Volume 9, Issue 4July | August 2013

GEORGIA NEEDS SKILLED WORKERS

2 Georgia Contractor

3July | August 2013

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Albany Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Ayres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

CLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Deemer, Dana & Froehle LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Engineered Restorations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Georgia 811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

Georgia Power Company . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover

Go Build Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

Heath & Lineback Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Independent Electrical Contractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

JAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

MH Miles Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Middleton-House & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

New South Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

RHD Utility Locating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Rosser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Southern Civil Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

www.t h ege o r g i a c o n t r a c t o r . c om

Editor-in-Chief: Roland Petersen-FreyManaging Editor: Daniel Simmons | (770) 521-8877Art Director: Pamela Petersen-Frey | (770) 521-8877

The Georgia Contractor is published bi-monthly on a calendaryear basis. It is a magazine designed around the constructionindustry associations and their members. It is supported byassociations and their members. Executive, editorial, circulation,and advertising offices: 1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton,Georgia 30115 • Phone: (770) 521-8877 • Fax: (770) 521-0406 e-mail: rfrey@a4inc.com. Send address changes to your association and/or to A4 Inc.

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily thoseof any of the associations or publisher nor do they acceptresponsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter ofpolicy, neither do they endorse products or advertisementsappearing herein. Parts of this magazine may be reproduced withthe written consent of the publisher.

GEO

RGIACONTRACTOR

On The Cover ~ The U.S. is experiencing askills gap. Jobs for welders, electricians,plumbers, carpenters, and more are going un-filled because the skilled trade workforce is notlarge enough to meet the demand.See the story on page 6.

COMMENTARYThis is an excellent issue, and I hope you will like it.The Atlanta Streetcar project is an excellent visionfor the future and leads us gradually to becoming aworld class city. I love it.

The shortage of skilled labor continues toplague our industry and it will not go away quickly.This fact will become more pronounced at theforthcoming Metalcon International tradeshow inOctober at the World Congress Center. I am surethat the problem will be discussed as well and maytrigger still more interest in acquiring skills for ex-cellent jobs that pay very well.

CEFGA’s Scott Shelar just came back from hisvisit to Harvard on the discussion of Pathways toProsperity and ended up giving us an excellentcommentary on his experience in Meeting withSuperman to Discuss the Merits of Kryptonite.

Read other subjects important to us: the con-tinuing new requirements under the AffordableCare Act, the fiscal crisis in Washington, and thestate of the economy. It is good summer reading.Enjoy.

R. Petersen-FreyEditor-in-Chief, Georgia Contractor

4 Georgia Contractor

7 Best Young Builders in the Nation, Right Here in Georgia!

8 Tackling our Nation’s Fiscal Crisis

10 Meeting with Superman to Discuss the Merits of Kryptonite

12 Digging Out of the Economic Hole

14 Building for the Future

17 The Case for Infrastructure Investment in 2013

18 New ”Notice of Exchange Requirement” for Employers

20 Good Governance

21 Finley Project ~ Israel

22 Contractor News

29 Lessons Learned ~ Biaxial/Triaxial Geogrids for Pavements

30 Pathway to Finding Women to Become Workers in the Electrical Industry

6 Georgia Needs Skilled WorkersGO BUILD GEORGIAGeorgia is quickly becoming an economic hub for the country. It is imperative thatthose interested in the skilled trades take advantage of the educational and job oppor-tunities offered in the state to help Georgia build to its highest potential.

5July | August 2013

23

14

Building forthe FutureAtlanta’s Streetcars

Today’s dust anddetours will soon giveway to a spectacularnew streetcar servicedesigned to provide asafe, convenient way totravel throughDowntown Atlanta.

Tackling OurNation’s Fiscal

CrisisTackling our fiscal crisis is

critical to ensuring thesuccess ofAmerican

businesses andjob-providers.

8Pathway to Finding Women

to Become Workers in the

Electrical Industry

Thoughts by Lana Frye of Inde-pendent Electrical Contractors Inc.

Digging Outof the

Economic HoleLabor appears to be the

biggest hurdle for allconstruction sectors if there

happens to be a huge influx of projects.

12

Vikki McReynolds

Johnny Isakson

30

6

Feature

Georgia Contractor

he U.S. is experiencing askills gap. Jobs for welders,electricians, plumbers, car-penters, and more are goingunfilled because the skilledtrade workforce is not largeenough to meet the demand.

In Georgia, this gap continues to widen asmore companies choose to open theirdoors here. As the numbers of skilled tradepositions grow, the skilled workforce mustalso grow to keep Georgia on the mind ofcompanies who are considering a move.

In the past few months, several com-panies have announced their intent tomove into Georgia for the first time or theirplans to expand current operations. Thesebusinesses alone are set to create almost2,000 jobs across the state. Though not allof these openings are for skilled trade posi-tions, a number of them are. PulteGroup,a Fortune 500 homebuilding company, isrelocating its corporate headquarters to At-lanta. The company plans on creating 310high-paying jobs and investing $10 mil-lion. In February of last year, CaterpillarInc. released plans to open a new manufac-turing plant in Clarke and Oconee coun-ties. When the facility opens at the end ofthis year it will create 1,400 jobs and invest$200 million in Georgia. Hitachi Automo-tive Systems, Mattex, Kubota, and KochFoods are all also expanding. In order to fillskilled trade openings with these compa-nies and others, Georgia’s workforce musttake advantage of available training and ed-ucational opportunities.

Go Build Georgia teaches young peo-ple about the skilled trades industry andinspires them to consider the benefits of acraft trades career. Many online resourcesare available to help those interested in theindustry find a career path and lead themto the training and educational opportu-nities they need to be successful. Go BuildGeorgia’s Web site (gobuildgeorgia.com)

lists several skilled trade careers and theirjob and educational requirements. A re-cent study projects that by 2020 about 60percent of Georgia jobs will require post-secondary education or training. Obtain-ing training for a skilled trade career hasnever been easier. The Technical CollegeSystem of Georgia has 25 accreditedschools that all offer many programs insome of the state’s fastest growing indus-tries. Other training options like intern-ships and apprenticeships are also crucial.Paying course costs and other fees can bedifficult, but there are many scholarships,grants, and loans to make the expensesmanageable. Due to new legislation signedby Governor Nathan Deal in late April,the HOPE Scholarship GPA requirementwas lowered to 2.0 for technical collegestudents, which makes obtaining a degreeeven more manageable.

When skilled tradesmen are ready toenter the workforce, many resources areprovided online to help them find jobopenings in the state. Go Build Georgia’sWeb site offers a tool to help create re-

sumes, cover letters, and a reference list.Operation: Workforce (operationwork-force. com) has a job search option to con-nect veterans with employers and a way forveterans to use their Military OccupationalJob Code to find well-suited positions. Forthose interested in construction-relatedfields, the Construction Education Foun-dation of Georgia (CEFGA) has a jobplacement program to help. Local careercenters can also help in the search.

Georgia is quickly becoming an eco-nomic hub for the country. It is imperativethat those interested in the skilled tradestake advantage of the educational and jobopportunities offered in the state to helpGeorgia build to its highest potential.Governor Nathan Deal and state eco-nomic development agencies work tire-lessly to bring businesses to the state, so itis up to citizens to fill the new positions.If you are a skilled tradesman, or are look-ing to get the training to join the industry,visit gobuildgeorgia.com to learn moreabout how to do your part to keep Geor-gia’s economy strong. v

Georgia Needs Skilled Workers

TBy the Go Build Georgia Team

7July | August 2013

Best Young Builders in the Nation, Right Here in Georgia!

eamWorks is arguably themost watched and covetedcompetition in all of Skill-sUSA. Last week, a young,four-man team fromAdairsville High School beatout 24 other teams from

around the country to win the SkillsUSANational competition and make Georgiavery proud.

Using carpentry, masonry, plumbing,and electrical skills learned in their con-struction lab at CEFGA-accreditedAdairsville High School, the team, madeup of Barry Arrington II, Dylan Jones,Rodney West, and Christian Metrokabuilt a small ‘man cave.’

The overall competition lasted threedays, testing the students’ ability to worktogether as a Team. The Adairsville Team,led by their construction teacher Mr. BarryArrington, had to understand the projectelements based on a detailed blue printand special instructions presented at a pre-contest orientation.

They then had to write a projectcompletion ‘action plan’ and present it asone of the key elements of the competi-tion. During actual construction of theproject, the Team demonstrated theirhands-on skills in carpentry, electrical,plumbing, and masonry.

Two groups that were particularlyproud of the Team’s accomplishment wereAtlanta-based General Contractor HolderConstruction Company and CEFGA - theConstruction Education Foundation ofGeorgia. Holder, led by Project ManagerRyan Byars, and CEFGA organize thestate level TeamWorks competition everyyear. After the two-day state-level conteston March 21-22, they chose AdairsvilleHigh School to represent Georgia at thenational level. In addition, CEFGA andHolder provided a cash travel scholarshipwhich helped the Adairsville Team makethe trip to Kansas City.

Judging is based on the Team’s pres-entation skills, ability to construct theproject per ‘competition specified’ build-ing codes, job site safety and cleanliness,organized and correct ordering of materi-als from the competition material depot,proper use and accountability of tools andequipment, and the rate of completion ofthe project for the Team.

CEFGA and its corporate partners pro-vide travel scholarships for 20 different Skill-sUSA Competitions and 25 individualstudents. Georgia also took home an indi-vidual gold medal, two silver medals, andone bronze medal in competitions spon-

sored by CEFGA and its corporate partners.Jeremy Wright from Southern Cres-

cent Technical College at Flint River inThomaston, Georgia, captured the goldmedal in Welding Sculpture. Natalie Jack-son and Quinton Chan of McIntosh HighSchool in Peachtree City placed second in3-D Visualization and Animation to takehome the silver. And Steven Reid of CrispCounty High School in Cordele, Georgia,captured the bronze medal in WeldingSculpture. For more information aboutCEFGA, please visit www.cefga.org or formore information about SkillsUSA,www.skillsusa.org v

2013 - National TeamWorks Champions, Adairsville High School with theirconstruction teacher, Mr. Barry Arrington, Far Right.

