Joe Piliszko and Marc Herceg of Huron Valley Electric received a Heart of Walbridge Award from general contractor Walbridge on October 9, 2019.

Daniel Clark, Jr.

Back in April, Joe and Marc saw an internal e-mail about a terrible accident where an electrician was seriously injured on a construction site on I-75. Daniel Clark, Jr., 42, of Westland, a former Motor City Electric Co. employee, was struck by a construction vehicle on just his third day on the job with his new employer. Dan suffered major injuries including a broken pelvis, broken ribs, and collapsed lungs. Joe and Marc were later discussing the incident with their on-site safety representative Denis Marshall.

At the same time, Walbridge was preparing for Safety Week and a MIOSHA Safety Stand Down to take place the first week in May. Joe, Marc, and Denis decided it would be a great idea to take up a collection on their job site at U of M Kraus Science Building during Safety Week and donate all money raised to the GoFundMe page started by Dan Clark, Sr. They also came up with the idea to focus on safety around heavy equipment on job sites to further raised awareness about what had happened to Dan. Keep in mind, none of these guys had ever met Dan, but their hearts went out to Dan and his family at this difficult time and they wanted to help in any way possible.

On April 8, Joe asked Matt Pulick, project manager for Walbridge, the general contractor for the Kraus project for permission to take up a collection. Walbridge thought it was a great idea and fully supported the effort. The goal was to raise $1,000, but as men and women from all of the trades reached into their wallets to contribute, the total climbed. They ended up raising $2,715 and Walbridge kicked in $285 to make it an even $3,000!

Dan’s father posted a thank you on the GoFundMe page started for Dan:

I personally want to thank Marc Herceg, who organized a fundraiser for Daniel Jr. last week at the campus of the University of Michigan. All of you that attended that fundraiser have shown sincerely how much a fellow union brother can be supported in a time of need. Together they have raised an amazing gift … for Daniel Jr. Thank you all. Sincerely, Daniel Clark, Sr.

Brian Herrmann

Just three months later, tragedy again struck one of our tradespeople. Brian Herrmann, 38, of Brighton, a University of Michigan electrician and former Huron Valley Electric employee, was on vacation with his family on in Ludington, Michigan. While swimming in the Big Sable River near the mouth of Lake Michigan on July 25, Brian, his wife, Beth, and their two children, were swept into the lake by a strong waves and currents resulting from the heavy rainfall this year. Crews were able to rescue Beth and the kids, but, unfortunately, Brian was swept further out and drowned.

Most of the construction team at the Kraus job site knew and/or worked with Brian and were understandably shaken by the loss. Once again, Joe and Marc reached out to Walbridge for authorization to take up a collection, which was wholeheartedly supported. Over the following weeks, $2,275 was raised from the various trades to donate to Brian’s family to add to what was raised on the GoFundMe page.

Thank You

It is truly telling and heartwarming that neither Marc nor Joe were looking for any recognition for themselves – they simply saw two situations where families were in pain and needed help. We are so proud of them as well as all of their fellow tradespeople who reached into the hearts and wallets to help the families of Dan and Brian during one of the toughest times in their lives.  Marc and Joe want Walbridge to know that they are deeply honored to have received the Heart of Walbridge Award.

“We will always try to perform at a level that represents IBEW Local 252, Motor City Electric Co., and Huron Valley Electric to the best of our abilities, and encourage others to get involved and help others in need,” said Joe.

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More housing for University of Michigan students and residents who want to live near a vibrant downtown is on the way, in the form of the towering 14-story Foundry Lofts at Division and Huron streets.

The $65 million project will feature some 210 units of one-to-four bedroom residential units,  located above below-ground parking and two or three retail spaces on the ground floor. O’Neal Construction is acting as construction manager on the project, which is employing 150-170 hardhats.

“It’s been a good, safe job; it’s been a unique job,” said Darryl Bell, project superintendent for O’Neal, of the post-tension, cast-in-place concrete structure. “It has a nice exterior, with a lot of different colors of brick, which makes things a bit difficult for the mason. We’ve struggled with the site logistics, it’s a very tight site and we have a non-stop scheduling effort to manage crane time and deliveries.” Bell said the structure takes up about 90 percent of the .92-acre property.

The old city doesn’t have many buildings of this height downtown, and there was concern that it could be out of character for the neighborhood. The Ann Arbor City Council approved the project in 2013 on a 6-5 vote.

