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Company News Summer 2011 Full speed ahead on Expo 2 rail project hen the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and the Exposition Construction Authority (Expo Authori- ty) awarded the $541.7 million Expo Line Phase 2 design-build contract to Skanska-Rados, it was for Steve P. Rados, Inc., a new level of achieve- ment, an opportunity to expand the company’s design/build experience, and an economically significant event. “With the extreme competitive- ness of today’s construction market and the general economic uncertain- ty, a joint venture of this magnitude and duration will provide us a steady backlog that will offer some security for several years.” says Steve S. Rados. “We will have some stability. We don’t know what the market is going to be like a few years from now. The construction market in the last three to four years has been as bad as I’ve ever seen it. I think we’e in a holding pattern until we see what happens with the economy. Considering that, the Expo 2 contract gives us the ability to keep some of our staff busy as well as have a source of rev- enue for a period of time. “It’s also giving us the opportunity to broaden our resume on large design-build projects. This is the largest project in which we have been a partner. The design-build we did on the 22 Freeway was a $400 million job; this one is larger, but not so different. It is adding to our experience; it’s like going to gradu- ate school after getting a bachelor’s degree. It’s not anything we haven’t handled before; it’s just bigger. It’s in a busy part of West Los Angeles, Continued on page 3 W The complete Exposition Transit Corridor. Expo 2 will run from Culver City to Santa Monica. Image provided courtesy of Expo; Copyright by Expo 2011. All Rights Reserved.

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Page 1: Ron Solow news - Winter 2006radoscompanies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Rados-newslette… · Expo Line will contribute to reduced levels of air pollutants and greenhouse gases,

Company NewsSummer 2011

Full speed ahead on Expo 2 rail projecthen the Los AngelesCounty MetropolitanTransportation Authority(LACMTA) and theExposition ConstructionAuthority (Expo Authori-

ty) awarded the $541.7 million ExpoLine Phase 2 design-build contractto Skanska-Rados, it was for Steve P.Rados, Inc., a new level of achieve-ment, an opportunity to expand thecompany’s design/build experience,and an economically significantevent.“With the extreme competitive-

ness of today’s construction market

and the general economic uncertain-ty, a joint venture of this magnitudeand duration will provide us asteady backlog that will offer somesecurity for several years.” says SteveS. Rados.“We will have some stability. We

don’t know what the market is goingto be like a few years from now. Theconstruction market in the last threeto four years has been as bad as I’veever seen it. I think we’e in a holdingpattern until we see what happenswith the economy. Considering that,the Expo 2 contract gives us theability to keep some of our staff

busy as well as have a source of rev-enue for a period of time.“It’s also giving us the opportunity

to broaden our resume on largedesign-build projects. This is thelargest project in which we havebeen a partner. The design-build wedid on the 22 Freeway was a $400million job; this one is larger, but notso different. It is adding to ourexperience; it’s like going to gradu-ate school after getting a bachelor’sdegree. It’s not anything we haven’thandled before; it’s just bigger. It’s ina busy part of West Los Angeles,

Continued on page 3

W

The complete Exposition Transit Corridor. Expo 2 will run from Culver City to Santa Monica. Image providedcourtesy of Expo; Copyright by Expo 2011. All Rights Reserved.

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Our Summer 2010 newsletter had an article explain-ing that Steve P. Rados, Inc., and its joint venture partner,Skanska, along with designer Parsons Brinckerhoff, wereone of two design/build teams selected to compete forthe completion of the Expo rail line from Culver City toSanta Monica.

From March of 2010 thru December of 2010, our teamworked diligently to advance the design of the Expo 2project and submit a bid to complete the design andbuild the project.Early this year, we were informed that our $541

million bid was accepted for the final design and construction of this major Los Angeles rail project. Thisproject is extremely important for the company, and isthe largest project in our 89-year history. Notice to Proceed was issued on May 13, 2011, and additionalinformation on the project appears elsewhere in thisnewsletter.Though we have been fortunate to be involved in

