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WE’VE COME A LONG WAY
CONNECTION
September 2019
INNOVATION IN DISTILLATION ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT ON TROY STEWART P1 + KAUFFMAN CENTER PARTNERSHIP INSIDE KAUFFMAN EMPLOYEE PERKS PROGRAM PAOLA HS UPDATE NEW FACES, BIRTHDAYS, AWARDED WORK AND MORE Turning 100 with Our Close Friend, the Hard Hat Home Sept
1919
P1 Group happens to share our 100th birthday with an integral component of our industry: the hard hat. One of the earliest pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE), the hard hat paved the way for the safety innovations companies like P1 Group pursue every day. Where did the hard hat come from? The very first hard hat was inspired by the helmets worn by WWI soldiers, which protected them from the hail of bullets. One of those soldiers was Lt. Edward Wheatley Bullard. Impressed by the effectiveness of the helmets, he invented the first commercially available industrial hard hat, called the Hard Boiled Hat®, initially designed for miners who were subjected to falling rock or tools dropped by workers higher up.
Edward Bullard invents the Hard Boiled Hat®, made with steamed canvas, leather, glue, and shellacked with black paint.
1938
Bullard makes the first aluminum hard hat, lightweight and durable, but also a great conductor of electricity. NOT SAFE!
Take a look at the evolution the hard hat has seen over 100 years, then join us in saying “happy birthday”, and thanks to Edward Bullard for his vision to improve safety and quality of life for our workers.
1950s
Thermoplastics replace fiberglass.
Sources: Bullard.com; New Equipment.com
1982
P1 GROUP’S CONTINUOUS INNOVATIONS IN SAFETY According to P1 Group Vice President Don Campbell, “Listening to the field workers is critical. We learn from what they tell us so we can continuously improve our equipment.” Safety equipment is only effective when worn correctly. Users have to be comfortable and have the right product for the job. SAFETY GLASSES: Years ago, after noticing workers were repeatedly removing glasses due to fogging, the Safety Department found FX4 technology, with extreme anti-fog properties, and changed over. The glasses were a hit and are still used in the field today. HARD HATS: Full brims are critical to providing face protection, but some workers find them cumbersome and turn the hat around, or the hats don’t accommodate face shields for welders. P1 eventually found Pyramex, a vendor who provides face shield hard hats, and made the investment. GLOVES: Don says over the years P1 tried out dozens of glove types in the field before finding the right one, and we still continue to change as better gloves come on the market. Mandatory cut-resistant gloves have drastically reduced hand lacerations. In fact, P1 was one of the first in Kansas City to go with a “100 percent glove” requirement.
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1940s
Bullard develops the distinctive three-rib, heatresistant fiberglass hard hat.
Non-slip ratchet suspension with knob for sizing is added.
Today The hard hat is made from lightweight polyethylene plastic and includes lock snaps for easy installation, height adjustment, and venting for optimal air flow. FUN FACT: America’s first designated “Hard Hat Area” was the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge construction site in the 1930s. Bridge engineer Joseph B. Strauss requested the hats from Bullard to protect workers from falling items, like rivets.
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P1 Connection Newsletter
EDITOR: Victoria Hoffman WRITERS: Beth Martens, Victoria Hoffman DESIGN: Tiffany Oldham
Innovation with Distillation
Just because things have always been done a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s the best or only way. For Ammonia Service Manager Michael Schram, providing the “usual” solution for a customer was just what he needed to spark a new idea. In January of 2017, Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) had a heat exchanger freeze and break, causing the ammonia system to be flooded with glycol. As part of the repair, P1 Group permanently installed a distillation unit to remove the water/glycol from the system. Industrial facilities like food processing plants rely on large-scale ammonia refrigeration systems for their day-to-day operations. Cleanliness of the refrigerant is key to getting the most efficient operation of the ammonia-based refrigeration systems. However, water contamination is quite common and can wreak havoc with the entire ammonia system. Being able to efficiently remove contaminants from the refrigeration systems is an important function of the ammonia service department. The repair job at AWG lead Michael to believe there should be a better way to deal with ammonia contamination removal, so he came up with the idea for a mobile unit which would eliminate the need for customer sites to install one permanently.