“Foundry Lofts iconic look and feel has drastically raised the bar for elegant and sophisticated apartment homes in Ann Arbor,” says the development’s website. “Our exclusive apartment residences are located just two blocks from the University of Michigan campus and one block from Washington St, which is home to some of Ann Arbor’s best nightlife.”

The building itself will feature a pool/hot tub combination, a community lounge with shuffleboard, big-screen TVs and video game systems, bicycle storage, an open study area, an athletic club and tanning spa.

“The people here have been great,” Bell said, speaking of building trades workers and their employers. “Really a talented group for sure, and they’re doing quality work. Right now we’re getting into rhythm on the interior, and getting ready to close in for the winter.” Occupancy is expected to start in August 2016.

Chip Florenz of the project developer, Carter & Associates, said the idea behind constructing the tower “isn’t to move people around,” from one residential building to another, “but to have a meaningful project that draws new people here. There is some housing in the area, but some of it is old, and we’ve had a lot of people inquire about our project. The area needs this housing, and it’s going to be a beautiful building.”

Look Up – Foundry Lofts to Create More Residential Space – Michigan Building & Construction Trades Council

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The IBEW has relationships with electrical contractors around the country. But those relationships often extend beyond the contractor and reach further out into the community. IBEW Local 252 has cultivated relationships within the community for decades, one of the strongest being with the University of Michigan. IBEW Local 252 and Huron Valley Electric was on the job at the U of M for over a year, building a beautiful high-rise dorm just two blocks from campus, the Foundry Lofts Tower.

Here in Ann Arbor, for students attending the University of Michigan, dorms aren’t for everyone.

Following trends in urban development, high rise apartments and lofts are going up all around downtown. It’s occupants? Mostly U of M students and faculty.

This is the Foundry Lofts Tower that is only two blocks down from campus. The $65 million project is 14 stories high with 210 units.

Erica McClaugherty sat down with IBEW Local 252 Business Manager Tim Hutchins and Huron Valley Electric team members to discuss the project:

Hi, and welcome to another feature story here on Hour Power, I’m Erica McClaugherty. Local 252 in Ann Arbor, MI is not new to high-rise apartment buildings. They also have had a long-standing work relationship with the University of Michigan.

So it was a perfect partnership between the Local and Huron Valley Electric to take care of all the electrical needs of this luxury high-rise.

It’s been over a year that 252 has been on the job and business manager Tim Hutchins says high-rise buildings are becoming more popular and his local is prepared for the work.

Tim Hutchins, Business Manager, IBEW Local 252: “What we primarily have is a lot of institutional work as well as small private businesses as well as a lot of housing. And what they are leaning towards now is high-rise housing and local 252 is on the forefront of making sure we build that at the highest standards in the county.”

Students will enjoy a state of the art fitness center, self-serve coffee bar, pool and hot tub, trendy bedroom units with exposed walls to give them an “industrial feel”. And for those harsh winters, just park your car in the underground heated garage. Huron Valley Electric says Local 252 gave them the best of the best to pull it all off.

Paul Petrick, Foreman, Huron Valley Electric: “The skill level of the people that I get out here is incredible. Even the first year apprentices which back in the days use to be kids with no experience, now we get first year apprentices that have good work ethics and our local is good at screening the ones that come into the program. We get some top quality guys and the journeyman are second to none in my opinion.”

Tim Hutchins, Business Manager, IBEW Local 252: “We have bench mark training here at local 252 that sets the mark for both safety and professionalism and well as the skills that are needed to do this complex construction.”

This is also one of the first projects that Huron Valley Electric brought in the primary power themselves.

Paul Petrick, Foreman, Huron Valley Electric: “So Edison stopped at the property line and we set our own switching gear and our own 4800 volt transformer. We have a bus duct going up both sides of the building, which then feeds the big distribution panel, which feeds every apartment panel. So we do the main trunk line, the backbone of electrical for the building, all common spaces, corridors, the entire garage and entire ground floor were made by us.”

Harry Hutchison, 5th Year Apprentice, IBEW Local 252: “Since I’ve been here we have done lighting, ruffed in walls, I got put on a lot of rigid. A lot of lighting, heating, motor starters and boiler work.

Jacob Church, Journeyman, IBEW Local 252: “For the most part I ran the fire alarm so I ran a crew that installed the fire alarm systems here. I just love doing the big jobs; you see more and get to do a little bit of everything. That’s probably my favorite part.”

Harry Hutchison, 5th Year Apprentice, IBEW Local 252: “The favorite part is that it’s mostly been inside for the winter!”