some very large projects, the everyday-type projectsremain in jeopardy due to the state of the economy and the general lack of funding stability for all types ofinfrastructure construction. In addition, the number ofbidders for these projects remains well above the normthat we saw prior to 2007/2008. And finally, due to thelack of projects and the increased number of bidders,the prices continue to be extremely competitive. This isthe status of the construction market in 2011, and probably into 2012.So what can we do to both survive and improve our

construction market?1. As a company, we are continuing to bid aggres-

sively on our core-type work. The market will eventuallyturn around and we must remain prepared to partici-pate. In addition, we continue to establish joint venturesto participate in the very large projects like the Expo 2.These large projects include regular bid/build,design/build, and various other delivery methods thatare being used by the various agencies. Also, we contin-ue to pursue all types of heavy construction, includingunderground, highway, rail, plants, etc., so that we arenot dependent on just one or two segments of the market. We continue to remain active with the AGC towork collectively toward a better construction market.2. As individual companies, employees, subcontrac-

tors, suppliers, agencies, etc., we must impress uponour elected officials that it is their responsibility to put inplace a steady funding method for all infrastructure. Asan example, currently we have no federal highway bill,the State of California’s highway program is dependenton what the Federal government does, putting their pro-jects at risk, and so goes the funding of infrastructureprojects. It is basically the trickle-down theory, whichdoes not work. This is unacceptable! Only when ourpoliticians understand what their constituents expectand that if they don’t produce they will be replaced,will they start to act responsibly and do their jobs.Again, we are very excited about our new Expo 2

project, and look forward to an improved constructionmarket, hopefully sooner rather than later.

FROM STEVE AND WALLY

Francisco Antonio Dybala(left), son of Josh Dybala andhis wife, Maria.

Amelia Perez(above), daugh-ter of Gerry andJennifer Perez.

Jordan Marie Colletti(above), and Roman KarterFiske, (below) grandchil-

dren of Claude Fiske.

SPR’s Baby boom!

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Full speed ahead on Expo 2 rail projectContinued fromfront page

which will add to our challenges.But they are nothing we can’thandle.“Skanska is the

managing partner,but we have a lotof our people onthe project, all theway up to the toplevels of the jointventure.”Securing the

Expo 2 involvedcompetitionagainst anotherdesign-build teamafter both had been select-ed last year to receive a $5million, 180-day contract todevelop a lump sum fixedprice for completing the railline. Five teams were initiallyinvolved in the procurementprocess. Skanska-Rados wasone of two to make the cut.This project will require

an intense and skillfully conducted effort to obtainthird-party approvals, and todesign and construct to atight schedule and budget.The corridor traverses threecities, and several distinct neighborhoods.By 2015, the entire 15.2

mile Expo Line will bring light rail to the Exposition Corri-dor, with 19 stations serving popular destinations likeUSC, Exposition Park, the Mid-City Communities, the Crenshaw District, Culver City,and West Los Angeles. Phase 1 of the line will travel fromDowntown Los Angeles to Culver City, and Phase 2 willextend the line to Santa Monica.By 2030, 64,000 passengers are expected to ride the

Expo Line each day—which would make it one of themost heavily used light rail lines in the country.The new Expo Line is leading the way in regional

efforts to shorten commutes and increase mobility. It will provide faster, more reliable public transportation

services andincrease thecapacity of thetransportation system in LosAngeles County.By giving thosewho live, workand play in theExposition Corri-dor an alternativeto driving, theExpo Line willcontribute toreduced levels ofair pollutants andgreenhouse gases,thereby improvingthe overall qualityof life.The Expo Line

will bring more transporta-tion options to Westsidecommunities traditionallyunderserved by public transit and who experiencesome of the worst trafficcongestion in the nation.Phase 1 of the Expo Line,between downtown LosAngeles and Culver City, is88% complete and expect-ed to partially open later thisyear. Pre-construction workand utility relocation onPhase 2 is expected to beginlater this year, with service toSanta Monica scheduled tostart in 2015.The Expo Line has been

designed with a central aesthetic theme: To weave amulti-modal transit parkway through an urban fabric tounite communities, integrate neighborhoods and createa source of civic pride. Designs for the Expo Line seam-lessly integrate light rail, bikeway facilities and pedestri-an linkages in a safe, balanced and cohesive setting.Through landscaping, canopy design and public art,

Expo Line stations are designed to provide an engagingenvironment with a sense of place. Designs were created with the Final Environmental Impact Report and community expectations in mind.

