Official publication of the Montana Contractors’ … · Gary Seamans Production services provided by S.G. Bennett Marketing Services ... SEWER/WATER • CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

BARNARD CONSTRUCTION

PRESERVES A

1,000-POUNDEAGLE NEST AT OROVILLE DAM

Official publication of theMontana Contractors’ Association

N807-31484 CBYD Contractor Print Ad_8.5x11”_PRS

Stay alert. Stay safe.Two business days before digging into

your next construction project, call 811

and have them alert your crew to the

location of any underground utility lines.

Having lines marked and flagged will

better ensure everyone’s safety as well

as prevent outages and costly damages.

Calling 811 is free, easy and the law.

Kathy B.Engineer, 20 years of service

Save yourself time and money. Submit and manage your tickets online!

Using ITIC and ITIC Mobile allows you to submit your tickets

online, without waiting on hold. Go to www.montana811.org and

click on the “Pros or Repeat Users” online locate button to get

start-ed! It allows you to map your excavation area and upload

supporting files, such as drawings or pictures.

Get your copy of the Montana Excavation Safety Handbook

(MESH). This handbook gives you guidelines on using

the One-Call System as well as other safe excavation tips.

Know what’s below. Tap, Click, or Call811 Before you dig.

877-700-7368HE-EQUIPMENT.COM

RENTALS / SALES / PARTS / SERVICE

It takes true grit to wake up every morning, dedicated to a higher standard of work. At H&E Equipment Services, we're leveraging our national �eet of equipment with a local approach, working closely with customers to understand their needs and provide them reliability, fair prices, and the support of a �rst-class service team.

WE'RE AN EQUIPMENT COMPANY, RUN BY EQUIPMENT PEOPLE.

Where others stop, we continue. H&E Equipment Services, the higher standard in equipment rentals, sales, parts, and service. + Locations Nationwide

BILLINGS100 Steffes RdBillings, MT 59101406-259-9720

BELGRADE343 Floss Flats RdBelgrade, MT 59714406-388-2308

6 Montana contractors’ association

Building MontanaIn thIs Issue

Index to advertIsers

is published byDEL Communications Ltd. www.delcommunications.com

President & CEO David Langstaff

Publisher Jason Stefanik

Editor Shayna Wiwierski [email protected]

Sales Manager Dayna Oulion Toll Free: 1-866-424-6398

Advertising Sales Representatives Cheryl Ezinicki Corey Frazer Gary Barrington Brian Gerow Nick Miller Michelle Raike Gary Seamans

Production services provided by S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com

Art Director Kathy Cable

Layout Dave Bamburak

Advertising Art Dave Bamburak Dana Jensen ©Copyright 2018. Building Montana. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or forward-ing looking statements made by advertisers.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Montana Contractors’ Assocation.Articles and advertisements in this publication are not solicitations to buy, hold or sell spe-cific securities; they are for information purposes only.

Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessar-ily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees. In ves tors should be aware that risk is associated with any security, strategy or in vestment and are advised to seek the counsel of a competent investment advisor before mak-ing any investment, or utilizing any information contained in this publication.

Subscription, advertising and circulation infor-mation can be obtained from the publisher.

Printed in canada 03/2018

Anderson Service & Forklift, Inc. .....................19Ash Grove Cement Company ...........................53BAC Pacific Northwest Administrative

District Council .............................................55Barnard Construction .......................................39BlueCross BlueShield of Montana ................ OBCBouma Truck Sales ...........................................52Browning, Kaleczyc, Berry & Hoven, P.C. .........35Casino Creek Concrete, Inc. ..............................47Century Companies, Inc. ..................................10Champion Concrete Pumpers, Inc. ..................12Cogswell Insurance Agency LLC ......................19COP Construction LLC .......................................56Crowley Fleck PLLP ..........................................37Cummins ..........................................................46Dakota Supply Group .......................................52Dick Anderson Construction ............................41Dick Irvin, Inc....................................................55Donaldson Bros. ...............................................14Door Systems of Montana Inc. .......................... 8DOWL HKM ......................................................16Electrical Consultants, Inc. ...............................45Fairmont Hot Springs Resort ...........................15

First Security Bank ...........................................55First West Insurance .........................................57Fisher Construction Inc. ...................................20Grizzly Steel, Inc. ..............................................58H&E Equipment Services ................................... 5HD Supply Waterworks ....................................21Hiline Redi-Mix LLC .........................................58Huppert Construction Co. .................................. 8Interstate Power Systems ................................35Iron Planet ........................................................10Jackson Contractor Group, Inc. ........................17Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware .................41Kenyon Noble Ready Mix .................................36KLJ ....................................................................37Lew Grill/The Legacy Corporation ...................18M&D Construction, Inc.....................................49Missouri River Contractors LLC ........................54Montana 811 ..................................................... 3Montana Department of Labor ......................... 4Montana Lines Inc. ..........................................57Montana State Fund ........................................13Morrison Maierle .............................................21Moss Adams.....................................................55

Northwestern Energy ...................................... IFCO’Keefe Drilling ................................................51Oftedal Construction Inc. .................................21PayneWest Insurance ......................................... 7Pierce Flooring & Design..................................49Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.........................57RDO Equipment Co. ............................................ 9Robert Peccia & Associates Inc. .......................19Rocky Mountain Contractors, Inc. ....................11Rocky Mountain Law Partners P.C. ..................54Sandry Construction ........................................51Stockman Bank ................................................44Swank Enterprises ............................................43Territorial Landworks, Inc. ................................10Tom’s Floor Store ..............................................51Tractor & Equipment Co. Ltd. .......................... IBCUnited Materials of Great Falls .........................50Warren Transport Inc. .......................................46Westate Machinery Co. ....................................43Whetzel Concrete Construction .......................45Worldwide Rental Services ..............................51W.R. Drinkwalter & Sons Trucking, Inc. ...........51Xylem Dewatering Solutions ...........................11

8 Letter from the MCa president, aaron Golik

12 Message from the executive director of the MCa, Cary hegreberg

14 Message from Congressman Greg Gianforte

15 Message from senator steve daines

16 Message from senator Jon tester

17 Growing work and growing a workforce

18 MCa trusts celebrate 30 years of service

20 a fighting chance: Kids Chance of Montana

22 2018 MCA Annual Convention

27 2017 MCA Excellence Awards

34 schools bonds a boon to the construction industry

36 one industry helping another

38 nesting on the job

40 West Bank Landing: an all-inclusive development

42 the latest technology gets the job done on construction worksites development

45 Building Montana’s workforce

46 scholarships pave the way for students’ success in construction

48 MCa scholarships: helping to build Montana

50 MCa President aaron Golik: Living a construction life

52 MCa Contractors’ PaC Builders Club

53 MCa partners with territorial-Landworks, Inc. to host sWPPP certification courses

56 how machine monitoring equals better fleet management

58 Managing the labor shortage

The only question is, do you have a plan for the unexpected?

Construction can be an adventure. Projects can stop. Workers can get hurt. Mother nature can pull the plug on the whole thing. According to FEMA, 40% of businesses in America fail after experiencing a disaster, and an additional 25% fold within a year. PayneWest’s unique Riscover™ process analyzes your risks and provides solutions so your plan for success is sound. Visit with a PayneWest agent to prepare your custom-crafted plan. Call us today at (406) 556-4632.

PayneWest.com/Construction


Letter froM the MCa PresIdentAaron Golik

With 2018 already well underway, the Montana Contractors’

Association (MCA) is deeply entrenched in issues that seem to be

ongoing for the construction industry — ensuring the availability

of work, and that we have skilled laborers to do it.Last year, we saw the success of HB 473 — the first fuel

tax increase in nearly 25 years — in the Montana Legislature. Through the perseverance of some dedicated legislators, and the support of our MCA members, we were able to achieve a sustainable method of funding for the construction and mainte-nance of Montana’s roads and bridges for the near future.

That said, we still have work to do. We need to help Montanans understand the need for a long-term solution for road and bridge funding, in addition to the importance of investing in our state’s other infrastructure like rural water sys-tems, state facilities, schools, and more.

As we enter the election season, we look to express our thanks to legislators who helped us advance our infrastructure agenda, along with help from a few key candidates whose polit-ical priorities align with the construction industry. It is our goal to elect moderate, pro-business, pro-construction legislators from both parties.

On the other end of the spectrum, we need to ensure we have the skilled laborers to perform the work once we obtain the funding for it. Nationwide, more than 70 percent of con-tractors express concern about how the workforce shortage will affect their businesses in years to come. The MCA Board of

Directors is dedicated to helping provide solutions to the prob-

lem; although it’s pretty clear this won’t be a quick fix.

The board encourages the work of the MCA’s Workforce

Development Committee on the issue, including the estab-

lishment of Construction Week in Montana and mini-grants

to help support industrial arts instructors in their efforts to

build awareness of construction as a career. In addition, we’re

extremely encouraged by the MCA’s growing partnership

with Montana’s Office of Public Instruction and Montana

Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. We look forward to making

careers in construction a first choice of many Montana students

in the years to come.

A priority of mine has always been to ensure a level, competi-

tive, and fair playing field for the construction industry, with-

out “preferences” that skew markets and can lead to retaliatory

practices among jurisdictions. A case in point is the every other

year attempt by some elected official to ramp up the “residency

preference” for publicly funded construction projects. Many

MCA members work in multiple states and find this parochial

approach to be detrimental as state governments attempt to

“protect” their work from outside companies.

In closing, I see I have a lot of work unfolding in front of me

as I take the reins of the MCA from our very capable Jim Berve.

I’m honored to serve you all as your president, and please know

that my door is always open. F

Huppert Construction Co.

Kevin Huppert, President

For all your earthly needs

1403 S.32nd Street W.Billings, MT 59102Phone: (406) 652-4655Fax: (406) [email protected]

1313 Birch Street | Helena, Montana | 59601Helena: 406-443-3131

Great Falls: 406-453-1425 www.doorsystemsofmt.com

Commercial & Industrial Doors

RDO Equipment Co. tailors programs to fit the needs of yourcompany with equipment, sales, rentals, machine control,parts, and service.

MONTANABillingsBozemanGreat FallsKalispellMissoula www.rdoequipment.com

Sales | Rentals | Parts | Service

Ask Us About: • RDO Equipment Co. Promise − Uptime Guaranteed™ • Custom hydraulic hoses • Undercarriage inspection • Hydraulic cylinder rebuild

406-259-5536406-551-2141406-452-8521406-752-2828406-549-4171

Better Equipment. Better Solutions.RDO does that.


855-875-4102 | www.TerritorialLandworks.com

MISSOULA | BILLINGS | FLATHEAD | HELENA | BAKKEN

CIVIL ENGINEERING • SURVEYING • LAND USE CONSULTING

Partnering to Build Better Communities across Montana

SERVING YOU SINCE 1975!

877-568-3022www.centuryci.com

INFRASTRUCTURECONSTRUCTION

ASPHALT PAVING

CONCRETE • CRUSHING • AGGREGATES

ROAD STABILIZATION • GRADING • EXCAVATION

SEWER/WATER • CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

DESIGN-BID-BUILD • ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY

Ritchie Bros. & IronPlanet have joined together to bring you unparalleled buying & selling solutions.

Reserved online

marketplace

Weekly online

auctions

Unreserved onsite

auctions

For more information, call 1.800.211.3983 or visit RitchieBros.com

Branding Ad AGC of America Montana_7x4.625_179778.indd 1 2018-01-31 3:14 PM

building montana 2018 11

godwinpumps.com

Great Pumps. Great People.®

Xylem has you covered for all your pumping needs – from bypass pumping to site dewatering – with Godwin Dri-Prime and Flygt electric submersible pumps. We offer a full range of pumps, generators, pipe and hose, fittings and accessory equipment for total turnkey system design.

For more information, call the location nearest you: Helena, MT – 406.495.1335 Billings, MT – 406.373.3700

XYLEM HAS YOUR BYPASS AND DEWATERING PUMPING SOLUTIONS

406-442-8761 • www.rockymountaincontractors.com

Serving Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming

We get the job done —faster and safer

At Rocky Mountain Contractors, we work faster and safer with technology like directional drilling and hydroexcavation. These low-impact approaches to underground installation and excavation allow our crews to work more efficiently with less risk exposure, saving you time and money.