P1 Group used this same technology to build a large scale of the device used to take the sample and boil it off. This was done with a very large capacity vessel with the addition of electric heaters in the bottom. The unit is tied into the liquid side of the system allowing liquid ammonia to flow into the vessel 500-1000 gallons at a time. This is controlled by a programmed PLC along with a series of valves and level controls, completely customized by P1 ammonia techs. After the vessel reaches the desired level, it closes the liquid feed and initiates the heaters to boil the liquid ammonia to a vapor and it is drawn via the compressor suction back into the system, leaving behind the manually drained water that can amount to gallons in some cases. This Ammonia Distillation/Anhydrator Unit was recently used at the Hunt Midwest Underground Facility and Best Harvest Bakery. “The critical component to this option is many gallons of contaminants can be removed, while the systems remain completely operational, and the facilities can go about their daily business,” Mike said. The rental unit has proven to be a more cost effective solution for most small to medium facilities. This was made possible by P1 ingenuity and believing the “usual” solution wasn’t good enough.
“Sometimes installing a permanent distillation unit is not cost effective. There are regulatory obligations related to OSHA, as well as the cost of maintaining it,” said Michael. As part of P1 Group’s preventative maintenance, an ammonia liquid sample is drawn from the system. Then the ammonia is boiled off and what’s left is the water that may have been introduced into the system during repairs or system leaks.
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Distillation
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From Cheese to Freeze: Troy Associate Spotlight on Troy Stewart
Industrial Ammonia Refrigeration Technician Troy Stewart is the father of three little girls, who most certainly keep him on his toes. And that’s probably a good skill to have when you work in ammonia service, one of the most highly regulated, and dangerous, segments of our industry.
“We are on a constant swivel, maintaining entire control over the equipment,” he said. “If any complacency were to set in, someone could be injured or killed. “Knowing the chemical properties within the piping without seeing it, and knowing what situations can cause hazards and how to remediate them, are the most critical safety measures we deal with every day.”
The career path that led the Wisconsin native to P1 Group began with the iconic staple of America’s dairyland: cheese. “After demobilizing from an Iraq deployment (USMC – 0311 Infantry), I had the opportunity to start as a Limited Term Associate at Grande Cheese Company, conducting industrial maintenance,” Troy said. Two years later, Troy became a full-time Process Safety Management Coordinator for the facility, which was driving an initiative to have all facilities Process Safety Management (PSM) compliant. “This is where my career started in the ammonia refrigeration Industry,” Troy said. “I had taken classes and read up on the standards of the industry, with mentorship from Bassett Mechanical Service Technician.” Safety is paramount in the ammonia industry, and Troy explained the multitude of personal protective equipment that may be required in any given situation, going way beyond hard hats and vests. “There are measures we must always be aware of, like always having our air-purifying respirator with proper filtration cartridge, a personal air monitor, and using the buddy system when performing line breaks,” Troy said. “We also utilize goggles, aprons, gloves, and boots.” But Troy says constant vigilance is probably the most critical safety measure.
Troy says the challenge of this industry is what he likes most. “It’s continuous learning and movement. There is always something new to figure out.” When he’s not keeping an eye on equipment, Troy enjoys keeping an eye on his three little “handfuls”, Sophia, nine, Lucee, five, and Maisley, two. “I like spending time with my wife, Emily, and our family. Without her sacrifices and support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I also enjoy working on home improvements and playing guitar,” he said. In fact, Troy’s early career aspirations were to go into the music industry, working in audio engineering and performing. He still plays guitar regularly. Looking ahead, Troy says he hopes to remain at P1 Group, Inc., initializing and providing compliance service, along with technical service, to the ammonia industry.
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PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE
Kauffman
FMO between P1 Group and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts The Partnership
Brandmeyer Great Hall Event/Lobby Space Creating “customers for life” is P1 Group’s ultimate goal, and that means building trust and strong relationships during the time we spend with our customers. The relationship developed between P1 Group and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is an exemplary example of this philosophy, going beyond just the work at hand to develop a mutually respected and beneficial partnership. You may know that P1 Group provides an FMO (Facility Management and Operations) team full-time at the Kauffman Center, but over the years, our work has extended beyond our FMO agreement. According to P1 Vice President Dave Beebe, P1 Group’s relationship started with the Kauffman Center in 2011, while the center was still
Casavant organ under construction. P1 Group worked on the Facility Operation RFP with Kauffman Center leadership. In addition to our FMO contract, P1 Group has provided specialty preventative maintenance, along with mechanical, HVAC, and electrical service. In fact, the relationship with the Kauffman Center helped connect P1 with the city, and our FMO team now provides facility management of the Arts District Garage. Few people probably even consider how critical mechanical systems and related service can be in a facility like the Kauffman. Not only must the experience be excellent for patrons, performers have very specific requirements for humidity and air temp levels, making the work an “above and beyond” challenge each day for our FMO team. Chief Engineer Aaron Robison elaborated on some of the projects P1 Group has implemented at the Kauffman Center, including many requiring the high-level expertise P1 Group can offer.