A birds-eye view of the TeamWorks Competition Floor, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25-27, 2013.

T

8 Georgia Contractor

hank you to the publisher and readers forallowing me to contribute to Georgia Con-tractor once again, with an update onsome of the latest issues I’m working on inWashington, D.C.

There has been no shortage of newscoming out of Washington lately with the IRS scandal,the NSA leaks, and the tense situation in Syria. As weaddress all of these, we also must continue to tacklethe biggest challenge facing our country and our econ-omy—our skyrocketing debt and deficits. Early thisyear, I was placed on the Senate Finance Committee,where I am now better positioned to implement mean-ingful solutions on tax reform, Medicare, and Social Se-curity. These issues affect every American and everybusiness, and they must be part of addressing our debtand deficit problems. I have found that working acrossparty lines is the most effective way to move legislationforward, and I am happy to work with anyone willing tosit down at the table to reduce our nation’s cripplingdebt and deficits.

The spending habits of Washington and themethod by which Congress appropriates federal dollarsalso are major contributors to our nation’s fiscal crisis.That’s why Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and I reintro-duced bipartisan, commonsense legislation that wouldfundamentally reform Congress’ broken budgetingprocess. Our Biennial Budgeting and AppropriationsAct would convert the annual spending process to atwo-year budget cycle, forcing Congress to becomebetter stewards of the taxpayers' money by placingCongress on a two-year budget cycle with one year forappropriating federal dollars and the other year de-

voted to oversight of federal programs.I am proud to report that our legislation is gaining

momentum. On March 22, the Senate passed our legis-lation as an amendment to the Senate budget resolu-tion with 68 votes, more than two-thirds of the Senate.Although the budget resolution is a non-binding blue-print, the vote on our amendment signals that there isbroad bipartisan support for biennial budgeting andappropriations and that our standalone legislation thatwould have the effect of law has a good chance ofpassing in the Senate. The passage of this amendmentsignaled a big win for the taxpayers of Georgia and thenation. I will continue to work to ensure that this legisla-tion passes the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, andgoes to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

Tackling our fiscal crisis is critical to ensuring thesuccess of American businesses and job-providers. Thenumber one thing the federal government can do tocreate private sector jobs in the United States is tostop imposing burdensome regulations on businesses.Existing overreaching regulations and the threat ofmore regulations in the future are leaving businesseson the sidelines as they wait for a more predictableregulatory environment in which to invest their capital.The current regulatory environment is preventing a ro-bust recovery of our economy.

Last fall, I co-sponsored legislation that would im-pose a one-year moratorium on all new federal regula-tions to give businesses a break from costly, job-killingregulations and provide a more predictable environ-ment to foster expansion and growth. Specifically, thelegislation imposes a one-year moratorium on ‘signifi-cant’ new federal rules and regulations from going into

Tackling our

naTion’s

FISCAL CRISIS

By Johnny Isakson

The spending habits of Washington and the method by which Congress appropriates federaldollars also are major contributors to our nation’s fiscal crisis. That’s why Sen. Jeanne Shaheen,D-N.H., and I reintroduced bipartisan, commonsense legislation that would fundamentally re-form Congress’ broken budgeting process.

T

9July | August 2013

effect if those rules would have an adverse impact onjobs, the economy, or our international competitive-ness. ‘Significant’ rules include those costing morethan $100 million per year. Exempt from the ‘time-out’are rules that foster private sector job creation.

In addition to tackling the negative regulatory cli-mate in Washington, I am also addressing many of thelabor issues that also thwart job creation in this coun-try. As the ranking Republican on the Health, Educa-tion, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s Subcommitteeon Employment and Workplace Safety, I am commit-ted to doing everything in my power to stop the Na-tional Labor Relations Board from issuing decisionsand regulations when it currently has only one constitu-tional board member.

In the wake of a federal appeals court ruling inJanuary 2013 that Obama’s two recess appointmentsto the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 2012are unconstitutional, I signed as a co-sponsor the Pre-venting Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Re-lations Act. The legislation would stop the NLRB fromtaking any action that requires a quorum until one ofthree things happens: 1. The Senate has confirmedenough nominees to the board to constitute a quo-rum; or 2. The Supreme Court has issued a decision onthe constitutionality of Obama’s January 2012 appoint-ments to the board; or 3. The first session of the 113thCongress is adjourned. Today, the NLRB is operatingwith just one member who has been confirmed by theSenate. Two other members are continuing to sit onthe board even though the federal court ruled in Janu-ary 2013 that their appointments are unconstitutional.Two other seats on the board are vacant.

The National Labor Relations Board cannot con-tinue to issue decisions and regulations with an invalidquorum of one. A federal board such as this cannotoperate with only one constitutional board member.We must stop these underhanded maneuvers and en-sure that critically important labor decisions that affectAmerican workers across the country are made througha fair and legal process. 

Additionally, I recently reintroduced legislation thatwould reverse the National Labor Relation Board’s 2011decision allowing as few as two or three employees toform micro bargaining units, or ‘micro unions,’ to en-gage in collective bargaining with employers. My legis-lation, the Representation Fairness Restoration Act, has12 original co-sponsors. It would reinstate the tradi-tional standard for determining which employees willconstitute an appropriate bargaining unit, a standardthat has been developed through years of careful con-sideration and Congressional guidance.

When it comes to confronting our fiscal crisis and

turning around our economy so that small businessescan create jobs again, Washington cannot continue todo things the same way or pretend we do not haveproblems staring us in the face. We do, plain and sim-ple, and we must act decisively to send each other andthe world the clear message that we are serious abouttackling them.

I am grateful that I have been elected to representour great state, and I will continue to serve you as I al-ways have—by calling it like I see it and making thetough choices today because we don’t have the luxuryof more time. We simply cannot leave today’s burdensto future generations. v

10 Georgia Contractor

t is still a bit surreal for me tothink about it now, drivingthrough the campus of HarvardUniversity one snowy morning inMarch 2013.

I was going to a conference ledby Harvard professors to discuss

the merits of vocational education (alsoknown as Career and Technical Educa-tion), and the notion that not all paths tosuccess involve a four-year degree. Thinkabout that!

When you think about the last fewdecades in our country and the mantra of“you have to go to a four-year universityto be successful,” it doesn’t take a degreefrom Harvard to figure out which side ofthat debate Harvard University was on.

So, in my mind, this was a bit likegoing to a meeting with Superman to dis-cuss the merits of Kryptonite!

But, here we were. It was their con-ference. We were there not to sell them on

the merits of vocational education. Theyinvited us to help them figure out how tospread vocational, career, and technical ed-ucation as a solution to a growing ‘skillsgap’ between employers and job seekers.

It is still a bit surreal, but I assure youit is very real.

By now, the ‘skills gap’ in the UnitedStates is well documented. Hardly a weekpasses that you don’t read a major newsstory about all the unemployed and under-employed young people with four-year de-grees in our country. Chances are you evenknow one or two!

Meanwhile, hardly a week passes thatyou don’t also read major news storiesabout companies who can’t find enoughskilled workers.

It was February 2011 when the Har-vard Graduate School of Education, led bySenior Fellow Dr. Bill Symonds, first pub-lished their landmark report entitled“Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the

Challenge of Preparing Young Americansfor the 21st Century.”

According to the report, roughly halfof all young Americans arrive in theirmid-twenties without the skills or labormarket credentials essential for success intoday’s increasing demanding economy.A reason, according to the report, is thenation’s over-reliance on a single four-year college pathway to help young peo-ple make the transition from high schoolto working life.

The report calls for an intensive effortfrom employers, educators, and govern-ment and nonprofit leaders to build path-ways that link work and learning and arealigned with labor market demand.

This, of course, is perfectly alignedwith the mission of our organization,CEFGA, which is to build the construc-tion industry one person at a time.

If you are interested in constructionworkforce development or the future of

Meeting with Superman

to Discuss

of Kryptonitethe Merits

11July | August 2013

our young Americans, I highly recom-mend reading the Harvard report on ourWeb site at www.cefga.org

A little bit about the conference

The conference itself was fascinating. There were thought leaders from all

over the United States and the world, dis-cussing the need and how to create path-ways to prosperity in our country.

Some other countries are alreadydoing a great job of this. Germany andSwitzerland, for example, have long estab-lished youth apprenticeship programs,where every high school student selects acareer at a young age, studies that careerin an applied setting in school, and ap-prentices for two years with an employerwhile still in high school.

From the Pathways to Prosperity Re-port: “In all of these apprenticeship sys-tems employer organizations play a majorrole. They take the lead in defining occu-pational qualifications, providing paidapprenticeships or other work-basedlearning opportunities and (in collabora-tion with educators and trade union part-ners) assessing student performance andawarding certificates. In Germany, for ex-ample, they pay about half of the ex-penses associated with the system,contributing roughly as much as the gov-ernment. Why are they willing to makesuch a substantial investment?

“Simply put, German employers be-lieve that the best way to get a highly qual-ified workforce is to invest in thedevelopment of young workers, participatedirectly in their training and socializationat the workplace, and then hire those whohave proven themselves to be productiveat the end of the apprenticeship period...”

There was some discussion at theconference about the role of the UnitedStates Federal Government in creatingpathways to prosperity in our country. Ibelieve it will best happen at the state level.That’s because each of our 50 states is verydifferent. Cultures are different. Educationsystems are different. Politics are different.We are alike enough, though, that we canlearn from each other.

I learned at the conference, for exam-ple, that Kansas is providing a cash incen-tive of $1,000 to high schools for studentsearning an industry-recognized credentialprior to graduation. In Florida, highschools receive additional funding of $600to $1,000 for each student earning an in-dustry-recognized credential.

I understand this cash incentive ap-proach has long been the case for AP (ad-vanced placement) students. Many states,including Georgia, provide more fundingto schools with larger numbers of AP stu-dents. Kansas and Florida have recognizedthat high school students who earn indus-try credentials are at least as valuable totheir states as high school students takingAP classes. They are compensating accord-ingly. These types of actions will help closethe skills gap.

