a CIANBRO company OCTOBER 2012 NEWSLETTER
BEST of the BEST By Brian Walker
On May 18, 2012, the Houston Business Roundtable presented Starcon with the prestigious “Best of the Best” award at the 25th Annual Safety Excellence Award Banquet in Galveston, Texas. Starcon was nominated by LyondellBasell due to outstanding safety performance at the Channelview, Texas site. This is not the first time Starcon has received an award at the HBR banquet. Over the last two years, Starcon has received a gold medal, but this was the first time the site received “Best of the Best” honors. The award was received by Site Manager Brian Walker, Safety Supervisor Anthony Falcon, and General Foreman Chris Padilla. The HBR Safety Excellence Award process is a six month long effort and involves hundreds of volunteers and participants. It begins with a request for nominations, and is unique in that contractors must be nominated by their clients, the users of their services. There are no self-nominations. Contractor work sites are nominated where the client had verifiable safety performance data for the past calendar year. Nominated contractors are put into award categories based on the type of work they do and in some cases by company size based on total U.S. work hours reported for the previous year. This makes for a fairer evaluation and allows more companies to be recognized. Each nominee submits their OSHA
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L to R: Chris Padilla, Anthony Falcon, Brian Walker required safety data regarding fatalities, lost workday cases, recordable injuries and illnesses, copies of their safety policies and procedures and documentation of their “best practices.” The initial evaluation is based on total U.S. data and the information submitted is evaluated and scored by a group of owner representatives and mentors to determine which contractors will be further evaluated in the field. Typically, three or four contractors in each of seven categories are identified for field auditing. Safety audits are conducted by teams of owner and contractor representatives at the contractor’s work site. Site management and field employees are interviewed to verify that the written safety policies and procedures have been implemented at the work site. This provides an opportunity for team members to see what others are doing to improve safety performance and to take good ideas back to their respective companies and work sites. The audit team leaders, with assistance from the mentors and team members, compile the audit scores and determine the level of achievement
for each contractor while identifying the Best in each Category. A unique feature of this award process is the requirement that the “Best in Category” contractors come to a “Best Practices” seminar and present their best practices that led to their excellent achievement. All other companies are encouraged to take these ideas back to their own companies to improve their own performance. Through the sharing of best practices, the entire industry improves its safety performance. There is an attitude that is prevalent among the owners and contractors that outstanding safety is not proprietary and must be shared with others. Many of the volunteers that participate in the award program are safety professionals with many years of experience and many have been involved in the HBR Safety Excellence Award process for several years. This is a win-win process for everyone involved.
THE SITE AUDITS CONSIST OF: • Review of Site Safety Programs • Emphasis on Employee Interviews • More than 100 Specific Safety Items Evaluated and Rated The Channelview site would like to thank the following team members for their help and support during the audit process: Mark Bortka, Craig Rion, Michael Caughey, Ta’Mara Foster, Mark Bay, Rachel Allen and Stephanie Nappier (LyondellBasell) STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
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SAFETY
Our commitment to a “Beyond Zero” culture remains our top area of focus at Starcon. Year-to-date, we have accumulated more than two million work-hours without any lost time injuries. Our recordable injury rate is at .53 through August. In August of this year, we held a “Safety Summit” for all of our Executive Management team in LaPorte, Texas to work on two key areas of improvement. We are modifying our Frontline Leadership Training Program to include all turnaround and project supervision across all jobsites. Brett Richardson, our HSE Director, is heading up an effort to streamline our BBS process that will include five to six target areas to observe and provide real time feedback to our turnarounds and project sites. In addition, we will continue to train our team members on hazard recognition and risk exposure identification and intervention. Keeping our team members safe remains our number one value. Earlier this year, we hired Brett Richardson as our HSE director. Brett brings 20-plus years of maintenance, turnaround and project safety management experience to Starcon, and we are exDale Kuntz cited to have Brett on the team. He has energized the organization and is working very closely with all of our regional areas to drive HSE improvements. In addition, there have been other changes made to the HSE organization as follows: Dave Blastick, Northern Regional HSE Manager; Robert Guajardo, Southern Regional HSE Manager; Mark Bay, Compliance HSE Manager; Chuck Hester, Safety Systems Manager; and Rachel Allen, ISNET World Systems Coordinator.
