Federal

The recently completed Warrior in Transition project at Fort Polk

When U.S. Army soldiers return home wounded from combat overseas, they often need specialized services to help them heal and return to military or civilian life. They may stay for days, weeks or even months in specialized Warrior in Transition (WT) complexes that are specially designed to treat their unique medical, psychological and social needs.

With five WT projects either complete or under construction, Sundt has become a recognized expert in this unique kind of federal construction project. Our most recently completed WT facility is at Fort Polk, near Leesville, La. The $17.2 million project included site work and the construction of a 67,000-square-foot barracks building to house 112 soldiers in apartment-style units.  

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Fort Hood Warrior in Transition Barracks

Sustainable building isn’t just for the private sector. More and more federal construction projects are now requiring third party sustainable certifications on new building projects. The new Warrior in Transition (WT) Barracks at Fort Hood, Texas is one of them. The Fort Hood WT incorporates a number of sustainable features, which will help it achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The facility has public transportation access and features special parking for low-emitting/fuel-efficient vehicles. Inside, the nearly 193,000-square-foot, five-story building utilizes an energy efficient HVAC system and Energy Star equipment to reduce energy usage by 30 percent or more.

Other sustainable features include on-site renewable energy, a cool roof, and native and draught tolerant landscaping, which will reduce irrigation needs.

During construction over 75 percent of all construction waste was recycled and diverted from local landfills.

When complete later this month, the Fort Hood WT Barracks will house 320 personnel in shared living modules consisting of separate bedrooms with shared bath and kitchen areas.

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Andale/Sundt’s projects at Camp Lejeune began earlier this year and are scheduled for completion in September of 2013.

Sundt and Phoenix-based Andale Construction have teamed up as joint venture partners to build two barracks projects for the United States Marine Corps at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The federal construction projects – worth a total of more than $70 million – are the result of a joint venture partnership that has been officially recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Mentor-Protégé Program, a business development initiative that helps socially and economically disadvantaged Americans gain access to economic opportunity.

Andale Construction (pronounced ahn-dah-ley, which is Spanish for “hurry up,”) was founded in 2006 by Luis de la Cruz, an underground utility specialist who started his career in construction more than 34 years ago as a laborer in Los Angeles. After applying to the SBA’s program in 2010, Andale and Sundt were approved as official mentor-protégé partners last year. Since then they have been engaged in an in-depth process in which Sundt is helping Andale strengthen and grow its fledgling business. The Andale/Sundt joint venture, in which Andale is the majority partner, is a single entity that is officially recognized as a small/minority-owned business. As a result, the partnership is able to pursue large-scale federal projects that have been set aside for such enterprises.

Spanning more than 156,000 acres, including 11 miles of North Carolina coastline, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is home to several major Marine Corps Commands and tenant commands. Andale/Sundt’s design-build projects are located at the French Creek and Camp Johnson areas of Camp Lejeune and are valued at $31.5 million and $39.9 million, respectively. The project at French Creek is for bachelor enlisted quarters consisting of one, five-story building with 200 rooms. The project at Camp Johnson is a three-story, 170-room bachelor enlisted quarters that includes study areas, meeting rooms and ceremonial spaces to be used for education and training.

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Amy Hawkins

Sundt Construction, Inc. is pleased to announce that Amy Hawkins has been promoted to Area Manager for federal projects. In her new position, Amy will be responsible for the procurement and execution of new projects for the federal government. Amy has been in the construction industry since 1991, and joined Sundt in 2005. During her career, she has served as Senior Project Manager, Project Manager, and Project Engineer on projects valued at over $1 billion.

Since Sundt believes that our people are the core of what we do, we wanted to share a little more about Amy. We recently spent some time talking with her, and this is what we learned:

What is it about Sundt that has led you to make your career here? 

I was initially drawn to Sundt by the high level of professionalism, entrepreneurial spirit and the concept of ownership in the company available through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan.  I believe Sundt attracts some of the industry’s most motivated, experienced professionals who genuinely care about client satisfaction. I was also drawn to Sundt’s commitment to long-standing relationships with the top tier of owners, architects and subcontractors in the industry.

 If you could build anything, what would it be?

I particularly enjoy working on hospitality/casino projects. I enjoy the fast pace and I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of working with owners and designers to help them create one-of-a-kind features, effects using high-end finishes, pushing the envelope of design, and meeting very challenging construction schedules. 

 Would you recommend a career in construction to a young person today?

I would. Construction tends to develop very well-rounded individuals. I love that on any given day I could be negotiating contracts in a boardroom, walking the site and solving constructability issues with the team, or figuring out how to get very diverse groups of people to join forces to move a project forward. There aren’t many careers that allow a person to develop so many skill sets all at once. 

