sept. - dec. 2010 kokosing

Published on a bimonthly basis for the employees of Kokosing Construction Co., Inc.,Ahern/Kokosing, Inc., McGraw/Kokosing, Inc., and Wabash Steel LLC.

September - December2010

Hoot OwlHoot Owl

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Main Street Bridge Wins 2010 Build Ohio Award Against the backdrop of the Columbus skyline, resides

a bridge that stands alone as an engineering and construc-tion marvel. The Main Street Bridge is a three span in-clined arch bridge measuring 675 feet in total length with a 400 foot center span. This single rib tied arch makes it the fi rst of its kind in the United States and one of only fi ve in the world.

From the day Kokosing was awarded this unique proj-ect in 2006 right up to the day it opened, the Main Street Bridge generated challenge after challenge. The efforts of the Kokosing team throughout this process was recognized by the Associated General Contractors of Ohio as the win-ner of the Industrial/Heavy Build Ohio 2010 Award. A pan-el of retired construction professionals selected the Build Ohio Winners based on the following criteria: excellence in client service, meeting the challenge of a diffi cult job, excellence in project management, and innovations in con-struction techniques and materials. Project superintendent, Kevin Van Dyke, accepted the award with pride on behalf of Kokosing and all of the men and women who were in-volved in constructing this signature bridge for the City of Columbus.

The project’s challenges started with the demolition of the existing structure which closed in 2002 due to deteriora-tion. Conventional removal methods above the water and the use of explosives under water were completed during a winter that included unusual amounts of high water. The team also brought in divers in the middle of winter to re-move sheeting unknowingly left in place during the con-struction of the previous structure. With the old structure now gone, the crews began to build the new landmark.

The foundations were six foot diameter drill shafts.

The shafts were not that unusual, but the reinforcing in them was. They contained inner and outer cages that had to be installed at a specifi c orientation with only a ¼ inch tol-erance to allow the mats to pass through the verticals. Auto CAD and 3D modeling were used to fi nd an alignment that worked. Templates that served as lifting devices for the cages were used to get the bars to that exact alignment.

The massive piers were next to construct. They each contained 920 CY of mass concrete in a very unusual shape mandated by the architect. An elaborate forming system was designed to handle the complex shape that would sit on a temporary reinforced concrete slab that contained a variety of different angles. The jobsite team joined up with Larry Lukas and the Form Shop to make all the parts and pieces fi t together to generate the look desired.

(Continued on page 2)

Tom Graf, Kevin Van Dyke, and Dan Compston withthe Build Ohio Award

PDM Bridge supplied the structural steel for the project to span from pier to pier. These heavy plate girder sections were transported from Eau Claire, Wisconsin on 18 feet wide trailers, with the two halves being delivered separately and then spliced together on the piers to complete the twin ve-hicular box. One pick alone over the piers weighed 650,000 lbs. and required three cranes to lift them into place. Many talented operators and ironworkers teamed up to complete this erection safely and effi ciently.

Next for the ironworkers and operators was the setting of the arch itself. The two sections on the ends were spliced on the ground and erected as one piece each, resting on false work towers that rose 70 feet above the causeway. All of the splice plates were on the inside of the arch to give it a clean look. Therefore, when setting the keystone piece, the splice plates on one side were able to be bolted up, but the plates on the other end had to be slid into place from the inside of

the arch once it was in place. All

of this was completed inside a steel box 90 feet above the causeway on an 85 degree day under the watchful eye of a large crowd of onlookers and media. The news that night showed a keystone arch piece being set with precision and perfection.

The talented crews then went on to build the slab to sup-port traffi c and the swept pedestrian deck that helped defi ne the bridge. Again, the jobsite staff teamed up with the Form Shop to generate the means and methods to make it all work successfully.

Building this one-of-a-kind bridge for Kokosing was one of those challenges we love to tackle and gave us the op-portunity to grow in our ability as a company. It was truly a privilege as well as an opportunity to be able to work with so many talented people to construct this landmark bridge. We thank all the Kokosing employees, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the City of Columbus, the design fi rms, sub-contractors, and suppliers for their hard work and dedication on building this project.

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Main St. Bridge.....cont’d.

401K Investment Results ................ 3Bidding News ................................ 16Building H.O.P.E. Updates ............. 9Capt. Lee Barnhill Rings Bell ....... 15Cleveland Asphalt Group ................ 8Congratulations ............................. 15Food Drive 2010 ..........................6-7Graduates ...................................... 14Kokosing 60th Anniversary ............ 4Main St. Bridge Wins Award .......1-2New Arrivals ................................. 14New Employees .............................. 4OSHA Crane Training ..................... 5Retirees ........................................... 4Safety 24/7 .................................... 13Safety Department .......................... 5Sympathy ........................................ 3Thoughts and Prayers ...................... 3Walk, Run, Ride .............................. 9We Get Letters .............................. 12Wedding News .............................. 15Work in Progress ......................10-12

The Kokosing Group, Inc. is committed to EqualEmployment Opportunity. Kokosing will hire qualifi ed

employees without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or being a veteran, and treat them equally with respect to compensation

and opportunity for advancement, including upgrading, promotion and transfer.