FINANCIAL
Starcon’s financial performance has been good during the first two quarters of the year. We continue to work on building the company’s infrastructure to allow us to expand our business across the growing energy market. Special emphasis is being placed on cost management and building stronger project controls. Our Operations and Financial teams are working closely on these initiatives to complete them before the end of 2012. The outlook for 2013 looks very promising to continue to expand and further build our business. PAGE 2
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE OPERATIONS
All turnarounds that we have performed on the West Coast, Gulf Coast and Midwest have gone extremely well. We have received excellent feedback from our customers on our safety performance, quality performance, productivity, cost, and schedule associated with these turnarounds. The North Region and Tri-State Maintenance work continues to grow as we add new team members and take on additional work. We continue to look for opportunities to expand our market in the Chicago, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia areas. The North Region just recently signed an Alliance Agreement with Dubak Electric to provide I & E services to our customers at selected locations in the Midwest and Tri-State Areas. Clint Hattaway was hired as an I & E Project Manager to work with Dubak Electric on developing business strategies and execution associated with I & E work in selected areas. The South Region just recently completed a successful turnaround with BP on the North Slope of Alaska. Turnaround performances at Valero Memphis, Citgo Lemont, Holly Frontier Kansas and Marathon Robinson have been very successful. In July of 2012, Starcon hired Jim Soukup as the Vice President of the South Region. Jim brings 25plus years of experience with Jacobs Field Services Group serving, as in the past, as Director of Construction, Maintenance, U.S. Operations, and Global Turnarounds. The West Region had an outstanding turnaround at Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery in the Bay Area, and continues to perform small capital work at Shell Martinez and Valero Benicia. We are now preparing to perform a critical turnaround with Shell Martinez. Starcon is also involved with some major capital expansion work with Gallo on the West Coast. We continue to look for opportunities to diversify our work into secondary markets such as food, beverage, power, and upstream oil and gas. This continues to align well with our Strategic Plan. In 2013 Starcon and the Cianbro companies are targeting and will perform work together on some capital projects where both companies will provide management and resources. We are targeting projects related to the energy market where existing relationships already exist with many of our customers, including the engineering companies.
SUPPORT
The HR team has focused much of their attention on upgrading the craft recruiting across the company. Major changes have been made to the North Region and South Region with our HR management team. Hector Lopez has concentrated his efforts in the South Region over the past quarter. Veronica Hernandez leads the South Region, Tom Wanamaker leads the North Region, Misha Kennedy leads the West Region and Kraig Kistinger continues to lead the HR Corporate benefit / program area. We have increased our advertising through billboards in the South Region, North Region and the Tri-State areas to let people know that we are open for business and hiring. We conSTARCON / OCTOBER 2012
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PROJECT UPDATE: tinue to build upon our data base of team members to support the planned growth in our company. Our Accounting and Finance departments have also made some organizational changes with Joanne Choate being named as Vice President of Finance. Joanne is building a strong Accounting/Finance/Risk and Cost team. We continue to implement new modules from the CMiC system to improve our ability to manage our costs more effectively. We plan to implement the CMiC Sub Contract and Purchase Order modules this fall. The Business Development department continues to focus on increasing our current National Accounts with existing and new customers. All Business Development Managers are focused on finding opportunities to diversify our line of business into other areas such as Upstream Oil and Gas, Food, Power and PetroChemical. The QA/QC department has been very busy supporting the regions in all QA/QC activities for our nested sites and turnaround/project work. We have qualified new welding procedures for BP Alaska work which will provide future opportunities in Alaska. Tom Peterson, Vice President of QA/QC, has also rolled out a new QA/QC compliance process for all QA/QC and Operations personnel to improve the consistent application of our QA/QC procedures. Mark Bortka will move into the role of Vice President of Estimating, Logistics and Scaffolding. In this role Mark will look to further enhance and provide a consistent approach to the estimating process across the company. He will work with the various regional business units to streamline processes associated with tools, equipment and scaffolding. In addition, Mark will work closely with the Cianbro Equipment group to implement a new Tool Watch system for Starcon. In closing, we have made many enhancements to the infrastructure and organizational structure of the company. These are exciting times, and the future opportunities in construction, maintenance and turnarounds in the energy markets look very promising over the next several years. I am very encouraged by the progress we have made over the past year to build a stronger company and position ourselves for future growth, working together with the Cianbro Companies. I appreciate the continued focus on our safety performance, ensuring that our team works safe at the jobsite and at home, bringing value to our customers each and every day, and building a financially sound company to provide opportunities for all of our team members.
BP Prudhoe Bay, Alaska By Mark Bortka and Michael Golla Starcon started pre-turnaround activities at BP’s gas processing plant in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in March. The pre-activities included pre-fabrication of pipe and the installation of mono rails to remove valves where cranes could not be used. The actual turnaround started in August and required more than 200 team members. Over 3,000 workers from various contractors helped to complete the turnaround for BP. BP’s upstream business unit met with Starcon last year, and completed a favorable audit on our processes before choosing Starcon for the project. BP chose Starcon due to the company’s rigging and heavy wall welding capability, as the owner needed to change out welded valves that are 16 to 24 inches in diameter. Some of the valves weigh over 12,000 pounds, and have been in service for more than 20 years. The plant has extra thick heavy piping (up to 3 inches thick), and Starcon provided rigging, boilermaking, welding, etc. After more than 30 years of production, Prudhoe Bay remains the largest oil field in North America and ranks among the 20 largest fields ever discovered. The North Slope still has a large amount of undiscovered oil and gas. The area includes the Prudhoe Bay field and plant, and five satellite fields. BP is the operator of the plant and fields, and they own 26% of the area. ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil each own 36% of the area. BP operates six plants or separation facilities (three gathering centers, three flow stations) at Prudhoe Bay. They separate natural gas and water from crude oil extracted from production wells. The natural gas liquids and the processed oil are then sent to the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. The main plant is located in a remote, desert-like area, and has its own dedicated airport and “man-camp” for workers. The oil-processing facility can produce more than 77,000 barrels of oil per day.