Another program I learned moreabout at the conference was ‘Year Up.’ Itwas great to meet and hear directly fromthe founder, Gerald Chertavian. It is sucha simple idea: Low income, young adultsenroll in intensive, mostly soft skills andinformation technology related trainingfor six months, then go to work full-timewith a local employer for six months. Thegreat thing is that 84 percent of ‘Year Up’graduates are employed or attending post-secondary training within four months ofcompleting the program.

Another exciting thing I learned wasthat Georgia is out front on this move-ment in many ways. Under the leadership

of State School Superintendent JohnBarge, for example, the state of Georgiahas implemented a new College and Ca-reer Ready Performance Index that takesinto account the percentage of graduatescompleting a career pathway and the per-centage of students earning an industry-recognized credential. In addition,beginning this fall in Georgia, studentswill be required to choose one of 17 careerpathways and enroll in appropriate coursesbased on their career pathway choice. Thiswill help students begin to link work andlearning at an earlier age.

I was honored to be a part of this di-rection-setting conference at Harvard. Iam thankful that Dr. Symonds, Dr. RonFerguson, and Harvard University had thecourage to research and publish this re-port. I also greatly appreciate their passionand dedication to help implement it.

I look forward to working with Har-vard University, NCCER, the Georgia De-partment of Education, the TechnicalCollege System of Georgia, local schoolsystems, and our construction industrypartners as we implement pathways toprosperity for students across Georgia.

Scott Shelar is in his 15th year as ex-ecutive director of CEFGA. Shelar wassponsored by the NCCER - the NationalCenter for Construction Education andResearch - to attend the Pathways to Pros-perity Conference. He may be reached atshelar@cefga.org For more information,www.cefga.org v

,

n the 2011 July/August issueof the Georgia Contractor wewrote an article on diggingout of a tough economy. Inthat article we stated thatthose who diversify and hangon will be rewarded with a

rising of the tide.For those who did diversify and

caught that wave, they found their com-pany being able to survive the worst eco-nomic downturn in years. They were ableto pull from various construction sectorsto include public and private infrastruc-ture as well as commercial and some resi-dential to include plumbing, gas,electricity, telecommunications, and waterand sewer infrastructure, whether it was inrehabilitation or installation of new pipingsystems. Unfortunately, most of that workwas not found in Georgia, and those com-panies who could work outside of Georgia,worked in Tennessee, Louisiana, Missis-sippi, Florida or the Carolinas, and any-where work could be found.

While profits were still low, the con-tracted work helped to keep companiesfrom shutting their doors like so many hadto do. For those who did close their doors,many took the opportunity to regroup andlearn how to re-invest and re-invent their

company with new goals, leadership andstrategic planning. “We have rebrandedourselves with our available resources”states one utility contractor.

We had the chance to interview sev-eral companies, and many remain opti-mistically hopeful. We heard suchcomments as “we are covered up,” “it feelsgood to be busy,” “keeping up and hopefulfor better things to come.” Most indicatedthat 2013 total contracts on the books andprospects for upcoming work had alreadyexceeded all of 2012. This is good news.And the majority has said, “it is not asgood as it could be but it is far better thanwhat it was.”

These comments were all very posi-tive, and it appeared that we are finally

digging out of this economic hole. Geor-gia’s economic performance has improvedsteadily since 2009 with the state’s coinci-dent economic indicator for March at itshighest level since mid-2008, according toFRB of Atlanta. Helping Georgia’s waterinfrastructure was GEFA. GEFA providedloans in 2013 to help local communitiesprotect their water supply and qualitywhich also helped stimulate economicgrowth in the state with the joint Devel-opment Authority of Jackson, Morgan,Newton, and Walton counties beingawarded $5.9 million for an on-site treat-ment facility, and McCaysville, Georgiawas awarded $5.6 million to finance thecity’s one-million-gallon-per-day watertreatment plant.

Unfortunately, the continuation of apositive economic construction inclineisn’t necessarily on the horizon as manymay hope or think. While it is not theworst case scenario of a declining econ-omy, the incline in water and sewer infra-structure will be at least a two percentincrease a year for the next five years ac-cording to Brian Moore, FMI, at a recentGUCA Annual Conference presentation.And while this gives us a glimmer of hope,it is not what we want to hear.

Brian updated GUCA members on

12 Georgia Contractor

Digging Out of the Economic Hole

IBy Vikki McReynolds

Vikki McReynolds

13July | August 2013

the economy of the construction industry,highlighting those industry sectors andareas who were hit the hardest and thosewho are recovering the fastest. Unfortu-nately, Georgia will not be in the mix ofthe fast recovery areas because infrastruc-ture inventory is still low. The tax base washit hard, and this is and was mainly due tothe boom and fall of the residential hous-ing market. And although the existinghousing inventory is down, the buildingof new homes has not yet caught up. Ac-cording to the Federal Reserve Bank, bothconstruction and manufacturing were es-pecially hit hard, and government sectorsremain especially weak.

For non-residential construction, theimpact of several Georgia commercialmanufacturing facilities such as the Kia,Caterpillar, and Porche plants helped spuroptimism in Georgia and the industry aswell as the announcement of a new pro-fessional football stadium in Atlanta.

FMI reports that non-building struc-tures such as power, water, and seweragewill only increase on average one to fourpercent over the next five years withpower being the biggest growth rate at 9.4percent. In 2012, the start of SouthernCompany’s Plant Vogtle Nuclear Planthelped construction figures rise fifty per-cent-plus. But overall, Georgia 2013 con-struction figures could drop in 2013. It isprojected that crude and gas pipeline con-struction will increase from $4.3 billionto $15.3 billion nationwide according toOil & Gas Journal.

If the building market surges in 2013and non-residential construction couldpossibly improve, then that would bringgood news to those sectors which also af-fect underground utility construction.

The rise in installation of telecommu-nications in Georgia and the added repairof existing utilities helped spur the marketthe first quarter of 2013 and it continues.

Sequestration seemed to bring on anegative impact as most government agen-cies started to cut back due to limited re-sources. And, we just learned at a recentindustry meeting in Savannah that moneyfor the Savannah River Port project keepsgetting pushed back. Most of the sequestra-

tion, if not all, is conceived as being politi-cally motivated, and some only saw a fourpercent reduction in public works businessin Georgia as indicated in a FRB panel.

Labor appears to be the biggest hurdlefor all construction sectors if there happensto be a huge influx of projects. Employ-ment in Georgia has slowly improvedsince the recession. Georgia’s constructionemployment low was at -37.9 and it isnow at 4.7 according to Georgia Data Di-gest. For the utility industry, this is notlikely since we may have time to work ona more educated workforce for the futurethrough training, introduction of technol-

ogy, and advancements through Go BuildGeorgia and CEFGA initiatives.

According to FMI, there are severalthings that drive construction which in-clude demographics, political/security de-mand, consumer demand, economicgrowth, technology advances, infrastructureneeds, security concerns, and affluence.

With the influx of design vs. contrac-tor, rapidly advanced technology, slow in-cline of infrastructure projects, and ashrinking talent pool, it appears we maybe digging deeper into more problems aswe try to dig out of another one. Eitherway, we will keep digging. v

14 Georgia Contractor

Atlanta Streetcar Project TeamToday’s dust and detours will soon give way to a spectacular newstreetcar service designed to provide a safe, convenient way totravel through Downtown Atlanta.

Running along a corridor through the historic Sweet AuburnDistrict, the campus of Georgia State University, Downtown At-lanta, and Centennial Olympic Park, the Atlanta Streetcar will pro-vide last mile connectivity to MARTA and other transit services.

Work to implement a modern streetcar transit system con-tinues through the collaborative public-private partnership be-tween the city of Atlanta (COA), the Atlanta DowntownImprovement District (ADID), and the Metropolitan AtlantaRapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

The purpose of the Atlanta Streetcar project is to provide anintegrated multi-modal, high-quality transit network that linkscommunities, improves mobility by enhancing transit access andoptions, supports projected growth, promotes economic develop-ment, and encourages strategies to develop livable communities.

The Atlanta Streetcar will provide improved connectivity be-tween existing MARTA heavy rail, express bus services, plannedlight rail, and locations not well served by transit today. Thestreetcar will serve as a circulator service within the heart of At-lanta as other elements of the state’s mass transit and transporta-tion infrastructure are also completed, such as the DowntownMulti-Modal Passenger Terminal and other projects identified inthe region’s long-range Concept 3 Transit Vision Plan.

The proposed starter route will connect the CentennialOlympic Park area (home to the Georgia Aquarium, the Worldof Coca-Cola, the Georgia World Congress Center, and the fu-ture National Center for Civil and Human Rights) to the MartinLuther King Jr. National Historic Site. The Atlanta Streetcar will

provide missing circulation and direct connectivity to the existingtransit services coming downtown, as well as future commuterrail and regional light rail, including the Atlanta BeltLine.

Project Characteristics:• East-West route = 2.7 track miles with 12 stops/stations

• Electric streetcar vehicle• Shared with other traffic, on-street lanes

Building For The Future

15July | August 2013

• Overhead power system (single trolley wire)

• 15-minute frequency (average)

• The proposed schedule is from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.weekdays; 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturdays; and 9:00 a.m.to 10:30 p.m. Sundays.

• Operational costs to be covered by fare box revenue, adver-tising, ADID, Atlanta car rental and hotel motel tax and fed-eral funds

• The projected revenue start date is early summer of 2014

Project benefits:• Potential for higher passenger loads

• Draw new transit riders

• Produces fewer emissions, impacting air quality and sustain-ability

• Reduces dependence on cars in a significant live-and-workcorridor

• Appeals to visitors with its predictable fixed route

• Provide enhanced mobility to transit-dependent populations

• As experienced in other cities nationwide, the permanencyof rail tracks has been shown to spur economic development:* In Portland, the streetcar catalyzed 140 real estate proj-

ects worth $3.5 billion; following its construction,property values increased by approximately 50 percent.