One of two new and more efficient chillers, installed by P1 Group
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Installed two additional chillers as part of a $500,000 energy-saving project
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Boiler control/load shedding energy-saving project
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Installed airflow stations on all air handlers
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Installed five service platforms for safe access to equipment
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Electrical modifications to the Casavant organ
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Electrical infrastructure for outside events on the South Plaza area
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FMO Helzberg Hall
Muriel Kauffman Theatre
The P1 Group FMO Team at the Kauffman Center are:
Aaron Robison, Chief Engineer
Matt Brackney, Maintenance Engineer
Matt Stranathan, Maintenance Engineer
Rusty Presley, Maintenance Engineer “We also incorporate training for the staff such as having P1 techs working side-by-side with the engineers, management, backflow testing, and safety training that ensures we can successfully approach operating a complex, state-of-the-art facility,” Aaron said. “Our staff has done an amazing job of reducing energy consumption and maintaining comfort,” Aaron added. “With the help of P1’s Commissioning team, we have enabled modifications from the original control sequence, adding new equipment and controls. The ongoing effort to improve energy usage has benefitted the Kauffman Center and instilled a level of occupational pride in our staff.” “The relationship with the Kauffman Center connects P1 Group with a highly visible and important Kansas City institution that is not only a client, but a trusted friend,” Dave noted. From the mechanical room to the stage, both organizations have come together to deliver their brand of performance excellence, and we look forward to what the future brings.
P1 Performance Perks The P1 Group facilities team aren’t the only ones getting valuable benefits from our relationship with the Kauffman Center. Because P1 Group is a valued partner, all of our associates can take advantage of benefits through the Kauffman Center’s Ensemble Business Partnership program. Tickets to performances, VIP events, facility tours, tour vouchers for Kansas City destinations like the Roasterie or Boulevard beer, and more can be used for business development and customer appreciation. Associates will have access to presale events, ticket discounts, and facility tours. P1 Group also gets a discount on rental of the Kauffman’s beautiful event spaces, great for your next gathering or for inviting customers to events like lunch & learns. Keep an eye on your email for opportunities and perks for P1 associates. At the very least, we encourage all P1 associates to tour the facility – it’s truly inspirational, and might make a great outing for your department. If you are interested in touring the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, contact the Kauffman Center at 816.994.7222.
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NE W FACES
Please join us in welcoming our newest P1 Group associates. New Sept
Vicky Athon Service Coordinator Lenexa
Justin Pippin Project Coordinator Las Vegas
Rebecca Venable Service Coordinator Topeka
Dylan Dunbar Warehouse Assistant Wichita
WORK ANNIVERSARIES 5 YEARS: 10 YEARS: 35 YEARS:
Michael Benavides James Daugherty Nate Littlejohn Cris Ray Shawn Ross Andrew Symes Jason White Wayne Foster Ron Tabor Jose Vasquez Darren Ousdahl CONGRATULATIONS DARREN.
SEPTEMBER 14
SEPTEMBER 26
OCTOBER 12
SAVE A LIFE! DONATE BLOOD! 17th ANNUAL P1 GROUP CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m./Shoal Creek Benefitting Working Families’ Friend
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Did you know you can donate every 56 days with a standard whole blood donation? P1 Group is partnering with Community Blood Center to help save lives. Join us in the Lenexa Training Room. For more information, contact Kristi Pleasant, Kristi.Pleasant@p1group.com.
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“P1 CELEBRATES” 100-YEAR PARTY WHERE: Rumely Tractor Historic Event Space, 1222 W. 12th Street, Kansas City, MO WHEN: Saturday, October 12, 6 p.m.-11 p.m. RSVP: 913-303-9010 or email p1celebrates@p1group.com.