MessaGe froM the exeCutIve dIreCtor of the MCaCary Hegreberg

The MCA has devoted significant resources to the matter of workforce development, and likely will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. Virtually every segment of our industry reports that filling available jobs is one of the biggest challenges they face. Some companies are literally turning away work because they cannot find the people necessary to expand their businesses.

There are no quick fixes to the problem. Several genera-tions of parents, grandparents, and school officials have insist-ed that young people must achieve a four-year college degree if they expected to be successful in life. Yours truly wanted nothing more than to go back to the family farm and make a living the way my father, uncles, and both grandfathers had—raising crops and being stewards of the land. Like millions of other Baby Boomers, I was lectured that only dumb kids made a living with their hands and manual labor. Farming would not be an option for me.

Once this sentiment became baked into our generation and culture, we (Baby Boomers) similarly passed the same wisdom onto our kids, leaving them to believe there was little hope of a prosperous life if they didn’t go to a university and study the way we did.

Suddenly, the whole country has realized this was faulty thinking. An equipment operator, plumber, electrician, welder or diesel mechanic can make more money than a recent gradu-

(406) 273-8222 (800) 336-8222

www.championconcretepump.com

Idaho Washington Montana

ate in philosophy, sociology, world history, or journalism. And

they don’t have a mountain of student loan debt hanging over

their heads for decades. But of course, “the stigma” remains.

Who among us doesn’t want the bragging rights that come

from telling our friends and associates at cocktail parties (or

MCA events) that our son/daughter/grandkid is attending

XYZ university, home of the (insert your favorite mascot) foot-

ball team? And there’s no question that memorabilia from our

favorite university sports teams is pretty coveted at fundrais-

ers and auctions. As an industry, we need to focus more of our

enthusiasm on the K-12 and community colleges that have the

capacity to turn out skilled craftsmen for our companies.

Montana’s superintendent of public instruction, Elsie

Arntzen is partnering with the MCA to help kids and parents

understand the opportunities for careers in the trades, and to

work with schools in offering programs that will start those

students in the right direction. This is a long-term endeav-

or, but we’ve made major strides in the short-time workforce

development that has been a top priority.

What we have learned is that the best ambassadors for get-

ting kids interested in construction are the construction pro-

fessionals working in their communities. That’s you. That’s

your project managers, your young tradesmen/tradeswomen,

and your subcontractors who specialize in interesting, reward-

ing crafts and skills. When kids connect with someone who

builds impressive facilities and infrastructure in their commu-

nity, they realize they can learn and grow on the job.

MCA staff stands ready to assist you and your company in

getting directly involved in your local schools to personally

recruit kids into training and jobs that suit those who are not

interested in the four-year degree track. Each of us can make

a huge difference in the lives of young people and in the pros-

perity of our industry, simply by reaching out to schools and

offering to speak to classes, organize tours, and hire part-time

workers. Please give us a call if we can assist.

Thank you for the support and encouragement. F

A good day at work always ends the

same way. You’re efficient. You’re

productive. And you go home safe.

At Montana State Fund, we have the

programs to help you make every day

at work that kind of good day. Learn

more at safemt.com.

See you tomorrow. I’m headed home.

Work hard. Be safe.855 Front StreetHelena, MT 59601


MessaGe froM ConGressMan Greg Gianforte

I appreciate the opportunity to check in with you, and I’m grate-

ful for the support and leadership that the Montana Contractors’

Association (MCA) provides our communities.

I read in a recent report that 75 percent of America’s con-

struction firms plan to expand their workforce in 2018. That is

encouraging news, and I share your enthusiasm and outlook.

The news comes on the heels of the passage of an historic

tax reform bill in December that has boosted confidence in

our economy. Because of the many benefits to Montana, I was

proud to provide my full support to pro-growth, pro-family

tax reform.

The needed focus on American jobs and our economy, how-

ever, began well before we enacted tax reform. Since early 2017,

we have been reviewing, reforming, and repealing burdensome

regulations that have restricted our growth potential. As a

result, our economic engine is turning once again.

Firmly on our plate for 2018 is improving America’s infra-

structure. It’s time to invest in our country, modernize our

infrastructure, and utilize technologies that make our homes,

schools, roads, bridges, and pipelines safer. Funding infra-

structure improvement will be an important part of the effort,

and I will work in congress to find a balance that maximizes

taxpayers’ investment.

Tax reform, infrastructure investment, and common-sense

regulatory reform add up to an encouraging outlook for 2018

and beyond.

As your congressman and a former business owner, I am

focused on helping Montana businesses grow. I have assembled

a business advisory committee to tap into the experience and

expertise of those directly involved with Montana’s various

industries. I will look to members of that committee, like MCA

executive director, Cary Hegreberg, for valuable input.

Congratulations to new MCA president, Aaron Golik, and

the other newly elected MCA officers. It was a pleasure to

sit down recently with Golik and past president Jim Berve in

Washington. I look forward to working with them on regula-

tory reform, workforce training, and other issues important to

Montana’s contractors.

I encourage all the members of the MCA to reach out to me.

I’m eager to hear how you think we can eliminate federal bar-

riers that hold Montanans back from achieving the American

dream. Please call my office or send me a note from my website

– gianforte.house.gov. F

American OwnedMontana Owned l Locally Owned

Ready MixCrushed Gravel • Washed Sand and Rock

Landscape Rock Specialty Concrete • Forming Hardware • Rebar • Tools • Masonry Materials

Rental CenteRConcrete Equipment • Construction

Equipment • Lawn & Garden

PRe-Cast and sePtiCSeptic Tanks • Septic Systems for Commercial

& Residential • Drain Field Supplies • ManholesCisterns • Retaining Wall Blocks

477 US HWY 93 N., Hamilton, MTwww.donaldsonbros.com

406-363-3600


MessaGe froM u.s. senator Steve Daines

At the end of last year, congress passed

and the president signed into law histor-

ic tax cuts for hardworking Montanans.

Over $700 million taxpayer dollars that

were headed to Washington, D.C. each

year will now stay in the pockets of

Montanans. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,

which I supported, lowers rates, nearly

doubles the standard deduction, doubles

the child tax credit, and makes American

businesses more competitive around the

world. This landmark legislation will give

99 percent of Montanans a tax cut.

While the final product was a bill I

strongly supported, the first draft of the

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act didn’t treat pass-

through businesses fairly. I withheld my

support of the legislation until we were

able to secure additional tax relief for

these Main Street businesses that pro-

vide 68 percent of private sector jobs in

our state – higher than any other state.

Main Street businesses are family farms,

ranches, cafés, and contractors. These

businesses are the backbone of Montana

communities and deserve our greatest

support. Over several weeks, I was able

to negotiate $100 billion in tax cuts for

Main Street businesses and vote in sup-

port of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

This law also repeals Obamacare’s

so-called “individual mandate,” which

forced individuals to purchase health

insurance or pay a fine. This manipu-

lative tax was predominantly paid by

those who could afford it the least. In

2015 alone, nearly 30,000 Montanans

paid the individual mandate tax. Thirty-

two percent of them made less than

$25,000 and 75 percent made less than

$50,000. Better called “Obamacare’s

poverty tax,” I am glad this tax has been

repealed once and for all.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also

moves the ball forward on American

Energy Independence. Congress finally

opened Alaska’s non-wilderness 1002

Area in the Arctic National Wildlife

Refuge (ANWR) to responsible energy

development. We can responsibly devel-

op energy resources, protect the envi-

ronment, provide good-paying jobs, and

Hot SpringS Lodging dining goLf Spa

FairmontMontana.com | 800.332.3272

Genuine. Montana. MeetinGS.

lead our nation to energy dominance.

Opening up ANWR will create thou-

sands of jobs and generate tens of bil-

lions of dollars for deficit reduction.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is just

what our economy needs and already,

businesses and individuals are posi-

tively responding. Businesses are

announcing bonuses and families are

starting to plan for higher paychecks.

I would love to hear about how

the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is impact-

ing you. Please share your tax cuts

story with me at www.daines.senate.

gov/taxes. F


MessaGe froM u.s. senator Jon Tester

Montana businesses deserve a seat at the table as congress

debates issues that impact our economy and our future.That is why I recently jumped at the opportunity to join the

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over transportation, infrastructure, telecommunications, interstate commerce, and pipeline construction.

As the only member from the Montana congressional del-egation on this committee, I will put Montana businesses front and center, and work to boost access to high-speed broadband and empower our small businesses.

Most importantly, I will use this new opportunity to fight to rebuild and upgrade Montana’s aging infrastructure.

By investing in our roads, bridges, and water systems, we can create good-paying jobs in every corner of Montana.

When Congress passed the last Highway Bill, I helped deliver $2.3 billion to Montana contractors for infrastructure improvements, but our state has more than 75,000 miles of roadway and there is a lot more work that must be done.

Folks in Congress are beginning to draft a major infrastruc-ture bill, and I am eager to work with Republicans, Democrats, and President Trump to get it across the finish line.

The right infrastructure bill should create the good-paying jobs that our state needs, jobs for folks who work with their hands.

To ensure the voices in your community are heard and your priorities are included in this bill, this month I launched a Montana infrastructure initiative and I am meeting face-to-face with folks to identify our most pressing infrastructure needs.

I recently sat down with business leaders and local officials in Billings to start building an infrastructure priority list, and I look forward to meeting with many of you in the weeks and months ahead.

It is critically important that Montana’s needs are includ-ed in any infrastructure bill that moves forward. Montanans deserve a fair shake.

So as I prepare to visit your community to discuss your infrastructure needs, please send me your priorities at [email protected]. I will be sure to use my new position on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee to make sure your voice is heard.

The best ideas always come from the folks working on the ground, and I strongly believe that we can address our infra-structure challenges by gathering local input. You know exact-ly where our investments are most needed.

I look forward to hearing from you and I hope to see you at one of my infrastructure events soon.

Jon Tester is a third-generation farmer from Big Sandy, and Montana’s

senior U.S. senator. F

Together we can strengthen Montana’s economy

At DOWL, we have world-class professionals ready to bring your project to life in ways you never thought possible. With offices in seven states in the western United States, you get the kind of personalized, hands-on service you deserve every step of the way.

CONTACT US fo r more in format ion:

Environmental & Land Development Water Resources

Civil Engineering

Transportation

meet ing community

in EXTRAORDINARY ways. . .DESIGN CHALLENGES

BillingsBozemanButteHelenaMiles City

1-800-478-3695

[email protected]

dowl.com

Geotechnical & Geo-Construction


As I write this, we’re just a few days into 2018 and already the

construction market is looking positive for the year ahead.

According to a survey from the Associated General Contractors

of America and Sage Construction and Real Estate, contractors

are optimistic that economic conditions will remain strong as

tax rates and regulatory burdens decrease. It appears most firms

expect demand for all types of construction services to continue

to expand.

While the outlook for our industry’s growth seems to be

positive, there’s one area we’re falling short; an area we’ve

all likely discussed in our own organizations. The issue of a

shrinking qualified workforce has been one on the minds of

many and it’s looking to be a continued point of conversation

and concern as we move ahead.

This issue is only magnified by the positive industry

growth. To keep with increasing demand for services, many

companies are planning to expand, yet expect the difficulty of

hiring and retaining qualified workers to be high.

I admit, I don’t have the solution to this problem – but I

believe we can all be part of a solution. One of the best ways

to attract new equipment enthusiasts to our industry is to

reach them at a young age. Across the RDO Equipment Co.

footprint, for example, we partner with colleges and univer-

sities to offer paid, mentored work experience to students

through our Access Your Future (AYF) internship program.

Have you thought about the ways your company can reach out

to students and help them build careers in the construction

industry?

Closer to home, one of the best opportunities the

Associates’ Division offers to high school students is the schol-

arship program. Year after year, we encourage students to sub-

mit applications in the spring and it’s always exciting to see the

recipients announced over the summer.

The 2018 Associates’ Division scholarship applications are

available now on the website, www.mtagc.org. This year’s sub-

mission deadline is April 16, 2018. Please share this important

news and encourage our future colleagues to take advantage of

this opportunity.