* In Seattle a $51 million streetcar project (capital cost)led to 3.3 million SF of development.

• By 2030, it is projected that Downtown Atlanta will experi-ence 5.1 million square feet of retail absorption and an in-crease of approximately 4.4 million square feet of new officespace thanks to the Atlanta Streetcar.

• Attractive, convenient service will increase transit ridership,foot traffic and customers for businesses near CentennialOlympic Park, Georgia State University, Edgewood andAuburn Avenue, and the Peachtree corridor.

Atlanta Streetcar Corridor Developmentand Investment GuideThe Atlanta Streetcar project is about more than improving trans-portation mobility and access. With over 80 acres of land andmany buildings and structures within two blocks of the routeconsidered underutilized, there are significant opportunities fortransit oriented development that will improve the quality of lifefor residents, employees, visitors, shoppers, and students through-out the corridor and provide economic opportunity for businesseslarge and small to prosper.

The Atlanta Streetcar Corridor Development and Invest-ment Guide serves to foster this investment by providing infor-mation that potential new businesses, developers or propertyowners need to be part of the transformation. www.atlantadown-town.com/initiatives

Under Construction In March 2012, URS Energy & Construction was awarded thecontract to design and build Atlanta’s modern streetcar system.Prior to the Design Builder (DB) commencing work, Depart-ment of Watershed Management (DWM) facilities and all otherimpacted utilities that lie within the streetcar alignment area arerelocating their services in conflict with the track. To help advancethe project, DWM relocated specified sanitary/storm segmentsin the Eastern Loop. The remainder of DWM utility relocationshave been included in the DB’s contract, with funding providedby DWM. More than 15 utility companies are actively relocatingtheir facilities.

Atlanta Streetcar is currently under construction on the east-ern side of downtown along Edgewood and Auburn Avenues,with work just beginning on the western loop near Peachtree and

Atlanta Journal Constitution Photographic Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library

16 Georgia Contractor

Ellis streets. Once finished, this new transit system will be trans-formative for the city center and will connect one of Atlanta’smost historic neighborhoods with Centennial Olympic Park, theWorld of Coca-Cola, CNN, Georgia State University, the futureCenter for Civil and Human Rights, and many other businessesand attractions along the 2.7-mile route. In fact, this project con-stitutes the largest single investment for this corridor in more than50 years and is estimated to bring in significant new private in-vestments.

Open for BusinessDespite the ongoing construction work, businesses along the At-lanta Streetcar route remain open and ready to serve their patrons.Some of Atlanta’s finest shopping and dining opportunities aresituated along the route for the Atlanta Streetcar.

The Vision for the FutureOnce the dust settles and the streetcar is operational in 2014, theheart of downtown will be connected like never before. The At-lanta Streetcar will connect the eastern and western districts ofthe downtown area that have been separated by the interstatehighway ‘connector’ for more than fifty years.

The Atlanta Streetcar will include 12 stops that will offereasy access to Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola,

CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium, the Georgia World Con-gress Center, Georgia Dome, Philips Arena, the Tabernacle, TheMartin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the future homesof the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the Col-lege Football Hall of Fame, the historic Auburn Avenue commu-nity, and the vibrant Edgewood Avenue district.

As they become available, additional federal funding oppor-tunities will be pursued to further fund the streetcar’s expansion—including a proposed north-to-south route from theBrookhaven MARTA station to Fort McPherson.

Looking for more info?The building of the modern Atlanta Streetcar represents the dawnof another new era for transit—and involves many moving pieces.We intend to keep the public informed along each step of theway. Here are some additional ways you can learn more aboutthe Atlanta Streetcar: • City of Atlanta www.atlantaga.gov

• Atlanta Streetcar www.theatlantastreetcar.com

• Atlanta Downtown Improvement District www.atlantad-owntown.com

• MARTA www.itsmarta.com

• Facebook www.facebook.com/AtlantaStreetcar v

17July | August 2013

n the coming months, the de-bate over federal spendingand debt will surely acceleratein Congress and many otherplaces. The economy seemsto be improving and unem-ployment is slowly declining,

and it remains true that the economy isbetter, but not good.

How will infrastructure investmentfare in this political climate? I suspect thatinfrastructure will be viewed by some asjust more government spending. In fact,not all government spending is equal in itsimpact on nation income—or Gross Do-mestic Product GDP)

So here is my case for infrastructure investment.The economic multiplier is the increase inGDP for $1 of financial “injection” (gov-ernment spending, capital investment, taxcuts, and such). Calculating a multiplieris complex. An econometric model atMoody’s Economy.com estimated a mul-tiplier for infrastructure spending of 1.44in late 2011 - $1 spent on infrastructureresults in $1.44 increase of GDP. A fewyears earlier when the economy was lessrobust, the multiplier was 1.59 - you get alarger punch when there is excess capacityin the economy. For comparison pur-poses, the same 2011 report calculatedmuch lower multipliers for certain perma-nent tax cuts (0.32 to 0.53) and muchhigher for temporary unemployment in-surance and food stamps (1.55 and 1.71respectively). Reducing financial injec-tions (as in cutting government spending,less capital investment, or raising taxes) hasthe result of decreasing GDP.

A San Francisco Federal Reserve Bankreport in November 2012 summarized re-search on the multiplier for federal grantsto states for highways over a 20 year pe-riod, 1990 to 2010. During that time theaverage multiplier was about 2.0. Strik-ingly, they found that the multiplier forhighway projects in the 2009 federal stim-ulus program was about four times that

multiplier. This seems to confirm that themultiplier is higher when there is excesscapacity in the economy, as there certainlywas in 2009.

It is clear that investing in infrastructure will increaseGDP and employment.Sometimes short-term budget issues areput in the same mix with long-term finan-cial problems, which confuses the analysisand solutions. It seems clear to me thatthere is a long-term financial problemwith entitlement programs, such asMedicare and Social Security (time willtell with Obamacare).

Currently, the Medicare trust fund isforecast to become insolvent in 13 yearsand Social Security in 20 years. Both pro-grams need structural reform, such as in-creasing the retirement age, means-testingbenefits, and/or increasing premium rates.This will be a very difficult political task,but if changes are phased in over manyyears the impact on individuals will besmall.

Somehow, annual appropriations andbudget ceilings are separate and apart fromthe systemic reform needed in the entitle-ment programs—maybe it is just too hotto handle. If anything is going to “leaveour children with a huge debt to paydown” (as some are wont to say), it is theentitlements, where plenty of time remainsto “fix the problem.” At the same time in-frastructure investment, with its high eco-nomic multiplier, is held hostage bybudget hawks.

Our infrastructure needs are urgentand immediate. This is certainly clear toanyone who must drive in the Atlanta Re-gion. The national 2013 ASCE Infra-structure Report Card provides a clear,concise summary of the problem throughthe grades given several categories of pub-lic works (see box at right).

Not only is there a need for more ca-pacity in these categories, but inadequatemaintenance is causing the ultimate costof repair to increase. Infrastructure invest-

ment is directed at real needs, with realconsequences.

The total national debt is astronomi-cal. It is commonly discussed in terms ofpercentage of GDP. To provide perspec-tive, the national debt spiked at 35 percentof GDP as a consequence of World War Iand at 122 percentfollowing World WarII. It hit a trough in 1974 of 32 percentand has peaked at 101 percent in 2012, asa consequence of the Great Recession andtwo wars. Because of budget cuts, addi-tional cuts as part of the ‘sequester,’ andthe growth in the GDP as the economyhas improved, it seems like the 2012 peakwill not be exceeded.

Since infrastructure has a high eco-nomic multiplier, $1 spent on this invest-ment, even if it is entirely debt, raises theGDP by $1.40, or so. This results in a de-clining debt to GDP ratio. There is an-other aspect of this type of investment.The county’s capacity for supporting moreefficient business is enhanced. This in-creases the country’s long-term competi-tiveness in the global economy.

In budget and debt debates, it is allabout “whose ox is gored.” Nonetheless,it seems clear that infrastructure invest-ment has a beneficial impact on GDPand employment, and affirmatively ad-dresses a demonstrable problem forAmerica citizens. v

The Case for Infrastructure Investment in 2013

Airports D

Schools D

Ports C

Water Supply D

Roads D

Wastewater D

Transit D

IBy Thomas C. Leslie

As amended by the Affordable CareAct (‘ACA’), the Fair Labor Stan-dards Act (‘FLSA’) includes a newnotice requirement for employers.The purpose of the new Notice ofExchange is to inform employeesabout the private health insurancemarkets (referred to as the ‘Health In-surance Marketplaces’ or ‘Market-places’) which some states and thefederal government are in theprocess of establishing in accor-dance with the ACA. While Section1512 of the ACA requires employ-ers to distribute this new notice be-ginning on March 1, 2013, as ofJanuary, 2013, the U.S. Departmentof Labor (‘DOL’) delayed distributionuntil further guidance could be is-sued. On May 8, 2013, the DOL is-sued additional guidance in theform of DOL Technical Release2013-02, which outlines the distribu-tion deadlines and content require-ments for the new Notice ofExchange.

In addition to Technical Release 2013-02,the DOL also issued two model noticesthat employers are permitted to use in lieuof creating their own notice. The modelan employer uses depends on whether ornot it sponsors its own group health plan.The following highlights the Notice ofExchange distribution and content re-quirements and provides a link to Techni-cal Release 2013-02 and the two modelnotices.

Employers that are Subject to the newNotice of Exchange RequirementUnlike the employer mandate, which ap-plies only to those companies that employan average of 50 or more full-time employ-ees and full-time employee equivalents,the Notice of Exchange applies to any em-

ployer that is subject to the FLSA. Gen-erally, the FLSA applies to employers withannual revenues of at least $500,000 whoemploy at least one worker. This includeshospitals, institutions, schools, and gov-ernment entities. See www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/scope/screen24.asp for more in-formation on the types of employers thatare subject to the FLSA.