Train testing at Expo/La Brea station. Image provided courtesy ofExpo; Copyright by Expo 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Crews install artwork at the new Expo LIne 23rdStreet station. Image provided courtesy of Expo;Copyright by Expo 2011. All Rights Reserved.

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RADOS in the field

teve P.Rados,Inc. complet-ed theconstruc-

tion of the NorthCentral OutfallSewer Air Treat-ment Facility onFebruary 28,2011.The project

was built for theCity of Los Ange-les Departmentof Public Works-Bureau ofSanitation, and is located at6000 Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles. The project started in September 2008. This type of air treatment facility is a new technology

being constructed by the City of Los Angeles, and wasmandated to meet air quality standards in and aroundthe Culver City community. Foul air, contained within the sanitary sewer trunk line

to Hyperion, is intercepted and run through a series ofthree Bio-Trickling filters and four Activated CarbonUnits, thus purifying the odor in the air before it isexhausted into the atmosphere. The filter media for theBio-Trickling filters is a “Brillo pad”-type material whichsupports the growth of organisms, and was purchasedby SPR in Taiwan; those organisms, in turn, purify anyresidual odor in the air that is run through the plant.The SPR project manager (and estimator) for the

project was Frederic Doucedame. He was assisted fromtime to time by Gerry Perez, Chris Rowe, Gonzalo Ceja,and Ponch Vivanco. SPR would also like to acknowledge the support staff

from the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, whichincluded Harshad Shah, Rajni Patel, David Copp, GevorkMkrtchyan, Cyrous Gilani; and from ConAD, Chuck Gannon, and Ted Kidane.Also worthy of special note is KDC Systems of Los

Alamitos, whichwas a major sub-contractor on theproject responsi-ble for electricalwork and com-puter systems.Its excellent teamwas headed byAqil Husain andGreg Eso. A ribbon-

cutting ceremonywas presidedover by City Engineer Gary LeeMoore on March16, 2011.

Rados completes the NCOS-ATF for the City of Los Angeles

S

The three Bio-Trickling Filter units.

Laying the pipeline for the River Supply ConduitImprovement Lower Reach – Unit 4 Project for theLos Angeles Department of Water and Power. TheRiver Supply Conduit is a a major transmissionpipeline in LADWP’s water distribution system.

River Supply Conduit

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RADOS in the field

Steve P. Rados construction team members on the Alameda Siphon No. 4 project were recognized by theSan Francisco Public Utilities Water Commission’s Water System improvement Program (WSIP) for their safety contribution to WSIP’s more than one million safe working hours on projects since April 2009. Radosmembers included Project Manager Tony Ferencik (fifth from left), Project Sponsor Jim Pelletier (third fromright), Job Engineer Ed Bulaong (second from right) and Job Engineer Zac Arneson (far right).

Rados receives safety recognition

1st Street Viaduct Widening over Los Angeles RiverThe project’s improvements included widening theviaduct approximately 26 feet to the north inorder to make way for the Light Rail system andproviding two standard 12-foot through lanes with

a five-foot shoulder along the north side of theviaduct. The viaduct’s monumental supports on thenorth side were carefully removed, restored, andreinstalled to fulfill current seismic requirements.

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New hiresCHRISTINE BURTONPosition at Expo 2: Contract Manager.Industry experience: 12 years in the transportation and commercialconstruction industry.Previous employers: include Flatironand Turner.Education: BS Civil Engineering, CSUNorthridge.Personal notes: In the spirit of “pay it forward,” volunteers with her local food pantry and helps duringthe annual AIDS walk.

MICHAEL HALLPosition at Expo 2: Quality EngineerIndustry experience: Three yearswith an engineering firm working onplanning, capital improvement pro-gramming, and design management.Previous employer: McClure Engi-neeringEducation: BS Civil Engineering, IowaState University.Personal notes: Ran in 2010 Boston Marathon and winner of the “Give ‘em the Pickle” award for outstandingcustomer service at Iowa State bookstore.

