Built for Good - Spring 2012

Detroit Public Schools

page 6

Incorporating modularization

page 12

Industry Q&A

page 15

Spring 2012

BUILT FOR GOOD

SM

PAST PERFORMANCE IS HIGHLY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. DRIVING PREDICTABLE OUTCOMES is a big part of our job. We work with customers to fully comprehend their expectations. Then we utilize our knowledge, innovation and problem-solving skills to create the best solutions. Disciplined adherence to proven processes helps us consistently deliver exceptional results.

WE ARE WALBRIDGE

AND WHAT WE BUILD STANDS FOR SOMETHING.

Delta Dental of Michigan headquarters

walbridge.com

builtforgood.com

This Issue Spring 2012

5

8

4

From our leadership

5

Twin Creeks

6

Detroit Public Schools

8

EnviroFocus

10

Delta Dental of Michigan

12

Modularization

14

Walbridge internship program

15

Industry Q&A

16

Awards I Commmunity I People

10

15

Cover: Inside a newly constructed area at Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School in Detroit.

Built For Good is a publication of the Walbridge Group, Inc. Forward any comments or questions to Mark Marymee at mmarymee@walbridge.com Š 2012 SM

Built For Good I 3

concluded a rewarding year of service as Chairman of the Construction Industry Institute. CII is a leading authority in From our Iourrecently industry, both here and abroad.

leadership

One of the key issues CII dealt with during my term was globalization. In the past, U.S. companies sought CII’s guidance in attempts to draw the rest of the world to our doorstep in America. Many people believed the best talent was here and prime opportunities were plentiful in the U.S. Today, it’s vastly different. The rest of the world sees great opportunities existing in their own backyards. That’s caused a shift among CII members, the majority of whom are now global companies.

Today, the question is, “How can American companies be more competitive around the world?”

Walbridge has been seeking its own answer to that particular question for several years. Through measured efforts, including helping some of our American clients expand overseas, we’ve branched out. In 2011 nearly 15 percent of our revenue was generated on projects outside the U.S. We’re working in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. We’re taking expertise and innovations developed the U.S. and utilizing them in growing foreign markets, especially in South America.

We believe that driving predictable outcomes in a dynamic global marketplace offers great opportunities for our company. We look forward to breaking new ground in foreign lands in 2012 and for many years to come.

Rick Haller

President and Chief Operating Officer Walbridge Detroit, Michigan Rick Haller joined Walbridge in 1976 and has been instrumental in establishing Walbridge’s international capabilities.

4 I Built For Good

Twin Creeks Technologies’ facility in Senatobia, Miss.

The house of the rising sun Intricacy is good.

cell manufacturing is an intricate job. The way Twin Salbeitolar Creeks Technologies does it is even more complicated, wildly impressive.

At its new plant in Senatobia, Miss., the Silicon Valley-based manufacturer is producing solar cells that are one-quarter the thickness of a strand of human hair. The technology is leaner than former solar cell manufacturing in that it wastes less silicon. And by eliminating excess material on the cells, solar power manufacturers are said to be able to produce components that compete better with grid power.

It’s a form of technology that requires a myriad of sophisticated equipment, which is one of the reasons building Phase I of the new Twin Creeks Southeast plant was right up Walbridge’s alley. The $29 million design-build project was completed in less than a year and at a cost less than anticipated. Walbridge partnered with local contractor Yates Construction to combine premier office space and centralized production processing into one 88,000-squarefoot state-of-the-art facility. The Senatobia plant sits on a 39-acre site and features numerous amenities, including high-tech conference rooms, a kitchenette and a locker room.

Twin Creeks, which creates technology for harnessing renewable energy, patented 60 new application processes for its new 100-megawatt manufacturing facility. For the new processes, Walbridge managed the installation of 24

different equipment types, all of which are essential to the solar cell manufacturing process. The project team then meticulously connected each piece of equipment through a sophisticated How do they do it? mechanical system that includes 29 separate Twin Creeks’ new plant houses a mechanical process that utility feeds. The end essentially slices crystalline silicon result was a first-of-itslike bread into 6-inch-by-6-inch kind manufacturing solar cells. While the traditional system for Twin solar cell is 200 microns (or Creeks Technologies, micrometers) thick, the solar cell headquartered in the wafers Twin Creeks produces in San Francisco Bay area.