Sept. - Dec. 2010CONTENTS

September - December 2010Hoot Owl

Troy AndersonJeffrey BraleyDavid BremerSteve CantrellKelly DanielsDennis ElyMichael GantnerTom GrafAdam HawkScott HeeterBryan HittleJerry HooverCatherine Jones

Jarred JonesGlenn KeatonJohn LaFever, Jr.Joshua LavyMark LumbatisSherry MagsanayJacqueline MahanTommie McDonaldDan McIntireMatt MichaelMichael NorthPhalla PhearBarry Phillips

Mark RauNathan ReberRick ShopeCharles SkaggsCody SmithKyle StalderDarcy ThomasJoshua ThorntonPhone UyKevin VanDykeEric WardAnna WileyCurtis Yost

Kokosing had many great people work on this project. Thank you for all your hard work and congratulations on your award! Below is a list of employees who worked over 500 hours on the Main Street Bridge project:

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Deepest sympathy to Tom Wynkoop on the passing of his mother, Sarah “Ethel” Wynkoop, on September 13, 2010. Tom is a lead project engineer. He has been with Kokosing since 1988.

Sympathy

Our hearts go out to Rodney Wilson on the passing of his father and Dave Bremer’s father-in-law, Tom Wilson, on September 19, 2010. Rodney is an operator for the Highway Division and has been with Kokosing since 2000. Dave is a carpenter foreman for the Highway Division and has been with Kokosing since 2000.

Sympathies to Braxton Baldridge whose mother, Darcy Lee Baldridge, passed away on October 28, 2010. Braxton is a helper on the lube truck crew in Columbus and has been with Kokosing since 2007.

Thoughts and Prayers

Condolences to John Rigo whose brother, Thomas G. Rigo, passed away on September 15, 2010. John is the vice president of engineering for the Heavy Industrial Division. He has been with Kokosing since 1984.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jesse Hammons as he has been diagnosed with a long-term illness. Jesse is a carpenter working at the Zanesville Water Treatment Facil-ity. He has been with Kokosing since 2007.

Deepest sympathy to Steve Malone on the passing of his mother, Margaret Malone, on November 5, 2010. Steve is the area manager for the Mansfi eld Asphalt Group and has been with Kokosing since 1996.

Sympathies to Matthew and Morgan Rinehart whose grandfather passed away on September 20, 2010. Matthew is a fi eld mechanic for the Highway Division and has been with Kokosing since 2000. Morgan is a mechanic in the Truck Shop. He has been with Kokosing since 2005.

Deepest sympathy to John W. Singrey on the passing of his mother-in-law, Ruth Ann Combs, on October 2, 2010. John is a mechanical coordinator who has been with Kokos-ing since 1970.

Condolences to Charlie Judy whose mother-in-law, El-eanor Kapcar, passed away on October 12, 2010. Charlie is a design engineer for the Heavy Industrial Division. He has been with Kokosing since 2001.

Deepest sympathy to Brandy Burkett on the passing of her father-in-law, Vernon J. Burkett, on October 18, 2010. Brandy is the worker’s compensation assistant in the Freder-icktown offi ce. She has been with Kokosing since 2008.

Our sympathies go out to George Shaw whose daughter, Amber Shaw, passed away on October 18, 2010. George is the vice president of estimating in the Asphalt Group. He has been with Kokosing since 1981.


Harold Cole, age 77, passed away on November 5, 2010. Harold started working at Kokosing in 1955 as a carpenter. He left Kokosing in 1976 to dedicate his life to farming. He was hard working, reliable, and

dedicated. He loved pulling horses and was a member of the Buckeye Horse Pullers Association.

Harold is survived by his wife of almost 55 years, Peggy, two daughters, two sons, and eleven grandchildren.

The above picture is Bill Burgett (left) and Harold (right) working on a project together in 1957.

Harold Cole

Our hearts go out to Dewey Moore on the passing of his wife, Lynda, on October 12, 2010. Dewey is a laborer at Middletown and has been with Kokosing since 2010.

401K Investment Results - 10/31/10

Pimco Total Return AAmerican Balanced FundDryden Stock Index ZWashington Mutual InvestorsAmerican Funds Growth FundBlack Rock FundFranklin Balance SheetEuropacifi c Growth

10.60%9.13%7.67%7.63%6.11%5.46%

10.61%6.86%

FUND YTD % RETURN

Our hearts go out to Rich Torrence and his wife, An-gie, on the passing of her grandmother on December 4, 2010. Rich is the senior superintendent for the Asphalt Milling Crews. He has been with Kokosing since 1996.

Sympathies to Cathy Baker whose mother, Louise Mohr, passed away on December 7, 2010. Cathy is a fi eld secretary for the Heavy Industrial Division and has been with Kokosing since 2006. Her husband is Steve Baker. Steve is a senior project engineer for the Heavy Industrial Division and has been with Kokosing since 1987.

4 September - December 2010Hoot Owl

Welcome New EmployeesKokosing welcomes Adam Prato

as a safety specialist, currently based at the Middletown Coke project. Adam has a Bachelors of Science degree in Safety Science from Indiana Univer-sity of Pennsylvania (IUP). He was a co-op with Goodyear Tire and Rubber

in Akron, OH and served his internship with ATI Alleghe-ny Ludlum in Brackenridge, PA. Adam currently lives in Miamisburg, OH, but was born and raised in Indiana, PA. Adam enjoys playing basketball, fi shing, working on cars, and watching football and hockey.

Kokosing welcomes Aaron Statler as an accountant at the Fredericktown of-fi ce. Aaron has an accounting and fi nance degree from Cedarville University. He previously worked as an accounting su-pervisor for National Church Residences in Upper Arlington. Aaron lives in Mount

Vernon, Ohio with his wife, Laura. They have been married for 8 ½ years and have two daughters, Sydney (5) and Mor-gan (2). Aaron enjoys golfi ng, biking, softball, other sports, and recreational activities. Aaron and his wife are also senior high youth leaders at Faith Baptist Church in Mount Vernon.