Dale
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STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
a CIANBRO company
WELCOME
Starcon Welcomes New Team Members Christopher Cochrane
Danny West
Oziel Gonzalez
Finance Professional August 6, 2012
Regional Ops Manager, Tri-State July 9, 2012
Alex Reyes
Dave Blastick
Reggie Rome
Becky Gwinn
Halie Speaks
Rich Predl
Brett Richardson
Hector Lopez
Robert Hathaway
Chris Whitney
Jill Dryfhout
Sharla DeRosa
Christine Vandiver
Jim Soukup
Shiela Willis
Clint Hattaway, Sr.
Miguel Flores
Valtina Brown
Craft Recruiter April 13, 2012
HR Assistant June 4, 2102
Director, HSE April 12, 2012
Area Recruiter February 28, 2012
Timekeeper June 4, 2012
Project Manager I&E April 17, 2012
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North Region Safety Manager March 5, 2012
HR Assistant April 2, 2012
Director Recruitment & Retention February 6, 2012
Accounts Receivable May 21, 2012
South Region Vice President July 2, 2012
HRIS Analyst February 13, 2012
Project Manager August 6, 2012
South Region Craft Recruiter December 5, 2011
System Coordinator July 16, 2012
Project Manager, Projects January 30, 2012
Benefits Administrator January 13, 2012
HR Assistant June 18, 2012
Training Assistant March 6, 2012
STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
a CIANBRO company
Dubak – Starcon Strategic Alliance Agreement In June, Starcon entered into an alliance agreement with Dubak Electrical Maintenance Corporation, a national electrical contractor based in the Chicago area. The goal of the two companies is to seek business opportunities that complement each other’s core competencies. Specifically, Starcon and Dubak will work together to serve the growing list of customers who desire a single source, turnkey solution for mechanical and electrical / instrumentation needs.
Initially, Starcon has been introducing Dubak services to selected Starcon maintenance sites in the North Region. Based on initial experiences and success, the offering will be expanded to other areas of the country, eventually on a national basis. Dubak can also introduce some of their customers to Starcon. Starcon will subcontract Dubak services, and the combined offering will be competitive with customer alternatives. The value proposition represents an expanded service offering which delivers single source mechanical and electrical capabilities seamlessly and with high performance. Clint Hattaway, Starcon’s new Senior Project Manager for I&E Services, coordinates efforts between Starcon and Dubak. Founded in 1988, Dubak is a familyowned and operated company with an PAGE 5
Initially, Starcon has been introducing Dubak services to selected Starcon maintenance sites in the North Region. Based on initial experiences and success, the offering will be expanded to other areas of the country excellent record of success for industrial maintenance and construction. Their primary markets have been food and beverage, industrial gases, and chemical manufacturing. Dubak’s website lists all of their capabilities, with Power, Controls, Lighting, and Contract Maintenance as their most common services. More than 70 percent of their business is
from repeat customers. The company’s website can be found at www.dubakelectrical.com. Dubak and Starcon have similar visions and values, with a high commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement, especially by using unique, process-driven approaches to meeting customer needs. STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
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“GRAPE” Opportunities in the Western Region By Patricia Knutson with Rob Lozano and John Ziarnick Starcon’s Western Region Office has successfully diversified its business by pursuing lucrative opportunities in California’s thriving wine industry. Located just a few miles from the famous Napa Valley, the Fairfield office is ideally situated to serve the many wineries and processors in California. Business Development Manager Al Kimmel, Vice President Joe Zanassi and the Capital Projects Team worked diligently to develop relationships with industry leaders to present Starcon as more than a petrochemical contractor. A door opened in 2010 when the team was awarded a project at Charles Krug Winery in Napa, California. The project consisted of general mechanical services including the installation of over 2,200 feet of stainless steel pipe and more than 1,100 welds. The job came in ahead of schedule and under budget. Starcon had begun to establish itself as a winery contractor. Larger opportunities opened up in 2011, and the Region was awarded its first major project at E&J Gallo Winery in Livingston, California. The project involved the installation of two trial fermenting units discharging into a common rolling press. One of the units was equipped with a slide gate to disburse the “must” (juices, skins and stems) into the press, and the other was equipped with a mixer. After PAGE 6
the 2011 crush, the best application would be chosen for new installations and a major expansion in 2012. The chute system was designed by Gallo and Starcon in collaboration with the fabricator, P&L Specialties. A chute of this size and complexity has never previously been installed in a winery.