Phase I of the new plant was built to easily accommodate an anticipated 162,000-squarefoot expansion of its production area, and all of the systems had to be appropriately sized for the upgrade during installation. As complicated as the project was, however, Walbridge maneuvered through it in a timely fashion, thanks to 3D building information modeling (BIM) and great synergy with the owner. Construction began in July 2010 and wrapped up roughly 10 months later, in May 2011.

Senatobia are one-tenth that size.

If this helps, the standard period (.) is said to be around 615 microns wide.

Proton Induced Exfoliation and an Ion Cannon – that’s how it’s done. Put simply, silicon wafers that are three millimeters thick (a micron is 1,000 times smaller than a millimeter) are placed around the central wheel of a machine that embeds layers of protons onto the material. The hydrogen ions are used to molecularly shear the insanely-thin layers of treated silicon from the source. Those cells are then backed with metal to prevent cracking.

These 20-micron-thick solar cells are far more flexible than their brittle 200-micron-thick predecessors – and they’re more economical. Twin Creeks’ custombuilt particle accelerator produces solar cells that allow panel fabrication to be done at half the cost of conventional panels.

Walbridge utilized local and regional labor for nearly 100 percent of the work and locally sourced 70 percent of all materials used during construction of the the $17 million building and infrastructure portion of the project.

Construction of Twin Creeks Southeast brought 150 jobs to the area and more than 500 new positions are expected to be created over a five-year span with the opening of the new plant, which was finically backed by the Mississippi Major Economic Authority.

Built For Good I 5

Building brighter futures Forward thinking is good.

etroit received the nation’s sixth-largest federal stimulus D allocation in 2009 to improve public school facilities.

That year, the city’s voters approved a $500.5 million bond package, dubbed Proposal S, as an investment to improve Detroit Public Schools (DPS). The Walbridge Joint Venture (WJV), comprised of Walbridge, Brailsford & Dunlavey and Fanning Howey, was hired to oversee the entire Capital Outlay Program.

As program manager, WJV is responsible for 4.2 million square feet of new construction and major renovations at 19 sites throughout DPS, Michigan’s largest public school system.

Amelia Earhart PreK-8 School

The capital improvements are bringing three new high schools and four new “PreK-8” schools, as well as renovations to eight high schools and PreK-8 schools and site-specific improvements to another 26 schools. The project scope includes several auxiliary projects, districtwide security and IT infrastructure upgrades, and a new operations center for the DPS Police Department. The entire project is slated for completion by September 2012, which meets a three-year spending stipulation outlined in the bond package.

WJV was tasked with overseeing the design and construction of approximately $470 million of work in just 36 months.

For the massive DPS project, forecasting potential obstacles is critical to WJV’s ability to deliver on its promise of being accountable. To stay on top of the program’s arduous delivery schedule – the biggest task thus far – the WJV implemented a modified design-build delivery method.

Central to that are project-specific “bridging documents,” detailed to a design-development level, and district-wide design guidelines and specifications. The team prepared a guaranteed maximum price and has achieved construction milestones under tight deadlines.

Within nine months of contract award, the joint venture team had all 19 major construction projects planned, bid and design-build teams under contract – a great start to a vast job.

Bunche PreK-8 School

By the 2012-13 school year, roughly 20 percent of the district’s students will be benefitting from the program.

6 I Built For Good

The first – and largest – portion of the DPS job was completed by September 2011, just 16 months after the first design-build contract was awarded. The last four schools – which are all new construction – will be completed and fully functional by fall 2012.