All Employees Must Receive the Notice of ExchangeThe Notice of Exchange must be providedto all part-time or full-time employees ofthe employer, regardless of the employee’senrollment in an employer-sponsoredgroup health plan, if one is offered. Em-ployers are not required to distribute thenotice to the employee’s dependents.

Notice of Exchange Distribution RequirementsExisting employees must receive the No-tice of Exchange before October 1, 2013.Employees hired between October 1,2013 and December 31, 2013 must re-ceive the notice at the time of hire. Em-ployees hired after January 1, 2014 mustreceive the notice at the time of hire, withdelivery within 14 days of the employee’sstart date being considered timely.

Notice of Exchange Content RequirementsThe Notice of Exchange must be writtenin a manner that can be comprehended bythe average employee. The Fair LaborStandards Act Section 18B expressly re-quires that the notice:• inform the employee about the

Health Insurance Marketplace, in-cluding contact information and theservices offered by the Marketplace;

• explain that the employee may be el-igible for a premium tax credit underInternal Revenue Code Section 36B,when the employer offers a grouphealth plan that pays less than 60 per-

cent of covered benefit costs and theemployee actually purchases healthinsurance through the Marketplace;and

• alert employees that purchasinghealth coverage through the Market-place may result in the loss of em-ployer contributions (if any) and thetax advantages associated with em-ployer-offered health coverage (e.g.,tax-free to employees).

In addition to the content required underFLSA Section 18B and Technical Release2013-02, the DOL model notices includeinformation that explain that employees:• may be eligible to save money or

lower monthly health plan premiumsby purchasing coverage through theMarketplace;

• will not receive a premium tax creditthe employee may otherwise be eligi-ble for if the employer offers the em-ployee coverage under anemployer-sponsored group healthplan that satisfies the employer man-date standards discussed in the nextbullet; and

• may be eligible for cost sharing sub-sidies, provided the employer doesnot offer the employee coverageunder an employer-sponsored grouphealth plan that satisfies the standardsrequired under the employer man-date, which include:

(i) the individual’s share of em-ployee-only premiums under theemployer’s health plan be 9.5percent or less of the employee’shousehold income; and

(ii) the employer-sponsored healthplan provides minimum value(e.g., covers at least 60 percent ofthe plan’s covered benefit costs).

18 Georgia Contractor

By Warren Kingsley | Arnall Golden Gregory/Employee Benefits Partner & Diane Lukin | Employee Benefit Associate

Each model notice also includes a sectionwhich requires that the employer completeinformation regarding the employer’s con-tact information, the employer’s tax iden-tification number, and other informationabout any employer-provided health cov-erage, if applicable. Copies of the modelnotices may be obtained at:http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform.

What Should Employers Do Now?Because the vast majority of jurisdictions,including Georgia, are still in the processof establishing state or federally-facilitatedMarketplaces, there is virtually no infor-mation available on the operating proce-dures, services, and insurance productsthat each Marketplace will offer. There-fore, we recommend that employers pre-pare, but otherwise delay distribution of

the Notice of Exchange until sometime inSeptember, 2013, when more informationshould be available to respond to employee

questions and concerns about their state’sHealth Insurance Marketplace. v

19July | August 2013

CLP: Closing the Skills Gap One Job at a TimeClosing the Skills Gap – what does that mean? To CLP it means providing workforce solutions to our customers and creating opportunities to putpeople to work every day. We change lives of our customers and workers by doing one thing anddoing it well: skilled trades staffing! We provide qualified workers to customers throughoutGeorgia and the entire United States. We partner with some of the largest and best constructioncompanies to provide safe, reliable employment opportunities to thousands of workers each day.

CLP is proud to align with CEFGA as its placement program leader. We take certifiedstudents and work with our customers and CEFGA members to place these students astemporary workers or as temporary to permanent employees, affording you the cost benefit oftesting a workers skills set and match for values prior to signing that person on permanently.

This model creates win-win for both the employer and the employee. We invest in thestudents training and meeting our customer’s priorities and objectives remains our clear directive.The CEFGA System, a construction Workforce Development Plan for Georgia, is shown below:

AWARENESS WEBSITES, OUTREACH, MEDIA

TRAINING/EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEVEL SKILLED TRADES PROGRAMS

PLACEMENT/EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT THROUGH

CLP, LABOR UNIONS, AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY

TERRY DAUGHERTY | CLP RESOURCES 8975 Roswell Road Suite 207 Atlanta, GA 30350 678-710-0826 678-710-0829 fax 404-987-9325 cell tdaugherty@clp.com www.clp.com

Warren KingsleyArnall Golden GregoryEmployee Benefits Partner

Diane LukinArnall Golden GregoryEmployee Benefit Associate

20 Georgia Contractor

Good Governance

s a fellow taxpayer of Georgiaand the United States, I takegreat responsibility for howfunding, distribution, andservice delivery are handledunder the Governor’s Officeof Workforce Development

(GOWD). GOWD is responsible for theWorkforce Investment Act, a federal grantwhich authorizes the establishment ofworkforce investment activities for eligibleyouth, statewide employment and trainingactivities for adults and dislocated workers,and through Georgia’s Local WorkforceInvestment Areas as designated by the gov-ernor. WIA allocates more than $80 mil-lion to our office to distribute to the LocalWorkforce Areas. Dealing with this levelof funding means GOWD must be com-pliant and efficient with all activities.

In the 2013 Georgia Legislative Ses-sion, Governor Deal and GOWD madegreat strides in the workforce developmentarena. House Bill 393, the Local Work-force Investment Good Governance Actfor Georgia was passed on March 28. HB393 is the first piece of legislation to in-clude the Workforce Investment Act inGeorgia code. This change will help theState Workforce Investment Board andGOWD to ensure efficiency and compli-ance with each of the 19 Local WorkforceAreas across the state.

GOWD, with the guidance of Gov-ernor Deal, has been working diligentlyover the past year to ensure workforce de-velopment in Georgia has a strong focuson helping our state’s heroes. HB 393 setsa prioritization of services for veterans andtheir spouses within the Workforce Invest-ment Act. This was a policy set in federallaw, but Georgia has taken it a step furtherto include it in Georgia code. Georgia’sveterans deserve to return home and findmeaningful employment quickly.

Dealing with the lawmaking and leg-islative components of programs can be

daunting, but we must ask “why is this im-portant to Georgia?” This legislation is nec-essary to improve the operations of thelocal workforce areas and make more fundsavailable in each region for more programparticipants. More program participantsmean that Georgia will continue to movethe needle on unemployment and eventu-ally drop below the national average.

As a government agency, GOWDmust be a good steward of the granted fed-eral funds including the Workforce Invest-ment Act. Governor Deal has made it apriority for the workforce system to be ef-ficient and effective to ensure that the

monies are being used to get Georgiansback to work and to being a vital part ofthe economy.

Lastly, workforce development is es-sential to continuing the growth of Geor-gia businesses and industry. Whencompanies are looking to locate in ourstate, Georgia must show evidence of astrong workforce pipeline. As a state, wemust also continue to fuel our existing in-dustry by providing new skilled workers toreplace those reaching retirement.

HB 393 was a great accomplishmentof Governor Deal, the Georgia Legislature,and the Governor’s Office of WorkforceDevelopment. It is this type of legislationthat allows Georgia to ultimately reach thegoal of being the No. 1 place in the nationto do business. v

A

By Blake Ashbee | Executive Director | Governor’s Office of Workforce Development

Blake Ashbee

21July | August 2013

busy intersection in Galileewill soon enjoy reduced traf-fic delays and become muchsafer with the addition of anew elevated, multilane inter-change. Highways 65 and 85,between the Golani and

Amiad Junctions will be widened to sixlanes, according to the Israeli National In-frastructures Committee. Key to the $250million design-build project are two,nearly twin bridges over Nahal Amud andNahal Acbara. Nahal is the Hebrew wordfor stream.

Highway 85 is an east-west highwaythat is one of the most important connect-ing roads through the Galilee. The 37-km-long route, which has been used sinceancient times, begins at Highway 4 inAkko on the west coast and ends at theAmiad Junction at Highway 90 near Ko-rzim in the east.

Highways 65, a major southeast tonorthwest highway, offers the shortestroute between the two major regions ofHadera and the Galilee. For thousands ofyears, people have traveled on or near thisroute from the coastal plain to reach theGalilee, and beyond to Golan, Syria,Lebanon, and Jordan. Highway 65 meetsHighway 85 at Nahal Amud Junction.

Shikun & Binui - Solel Boneh Build-ing & Infrastructure is the design-buildcontractor for the upper Galilee inter-change near Kibbutz Kadarim.

Both bridges will be constructedusing precast segmental, balanced can-tilever method, with cranes or overheadgantry to erect the sections. Finley Engi-neering Group Inc. has been contractedfor the superstructure design and for con-struction engineering for the contractor’smeans and methods procedures. Yenon-Research & Design Ltd. is the prime en-gineer for the roadway, piers, andfoundations.

Both sets of precast concrete segmen-

tal bridges will be comprised of threespans, 12.4 meters wide, towering 25 me-ters above the valley floor. The design ac-commodates future widening andaccommodation for a monolithic connec-tion with a future middle bridge.

The 338 meter-long Nahal Amudbridge has a precast box measuring 2.6 me-ters in height. The precast box of 120-meterlong Nahal Acbara bridge is 2.6 meters inheight. Time and costs were saved on bothbridges by incorporating Solel Boneh’s ex-isting available forms into the design.

Mother’s Nature’s Impact Mother Nature plays an unusually signifi-cant role for both bridge designs, althoughin different ways—respect in terms of theAmud bridge and protection relating tothe Acbara bridge.

Piers Two and Three of the NahalAmud bridge support a 64 meter span, butalso stand over an active seismic fault, oneof several throughout Israel. While engi-neers typically would design around a faultarea, it was not an option for this projectdue to the geography of the area. Mosttremors in recent history have been rela-tively minor, but geology experts agreethat Israel is long overdue for a large-scaleearthquake based on the study of long-term records. In 1975, Israel institutedseismic building codes, which have been

revised and improved over the pastdecades.