In 2012, Starcon was awarded part of the major expansion in Livingston, as well as work at E&J Gallo’s Brandy and Spirits Plant in Modesto, California. During the summer of 2012 alone, more than ten projects were underway or have been completed between the two Gallo
facilities. Additionally, two more projects are underway at the Charles Krug winery in Napa. Two highlights at the Gallo site in Livingston were the West Side Upgrade and the Cellar Tank Appurtenances which covered four sub areas: the Crush Tanks, the Boiler Feed, the Crush Pit area and the new Heater and Chiller area. Each area involved the installation of new piping, new equipment, new structural rack, two new heater exchangers and two new chiller exchangers. The Cellar Tank Appurtenances covered the installation of associated piping and trim to 52 new wine tanks. The successful completion of these capital projects at the E&J Gallo Livingston site was the result of a safe, productive and quality team managed by Rob Lozano and led by Elias Cota. Elias and his team performed multiple projects and exceeded client expectations. At Gallo’s Modesto site, the team’s inaugural job consisted of installation of tanks and the associated piping to accommodate new transfer lines. The team completed the project ahead of schedule and under budget. The success on this project was a major factor in being awarded more contracts at the plant including the Spirits Plant Expansion. Four projects were completed for the expansion: A new reclamation system, installation of platforms between the tanks, truck unloading and loading stations and installation of a reverse osSTARCON / OCTOBER 2012
a CIANBRO company
Going Beyond Zero at E&J Gallo Livingston By Rob Lozano
mosis system. The civil team put down over 60 yards of concrete while Starcon piping crews installed over 5,000 linear feet of pipe and completed more than 1,300 welds. The client reported that they are not only pleased with Starcon’s safety and performance, but with our attitude as well. Congratulations to John Ziarnick and his team led by Vernon Heaton with the assistance of Aaron Swol for ensuring client satisfaction. Work continued through the summer of 2012 at the Charles Krug winery where the team completed civil work for a new press drainage system and supports. Under the direction of Civil Supervisor Robert Brooks, this project was performed safely, and came in on time and under budget. Work continued on the Glycol Expansion Phase I with the removal of an existing ammonia system and replacement with a new glycol system. Working under the direction of Mike Scott, the team installed over 1,800 linear feet of pipe to 16 tanks and completed 500 welds. The project ran under budget and on schedule for completion in August 2012. Work at most of the wineries and processors concluded for the year in PAGE 7
September. Harvest time, known as “the crush,” happens any time between August and October. Starcon teams are working up to the deadline to ensure the equipment is ready for Vintage 2012. We raise a glass in honor of Starcon’s safety and performance in the wine industry.
On May 14-18, OSHA visited the Gallo Livingston site for its VPP renewal in which Gallo was successful. “Starcon is a great example for all the contractors to learn from with how to work safely,” said Gallo Project Coordinator Paul Galas. Project Supervisor Elias Cota added, “Safety continues to be the top priority with all of the team members here. Our success in the VPP audit and having no safety incidents were due to the support we received from Donovan Seeber, our safety manager. We couldn’t have been successful without his mentoring and giving us the tools we needed to ensure a safe work environment. I would also like to add that the engagement by our team members in our safety tail gate meetings reflected our Beyond Zero goal.” As we continue to diversify and build a quality team, the importance of establishing a mindset of going Beyond Zero will be the key to our success. The E&J Gallo project at Livingston is an example and a result of how going Beyond Zero can be a road map to enhance the performance of the project and its team members. According to industry analysts, about one in four bottles of wine sold in the United States is a product of the E&J Gallo Winery.
STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
a CIANBRO company
YEARS OF SERVICE
Starcon believes that team members are the cornerstone of our great company. Starcon would like to thank and recognize team members who have reached Years of Service milestones of 5,10,15, 20 and 25 years in 2012.
5 YEARS Joseph Cannino Albert Shively Arnoldo Contreras Ryan Glynn Roberto Alejandre Jose Lopez James Fyfe Victor Perez Bruce Cardani Herman Lovell David Thayer Ezra Adkins Edwin Baron Cody McComb Jeremy Williams David Watts Thomas Shaver Jiovany Iraheta Greg Sheets Michael Erbland Arnold Jordan Terry Bagshaw Luis G. Lozano Ronald Strednicky Jonathan Page Nicholas Bohn
Mark Dillow Bruce Kerr Raegan Spitler James Spillman Tommy Lykins Rhonda Bouchard Joshua Shaffer John Wright Rhonda Ferguson David Head Scot Ross Charles Whitt Jeffrey Payne Ricky Deweese Richard Jones Arthur Bonebrake Jeffrey Biddle John Phares Charley DeLatte William Gaul Jason Obereiner Edgar Bentley David Jones Billy Kitchen William Harl Jerry McComas Kevin Ward Howard Reynolds
Redmond Edwards Charles Clendenin Jeremy Brewer Ronald Blackburn William Crawford Brian Lanham Rogelio Guadalajara Michael Whitehead Anthony Dowding Arvis Benoit Jonathan McCallister Michael Caughey Kyle Gallion Joshua Stamm Sam Cashio Josiah Thacker James Moore Brady Stalbaum Nathan Dulny Bradley Kaiser Piotr Badzioch Paul Mahaffey Dustin Hall Chad Smith Edward Case Danny Hicks
10 YEARS John Jessen Jose Zapata John Colvin Robert Cardona Joe Kazda Scott Hoffman Whitfield Arnold Lisa Baylor David Blastick Robert Ziemann Kelly Sexton Abel Lara
15 YEARS Ruben Casillas
20 YEARS James Zimmerman Bentley Hatteberg Thomas Tatro
25 YEARS Marvin Tryner Kathryn Courtright Brady Stalbaum