Today, some 8,000 Detroit students spend their days inside new or renovated buildings, complete with up-to-date learning facilities and robust safety systems. By the 2012-13 school year, roughly 20 percent of the district’s students will be benefitting from the program. With updated facilities, the district is more attractive to students and there’s a new sense of community surrounding these neighborhood schools.

Denby High School

Making progress The Walbridge Joint Venture has completed work on these nine schools as part of the DPS Capital Outlay Program: • • • • • • • • •

Amelia Earhart PreK-8 School – new construction Beckham Academy – major renovation Bunche PreK-8 School – major renovation Denby High School – major renovation Henry Ford High School – major renovation Marcus Garvey Academy – building addition and renovation Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School – new construction Samuel Gompers PreK-8 School – new construction Western International High School – major renovation

Henry Ford High School

The remainder of the program is slated for completion in fall 2012. It includes new facilities for: • • • •

Mumford High School Munger PreK-8 School Mackenzie PreK-8 School An east side high school on the site of former Finney High School

Gompers PreK-8 School

To learn more about these individual projects, go to: www.walbridge.com/what-we-do/education/k-12

Amelia Earhart PreK-8 School

Built For Good I 7

There’s a process for everything Repurposing is good.

Technologies is making a positive contribution to the nation’s environmental welfare, and Walbridge is EnviroFocus doing its part by helping the company become more efficient.

Owned by North American lead-recycling giant Gopher Resource, EnviroFocus has mastered the processes of safely dismantling batteries and reclaiming their raw materials to be salvaged and repurposed for use in new products. Their efforts are not only keeping harmful byproducts out of the air and soil, but they’re repurposing valuable materials for use in new automotive and industrial batteries.

Walbridge is currently managing the construction and process equipment installation of a massive expansion and modification project at the company’s complex in Tampa, Fla. EnviroFocus already keeps thousands of spent batteries out of landfills each day. The expansion is expected to quadruple its previous daily output.

The multi-faceted project involves modifying the company’s existing 65,000-square-foot battery smelter and recycling plant and expanding it with new construction that includes a battery smelting facility, hygiene building, waste water treatment plant, and several other areas that support the reclamation process. Once the new 300,000-square-foot facility is complete, all operations for EnviroFocus’ lead-acid battery reclamation process will take place under one roof, and the former smelter will be phased out. More impressive yet, the plant has remained up and running – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – during construction.

8 I Built For Good

Keeping it clean In January, the new hygiene building at EnviroFocus Technologies received LEED® Gold certification – the second-highest designation issued for sustainable building – through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

The 26,500-square-foot building houses laboratory and office space to support the company’s battery reclamation plant operations.

Below are some of the “green” features that helped the hygiene building achieve LEED® Gold: • Low-emitting materials used for construction and furnishings • Site development that maximizes open space • Stormwater management system controls water quality and quantity • White roof to reduce heat island effect • Recycled content and regional materials used for construction • Amenities provided for lowemissions vehicles and alternative transportation • Daylight reaches 75 percent of the building’s spaces

Work is being completed in phases.

Phase IA involved new construction and equipment installation for the plant’s battery unloading and breakdown area, raw materials processing center, plastics area, containment, wash bay, dryer and combustion chamber, the water treatment plant and reverb furnace area. During this phase, the existing blast furnace, bag house, pollution control, refinery, containment, raw materials and a separate waste water treatment plant remained in continuous operation.

Reorienting the lead smelter required Walbridge to literally pick up the existing building and rotate it 90 degrees. The new hygiene building and Phase IA of the plant – which represent approximately 75 percent of the total $120 million in projected costs – were complete at the close out of 2011. The remainder of project is expected to wrap up later this year.

EnviroFocus acquired 16 adjacent acres to expand its smelter plant and construct a new LEED® Gold-certified hygiene building. Following the determination of a geotechnical report of the property, the team performed compaction grouting on the land for focused stabilization and increased density, which was required before installing foundations. The project team treated unsuitable soils onsite and used it for backfill to avoid having to remove existing fill and import new material.

it also posed several environmental challenges for workers. Due to the hazardous substances being circulated at the plant, optimum safety has been achieved though a site-specific orientation and a safety program.