STEVE CASSELMANPosition at Expo 2: Superintendent.Industry experience: More than 18years, with an emphasis on pavingwork. Spent the last two years asPaving Construction Manager at CampBastion, Afghanistan.Previous employers: FCI, Brutoco,and All American Asphalt.Personal notes: Pursuing a pilot’slicense, and also is a dedicated fisherman.

STEVE VILLAVASOPosition at Expo 2: Third-partyCoordinator.Industry experience: More than fouryears of project engineering experi-ence, with an emphasis on rail androadway transportation projects.Previous employer: URS.Education: BS Civil Engineering, Texas A & M.Personal notes: Founding board member and CFO ofCicLAvia; Board member of Los Angeles County BicycleCoalition.

SKANSKA-RADOS EXPO 2 PROJECT

Rados and partners bidding on big jobsteve P. Rados, Inc.,and its partners arein the hunt for several big jobs.They include:SR 91 Corridor

Improvement Project:This is a joint venture withFlatiron-Skanska-Rados on a$700 million design/ build.We are one of five pre-qualified bidders whomade the cut to submitproposals to the RiversideCounty TransportationCommission (RCTA).The project will widen

an existing 14-mile stretchon SR 91 and a six-mile

stretch along I-15 from theSR 241 toll road in YorbaLinda to Pierce Street in thecity of Riverside.The project will begin in

2012 and be completed in2016.San Gabriel Trench

Grade Separation: A jointventure with Skanska-Rados-Herzog for theAlameda Corridor EastConstruction Authority(ACE). The 2.2-mile San Gabriel

Trench grade separationproject will result in thelowering of a 1.4-mile section of Union Pacific

railroad track in a trenchthrough the City of SanGabriel, with bridges con-structed at Ramona Street,Mission Road, Del MarAvenue, and San GabrielBoulevard, allowing vehi-cles and pedestrians topass over the tracks. The rail line will return to

grade east of San GabrielBoulevard, which wouldneed to be raised less than2 feet due to track eleva-tion. The rail crossing atWalnut Grove Avenue willremain at-grade and mayrequire a shallow loweringof the roadway to match

the proposed railroadgrade. Construction shouldbe completed by the endof 2014.Crenshaw/LAX Transit

Corridor: An 8.5-mileMetro line that will connectthe Metro Green Line andthe Expo Line, currentlyunder construction, atCrenshaw and Expositionboulevards. Eght stationsand nine grade separationswill be constructed for this$1.4 billion design/buildproject.

SIn addition to the four new hires assigned to Skanska-Rados, there are two other new employees,

Eric Carlson and Jason Riedel. They will be profiled in the next newsletter.

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Annual safety meetingTHE SAFETY ZONE

A safety culture above all else

Stand by the company’slegacy of integrity, honesty, and fairness in a family environment

Loyalty shared as a mutual bond

A rewarding work environment through individual initiative,

hard work, and disciplineBe responsible partnerswhile building quality construction projectsRespect and encourage

the ideas and contributions of othersMaintain our reputation

for excellence

Our values

he annual compa-nywide meetingwas held April 30at the EmbassySuites Hotel inSanta Ana.

A full house benefitedfrom the informative pre-sentation made by RickChurch and Tyrell Kremer ofAon Insurance. Their topicwas the Job Safety Analysismethod and how it appliesin the field as a planningtool and for training andaccident avoidance. Break-out sessions before lunchprovided an opportunity to put into practice thenew knowledge. The various groups respondedenthusiastically.There were also two

very interesting presenta-tions about the new jointventure projects. Brian Fre-und and team provided anupdate about the Skanska-Rados Expo 2 project. Thisdesign/build job is gettinggeared up and will go fromCulver City to Santa Moni-ca. Terry Wenz gave anexcellent update of theSkanska-Rados 215 freewayproject. The job is pro-gressing well and is nowset to finish ahead ofschedule.The Root Cause Analysis

technique applied to theNear-Miss Incident policyhas proven to be very use-ful in keeping safety on thefront burners. It hasbecome an important toolfor avoiding serious acci-dents. Derek Rados andTony Ferencik both dis-cussed pertinent examples

of near-miss incidents andhow the Root Cause Analy-sis can come up withanswers to avoid repeatingpotentially serious situa-tions.John Metzger, superin-

tendent on the First Streetbridge project in down-town Los Angeles, wasannounced as SafetySupervisor of the Year for2010. That job has gonemore than 800 work days(as of this writing) withouta lost-time accident. Con-gratulations to John! The

photograph accompanyingthis story shows John withdowntown Los Angeles inthe background.The Alameda Siphon