ExxonMobil Joliet Achieves Seven Years Without a Recordable Injury In March, Starcon’s team at ExxonMobil Joliet received a gold award at the contractor’s safety award celebration for their injury free performance in 2011. This site has gone seven years without a recordable injury. This is an outstanding performance and the leadership at the site is truly leading with safety. “I was proud to attend this event in support of the team at Joliet” said Starcon President and COO Dale Kuntz. Dale, along with North Region Operations Vice President Reggie Williams, gave special thanks to the leadership at the site and all of the team members PAGE 8
who have achieved such a stellar milestone. Former Site Manager Ben Thayer,
current Site Manager Aaron Ceglaric, Site Safety Manager Mark Lydick, and Mike Whitehead with planning support all demonstrate their commitment to beyond zero each day. Rick Szalack, the plant manager at the Joliet Refinery, spoke about how much ExxonMobil is dependent on the contractor work force to support their business. He spoke about the process they use when a new contractor employee comes into the plant, to ensure the new team member understands the culture on day one. Hats off to the ExxonMobil Joliet team! STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
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ABC Merit Safety Award By Brett Richardson
Houston Roundtable Tailgating By Mark Bay During Starcon’s bid for glory in the Houston Business Roundtable (HBR) award for Safety Excellence, the Houston Area Contractor Safety Council (HACSC) pulled out all of the stops. As the Contractor audits began, the HBR/HACSC hosted a “Tailgate” style event for all of the award finalists to showcase their talent and show some friendly team building within the industry. Starcon fit right in as a finalist for the Best in Category, General Contractor Medium, nominated by LyondellBasell in Channelview, Texas. This team reached 39,120 work hours last year with no OSHA recordable injuries, and received numerous awards from the owner, including Contractor of the Year. The tailgating extravaganza showing Starcon’s support was attended by
In February, Starcon’s President and COO Dale Kuntz accepted the 2011 National Safety Merit Award during the Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction (EIC) Awards Banquet in Phoenix, Arizona. This prestigious award recognizes Starcon for the company’s continued commitment to exemplary safety perfor“Safety is a core mance on the value at Starcon job in 2011. The Merit and we remain Award is the committed to second-highbuilding a Beyond est safety honor in the merit Zero safety shop construcculture.” tion industry, recognizing superior long-term performance and dedication to jobsite safety. This was the highest award that Starcon was eligible to receive in 2011. Starcon was one of only 22 companies that received the ABC National Safety Merit Award. “Starcon is very pleased to be recognized by the ABC organization for our 2011 safety performance,” said Dale. “Safety is a core value at Starcon and we remain committed to building a Beyond Zero safety culture.”
Reggie Rome, Veronica Hernandez, Hector Lopez, Craig Rion, Justin Potts, Danielle Bortka, Justin Knox, Jack Crissey, Anthony Falcon, Rachel Allen, Ryne Elfstrom, Michael Golla and Mark Bay.
The company’s eventual victory in the awards competition bears witness to the fact that we have the best of the best working with us at Starcon. PAGE 9
STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
a CIANBRO company
PROJECT UPDATE:
Marathon Equatorial Guinea
By Craig Rion and Michael Golla This past spring, Starcon had almost 100 team members working for Marathon EG (Equatorial Guinea) on the west coast of Africa. Approximately 40 team members were working on three offshore platforms, and they were living on a vessel (see photo). The vessel had 65 total beds, which are called “hot beds” because the bed sheets are stripped and changed twice per day before each group of workers arrives to sleep. Starcon also had 58 team members working at an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) processing plant onshore, living in a “man camp” that serves Marathon’s plant and two other Marathon assets on the island: Atlantic Methanol Production Company, and EGLNG (operated by Hess). All three plants are tied together. This is Starcon’s second stint at the Marathon EG plant. The facility typically has a turnaround every two years, and Starcon first worked there in 2010 with
Starcon had almost 100 team members working for Marathon EG (Equatorial Guinea) on the west coast of Africa
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30 to 35 team members. Marathon might have a smaller turnaround there next year, with the next big project scheduled in 2104, per the two year cycle. Starcon might need to provide more than 100 team members in 2014. The most recent turnaround started on March 23rd, and ended in mid April. One of Marathon’s managers in EG had worked with Starcon at Marathon’s Catlettsburg, Kentucky refinery back in 2004, and he helped to bring Starcon to EG for the first time in 2010. Marathon had been using local workers until that time. Starcon provides more safety and efficiency with some of Marathon’s needs, especially heavy rigging involving large valves that can weigh up to 7,000 pounds. Marathon is very pleased with
Starcon’s performance at the sites, and with the company’s HR department that helped to find team members to work in EG. Most of Starcon’s team members at the jobsite are boilermakers, with a sprinkling of riggers and insulators there. Misha Kennedy and Maddy Lucero, working from Starcon’s Fairfield, California office, helped with recruiting for the project. Lynn Lusk and David Hines are the two Starcon superintendents at the site, and Mike Jones is the safety manager. Operations Manager Craig Rion visited the EG sites and gained positive feedback from the customer. Craig’s trip through Germany required 29 hours of travel time! He reports that the “man camp” is very nice, and that Starcon’s team members are treated very well there. The team was able to tour one of the local towns after the project’s completion. The area is very tropical, with temperatures typically over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and high humidity. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. It is a tiny country, with a population of around 500,000 people. It is composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, and is one of the smallest nations on the African continent. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and this project is helping with the growth of Marathon, Starcon, and Equatorial Guinea. STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