B I RT HDAYS + A NNIVER SAR IES + AWAR D ED Office and field associate birthdays and work anniversaries + awarded work
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
ROBERT THOMPSON CHARLES CARRELL TOMMY EMMONS RICHARD HAWVER DAVID JELINEK MARK RIGGIO BRAD STITZ SCOTT HEFTON AARON ROBISON JARED BROCK SHAWN CONZ MATTHEW BRACKNEY ANDREW CRUZ JAMES ENGLISH KIMBERLY GUTHRIE CHASE JONES WAYNE RASMUSSEN ADAM COLLIER JOHN PRICE TODD ANDREWS ISAIAH BARNES RALPH LATIMER JESSE PARKS DANIEL TYLSKI BENJAMIN AGUDO PAUL GUDBAUR DERRECK HOLDERMAN GARRETT SCOTT KATHY WACKER MIKE WURTS ADAM DALSING GARRETT DRAPER VINCENT BAILEY RONALD ROTTERMAN DUSTIN DIEKER MARK GROTHAUS KEVIN KELLER JOHN KRAUS MANUEL BERUMEN JR BRIAN MCGILL TRENTON MCKINNEY JAMES SEVOLD CHAD DOMANN OWEN FOSTER ADRIANA LARIOS REGINALD PHILLIPS ROBERT SIAVII AARON WHITE
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
DIANNA CARR JAMES DENNIS THOMAS DIIBON MARTY HEDRICK CRAIG KOPPA JOHN ROTTERMAN JOHN LONG JAMES MAHAN JUSTIN BREWSTER DAMIEN HILT VICTOR JUAREZ CODY KAHRS CECILIA LEYVA JEFFREY PARKER KENNETH SWEETWOOD MATT CARLSON MASON DECKER JIM DURKIN KATHERYN EVANS JACK RENNER MASON RUEMMELE TREVOR TARRANT MATTHEW TIALAVEA DARRICK HOFFER RAYMOND LEADER JACOB MASSEY SETH POLLOCK WILLIAM SCHULTZ ROBERT VESTAL HECTOR SOLIS ERVIN HOWERY CRAIG MONDROSKI CHERI TOTTA SILVANA ALCANTARA SHANNON BOER ANN LIGGETT JOSHUA NICK MICHAEL PAWLEY RICHARD STAPLES DAVID WIEBLER ERIC AFFOLTER RHONDA CARTER TIM HARTMAN VICTORIA JESSE ANDREW NOONE DWIGHT SMITH MATT WILMORE
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CHRIS LAUVER CHARLES PLOTNER JEREMY JARBOE DUSTIN LIVINGSTON COUGAR MADER MIGUEL SALINAS JESSICA BRIGMAN BROCK SCHMIDT TYLER DILLON DOUGLAS FEAGANS DAVID JELLISON JERRY KING JOSHUA RIDINGS NOAH RUSH KOUPASONG VOLAVONGSA ALEXANDER WILDER CHARLES DICKMAN ROBERT GASTON JR MATT HILL ANTHONY KRAMER JOHN SCHMELTZ DERRICK WALKER NATHAN JORDAN ZACHARY MENDIOLA BRANDON STROHMEYER
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JEFF ASHCRAFT JUSTIN BOND JACKSON PYPER BRANDON RUUD MICHAEL SLOCUM GLENN BARTHOLOMEW CRAIG BORGHOFF BRETT DECKARD JOSHUA FARTHING EARL HOPKINS PETER RODGERS BRENT SEIDEL
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AWAR D ED W O R K
Awarded
Cleveland University
CONSTRUCTION JULY 30-AUGUST 15
Hill’s Topeka MIH Bldg., Install Overhead Electrical/Topeka, KS/ELEC Salesperson: Rick Drake Awarded: 8/12/2019 Amount: $210,000.00
Renew/Repair Shuttleworth Transistion Bldg/Ft. Irwin, CA/PLBG Salesperson: Chad Mosley Awarded: 8/2/2019 Amount: $167,600
Switch Nap 11 Sector 2 North Exterior/Las Vegas, NV/SM Salesperson: Chad Mosley Awarded: 8/5/2019 Amount: $655,000
Cleveland Chiropractor Clinic/Acquisition Bldg./Overland Park, KS/PIPE + SM Salesperson: Rusty Roderick Awarded: 8/5/2019 Amount: $1,498,000
Genesys/Machine Run-Off/Kansas City, MO/ELEC Salesperson: Rick Drake Awarded: 8/12/2019 Amount: $266,775
Hill’s Pet Nutrition/West Tray Maker/Topeka, KS/ELEC Salesperson: Glen Herring Awarded: 8/5/2019 Amount: $135,300
SERVICE JULY 10-AUGUST 14
Hill’s Pet Nutrition/Chemical Storage-Boiler Room/Topeka, KS/MW Salesperson: Rick Drake Awarded: 8/12/2019 Amount: $115,000.00
Paola High School/Phase 2A/Paola, KS Project Manager: Brandon Holladay Job Created: 08/01/2019 Amount: $138,748 See Project Profile on the next page!
