McElroy
McElroy was recognized for its commitment to workplace safety and its participation in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).
Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn presented the company with a proclamation commending leadership and employees at McElroy’s campus at 5124 S. 100th E Ave. She and OSHA Consultation Director Jason Hudson also presented company leadership with a flag commemorating McElroy’s SHARP-certified status.
SHARP is an onsite consultation program that offers confidential occupational safety and health services to small- and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. – free of charge. Consultants from local agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards, provide advice for compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing and improving safety and health programs.
“We all can use another set of eyes to help make sure we’re doing the right thing here at McElroy and providing a safe workplace for our team,” said McElroy Environmental Health and Safety Manager Tony Little.
While addressing the crowd during the presentation, Osborn commended McElroy’s continued emphasis on employee safety. McElroy, she said, has a long history of ensuring safe working conditions for the hundreds of team members who come to work each day.
“Over the course of my seven years as Oklahoma Labor Commissioner, it’s been nice to see repeat customers,” Osborn said. “McElroy was the first group I was able to visit to give a safety award when I was first elected, and I’ve been able to come consistently.”
To become SHARP certified, companies must first reach out to their local OSHA representatives for a consultation visit. During the visit, representatives study the company’s entire workplace, doing walk-throughs of facilities, examining existing safety programs, interviewing employees, and going through the company’s training records. The process is time- and labor-intensive, and once completed, OSHA representatives provide a report of their findings.
Certified since 1999, three of McElroy’s four campuses are part of 16 SHARP-certified workplaces in Oklahoma. In the fall, Little expects to see SHARP certification be awarded to McElroy’s latest campus at 3000 N Hemlock Circle in Broken Arrow.
This certification extends from 2025 to 2027.
PPI
The Plastics Pipe Institute’s (PPI) Building & Construction Division launched a series of eight videos that focus on proper techniques for joining CPVC, PEX, PE-RT, and PP pressure piping materials.
According to PPI, plumbing and heating contractors have been switching to plastic piping materials for years, thanks to benefits such as corrosion resistance, safety for potable water, and affordability. One of the most important aspects of piping installations, however, is making proper connections that are durable and long-lasting.
“These videos were actually produced by our members, who have the best expertise in creating secure connections with their pipes,” said Lance MacNevin, P. Eng., director of engineering for PPI's Building & Construction Division. “They do not promote any particular brand of product, so they are generic and universal.
The PEX/PE-RT videos address crimp ring connections using ASTM F1807 and ASTM F2159 fittings, cold-expansion fittings per ASTM F1960, and press fittings produced according to ASTM F3347 and F3348. The PP videos provide detailed instruction on preparing and making heat-fusion joints for polypropylene pipe and fittings using butt fusion, socket fusion, sidewall fusion, and electrofusion joining techniques, and follow the new ASTM Standard Practice F3722 that was published in late 2024.
According to PPI, the new Training Shorts videos are a reliable source of information because they are reviewed by PPI members and staff engineers, as with all PPI publications. Additional training shorts videos will be produced throughout 2025 and beyond to address common installation and technical questions about pressure piping materials.
Azuria
Azuria Water Solutions, the leading provider of infrastructure maintenance, rehabilitation and technology-enabled water solutions, acquired three companies: TSW Utility Solutions, Inc., AM-Liner East, Inc., and C.K. Masonry Company, Inc.
Founded in 2012, TSW Utility Solutions specializes in potable pipeline services, including lead service replacement, for customers throughout Indiana. The company executes trenchless and open-cut rehabilitation through single and multi-year maintenance contracts.
AM-Liner East is based in Northern Virginia, and has provided quality, trenchless pipeline rehabilitation for more than three decades. The company serves customers in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., and operates a wetout facility in North Carolina. AM-Liner East has rehabilitated millions of feet of pipelines since its inception in 1994.
C.K. Masonry was founded in 1946 as a commercial masonry contracting firm. Today, the company delivers manhole and wet well rehabilitation services from its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. The company has restored thousands of manholes and wet wells with the majority of projects taking place in Tennessee and Kentucky.
TSW Utility Services, AM-Liner East, and C.K. Masonry employees will remain in place at their respective facilities.