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Cianbro & Starcon Combine to win Six Medals at the 2012 ABC National Craft Championships Five Cianbro and four Starcon team members traveled to San Antonio, Texas to compete at the ABC National Craft Championships, April 24-27. Students and apprentices from across the United States competed in contests in which they displayed their craft skills. Not only was Cianbro well represented by team members who displayed professionalism and integrity, they also returned home with gold, silver, and bronze medals. Kurt Dickinson of the Northern New England Region (NNE) and Seth Norton of the Mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) competed in the millwright contest and won gold and bronze medals respectively. In Pipefitting, Ryan Laney from NNE won a bronze medal. Kaleb Gallagher from NNE competed in Pipewelding, and brought home silver. Ryan Taylor from NNE competed in the Industrial Electrical contest against more than a dozen other electricians. Ryan had an excellent performance but did not place. For Starcon, Greg Scullion and Roman McComb competed in Insulating, Cory Essick took part in the Pipewelder competition, and Jack Coldsnow entered the Pipefitter contest. Greg came home with a bronze medal, and Roman earned a silver medal. Each competition is designed and run by a project manager from the industry. In order to compete, the contestants must be students or within six months of completing a training program. They cannot be classified as Journeymen Crafts Workers. Each contest consists of an in-depth written exam and a six hour practical exam. The contestants were given project specifications and the materials required to perform various tasks. They were judged upon craftsmanship, how well they understood and followed the specifications, safety, housekeeping, and accuracy. Time management was an enormous component of the contest. The scope of projects demands that the comPAGE 11
petitors read and interpret specs, select the proper material, and build a project which would normally be budgeted for more than six hours; all while being observed by hundreds of spectators. The reward for the hard work came on Friday morning during the awards breakfast when all of the contestants were recognized for their effort and leadership in participating at the national
and represent both Cianbro and Starcon in San Antonio. “We are so proud of these individuals,” said Cianbro Vice President Mike Bennett. “They represented our companies and the industry with the utmost integrity and professionalism. It is a wonderful opportunity for these team members to demonstrate their skills against the best of the best in the indus-
“We are so proud of these individuals. They represented our companies and the industry with the utmost integrity and professionalism.” – Cianbro Vice President Mike Bennett competition. The winners were awarded medals by the CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors Michael Bellaman, and by 2012 Chairman Eric Regelin. ABC represents more than 23,000 merit shop companies throughout the U.S. and territories. The competitors who took part had each been selected by winning their state, local, or company-based contest. Each Cianbro team member who competed expressed appreciation for having the opportunity to compete
try. For our training coordinators and instructors it is a day filled with pride as they have the opportunity to see first hand the results of all their hard work in the classroom and labs. We would like to extend our thanks, congratulations, and appreciation to all those within Cianbro and Starcon that invest their time and energy in the training and development of our team members. Great job by all!”
STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
a CIANBRO company
Persistence and Perseverance are Paying Off at Bayer By Mike Rusnak Being the new kid on the block has been a learning experience for Starcon team members every day at Bayer CropScience in Institute, West Virginia. For the first few months of the contract, the owner spent time detailing their expectations for the Starcon team. Team members took the feedback and combined it with the usual Starcon commitment to seek continuous improvement. Now nearly three years later, Starcon is being recognized for the strong performance the team has accomplished. On February 10, 2012 Starcon marked two years in Institute without a recordable incident, a great achievement for the team. In addition, through NCCER training and practical application, the skill level of the scaffold builders and insulators has increased drastically.
Despite the Bayer plant beginning to downsize, due to the possibility of only two or three units remaining by year’s end, team members at the jobsite remain positive and are giving 100 percent everyday. Team members believe that Starcon’s accomplishments onsite will play an important role in the team’s longevity at Bayer.
taking care of changing out light bulbs at these stations all day so that we may get back in compliance. Please express our gratitude and tell them great job.” Later that same week, the team received another e-mail from a plant engineer in charge of a particular job where Starcon was challenged to build a scaffold, strip and replace insulation,
“The insulation work on TI-4114-02 has been completed today. I greatly appreciate your work, and our timeframe has perfectly been met by Starcon...” This is an e-mail Starcon received from Bayer Safety concerning Starcon’s BBS Team at the Industry site: “Bayer CropScience would like to acknowledge your site BBS team with bringing the Safety Shower and Alarm Box issues to me. Maintenance has been
and remove the scaffold within one day with no overtime. “The insulation work on TI-4114-02 has been completed today,” the email said in part. “I greatly appreciate your work, and our timeframe has perfectly been met by Starcon.”
