April 2009 — June 2009
COP Construction LLC & Subsidiaries
COP CHRONICLE
WOODS CROSS WATER TANK - Bountiful, UT
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Letter from the President
2
Faces of COP
3
Current Projects
6
COP Construction LLC
P. O. Box 20913
Billings MT 59104
406-656-4632
406-656-4808 fax
840 N. 700 W.
North Salt Lake UT 84054
801-298-9556
801-298-9725 fax
Ed Bedell
President
Bruce Rost
Operations Manager
Montana/North Wyoming
Dennis McPherson
Operations Manager
Utah/South Wyoming
Rich King
Estimating Manager
Rick Morrison
Chief Financial Officer
COP Wyoming LLC
P. O. Box 1479
Rock Springs, WY 82902
307-382-2812
307-382-2835 fax
Joe Troester
Manager
Co-Editors: Kimberly Hope
Teresa Milligan
Betty Warner
Visit us on the web
copconstruction.com
The Woods Cross Water Tank project in Bountiful, Utah was awarded
to COP on September 2, 2008 for
$3,581,643. The Woods Cross City
Corporation is the owner of the
project.
The project, located in the middle
of a residential neighborhood, presented a very restricted and difficult working area as the tank was
built directly behind the backyards
of the residents.
The project started with 50,000
cubic yards of excavation to accommodate a 3.1 million gallon culinary
water storage tank. The new water
tank will service the residents of
Woods Cross which is just north of
Salt Lake City.
A 345 Cat Excavator was used for
the tank excavation which reached
a depth of 32 feet. Utilities for the
tank were installed at a depth of 25
feet. Once the tank excavation was
completed, 33,000 square feet of
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
liner was used to cover the subgrade, and 3,000 tons of fill was
then placed on top of the HDPE
liner.
Due to the location of the project,
material storage and delivery was
extremely challenging. McPhilomy
Trucking hauled approximately
50,000 cubic yards of dirt to a
stockpile location three miles from
the project site. 12,000 cubic
yards will be hauled back from the
stockpile location for backfill of the
concrete tank.
Becho Inc. constructed the temporary retaining walls. COP worked
simultaneously with Becho during
the excavation of the tank. The
height of the retaining walls varied
from 12 feet to 20 feet. It took
Becho approximately one week to
complete 7,500 square feet of
retaining wall using shotcrete and
soil nails.
The finished water tank has
33,000 square feet of concrete
walls which extend 20 feet high
and are 1.5 feet thick.
Continued on page 5
Excavated tank site
Photo by Jasen Bennie
Excavating the tank
Photo by Jasen Bennie
First concrete pour on tank floor
Photo by Jasen Bennie
April 2009 — June 2009
Page 2
From the desk of the President –
With health care and other employee benefits being a major
topic in the news these days, I thought it would be appropriate to
highlight the comprehensive benefit program offered to COP
employees.
“Our employees are our most important asset.”
COP decided years ago, and continues today, to provide a benefit package to those employees not affected by Collective BargainEXAMPLE
ing Agreements that is superior to the industry standard. We
Benefits for a Salaried Employee with a $50,000/Year Salary
recognize that our employees are COP’s most important asset and
want to provide them with a high quality benefit package that
promotes a positive work environment. Oftentimes we hear em ployees state that it is only what is in the paycheck that is impor- I. Benefits directly affecting an employee’s compensation package.
tant. However, the amount that is in the paycheck is only a por- The following benefits and the associated dollar amounts are extion of an employee’s total compensation.
penses to COP that the employees benefit from directly in their comIn December of 2007, COP did extensive research regarding the
benefits offered by construction companies similar to COP. While
this information is a little over a year old, it still highlights the fact
that COP’s programs are superior, even as challenging economic
times have been encountered in 2008 and to date in 2009, causing
most companies to decrease the benefits offered from what is in
our research. We have not allowed bad economic conditions to
dictate a reduction in our benefits. This is significant and only
further shows the greater quality of the benefits offered by COP.
Let’s look more closely at three of the major benefits provided by
COP and relate it to this 2007 data.
pensation package.