The construction industry is full of opportunities, growth,

and long-term career success. One step at a time, one student

at a time, we have the chance to show this and help bring in the

next generation of equipment enthusiasts to ensure our grow-

ing industry isn’t halted due to lack of workers. F

Growing work and growing a workforceBy Eric Bechtold, MCA Associates’ Division President General Manager, RDO Equipment Co.

Jackson Contractor Group, Inc. is a full service General Contractor/Construction Manager building our reputation since 2000. Our commitment to our industry, our

clients, and our employees is unparalleled. Each project is delivered safely and with the highest quality; something we can all be proud of!

“ Innovative and resourceful professionals providing positive construction

experiences and creating proud clients, employees, and communities.”Missoula | Miles City | Bozeman | Walla Walla

406-542-9150info@jacksoncontractorgroup.comwww.jacksoncontractorgroup.com


In 1988, a small group of Montana con-tractors recognized that the cost of employee benefits was spiraling out of control (yes, it was a problem way

MCA Trusts celebrate 30 years of service

�e LEGACY CorporationInternational

Specializing in truck driver training, advanced skills assessment, and truck performance evaluation.

406.248.2766 www.LegacySchools.com

back when). They determined that the best solution to the problem was to take over its management, control costs, and ensure that what they contributed for

employees actually paid benefits. Now, 30 years later, MCA Trusts continues that legacy, providing the best retirement and health care benefits to Montana’s con-struction workers.

MCA HEAltH CArE trust (MCAHCt)The MCA Ret i reme nt Tr usts

(MCART) offer a money purchase plan with a 401(k) option. Both plans are defined contribution plans. Employees are 100 percent vested from the first dol-lar contributed by their employer. Fund managers selected by the MCA Trusts Board of Trustees actively manage the plan’s assets.

2017 MCArt HigHligHts • Preliminary results indicate 2017

returns of over 17 percent• Nine percent average rate of return

past five years• 8.3 percent average rate of return since

inception• Assets under management surpassed

$100 million for the first time. As of Dec. 31, 2017, MCART exceeds $116 mil-lion in plan assets.MCART’s one-year return may not

impress everyone during a good year for the stock market, and 2017 was a good year for the stock market. But an 8.3 per-cent average rate of return for 30 years should get everyone’s attention, particu-larly if one considers the regulatory envi-ronment in which MCART operates.

MCART’s Board of Trustees are ERISA fiduciaries for the retirement accounts of over 2,700 participants. They recognize their responsibility under ERISA to minimize the risk of large loss-es while still investing to create asset growth. For MCART, that translates into the following:


1. Hire professionals to help trustees make informed decisions. 2. Adhere to the MCART Investment Policy, which explicitly

emphasizes long-term performance and risk management.3. Maintain a balanced and diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds,

and cash. 4. Select fund managers whose styles complement other fund

managers. 5. Review the performance of fund managers quarterly.6. Recognize that MCART’s Investment Policy will result in his-

torical capture ratios that lag slightly in bull markets, but pro-tect against bear market losses. Lastly, MCART’s administration fees are significantly less than

other retirement plans, which means more money for participants at retirement.

MCA HEAltH CArE trust (MCAHCt)At a time of high-deductible, stripped-down health care plans,

MCAHCT still manages the same low-deductible health care plan initiated in 1988. More than 3,000 construction workers know that MCAHCT means full family health care, prescription, dental, and vision coverage. Fifty-six construction companies know that MCAHCT means diligent plan management, regulatory compli-ance, and true pooling of resources to pay claims.

2017/18 MCAHCt HigHligHts:• Trustees solicited bids for claims management services and

retained Allegiance Benefit Plan Management as MCAHCT’s third-party claims administrator.

• Trustees selected a new pharmacy benefit manager, Navitus Health Solutions, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

• No reductions to plan benefits, or increases to deductibles and copays since 2011.

• Trustees increased the hourly contribution rate 4.4 percent, the first increase since 2012.The Board of Trustees and staff of the MCA Trusts wish the

entire construction industry good health and good fortune in 2018. We look forward to serving the employees and families of our participating employers throughout the upcoming construc-tion season.

For more information on our health care and retirement plans, please call

MCA Trusts at (406) 256-9910. F

CogswellInsuranceAgency LLC

CommercialPersonalBonds

Trusted since 1937

ALL OF YOUR

BOND AND INSURANCE NEEDS MET IN ONE LOCATION

800 9th Street SouthGreat Falls, MT 59403406-761-5000cogswellinsurance.com

Tim Lightbourne, CPABond Manager

Dale J. AndersonBond Account Manager

Joanna Lightbourne, CICCommercial Insurance Producer

Colin Lee, CLCS, CRISCommercial Insurance Producer


A fighting chanceKids Chance of Montana By Vicki Evans, executive director, MCCF

There’s nothing like a small child asking

you, “Why?” to make you stop and think

about why you do what you do, or why

you do it the way you do, or why you

don’t do it. How many things do you do

each day without thinking about why?

Maybe some of those things are habits.

Hopefully there are some good habits,

like always fastening your seatbelt before

you start your vehicle. I think it is ben-

eficial to remind ourselves why we do

something; what is the purpose or goal?

I was recently re-reading Montana

Code (MCA) on workers’ compensation.

(Yes, I’m a nerd!) Right at the begin-

ning, within the Declaration of Public

Policy, we are reminded of the “why.”

“A worker’s removal from the workforce

because of a work-related injury or dis-

ease has a negative impact on the work-

er, the worker’s family, the employer,

and the general public. Therefore, an

objective of the workers’ compensation

system is to return a worker to work as

soon as possible after the worker has

suffered a work-related injury or dis-

ease.” MCA39-71-105(3)

Daily, I get to work in an industry

that in its sometimes awkward, imper-

fect, and complex way, tries to serve this

purpose. It’s easy to lose sight of that in

the concerns that surround the business

of workers’ compensation. Insurance

is just not known for its “feel good”

moments, regardless of how entertain-

ing the industry’s TV ads may be.

Then by happenstance I get an oppor-

tunity because of my position with a

workers’ compensation provider, to

participate in a program that provides

the “feel good” moment. Kids Chance

of Montana is just that group. The

Montana chapter of the national pro-

gram was established in May 2017 as

part of the national organization, Kids

Chance of America, founded in 1988.

The purpose of the organization is to

provide scholarships to the children

of workers who are severely injured

or killed on the job. We want to help

reduce the impact of the incident by

helping those children reach their edu-

cational goals for their future.

For more information, you can visit

the website for Kids Chance of Montana

at www.kidschanceofmontana.org. We

are working hard to raise funds to build

a sustainable program to help these

youth reach their goals. We are looking

for applicants for the scholarship and

to build awareness of the program. If

you are interested in helping, or if you

know of someone who needs our help,

please visit the website and click on

“contact.” F

Community | Education | Financial | HealthcareRenovation | Retail | Residential | Metal Buildings

235 Moore Lane • Billings, MT 59101 • (406) 259-2854

Visit us online at www.fishermt.com


We create solutions thatbuild better communities

MONTANA • WYOMING • WASHINGTON

www.m-m.net



www.m-m.net



www.m-m.net



www.m-m.net



www.m-m.net

coreandmain.com

DEPENDABLE EXPERTISECOUNT ON CORE & MAIN’S

Your community is our community.When you need the right product or relevant and expert advice to help you get your job done right,

Core & Main is your trusted partner. With our nationwide footprint, we’re located when and where you need us, and committed to navigating the best solutions

for your success, now and for the long term.

Solutions and support you can count on.

Belgrade 5240 Jackrabbit Ln

(406) 388-5980

Missoula 7372 Interstate Pl

(460) 728-7336

Kalispell 1093 Rose Crossing

(406) 755-9242

PAMTGCA20180222


20182018MCA Annual Convention

More than 200 MCA members gathered in Kalispell, MT at the Hilton Garden Inn Jan. 10-11, 2018 to learn, laugh, and recharge with their industry peers.

Participants gathered current, relevant information about the construction industry at breakout sessions; recharged themselves with words of advice and encouragement from our keynote speakers; and celebrated the industry’s successes at the Construction Excellence Banquet.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and attendees! See you in Helena, Jan. 16-17, 2019.

Back row (l to r): Andy Mathison

(Casino Creek Concrete), Eric

Bechtold (RDO Equipment Co.), Dave

Zinke (Knife River), Michael Jackola

(Hammerquist Casalegno), Bob Warren

(Schellinger Construction), and Marty

Schuma (Dick Anderson Construction).

Front row (l to r): Mike Waldenberg

(Central Plumbing, Heating and

Excavation), Aaron Golik (Century

Companies), and Trevor Livesay

(Montana Lines). Missing: Doug Jackson

(Jackson Contractor Group). Officers

include Aaron Golik, president; Doug

Jackson, vice president; and Trevor

Livesay, treasurer.

building montana 2018 232018l to r: Cary Hegreberg, MCA; Carolynn Bright,

MCA; and Brian Deery, AGC, mingle before

Thursday’s awards banquet.

Thank you to Jeff Gordon, NAPA Heavy Duty, for

his years of service on the MCA Associates’ Board of

Directors.

top (l to r): Paul LaMarche

(TrueNorth Steel), Tyler McIntyre

(PayneWest Insurance), Mike

Meredith (Forterra Precast

Concrete), Brad Newcomb (Calumet-

Montana Refining), and Michael

Richards (Core and Main).

Bottom (l to r): Brett Bermingham

(BASF Construction Chemicals), Eric

Bechtold (RDO Equipment Co.), and

Corey Crum (First Interstate Bank).

Not pictured: Art Logan (Tri State

Truck and Equipment Co.)


MCA AnnualMaryann Seilstad, MCA, sports her

“Don’t Bug Me” glasses while posing

with Brad Newcomb, Calumet-Montana

Refining.

Al Schellinger, Schellinger

Construction, peruses the dessert

selection before the Dessert Dash bid-

ding begins.

l to r: Tyler Smith, Lakeside

Excavation, awards Curt Nunberg,

Ashgrove, with the Concrete Person of

the Year award.

building montana 2018 25MCA Annual

2018 MCA President Aaron Golik pins

the past-president pin to 2017 MCA

President Jim Berve’s lapel.

Nick Miller, Missouri River

Contractors, and Van Hildreath, Knife

River, catch up before the evening

program.

Vicki Evans, MCCF executive direc-

tor, and Tim Barth, MCCF safety

consultant, gather in the vendor area.


2017 MCA President Jim Berve and

wife, Julie, smile for the camera.

Rep. Frank Garner (R-Kalispell) joined us at the con-

vention to talk to the group about the road he traveled

to achieve the passage of the fuel tax bill in the 2017

Montana Legislature.

Comedian Tim Gard entertained the audience at

the convention with nose flutes, “Don’t Bug Me”

glasses, and much more.


2017MCA Excellence AwardsAt the Montana Contractors’ Association (MCA), awards sea-

son is one of our favorite times of the year. Applications for the

MCA Excellence Awards flood in from across the state, and we

get to see what our member companies have been working on

so diligently for the past 12 months.

This year did not disappoint. Your roads, bridges, commer-

cial construction, historic renovation, and more showed us

once again the commitment our members have to putting forth

their best work each and every day.

We extend a heartfelt congratulations to our Excellence

Award winners, and we thank all of our MCA members for your

dedication to our industry and our association. We wish you all

the best in 2018!

Cary HegrebergExecutive director of the Montana Contractors’ Association

Concrete Excellence Award – PavingProject: green Meadow roundabout general Contractor: Helena sand & gravel Concrete Producer: Helena sand & gravel Concrete Finisher: White resources

The roundabout required 1,931 CY of cast-in-place con-crete for concrete paving, curb and gutter, and sidewalks. This project took approximately four months to complete. All of the concrete used on this project was required to meet 4,000 psi compressive strength and have air contents range from 5.5 percent to 8.5 percent. The concrete sub-contractor (White Resources) had to use best practices of

adequate surface hydration, as well as proper curing meth-ods as local weather conditions often consisted of very high winds with low relative humidity. There were a few days where they made the decision not to proceed with a sched-uled placement due to excessive winds. Delineating islands contain the standard brick red concrete with a brick stamp application.