Braskem Appreciation
By Louie Strange The Braskem facility located in Kenova, West Virginia had been shut down with multiple problems. For example, the main steam boiler experienced in excess of 20 ruptured tubes. Starcon was asked to increase manpower and replace the affected tubes under extreme observation from the client. With the much appreciated help of Stoney Strickland, Ed Bentley, and all team members that participated in the project, Starcon came in under budget and two days ahead of schedule. It is this type of alliance and dedication that will ensure growth in this area and beyond. PAGE 12
STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
a CIANBRO company
La Porte Office Focuses on Driver Distractions By Brett Richardson
Susan Cheney and Rob Seimetz at the 13th Hole
Marathon Findley Ohio United Way Golf Outing By Rob Seimetz Starcon participated in the United Way Golf Outing held on July 17-18. The event was a great success, attracting more than 430 participants. Starcon not only had golfers participating, but also set up a barbecue near the 13th hole, cooking more than 200 pounds of Chicago Style hot dogs and bratwurst for participants. The Starcon cooking team consisted of Dale Kuntz, Michael Golla, Jim Soukup, Reggie Williams and Rob Seimetz. In addition, Susan Cheney from the Marathon Corporate Procurement Department assisted Starcon with cooking. Over the two days, temperatures climbed above 95 degrees and Marathon appreciated all the time and effort put forth by the Starcon team. In total, the event raised better than $100,000 for the United Way. PAGE 13
Recently, the La Porte Office Team was a bit surprised when they came to work to find a wrecked automobile in the parking lot with a “victim” sprawled out on the hood. The mock vehicle accident was to help remind team members of the dangers of being distracted while driving. The team gathered around the vehicle and observed a moment of silence to consider deeply how many times that they have recently allowed themselves to be distracted while driving. Whether it was texting, talking on the phone or some other cause, team members all realized this was a serious message that impacts everyone. Executive Vice President of the South Region, Mark Bortka later sent a note to all the La Porte team members asking them to join him in seriously considering the impacts of distractions while driving. In Mark’s email, he said, “This is not just about you and me. It’s also about our families and others. During this next 30 days, let’s also take this message to others. Talk to others about your commitment, don’t call others when you know they are driving, sit your driving-age children down for a serious discussion, do whatever it takes to help them see the risks. In reality, you never know when your words will make the difference. No one wants to ask themselves the question ‘Why didn’t I act before it was too late?’” Thanks to Ta’Mara Foster, Rachel Allen, Shirley Chalmers and Michael Caughey for their support in creating the visual reminders for this safety moment. Also thanks to Ryne Elfstrom for portraying the vehicle accident victim.
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Starcon Graduates First NCCER Certified Crane Operators By Bruce Shalles Nick Goebel and Chris Mishkee have become the first Starcon crane operators to be certified under the guidelines of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). The achievement is the result of training offered by Starcon’s Crane and Rigging Manager for the North Region, Jimmy Jenkins. Jimmy traveled to the company’s St. Paul Park Refining job in St. Paul, Minnesota to administer
the training and to test the trainees. Starcon Corporate Human Resources Manager Kraig Kistinger said the addition of NCCER certified operators increases Starcon’s flexibility to respond to customers’ needs. “Now, we’ve come a step closer to becoming a one-stop shop for all client needs,” Kraig said. Congratulations go out to Nick and Chris for their landmark achievement. For more information about the crane and rigging training program, Starcon team members can contact the com-
L to R: Nick Goebel, Chris Mishkee, Jimmy Jenkins
pany’s Craft Training Manager, Jimmy Jenkins at 815-478-6285.
ABOUT NCCER “NCCER is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundation created in 1996 as The National Center for Construction Education and Research. It was developed with the support of more than 125 construction CEOs and various association and academic leaders who united to revolutionize training for the construction industry. Sharing the common goal of developing a safe and productive workforce, these companies created a standardized training and credentialing program for the industry. This progressive program has evolved into curricula for more than 60 craft areas and a complete series of more than 70 assessments offered in over 4,000 NCCER-accredited training and assessment locations across the United States.” www.nccer.org
BENEFITS BITS Blue Access for Member
Did you know that Blue Cross Blue Shield has an online tool for managing your health care? Visit www. bcbsil.com and create your user profile. It’s easy to get immediate access. All you need are your group and identification numbers. You can get those right off of your ID card. Blue Access is a great way to track your claims, find doctors and hospitals, get coverage information, request new cards and much more. With the personal health manager feature, you can take your health risk assessment and get a discount on your health insurance deduction. You can also earn Blue Points by engaging in healthy behaviors, and redeem them for reward items. Here’s to your good health! PAGE 14
STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
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Honoring Those Who Have Passed By Peggy Hobbs Earlier this year, Mr. Pat Forsythe from a funeral home in Manhattan, Illinois came into the Manhattan office to request assistance. Mr. Forsythe is a valued member of the community who sponsors and works on many community events. He visited Starcon to request assistance. The flag pole in a local cemetery had been damaged over the course of the winter and Mr. Forsythe was seeking Starcon’s help to replace the pole. Starcon was able to assist by providing a donation of pipe to make a new flag pole. In Manhattan, it is traditional on Memorial Day for the American Legion to salute those veterans who are buried in our town cemeteries. “I consider it an honor to be involved with this and make sure our stars and stripes are flying over our veteran’s graves,” Mr. Forsythe said. “This also shows a deep respect for those veterans who are still with us. I’m sure there are a number of veterans in your organization. For years, Starcon has been involved in our community and has stepped up to play an important role on several projects. It felt natural to come to you for your assistance.”