Paul Petrick, Foreman, Huron Valley Electric: “It’s a monster, it’s a HUGE building. It’s got a foot print so that’s kind of cool.”

What’s huge is the relationships between IBEW Local 252 has built to continue to get great work with both urban development and with this university, relationships that just seem to get stronger every year.

Reporting for IBEW Hour Power, I’m Erica McClaugherty.

The Foundry Lofts Tower – IBEW Hour Power

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The Union 4 Life group has struck again, this time raising and contributing $12,000 to breast cancer research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Over the past three years, the group – started by IBEW Local 252 apprentices – has raised $31,000 for U-M’s research. This year fundraisers included a motorcycle poker run, golf outing, casino bus trip, bowling night and archery shoot.

“Fundraising efforts like Union 4 Life make a tremendous impact at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center and within the Breast Oncology Program,” said Jason Keech, associate director of events for the University of Michigan Health System Office of Development. “Philanthropy gives us the means to support innovative, high-reward ideas. More often than not, a scientist’s project must already be proven successful to obtain government or industry support. In the meantime, discoveries by many young investigators — the out-of-the-box ideas that could change the world — are stalled or never get started.”

IBEW Local 252 Training Director John Salyer said apprentices at the school have done thousands of hours of community service, “but wanted to really do something big as a group. They thought just about everyone knows someone who is touched by breast cancer, and the University of Michigan has always been a big supporter of the union trades. So that’s how this came together.”

Salyer said the money was raised this year with the help of a number of other unions, “with a special shout-out to the Carpenters.” A big check was handed over to U-M on Nov. 9.

Keech added, “fundraisers like the ones held by Union 4 Life provide support for seed grants to researchers whose work is in its earliest stages of development, jumpstarting their ideas when they have the greatest potential for impact. This research is advancing new therapies and providing new hope for patients and families everywhere, ensuring potential medical breakthroughs are not lost. For that, we are incredibly grateful!”

A big $12,000 check from the Union 4 Life group was delivered to the University of Michigan Health System Office of Development on Nov. 9 to support breast cancer research. Among the attendees (l-r) are IBEW Local 252 Training Director John Salyer, Martin Grove, Mike Crawford (NECA), Dr. Costanza Paoletti, Alex Hovatter, Brandon Linnabury, Chairman Harry Hutchison (Huron Valley Electric), Jason Keech (Uo-M), Lew Neeb (252 instructor), Mike Crawford, Mike Cobb, Kevin Lyons, Gary Walls (JATC) and Dr. James Rae.

Union 4 Life Makes Another Contribution to Breast Cancer Research at U-M – Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council

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The Washtenaw Contractors Association (WCA) announced the winners of its 13th annual PYRAMID Awards March 19 before a group of the county’s leading contractors, architects, construction project owners and labor leaders. Each award represents exceptional effort in the areas of teamwork, service, or innovation. The winners were selected by an independent jury composed of industry experts in Evansville, Indiana. The winners of the 2010 PYRAMID Awards are listed below.

Best Project Team  – Projects under $3 million

Detroit Zoo Dinosauria Exhibit Installation (Royal Oak) Architect – studiozONE llc (Dearborn)

Contractor – JC Beal Construction (Ann Arbor) Owner – Detroit Zoological Society (Royal Oak)

Best Project Team  – Projects between $3 million & $25 million

Zaragon Place (Ann Arbor)

Architect – Neumann/Smith Architecture (Southfield) Contractor – O’Neal Construction (Ann Arbor)

Owner – Zaragon Inc. (Chicago, IL)

Best Project Team  – Projects over $25 million

Bay City Public Schools (Bay City)

Architect – Wigen Tincknell Meyer & Associates (Saginaw) Contractor – Spence Brothers (Saginaw/Ann Arbor)

Owner – Bay City Public Schools (Bay City)

Best Subcontractor Award – Contracts under  $500,000

Eagle Excavation (Flint) for the University of Michigan Tunnels Phase IV project (Ann Arbor)

Best Subcontractor Award – Contracts over  $500,000

Huron Valley Electric (Ann Arbor)/Motor City Electric (Detroit) for the University of Michigan MCIT Data Center project  (Ann Arbor)

Best Innovation

JC Beal Construction (Ann Arbor) for the Thompson Block Emergency Façade Stabilization  System (Ypsilanti)

Washtenaw Contractors Association Announces Winners of Pyramid Awards – The Ann Arbor News

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