Congratulations RetireesJoe Bartish

Joe Bartish began employment with Kokosing in 2004. He began as a bridge laborer and ended as a bridge laborer foreman. Joe helped build several proj-ects including Grant and Fleet Avenue Bridge over IR 77, Fulton Road Bridge

over the Cleveland Zoo, two IR 71 Medina third lane projects, and the $92,000,000 IR 77 widening project in Cuyahoga County.

Joe will be greatly missed by all who worked with him. His work ethic, attention to detail, and positive attitude set him apart from the others in his fi eld.

Gary HouseGary House fi rst started working at

Kokosing around 1969. He worked for the company for two periods of time tak-ing breaks for military service and then farming. He started his third and fi nal time in 1984. He started as a laborer and

became a pipe foreman for the Utility Division. Gary was promoted to a mechanical superintendent about ten years ago. He worked on projects such as Hap Cremean, Marys-ville WTP, Delaware WTP, Nottingham WTP in Cleveland, Hamilton WTP, and California WTP in Cincinnati.

Gary has been married to his wife, Carol, for 33 years. They have two daughters, Brenn and Brittany. He enjoys fi sh-ing and hunting in his spare time.

Binh Van Nguyen joins Kokosing as a concrete estimator for the Heavy Industrial Division at the Westerville of-fi ce. Binh earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Construction Management from the University of Cincinnati. Binh did a co-op at Baker Concrete Construc-

tion and Danis Building Construction before joining Kokos-ing. He recently relocated to Westerville, Ohio from Mason, Ohio. Binh likes fi shing, watching and playing basketball, and working on small construction projects.

Trenton Bradshaw joins Kokosing as a quality control technician for the Heavy Highway Division at the Keyser McCoole Bridge project. He has earned concrete certifi cations and participated in training from WVDOH Aggregate. Trenton worked at Specialized Engi-

neering for fi ve years. He currently lives in Ridgeley, West Virginia with his two children, Kameron (4) and Gunnar (2). Trenton enjoys hunting, fi shing, playing in the mud, and rid-ing 4-wheelers.

Kokosing’s 60th AnniversaryThe Kokosing Group of companies will host a celebration

of 60 years in business on August 13, 2011. The celebration will be at the Fairfi eld County Fairgrounds in Lancaster, Ohio. The day long event will include fun and games for all ages, plenty to eat, and early evening entertainment that will be announced in the near future.

We look forward to our current employees, retirees, and

their immediate family joining in celebrating 60 wonderful years of building projects and lifelong friendships.

Please watch for more details in future newsletters and mailings.


OSHA Crane Standard Training

After eight years in the making, the new OSHA crane standard for the construction industry went into effect November 8, 2010. In the past, OSHA would write new standards by themselves and only asked the public to comment on the new laws. A newly formed negotiated rule committee made up of representatives from the unions, crane manufacturers, contractors, and OSHA wrote the new crane standard. This committee helped to make this new standard good for the industry. The focus of the new standard is to prevent electrocutions, crushed-by and/or struck-by hazards during assembly/disassembly, collapse and overturn, as well as other types of lethal injuries related to crane operations.

We must all work together to understand this new standard and get the needed training so we can operate according to the new regulations. The standard requires:

1. All persons who are going to signal cranes must be a qualifi ed signal person.

2. All persons who are going to work around cranes that could be rigging, dumping concrete buckets, hooking or unhooking a load or any other type of operations that occur around the hook of a crane, must be a qualifi ed rigger.

3. All crane operators must be certifi ed for the specifi c type of crane they are going to operate.

4. The assembly and disassembly of cranes must be managed by an assembly/disassembly director, as well as there are numerous other responsibilities for mechanics while doing maintenance on cranes.

5. All supervisors who have cranes, boom trucks or other equipment that fall under the standard, must understand the new crane standard so they can effectively manage their projects.

Each of us need to do our part to insure that the crane standard is implemented as intended so it can have the full benefi t of saving lives in the construction industry. If you need to get signal training, rigging training, get your CCO card, or study the standard so you understand the new requirements, do it now. Once you get your signal, rigging, or CCO card, send a copy of it to Kokosing Construction Company Inc. Attn: Safety Training P.O. Box 226, Fredericktown, Ohio 43019.

Meet the Safety DepartmentWho can you call when you want to know what OSHA

means when they use terms like competent person, qualifi ed person, and surface encumbrance? What is a TWA, PEL, or IDLH atmosphere? Who are ANSI, ASME, ACGIH, and NIOSH?

The Kokosing Safety Department is here to help you an-swer these questions. The Safety Department’s job is to help you safely build your projects by conducting on-site safety training, on-site safety audits, conducting employee respira-tor fi tting, performing employee noise and air borne hazard monitoring, assisting with fall protection plans, helping you with that diffi cult trenching or excavation operations, and an-swering questions, just to name a few. From the bottom of your excavation to the top of your building, tank, or bridge,

they are here to help you with safety planning, questions, and concerns.

The Kokosing Safety Department is committed to help as you continue the journey toward “Zero Incidents” and build our “24/7 Safety Culture.” Remember, “None of us is a smart as all of us.”