Where would you most like to travel?

I enjoy traveling to Europe – London, Paris, Amsterdam and Spain are a few of the spots I have been. I think my next trip will be to Costa Rica for yoga and surf lessons. 

How do you like to spend our time when you’re not working?

I enjoy spending time with my family in Phoenix when I am not “on the road” traveling for work. When I get a chance to take off for a few days I enjoy working around my yard, reading, snowboarding, relaxing on the beach, doing yoga and working out at the gym.  At least once a year I unplug from work and go visit the family farm in Vermont.

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Sundt’s crews are excavating for the drainage structures that will be incorporated into the new C-130 parking apron. Grading work, also for the apron, is shown on the right.

Sundt’s current work at Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis, N.M., is a great example of why experience matters. The $23 million heavy civil project involves building a new parking apron and taxiway for the C-130 gunship aircraft – plus extensive drainage facilities – in just 365 calendar days. As if that weren’t challenging enough, the site is in close proximity to an active runway and “arm / de-arm pad” where arriving planes are armed and de-armed with live ammunition – operations that necessarily take priority over construction and can bring the team’s activities to a halt. There are also five other contractors on site to work around and coordinate with.

“One of the main reasons Sundt was selected for the job is our experience performing military airfield paving and similar work for the federal government,” explains Project Manager Dominic Mascia. “There are about 55 pages of specifications for the concrete paving alone – covering batching and placing the concrete to the quality checks which include thickness, smoothness, strength, etc. It takes a lot to get a quality end product, which not every contractor understands. Poor quality work can lead to early and unscheduled maintenance and other more serious problems that can be both expensive and dangerous. We also have a lot of experience working in high-security military environments.”

Sundt’s ability to perform more than half of the project with its own crews offers another advantage. “We’re self-performing the earthwork, the installation of the underground utilities (storm drain and water line), the box culverts and other drainage structures, and the concrete paving,” Mascia continued. “Quality is the ultimate goal. Experience, plus self-performing a large part of the work, is a proven way to reach it.”

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The soon-to-be-complete Warrior in Transition barracks at Fort Sam Houston, Texas

This photo shows off something we’re particularly proud of: the nearly completed Warrior in Transition (WT) barracks at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Sundt has completed or is in the process of building five WT projects at multiple army posts around the country. These federal construction projects provide specialized services to meet the unique medical, psychological and social needs of U.S. Army soldiers who return home wounded from combat overseas.

Built to accommodate up to 360 returning soldiers, the $48 million WT barracks at Fort Sam Houston features a two-bedroom apartment-style design. Through the use of subdued lighting, residential-style furnishings and household common areas, the new WT barracks provides service members a sense of normalcy, as well as the chance to adapt to the new lifestyle they’ll experience when they return to the civilian environment. Proximity to world-class medical and therapeutic facilities, combined with a deep devotion to patient-centered care – both physical and emotional – mean our best and bravest will be treated with the respect they deserve and given the chance to return to their communities in the best condition possible.

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The San Diego Armed Services YMCA received a grant from the Sundt Foundation to help make military life easier.

Sixty charitable organizations across the nation got good news from the Sundt Foundation last week: together they’ve been awarded more than $128,000 in grants to support their diverse programs – most of which benefit children and families in need. The organizations were selected by the Foundation’s board of directors from more than 100 non-profits that applied for grants during the first quarter of fiscal year 2012.

The Sundt Foundation raises money primarily through contributions from Sundt employees, which are then matched dollar-for-dollar by the company. Since its inception in 1999 the Foundation has made grants totaling nearly $5 million to hundreds of worthy organizations. Most grants are awarded in communities where Sundt has an established office. Employees can also direct their donations to charitable organizations that benefit members of the military and their families.

“It’s exciting to see the Foundation growing and helping more and more people each year,” said board president Abigail Shaver. “We’re up to 598 members across the company, with 70 percent participation from administrative employees. When each of us gives a little, it adds up quickly and makes a big difference in people’s lives.”

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Preconstruction Project Manager Randy Rusing gave a check for $5,000 to the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.

Fans of country music legend Reba McEntire have one more reason to sing her praises: the diva of downhome recently gave $10,000 to Sundt Construction to be used for matching grants to charitable organizations that help military members and their families. Reba and Sundt forged a connection thanks to Pat Manley, one of the star’s closest friends and owner of Johnson-Manley Lumber Company, a subcontractor to Sundt. Sundt upped the ante by throwing in an additional $15,000, bringing the total to $25,000 that has been distributed to non-profit groups at five military installations around the country. Holiday generosity…now that’s tune we can all hum along to.