No. 4 project in Sunol wasrecognized by the SanFrancisco Public UtilitiesCommission for being partof the Hetch Hetchy Pro-gram that has gone onemillion safe working hourswithout a major injury sinceApril 2009 (see page 5).Tony Ferencik and the pro-ject construction team havereached a safety milestone!

Safety Bingo is up andrunning. There have beenfour jackpot winners as ofthis writing, with the nextwinner anticipated verysoon. The Bingo game is keep-

ing everyone aware of safe-ty. Some of the winnershave thanked their fellowcrewmembers for payingattention to safety andavoiding any disqualifyinginjuries.

— Claude FiskeSafety Manager

T

John Metzger, Safety Supervisor of theYear for 2010.

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Meet Chris Roweroject Engineer ChrisRow has taken anunusual, circuitous,and endurancebuilding route toSteve P. Rados, Inc.

It includes working for theU.S. Forest Service and par-ticipation in one of theworld’s most brutal roadraces—the Western States100-Mile Endurance Run—which he completed in alittle over 23 hours

No hippiesWith that background,

it’s no surprise that Chris,42, is a first-rate safety representative on theAlameda Siphon 4 project,Job 284, in Sunol.Chris’s interest in forestry

began at Sierra College inRocklin.“I really didn’t have any

direction,” he says. “I hadworked for a constructioncompany and in a ware-house; when It came timeto transfer to a university Ithought I might want to doenvironmental impactreport (EIR) investigations,so I looked at schools thatoffered a program like this.“I really didn’t like the

rain and fog and hippieculture at Humboldt State;Cal Poly appealed to memore, so I ended up there.They had an environmentalmanagement concentra-tion. In the process ofcompleting my major(forestry and naturalresources) I really foundforestry and being outsideappealing.”That led to a temporary

job with the forest service.He left because there’s nota lot of work and it’s hardto make a living doing it.

“I spent a lot of my daysin places where peoplelike to vacation, out in thewoods. It was nice,” Chrissays.

Out of the forestHis first contact with the

company came through hisbrother, Curtis, a mechani-cal engineer working forFord Construction. “Ford had a pipeline

project near Santa Rosa thatrequired an environmentalcoordinator,” Chris says.“Steve P. Rados, Inc., wason a phase of this project.It was in an Audubonreserve. That's how I transitioned into heavy civil construction.”Chris worked for forestry

companies and Ford Construction (seven years)before joining us in May2008 as a safety rep on Job280, a pipeline job inSacramento. He works outof the Northern Californiaoffice in Sacramento.

To the altarChris lives in Auburn

with his bride, Jody; theymarried June 11, 2011.“She was the girl next door,separated by seven yearsof age,” he says. Our fami-lies were friendly. Wereconnected after runninginto each other at a bar inAuburn three years ago.”Chris has a home and a

rental property, which heenjoys remodeling. He’scompleted a few ultra-marathons, a couple of 50-kilometer (31 miles)races, a trail marathon (26.2 miles), three 50-mileraces, and a 72-mile runaround Lake Tahoe.

P

Chris Rowe finishing the Western States 100-MileEndurance Run in 2009.

Company Newsis published twice a year for the enjoyment of

our employees and customers.Steve P. Rados, Inc.

2002 E. McFadden Ave., Ste. 200Santa Ana, CA 92705

P.O Box 15128, Santa Ana, CA 92735(714) 835-4612

[email protected]

OFFICESSAN DIEGO

1638 Pioneer WayEl Cajon, CA 92020-1636

(619) 328-1360

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA9550 Elder Creek RoadSacramento, CA 95829

(916) 475-1654

R.E.C. EQUIPMENT CORP.13570 Benson Ave.Chino, CA 91710(909) 591-3931

[email protected]