Joe Sellerslead safety specialist

Nick Balesproject safety

specialist

Adam Tenersafety specialist

Anthony Morressafety specialist

Middletown Coke team: Marshall Crum (safety specialist) Jerry Grunden (ironworker/safety specialist) Katrina Grimwood (superintendent/safety specialist)Tamia Frankenfi eld (new hire coordinator) Tom Bosworth (ironworker/safety specialist) Mickie Byrd (nurse)Matt McCarthy (safety manager) Adam Prato (safety specialist)

Ken Flemingproject executive/ safety specialist


2010 Kokosing Food DriveKokosing held it’s annual Food Drive and encouraged

job sites to collect as many items as possible and then choose a charitable organization that would receive their items. Ko-kosing matched $1.00 for every item collected to that same organization. The competition was based on average cans per person. The job site that collected the largest percentage of items based on the number of employees at the job site had

their dollar amount doubled to their chosen organization.Over 25,000 items were collected and a total of $28,541

for the pantries! For the second year in a row, KMI Plant 530 Columbia Station came in fi rst place!

Everyone did a great job collecting for their pantries. Thank you to all who participated and helped those in need.

KMI Mansfi eld TerminalMike Matheny, Jerry Estep, Lee Erhardt, and Tony Godaway.

Southerly WWTPMatt Keever, Steve Ehret, Doug Jackson, and Todd Schurig loaded up the food items to go to First English Lutheran Church.

Zanesville WTPZach Keller and Eric Fahner de-livered the food and check to Musk-ingam County Hunger Network.

Durocher MarineJoe Van Antwerp, Todd Merchant, Gary Yaklin, Stan Neff, Joanna Landon, Tra-vis Lake, Harold Cornhill (St. Thomas Food Pantry), Bill Wenger and David Hudson.

Mill CreekVic Turner and Kyle Kuhlman loaded items up for the Freestore Food Bank.

14504/14538 I-75/Rt 4Kirby Fontaine and Kevin Goth-berg presented their check to the AFL-CIO Laborer Food Pantry.

Cleveland Offi ceCollected for the Maple Heights Social Services Fund.

FTOAdam Flowers, Matt Wushinske, Crissy Rine, Diane Prosser, and Pam LaBlanc boxed up items for the Big Walnut Friends Who Share.

14892 Belmont I-70 - Presenting the check to Brian Taylor (blue shirt) of the Mid-Ohio Food Bank were Don Turner, Rodney Wilson, Hope Lutz, and Mike Carpenter.

KMI Columbia StationDavid Burnett and Bruni Burnett from the Co-lumbia Food Pantry with Ray Schloss and Chris Gift from KMI.


MorgantownJeremiah Johnson, Justin Arnold, and Marc Fiore are loading food to be delivered to the Bartlett House.

Keyser McCoolCollected for the Faith in Action food pantry.

WV Highway Offi ce John Roberts of the Mountain Mission re-

ceived the check from Juli Johnson and Eddie Layne. Nathan Richardson, Juli Johnson, Con-nie Oxley, Rick Lane, and Dustin Fisher loaded the food items to be delivered.

Columbus Offi ceJim Elchert delivered the check to Francis Carr at the Holy Family Soup Kitchen.

14572 I-77 CuyahogaBrad Mast presented their check to the West Side Catholic Center. Jeremiah Morrow Bridge

Ryan Cocco, Geoff Rinehart, Gary Obert, Krista Clemons, and Dan Schweiger.

Mansfi eld Offi cePam McNeil presented their check to the Harmony House.

Market Street BridgeCollected items for the Urban Mission.

Middletown Coke - Jennifer Hensley, Kristy Fields, Frank Phillippe, Terry Hendershot, Wille Hayes, and Ricky Gross are in the middle of the food they delivered to the Hope House Rescue Mission and are surrounded by the grateful mission’s workers.

Nelsonville Mark Bennon pre-sented their check at the Nelsonville Food Cupboard.

Wabash SteelMike Mattingly and John Rose delivered the food items and check to Rose Goodwin and Jack Sievers of the United Community Social Ministries.

Mid-Size, Electrical, Supply, and Form ShopTami Cox, Sue James (volunteer), Katie Phillips, Fran Walsh (volunteer), Rose Stauffer (volunteer), Chris Wise, and Patrick Nyhart at the Frederick-town Interchurch.


Northern Ohio Highway/Asphalt DivisionKokosing entered the Cleveland market in April of 2007

and the Highway/Asphalt Division continues to expand its presence and market place along the shores of Lake Erie. Kokosing Materials. Inc. set up a 300 tph Astec Double Barrel Asphalt Plant in the spring of 2010 on Olen Corporation’s limestone facility located in Woodville, Ohio. It stretched its market place that now covers 11 different counties, from Toledo to eastern Lake and Geauga counties covering over 135 miles. To further its commitment to the Cleveland and Cuyahoga market place, KMI will be adding a 600 tph Double Barrel Asphalt Plant with fi ve 300 ton storage silos to service both Kokosing and the growing private mix customers along the Cuyahoga River in 2011. KMI now operates a total of seven permanent plants in the Northern Ohio region: Woodville, Sheffi eld, Columbia Station, Medina, Cleveland, Garfi eld Heights, and East Clairdon. KMI has added fi ve

stationary asphalt plants to this market area in the last four years.

