 Garry
M. Higdem, P.E.,
formerly with Granite Construction (Watsonville, California),
has been named to
succeed
David J. D’Antoni as president of Ashland Paving
And Construction, Inc., the parent corporation of the APAC
group of companies, the nation’s premier transportation
construction enterprise. The announcement was made by James
J. O’Brien, chairman and chief executive officer of
Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), APAC’s parent company. Higdem,
who will report to O’Brien, will hold the title of senior
vice president,
Ashland Inc., as well as president, Ashland Paving And Construction,
Inc. The appointment is effective
Monday,
Jan. 12, 2004.
Since
1996
Higdem has served
as
vice president of Granite’s Heavy
Construction
Division, a nationwide operation that constructs large public
and private projects including highways, bridges,
dams, airports,
rapid-transit systems and other complex infrastructure.
In that role he was instrumental in growing the division’s
annual
revenues from $180 million to more than $700 million. Many
of the projects built during Higdem’s tenure with
Granite
were priced at $50 million or more and increasingly used
the design-build delivery method, a scope of work that
represents
a growth strategy and expanded opportunities for APAC’s
business.
Higdem
joins Ashland
with 30
years of
diverse
construction
experience, including 23 years at Granite. His group’s
recent work has included
the $1.4
billion I-15 highway reconstruction project in Salt Lake
City, the $600 million Las Vegas monorail,
the $108
million
St. John’s River bridge in Sanford,
Fla., and
a $73 million
I-85
project in Durham, North Carolina .
D’Antoni steps down as president of APAC, a role
he added last
July, but
continues with duties he has held since November 2001 as
group operating officer and senior vice president
of Ashland.
As the
nation’s premier transportation construction enterprise,
the APAC
group of companies operates in 14 Southern and Midwestern
states. APAC’s assets consist of 96 aggregate production
facilities,
including
35 permanent operating quarry locations; 65 ready-mix concrete
plants; 239 hot-mix asphalt plants;
and more
than 15,000
pieces of mobile equipment. The APAC companies are wholly
owned subsidiaries of Ashland Inc.
 Congressman
Jim Marshall to Deliver Black History Month Address at Fort
Valley State University
Fort Valley
State University
will present the 17th Annual Black History Month Scholarship
Observance Program, Monday February 16,
at 12:00
noon. This year’s distinguished luncheon speaker
is Congressman Jim Marshall from Georgia’s 3rd Congressional
District.
Congressman
Marshall was raised in a military family in which both his
father and grandfather were army generals.
He received
a National
Merit Scholarship to attend Princeton University, where he
lettered in football. In 1968, while
still an
undergraduate,
his sense of obligation to his country led him to enlist for
combat duty in Vietnam. As an Airborne
Ranger
Reconnaissance
platoon sergeant, he was awarded two Bronze Stars, the Combat
Infantry Badge and the Purple Heart,
among other
decorations.
At
the end
of his
tour of duty, Marshall returned to Princeton and earned
his undergraduate
degree.
In 1977, he graduated second in his Boston Law School class.
The
Annual
Black
History
Month
Scholarship
Observance Program is the University's annual scholarship
fund
raiser for development, expanded
academic
programs
and to
enhance student enrichment activities. By 2003, the total
FVSU Foundation assets surpassed
6.6
million dollars.
 FVSU
President
Delivers
State
of The
University
Address
Dr Kofi
Lomotey,
president
of Fort
Valley
State
University
(FVSU)
will
deliver
his second
State
of the
University
address
for the
2003
academic
year,
Thursday,
January
22, at
4:00
pm in
the C.W.
Pettigrew
Center.
Dr Lomotey
is expected
to highlight
recent
accomplishments,
including
the University’s
recent
Trumpet
Award
from
The Ted
Turner
Foundation
naming
Fort
Valley
State
University
as “Institution
of the
Year.” The
award
will
be presented
to Dr
Lomotey
at the
annual
awards
dinner,
January
26, in
Atlanta’s
CNN Center,
and will
be televised
nationally
on the
TBS Superstation,
February
21, at
7:00
pm and
11:30
pm.
In addition,
the State
of the
University
address
will
cover
the opening
of the
school’s
Warner
Robins
campus
and the
Board
of Regents
recent
approval
of the
University’s
new Liberal
Arts
degree.
Dr Lomotey
is also
expected
to address
continuing
challenges
for the
institution
and future
projections
for the
108 year
old university.
 TEI
Announces
New Staff
Addition
Mr. Chad
Reed
has joined
TEI Engineers & Planners
(TEI)
as a
CADD
Designer
in the
Highway
Design
Department
in TEI’s
Atlanta
office.
Mr. Reed
has more
than
four
years
of roadway
drafting
experience.
His responsibilities
include
the preparation
of concept
plans,
construction
plans,
right-of-way
plans,
construction
staging
plans,
signing
and marking
plans,
and erosion,
sediment
and pollution
control
plans.
TEI
is
engineering
and
planning
consulting
firm
specializing
in
providing
cost-efficient
professional
services
to
public
and
private
sector
clients
throughout
the
southeastern
United
States.