Comparable to the San AndreasFault, the Dead Sea Fault runs from eastLebanon southward through the Sea ofGalilee and the Dead Sea, and into theGulf of Aqaba. Local geologists have spec-ified that the substructure and superstruc-ture for the Nahal Amud bridgeaccommodate for a vertical displacementof up to six inches in the event of an earth-quake. The design had to accommodatethis amount of displacement while re-maining functional following a seismicevent. This was achieved with the post-tensioned superstructure and the use ofspecial seismic pin restraints at the top ofthe pier caps to limit the superstructuremovement and allow for increased flexibil-ity of the superstructure. The increasedflexibility creates a reduction in the seismicforces within the superstructure to man-ageable levels.

For the Acbara Bridge, designers willbe paying particular attention to efforts torestore the old stream bed that had beenfilled in previously. The goal is to restorethe flora and fauna to the area, includingrecreating a 50-meter-long ecological ani-mal crossing.

Construction of the bridges beganthis spring and is expected to be com-pleted by the end of 2014. v

Finley Project ~ Israel

A

Bridge Links the Past to the Future One Segment at a Time By Jerry Pfuntner, S.E., P.E. | Principal and Regional Bridge Engineer | Finley Engineering Group Inc.

22 Georgia Contractor

Construction software developer HCSS(www.hcss.com) has added a mobilephone time card to its selection of mo-bile apps available for smartphones andtablets. From the makers of HeavyBid®construction estimating software andHeavyJob® field management software,the mobile phone time card app allowsforemen and superintendents in thefield to enter time and see job produc-tion data on their ‘always on, alwaysclose-by’ smartphone.

With the HeavyJob mobile phonetime card app, foremen and superin-tendents can enter time for workers andequipment, enter quantities, and writenotes for cost codes, as well as markwork for T&M. The time card app isideal for individuals or small crews liketruck drivers or flagging crews who maynot be issued a laptop, and also forlarger crews who may prefer a mobiledevice to laptops.

“We understand that many crewswork in remote locations where cellservice may not exist,” said HCSS VicePresident of Software DevelopmentTom Webb. “We want crews to be pro-ductive wherever they are. TheHeavyJob time card app will still workin remote areas and it will store any en-tered data until the device is back in cel-lular coverage or a Wi-Fi network.”

The time card app is just one ofmany mobile apps offered as supple-ments to HCSS HeavyJob and Heavy-Bid. Those include a photo app, whichallows field employees to snap job sitephotos and send them immediately tothe office, a daily diary entry app, andan estimating app used to cost esti-mate, perform markup and pricing, andeven collect signatures on the go.

With the mobile platforms, con-tractors are not limited to working on asingle device.

“A foreman may begin entering his

time card from a laptop in his truck, addquantities or take photos while standingat the site from his phone or tablet,while the project manager reviews jobinformation back at an office desktop,”said Webb.   “This will allow companiesto take a ‘right device, right person’ ap-proach.”

For more information on HCSS mobileapps, visit www.hcss.com/apps.

About HCSSFounded in 1986, HCSS is a leadingprovider of software solutions for theheavy/highway/utility construction in-dustry.   More than 40,000 profession-als rely on HCSS software every day,including the bestsellers HeavyBid®and HeavyJob®, to improve their profi-ciency at estimating, job management,

resource management, safety andequipment maintenance.  HCSS also of-fers mobile applications and cloud com-puting services to allow companiesflexibility in the latest in informationtechnologies.

In addition to high quality software,HCSS is best known for providing world-class customer service with professionalimplementation planning, training, andinstant 24/7 phone support.

HCSS is located at 13151 West Air-port Blvd., Sugar Land, Texas, 77478.For more information about HCSS andits complete line of estimating, fieldmanagement, and resource manage-ment products, visit www.hcss.com,call 800-683-3196 or e-mailinfo@hcss.com.     v

Contractor NewsCONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE DEVELOPER HCSS UNVEILS TIME CARD FOR SMARTPHONES

App allows foremen and superintendents to record entire time card on a convenient smart phone

23July | August 2013

IEC Georgia invited national author Glen Mazur to severalof its locations to provide a Troubleshooting Workshop. Mr.Mazur is the author of over 45 books and brings a massiveamount of knowledge to the subjects he covers. The morerecent sessions focused on meter output means, knowledgeof relays, harmonics, and current transients to name a fewtopics.

Mr. Mazur held sessions in Savannah on June 4th,Columbus on June 7th, and the Atlanta area on June 11th.His troubleshooting techniques are a strategic approach tocompleting a timely and effective project. There is always abetter way to accomplish goals and Glen Mazur has it!

John Howell, owner of Howell Electrical Services at-tended the Savannah, Georgia, session. Mr. Howell enthu-siastically stated, “It was the best class I ever attended! It waseducational and engaging! I would have signed more peopleup if I had known it was going to be this good!” Mr. Howellis not alone in his positive perception of Mr. Mazur and thetroubleshooting workshop. IEC contractors in all areas sharehis sentiment.

IEC is appreciative of its partnership with Glen Mazurand the opportunities for enlightenment and improvementcreated for its members. When IEC discovers trailblazinginformation and makes it available to the electrical industry,it reinforces the quality IEC members bring to their trade.With the economy taking a turn for the better and the po-tential for job increase, IEC contractors will be ready to makequick adjustments without missing a beat.

IEC is a trade association for merit shop electrical con-tractors and offers a wide array of training programs for ap-prentices and experienced electricians. In addition to theelectrical apprenticeship training program, IEC provides per-sonnel referral including loan/borrow programs, and providesa broad range of informational resources for electrical con-tractors in Atlanta and Georgia.

For more information about IEC and its programs, con-tact Niel Dawson, Executive Director at 770-242-9277 orniel.dawson@iecgeorgia.org v

IEC GEORGIA PROVIDES TROUBLESHOOTING WORKSHOPS WITH NATIONALAUTHOR & TRAINER, GLEN MAZUR

24 Georgia Contractor

Nine Powerful Cleaners Packed intothe ‘World’s Toughest Wipe’; Available through Retailers AcrossNorth AmericaRevolutionary Tub O’Towels® arequickly becoming one of the mostcommon cleanup tools found at thecontractor’s worksite. Bigger,stronger and tougher than otherwipes, Tub O’Towels cleaning towelsfrom Wonder Works Products® areavailable now through major retailersacross the U.S. and Canada.

Each extra-large Tub O’Towelsscrubbing wipe includes nine power-ful cleaning ingredients, durablefiber-weave technology, and twicethe cleaning surface of comparablewipes. Originally created for contrac-tors and industrial users who en-counter nearly impossible jobsitemesses, Tub O’Towels feature athicker, towel-like construction that is100-percent solution soaked toquickly and easily clean oil, grease,

chemical stains, and other toughsoils. The unique citrus formula alsoincludes lanolin, aloe vera, and vita-min E, leaving hands clean and soft.The towels are made in the U.S.

“Tub O’Towels make you moreefficient – by minimizing time on thejobsite cleaning up and saving youmoney on cleaning supplies in thelong run,” said Dave Anderson, VicePresident, Retail Brands, Wonder

Works Products, Federal ProcessCorporation. “When you are lookingfor a thick and durable wipe for afast, easy clean on a tough mess,look no further than Tub O’Towels.They can knock out the toughest,grimiest messes.”

Tub O’Towels are available inseveral convenient package sizes:10-in. by 12-in. towels in a conven-ient 90-towel re-sealable canister;10-in. by 12-in. individually wrappedtowels; and a 40-towel re-sealableportable case (7-in. by 8-in. towels).

To join in the Tub O’Towels con-versation, find us on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/tubotowels orTwitter at www.twitter.com/tubotow-els. To locate the nearest Tub O’Tow-els retailer, visit the dealer locator atwww.tubotowels.com/buy-now.

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TUB 0’TOWELS® SOLUTION-SOAKED SCRUBBING TOWELS

Independent Electrical Contractors(IEC) attended this year’s LegislativeConference in Washington, D.C.held May 6th through May 8th. Thisvisit to Capitol Hill allows IEC tospeak on behalf of its members andothers in the electrical industry onthose issues that affect how you runyour organization. This is how IECstays abreast of regulations that im-pact you and provides a voice for is-sues close to your heart and pocket.Issues addressed were:• Project Labor Agreements (PLAs)

• NLRB Recess Appointments

• Green Jobs Act and support forresponsible job creating energypolicies

• Workforce development funding

• Responsibility in Federal Con-tracting Act

• Death tax

IEC members Rob Stalvey andTommy Stalvey of Ace Electric, Har-vey and Jena Hammock of Inte-grated Electrical Services, and NielDawson, Executive Director of IECAtlanta/Georgia attended the con-ference. Ten meetings with ten dif-ferent congressional offices bringthe issues of the electrical industryfront and center to an audience thatcould make a difference. New peo-ple they were able to connect with

this year were Hank Johnson, therepresentative for Dekalb and JackKingston, the representative for Sa-vannah, Georgia.

Have an issue you do not seerepresented here? Be certain tospeak with your IEC office aboutwhat is important to you. Advocacyis one of the major benefits for IECmembers. Tell us your concerns, IECis here to help.

IEC is a trade association formerit shop electrical contractors andoffers a wide array of training pro-grams for apprentices and experi-enced electricians. In addition tothe electrical apprenticeship trainingprogram, IEC provides personnel re-ferral including loan/borrow pro-grams, and provides a broad rangeof informational resources for elec-trical contractors in Atlanta andGeorgia. v

IEC Attends the 2013 Legislative Conference

Pictured above left to right: HarveyHammock, Jena Hammock, Tommy

Stalvey, and Rob Stalvey

25July | August 2013

Anyone in construction will knowabout MSDS (Material Safety DataSheet), but few are aware that OSHAis modifying the Hazard Communi-cation Standard (HCS) to align withthe provisions of the Globally Har-monized System of Classificationand Labeling of Chemicals (GHS)that was officially adopted by theUnited Nations (UN) in 2003. Herewe are a full ten years later, and it willactually take affect with a stinging$2,500 fine to contractors for eachemployee who does not: 1) recog-nize the symbol, and 2) know the ap-propriate action to take beginningDecember 1, 2013.Why adopt the new GHS?