Concrete Excellence Award – Commercial DecorativeProject: lewistown skate Park general Contractor: Evergreen skate Parks Concrete Producer: Casino Creek Concrete

Every square foot was required to be finished by hand. On the jobsite, you could not find a straight screed, straight float, straight trowel — everything had a hand-bent curve to it. The most impressive feature of the skate park is the artistry and the craftsmanship of the work. Concrete often

gets used as sensible blocks and slabs with no consider-ation given to the flexibility of the finishing/final look. Lewistown was expecting a skate park — what they got was 25,000 square feet of concrete artwork.

Building Excellence Award – Best Commercial ConstructionProject: sweetgrass Commonsgeneral Contractor: Jackson Contractor group Architect: MMW Architects

Sweetgrass Commons is an affordable housing proj-ect built in the Old Sawmill District in Missoula. Not only was the 27-unit building designed for energy efficiency, but it was held to a high level of craftsmanship to allow it to blend with redevelopment of the area to a modern and updated neighborhood. The project used insulated concrete forms for the foundation which resulted in cost savings and reduction in schedule. This technique also allowed for the

foundation to be poured in a particularly cold winter with-out a lot of increase in temporary heat as the blocks provide some insulation. Because of Sweetgrass Commons’ location — on a reclaimed mill site — some mitigation efforts were required. In addition, the project was started and com-pleted in winter to ensure the owners would have access to associated tax credits.


Building Excellence Award – Best institutional ConstructionProject: Missoula Collegegeneral Contractor: Jackson Contractor group Architect: studioFOrMA

Missoula College is a 113,000-square-foot higher educa-tion building comprised of kitchens, dining areas, library, laboratories, classrooms, and office. The project achieved LEED Gold certification. Size, variable weather, saturation in the construction market, local wildlife (osprey nest), and scope coordination were all challenges of the Missoula College project. Exposed wood beam and deck ceilings

ground the building and warm the interior spaces, while the exterior envelope system ties the building to its surround-ings while maintaining a modern, detailed visual for motor-ists entering Missoula. Pull planning and daily last plan-ner were used to ensure accurate scheduling and planning among all members of the project team, and contributed to the completion of the project two months ahead of schedule.

Building Excellence Award – Best industrial ConstructionProject: Deer lodge WWtPgeneral Contractor: sletten Construction Engineer: Morrison Maierle

This project transformed the city of Deer Lodge’s waste-water treatment facility from a lagoon system to a mechani-cal plant. The project involved about 4,400 CY of cast-in-place concrete for eight structures, six of which are water-bearing structures, along with masonry structures. Because the project was built within an existing sludge lagoon, the lagoon had to be drained, the sludge removed, and fill brought in to achieve grade for the new structures. Multiple crews were used on the different structures and two cranes

were also used to keep everyone working without delays. To ensure timely delivery of materials, a batch plant was set up about a mile from the project. Groundwater in the area was a major challenge on the job site. Contractors were able to work with area residents to install a liner in an irrigation ditch and a French drain around the project to minimize water flow through the site. Despite the complexities, the project was completed ahead of schedule.


Concrete Excellence Awards – industrial/Commercial $1-$5 MillionProject: units 3 & 4 Dewatering systemgeneral Contractor: COP Construction Concrete Producer: Oftedal Construction

The project consisted of building a concrete dewatering structure for dewatering the bottom ash from Units 3 and 4 of the Colstrip Power Plant located in Colstrip, Montana. The structure is 182-feet wide and 332-feet long which cov-ers a 1.4-acre area. The base slab is 18-inches to 24-inches thick and the 15-foot-tall walls are 24-inches thick. The structure has three settling basins and one clearwell sepa-rated by internal 14-foot-tall walls, 24-inches thick as well.

COP Construction placed more than 6,200 cy of concrete and the iron workers placed 2,000,000 pounds of rebars in a span of three months. A 780-cy mud slab was poured once subgrade was made to allow for a clean worksite dur-ing wet conditions. The concrete slab and wall pours had to be sequenced so that adjacent placements were not placed within seven days of each other.

Building Excellence Award – Best Historic restorationProject: Carroll College ChapelContractor: Dick Anderson Construction Architect: CtA

For more than 100 years, Carroll College wanted a build-ing where up to 350 people could gather to worship on Sunday nights. The new space had to meet these service needs, as well as give a future home to the campus ministry and student gathering spaces. The Old North Gymnasium Building, originally built in 1917, proved to be an excellent home for these services — after a renovation/restoration. The project involved nearly three miles of wood base, cas-

ing and extension jamb molding, trusses that were a merger of steel and wood that span more than 68 feet, and much more. While portions of the building were demolished, various face stones were salvaged and incorporated into the new walls. Crews worked in close coordination to man-age limited available space on the site and equipment size restrictions.


Building Excellence Awards – Excellence in CraftsmanshipProject: university of Montana Champions Centergeneral Contractor: Jackson Contractor group Architect: CtA Architects Engineers

The 51,000-square-foot Champions Center at the University of Montana (UM) was a highly complex design. It houses locker rooms for the university’s football program and expansive meeting spaces for all of UM’s 15 sports pro-grams. It also includes a two-level weight room for use by all student athletes. The building has 11 different slab heights — generally this would only be seen in a high-rise appli-cation. There are 27 wall steps in the exterior foundation,

all of which correspond to existing exterior grades or one of the above-mentioned slab elevations. The project posed significant logistical challenges for contractors as workers were blocked in on all four sides by some kind of restric-tive component, including Washington Grizzly Stadium. In addition, considering the significant investment by project donors, and the end goal of recruitment for the University of Montana, craftsmanship was a top priority.

Concrete Excellence Award – technical MeritProject: Boeing Phase iii general Contractor: Dick Anderson Construction Concrete Producer: Helena sand & gravel Concrete Finisher: ArCO Builders

Boeing Phase III was a 90,000-square-foot addition to their existing facility, located in Helena, Montana. The con-crete placed for this project included: footings, foundation walls and columns, place slabs-on-grade, as well as elevated decks and placement of five mass concrete equipment pads.

What made this project unique was the five mass concrete equipment foundations that contained steel I-beams for the manufacturing equipment bases. The final elevations of the I-beams (six in the large foundation) had to be within a two-millimeter tolerance over a 130-foot length.


Concrete Excellence Award – Agricultural ConcreteProject: town & Country supply Association general Contractor: stueve ConstructionConcrete Producer: Knife river Billings Concrete Finisher: Custom Concrete

The Town and Country Supply Association Building was composed of numerous columns, 40-feet tall, three-to-four feet in diameter using a total of 60,000 square feet of exte-rior concrete. The building will be used for storage and manufacturing of many types of fertilizer and associated

chemicals. Concrete is the ideal product for this type of project. The facility will enhance the ability of our local and surrounding agricultural community to compete globally. Its transportation efficiency will also help it find a niche in the market.

Concrete Excellence Award – BridgesProject: Capitol/Cedar interchangegeneral Contractor: sletten Construction Concrete Producer: Helena sand & gravel

Removing an existing bridge is difficult at best, com-pounded with the fact that it was done over multiple live railroad tracks and a public road. The northbound bridge was completed in 2016, with completion of the southbound bridge in 2017. On the southbound bridge, the deck was able to be placed in three-night placements, sequenced in

seven sections. This project contained a total of 9,110 yards of concrete provided by Helena Sand and Gravel. Thanks to great planning and communication between Sletten Construction and Helena Sand and Gravel, they were able to provide concrete on all the night placements safely with no incidents.


Concrete Excellence Awards – green Concrete ApplicationsProject: Helena Aviation readiness Center general Contractor: swank EnterprisesConcrete Producer: Helena sand & gravel Concrete Finisher: White resources

Construction of Helena Aviation Readiness Center began in the spring of 2015 and used a total of 7,445 CY of concrete. There were six mix designs utilized for each specification needing to be met based on the intended use and exposure to freeze-thaw. All required 4,000 psi, with exception of the grout, which required 2,500 psi, and pervious concrete had a permeability specification. A unique part of this proj-

ect was the incorporation of a pervious concrete parking lot rather than utilizing asphalt in areas where no large equip-ment will be driven. To date, this is the largest pervious placement in Montana, consisting of 655 cubic yards. White Resources LLC placed the pervious concrete in four rather than the anticipated five days, with the technical assistance of David Mitchell – Bunyan Industries.

Concrete Excellence Award – industrial/Commercial > $5 Million, Judges Choice AwardProject: BZN Hangers 1 & 2general Contractor: langlas & Associates Concrete Producer: Knife river

This project was one-of-a-kind and a first for Langlas, as well as our subcontractors and suppliers for a number of reasons: its physical size, intended use, new/innovative use of products, and new/innovative use of machinery and tech-nology. The use of concrete for foundation elements was intuitive for a building of this size and type. Concrete slabs on grade, however, involved much more detail and work than the average industrial slab with stringent subgrade preparations, three-inch-thick hangar-rated rigid insula-tion, 15 mil vapor barrier, #7 and #8 reinforcing at 12 inches on center each way, an overall thickness of 10 inches, slope of 1/16 inches per foot, and stringent flatness requirements

to enhance the final aesthetic when coated with epoxy fin-ish. The final slab surface varied no more than 1/16 inch from design elevation for a majority of the 80,000-square-foot surface area. Use of the Bidwell 4800 screed to achieve these results was a defining decision for the project. The Gomaco Commander III paving machine equipped with Topcon Stringless mmGPS controls allowed fast and effective place-ment for the 35,000 square feet of 11-inch-thick aprons to connect the hangar structures to airside runways. Total quantity of concrete exceeded 5,000 cubic yards, with the majority (3,440 cy) being placed in 6.5 weeks, and another 1,200+ cy being placed for aprons in a total of five pour days.

For construction companies that work

in education, there’s no better time in

history than the present. That’s because

there were 34 sizeable K-12 school build-

ing and improvement bonds passed in

recent years. Together they total more

than $1.2 billion, which represents a sig-

nificant increase in construction revenue,

and an important economic boost for

communities across the state.

Belgrade voters passed a $25-million

bond, and a new high school is being

built by Martel Construction, based in

Bozeman. The project is being complet-

ed in phases, and the final phase expect-

ed to be done in summer 2019.

“We’ve always had a school under

School bonds a boon to the construction industryMore than $1.2 billion in school bonds passed in recent years By Laura Bailey

An artist rendering of the new Belgrade High School.

construction somewhere, going way back in our history,” said Jason Martel, executive vice president of Martel Construction. “Other work is steady, but education is constant.”

Martel Construction recently com-pleted Sacagawea Middle School in Bozeman, and company leadership is actively seeking additional opportunities for education projects. On average, about 25 percent of Martel’s work is education projects that are either K-12 schools or university projects, Martel said.

School districts with recently passed bonds are facing two primary concerns: increasing enrollment and aging facili-ties. Not all bonds are for new construc-tion, but they all still impact the con-struction industry.

Many of the bonds were passed

Martel Construction is building the new Belgrade High School, a project made possible by a $25-million building bond recently passed by voters in the community.


in the last two years, on the heels of 2015 change in state law made by the Montana Legislature. Prior to the new law, districts could only borrow up to half of the taxable value of the prop-erty in the district, or they could cal-culate bonding amounts based on the number of students, with that number also cut by 50 percent. Now, that cap has increased to 100 percent. What that means is districts can ask taxpayers for bond amounts up to 100 percent of the value of the property, or 100 percent of the per-student calculation. This move, while it puts bond repayment square-ly on the shoulders of local taxpayers, has provided much more flexibility for districts, which, in many cases, needed more capital than was available for new buildings and to make improvements to existing buildings.

In Missoula, voters passed bonds totaling $158 million. In Billings, $122 million was approved recently. Bozeman followed with $125 million, Great Falls $99 million, and Helena $63 million. The

bonding trend is expected to continue

so long as taxpayers are willing to sup-

port schools. East Helena, Stevensville,

Lockwood and Elder Grove (both small

communities outside Billings) will be

voting on bonds in 2018. More than 200

school districts across the state have

bonds outstanding this year, however,

not all were recently passed.