TEI
has
offices
in
Atlanta,
Lake
Mary
(Orlando),
Tampa,
Tallahassee,
Ft.
Lauderdale,
Sarasota
and Jacksonville
Golder
Associates
Inc.
(GAI)
as a
subcontractor
to Ellis
Environmental
Group
LC has
been
awarded
a contract
with
the U.S.
Air Force
Center
for Environmental
Excellence
(AFCEE).
The team
will
share
in the
more
than
$10 billion
worth
of potential
work
over
the next
eight
years
in the
areas
of design,
construction
and environmental
restoration
at Air
Force
bases
worldwide.
The
Air Force’s
Worldwide
Environmental
Restoration
and Construction
(WERC)
contract
represents
opportunities
for Golder
to provide
remediation,
maintenance
and repair,
operations,
site
closure,
radiological
waste
removal,
and support
and fueling
systems
construction
support.
“Golder’s
depth
of technical
expertise
and global
network
of offices,
coupled
with
Ellis’s
extensive
experience
with
AFCEE,
puts
us in
a strong
position
to support
the Air
Force’s
environmental
initiatives
worldwide,” said
GAI President
Steve
Thompson.
Cummins
South
Power
Generation announces
the addition
of Ken
Box to
their
sales
team
as Sales
Engineer.
Box will
focus
specifically
on the
needs
of Atlanta-area
Electrical
Engineers
and Contractors,
providing
a direct
resource
in addressing
this
group's
design
and specification
needs.
Box brings
over
25 years
experience
in the
electrical
industry
to Cummins
South,
having
worked
previously
at Shallbetter,
Westinghouse,
Bussmann,
and IEM.
HNTB
Corporation receives
2003
Georgia
Quality
Initiative
Design
Award
for Innovative
Project
of the
Year.
The
2003
Georgia
Quality
Initiative
(GQI)
conference
has selected
HNTB
Corporation’s
design
of the
I-95
Design-Build
project
in Camden
and Glynn
Counties
as their
2003
Innovative
Project
of the
Year.
The selection
committee
was made
up of
Georgia
Department
of Transportation
(GDOT)
officials
as well
as representatives
from
American
Council
of Engineering
Companies
(ACEC)
firms
within
Georgia.
All transportation
design
projects
which
were
completed
and opened
in Georgia
in 2003
were
eligible.
The
GDOT
project
involved
the widening
of 6.88
miles
of I-95
in Camden
and Glynn
Counties
in southeast
Georgia.
The project
included
the reconstruction
of the
I-95/
Dover
Bluff
Road
interchange
(Exit
26) and
the widening
of the
parallel
860 ft
long
I-95
Little
Satilla
River
bridges.
The project
widened
the existing
four-lane
I-95
to six
lanes
(3 in
each
direction)
and made
provisions
for future
Phase
2 widening
when
I-95
will
be widened
to eight
lanes.
By
all
accounts,
the project
was an
unqualified
success.
There
were
no construction
claims – this
due in
large
part
to the
partnering
mentality
demonstrated
by GDOT,
Seaboard
and HNTB.
HNTB
was responsive
to all
contractor
requests
and met
each
of the
critical
plan
deliverables
in the
aggressive
Design-Build
format.
By utilizing
the Design-Build
format,
the project
was opened
to traffic
at least
3 years
earlier
than
had the
conventional
design-bid-build
format
been
utilized.
Award
Presentations
were
made
at
the
GQI
Banquet
in
Athens,
Georgia
on
December
4,
2003.
Tim
Heilmeier
of
HNTB
in
Atlanta
served
as
the
Project
Manager.
Heath & Lineback
Engineers
The International
Boulevard
Viaduct
over
CSX Railroad
is a
vital
artery
in downtown
Atlanta
as it
links
several
major
recreational
and business
facilities
including
Georgia
World
Congress
Center,
CNN Center,
Philips
Arena,
Omni
Hotel
and Georgia
Dome.
These
facilities
and their
abutting
plazas
and retail
areas
create
a recreational
campus
close
to downtown
Atlanta.
Much
more
than
a vehicular
access,
the viaduct
provides
connectivity
through
the campus
and bridges
over
the vital
building
service
access
located
at ground
level.
The facility
also
serves
as a
pedestrian
corridor,
providing
a key
link
in the
ability
of pedestrians
to move
safely
between
downtown
hotels
and restaurants,
and the
campus.
Heath & Lineback
Engineers
Inc.
served
as a
sub-consultant
to Parsons
Transportation
Group
under
contract
to GADOT
for this
project.
H&L
was responsible
for concept
design
and the
subsequent
development
of the
Preliminary
and Final
Bridge
Plans.
The
concept
that
emerged
was
radically
different
in
operational
characteristic
from
the
existing
facility
and
will
provide
more
rational
and
secure
traffic
patterns
and
significantly
better
and
safer
pedestrian
facilities.
As
construction
precedes
it
is
clear
that
the
planning
and
coordination
led
to
the
most
appropriate
design
solution
so
that
the
new
viaduct
provides
a true
front
door
to
the
campus. |