It was designed to replace vari-ous classification and labeling stan-dards used in different countries byusing consistent criteria for classifi-cation and labeling on a global level.While those systems in differentcountries may have been similar incontent and approach, they resultedin multiple standards and classifica-tions and labels for the same hazardin different countries. Given the ex-tent of international trade in chemi-cals, and the potential impact onneighboring countries when controlsare not implemented, it was deter-mined that a worldwide approachwas necessary.What are the major proposedchanges to the Hazard Communica-tion Standard?• Hazard classification: Provides

specific criteria for classificationof health and physical hazards,as well as classification of mix-tures.

• Labels: Chemical manufacturersand importers will be required toprovide a label that includes aharmonized signal word, pic-togram, and hazard statementfor each hazard class and cate-

gory. Precautionary statementsmust also be provided.

• Safety Data Sheets: Will nowhave a specified 16-section for-mat.

• Training on label elements mustinclude: Product identifier; Sig-nal word; Pictogram; Hazardstatement(s); Precautionarystatement(s); and Contact ofmanufacturer, distributor or im-porter.

Who does it affect?It is estimated to affect over 40 mil-lion workers in five million work-places for any consumers, workers ortransporters of hazard materials.Other U.S. Agencies involved in-clude the Dept. of Transportation(DOT), Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA), and the ConsumerProduct Safety Commissions (CPSC).Check the OSHA Web site for detailsat http://www.osha.gov/dsg/haz-com/ghs.html#4.12

What About Training?The focus of training is to recognizeand interpret label and/or SDS infor-mation, and to take appropriate ac-tion in response to chemical hazards.OSHA has many sources for a varietyof jobsites, however the IEC (Inde-pendent Electrical Contractors) hasdeveloped a GHS web resourcepage at http://www.ieci.org/work-place-safety/ghs-resources. This alsoincludes a ‘train-the-trainer’ webinarand other useful training informationincluding toolbox talks so that youmay document the GHS training thatyou perform for your employees.

IEC is a trade association formerit shop electrical contractors with60 offices throughout the U.S., serv-ing over 200 members in Georgia.Contact Executive Director, Niel

Dawson at niel.dawson@iecatlanta.org or call 770-242-9277 for mem-bership information or questions.v

OSHA TRANSITIONS TO GLOBALLY HARMONIZED SYSTEM (GHS) EFFECTIVEDECEMBER 1, 2013

26 Georgia Contractor

The equipment rental industry in theUnited States is expected to gener-ate $33.6 billion in revenue in 2013,according to the American RentalAssociation’s (ARA) latest forecastfrom the ARA Rental Market Moni-tor™ updated in May. This figurerepresents a 7.3 percent increaseover 2012 with revenue growthreaching 7.9 percent in the fourthquarter according to the latest quar-terly forecast.

In the U.S., the constructionmarket and consumer spending areexpected to be the most importantdrivers of growth of the equipmentrental market in 2013. “The U.S.equipment rental market is expectedto continue its upward trajectory andshow significant growth through2017. Strong growth in real residen-tial construction through 2015 willfuel the construction and industrialequipment segment, which is pro-jected to grow 9.8 percent in 2014and 11.8 percent in 2015,” accord-ing to the U.S. economic analysisfrom the ARA Rental Market Monitor.

In Canada, the equipment rentalindustry is forecast to generatenearly $4.6 billion in revenue in2013, a 3.1 percent increase. In totalfor North America, equipment rentalrevenues in 2013 are expected toreach $38.2 billion.

By the end of the current five-year forecast in 2017, North Ameri-can equipment rental revenue isexpected to surpass $50 billion toreach $51.6 billion, with U.S. rentalrevenue at $46.3 billion and rentalrevenue in Canada at $5.3 billion.

“The industry continues to buildcustomer demand, which drives thegrowth of the equipment rental in-dustry. Listening to ARA membersfrom around the country and lookingat the forecast of IHS Global Insight,there is unlimited potential for theequipment rental industry,” says

Christine Wehrman, ARA’s executivevice president and CEO.

“Rental has grown during theanemic economic recovery throughincreased penetration. As industrialand construction markets continueto improve, rental will see furthergrowth from a larger share of theequipment market, leading to dou-ble-digit revenue gains by 2014,”says Scott Hazelton, a senior partnerwith IHS Global insight, which com-piles data and analyses for the ARARental Market Monitor.

The ARA Rental Market Monitoris a subscription-based service forAmerican Rental Association (ARA)members provided by ARA andRental Management as part of apartnership with ISH Global Insight,one of the world’s most respectedeconomic forecasting firms based inLexington, Massachusetts.

About ARA: (www.ARArental.org)The American Rental Association,Moline, Illinois, is an internationaltrade association for owners ofequipment rental businesses and themanufacturers and suppliers of con-struction/industrial, general tool, andparty/event rental equipment. ARAmembers, which include more than8,600 rental businesses and nearly1,000 manufacturers and suppliers,are located in every U.S. state, every

Canadian province and more than30 countries worldwide. Founded in1955, ARA is the source for informa-tion, advocacy, risk management,business development tools, educa-tion and training, networking, andmarketplace opportunities for therental equipment industry through-out the world.

About IHS: (www.ihs.com) IHS (NYSE:IHS) is the leading source of informa-tion, insight, and analytics in criticalareas that shape today's businesslandscape. Businesses and govern-ments in more than 165 countriesaround the globe rely on the com-prehensive content, expert inde-pendent analysis, and flexibledelivery methods of IHS to makehigh-impact decisions and developstrategies with speed and confi-dence. IHS has been in businesssince 1959 and became a publiclytraded company on the New YorkStock Exchange in 2005. Headquar-tered in Englewood, Colorado, USA,IHS is committed to sustainable,profitable growth and employs6,700 people in 31 countries aroundthe world.

IHS is a registered trademark ofIHS Inc. All other company andproduct names may be trademarksof their respective owners. Copy-right © 2013 IHS Inc. All rights re-served. v

RENTAL REVENUE TO TOP $38 BILLION IN 2013

This spring, IEC Georgia wrappedup its first Fire Alarm Systems coursein Columbus, Georgia. This eightweek course was held at ELVESevery Tuesday night from 5:30 to9:30 pm. With ELVES PresidentJohn Follett at the helm, the certi-fied NICET IV facilitator was the per-fect guide to prepare attendees forthe NICET I and II tests ahead.

The students already possessedelectrical knowledge, but now oneof the biggest advantages that willset them apart from others withoutthis course, is valuable knowledge ofthe NFPA 72 code. This is an impor-tant difference that expands theirskill set and creates confidence inthe low voltage area. By using demodevices and studying the intricatewiring of smoke detectors, speakerstrobes, and other peripheral de-vices, the students end this coursewith another skill set to what theyoffer their organizations and theelectrical industry.

IEC trail blazes the electrical in-dustry by seeking new and betterways to service its members and

helping them to be the best of thebest. If you are interested in havingthe Fire Alarm Systems course orother courses in your area, contactthe IEC office. IEC is educating, in-forming, and preparing its membersfor success.

IEC is a trade association formerit shop electrical contractors andoffers a wide array of training pro-grams for apprentices and experi-

enced electricians. In addition tothe electrical apprenticeship trainingprogram, IEC provides personnel re-ferral including loan/borrow pro-grams, and provides a broad rangeof informational resources for elec-trical contractors in Atlanta andGeorgia. v

White House officials have an-nounced that they plan to send Con-gress a proposal to limit thereimbursement ceiling for executivesof federal contractors to the presi-dent’s salary, currently around$400,000 per year.

Currently, the cap is set by lawbased on a formula and the upperlimit was approximately $763,000.For 2013, the expectation was thatthe number would top $900,000. Intruth, this limit is only available tothe very largest of federal contrac-tors as other regulations also applylimits based on the size of compa-

nies (e.g. revenues and staff size).However, this highlights a trend bythe government and others to tryand limit spending to federal con-tractors.

In fact, federal workers unionshave stated that in their view, theproposal has not gone far enough,and they would argue that the limitshould be set around $231,000 orthe level of the vice president’ssalary on an annual basis.

The White House has stated thatthese measures are part of an ongo-ing effort to buy smarter and endwasteful spending as part of a fis-

cally prudent strategy. They believethat imposing these limits will savethe government hundreds of mil-lions of dollars a year in reducedpayments to federal contractors.The proposal does not limit theamount that contractors can paytheir executives; it only limits howmuch the government is willing toreimburse the contractors for theservices of those executives.Deemer Dana and Froehle’s AECteam will continue to monitor thesechanges in order to bring our clientsthe very latest information as it be-comes available. v

27July | August 2013

WHITE HOUSE PROPOSES CUTS IN SPENDING FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS

By Matt Stringfellow

IEC GEORGIA TURNS OUT FIRST FIRE ALARM CLASS

ADVERTISE INGEORGIA CONTRACTOR

28 Georgia Contractor

METALCON INTERNATIONAL PUTS META AT THE FOREFRONT OF CONSTRUCTION

METALCON International is recog-nized as the only annual event formetal construction products, technolo-gies, and solutions. The 23rd annualMETALCON takes place October 1-3,2013 at the Georgia World CongressCenter, Atlanta.

METALCON draws designers,builders, developers, contractors,fabricators, and suppliers from morethan 52 countries. Experts frommore than 300 companies exhibitthe latest products and technologyand share their knowledge with at-tendees, while industry specialistspresent key topics in the educationprogram. Specialists from the MetalConstruction Association and otherindustry related associations alsopresent the latest applications andfield techniques in daily demonstra-tions in the exhibit hall.

METALCON is produced byNewton, Massachusetts-basedPSMJ Resources Inc. and sponsoredby the Metal Construction Associa-

tion. MCA is an organization of lead-ing manufacturers and suppliersheadquartered in Glenview, Illinois.PSMJ is the world’s leading authorityon the effective management of ar-chitecture, engineering, and con-struction firms.

