< PreviousS&METhe company’s ability to partner with multiple stakehold-ers and think outside the box to find solutions for its clients has consistently set S&ME apart from its competi-tors since its founding as a local geotechnical engineering firm in 1973. Today, the employee-owned business has over 1,100 staff and 36 offices all over the U.S.S&ME’s innovative approach to solving its clients’ problems is exemplified by a project it completed in 2017 for the City of East Ridge in Tennessee. S&ME was originally contracted by the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Authority (WWTA) to perform a Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES) of the waste-water collection system serving portions of the City of East Ridge, which borders Chattanooga.Written by Samita SarkarThese investigations consisted of manhole inspec-tions, smoke testing, and closed circuit televi-sion (CCTV) investigations of the wastewater assets. The SSES was conducted because East Ridge had recently received grant funding to attract new retail centers, and WWTA needed to eliminate the sanitary sewer overflows that occurred after heavy rain falls in the area and provide additional capacity for future growth. While developing rehabilitation projects and applying for funding assistance through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program, the WWTA identified some near-term projects that could be completed to regain some capacity in the system S&ME is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based ENR Top 100 engineering firm with national reach and expertise in geotechnical, civil, environmental, construction and planning services. MAY 201820 and allow relief of the self-imposed morato-rium on new connections. One particular project was replacing 151 vented manhole covers in streets with solid watertight covers. “Flow monitoring conducted after these covers were replaced indicated that approximately one million gallons of inflow were removed from the system through these repairs. All of the information 21 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS necessary to identify this near-term project was collected during the Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study,” Vice President Scott McDonald and Area Manager of Water Resources tells us.But the SSES turned out to only be the beginning. During the process of reviewing the data and presenting it to East Ridge staff, S&ME found that a major construction project on the I-75 Exit 1 interchange was about to go out for bid, and some of the sewers it had investigated under the proposed project were severely deteriorated. “Had we not collected this information and shared it with them, the existing sewers would likely have collapsed during the con-struction of the on-ramp,” says McDonald.After the SSES, once the severe condition of the existing sewers under the proposed new exit ramps was shown to the City of East Ridge and their transportation engineers, they asked S&ME to prepare a design to rehabilitate the sewers prior to the con-struction of the new exit ramps. The project had to be com-pleted within two months.“A key component of the design was utilizing pipe bursting to rehabilitate the existing sewer pipeline under Ringgold Road. The existing pipeline was approximately 35 feet deep and was vitrified clay pipe (VCP). Any open cut excavation of this pipeline would have been extremely expensive and disruptive,” McDonald recalls.Utilizing pipe bursting, the existing 12-inch VCP was replaced in the same trench with a new high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipeline. The new HDPE pipe was of sufficient strength and thickness to support the traffic loads under Ringgold Road. Once this section was replaced, the plan was to install a new manhole that wouldn’t be located in the embankment of Ringgold Road and replace the existing VCP pipe with a new section of pipeline consisting of ductile iron pipe (DIP) tied to the existing downstream sewer system. This section of DIP would allow the new on-ramp to I-75 to be constructed, elimi-nating the possibility of a collapse during construction of the new ramp. S&ME coordinated between the City and the Authority that owned the sewers to assist both clients and completed the design within three weeks – yet due to the challenging nature of the project, no contractors responded to the bid advertisements. “We contacted the plan holders and sat down with each of them to determine their reluctance in submitting a bid for the work. Each contractor was concerned about the short amount of time to complete the work, and the potential consequences of a failed rehabilitation project. We reworked the bids items to provide some additional line items to mitigate their risk,” McDonald adds.Despite the initial reluctance of most contractors to take on such a difficult project, S&ME was able to make it happen. The company then assisted the successful bidder, Hurst Excavating, in completing the work three weeks ahead of schedule and almost $50,000 under budget. Moreover, this was done in spite of unforeseen circumstances. After they had started, S&ME found an old abandoned connec-tion that wasn’t shown in the video inspections, which required S&ME to redesign the project so the contractor could finish an emergency sewer repair. A buried manhole was uncovered, and an unknown pipe segment tied to it had flow that was clearly not wastewater. But with the manhole exposed, S&ME was able to televise the pipeline and find that it was tied to an abandoned section of sewer line. While it was capped on the upstream end, the flow coming in turned out to be infiltration from a nearby storm water pipeline. “Additionally, when the buried manhole was uncovered, it also turned out that the invert had a slight bend that would not allow the bursting head to pass. This required S&ME to work with “S&ME is an excellent place to work that harbors creative minds and provides unique incentives.”MAY 201822 the contractor to redesign the location of the start of the pipe bursting and re-align the sewer pipeline. All of this redesign work happened on the fly, and was completed in less than two days to prevent delays to the contractor while he prepared his trench and materials for the pipe bursting,” says McDonald.Interestingly, S&ME’s uncovering of that manhole during the project was something that other firms insisted was impos-sible to do. Another firm had attempted to locate this buried manhole on multiple occasions, going so far as to bring a small excavator out to attempt to find and uncover the manhole, with no success. However, by using a ground penetrating radar system to accurately discover the exact location and depth of the buried manhole, S&ME created a shoring design that gave the contractor options stabilizing the embankment so that the manhole could be uncovered. In short, S&ME was able to literally and figuratively go where other companies couldn’t.But S&ME’s out-of-the-box outlook isn’t its only market differ-entiator. The ENR (Engineering News-Record)-recognized firm is also an excellent place to work that harbors creative minds and provides unique incentives. It is an ESOP company, entail-ing that it provides employees with stock ownership at no upfront cost. Additionally, S&ME is also set apart by its in-house technical conference. At its most recent one, 600 people from within the company attended.