School districts have an advan-

tage these days in pitching bonds

to voters thanks to the CM/GC (con-

struction manager/general contrac-

tor) method, which is the generally

accepted practice for school construc-

tion. The process allows construction

companies to come on board earlier in

the process, engaging the community

and providing school boards and vot-

ers with a better, more complete plan.

As school districts large and small tack-

le building projects this year, not only

do contractors benefit, so do students,

who will have safe, efficient, and mod-

ern spaces to learn. F

Bozeman801 W. Main, Suite 2ABozeman, MT 59715

Phone: (406) 585-0888

Great FallsLiberty Center, Suite 302

9 3rd Street NorthGreat Falls, MT 59401Phone: (406) 403-0041

Helena800 N. Last Chance Gulch

Suite 101Helena, MT 59601

Phone: (406) 443-6820

Missoula201 West Railroad, Suite 300

Missoula, MT 59802Phone: (406) 728-1694

[email protected]

www.bkbh.com

• Commercial Transactions, Contract Disputes, Negotiations and Civil Litigation

• Land and Lease Acquisition

• Tax Counseling & Disputes

• Land Use & Zoning

• Environmental and Regulatory Compliance

www.bkbh.com

Serving Montana’sContractors for over 30 Years

Portable Generator and Pump Rental Specialists

1140 Main St. Billings, MT406.252.4191


One industry helping anotherA highway clearing project removes timber, which provides a boost to the local lumber millBy Laura Bailey

A Hwy. 83 resurfacing project that required quite a bit of right-of-way clearing helped provide logs for Pyramid Lumber, a local mill, and the boards they produced will go on to be used in local construction projects.

Last summer, a straightforward highway

resurfacing project in the Seeley Lake

area doubled as a logging project and

provided a boost for a local lumber mill.

The mill and fill paving project, done

by LHC Inc., stretched about 16 miles

Loggers use a Tigercat Forwarder to load logs during a recent project. The logs will head to Pyramid Lumber Mill for processing.

TMTMTM

BELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADEBELGRADE BIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYBIG SKYCENTRAL DISPATCH: 406.388.2397

BOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMANBOZEMAN

Decorative Mixes

Prompt Estimates

Extensive DeliveryAreas & More!

Decorative Mixes

Prompt Estimates

Extensive DeliveryAreas & More!

Concrete Boom & Line Pumping Services

Residential

Commercial

Concrete Boom & Line Pumping Services

Residential

Commercial

on U.S. Hwy. 83 near Seeley Lake. The

two-lane highway runs through both

Lolo National Forest and Flathead

National Forest in a heavily timbered

area.

“It’s al l Forest Service ground

through there, and Montana Department

of Transportation (MDT) has an ease-

ment for the road,” said Frank Tabish

LHC. Inc., project manager.

The project included clearing a

30-foot site-zone for maximum safety

on each side of the road, which, accord-

ing to Forest Service officials, was with-

in the MDT right of way. That meant

removing some 1,600 trees, but to do

that, LHC had to work with the U.S.

Forest Service for appropriate permits,

Tabish said.

“With a lot of projects there’s a

bit of clearing, but this was more than

usual, especially for a paving project,”

he added.

As part of the contract, LHC Inc.

hired a logging company to clear the

trees, and it came in after the paving

portion of the project was finished.

Within a few days, the crew had the

trees down and remaining waste materi-

als from the operation were hauled away

for pulp.


Evolved.

K L J E N G . C O M

Perfectly designed to thrive in its environment.

Adaptable enough to evolve with the times.

Building smart for a solid future.

It’s second nature at KLJ.

According to Boyd Hartwig, U.S.

Forest Service public affairs officer for

Lolo National Forest, the project fol-

lowed typical protocols for highway

right-of-way clearing and was not con-

sidered a land management project.

The project included a log deck sale,

wherein the logs were cut and measured

by Forest Service personnel, then a bill

was sent to MDT. Logs went to Pyramid

Mountain Lumber, a family-owned mill

in Seeley Lake.

Loren Rose, the chief operating offi-

cer for Pyramid Mountain Lumber, said

the project brought in between 15 and

20 truckloads of logs, enough to main-

tain operations at the mill for about half

a day. Although it wasn’t a large job,

Rose said the work has made a differ-

ence for motorists and wildlife in the

area. Better line of site on the roadsides

results in fewer collisions.

“I’ve been here 31 years and there’s

been a lot of highway work in the area

and there’s been a concerted effort to

open things up from Seeley Lake north

to Bigfork,” Rose added. “Deer and elk

have been a major concern.”

LHC Inc. is a full-service excava-

tion and highway construction com-

pany based in the Flathead Valley. LHC

was responsible for a sizeable portion of

the work done on the Kalispell bypass

project, also known as the Highway

93 Alternate Route. The company was

founded in 1960 by Roger Claridge, and

coincidentally started as a lumber haul-

ing company before moving into con-

struction in the 1980s. The company has

remained one of the Flathead Valley’s

most active construction companies

throughout the area’s building boom,

which continues to move ahead without

signs of stopping. F

With over a century of legal experience, Crowley Fleck PLLP serves clients in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming and is committed to providing the

highest quality legal service in a timely and cost-effective manner.

OUR AR EAS OF PR ACTICE:

COMMERCIAL AND INSURANCE DEFENSE LITIGATION | NATURAL RESOURCES

MINING AND ENERGY LAW | HEALTHCARE | COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS

BANKING AND FINANCE | CREDITOR’S RIGHTS | REAL ESTATE | TAX

ESTATE PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION | INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

EMPLOYMENT LAW | GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND LOBBYING

OFFICES IN:Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula, Montana; Bismarck and Williston, North Dakota; and Casper, Cheyenne, and Sheridan, Wyoming.

www.crowleyfleck.com


NESTiNg on the job

While rerouting lines at Oroville Dam,

Barnard Construction preserves a 1,000-

pound eagle nest

Barnard Construction crews remove the 1,000-lb. unoccupied eagle nest

via crane and man basket.

With just one week to meet a critical transmission line energization deadline at Oroville Dam, Montana-based Barnard Construction Company, Inc. (Barnard) took on an unusual assignment. In the midst of a bustling construction scene, crews removed and preserved a 6.5-foot-diameter, 1,000-pound unoccupied eagle nest located in a tree deemed hazardous to the line.

“Our crews and safety manager devised a scheme that used two cranes, one with a man basket so a person could cut the tree and the other to suspend and remove the nest after cutting the section of the tree it was built on,” said Alex Raby, Barnard’s project manager. “We proposed the idea to the environ-

mental team and once we received their approval, we were ready to go.”

Barnard came to Oroville following extraordinary rain that strained dams across Northern California. They quick-ly joined the group of teams assisting the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in responding to the spillway failure at Oroville Dam, the tall-est earthen dam in the United States. In February 2017, Barnard’s Electric Transmission Group contracted with DWR to reroute two double-circuit 230kV transmission lines located on the eroding hillside adjacent to the main spillway. The new alignment rerouted the lines away from the at-risk hillside and away from water releases.

Initially, Barnard had a team onsite in one day and equipment staged with-in three days to construct a temporary shoofly after erosion on the main spill-way was first noticed, and erosion of the surrounding hillside threatened the existing line that served the hydroelec-tric plant generating power at the base of the 770-foot-tall earthen dam.

“It was exciting because we didn’t know many details yet, including how long we would be needed or what our scope would be,” Raby said. “We knew DWR needed help, so we packed up a limited amount of clothes and headed to California.”

Barnard then began working with design engineer Stantec to construct a permanent solution out of harm’s way. The project required expedited design and material procurement, as well as coordination with myriad contractors, agency officials, and the media.

Adding to the job’s complexity, Barnard constructed the line in a non-linear sequence to avoid environmen-tal impacts during bird nesting season. In fact, Barnard and the design team encountered a pair of bald eagles occu-pying their massive stick nest—one of the bird world’s largest—near a pro-posed tower location on the banks of the dam’s diversion pool.

Throughout construction, Barnard worked closely with biological monitors to maintain a safe and non-disruptive


environment. All of this work was con-ducted under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) eagle “disturbance” take permit, which DWR had obtained during the Oroville spillway incident. To further limit disturbance near the nest, crews observed a 500-foot buf-fer zone during the February to August nesting season.

According to Raby, crews avoided the area as much as possible, especially with loud equipment, during the early stages of construction. As the pair’s eaglet matured, crews were allowed to perform more work around the buffer zone. DWR stationed an eagle moni-tor onsite throughout construction to observe the birds and ensure they were not distressed. Their efforts proved suc-cessful after the eaglet fledged in late summer.

With the nest unoccupied, Barnard installed a transmission tower near the tree that housed the nest. Upon further review, that particular tree was deemed a “danger tree,” meaning it posed a haz-ard to the transmission line. Barnard coordinated with several agencies and the DWR obtained a take permit from the USFWS to remove the nest.

In mid-September, Barnard and DWR crews gathered prey remains (fish bones and skulls), nest material, and down feathers from the nest before it was removed from the tree. Barnard then constructed a pad for the two 40-ton cranes required to hoist the nest. Using branches that the nest was con-structed around as pick points, Barnard carefully removed the nest and placed it inside a custom-made pallet to trans-port to local biologists.

“I’ve never encountered anything like this on a project, and probably never will again,” said Dustin Bunch, Barnard’s project safety manager who was also responsible for devising the plan, trim-ming the tree, and assisting the cranes from the man basket. “The nest was enormous. It appeared that if I wanted to, I could crawl inside and lay down. And I’m six-foot-six.”

Bunch added that the whole process took just over 24 hours from creating the plan to placing the nest inside the pallet.

Biologists are currently working to create attractive nesting options in trees around the Oroville Dam site. They hope to encourage nesting in more suitable trees that are less likely to impact infra-structure or construction. Due to the logistical challenges of relocating the

original nest, biologists instead placed

artificial nest structures in the chosen

trees, hoping to attract pairs of eagles

that prefer the area’s tall trees and acces-

sible fishing.

In addition to the artificial nest struc-

tures, biologists from DWR are working

with the California Department of Parks

and Recreation to preserve the bald eagle

nest as an interpretive and education-

al display at the Lake Oroville Visitor

Center. The USFWS recently approved

this plan and the display will open to the

public in summer 2018.

While this event proved a rare oppor-

tunity, it showed how contractors, cli-

ents, biologists, and community mem-

bers worked together to preserve our

national bird’s habitat. F

Throughout construction, Barnard worked closely with biological monitors to maintain a safe and non-disruptive environment. All of this work was conducted under a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) eagle “disturbance” take permit, which DWR had obtained during the Oroville spillway incident. Crews set the nest on a pallet.


A contaminated 12-acre parcel overlook-

ing the Missouri River in Great Falls is

coming to life after laying dormant for

more than 70 years. The property, now

known as West Bank Landing, was the

location of a large oil refinery, closed in

the 1930s. Today, it’s a busy construction

site, where several office, retail, and resi-

dential properties are being built. A 132-

room, four-story hotel is already com-

plete, as well as a fitness center. When

West Bank Landing is done, its buildings

will be LEED certified.

“You can work, play, and recreate all

without leaving West Bank Landing,”

said Brad Talcott, owner and partner in

James Talcott Construction and one of

the four investors in West Bank Landing.

It was about the time the refinery

that once sat on the West Bank Landing

property closed that Talcott’s grandfa-

ther started Talcott Construction. The

other partners in the project are also

long-time Great Falls residents.

“We wanted to give back to the com-

munity and see it thrive,” Talcott said.

“It finally seemed like it was time to do

something because it was too great a par-

cel not to.”

What makes West Bank Landing

unique is its proximity to the Missouri

River. The location is adjacent to West

Bank Park, which separates the develop-

ment from the water by only a few yards.

The area is already a popular destination

for walking, biking, running, and water

recreation.

“There aren’t many communities in

the Northwest that have this kind of a

parcel available,” Talcott said.

Appealing as it was, the West Bank

Landing site held one very large draw-

back: extensive petroleum contamina-

tion from the refinery. Before anything

could be built, the soil had to be cleaned

up. The multi-million-dollar cost had

been too much for former owners and

most potential developers.