At times, workers are required to wear respirators and other personal protection equipment suited to the unique hazards of the job. In addition, every worker participates in monthly blood screenings to monitor for possible lead exposure.

The air quality inside and surrounding the facility is under the strict regulation of the Environmental Protection Agency, meaning nothing can be discharged from the plant before being filtered. In an effort to ensure the owner that pollutants would be controlled, Walbridge installed a variety of air and water quality monitors around the site, including a Torit filtration system designed to treat airborne lead dust before being discharged into the atmosphere.

Prior to its expansion and modification, EnviroFocus was receiving 32,000 tons of lead annually. Once the project is complete, the complex is expected to process 130,000 tons a year, or approximately 50,000 lead-acid batteries per day.

The EnviroFocus job was unique in that

EnviroFocus keeps thousands of spent batteries out of landfills each day. The expansion is expected to quadruple its previous daily output.

• Storage and collection areas for recyclables • Controllable thermal comfort and lighting • Increased ventilation • Outdoor air delivery monitoring • Water efficient landscaping • A construction waste management system • Use of certified wood • Optimized energy performance • Reduced water and energy use Water cooling equipment installed at the new battery smelter plant

Built For Good I 9

One green job RESPONSIBILITY is good.

10 I Built For Good

he Delta Dental of Michigan Tbuilding headquarters project was about sustainably, being resourceful with existing space and conveying responsibility in all aspects of the job. With the cooperation of a skilled project team, the expansion and renovation of the 40-year-old corporate center was a noteworthy success.

Walbridge was hired to repurpose Delta Dental’s existing office structure in Okemos, Mich., and build a campus around it to support the company’s anticipated growth of 150 new employees. The project began in spring of 2008 and wrapped up in September 2011.

To fulfill Delta Dental’s desire to expand in a way that minimized impact on the surrounding environment, the project team completely gutted and renovated the company’s existing 180,000-squarefoot building. Walbridge also built an adjacent 82,000-square-foot office building, connected to the existing building by skyway and tunnel, and constructed a 22,500-square-foot state-of-the-art remote Data Center.

In addition, Walbridge expanded the onsite Smith Drain, a regional water collection point, by 30 percent and installed a vast walkway system throughout the campus.

An intricate phasing plan allowed Delta Dental to stay operational during the two-year construction. And midway through the project, Walbridge uncovered nearly $10 million in costsaving ideas.

New headquarters building

Delta Dental’s remote Data Center is one of a few worldwide to have earned a Tier III rating. The Uptime Institute, which awarded the designation, evaluates data centers on their electrical power handling capability, as well as their ability to remain up and running regardless of power failure, natural disaster or other potential power-robbing catastrophes.

Various “green” features were incorporated into the design of Delta Dental’s new campus. Numerous green roofs were installed to reduce heat island effect and provide alternative insulation, recycled materials were used in several areas of construction, and vast windows were incorporated throughout buildings to maximize natural lighting. The campus grounds were revitalized with native ground cover, prairie grasses, wildflowers and trees. Walbridge also expanded the onsite Ingham County Smith Drain to provide nearly 160,000 cubic feet of additional stormwater storage for the region.

The accolades alone Delta Dental has received since the work make it a hallmark project for Walbridge. Recent achievements include: • LEED® Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program • A Tier III rating from the Uptime Institute for the company’s new Data Center • An Environmental Stewardship Award from Meridian Township for enhancements to the Smith Drain basin, which supports a regional storm-water system, located onsite • Wildlife Certification from the Audubon Society

Relief for reptiles Before emptying the Smith Drain in preparation for its expansion, Walbridge worked with the Ingham County Drain Commissioner and a local herpetologist to hold a “Reptile Roundup.” Once its water was drained to a certain point, neighborhood volunteers lined the pond’s banks with nets while trained volunteers trudged into the basin and carefully caused enough ruckus to scare reptiles and amphibians to shore. After they were caught, several species of toads, frogs, snakes, turtles and fish were placed in temporary habitats for the duration of the work. They were later returned to the enhanced Smith Drain.