Avanti
US Grout, in partnership with Avanti International, is proud to announce the expansion of its production capabilities with the launch of a second production line for its Ultrafine VX and SD cementitious grouts at its Idaho facility. This milestone comes after more than 20 years of successful collaboration between US Grout and Avanti, providing permanent, deeply-penetrating, densely curing grouts for sealing fractures in rock, controlling groundwater, and stabilizing weak soils.
The demand for US Grout’s Ultrafine cementitious grouts, both domestically and internationally, has experienced significant growth in recent years.
“Avanti has been an invaluable partner, playing a key role in educating and supporting the safe and effective use of Ultrafine cement grouts for water control, soil stabilization, and rock stabilization globally,” said Mike Hess, CEO of Hess Pumice. “Our teams continue to collaborate on improving production, researching new product variations, and distributing Ultrafine grouts worldwide.
“The decision to add a second production line was a logical next step to meet the increasing demand both in the U.S. and abroad, and the requirements for products to meet the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act.”
Britt N. Babcock, P.E., president of Avanti International, added, "Our partnership with US Grout and the Hess family has played a crucial role in driving progress within the industry we serve. This latest production expansion underscores our mutual dedication to advancing the grouting sector. We're fortunate to have much of the necessary infrastructure already in place, allowing us to launch the second production quickly and cost-effectively.
“The addition of this new line marks a major milestone for us by giving us the capabilities to nearly double our production output, reducing lead times and improving supply chain reliability for our customers."
N & S Tractor/CASE
N&S Tractor is expanding its operations to include CASE Construction Equipment and will transition select Sonsray Machinery locations and territory in northern California and western regions of Oregon and Nevada.
N&S Tractor has a long history operating throughout Oregon and California as a premier CASE IH dealer. With the expansion, N&S Tractor will extend its offering to now provide a full line of CASE Construction Equipment products, parts, service and support for customers in its enlarged territory.
By partnering with N&S Tractor, CASE can provide both construction and agricultural customers with convenient access to products, services and support all under one roof.
With the acquisition, N&S Tractor will take over the Sonsray locations in Redding, Calif. and Sparks, Nev. Meanwhile, N&S Tractor will support CASE customers in the newly acquired area from its other existing locations:
Auburn, Wash. will be served by N&S Tractor in Hillsboro, Ore.
Marysville, Wash. will be served by N&S Tractor in Woodburn, Ore.
Portland, Ore. will be served by N&S Tractor in Hillsboro, Ore.
Salem, Ore. will be served by N&S Tractor in Woodburn, Ore.
Stockton, Calif. will be served by N&S Tractor in Stockton, Calif.
Sacramento, Calif. will be served by N&S Tractor in Yuba City, Calif. with an additional location coming soon in Dixon, Calif.
SGH
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) opened its new office location in Tampa, Florida. Overlooking Tampa Bay, the office features a dynamic team of professionals with space to welcome clients and partners and collaborate on cutting-edge projects.
Francesco Spagna, principal, and Brian Pailes, associatepPrincipal, will lead SGH’s building enclosure and structural mechanics consulting practices, respectively.
Spagna has spent nearly 30 years building a practice with SGH, first in the Boston area and now in Tampa. He has extensive experience in designing and investigating building enclosure systems, building condition assessments, enclosure design consulting, and peer reviews, and has led major enclosure-related repair projects.
Pailes specializes in cathodic protection, nondestructive testing, concrete deterioration, corrosion, and concrete materials. He has worked on a wide variety of structures worldwide, with an emphasis on bridges and port facilities. He joined SGH in 2024, and has lived and worked in Tampa for more than ten years.
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) is a national engineering firm committed to delivering holistic advice for our clients’ most complex challenges. We leverage our collective and diverse experience, technical expertise, and industry knowledge of structures and building enclosures, advanced analysis, performance & code consulting, and applied science & research to deliver unrivaled, comprehensive solutions that drive superior performance.
Garney Construction
Garney has delivered critical water and wastewater infrastructure for more than half a century – built on trust, integrity, and results that stand the test of time. As it’s grown, expanded its capabilities, and taken on increasingly complex projects, it became time for the brand to reflect that evolution.
