for GUCA educational programs and the NUCA Foundation for Education and Research.
The tournament was established to provide funding for scholarships to college students in construction degree programs, as well as other educational endeavors like school-to-work programs for high school students and HEO programs for those seeking career opportunities in utility construction. Contributions from the 272 players and more than 70 sponsors helped make the 2008 golf tournament GUCA’s most successful one to date.
This year’s event was divided into two separate tournaments with 37 registered teams in the morning and 31 registered teams in the afternoon. The morning first-place team (with a score of 51) included: Brian Bishop, Brent Scarbrough & Co. Inc., and three players from Mainline Supply of Jonesboro Inc. — Tim VanEgmond, Jeff Hortman and Lane Hale. The afternoon first-place and overall winning team (with scores of 51) included: Mark Accetturo, Reynolds Inc.; Joe Wright, Arcadis; Peter Johns, Wiedman & Singleton; and Steve McCullars, Cobb County Water System.
For more information about GUCA, please visit www.guca.com.
New Members
Fiber Force Inc.
Jim Easterly
12013 N 40th Way
Phoenix, AZ 85028
Work: (602) 995-0204
Fax: (602) 995-0501
Email: jeasterly1@cox.net
Hard Core Boring LLC
Brian Smith
21108 S 196th St.
Queen Creek, AZ 85242
Work: (480) 797-3655
Fax: (480) 987-1023
Email: hcbatilla@aol.com
HJB Enterprises Inc.
Wynona Burckhard
P.O. Drawer 98
Krum,TX 76249
Work: (940) 391-3853
Fax: (940) 482-3714
Email: hburckhard@aol.com
Smith Companies Inc.
Adam Smith
6190 State Rd. 80 W
Labelle, FL 33935
Work: (863) 612-9869
Fax: (863) 612-9871
Email: adamsmith@smithcompaniesinc.com
Apple Advertising
Zack Self
223 Haywood St.
Asheville, NC 28801
Work: (828) 252-4036
Fax: (828) 252-0361
Email: zself@appleadv.com
Web: www.appleadv.com
Bituminous Insurance Co.
Jon Jeschke
320 18th St.
Rock Island, IL 61201
Work: (309) 732-0249
Fax: (309) 786-3847
Email: jjeschke@bituminousinsurance.com
Web: www.bituminousinsurance.com
Contech Construction Products Inc.
John Tucker
930 Woodcock Rd., Ste. 101
Orlando, FL 32803
Work: (321) 377-0129
Fax: (727) 541-2371
Email: tuckerj@contech-cpi.com
Web: www.contech-cpi.com
Cragin & Pike
Tom Burns
2603 W Charleston
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Work: (704) 877-1111
Fax: (704) 258-3394
Email: tburns@cragin-pike.com
Web: www.cragin-pike.com
Ferguson Waterworks
Louis Schoolcraft
Two Whitman Rd.
Canton, MA 02021
Work: (781) 828-1350
Fax: (781) 828-8706
Email: louis.schoolcraft@ferguson.com
Web: www.ferguson.com
Georgia School of Construction
Darrell Woodburn
581 Sigma Rd., Ste. 500
Conyers, GA 30013
Work: (770) 918-2577
Fax: (770) 918-2571
Email: darrellw@ga-sc.com
Web: www.ga-sc.com
Great Southern Construction Equipment Co.
Steve Wash
1301 Central Florida Pkwy.
Orlando, FL 32837
Work: (407) 859-9160
Fax: (407) 859-9165
Email: stevew@gsequipment.net
Web: www.gsequipment.net
Rescue Pros LLC
Dan Faviere
5337 N Socrum Loop Rd., Ste. 440
Lakeland, FL 33809-4256
Work: (863) 640-8244
Fax: (863) 858-6507
Email: dfaviere@rescuepros.com
Web: www.rescuepros.com
Vacuworx International
Shawn Lowman
10105 E 55th Pl.
Tulsa, OK 74146
Work: (918) 259-3050
Fax: (918) 259-3055
Email: sales@vacuworx.com
Web: www.vacuworx.com
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