West Bank Landing: An all-inclusive development A once-contaminated property on the Missouri River is on its way to becoming a Great Falls destination By Laura Bailey

West Bank Landing artist rendering provided by LPW Architecture.

“Anyone who was in their right mind

told us we were crazy to take on this

project, but we saw the potential and

knew it could be a showpiece for Great

Falls,” Talcott said.

In recent history, the site was used

for Cascade County shops and equip-

ment storage. Surrounding proper-

ty from previous industrial users was

blighted, and the City of Great Falls was

motivated to support rehabilitation and

reuse of the area. The city established

a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District

for the whole West Bank area and named

West Bank the top redevelopment prior-

ity in the city. To create some momen-

tum, the Great Falls Development

Authority (GFDA), the local economic

development agency, commissioned the

Missouri River Corridor Study in 2005.

“The report gave us the appetite to

see what we could do with the site,”

said Lillian Sunwall, vice president of

the GFDA.


always part of the solution

HELENA, MT | 406.443.3225GREAT FALLS, MT | 406.761.8707BOZEMAN, MT | 406.586.0889BILLINGS, MT | 406.248.3700

MISSOULA, MT | 406-721.8912SHERIDAN, WY | 307.672.0418REDMOND, OR | 541.527.1453

WWW.DACONSTRUCTION.COM

The greatest hurdle for development was funding for cleanup. Despite the huge price tag, Sunwall continued to search for solutions. When Talcott and his partners came forward with inter-est, she secured a federal grant to have additional testing done on the site. Meanwhile, Talcott and his team secured city acceptance to participate in the TIF district, which allows some funds to be used for cleanup. Sunwall helped facili-tate EPA Brownfields Program funding to use as a bridge loan until TIF funding kicked in. The Brownfield repayment will start when tenants fill up the space and begin paying taxes. That’s expect-ed to be in the next three to five years, Sunwall said.

The cleanup was extensive. A large concrete chamber that still held petro-leum contaminants was known to be on the site, as well as a number of petro-leum plumes from previous spills. By the time the cleanup phase was through, West Bank Landing became the largest petroleum cleanup project in Montana’s history, based on the number of cubic yards of material that was removed.

By midsummer Talcott said a Springhill Suites hotel, Peak Fitness facility, several restaurants, and office space will be completed with more retail under construction. The area is already creating a buzz throughout the community.

“We’re hoping it will be a destination location for Great Falls and the whole Golden Triangle Area,” he added. F

West Bank Landing, an EPA Brownfields site that was once home to an oil refinery, is now a bustling construction zone. A hotel and fitness center are nearly complete, and office buildings, retail spaces, restaurants, and condos are all expected to be finished within the next couple of years. Photo by Charley Fern.

HOME.BELGRADE | BOZEMAN | LIVINGSTONHOME.

LUMBER. HARDWARE.


Last year, Dick Anderson Construction

implemented Procore Construction

Operating System, a management soft-

ware that syncs everyone on a project,

including subcontractors. Initially,

project managers weren’t sure what to

expect, but they knew that once Procore

was adopted by the staff it would stream-

line the construction process, eliminate

costly mistakes, and maximize efficien-

cy. Still, change did not come easily for

everyone.

“It was good, but it was challeng-

ing, too, especially for people who are

set in their ways,” said Riley Ford,

project manager for Dick Anderson

Construction. “Thankfully, Procore is

pretty user friendly.”

Procore was adopted companywide,

and it provides a platform to keep every-

one on a job abreast of changes via noti-

fications on smartphones and/or tablets.

Everyone has access to the plans, which

are updated in real time.

“It helps keep everything in one

place,” Ford said. “The best thing about

it has been the collaboration and oppor-

tunity for sharing.”

Each message and update to the plans

– no matter how small or large – created

a notification that went out to everyone

on the project. Ford said that initially,

the notifications were a nuisance to per-

sonnel on the jobsite, but after learning

how to manage the notifications, every-

one has adapted to the new software.

Dick Anderson Construction’s adop-

tion of Procore is just one example of

how the construction industry is steadi-

ly adopting new technology and dealing

with the changes that come with it. For

most companies, technology has clear

advantages, but only if the workforce

can embrace it.

The age of workers has proven, at

least anecdotally, to make a difference in

how easily technology is implemented.

Sime Construction has implemented

Topcon Positioning Systems technology

on most of its fleet. The technology uti-

lizes GPS to precisely measure distance

and elevation and then automatically

adjust the equipment’s cutting edge to

the proper grade.

“We have a younger workforce,

which I think makes it easier,” said

Ron Pike, president and owner of Sime

Construction. “They’re more willing to

give it a try.”

More seasoned operators, who were

skeptical of the new technology, were

won over when they saw the finished

product. Sime Construction projects

happen faster because Topcon Controls

allow for more efficiency, and the tech-

nology increases safety because fewer

The latest technology gets the job done on construction worksites development The greatest challenge for many companies is staying ahead of the curve By Laura Bailey

A Sime Construction bulldozer was recently equipped with Topcon controls, which utilizes GPStechnology to precisely measure distance and elevation.


Swank Enterprises / General Contractors

• General building contractor dedicated to excellencesince 1960.

• Family owned Montana-based corporation.

• Reputation for experience, knowledge, dedication, competence and integrity.

• Our quiet but firm presence in the Northwest reflectsour philosophy of quality and value.

KALISPELL OFFICEP.O. Box 10007 - 750 W. Reserve, Kalispell, MT 59904Phone (406) 752-5411 • Fax (406) 756-8765

VALIER OFFICEP.O. Box 568 - 615 Pondera Avenue, Valier, MT 59486Phone (406) 279-3241 • Fax (406) 279-3321

BILLINGS OFFICE2921 - 1st Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101Phone 406-294-7979 • Fax 406-294-7978

More Product, No HasslesMETSO POrTablE PlanT

• Metso Minerals Complete Line Of Rock Crushing, Screening & Conveying Equipment, Genuine Nordberg Replacement Parts

• Masaba Plant Fabrications Feeders & Conveyors

• Superior Conveyors & Replacement Parts Idlers, Head & Tail Pulleys, Return Rolls, Replacement Rolls & Magnet Separators

• Foundry Products & Steel Castings for Jaw, Gyratory & Cone Crushers, Horizontal & Vertical Shaft Impactors, Hammermills & Roll Crushers, Asphalt Plants & Pulverized Coal Systems, Custom Castings & Special Alloys Available

• Screen Media Flex Mat Wire Screen Panels, Woven Wire Screen Panels, Rubber & Steel Plate Screen Panels, Modular Panels, Rubber, Urethane Wire Screening, & Misc. Screen Deck Wear Parts

406.373.6010 www.westate.com 800.999.6676


people are on the ground doing the work

that’s now been replaced by the technol-

ogy. While Topcon Controls have given

Sime Construction an overall advan-

tage, Pike said there is still no replacing a

qualified, experienced operator.

“It’s just making these guys better at

their jobs,” he added.

Knife River also employs a range of

GPS tracking and control systems on its

fleet, and from his office, Mitch Siroky,

Knife River’s equipment manager, can

see the status of each truck and piece

of equipment. The system is available

to the management team, as well as dis-

patchers who all know where each asset

is and whether it’s active. It’s helpful

in meeting state hours of service man-

dates for trucking, Siroky said, and it

has improved efficiency. But it wasn’t

easy bringing all the technology online.

There was some pushback from drivers

and operators who were entrenched in

the “this is the way we’ve always done

it” way of thinking.

“Change is always a scary animal,”

Siroky said. “Getting people to accept

change is always a challenge – myself

included.”

In some cases, the technology has

allowed Knife River to employ less expe-

rienced operators and drivers, and expe-

rienced operators who embrace technol-

ogy offer the best of both worlds – expe-

rience plus technological advantage.

One of the difficulties at Knife

River is that technology is advancing

faster than the equipment. Some older

machines are equipped with dated tech-

nology, while newer machines are com-

ing online with all the latest technology.

The technicians who service the fleet are

expected to work on all of it and keep

the entire fleet going.

“It takes a pretty broad spectrum of

experience for our technicians,” Siroky

said.

Technology in the construction

workplace is only expanding, and

with it comes a demand for adaptabil-

ity. Looking back at hundreds of years

of construction history, the ability to

embrace new technology has always

been a marker for company success.

“It’s stay with it or be left behind,”

Siroky said. “I think it’s been the same

for my father as it’s been for his father as

it’s been for me – it’s just the place that’s

changed.” F

Steven Costle, project engineer for Dick Anderson Construction, uses a tablet to access Procore software during the Old Liquor Warehouse renovation project in Helena. Everyone on the job has access to Procore, which can be used to update plans and specs in real time.

stockmanbank.com©2017 Stockman Bank | NMLS ID# 440094 | Member FDIC

• Commercial & Residential Land Purchase

• Construction Loans

• Lines of Credit

• Equipment & Building Loans

Resources to help your business grow!

At a recent road project, this Sime Construction grader was equipped with Topcon controls, which uses GPS technology to set the grade without the use of traditional stakes.


The ability to fill their open positions with dedicated, skilled

employees is among the top concerns of members of the

Montana Contractors’ Association (MCA), so it stands to reason

building our workforce is high on the MCA’s list of priorities.

“Exposing Montana students to opportunities in construc-

tion is crucial to workforce development in our industry,” said

Keith Ouzts, MCA’s vice president of workforce development.

“It’s time for a societal change, starting in our schools, that

supports construction as a viable, rewarding career — a first

choice, not a fallback for Montanans who don’t pursue degree

programs at four-year schools.”

To accommodate that introduction of students to careers

in construction, the MCA formed its Workforce Development

Committee, geared at raising the profile of the trades in

Montana and providing opportunities and resources to help our

members on the local level.

Thank you to Hal Fuglevand, Knife River; Tyler Smith,

Lakeside Excavation; and Mike Waldenberg, Central Plumbing,

Heating and Excavation for volunteering your time and effort to

help the MCA move this effort forward. Michele Cohen, Sletten

Construction, is a recent addition to the committee.

Not only did the group set the wheels in motion for

Construction Week (Oct. 2-6, 2017), but they also took time to

arrange visits to schools throughout the state to talk with stu-

dents about the opportunities available to them through careers

in construction.

In addition, the group served as an important resource as

the MCA entered into a partnership with Montana’s super-

intendent of public instruction, Elsie Arntzen. To date, the

MCA and Arntzen have scheduled joint visits with students to

schools under construction in three communities, and we have

more visits in the planning stages.

“This is about investment in a partnership…it is about having

a career — a construction career,” Arntzen told the students at

a visit to the site of the new elementary school in East Helena.

“It is about building our communities. It is about building for

our future.”

Upcoming projects for the Workforce Development

Committee include the distribution of $1,000 MCA

Construction Trade Awareness Grants to industrial arts instruc-

tors to help raise the profile of careers in construction. Also, the

group is making plans for Construction Week 2018 (Oct. 1-5,

2018).

For more information about careers in construc-

tion and Construction Week, click on “Let’s Build MT”

at mtagc.org. F

Building Montana’s workforce

Tyler Smith, Lakeside Excavation, visits with Montana Superintendent Elsie Arntzen at a recent visit to the new Diesel Technology Center at MSU-Northern.

[email protected] (406) 240-3444

38622 Valley Creek Road | Arlee, MT 59821

Matt Whetzel

WHETZEL

CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION

Laser Screeding ¡ Foundations ¡ Flatwork

“Engineering with Distinction”

www.electricalconsultantsinc.com

Full Service Engineering Design Firm Specializing inPower Utility Infrastructure

For more information, Contact us at:

[email protected] or 406.259.9933


Scholarships pave the way for students’ success in construction By Sarah Ludin

JACE HOlMAN

Jace Holman, from Billings, MT, is a

busy senior this year, dealing with the

academic stress of impending gradua-

tion in May. Thanks to an MCA schol-

arship, financial stress has been lifted,

and Holman will be debt-free when he

graduates. In addition to financial sup-

port, the scholarship also gave Holman

a feeling of assurance. “[Receiving the

MCA scholarship] shows me that the

community supports what I have accom-

plished and that they trust I will be suc-

cessful,” he said.