“Having been with other firms over the course of my career, this is the first time I’ve seen a firm committed to ensuring that we take a few days every year and learn about all the capabilities of the different business units,” says McDonald. “In addition to the technical presentations, this provides everyone with the opportunity to meet their peers and get to know others within the firm who they may not have had a chance to work with on previous projects.”As the growing business continues to attract and retain clients with its holistic approach to even the most challenging and complex projects, S&ME searches for hard workers while it expands its corporate footprint.“We typically look for people who are not afraid to work hard, that are humble servants and are able to communicate effec-tively with their peers and with our clients. We also really like hiring veterans. I’m a veteran myself and have several prior service military veterans in my group. For those who are either leaving active duty or been in the military this is a great place to work,” McDonald adds.S&ME’s goals going forward are to continue to build on its design services. In 2015, it joined forces with Littlejohn Engineering Associates, a Nashville-based planning, civil and environmental engineering design, landscape architecture, and survey firm. The two private businesses had complemen-tary services, geographic markets, and work cultures. “With the acquisition, S&ME’s ability to provide civil design and landscape architecture services throughout our geographic footprint will be a goal in the future years. With these addition-al services, S&ME would ideally be able to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for any client,” says McDonald.So even though the engineering firm has already made the ENR Top 100 list, in the future it is only expected to keep growing.23 Procon, Inc. is a leading concrete contractor specializing in commercial, industrial, government, and education projects. Procon provides turn-key concrete construction services, and specializes in formwork, flatwork, tilt-up, concrete frames, and concrete paving.Written by Laura McHargueProcon prides itself on offering turn-key concrete con-struction services. The company’s comprehensive services set it apart from the competition. “Some companies do just one facet of the concrete construction; for example, they might just do formwork or flatwork. When we bid on a job, we want to do everything related to concrete on that job,” says J.T. Rutrough, Director of Estimating and Finance.Headquartered in Rocky Mount, Virginia, Procon also has offices in Staunton, Virginia and Greensboro, North Carolina. The company serves Virginia and North Carolina, as well as areas of Tennessee and West Virginia.Founded by Aaron Long in 2002, Procon has 16 years of experience in concrete construc-tion. The company initially specialized in residential projects, expanding its services in 2006 to include commercial and indus-trial projects. In 2012 Procon discontinued its residential work to focus exclusively on commercial and industrial projects. “When the company started, it was just one person; today, we have over 200 employees and operate three offices in Virginia and North Carolina, and we have over $30 million in revenue,” Rutrough says. MAY 201824 What has driven Procon’s rapid growth? According to President and Founder Aaron Long, Procon’s success is a result of the com-pany’s commitment to the safety and well-being of its valued employees, investments in technology, and strong values. “Safety is one of our core values here at Procon. We don’t say safety is a priority, because priorities can change; if a project schedule gets tight, it’s easy for safety to get pushed to the side. That’s why we say safety is a value, because it’s something we do every day, no matter what else is going on. The safety and well-being of our colleagues is the most important thing to us,” Long says. Safety is deeply ingrained in the company’s culture and its daily operations. “Every day we have pre-task planning prior to going to work, when we discuss the safety hazards we may encounter that day and how we’re going to address them to make sure nobody is hurt. Every employee in the company also does pre-shift stretch and flex exercises,” Long says. “Our motto for safety is ‘Step Safe,” which stands for Safety Takes Each Person – Smart, Alert, Focused and Educated,” Rutrough says. “We hold each individual accountable and provide the safety training they need.” Procon invests heavily in safety training for all employees, providing training sessions through-out the year. The company requires all of its supervisors to complete OSHA 30 hour training, and requires OSHA 10 hour training for all field employees. 25 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS identify, control, PROJECTS IN FOCUS:Project Unity: Procon’s tilt-up capabilities are displayed in Project Unity, a three-story, 119,800 square foot office building located in Winchester, Virginia. Among the unique features of this project is its exterior design, which includes thin brick veneer cast directly into the concrete. Pepsi Bottling Ventures: Procon excels in spe-cialty concrete projects. In the recently-opened Pepsi Bottling Ventures distribution plant in St. Pauls, North Carolina, Procon’s work included tilt-up panels, steel fibers, extended joint spacing, and concrete paving. East Tennessee State University Football Stadium: In 2016, Procon completed work on East Tennessee State University’s new football stadium. Located in Johnson City, Tennessee, the stadium features 5,700 cubic yards of cast-in-place concrete. Procon’s rigorous safety program has garnered countless industry awards. Among the accolades the company has received is the 2014 W. Burr Bennett Award for Safety Excellence from the American Society of Concrete Contractors, which rec-ognizes one specialty contractor