The asphalt estimat-ing staff bid over 145 projects. They have sub-mitted over 50 quotes on projects to other general contractors. The results were the construction of 46 projects and over $28 million of work under

contract, placing 531,000 tons of asphalt. However, the Northern Ohio asphalt market remains to be one of the most competitive areas due to a continued stagnant commercial market resulting in asphalt paving contractors, both large and small, entering the city, county, and small ODOT market. This ultimately has led to increased competition at the bid table. Double digit bidders at bid openings has been a common scene once again in 2010 and more than likely will continue in 2011.

The northeastern market of Kokosing’s Asphalt Division has made a signifi cant impact in this very competitive market place. It has the addition of KMI’s 300 tph Double Barrel Astec Plant upgrade, procuring over $6.8 million of work and placing over 76,000 tons of mix.

The quality work of its crews has been recognized by their cus-

tomers. A representative from District 12 recent-ly stated, “...since Ko-kosing has entered the Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake county markets in our district, Kokosing has raised the bar among the competition.”

Other signifi cant projects in 2010 include:

- Cleveland Hopkins Taxiway Q $1,601,032 24,000 tons- ODOT IR 271 Cuyahoga $5,915,558 65,000 tons- ODOT IR 90 Lorain $5,736,940 62,000 tons- ODOT SR 42 Medina $2,363,508 18,000 tons- ODOT SR 528 Geauga $2,106,255 25,000 tons- ODOT SR 306 Geauga $1,151,341 12,000 tons- Wilson Mills Rd. Geauga Cty. $1,026,948 15,000 tons- Ottawa County Salem Carroll/ $1,177,894 11,500 tons Genzman Road

~ The Northern Ohio Asphalt Division Team ~ Scott Rudolph Area Manager Frank Marzullo General Superintendent Dean Kimble Project Superintendent Rick Myers Project Superintendent Alan Snow Superintendent Darrell Gilles Paving Foreman Charlie Schloss Paving Foreman Joe Paul Paving Foreman Matt Culler Paving Foreman Neil Burgett Paving Foreman Steve Kinney Paving Foreman Pete Franks Foreman Christian Langer Foreman Pete Albanese Foreman Bobby Whitt Foreman

The engineering and estimating team headed by Vice President George Shaw and includes:

Les Karnes Senior Estimator Ray Lurtz Project Engineer/Estimator Trent Nissen Project Engineer/Estimator Tom Roland Project Engineer/Estimator Mike Watson Project Engineer/Estimator John Sheeler Project Engineer/Estimator Linda Miduri Offi ce Administrator Barbara Baldwin Receptionist/Secretary

IR-271 express lanes night project won both the National Asphalt

Paving Association Quality Award Submittal for Major Resurfacing

Project and the Flexible Pavement Quality Award

Geagua County Airport Paver Spread won the Flexible Pavements Quality

Award Submittal

Wilson Mills Road project won the Flexible Pavements Quality Award


Walk, Run, Ride Participates

Amy Volz (estimator) and her mom at the Mansfi eld/Richland CROP Hunger Walk On October 3, 2010. This walk benefi ts Church World Service which works to eradicate hunger and poverty locally and worldwide.

Patrick Nyhart (form shop manager), Drew Phillips (form shop CAD operator), and Brian King (form shop foreman) participated in the Buddy Walk on October 3, 2010. This yearly event helps raise funds for children with Down Syndrome.

Ed Englert (heavy shop equipment foreman) rode his bike in the Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Ride in New Albany, Ohio on October 9, 2010.

Jaki Gantz (fi eld secre-tary) and her daughter, Suzy, participated in Our Volley for the Cure on Oc-tober 5, 2010. This event raised money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Kokosing employees who participate in a charity event that benefi ts organizations that fi ght debilitating diseases can receive a $200 contribution to their organization. This contribution will be donated in your name to your charity. Twenty-two employees have already taken advantage of this great opportunity. Kokosing has donated $4,400 so far. Send your requests to:

Attn: Charity Sponsor Kokosing Group, Inc. P.O. Box 226 Fredericktown, OH 43019

Make sure to include your name, address, phone number, the Kokosing Group Company you work for, employee number, the event you want to participate in, date of the event, and what organization it benefi ts.

Please send in pictures from the day of your charity event to share on our website and/or Hoot Owl.

or send an email to: [email protected]

Building H.O.P.E. in Haiti UpdateThe Haiti project started construction just over nine months

ago. Haiti continues to have hurricanes, sickness, and political strife, but with all the country’s problems, this project has progressed well.

The roof was poured with over 100 workers helping. The ready mix supplier was not able to supply the concrete, so the Haitian workers mixed the concrete by hand, fi lled the buckets, and passed the buckets up and down the ladder to get the roof poured.

All the plumbing is roughed in. The stucco is completed in the classrooms and on the outside of the fi rst fl oor. The stucco work has begun on the inside of the fi rst fl oor and should be completed in two months. All the stairs are in and the electric worked is fi nished except for fi xtures. The building is really taking shape.

Greg Benson, from CSI in Haiti says, “Words cannot express our gratitude to all the Kokosing Group workers for what this project means to these girls and the Banks family. God bless to all who have had a part in this project.”

Meagan Tener (HR generalist), Adam Tener (safety specialist), Jared McCune (Olen project engineer), and Team Walkin Shews participated in the 2010 Walk to Defeat ALS in Dayton, Ohio. Meagan and Jared walked in memory of their mom, Debbie Shew. Team Walkin Shews raised a total of $16,825, making them the TOP fund raising team for the state of Ohio this year.


Jeff Hettinger is operat-ing the PC2000, Stacy Bates is operating the CAT D&T dozer, and Dan Palmer is driving the CAT 777F rock truck. They are excavating an undercut from an old clay mine on the US 33 Nelson-ville By-Pass project.