Holman chose to major in CET

because the ever-changing challenges of

the career appeal to him. “CET allows

Meet Jace Holman and Kalvin Kunda, students in Montana State University’s Construction Engineering

Technology (CET) program and recipients of Montana Contractors’ Association (MCA) scholarships.

me to be in the middle of the action of

construction and experience the prob-

lems and issues firsthand,” Holman

said, adding that construction always

presents new conflicts and issues;

even if you are building the exact same

building 10 feet from the original, there

will be thousands of different chal-

lenges to resolve.

“I chose MSU because…it is an

amazing engineering school, and if you

are strong enough to stick it through,

your degree will get you a long way,”

he said. Along with his coursework,

Holman is involved on campus with

the Associated General Contractors

of America Student Chapter, National

Thanks to an MCA scholarship, Jace Holman from Billings will be debt-free when he graduates from MSU.

Experts in limestone, cement, coal and all types of dry bulk hauls.

Hundreds of trucks and trailers to meet all of your construction hauling needs!

Call us today at 406-245-8833 or visit www.warrentransport-mt.com

A first class trucking company for over 25 years.

Society of Collegiate Scholars Student

Chapter, and Civil Engineering Peer

Advising program.

After graduation, Holman would

like a career in heavy civil construction

as a project engineer or field engineer.

“I eventually want to become a project

manager because I enjoy coordinating

work and individuals to produce the

best possible outcome.”

PLEASE RECYCLE


KAlviN KuNDA

Kalvin Kunda grew up in Big Timber, MT, where his grandfather – a county

road supervisor – would pick Kunda up and drive around pointing out roads

and bridges. This influenced his decision to major in CET to build infrastruc-

ture and to have a job where he isn’t behind a desk all day.

“I am interested in heavy civil construction that will help improve the

world,” Kunda said.

A first-generation college student, Kunda appreciates the financial relief his

MCA scholarship has provided, allowing him to accrue meaningful work expe-

riences. “[Receiving scholarships] made it easier for me to focus on building

experiences instead of money over the summers.”

This past summer, Kunda worked for Langlas Construction where he

helped build the new dining hall on MSU’s campus. “Being able to work in the

field on a bigger project reassured me that I’m going in the right direction for

my career.” Kunda will also complete an internship with Langlas this summer

for an independent study course in the CET degree program. F

A first-generation college student, Kunda appreciates the financial relief his MCA scholarship has provided, allowing him to accrue meaningful work experiences.

201 Meadowbrook Road, Lewistown Mt 59457

Ph: 406/538-7160

Sand, Gravel and Concrete sales, Gravel Crushing, Excavation work,

General Contractor support services.

If you have a construction project in Central Montana, you will probably need our help.

Casino CreekConcrete, INC


IT'S SCHOLARSHIP

SEASON!

IT'S SCHOLARSHIP

SEASON!MCA Scholarships:Helping to build MontanaPaying for postsecondary education can be a daunting proposition for many Montana families.

Fortunately, the Montana Contractors’ Association (MCA) — through its Associates’ and Concrete divisions —

offers $1,000 scholarships to students whose parents or guardians are employed by MCA member companies.

“We at the MCA have a strong com-mitment to helping Montana students pay for their post-secondary educa-

tion, whether that includes certificate programs, four-year degree programs, or whatever their calling may be,” said Eric Bechtold, president of the MCA Associates’ Board of Directors. “We are dedicated to building Montana’s workforce.”

Fundraising efforts on the MCA’s Associates’ Division part includes the MCA Summer Outing and more.

MCA’s Concrete Division also pledg-es a portion of funds raised through its training activities to student scholarships.

Available scholarships include:• MCA Associates’ Division Presidential

Scholarships (High School)• MCA Associates’ Division Presidential

Scholarships (Undergraduate)• MCA Concrete Division Scholarships

(High School, Undergraduate)To qualify for the Presidential Scholar–

ships, applicants must:• Have parents or guardians employed by

MCA member companies.• Be attending: — any accredited postsecondary school

(in-state applicants) — an accredited Montana postsecondary

school (out-of-state applicants)• Provide a completed application that

demonstrates dedication to scholas-tic record and ability, involvement in extra-curricular activities, and desire to work hard to succeed.

To qualify for the MCA Concrete Division Scholarships, applicants must:• Meet the qualifications mentioned

above AND be the child or dependent of a member of the MCA’s Concrete Division.The number of scholarships distrib-

uted annually depends on funds raised throughout the year and the quality of applicant pools for the scholarships.

Scholarship applications are avail-able at www.mtagc.org and the schol-arship deadline is Monday, April 16, 2018. F


• Utility Installation • Sitework & Grading• Hydroexcavation • Material Placement• Demolition • Heavy Haul• Sheetpile Installation

mdcgf.com814 7th Street North great falls, mT 59401

Ph: 406.452.8825 cell: 406-590-0350fax: 406.452.0144 Email: [email protected]

Rhett HulettOWNER


MCA President Aaron golik: Living a construction life

When Aaron Golik was hired at Century Companies, his new bosses encouraged him to become an active participant in the Montana Contractors’ Association (MCA).

A little more than a decade later, in 2018, Golik stepped into the posi-tion of president of the MCA’s Board of Directors, becoming the third rep-resentative of Century Companies to hold that esteemed position within the association.

“The MCA provides a voice for indi-vidual companies and the industry in Montana,” said Golik, who is vice presi-dent of construction for Century. “The work the association does is extremely important to the success of our industry and I’m looking forward to leading its efforts in 2018.”

allows him to spend time with his fam-

ily, enjoying hunting, fishing, and more

with Tracy and his sons, Matthew, 12,

and Lucas, 9.

Golik says he’s settled into the

Lewistown community and enjoys the

challenges his job presents.

“I like the fact I get to work with a lot

of diverse people from blue collar craft

hands, to brilliant management minds,”

he said. “Plus, I get to build things. I can

see the progress we have made at the end

of the day.”

Golik says he has identified sever-

al goals for the MCA throughout his

tenure, many of which were defined

by members of the MCA’s Board of

Directors during strategy sessions.

“I would definitely like to see us

work on the regulatory climate for the

construction industry in Montana,” he

said, explaining that work needs to be

done on the legislative level. He said

progress is being made by keeping the

lines of communication open among the

Montana Department of Transportation

and other regulatory agencies.

Golik added he wants to impress

upon Montana companies that don’t

belong to the MCA that Montana con-

tractors are stronger together, and the

MCA provides an opportunity to meet

challenges to the construction industry

head on, with a coordinated purpose.

“There’s a lot of history tied with

belonging to the MCA,” said Golik. “But

I think the association also has an impor-

tant role in moving our industry forward

in this ever-changing business and regu-

latory landscape.” F

In many ways, becoming the presi-dent of the MCA is a logical progression for a guy who grew up in Wolf Point, certain of one thing — he wanted to build bridges.

Golik attended Montana State University in Bozeman, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in construc-tion engineering and a minor in busi-ness administration. After graduation, he went to work for Kiewit Construction as a field engineer, and later, a project engineer.

“Back then I enjoyed traveling from location to location for projects,” Golik said, adding that in his traveling years, he had the opportunity to work on the San Francisco Bay Bridge project.

However, in 2005, Golik and his wife, Tracy, had their first child and decided to return to Montana to raise their fam-ily. Golik interviewed with several com-panies and ultimately selected Century, partially because of the Lewistown com-pany’s “ unique family atmosphere.” That family atmosphere was important to Golik because his work schedule

Ready Mix Concrete • Gravel • Asphalt Paving • Excavating

P.O.Box 1690 • 2100 9th Avenue North Great Falls, MT 59401-1307P: 406-453-7692 • F: 406-727-9040 • www.unitedmaterialsgtf.com


US Dot 246681ICC-MC 175146

2546 Hwy 87Billings, Montana 59101

(406) 259-4614

SERVING THE RENEWABLE, PIPELINE AND CIVIL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES.

AUTHORIZED DEALERS OF

1.888.997.3687 [email protected] WRSRENTS.COM @WRSRENTS

EQUIPMENT DONE RIGHT_________________

P. O. BOX 3810, Butte, Montana 59701Phone: 800-745-5554 | Fax: 406-494-3301

www.okeefedrilling.com

WE DRILL THE WEST! We strive to provide the best service for the

best value at a competitive rate. O’Keefe Drilling is eager to help you with any new

challenges and obstacles you may be faced with! Proudly meeting all

your drilling needs since 1959!

Water Well Drilling s Mineral ExplorationEnvironmental Drilling s Geotechnical DrillingCaisson Drilling s Well Rehabilitation – Airbust

Pump Sales and Service

HEAVY CIVIL &ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRACTOR

YOUR PROJECTIS OUR PURPOSE

www.sandryconstruction.com

P.O. Box 507, Bigfork, MT 59911

[email protected] 2320 W. Main Street, Suite 4, Bozeman, MT 59718

406-586-3045 www.tomsfloorstore.com

Tom’s Floor Store

Residential and commercial sales . Always free estimates!


3500 Vaughn Road, Great Falls, Montana 59404

(406) 771-8200Fax: (406) 771-8300

Email: [email protected] [email protected]

116 Highway 220, Choteau, Montana 59422

(406) 466-5375Fax: (406) 466-5378

Email: [email protected]

MCA Contractors’ PAC Builders ClubThank you to the members of our MCA Contractors’ PAC Builders Club. The PAC is one important tool the MCA has to influence favorable regulatory and business climates for the Montana construction industry. We couldn’t do it without your support!

DistiNguisHED MAstEr BuilDEr - $5,000John Prince

Dwayne Rehbein

Marvin Rehbein

MAstEr BuilDEr - $2,500Lonnie Anderson

Tim Barnard

Kerry Gray

Al Schellinger

Derek Swank

JOurNEyMAN - $1,000Aaron and Tracy Golik

Tony Martel

Jeff McDonald

Ron Pike

Tim Robertson

Ken Stoeber

Mike Waldenberg

Tom Zimmer

APPrENtiCE - $300Sam Aiton

David Anderson

Steve Burch

Hal Fuglevand

Bob Heberly

Cary Hegreberg

John Leaf

Jeremiah Lemons

Trevor Livesay

Andy Mathison

Brad Newcomb

Mike Newton

Kyle Schellinger

Kim Smith

Thomas Stewart

Paul Thompson

Steve Wade

Bob Warren

Dave Zinke

www.dakotasupplygroup.com


Ash Grove Cement Company is a leader and pioneer in the cement industry. For 135 years, Ash Grove has provided portland and masonry cements to construct highways, bridges, commercial and industrial complexes, single- and multi-family homes, and a myriad of other structures fundamental to America’s economic vitality and quality of life.

Contact Curt Nunberg for more information: 406-208-4101

STRONG FOUNDATIONS.STRONG FUTURE.

ASHGROVE.COM

Territorial-Landworks, Inc. has certi-fied nearly 400 stormwater pollution prevention and permitting (SWPPP) administrators since partnering with the Montana Contractors’ Association nearly three years ago. In that time, we have become the go-to experts in SWPPP. Contractors around the state have used us as a resource to answer SWPPP per-mitting questions. We would like to pre-vent issues that have cost contractors time or money.

Th e Mo n t a n a D e pa r t m e n t o f Environmental Quality (DEQ) requires that a stormwater discharge permit must be obtained if your project disturbs one acre or more of soil. There are associ-ated application fees and annual fees to obtain a stormwater discharge permit. The amounts for fees are dependent on the disturbance area for your project. The application fee must be submitted with the stormwater discharge submit-tal. The annual fee will be applied to your project if you have an active permit at the first of the year. If your project has been completed and your project has reached final stabilization, you will need to termi-nate your permit coverage by submitting a Notice of Termination (NOT) to DEQ

MCA partners withTerritorial-Landworks, inc. to host SWPPP certification courses

The Montana DEQ requires that a stormwater discharge permit must be obtained if your project disturbs one acre or larger of soil.

prior to the first of the year. If you do not submit the NOT before the first of the year and your project has reached final stabilization, DEQ will still require you to pay the annual fee.