EMPLOYEE REFERRAL REWARDS Congratulations to the following employees on their successful recommendations. Remember, if you know someone who would be a great fit at P1, you could earn $2,000 if they are hired.* REFERRED
Darin Boggs, Lawrence Project Engineer
Renee Boggs, Lawrence Project Coordinator
REFERRED
Tennille Tegeler, Lenexa Training Specialist
Kim Guthrie Lenexa Proactive Solutions Consultant
*Some restrictions apply. For complete details, visit The Hub.
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REFERRED
Michelle Oglesby, Wichita Service Coordinator
Rebecca Nash, Wichita Service Coordinator
Paola High School Project Completion
Paola Sept
P1’s Performance Solutions Help Avoid Future Property Damage
When we visited this project back in March, P1 was busy planning and implementing the solution to performance issues on the 30–year-old hydronic piping system at Paola High School. The Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and the Sidestream Centrifugal Separator Filtration System had already been installed so leaks would not be compounded, and existing sludge and sediment in the system would be removed to minimize the risk of contaminating the new boiler plant and piping. The remaining portion of the project was waiting for summer break. During the brief three months of summer, the entire 160,000 square foot building underwent having all the hot water piping removed and replaced from the mains to all the hot water terminal devices. The electric boilers were also replaced with new hybrid high efficiency natural gas boilers, which will create an annual energy cost savings of approximately $70K. It took an average of eight technicians working onsite each day to replace 6,500 linear feet of heating/hot water piping for the boiler. According to project manager Brandon Holladay, the project not only ran smoothly, some aspects were completed ahead of schedule. “The school district was very accommodating in allowing our technicians onsite a couple of weeks before school was out. We were able to complete the piping several weeks ahead of schedule, which was quite a feat due to the amount of piping required,” said Brandon. When the piping was complete, the boiler plant, pumps and pumping scheme were installed to wrap things up. This facility solution took care of the problems that would have caused property damage. P1 Group is now proposing a phase two, which will include mechanical improvements to all schools in the district.
SINGLE-SOURCE P1 Group put the following capabilities to work on this job. Commissioning
Pipe Fabrication
Controls
HVAC Construction
Design Build
Sheet Metal Construction
Electrical Construction
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Start your engine! P1 Group CEO Smitty Belcher and associates came outside the Lenexa headquarters to admire the Kansas State University Powercat Motorsports 2019-2020 race car, Lynx 2.0. P1 Group donated stainless steel table tops for the engine bench, steel plate for A-arm jigs, and labor and material for the engine oil dry sump tanks. Sheetmetal Foreman Dave Wright’s son Devin is the team’s Chief Engineer.
HAPPENINGS
Blowing off Steam: P1 recently hosted Lawrence robotics team “Team STEAM” at our fabrication shop. P1 is providing manufacturing capabilities and scrap material for the robots they build for competition. Electrical Prefab Foreman Mike Wessel and Pipe Shop Manager Jeremy Price showed the team around the shop.
Game On: P1 Group Accounting Clerk Julie Metzler represented us well at Gen Con https://www.gencon.com/ this past August. Julie demonstrates games for Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), and had the idea to wear P1 PPE for the demo of a new game called Tiny Towns (which is typically demoed in construction gear).
P1 Proud…Again! P1 associates who bought a 100-year anniversary shirt got together for a photo to show off their P1 pride. Didn’t get a shirt? There are still some available (in select sizes) for purchase. Contact Beth Martens.
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