The “Reptile Roundup” not only saved critters that would’ve otherwise been displaced, but it helped double the pond’s wildlife population. The water is cleaner, the basin is 30 percent larger and the landscaping has been enhanced.

Boardroom Turtle saved during the “Reptile Roundup”

Built For Good I 11

Prefabrication brings repetition to a whole new level Modularization is good.

reduces time, injury and cost, which is why Walbridge has Iandtdedicated a team of professionals to work with employees clients on its advantages.

”We went outside our comfort zone to determine the best possible practices for using modularization on our projects,” said Walbridge Estimator Mike Smiley, a member of PPMOF.

Prefabrication, or modularization, is a technique used to make multiple – sometimes hundreds of – components off site, then transport and install them in a facility.

The method, which works in conjunction with building information modeling (BIM), has revolutionized the construction of correctional facilities and dormitories.

Walbridge is working to develop training courses to ensure our project teams are knowledgeable with how it all works.

Since the Walbridge PPMOF (Prefabrication, Preassembly, Modularization, Off-site Fabrication) team first assembled in November 2011, its nine members have spent considerable time conducting external and internal research, reviewing findings, making recommendations and implementing the concept. In external consultations, members met with various subcontractors about the prefab process and with several companies familiar with modularization.

The PPMOF team is made up of Walbridge Estimating, Engineering, Operations, Business Development and Lean/ Quality representatives, as well as an executive sponsor. The team will continue to meet quarterly, where its members discuss the latest trends in prefabrication and huddle about relative, recent experience. Its mission is to ensure modularization is considered, planned and executed from

12 I Built For Good

(Top) Prefabricated bathroom units will be installed in renovated residences at the University of Michigan Lawyers Club. The $28 million project also includes revitalizing the John P. Cook building.

(Right) The new Wayne County Jail in Detroit will be built with 970 modular cells. The facility will combine three existing jails into a single, centralized detention facility that will be more efficient and economical than the current arrangement.

the initial Business Development strategy, to the “Get Work” effort, through the “Do Work” phase of each applicable job.

“We went outside our comfort zone to determine the best possible practices for using modularization on our projects,” said Walbridge Estimator Mike Smiley, a member of PPMOF. “We are working with our project teams to help leverage the advantages of prefabrication as early on in the process as possible.”

Walbridge is currently using modularization on several projects, but the PPMOF team is highlighting two specifically for case studies.

The first is the major renovation of the University of Michigan Law School Lawyers Club. Here, the project team will use BIM-enhanced modularization to install prefabricated bathrooms inside each residential unit of the dormitory, located among the historic Law Quad on the Ann Arbor, Mich., campus. Each unit is pre-plumbed and comes equipped with a sink, toilet and bathtub.

Lawyers Club, built in 1924, provides housing for 260 Law School students in single- and double-occupancy rooms.

Up to 200 bathroom units will be prefabricated, transported and installed at the project site. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

The second project is the new Wayne County Jail in

Detroit. Walbridge contracted with a precast company in River Rouge, Mich., to build more than 970 modular jail cells, complete with bunks and plumbing fixtures. Some cells are double and quad occupancy, others are single occupancy; the correctional facility was designed to house 2,100 inmates. Cell prefabrication is scheduled to begin this September. The project is expected to wrap up in 2014.

In addition to its economic and scheduling benefits, using modularization can also make for safer projects. Moving a feature of work from a construction site to the controlled environment of a fabrication shop simply reduces risks.

It minimizes the amount of time workers spend on aerial lifts or scaffolds when prefabricated components are constructed at the ground level, reducing the potential hazards associated with elevated work. Modular elements of construction create repetitive assembly methods, familiarity and well-rehearsed safety routines.