Charles Small and Corby Jarvis are working on the stair construction at the Southerly Wasterwater Treatment Plant S-76 project in Cleveland.

The 84” and 102” infl u-ent conduit pipe has been placed for the Mill Creek WWTP Contract 71 project in Cincinnati. Currently, the walls and elevated slabs of the three chambers are being formed.

At the Black Dia-mond project, Jarrell’s Branch Uniform Sec-tion Mat., Charles “Skeet” Cunningham has just completed the installation of Armor-form 4” USM for Patri-ot Coal Company near Van, West Virginia.

The Colony Bay High Wall Reclamation project in West Virginia consisted of 55,000 cy of rock to be drilled/shot and pushed over the high wall to create a 2:1 slope. The dozer op-erator is Dale “Running Gear” Bowling of Black Diamond.

Kokosing’s Mani-towoc 222 crane is setting the pier cap and pier 5 at the Key-ser McCoole Bridge project in McCoole, Maryland.

inWork Progress

Kokosing crews at Mar-ion’s Nucor Steel facility in Marion, OH performed heavy concrete and steel demoli-tion to make room for new concrete foundations. They also relocated and modifi ed several pieces of mechanical equipment. The project team worked continuous for ten days and nights with a steady crew of laborers, operators, iron workers, and carpenters, completing the project three hours ahead of the original completion deadline.

John Poling, Den-ver Untied, and Adam Pooch are installing a 36” ductile iron pipe at the Morgantown Wa-ter Treatment Facility in West Virginia


Nighttime paving crew on the Delaware SR 750 project: Mike Cunningham, Troy Hargis, Terry Flowers, Mike Morrison, Mike Wahl, JC Sharp, Don Mullins, Billy Whiteside, Mike Uhinck, Jason Pike, Sovann Sy, Chuck Howey, Kendall Miller, Vern Ackerman, Kevin Mosher, Bryan Thorne, and Rob VanGorder.

Phalla Phear, Joe Hammons, Josh O’Rourke, Anna Wiley, Mike Gantner, Phon Uy, and JJ LaFever are pour-ing base pavement on Main St. in downtown Columbus, OH for the Rich Street Bridge project.

One of the coffer river dams at the Pittsburgh Chemi-cal project in Pittsburgh, PA.

At the Cleveland Southerly Contract 28 project, Jerry Zeigler coordinated the setting of the three primary heat exchangers. There were multiple critical lifts planned before lifting the heaviest section of 60,000 lbs.

Josh Kramb is removing pavement at the IR-77 Cuyahoga project in Broadview Heights, OH.

Gene Wright, Lydon Boyer, Tony Clements, Chris Leggett, and Kenny Hicks are one of the carpenter crews at the I-75 project in Dayton, OH.

Jeff Binnie, Adam Tener, Devin Weller, and Jason Wears at the Pittsburgh Chemical project in Pittsburgh, PA.

Crew in action on the night work on the SR 750 project.

(Continued on page 12)


This aerial view of the Middletown Coke project shows the ovens, coke handling, FGD, heat recovery, and the steam turbine generator building. The project is progressing well.

Work in Progress... Cont’d.

Glen Riggenbach, Chris Mutchler, and Jay Overholt are picking up at the end of the day on the Hap Cremean project in Colum-bus, OH.

Carpenters Flynn Reynolds, Jason Willey, and Dustin Baker are forming walls at Raw Tank at the Zanesville Water Treatment Plant.

Work continues on the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge in Cincinnati, OH.

We Get LettersGreat job to Kyle Hughes and his prep crew and Rick Kessler and his paving crew on the Knights of Columbus parking lot.This letter is in recognition for all the work that

was done to pave our parking lot at the address above on June 18, 2010. It was obvious from the start, when the crews arrived for the preparation work, they knew the scope of the project and the amount of effort it was going to take for a successful job.

The same can be said for the paving. It was under-taken in a professional manner with no wasted effort. The material supply trucks were there when needed and work continued throughout the day to eventually complete the lot at the time promised.

The supervisors/foremen and the rest of the workforce were polite, considerate, and answered our questions in a professional manner. All in all, it was a pleasure to watch a quality job being handled by a quality workforce. The well known Kokosing name in the construction business was certainly well repre-sented that day at our Council’s location

Best regards:

Knights of ColumbusFather William J Spickerman Concil #671

Marion, Ohio

Thomas J. CehelnikGrand Knight, Council #671

Terry M. LavenderFinancial Secretary, Council #671

For the Ashland SR 42 workers~Thanks so much for the fantastic job you did!God Bless you all~King’s, T.R. 1353

Way to go John Bryant and his crew on the Richland SR 42 project!

Thank you so much for returning my purse to me. I greatly appreci-ate it. My car was broken into and my purse was stolen. I felt vio-lated and getting my purse back has given me a bit of peace of mind. It’s nice to know there are still honest people in this world. Thanks!Mary

Kerry Hart found Mary Tolcar’s purse on the side of the road on the IR 77 Cuyahoga project. Instead of ignoring it or throwing it out, he checked the contents and notifi ed Mary that her purse was found. She was very happy to get it back.


Safety 24/7 Refl ections and ResolutionsSince its inception, the journey to a culture of Safety

24/7 has generated many great conversations about safety throughout the Kokosing workforce. Below are just a few of the many weekly Safety 24/7 Conversations that have been written by employees telling their own stories of how Safety 24/7 has impacted not only their construction careers but their personal lives as well.