Starcon Guardians First “Big Cat Competition” In May, the Starcon Guardians held their first fishing tournament at Sky Lake, near Huntington, West Virginia. The tournament has been named the “Big Cat Competition.” After paying lake fees, team members pay ten dollars into a purse which is awarded 100-percent to the competitor who catches the biggest fish during the duration of the tournament. The competition started at 7:00 p.m. and ended at 11:00 p.m. All fish were weighed in on the lake’s scales. Although the bite was tough, several fish made it to the scales. The winner of the first tournament was Seth Christian, weighing in a whopper at 48.60 pounds. Seth fought the fish for PAGE 15
20 minutes before weighing in the catch. He also collected a tee shirt from the lake, putting him into a special class of anglers that have caught a fish weighing more than 40 pounds. After interviewing Seth on his win, team members asked him what he was going to do with his winnings. “I’m probably going to have to buy a new reel because the fish burned up my drag from pulling so hard,” he answered. “I thank
God my line didn’t break and I had plenty of help!” Second place went to Wallace Smith, weighing one in at 28.70 pounds. In third place was Rick Deweese, weighing one in at 14.75 pounds. Congratulations to these fine anglers and team members. The main purpose of the competition was to get team members together for fellowship and friendship. Sometimes it gets kind of hard working together in such a harsh environment without being able to be social and relieve some stress. What better way to relieve stress than by getting together and fishing. The idea of the competition was from several team members. It was so successful that the Starcon Guardians plan on doing it every month at several locations. Anybody is more than welcome to attend, and if you don’t have fishing equipment, let the Guardians know in advance and they can provide equipment. STARCON / OCTOBER 2012
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Starcon Editor - Kraig Kistinger • Cianbro Editor - Alan Grover • Contributing Writers - Mark Bay, Mark Bortka, Seth Christian, Michael Golla, Patricia Knutson, Rob Lozano, Brett Richardson, Craig Rion, Mike Rusnak, Rob Seimetz, Bruce Shalles, Louie Strange, Brian Walker, and John Ziarnick Design - Jean Cousins starconinternational.com Do you have questions or comments about the Newsletter? If so, we’d appreciate hearing from you! Please email kkistinger@starcon.org or agrover@cianbro.com.
HollyFrontier Refining Group - El Dorado, Kansas By Craig Rion Over the past few years, Starcon has bid many projects and turnarounds for the HollyFrontier Refinery located in El Dorado, Kansas, and was awarded the June 2012 turnaround. The last time that Starcon worked at the site was in 2003. Starcon once again has proven to be a valued contractor for HollyFrontier Refinery by successfully completing the turnaround with the Starcon core safety performance expectation of Beyond Zero, with zero Recordables and zero First Aids. It was also brought to our attention that the Starcon team pushed back during the permitting process with the work to be performed, asking the client to issue the permits in the field. It is a great feeling to know that the Starcon team
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has the culture to do this. Starcon recognizes this action as the decision of leaders in our industry, stepping up and considering safety first. Starcon also completed this turnaround with zero Quality Incidents and a “Leak Free Start-Up,” which according to the client, has never been accomplished by previous contractors they’ve hired. Starcon received great compliments from the client’s representatives in both Maintenance and Operations. As a result of the performance by the Starcon team, HollyFrontier El Dorado has awarded additional work to Starcon for the 2012 fall turnaround (now scheduled for spring of 2013) and another large 2013 event at their facility. The June AU2, HGU2, & HTU5 turnaround consisted of a total of two
heaters - blind, open, clean, close, and deblind; 20 exchangers to blind, disassemble, reassemble once the cleaning and inspection were completed; seven air-cooled heat exchangers - blind, remove plugs, clean, reinstall plugs, and deblind; three reactors to blind and deblind; four towers - blind, open, tunnel, clean, close, and deblind, one of which received replacement internal trays that were also replaced; six drums - blind, open, clean, close, and deblind; four Control Valves - remove and replace; 25 Pressure Relief valves - remove and replace, along other small miscellaneous work items. Congratulations to the Starcon team for their outstanding performance at the June 2012 HollyFrontier El Dorado turnaround.
STARCON / OCTOBER 2012