This refreshed identity represents the standard Garney brings to every part of our work – from the field to the office to the partnerships that drive each project forward. It’s more than enhancing the brand; it reflects how the company continues to deliver at a higher level, solve tougher challenges, and lead with purpose through every phase of its projects.
What hasn’t changed is the people behind the work or the principles that guide Garney. Its brand still reflects the same focus on partnership, quality, and follow-through that clients and communities have relied on for decades.
Clients and partners will continue to get what you’ve come to expect from Garney: excellence and quality delivered safely across every market, every project, every time. What the company is today, is a result of the people who have built it.
NAXSA
More than 100 industry leaders, officials, and workers gathered on April 22 to learn about and share resources aimed at reducing injuries and fatalities in one of the construction industry’s most challenging environments: excavations and trenches.
Officials from state and local agencies joined contractors and employees, emergency responders, and federal OSHA experts for an eye-opening day-long Summit to focus on tools and techniques that reduce the toll of preventable incidents in this line of work.
NAXSA members United Rentals, Sunbelt Rentals Trench Safety, Arcosa Shoring Products, and Pacific Shoring Products helped sponsor the Summit, providing excavation shoring experts and equipment. The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI), under the VOSH (Virginia Occupational Safety and Health) Institute for Learning & Outreach (VILO), as well as the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, joined forces with NAXSA to host the event’s state-of-the-art excavation and trench safety training and demonstrations.
Indoor sessions included tabulated engineering data for excavation shoring activity, federal OSHA representatives providing updates and standards for trench excavation, and opportunities for discussion and networking among attendees and experts. Outdoor sessions featured trench side demonstrations in hydraulic shoring, proper use of aluminum and steel trench boxes, and fire and rescue personnel performing a simulated trench rescue.
Keynote speaker, Eric Giguere, began the day by sharing his compelling, firsthand experience as a worker trapped by a trench collapse, his life forever altered – and saved by rescue personnel.
The Virginia Department of Fire Programs and the Henrico County Division of Fire coordinated the digging and placement of shoring equipment and a trench box, and provided the rescue demonstration.
The Summit took place at the 2000-acre Virginia Public Safety Training Center (VPSTC), a state-of-the-art training facility in Hanover, where state and local government agencies share resources, ideas, expertise, and best practices in a collaborative and cost-effective manner.
Carollo Engineers
The city of Cottage Grove, Ore., selected Carollo Engineers to develop a comprehensive Storm Drainage System Master Plan that will guide the City’s infrastructure planning and stormwater management strategy over the next 20 years.
This initiative comes at a pivotal time for the city, which recently surpassed the 10,000-resident threshold. This milestone triggers new regulatory requirements under Oregon’s MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) program. Additionally, Cottage Grove has adopted low-impact development guidelines and a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation plan, emphasizing the need for an updated, forward-thinking approach to stormwater management.
The project will include a thorough assessment of the current stormwater system, identification of capital improvement needs, and development of a long-range plan that aligns with Oregon’s Public Facility Planning standards (OAR 660-011), as well as requirements from the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Land Conservation and Development, and other regulatory bodies.
Cottage Grove’s stormwater system spans more than 30 miles of drainage lines and includes approximately 600 catch basins, along with several open channels and ditches. With low-impact development policies already in place, the City is poised to further enhance its stormwater infrastructure, supporting sustainability, growth, and resilience.
Carollo’s approach to the plan emphasizes proactive planning, data-driven analysis, and sustainable infrastructure strategies. The firm has a robust history in stormwater drainage master planning, offering wide-ranging solutions that address both current and future infrastructure needs. With expertise in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, Carollo has developed and updated stormwater master plans for municipalities throughout the Northwest and nationwide. The firm’s deep local knowledge, supported by a national network of experts, positions Cottage Grove to benefit from effective, data-driven solutions tailored to meet the city’s specific needs.
The City and Carollo will work closely with local stakeholders to integrate community feedback into the plan to reflect the values and priorities of Cottage Grove residents. The plan will also focus on strategies to improve water quality, protect local ecosystems, and mitigate the impacts of flooding, contributing to the long-term environmental health of Cottage Grove.
The Storm Drainage System Master Plan is expected to be completed by fall 2026. UI