Salary
Cost of Benefits INCLUDED in the $50k/Year Salary
Vacation – 2 weeks
Holidays – 8 days
Sick/Personal Time – 10 days (if needed)
Subtotal of Benefits paid by COP INCLUDED in the $50k/Year
Cost of Benefits NOT INCLUDED in the $50k/Year Salary
401(k) – 5% match
Health
Long Term Disability
Vehicle
50% of Health Club Dues
401(k) Incentive Retirement Plan: The 401(k) plan is one of the
most important benefits to help our employees have a program to
live out their retirement years comfortably. COP provides a 5%
match upon entrance into the program and that match is 100%
vested immediately. For those that enroll, it is like receiving a 5%
raise… and is essentially FREE money to those employees. Our
research indicated that only 80% of the construction companies
offer matching 401(k) programs. With the recent challenging Cost of Benefits paid by COP NOT INCLUDED in the $50k/Year Salary:
economic times, the percentage of construction companies offering a match has now decreased significantly below this 80% fig- Percentage of wages:
ure.
Health Care Coverage: Everyone knows the cost of health care
coverage is increasing every year at a rapid rate. Currently, COP
pays 100% of the employee’s health care coverage for all employees as well as 100% of the dependent health care coverage for
salaried employees. Per the 2007 data, only 26% of the construction companies paid 100% of employee health care coverage, and
only 22% of the construction companies paid 100% of dependent
health care coverage. COP is clearly a leader in providing its
valuable employees health care coverage at no cost to the employee.
Comparable increase in taxable wage/year (assume 25% tax rate):
$1,923/Year
$1,538/Year
$1,923/Year
$5,384/Year
$2,500/Year
$9,090/Year
$414/Year
$14,560/Year
$360/Year
$26,924/Year
54%
$33,655/Year
This amount represents the yearly gross taxable value of these
benefits provided to the employee by COP.
II. Benefits indirectly affecting an employee’s compensation package.
The following benefits and the associated dollar amounts are expenses to COP that the
employees benefit from indirectly in their compensation package.
Payroll Taxes and Insurance Paid by COP
FICA
General Liability
Workers Comp
Umbrella
SUTA
FUTA
Given the significance of COP’s benefits contributions, I thought
it would be helpful to identify the costs to COP that an employee Cost of taxes and insurance paid by COP for 12 month period:
Long Term Disability: As explained to COP employees at the
employee meetings in April, 2009, COP will continue to provide
long term disability coverage for our salaried employees at no cost
to employees. This compares to 84% of construction companies
that provide this coverage to their employees. However, those
84% of construction companies only pay 92% of the cost of the
coverage, while COP pays 100%.
$50,000/Year
$3,825/Year
$2,445/Year
$3,245/Year
$1,000/Year
$1,079/Year
$56/Year
$11,650/Year
never sees in their paycheck. As an example, the chart to the right
is the cost breakdown associated with a COP salaried employee Percentage of wages:
23%
earning a salary of $50,000 per year. Section I outlines the costs
III. Summation of I. and II. above.
paid by COP that employees benefit from directly in their compen$88,574/Year
sation package. Section II outlines the costs paid by COP that the Total cost to COP of compensation package:
employees benefit from indirectly in their compensation package.
As I stated earlier, our employees are COP’s most important asset. This article clearly demFrom the chart you can see that the cost to COP associated with
a salaried employee earning a $50,000 per year salary is $88,574 onstrates that the benefits COP provides are superior to other similar construction companies in
per year. In other words, COP pays out an additional $38,574 our geographical area and highlights the significant amount of benefit expenses paid by COP
which are far above and beyond what is in an employee’s weekly paycheck.
(77%) in costs to provide a $50,000 salary to an employee.
COP CHRONICLE
Page 3
MEET THE FACES of COP
Jasen Bennie is a Project Manager in the Salt Lake office starting in October of 2005. He
and his wife, Tara, have two boys – Kael, 4 , and Kaden, 3, and are expecting their third
child in November. Kael is enjoying his first year of T-Ball and is looking forward to swim
lessons later this summer. Kaden is enjoying his new bike, and Jasen and Tara are waiting for that first Emergency Room visit! Jasen was born and raised in Ketchikan, Alaska
and Tara was born and raised in Port Angeles, Washington. Jasen and Tara met at Pacific
Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington where they both participated in college athletics. The biggest joys in their lives are their children and spending time together as a family, especially going on family vacations. Jasen enjoys, and definitely has a passion for,
the construction industry!