Not only that, but using prefabrication is also lean. It reduces traffic at the job site and produces less waste. It’s proven to provide improved quality when production occurs inside a controlled environment where precision production equipment is utilized.

With its multiple advantages, prefabrication has the potential to help Walbridge teams further execute many of the company’s core values at each jobsite.

Built For Good I 13

Interns Work Well at Walbridge s summer approaches, plans are in motion to welcome A aboard a new crop of interns at Walbridge. Each year the company brings on more than a dozen interns

and assigns them to work in a variety of departments, including Accounting, Construction, Equipment Installation, Estimating, Human Resources, Information Technology and Marketing. Some interns work at Walbridge headquarters in Detroit. Others venture into the field and work on projects, including renovation of a residential complex at a major Midwestern university and construction of a battery recycling plant in the Southeast.

field,” said Mark Peters, a civil engineering student at the University of Michigan. “So, I got a really good feel for how things work.”

Recruitment efforts revved up in December 2011, when Walbridge held its first-ever Intern Networking Session in downtown Detroit. More than 25 students from Midwestern universities turned out to meet one-on-one with Walbridge employees, who provided information about their respective jobs and about the company.

“I got to learn about the inner workings of the company, as well as I got to talk to a lot of guys who work out in the

“Click” to watch the Intern Networking Session video

From Intern to Board Member Several Walbridge senior executives and general managers began their careers working as interns at the company.

For example, Mike Haller is Executive Vice President and a member of the Walbridge board of directors. He began his career with the company in April 1973 as an intern from the University of Detroit and went on to earn a civil engineering degree and become a registered professional engineer.

Today, Mike heads Walbridge’s Industrial business unit and oversees critical projects throughout the U.S., Mexico and Brazil.

“I tell students at the beginning of their internships that they will be doing some exciting things,” he said. “I also tell them that they’ll be doing some simple, almost menial things, too. That’s a part of every job. I know, though, that the combination of experiences will challenge them and make this worthwhile. Interns are very important to us.”

Mike acknowledges the contributions made by office-

14 I Built For Good

based employees and interns. But, he makes no bones about telling interns where to find the focal point of the company’s effort to satisfy customers.

“In the end it’s done in the field,” he told Walbridge’s intern class of 2011 at a farewell event. “A lot of support comes from people at the corporate office, but it’s the people standing in the mud directing construction and those on the plant floor installing equipment that ensure we deliver for the customer.”

So, where’s a photo of Mike working as an intern at Walbridge in the mid-1970s? We asked for one.

“They didn’t have cameras back then,” he replied.

Mike Haller

Q&A – Construction in 2012 enior Vice President Randy Abdallah is at the tip of the Walbridge spear when it comes to making Scontact with customers. His insight helps serve as a

forecast for what’s ahead for the construction industry.

Are more companies moving ahead with construction projects this year?

RA: I don’t think you’re going to see a full recovery of the construction industry for another year. But generally speaking – yes. It’s a consumer-driven economy. Interest rates are low and clients see the economy picking up.

The last quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012 showed increased activity at design firms, which is a good indicator that construction is picking back up.

What markets are the biggest right now and why?

RA: Manufacturing and industrial, partly due to “onshoring.”

There’s a renewed interest in the southern United States and Mexico as U.S. companies opt to manufacture their products here, or in countries closer to home. There are supply chain risks with manufacturing overseas, including the time it takes to ship manufactured parts from Asia. If the labor is half the cost, but it takes double the time, is it really worth it?

Is the competitive balance shifting back toward North America?

RA: Yes. Transportation costs are on the rise and wages in Asian countries are going up, while interest rates here are low and lending is improving. U.S. companies are also noticing more and more cases of infringement with overseas manufacturing. Keeping products closer to home offers more control. And they’re finding that U.S. labor is more skilled and productive.

What else is having a positive effect right now?

RA: Stringent CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards for vehicles are also driving these markets. We’re doing a lot of work in the aluminum industry as automakers are starting to build lighter cars. This translates into work for the autos in stamping, powertrain and assembly as they continuously refine and retool their vehicles. The resurgence of car sales and increased vehicle production is having a positive effect on construction.