As we wrap up another construction year, we ask that you take some time to refl ect upon Safety 24/7 and how it has impacted your life, your coworkers’ lives and the lives of your friends and family. Let’s continue to work together to make Safety 24/7 our way of life and resolve to make 2011 the safest year yet!

“Though my experience and confi dence in my ability

had grown, I never forgot the phrase that, “riding a

motorcycle is the only game where you are never on offense

and always on defense.”~ Mark Littleton

“I’ve learned that any type of communication that can help improve production,

and most importantly, SAFETY, is very, very

relevant. Don’t ever assume that something is not

important enough to share.”~ John Shelton

“It’s a nice feeling knowing that safety

is always the number one priority.”

~ Brian Pearce

“In our MAP meeting, if it weren’t for an employee’s

willingness to share the most current CPR compression to

breath ratio (a week earlier), I would have only remembered

the old standard.”~ Chris Parr

“No matter the task, don’t forget to check

the little things. It could be the

difference in going home safe that day.”

~ Pat McGoon

“I had all my safety gear on covering all the

risks except the most obvious one of all, what

if something did go wrong!”

~ Ted Mohan

“...managing our safety begins

by consciously recognizing the

hazards in the fi eld.”~ Kenny Saunders

“You can be productive while you

are being safe.”~ Jason Wears

14

Congratulations to the following families on their new additions:

John and Melissa Bryant on the birth of their son. Brock Allen Bryant was born on September 12, 2010. He weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 18.5” long. John is a superintendent for the Asphalt Group in Mansfi eld. He has been with Kokosing since 2000.

Kevin and Blair Thomas on the birth of their daughter. Reese Emmerson Thomas was born on September 15, 2010. She weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19” long. Kevin is a shop mechanic and has been with Kokosing since 2007.

Adam McGomery and Ashley Williams on the birth of their son. Aden Keith Montgomery was born on September 15, 2010. He weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20” long. Adam is a laborer for the Asphalt Group out of Westerville. He has been with Kokosing since 2009.

Aden’s grandpa is Dave McGomery. Dave is a general superintendent for the Asphalt Group in Mansfi eld and has been with Kokosing since 1981.

Jason and Kelly Peck on the birth of their daughter. Cora Ann Peck was born on September 4, 2010. She weighed 5 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19.75” long. Jason is a surveyor for the Highway Division. He has been with Kokosing since 2003.

Bill and Katie Clifford on the birth of their son. Theodore Patrick Clifford was born on October 1, 2010. He weighed 8 lbs. and was 20.5” long. Bill is a survey manager in the Columbus offi ce. He has been with Kokosing since 1990.

Cora AnnPeck

Jason and Leigh Fischer on the birth of their son. Samuel Fischer was born on September 21, 2010. He weighed 8 lbs. 13 oz. Jason is a project engineer on the I-77 Cuyahoga and the Avon projects. He has been with Kokosing since 2006. Scott and Sarah Elliott on the birth

of their daughter. Brileigh Ann Elliott was born on October 6, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 20.75” long. Scott is a project superintendent for McGraw/Kokosing and has been with the company since 1999.

Brileigh AnnElliott

Reese EmmersonThomas

Matthew and Laura Overholt on the birth of their daughter. Sophia Laine Overholt was born on September 29, 2010. She weighed 11 lbs. 13 oz. and was 24” long. Matthew is an accountant in the Fredericktown offi ce. He has been with Kokosing since 2007.

SamuelFischer

Congratulations GraduatesHallie Barr graduated from Ohio Northern University and received her Doctorate of Pharmacy. She will be a clinical pharmacy resident at Akron Summa Hospital. Hallie is the daughter of Gary and Connie Barr. Gary is an equipment coordinator in the Works Department in Fredericktown. He has been with Kokosing since 2004.

Brittany House graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College. She majored in Interna-tional Studies and Spanish. Brittany will pursue her Masters Degree in Higher Edu-cation Administration at Kent State Uni-versity. She is the daughter of Gary and Carol House. Gary is a superintendent for the Heavy Industrial Division. He has been

with Kokosing since 1974.

Brittany HouseHallie Barr


Brock AllenBryant

Mark and Susan Isner on the birth of their son. Brady David Isner was born on November 4, 2010. He weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 21” long. Mark is an operator for the Highway Division. He has been with Kokosing since 2010.

Aden KeithMontgomery

Theodore PatrickClifford

Sophia LaineOverholt

Brady DavidIsner

15

Wedding News

Congratulations to Troy Anthony and Kacie Ann (Willey) Biggs who were married on August 28, 2010. The outdoor wedding took place at Country Gather-ings in Radnor, Ohio. The bride is the daughter of Eric and Vickie Willey. Eric is a project superintendent for the Heavy Industrial Division and is currently work-

ing at the Zanesville WTP. He has been with Kokosing since 1984.

Congratulations to Bryan and Jacqui Ziegler who were married on September 18, 2010 at Incarnation Church in Center-ville, Ohio. Bryan is an asbuilt engineer for the Heavy Industrial Division. He is currently at the Middletown Coke project and has been with Kokosing since 2006.

Congratulations to Robert Jason and Heather Ann (Knight) Willey who were married on Sep-tember 25, 2010 at Camp Mary Orton in Columbus, Ohio. Jason is a carpenter at the Zanesville WTP and has been with Kokosing since

1995. He is the son of Eric and Vickie Willey. Eric is a proj-ect superintendent for the Heavy Industrial Division and is currently working at the Zanesville WTP. He has been with Kokosing since 1984.