each year for its outstanding commitment to safety. Procon also leverages industry-leading technologies to save time and cost at each stage of its projects. Tekla building infor-mation modeling (BIM) software allows Procon to virtually build each project before starting work. As project timelines are accelerated, designers aren’t always given enough time to design a project; as a result, drawings occasionally contain incorrect or missing information. Modeling each project allows Procon to identify and remedy 90 to 95 percent of these issues before starting work on the job. “Under the old way of doing things, [a contractor] would start working on a job, and if a problem came up they would have to stop work and involve the design team to figure out the problem. This software allows us to identify those issues and work with the design team to remedy them before we ever get to the job site. That allows us to accelerate our timeline on the jobsite,” Long says. Tekla software streamlines communication with Procon’s trade partners and employees in the field. “We are able to share the model with our in-house layout engineers, our formwork sup-pliers, our rebar suppliers, and other trade partners, to make sure that we’re all building the same building,” says Long. The software also enables Procon to better communicate project details to its employees in the field by generating simplified drawings in-house. “It used to be that the engineer or design team would create drawings, and then we would generate our own drawings, and then our rebar supplier would have to generate its own drawings. Now, everything is built from the model, so the accuracy and coordination of the project are much better. Having the detailed information from the model allows [our vendors and trade partners] to give us quicker turn-around times.” This, in turn, allows Procon to accelerate its time-lines, dramatically increasing jobsite productivity. MAY 201826 identify, control, Procon also uses Trimble’s Robotic Total Station (RTS), which allows a single person to perform most layout tasks. The Robotic Total Station receives data directly from the Tekla model. “A lot of contractors still do this the old way, but the Robotic Total Station allows us to remove most of the human error that can occur, which really improves the accuracy of the layout, and allows us to be much more efficient in the field as well,” says Long. Managing projects across three offices and numerous job sites can be challenging, but technologies such as Fieldwire, Citrix ShareFile, GoToMeeting, AboutTime and Trimble Connect allow Procon to share information efficiently across all of its locations and projects. “We’re virtually paperless, from plans and specifi-cations, to all of our schedule and budget information; it allows us to seamlessly share that information across all offices and job sites,” Long says. Procon believes that its single greatest competitive advan-tage is its employees. “We have all these technologies, but any company can buy the same technology we have. The people who operate our technology – whether it’s creating the models, building forms, or placing concrete – really make us different from our competitors. We really believe that good employees are the essence of a successful company,” says Long. Procon goes above and beyond to attract and retain talented employees, offering competitive compensation and benefits. “In addition, we are committed to treating our employees fairly and with respect.”“Trimble’s Robotic Total Station allows us to remove most of the human error that can occur, which really improves the accuracy of the layout, and allows us to be much more efficient in the field.”27 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Procon’s employees are united by the core values that drive the company’s work. Aaron Long spoke about each of those values and what they mean to the company:• Quality: “Quality is a given; it’s expected on all of our jobs. We want to make sure all the work that we’re doing would satisfy any customer, or any demand.”• Timeliness: “We could use this word in a lot of different ways. From showing up to client meetings on time, to arriving at the jobsite on time, to responding to calls and emails in a timely manner, timeliness is something that is important to us at all levels of the organization.”Procon, like many companies across the construction industry, faces a shortage of qualified laborers. The shortage has led to rapid wage escalation. “That creates a challenge because we’re bidding on projects now that will not be completed for another year or two, and we see a ten plus percent increase in labor costs by the time the project is done,” says Rutrough. • Integrity: “Integrity, to us, is about being trustworthy and honest. Good communication is critical to success, and so it’s really important to us as a company.”• Safety: “Safety is a value to us; it’s not something that we only do sometimes. It’s something that we’re going to do no matter what.”• Moral Character: “Good character is so important to us. When we’re hiring new people, we want people who have strong moral character and a good attitude; if they don’t have experience in our area, then we’re willing to train them in the skills that we need. We believe that skills can be trained, but moral character is a hard thing to train. It’s an important part of our culture and who we are as a company.”MAY 201828 Adam ShoresMarket President540.494.6622Chris ConnerRelationship Manager540.494.6626Due to a number of complex factors, the concrete construc-tion industry is also experiencing rapid material price escala-tion. “The economy has been good for construction, so prices are rapidly rising, although there are other factors as well. Uncertainty around tariffs and other factors has been driving the rapid material price inflation. We expect to see inflation, but this price escalation is well outside of the normal inflation we’ve experienced in the past,” Long says.Despite these challenges, Long anticipates that Procon will continue to grow. “Since 2012, we grew from $9 million in sales to $30 million. We’ve experienced strong growth and we’re always looking for profitable opportunities for future growth. Construction is a cyclical business and so our growth plans, while we have them, are always a bit dependent on what the market gives us. The overall economy and the con-struction market are robust in the area we’re in, and we’re looking at other markets and other market segments as well,” says Long.“We really believe that good employees are the essence of a successful company.”29 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Next >