The mining industry is making a comeback, too, which helps drive industrial construction. The energy industry, specifically the shale gas industry, is creating regional economic opportunities, which are driving other industries.

With that, which markets are currently struggling?

RA: Commercial is the least active. Specifically retail, office, single-family homes and condominiums are challenged segments. We don’t see these markets picking up in the near term. Inventory needs to be absorbed before we see a full recovery. Bright spots continue in apartment and healthcare construction.

Public construction in general is weak – although we have been fortunate in getting some good wins.

Are there ‘hotter’ delivery methods right now?

RA: We’re seeing more engineer-procure-construct (EPC), construction management and design-build contracts – anything that allows the owner to get to market quickly.

With state incentives encouraging building, everybody is in a hurry right now to get their projects completed.

What construction trends can we expect in 2012?

Randy Abdallah

Introducing the new Walbridge.com pleased to announce introduction of the reWe’re designed www.walbridge.com.

It offers big, bold photographs of key projects and video stories about Walbridge employees who create value for our customers.

RA: Increasing energy costs will have an impact on the prices of raw construction materials, which will in turn drive construction prices higher. This will create greater competition from subcontractors and suppliers.

Sales contacts Contact one of our sales executives to discuss your project requirements.

Randy Abdallah Senior Vice President – Get Work 313-442-1295 rabdallah@walbridge.com David Hanson Senior Vice President – Corporate Sales Leader 313-442-1267 dhanson@walbridge.com

Built For Good I 15

Community ore than 20 teams of Michigan middle-schoolers M participated in the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) 17th annual Future City Competition in Novi, Mich. on Jan. 30.

The “Best Planned City” award, sponsored by Walbridge, went to Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Students were charged with creating a city 150 years in the future through innovative use of engineering principles. Cities were designed to be sustainable, and several groups recycled household materials to build their models.

“Click” to watch the video

The Future City program is designed to engage sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-related activity, and apply it to real-world problems.

Eight Walbridge employees volunteered to judge at the event. They were: Kerry Deacon, Rick Krout, Dan Lamble, Taneisha Lockwood, Jacob Markut, Micah Milot, Matt Pulick and Nick Schmidt.

Follow us on Twitter Walbridge’s Rick Krout (right) joins winners of the Best Planned City award.

albridge is on Twitter! Follow us at W @WalbridgeGroup to keep up on industry trends and to learn more about our people and projects.

Awards Walbridge earned a 2011 Build Michigan Award from the Associated General Contractors of Michigan for its work on the University of Michigan Law School Renovation and Expansion project. The work included a major renovation of 78-year-old Hutchins Hall and construction of South Hall, a new four-story, 100,000-square-foot academic building.

People Terry Merritt, Walbridge Group Vice President, was one of 25 “Women Making a Difference” honored by the Michigan Women’s Foundation during the organization’s 25th anniversary celebration on March 26.

Jackie Jackson, Manager of Supplier Diversity at Walbridge, has been re-elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) for 2012-13.

David Hanson, Walbridge Senior Vice President, is the new National Treasurer of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

16 I Built For Good

777 Woodward Ave, Suite 300 Detroit, Michigan 48226 313.963.8000 www.walbridge.com Aurora, Illinois I Charlotte, North Carolina I Chattanooga, Tennessee (JV) I Columbia, South Carolina Detroit, Michigan I Kokomo, Indiana I LeClaire, Iowa I Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I Salt Lake City, Utah San Antonio, Texas (JV) I St. Louis, Missouri I Oakland, California (JV) I Tampa, Florida Mexico City, Mexico I London, Ontario (JV) I Windsor, Ontario Dubai, UAE (JV) I Abu Dhabi, UAE (JV) I São Paulo, Brazil (JV) Have a Walbridge project you’d like to see featured in our next newsletter?

Send an email to: mmarymee@walbridge.com