Sundt employees had the pleasure of handing out checks to the following organizations:

• $5,000 – Operation Helping Hand at Fort Campbell, Ky.
• $2,500 – Toys for Tots program at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
• $2,500 – Holiday Food Voucher Program at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
• $5,000 – Warrior Family Community Partnership at Fort Carson, Colo.
• $5,000 – Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.
• $5,000 – Military Outreach Ministry (MOM) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.

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Sundt Project Director John Alberghini gives $1,000 from the Sundt Foundation to a representative of the Toys for Tots program at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Many of our service members face tough times during the holidays. Long separations from their families, emotional and physical battle wounds, and even financial struggles can make this joyous time of year more challenging than it should be for those who dedicate themselves to keeping our country safe.

“Some of them come home from a long tour of duty overseas and don’t even have money to buy gifts for their kids, or food for Christmas dinner,” says Dan Arana, operations manager for Sundt’s Federal Division. Dan, whose own family benefitted from the kindness of others when he was growing up, has made it his personal mission to identify and help meet the needs of our men and women in uniform at each of the military installations where Sundt has a current construction project. “We want them to know that people care about them. It makes their holidays brighter, and it makes us feel good to help.”

Dan and his fellow Federal Division employees worked to put together the following holiday-themed activities to benefit military families this year:

At Marine Corps Base Camp Yuma, Ariz., they gave 40 $50 gift cards to the Officers’ Spouses’ Club and 60 $50 gift cards to the Marine Corps Community Service, totaling $5,000 all together. The organizations will distribute the commissary gift cards to young Marines and their families to help feed them over the holidays. This was in addition to 60 $50 commissary gift cards Sundt gave to the Marine Corps Community Service to help Marines and their families at Thanksgiving.

At Fort Sill, Okla., Sundt recently held a barbecue to celebrate two successful projects and used the opportunity to encourage a number of its subcontractors to match the Sundt Foundation’s $3,000 grant to the Armed Services YMCA (see below). An additional $1,856 was raised from a number of subs and suppliers, bringing the total to $4,856. The check was given to the organization during the week of Thanksgiving, and was reported to be a huge help.

Federal Division employees working at Fort Sill also sponsored four military families for Christmas, which involves purchasing gifts for their families as well as toys for a “Holiday Joy” event that took place on Dec. 20.

The Sundt Foundation joined in the Federal Division’s generosity by awarding $10,000 in grants to the following non-profit organizations that lend a helping hand to military families:

• $3,000 – Armed Services YMCA – Fort Sill, Okla.
• $2,000 – Hope for our Warriors – Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• $1,000 – Operation Santa Claus – Fort Bliss, Texas
• $1,000 – Santa’s Workshop – Fort Hood, Texas
• $1,000 – Toys for Tots – Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• $1,000 – USO of North Carolina – Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• $1,000 – Returning Heroes Home – Fort Sam Houston, Texas

Sundt also gave $5,000 to the following organizations at Fort Polk, La.:

• $1,000 – Fort Polk Army Community Service (ACS) Baby Center
• $1,000 – Fort Polk ACS Emergency Food Voucher
• $1,000 – Fort Polk ACS Survivor Outreach
• $1,000 – Fort Polk Child Development Center
• $1,000 – Fort Polk Youth Services

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Artist's rendering of the JSF training facility being built by Sundt at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz.

Sundt has been building projects for the United States military since 1902, when horses still played a prominent role in our nation’s defenses. Fast forward more than 100 years and we are still building high-profile jobs for our armed forces – albeit of the non-equine variety – including one of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s (NAVFAC) top priorities: a training facility for the F-35B, a highly sophisticated joint-strike-fighter (JSF) aircraft that has short takeoff, vertical landing, and stealth capabilities. When the first F-35Bs are introduced next year, they will become the principal, elite aircraft supporting Marine Corps reconnaissance and combat missions around the world.

Sundt’s $18.4 million contract is to manage the design and construction of a 43,000-square-foot JSF flight simulation facility for the F-35B at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. As the second project of its kind in the United States – and the first west of the Mississippi River – it will be used to train pilots through the use of 12 JSF simulators that replicate real-world missions and challenges while saving on fuel costs and aircraft maintenance. The facility will also house mission briefing and de-briefing rooms, administrative space and offices.

Because the engine, avionics and weapons systems of the F-35B are highly classified, the project area – not to mention the base itself – has extremely tight security. Sundt’s crew members and subcontractors have gone through extensive background checks to gain clearance and site access. Another challenge is the project’s fast-track, 12-month schedule: construction began in June 2011 and must be complete by June 1, 2012 in time for the arrival of the first squadron of pilots for training.

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