Celso Holguin started at COP on November 10, 2005, as an hourly Superintendent and in
April of 2006 became a salaried Superintendent. Celso is bilingual in Spanish and English. This makes communication in the field very easy between the Hispanic speaking
and English speaking employees. Celso has a very hard work ethic which stems from him
working on his family’s large ranch in Sonora, Mexico as a child. When Celso moved to
the U.S., in particular Los Angeles, California, he graduated from Huntington Park High
School and then went to college to pursue computer programming. However, he found
construction more fulfilling. He and his wife, Rocio, have four sons and a daughter. Celso
loves to take his kids hiking and enjoys working on his project cars. He and his family
moved from southern California in 1998 to Salt Lake City to provide a better place for
their children. Celso says they love it here!
Sam Vaitai was recently promoted to Superintendent from Carpenter Foreman and works
out of the Salt Lake office. He began his career with COP as a Carpenter/Leadman Carpenter on November 15, 2005. On December 1, 2008, he became a salaried Carpenter
Foreman. Sam mostly likes to spend time with his family but also finds time to play basketball and go to the gym. Gym time is a necessity as he loves to eat lots of food! Sam’s
full name is Samuela Fakatou Vaitai, named after his grandfather. He is Tongan and was
raised in Los Angeles, California, and comes from a very close knit family. Sam moved to
Utah in the late 1990s and after high school, following in his grandfather’s footsteps,
pursued his career in construction. He and his wife, Twila, have one boy and one girl with
hopes of having more children in the future!
Jade Lee started his career with COP on October 19, 2005 as a Foreman on the East
Canyon Project in Park City, Utah. He then went to the OCI Project in Rock Springs, Wyoming and has since supervised our Utah projects in Park City, Salt Lake City, Syracuse,
and Wanship. As Jade enjoys snowboarding, camping, fishing, and mountain biking, he
appreciates our work in Utah! Jade also restores old pickup trucks, in particular a 1953
Chevy and a 1972 Chevy. Jade has two daughters and one son. Misha is 17 and Ivy is
10. Both are in dance, and Misha is captain of the Drill Team at her school. Jade's son,
Sage, is 12 and loves sports, especially baseball and wrestling, and hopes to play football
this year.
Page 4
April 2009 — June 2009
~~~ YEARS OF SERVICE ~~~
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THE FOLLOWING EMPLOYEES
COP CONSTRUCTION LLC
COP WYOMING LLC
FEBRUARY
Joe Troester
MARCH
Max Bednorz
MAY
Jose Valdez
3
1
2
JANUARY
Gary Erickson
Dan Dodge
Ric Feyk
Rick Morrison
Mike Anderson
Don Werhonig
Doug Teller
Scott Langman
Darci DeBuff
FEBRUARY
John Biesheuval
Dustin Dennison
Toby McFarlane
GARY ERICKSON AND DENNIS MCPHERSON
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMBINED 77 YEARS
OF SERVICE TO COP ~
39
26
26
14
8
7
4
3
1
7
3
1
MARCH
Tracy Kaercher
Dave Davidson
Neil Buckingham
Bob Knickerbocker
Debbie Mitchell
Dave Loyning
Shan Laurie
Craig Olson
Chad Allen
Anthony Gentile
Liz Kercher-Clark
Jan Bramble
Rob Smith
APRIL
Larry Brunmeier, Sr.
John May
Chad Peterson
Chris Cull
Josh Roberson
Chris Skorupa
Scott Grasma
18
16
16
15
13
13
8
8
6
6
6
4
2
16
13
13
7
6
2
1
MAY
Dennis McPherson
Donna Kuntz
Rich King
Ray Speed
Shirley Totten
Cody Stansfield
Justin McGlone
Joe Allen
Chris Collins
Rod Braegger
JUNE
Mike McPherson
Bruce Rost
Tanya Brown
Clarence Weber
Rod DeBuff
Mike Huff
Ron Batt
Russ Kraenzel
38
14
10
9
8
8
7
7
5
1
16
14
10
6
5
4
3
2
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFETY ON THE JOB?
In the last COP Chronicle, we talked about who is responsible for safety on the job. We determined that everyone has a role to play in making sure
the work site is safe and we all go home at the end of the day in “better” condition than at the start of the day – “better” means you weren’t hurt,
plus you have a few more bucks in the old paycheck! The company has several ways to help you understand safe work practices and understand
what we expect from you.