As METALCON returns to At-lanta for the fifth time, it brings newways to learn from industry expertsabout the latest products and how touse them. Attendees can capture allkinds of ideas as they roam the200,00 square feet of metal productexhibits and attend the comprehen-sive multi-tiered conference pro-gram. What they’ve learned is putinto action in a new expandeddemonstration arena called Metal inAction.

This area inside the exhibit hallis interactive and combines the bestof MCA’S Residential and Commer-cial Roofing Demos, Solar Bay Live,and Tool Day. With plenty of seating,tables, and bleachers, the Metal in

Action arena serves as a touchdownwhere attendees can learn in a com-fortable setting.

The Solar Bay Live portion offersa different keynote presentationeach day that focuses on details ofspecific techniques used to installsolar and metal combinations. It isan extension of Solar Bay, an area ofthe exhibit hall, now in its fifth year,that features products and educationabout the growing use of metal andsolar technology. It shows the per-fect combination of metal roofingwith solar applications and is anothermethod of highlighting metal’s rolein the green building movement. Tolearn more about metal and the en-vironment, visitors can also visitGreen Island, a dedicated area of ex-hibits showing products that meetgreen building standards.

The tools demo expands thereach of METALCON’s Tool Day froma single-day focus to a three-daybonus. In this area, participants cantest the latest tools for use withmetal continuously because they aredemonstrated and available everyshow day during exhibit hours.

The 2013 conference programretains the successful three-hour for-mat tailored to specific disciplines.This offers more in-depth learningopportunities and meets the need forparticipants and presenters to havemore time to delve into importanttechniques and issues from the field.

Contractors and building ownerscan also learn more about coldformed steel framing in a multi-dayprogram called STUD University,which focuses on the growing steelframing market and how to be partof it. These sessions have drawn awide variety of audiences and mediaattention since they began in 2004.

For general information aboutMETALCON, visit www.metalcon.com or call PSMJ Resources Inc./METALCON at 800-537-7765. v

eogrids are a class ofgeosynthetic materials usedto enhance the performanceof soils by creating acomposite soil/geogridstructure. Selection of theappropriate geogrid is based

on the desired mechanical properties ofthe soil/geogrid composite and the type ofstructure in which the composite willoperate (e.g., retaining wall, roadways,etc.). There are two basics types ofgeogrids; uniaxial geogrids for retainingwalls (i.e., strength in one direction), andmulti -axial (biaxial and triaxial) geogridsfor subgrades/pavements (i.e., strength intwo or three directions). This LessonsLearned will focus on the applications andbenefits of biaxial/triaxial geogrids.

Brief History of Geogrids:The concept of soil reinforcement toachieve improved mechanical properties isnot new. In fact, the first knownapplication of soil reinforcement datesback to the sixth century BC when theancient Mesopotamians used woven reedmats to reinforce clay in order to constructtheir Ziggurat structures. These structurescurrently stand at more than 150 feet inheight, with some thought to haveoriginally been as much as 250 feet in

height. The Ziggurat structures are stillsome of the world’s tallest earthenstructures nearly 8,000 years after theirconstruction.

Biaxial/Triaxial Geogrid Applications: • Subgrade Stabilization: Use of geogridreinforcement for subgrade stabilizationrefers to the placement of a geogridimmediately over a soft subgrade soil toimprove the bearing capacity and mitigatedifferential deformation of the subgradesoil. The goal of this application is toreduce undercut requirements, improveconstruction efficiency, reduce thethickness of aggregate subbase/basematerial required, provide a stiff workingplatform for pavement construction, or acombination of these goals.

• Pavement Enhancement: Use of geogridreinforcement for pavement enhancementrefers to the placement of a geogridbeneath or within the aggregate basecourse of a flexible pavement system toimprove the stiff ness of the system. Thegoal of this application is to reduce theamount of aggregate base material orasphaltic concrete required (reducinginitial cost), increase the life of thepavement (reduce life-cycle cost), or acombination of the two. The diagram on

this page depicts geogrids used to reducethe thickness of the aggregate base.

Another application of geogrids forpavement enhancement is when thepavement thickness, or depth of undercut,is limited by the presence of shallowexisting utility lines. By incorporatinggeogrids into the pavement design, athinner pavement thickness can be usedwhile still supporting the required trafficvolume.

Geogrid Selection:As you might suspect, not all geogrids arethe same. The main factors in selection ofa geogrid are the strength and deformationcharacteristics of the geogrid. With manygeogrid manufacturers, there are manygeogrids that have similar properties, andalternative geogrids are oft en proposed.Since the use of geogrids is a soil/structureinteraction issue, the selection of theappropriate geogrid is best performed bythe project geotechnical engineer. Whenused for enhancement in the design of apavement, the selection is relativelystraight forward. However, when it comesto stabilization of a soft or very softpavement subgrade, considerablejudgment and experience is employed bythe geotechnical engineer in the selectionof an appropriate geogrid and thematerials placed on top of the geogrid.

Unfortunately, there is not enoughspace on this page to fully explore the finerdetails of this subject. Should you havequestions regarding biaxial/triaxial geogridutilization, please contact the geotechnicalengineering staff at your nearest ECS office.We hope this Lessons Learned will behelpful to you on future pavement projects.

LESSONS LEARNED comes to us cour-tesy of ECS Corporate Services, LLC v

Construction Engineering Services

Observations and Lessons from the School of Experience:

Biaxial/Triaxial Geogrids for Pavements

G

Lessons

Learned

29July | August 2013

30 Georgia Contractor

ow do you spark an interestin an electrical career toyour audience? An effectivepresentation is a dynamicpresentation that involvesthe audience. To quoteWilliam Glasser on the

How We Learn Theory: individuals learn“20 percent of what they hear, 30 percentof what they see, 50 percent of what wesee and hear, 70 percent of what we dis-cuss, 80 percent of what we experience and95 percent of what we teach others.” Outgoes the lecture style of a presentation andin we bring the hands-on demonstration.Engage your audience in wiring a simplecircuit so that they can flip a switch andturn the light on, to making a fluorescentlight bulb glow while in the presence ofthe electromagnetic field of a plasma ball.No matter what the project is, make sureyour audience is experiencing aspectswithin an electrical career (and while theyare doing it, they are having fun).

How do we get the attention of thewomen in the audience? Bring womenwho work in the field with you to the pres-entation. Have them talk about their ex-periences in the trade and the reason whythey love their career. If you are unable tohave a tradeswoman join you for yourpresentation, an effective tool I have usedis to ask the audience, particularly thewomen in the audience, one specific ques-tion: “If you are home alone and you havean issue where an electrician needs tocome into your home to fix it, would yoube more comfortable letting a strange manor a strange woman come into your homewith you?” More times than not, you willhear them say “a woman.” Your audiencehas just demonstrated that there is a‘need’for women in the industry, especiallythe service industry.

Over the last decade we have beenhearing that there is a shortage of construc-

tion workers to fulfill the need in the indus-try. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projectsthat the employment of electricians willgrow 23 percent from 2010 to 2020. Be-tween the individuals who are retiring fromthe industry and the lack of individualsmaking a career choice in the electrical field,who is going to fulfill that need?

One market for electrical companiesto find employees is to recruit the womenin the workforce. According to the 2010statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statis-tics, there were 691,000 electricians, ofwhich 10,400 of them were women. Thatmeans only 1.5 percent are women! Howcan we increase that percentage?

One answer to increasing the numberof women in the electrical trades isthrough partnerships. IEC Atlanta hasbeen successful in building partnershipswith other workforce development organ-izations. Last year, IEC Atlanta partneredwith the Goodwill Industries Inc., ofNorth Georgia in the Women in Appren-ticeship and Nontraditional Occupations(WANTO) grant program. The WANTOprogram is designed to increase the num-ber of women entering and remaining inapprenticeships associated with nontradi-tional occupations.

An additional partnership is throughthe local chapter of the National Associa-tion of Women in Construction(NAWIC). NAWIC’s National EducationFoundation has programs designed to in-troduce school-aged children to construc-tion careers. Their Block Kids program isa building program designed to introducefirst through sixth grade students themany aspects of the construction industry.NAWIC is always looking for volunteersto assist with their Block Kids program.NAWIC also has a CAD competition forhigh school-aged youth who can competefor scholarships

Another program that many NAWIC

chapters host is a Mentoring A Girl InConstruction (MAGIC) summer camp.MAGIC is a week-long day camp de-signed to offer high school girls the oppor-tunity to learn about the countless avenuesof employment for women in the con-struction industry. The participants areengaged in hands-on training of basicskills of carpentry, electrical, and welding.Each camp is always looking for volun-teers, sponsors, and mentors. Participantsleave the camp knowing that they too canmake a viable career out of construction.

We cannot leave out local school part-nerships. The key is to be active withinyour local school systems and join their ac-ademic advisory boards, participate intheir career days, as well as partake in pre-sentations to captive audiences. The onlyway this will work is to be active and en-gaged—they need to know who you areand that you care about their programsand their students. After all, their studentsare the future electricians who will be ful-filling the demands of the industry.

If there is one high school programthat I would recommend any constructionfirm to become involved in, it is the Skill-sUSA program. To define SkillsUSA, I willquote it directly from its Web site(www.skillsusa.org): “SkillsUSA is a part-nership of students, teachers, and industryworking together to ensure that Americahas a skilled workforce.” Whether it is onthe local, state, or national level, there aremany female students who are competingin the SkillsUSA construction competi-tions. They are ready to start working inthe industry either through a school-to-apprenticeship program during their jun-ior and senior year in high school or oncethey graduate. By being involved withSkillsUSA, the students in the programwill remember who was involved and willcontact you when they are looking to getinto the workforce. v

Pathway to Finding Women to BecomeWorkers in the Electrical Industry

HBy Lana Frye | Workforce Developer | Independent Electrical Contractors Inc. | Atlanta & Georgia Chapters.

31July | August 2013

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