Congratulations!Congratulations to Terry Hendershot

for completing two marathons within two weeks! Terry ran the Columbus Marathon on October 17, 2010 in 3:51:26 (8:50 pace). He then ran the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31, 2010 in 4:09:00 (9:31 pace).

Way to go Terry!!

Congratulations to Geoff and Sarah (Friess) Rinehart who were married on June 19, 2010 in Medina, Ohio. Sarah is a grad student at MVNU. Geoff is a superintendent currently at the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge project. He has been with Kokosing since 2008. Geoff’s parents are Marsha Rinehart, executive vice presi-

dent and Dean Rinehart, fi eld equipment superintendent.

Congratulations to Dustin andMegan (Berelsman) Fisher who were married on November 13, 2010 at Trin-ity United Methodist Church in Delphos, Ohio. Dustin is a fi eld engineer for the Heavy Highway Division in West Vir-ginia. He has been with Kokosing since 2007.

Do you remember what happened on November 10, 1975? Most people in the marine industry do, it was the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The 729-foot steamer was lost in an infamous Lake Superior Storm near Whitefi sh Point, Michigan with her entire crew of 29 men. The event has been memorialized through the legendary Gordon Lightfoot song. The cause of her loss still remains a mystery thirty-fi ve years later.

Each year the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society hosts a ceremony to honor the crew that perished on that fateful day in November. Upon this thirty-fi fth anniversary, the annual ceremony drew record crowds. Among them was our own Tug Captain, Lee Barnhill. The Director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, Tom Farnquist, called and invited Lee to ring the Edmund Fitzgerald’s bell. It is tradition to ring the bell 29 times in honor of the Fitzgerald’s

crew and once more for all sailors that have been lost over the years. Captain Barnhill rang the bell to honor Thomas D. Borgeson from Duluth, Minnesota who worked in the maintenance department aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Captain Lee Barnhill has over 20 years of experience working on the Great Lakes and is currently the President of the Local Shipmasters. Lee has worked for Durocher/Kokosing since 1999.

Captain Lee Barnhill Rings Bell

Captain Lee and his girlfriend, Deb, with the Edmund Fritzgerald’s bell.

16

P.O. Box 226 • Fredericktown, Ohio 43019-0226

ODOT 0514(10), Richland/Ashland US 30/42: Kokosing @ $6,230,556.97 Shelly & Sands - 2nd @ $7,231,192.31WVDOH Call 001 Kanawha Cty. IR 64 Bridge Repair: Kokosing @ $9,539,134.04 Brayman Construction Corp. - 2nd @ $10,610,579.90Wood County Port Authority, Libery Hi, SR 18 Relign.: Kokosing @ $5,21,409.48 Miller Brothers - 2nd @ $5,431,178.002010 Street Improvements, Asphalt Paving SCIP, City of Newark, Ohio: Kokosing @ $658,829.00 Shelly - 2nd @ $663,007.00Call 130 INDOT, Gibson Cty., IR 69, Corridor Part B Bridge: Kokosing @ $35,124,184.00 Hall Contracting of Kentucky, Inc. - 2nd @ $38,425,000.00Call 001 Putnam/Mason Cty., USR 35 Design Build: Kokosing Kiewit LLC Joint Venture @ $187,228,000.00 Trumbull Corp. - 2nd @ $187,292,000.00ODOT 8058(10), Geauga SR 528: Kokosing @ $2,106,255.40 Ronyak - 2nd @ $2,248,448.15

Successful Bids

Bid ScheduleJanuary1/12 - CHIA Consolidated Maintenance Facility PH 3A, Oil Water Separtator & Wash Pit1/13 - ODOT 0009(11), Holmes SR 241, 2-Lane Resurfacing - ODOT 0010(11), Homles SR Preventative Main. - ODOT 0013(11), Knox, Heart of Ohio Trail - ODOT 0014(11), Marion SR 37, 2-Lane Resurfacing - ODOT 0023(11), Wayne SR 539, 2-Lane Resurfacing - ODOT 0024(11), Wood SR 64, 2-Lane Resurfacing - ODOT 0031(11), Geauga SR 528/608, 2-Lane Resurfacing1/19 - Commonwealth Drive Water Booser Pump StationMarch3/3 - ODOT IR 71/IR 670 Interchange D/B

ODOT 0553(10). Madison SR 42: Kokosing @ $1,814,783.08 Shelly Company - 2nd @ $1,848,800.00ODOT 0497(10), Noble WAS, SR-821-3.76;WAS-7-20.30: Kokosing @ $4,789,865.00 (Low and only bidder)Detroit Ave. Resurface, City ot Toledo Kokosing @ $1,585,459.50 Shelly Company - 2nd @ $1,739,822.45

**Print more copies of this issue or past issues. Visit Kokosing’s website at: www.kokosing.biz**

Fredericktown, OH .........(740) 694-6315Columbus, OH ....................(614) 228-1029Westerville, OH .................(614) 212-5700Cheboygan, MI ..................(231) 627-5633

West Virginia (Ahern) ......(304) 766-8062McGraw/Kokosing, Inc. ...(513) 422-4521Wabash Steel LLC .............(812) 882-4550

sept. - dec. 2010 kokosing

Documents

heavy industrial division

sophia laine overholt

brock allen bryant

brady david isner

brileigh ann elliott

cora ann peck

reese emmerson thomas

heavy highway division