For new and returning employees, we start with a basic Safety Orientation Training session. In this training session, you will receive an overview
of the company’s safety rules and policies. You will be introduced to the various “tools” we use to ensure your safety on the job, and we stress the
fact that construction work can be dangerous, and it is vital that you are always focused on your work.
Unlike working at a widget making factory, construction work changes constantly – day by day and even hour
by hour. You cannot risk being distracted or becoming complacent about your work assignment. In the Safety
Orientation, we discuss why we prepare Site Safety Plans for all of our projects, why we require attendance at
Safety Meetings, why we use Job Safety Analysis, how we enforce our safety requirements, among other
things.
In the next issue of the COP Chronicle, we will look into the “tools” we use to help you work smart and work
safely.
Chris Cull, Safety Manager
COP CHRONICLE
Page 5
The tank also has approximately 3,000 cubic yards of concrete, 1,000,000 pounds of epoxy coated rebar, and 24,000 square feet of
elevated roof that is 20 feet high. The project required four semi loads of shoring for the elevated slab. The majority of the concrete
work occurred during cold weather and created a major challenge to cover and heat.
The project started in October of 2008 and is scheduled for completion in August of 2009. Project personnel included Jasen Bennie,
Project Manager, Celso Holguin, Concrete Superintendent, Jade Lee, Excavation Superintendent and Sam Vaitai, Project Foreman. Craft
personnel who made the concrete tank portion of the project such a success included Martin Arballo, Gabriel Fraga, Mike McPherson,
Juan Prieto, and Jose Romero.
Formed tank walls using Alisply Form Systems
Left and Right:
Formed tank walls with overflow penetration
Shoring for first half of tank, approximately 15,000 SF
“The majority of the concrete work occurred during cold
weather and created a major challenge to cover and
heat.”
First elevated roof pour
Photos by Jasen Bennie
PO Box 20913 Billings MT 59104
PROJECTS
CURRENTLY
UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
COP CONSTRUCTION LLC
KALISPELL WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT
Kalispell, Montana
HARDIN LIFT STATION
S. FORK SHOSHONE RIVER BRIDGE
WAKEGAN PUMP STATION
Hardin, Montana
Cody, Wyoming
Bear River City, Utah
$45,000
$1,460,000
$686,000
BILLINGS W.O. 08-01-SCHEDULE I
GIBBON RIVER BRIDGE
BOAT HARBOR LIFT STATION
(Sub-quote to HK Contractors, Inc.)
American Fork, Utah
$2,900,000
$18,400,000
EXXON CIVIL PROJECTS—
API PIPE SUPPORTS
SANITARY SEWER
Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Value Pending
$715,000
$3,889,000
MDOT HIGHWAY 191 - BIG SKY
BILLINGS W.O. 08-01-SCHEDULE III
DRY GULCH BRIDGES
Belgrade, Montana
$13,000,000
WATER & SEWER
Billings, Montana
Vernal, Utah
$1,400,000
COP WYOMING LLC
$4,038,000
BRIARWOOD SANITARY SEWER
Billings, Montana
$5,180,000
UNITS 3 & 4—SILO FOUNDATION &
BUILDING FOUNDATION
Colstrip, Montana
WOODS CROSS WATER TANK
Bountiful, Utah
$3,596,000
$534,000
TREE STREETS SANITARY SEWER
& WATER
Rock Springs, Wyoming
$4,736,000
POLY DRIVE SOUTH UTILITIES
LOCKWOOD SEWER PHASE I
6 BRIDGES OVER STEINAKER CANAL
COLLEGE DR.-GRANT ST. EXTENSION
(Sub-quote to Knife River)
Lockwood, Montana
Vernal, Utah
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Billings, Montana
$2,662,000
$1,600,000
$2,069,000
THOMPSON FALLS FISH LADDER
COLUMBUS SEWER REPLACEMENT
P&G GOLDRUSH PIPE
STORY FISH HATCHERY
Thompson Falls, Montana
Columbus, Montana
Bear River City, Utah
Story, Wyoming
$5,900,000
$166,000
$2,040,000
$2,285,000
$1,260,000