DEQ has jurisdiction throughout the entire state of Montana, except on Indian reservations. If your project is located within an Indian reservation, you must obtain a stormwater discharge permit

from the EPA. It’s important to know this since the EPA does not require applica-tion fees and annual fees for obtaining a stormwater permit. Additionally, the EPA requires a mandatory 14 days waiting period before approving your permit. If your project is on an Indian reservation, give yourself plenty of time to obtain a stormwater permit so it would affect your construction schedule.


For details on upcoming SWPPP Certification courses presented by the Montana Contractors’ Association and Territorial- Landworks, Inc., visit www.mtagc.org/swppp.html. F

CONTRACTORS

MISSOURI RIVER CONTRACTORS3384 E US Hwy 12Helena, MT 59601

406-443-2524 office406-443-4354 fax

We are a Montana company with

Montana values striving to exceed

our customer’s expectations.

WWW.MISSOURIRIVERCONTRACTORS.COM

If you have a project in a sage grouse

habitat and you are submitting a storm-

water discharge permit to DEQ, a con-

sultation letter from the DNRC must be

included with the application package.

If the consultation letter is not included

with the application, DEQ will not accept

your application package, resulting in a

delay to start the project. A sage grouse

consultation letter can be obtained at

sagegrouse.mt.gov and you must have

an ePass Montana account to access the

site. The consultation letter will state

restrictions and requirements for your

project depending on the location of your

project within the sage grouse habitat. If

your project is not located within a sage

grouse habitat, a consultation letter does

not need to be obtained.

Schedules and profitability can be

tight for projects. It’s important to

understand permitting requirements,

so you don’t cost your project time or

money. The location of your project

could result in additional requirements

for your permit application that require

additional time to obtain your permit.

Terminating your permit as soon as you

reached final stabilization will save you

from paying an unnecessary annual fee.

If you have any questions regarding

stormwater discharge permitting or

SWPPP administrator responsibilities,

contact Dominic Goble at dominicg@

terrioriallandworks.com.

Dominic Goble

1830 3rd Ave. East, Ste. 301 | P.O. Box 1758 | Kalispell, MT 59903 | 406.314.6011 | Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

10 1st Ave. North | Glasgow, MT 59230 | 406.228.2272

www.rockymountainlawpartners.com

• COMMERCIAL LAW

• REAL ESTATE & LAND USE

• TRUST & ESTATES

• CONSTRUCTION LAW

• LITIGATION

• INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• MEDIATION & ARBITRATIONRocky Mountain Law Partners, P.C. provides quality regional client representation at a reasonable

cost in all business, commercial and private property rights matters throughout Montana and North Dakota, while establishing a reliable and lasting relationship with all our clients.

LAW PARTNERS IN MONTANA & NORTH DAKOTA

QUALITY. EXPERIENCE. REGIONAL REPRESENTATION.

P A R T N E R S , P . C .

R o c k y M o u n t a i n L aw


OURBANK.com

406.585.3800Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender

YOUR PROJECT, OUR BANK Mortgages | Lot & Construction Loans

Equipment Financing | Operating Lines

Bricklayers • Tile Layers • Stone Masons • Terrazzo Workers • Marble Masons • P.C.C.

BAC Pacific NorthwestAdministrative District Council

Office: (509)327-2774Cell: (509) 979-9272Fax: (509)327-6451www.bac2wim.org

Tim ThompsonDirector

[email protected]

Local # 2 Washington-Idaho-Montana

BAC BC v0615.indd 9 9/28/16 1:32 PM

• Bricklayers •Tile Layers • Stone Masons• Terrazzo Workers • Marble Masons • P.C.C.

P.O. Box 950 (406) 434-5583575 Wilson Avenue Fax: 406-434-5505Shelby, Montana 59474

U.S. / Canada 1-800-332-6131

Dick Irvin, Inc.DIIDick Irvin Inc.Transportation

Assurance, tax, and consulting offered through Moss Adams LLP. Investment advisory services offered through Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC. Investment banking offered through Moss Adams Capital LLC.

S W I F T C U R R E N T L A K E , M T

6 : 5 2 A MM S T

Here in Montana, the sun rises on boundless possibility. Backed by decades of experience, our professionals provide industry-smart insight to over 600 construction clients nationwide. Discover how our full spectrum of accounting, consulting, and wealth management services can help your business thrive.

RISE WITH THE WEST.

O P P O R T U N I T Y R I S E S I N T H E W E S T

MOSSADAM

S.COM/CONSTRUCTION

https://mossadams.com/industries/construction?utm_campaign=CHRP-industry-construction&utm_medium=Website&utm_source=BLDGMONT&utm_content=MAWebpage-Industry&utm_term=7x5


How machine monitoringequals better fleet managementSeveral years ago, RDO Equipment Co. created an internal sys-

tem to monitor machines in its rental fleet, ensuring preventa-

tive maintenance was getting done and tracking intervals to

avoid unplanned downtime. Now teaming up with John Deere,

RDO Equipment Co. offers complete machine monitoring ser-

vices to customers, leveraging the connection to the machine

made possible by JDLink.

WHAt is MACHiNE MONitOriNg?John Deere operates a Machine Health Monitoring Center,

and works with RDO Equipment Co. to turn machine trouble

codes into proactive solutions and problem-solving info for

customers. When something isn’t running at the optimal level,

machines generate trouble codes – from the simplest issues like

low tire pressure, to more complex problems that could lead to

future breakdowns and downtime. John Deere partners with

RDO Equipment Co.’s trained Machine Health team to monitor

alerts and develop solutions to prevent or help schedule down-

time for customers.

HOW DOEs MACHiNE MONitOriNg HElP My FlEEt?

With machine monitoring, RDO Equipment Co.’s team can

notify customers of problems and help troubleshoot before the

issue turns into a full-blown problem. Unique to John Deere, the

team can even send software updates and bug fixes, saving time

and, often, from having to send a technician out to update the

machine onsite.

Message from MCA sponsors


LoDril©l low clearance drillingl up to 40’ deep x 5’ diameter Horizontal boring

l temporary movesl rotator structuresInlaid Thermoplastic

Mega Loadsl traffic signalsl streetlightsl airport lighting

Lighting

mtlines.com • 406-727-1317

Abandoned Mine Land ReclamationEnvironmental RemediationMining Industry ServicesWater Resource ManagementOil and Gas Industry ServicesInfrastructure/Municipal

•

• • • • •

Materials Testing Surveying GIS Geotechnical Geoprobe Drilling Construction Oversight

ENGINEERING & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Serving Montana’s ConstructionIndustry since 1991

www.pioneer-technical.com 406.782.5177

SpecialtyServices

CAN’t i Just CAll suPPOrt WHEN tHErE’s A PrOBlEM?

Yes, and RDO Equipment Co.’s service support team will get machines back up and running – but imagine saving that phone call and machine downtime by proactive-ly preventing issues. The biggest advantage of Machine Monitoring is identifying issues before they lead to costly equipment failure and downtime.

Here are a few success stories from customers taking advantage of Machine Monitoring offered by RDO Equipment Co.

NOrtH DAKOtAMachine Monitoring caught an issue that

the customer and store were unable to figure out. Using RDO Equipment Co.’s machine health team, along with John Deere, a solution was delivered using the information received from JDLink. RDO Equipment Co. scheduled service with the store closest to the custom-er and the repair was completed in a time-ly manner. The customer was appreciative of the team for solving an issue that, “had them beating their heads against the wall” for months.

MONtANAAfter seeing one machine needing a soft-

ware update, RDO identified 24 additional machines in the customer’s fleet that needed the same update. The team was able to take care of it all, quickly and prior to any issues occurring, and, most importantly, without having to send a technician to diagnose or repair – it was all done remotely.

MiNNEsOtAAfter being dissatisfied with the ser-

vice he was receiving, a customer switched from a competitor’s machines to John Deere equipment. After working with RDO, he has received several alerts from a machine health monitoring specialist, giving him information about the alert and options how to proceed. He’s grateful RDO is monitoring these issues before they become big problems.

RDO Equipment Co. has five locations in Montana:

Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, and

Missoula. To learn more about Machine Monitoring,

contact [email protected]. F

BUSINESS • AUTO • HOME • FARM & RANCH • LIFE & HEALTH

Since 1972, we’ve been helping insure and bond Montana’s top contractors.

As a locally owned, independent insurance agency, we match you with the policies that fit your needs and priorities—so you can focus on your craft.

Value. Protection. Peace of Mind.

CALL US FOR A QUOTE 406.587.5111800.606.9378

1stwestinsurance.comWe put you first


Grizzly Steel, Inc. 6 Stillwater DrivePO Box 1137Whitehall, MT 59759

Capitol/Cedar Interchange in Helena

Steel Erection • Welding • Rebar Placement

contact [email protected] for an estimate

406-239-3119 • www.grizsteel.com

Trucking• Millions of tons of varied product

safely delivered• Ability to mobilize a fleet of bottom

dump combinations to various job sites• Tractor/operator only rates also available

concreTe• New portable dry batch plant capable

of producing up to 250 cy per hour• Turnkey production and delivery options,

as well as equipment only rental options available• Residential, Agricultural, Commercial,

State, Federal and DOD projects

220 SE Front Street | PO Box 370 | Shelby, MT 59474 Phone (406) 434-5391 | Fax (406) 434-3543

Email [email protected]

foundations for life…for over sixty years.

Managing thelabor shortageCan shrinking your toolbox expand your options?It’s frustrating. You’ve got work to do, but not enough qualified help to do it. There’s nothing easy about finding, hir-ing, and retaining a good plumbing crew

– training, equipping, and supervising good plumbers is an expensive and time-consuming investment with no guaran-teed payback.

Not having enough plumbers to fin-

ish jobs is risky, but exposing your jobs

to potential lapses in quality is worse.

Damaged or stolen tools can be repaired

or replaced, but you need to protect

your good clients and contractors and

long-term relationships from day one.

New plumbing methods and tech-

nology like SharkBite® push-to-connect

plumbing solutions help bring new hires

up to speed quickly and cost effectively.

In a tight labor market, that’s no small

thing.

SharkBite products are engineered

to make even complex plumbing repairs

and installations faster, easier, and safer,

even for inexperienced workers:

• Installation requires no special tools,

torches, or chemicals, reducing install

errors.

• A single fitting connects different

pipe sizes and materials for quicker

transitions.

• Field-tested fittings allow pipe to be

quickly connected, even on wet lines

and in tight spots like crawl spaces or

in other undesirable conditions.

• No solder splatter or glue to clean up,

giving finished jobs a professional,

polished look.

While technology will never be a

substitute for expertise, innovative

SharkBite systems can let you put new

workers to work immediately – to jump-

start productivity, shore up profitability,

distribute the workload, and maximize

the productivity of your work force.

When you’ve got SharkBite solutions in

the pipeline, it’s easy to assign the right

workers with the right tools to the right

job on the right schedule. F

Message from MCA sponsors

If you are looking for a large machine to do more work with less fuel, look no further than the new 336E H, the industry’s first hydraulic hybrid excavator. This unique machine uses recovered energy from the swing to load your trucks all-day long using up to 33 percent less fuel than our powerful 336D machine doing the same amount of work.

More important than being first is being best at delivering the most production with the least amount of fuel to reduce your overall costs and make your business more profitable. Bottom line is the new 336E H is designed to put more money in your pocket while making you more competitive, and that’s good news for you, your family, and your customers.

For more information on the new 336E H Excavator, contact your T&E sales representative today!

MORE POWER. LESS FUEL.

© 2014 Caterpillar All rights reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission. www.cat.com www.caterpillar.com

TE-105.indd 1 2/17/14 2:10 PM

Billings406-656-0202

Bozeman406-585-5800

Great Falls406-761-7900

Helena406-442-2990


MONTANA

’S

OWNA Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Learn More or Enroll Today bcbsmt.com I 1.800.447.7828

With more than 500 of Montana’s very own employees, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is one of the most loyal employers in the state. Since 1940, we’ve been here when our troops came home from the war,

family health crisis. when you �rst got married, when you had your �rst baby and when you went throughWe’ve always been here for you.

a

Through It All.®

Documents

Official publication of the Montana Contractors’ … · Gary Seamans Production services provided by S.G. Bennett Marketing Services ... SEWER/WATER • CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT