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APRIL 2016WWW.BUSINESSREVIEWUSA.COM WWW.BUSINESSREVIEWCANADA.CA
CLOUDTOP 10 Billing Services in the
THE ONE&ONLY PALMILLA The newest face of luxury in Los Cabos
The ethics of STARBUCKS
B U I L D I N G A P O S I T I V E A N D successful business takes more than multiplying dollars and cents—it’s also about creating a sense of community that your clients, shareholders, and consumers can be excited to be involved in. That means giving serious thought to the ethics you follow every step of the way.
In this month’s Business Review USA & Canada, we look at the path that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is currently on to maintain the integrity of his business at its current state, and the top cloud services your own business can use to give your clients the best service possible. Consider your own path and where you’re headed next.
Sasha Orman | [email protected]
“To give REAL SERVICE you must add something which cannot be
bought or measured with money, and that is SINCERITY AND INTEGRITY.”
- Doug las Adams
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E D I T O R ’ S C O M M E N T
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FEATURES
CONTENTS
LEADERSHIPThe global citizenship of Starbucks
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22
SPECIAL REPORT - One&Only Palmilla rises again 6TOP 10 Cloud Billing Service Companies
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COMPANY PROFILES
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30Bizzack Construction
40Lithko
50 Archer Western505 Tower Project
TECHNOLOGYSPECIAL REPORT
ONE&ONLY PALMILLA RISES AGAIN
In the wake of disaster, the iconic Los Cabos resort has come back stronger than ever
W R I T T E N B Y: S A S H A O R M A N
ONE&ONLY PALMILLA RISES AGAIN
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ON THE SOUTHERN coast of the
Baja California peninsula, the Los
Cabos Corridor runs along a stretch
of highway connecting Cabo San
Lucas to San José del Cabo. This
corridor is lined with warm sandy
beaches and luxurious private resorts
that attract VIPs and celebrities from
around the world.
Among the most exclusive and
iconic of these is the One&Only
Palmilla, a picturesque beachfront
resort overlooking the Sea of Cortez.
First built as a 15-room retreat for
Hollywood glitterati in the 1950s, the
resort has seen multiple rebirths over
the decades. It revealed its latest
reincarnation in April of 2015—opening
its doors to guests for the first time
since Hurricane Odile passed through
Baja California Sur in September 2014,
leaving destruction in its wake.
The One&Only Palmilla turned the
closure into an opportunity to reinvent
itself, building on its classic coastal
style with brand new world-class
features and amenities.
“We are so thrilled to be welcoming
back guests to One&Only Palmilla,
a legendary resort in Mexico,” said
Mark DeCocinis, President and Chief
Operating Officer, One&Only Resorts,
as the resort prepared for its relaunch.
“We are bringing the resort back, better
than ever before with a number of new
enhancements. With our incredible
team, we will continue the generosity of
spirit that One&Only Palmilla has been
known for.”
“Past guests of the resort will find
Deck and Lounge Area
SPECIAL REPORT
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what they have come to love about
it, but will also discover some new
experiences,” added managing
director Peter Bowling upon the
resort’s official relaunch. “Most
importantly, One&Only Palmilla will
continue to deliver the incredible warm
and genuine service that guests love.”
NEW FLAVORS AND FAN FAVORITESAmong the resort’s new offerings
is SEARED by Jean-Georges
Vongerichten, a new steakhouse
from the Michelin-starred chef who
previously made waves at One&Only
Palmilla with Asian-Latin fusion
Deck and Lounge Area
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SPECIAL REPORT
Ocean Front Pool Casita Junior Suite
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O N E & O N LY P A L M I L L A L O S C A B O S
hotspot Market. Vongerichten’s
latest fine dining outing focuses on
freshly caught seafood and the finest
aged Wagyu A5 steaks and Kobe
Tomahawk chops, which guests can
view on display in a glass-walled
curing room.
Guests will also be able to return
to the reopened SUVICHE to enjoy
sushi and sashimi prepared by master
sushi chef Yoshiaki Akaike, or to AGUA
by LARBI to experience Chef Larbi
Dahrouch’s all-new menu featuring
authentic Mexican cuisine inspired by
seasonal produce and the freshest
catches of the day. Followed by
cocktails at the One&Only Lounge and
musical entertainment at Agua Bar,
there are plenty of new experiences
and revamped favorites.
REST AND RELAXATIONGuests come to the Los Cabos
corridor to escape and decompress
from the demands of the outside
world. One&Only Palmilla takes this
responsibility very seriously, and with
its reopening the resort launched a
substantial expansion of its already
comprehensive luxury spa and
Agua Bar
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wellness program.
“We are introducing a number of
new offerings which have been in the
works for some time now, including
our new OBO beauty salon and men’s
grooming studio, Barber & Blade,”
said Bowling with the announcement
of the new additions. “Guests will
discover a completely new spa plus
fitness center that will allow guests
to focus on wellness, as well as
indulgence. Wellbeing has always
been an important element of the
One&Only Palmilla offering and I am
looking forward for having our guests
discover all of our new offerings and
new facilities.”
Along with a fully renovated spa and
fitness center, the resort created two
all-new experiences for guests. The
OBO Salon by Jonathan & George,
created in collaboration with celebrity
stylists Jonathan Antin and Amanda
George, offers both formal and casual
hair and beauty options to help clients
achieve a look that is “unplugged
SPECIAL REPORT
OBO Beauty Salon
without being undone.” To give men a
chance to unwind in style, the resort
launched Barber&Blade offering
indulgent services from luxury wet
shaves and beard sculpting to facials
and scalp massage.
A SUCCESS ONE YEAR INThis month marks one year since
One&Only Palmilla’s grand reopening,
and over that past year guests and
critics have responded to the resort’s
new additions with resounding
positivity. The new and improved
One&Only Palmilla has garnered
several key awards since opening
its doors, including World’s Best in
Mexico (Travel+Leisure) and Best for
Romance (jetsetter.com), plus a place
on Conde Nast Traveler’s 2015 Gold
List and a gold badge award from U.S.
News and World Report’s Best Hotels
of 2015. With such accolades, it’s
clear that the One&Only is only getting
better with every reinvention.
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Spa Couple Treatment Room
Written by: Sasha Orman
STARBUCKSTHE GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP OF
LEADERSHIP
STARBUCKS
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“WHAT IS THE role and
responsibility of all of us, as citizens?”
This is the question that Starbucks
CEO and chairman Howard
Schultz put forth to his employees
and partners in late March, at the
company’s 2016 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders. It’s a question that
expands on one he put forth at the
2014 meeting, in which he asked
employees to consider the role and
responsibility of a for-profit company
on the global stage.
As a brand, Starbucks is no stranger
to good citizenship. This year The
Ethisphere Institute named Starbucks
among its annual list of the World’s
Most Ethical Companies for the tenth
year in a row—one of only 14 to receive
the recognition every year since the
program started publishing its list.
Now with this evolution of his
question, Schultz is advocating that
it’s not only about the overarching
mission statement of the brand itself,
but also the daily actions of each and
every person—from baristas to the
executive team—which determines
where a business stands in the world
of citizenship and ethics.
THE PATH FORWARDIt is one thing to ask employees
to simply consider these issues in
their daily lives, but during the same
shareholders meeting Schultz and
COO Kevin Johnson discussed
several concrete plans to enhance
the company’s efforts to create
meaningful social impact and build
Howard Schultz in the Starbucks 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
LEADERSHIP
a “purpose-driven” workforce.
According to Schultz, this is a
necessity for Starbucks to truly call
itself an ethical business.
“There are very few consumer
brands in the world – products or
experiences – that have created both
an undeniable customer attachment
to the brand while also seeing
universal acceptance. And, we take
none of that for granted. We have to
earn it every day,” said Schultz. “In
addition to earning our customers’
trust and respect, we also cannot
be a bystander at a time in our
nation’s history when government
gridlock, economic disparity and
partisan polarization continue to
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B U S I N E S S R E V I E W U S A & C A N A D A
Howard Schultz in the Starbucks 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
“What is the ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY of all of us as CITIZENS? We must do everything we can to reclaim and reimagine THE AMERICAN DREAM and fill the reservoir back up—not with cynicism, but with OPTIMISM. Not with despair, but with POSSIBILITY. Not with division, but with UNITY. Not with exclusion, but with INCLUSION. Not with fear, but with COMPASSION. Not with indifference, but with LOVE.It’s not about the choice we make every four years. This is about the CHOICES WE MAKE EVERY DAY.”
salads, and other ready-to-eat
meals—products that would otherwise
be thrown out at the end of the day—to
food banks across the United States.
“Like many of our social impact
initiatives, the innovation and
inspiration comes from our partners
who are volunteering in and
contributing to their communities,”
said John Kelly, senior vice president,
Starbucks Global Responsibility,
Community and Public Policy. “They
saw the need for us to do more, and
stunt our progress. In our view, the
private sector must contribute more
as an economic and social force in
partnership with all other sectors.”
CHANGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE ACTIONOne cornerstone of this year’s plan for
a more conscious and purpose-driven
Starbucks brand is its newly unveiled
Starbucks FoodShare program, a
strategic partnership with Feeding
America to donate sandwiches,
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LEADERSHIP
Community Service
find a way to use our scale to bring
more nourishing and ready-to-eat
meals to those in need.”
Starbucks has high ambitions for
the program, predicting that it will be
able to provide five million meals within
its first year. But the end goal is to
reach a point where Starbucks is able
to recapture and make 100 percent
of all eligible food from its stores
available for donation.
LOOKING TO A FUTURE OF FAIRER TRADEAnother key part of the plan for
Starbucks is an initiative to increase
sustainability in the coffee supply
chain. As the company illustrated at its
shareholder meeting, its Sustainable
Coffee Challenge initiative is already
seeing results. The One Tree for
Every Bag campaign, produced
in conjunction with Conservation
International, is currently on track
to place 20 million rust-resistant
seedlings in the hands of coffee
farmers this year alone. Drilling down
from the efforts of the brand to its
effects on the people working behind
the brand, Starbucks is anticipating far
reaching results for its campaign in the
long run.
“In addition to the millions of
pounds of green coffee this program
will help farmers grow - helping to
create economic stability for their
communities and families - the
development of seedling nurseries
and a delivery infrastructure with
supplier ECOM for the initiative will
generate more than 1,600 jobs in the
process,” the company announced.
“An initial 11 million rust resistant
coffee seedlings will begin to be
distributed in Guatemala, Mexico and
El Salvador in May ahead of planting
season in each of these countries.
All of this work will be supported
by Starbucks open sourced ethical
sourcing program, C.A.F.E Practices,
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Roasting Starbucks Coffee
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W U S A & C A N A D A
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which offers agronomy information
and tools in addition to financing for
farmers worldwide in collaboration
with Conservation International.”
AN OPTIMISTIC FUTUREThe omnipresence of politics in this
election year is impossible to miss,
and it should come as little surprise
that Howard Schultz has taken
notice and made it a further people-
mobilizing mission for Starbucks
as well. In an effort “to strengthen
democracy and elevate citizenship in
America,” the company also launched
its TurboVote project to support
Democracy Works and engage more
voters to participate—the brand and
its partners, from Airbnb to Univision,
hope to see 80 percent engagement of
eligible voters by 2020.
In his keynote speech concluding
the shareholders meeting, Schultz
spoke to this mobilization, the power
of people and his views on the future
and what it could be. In his speech
he addressed the concept of the
American Dream—not as a rags-to-
riches solo climb, with every man for
himself, but as a collective reservoir
of values and integrity in which rising
LEADERSHIP
F E AT U R E A R T I C L E S H O R T E N E D H E A D L I N E
levels lift all ships toward success.
“Sadly, our reservoir is running
dry, depleted by cynicism, despair,
division, exclusion, fear and
indifference,” he said. But as Schultz
continued, that dream can be rebuilt
“not with cynicism, but with optimism.
Not with despair, but with possibility.
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Starbucks Military Store - Camp Pendleton
Not with division, but with unity. Not
with exclusion, but with inclusion. Not
with fear, but with compassion. Not
with indifference, but with love.”
“It’s not about the choice we make
every four years,” Schultz added.
“This is about the choices we make
every day.”
WITH CLOUD SERVICES BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD AND COMPLEX,
COST MANAGEMENT AND SCALABILITY HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY VITAL
TOP 10
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Written by: Eric Harding
CLOUD BILLING SERVICE COMPANIES
Due to the increased presence of so many different vendors, the market for global cloud billing services has seen a swell of intense competition.
With cloud services becoming more widespread and complex, client billing and services integration need improved facilitation. Pricing structures need to evolve and be tailored to individual clients.
The global cloud billing services market is populated by a wide range of vendors, and competition at the top is fierce. Selecting
the right service could provide significant benefits of time saving, cost reduction, superior client service and more.
Although several new software providers continue to enter the market, easy integration with OSS reliability and software is anticipated to be the main deciding factor for survival amongst the herd of providers.
Below are the top 10 companies that are believed to help fuel market growth via cloud billing services between 2014-2019.
TOP 10
Amidst the industry’s transition to subscription-based models, there is a growing need for sophisticated recurring payment management platform. Recurly makes certain there is easy setup, quick integrations and service meets your business’ needs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
A Canadian-gone-global IT consultant, systems integration, outsourcing and solutions company, CGI delivers end-to-end outsourcing services that allow clients to achieve quick wins and long-term results. Also with CGI-built solutions, clients benefit from its time-tested domain specific and repeatable IP solutions to drive business goals.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
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RECURLY
9CGI GROUP
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TOP 10
B U S I N E S S R E V I E W U S A & C A N A D A
AMDOCS
CHARGIFY
Equipped with tools used to define, measure and continually improve CRM-based business processes, Amdocs has incorporated retail management functionalities in all new versions since the 2010 launch of Clarify version 8. This feature serves as an online store for telecom operators in emerging markets including China, India and the Middle East.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
A recurring billing system set up for Web 2.0 and SaaS companies, Chargify allows companies to concentrate on developing innovative web applications rather than being concerned about billing. Behind investment from the likes of Mark Cuban, Chargify quickly grants access to flexible plan solutions, subscription add-ons, effortless tax management and coupons.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
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CERILLION
Based on SAP Convergent Charging, NEC Billing Cloud Service allows users to quickly deploy flexible billing and revenue sharing mechanisms at a lower cost. Its competitive advantage comes through its efficient billing management, which is proven by the 200 companies across the globe that use it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
Cerillion was created because of one simple realization: Service providers must be as agile as quickly as possible in order to thrive in a liberalized environment. Flexibility alone is not enough. Therefore, Cerillion Skyline brings together flexible product creation, thoughtful customer engagement, and a supercharged transaction processing engine all in one online application.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
NEC
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TOP 10
ARIA SYSTEMS
ORACLE
Aria provides the only cloud-based platform both large and scalable enough to assist enterprises in fulfilling new market opportunities and meeting customer demands. Rapidly deploying monetization models and quickly delivers new plans and packages results in better product offerings, more packaging options, improved customer service and satisfaction all with fewer missed opportunities.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
Oracle’s Billing and Revenue Management Cloud Services is a combination of billing solutions and the Oracle cloud, providing advanced security and flexibility. The cloud billing services offer discounting, debt and account management, financial management and rating. With over 420,000 customers and deployments in more than 145 countries, Oracle provides a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications, platform services and engineered systems.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
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B U S I N E S S R E V I E W U S A & C A N A D A
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IBM SmartCloud Cost Management allows greater visibility into the usage and cost of infrastructure and other non-IT resources. This software assists in tracking and assessing shared computing resource usage accurately, and managing the cost of cloud and IT services better.
Some of the benefits and features include advanced analytics, provides user visibility into the cost implications of services, provides insight into virtualized and physical IT assets, and supports both cloud showback and chargeback processes.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
IBM2
TOP 10
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B U S I N E S S R E V I E W U S A & C A N A D A
Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides key infrastructure services to businesses in the form of cloud computing. The ultimate benefit of this collaboration is the ability to leverage a new business model and turn capital infrastructure expenses into variable costs. Because of this scalability, businesses won’t need to plan and procure servers and other IT resources so far in advance. Amazon DevPay is an easy-to-use online billing and account management service that makes it easy for companies to sell applications that are either built
in or run on top of AWS, and make running applications in the cloud and on demand easier for developers. With annual revenue of approximately US$10 billion and nearly 2500 certified partners, AWS intends to accelerate cloud success through their rich platform services such as analytics, mobile services, enterprise applications and IoT. In addition, it will improve operational efficiency and developer productivity through management and developer tools.
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
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Paving the way to a MORE CONNECTED BUCHANAN COUNTYBizzack Construction VP Stewart Gaither discusses Corridor Q and the coal synergy that is powering this new developmentWritten by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Tom Venturo
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Paving the way to a MORE CONNECTED BUCHANAN COUNTYBizzack Construction VP Stewart Gaither discusses Corridor Q and the coal synergy that is powering this new developmentWritten by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Tom Venturo
F ew pieces of infrastructure are more important to the health and vitality of a region
than its roadways. Connecting rural areas, remote destinations and urban centers, direct and well-maintained roads promote commerce and literally bridge gaps between communities.
In Virginia, the Corridor Q/U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase II project is bridging a 6.2 mile gap in Buchanan County—creating a new stretch of four-lane limited access highway between Phase I of the project near the Kentucky Border and the start of the future U.S. Route 121 (Coalfields Expressway).
BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION
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Bizzack Construction’s clearing operations on a ridge looking into Kentucky
It is a difficult, mountainous stretch of land to navigate, requiring just the right contractor with the right skill sets to do the job well. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) partnered with general contractor Bizzack Construction on a design-build contract to take this stretch of road to rough-grade and
make the vision of Route 460’s new Appalachian pathway a reality.
BUILDING NEW CONNECTIONSThe Corridor Q project brings some significant benefits to Buchanan County. “It’s part of an overall project to bring better access to
BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION C O N S T R U C T I O N
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Bizzack Construction’s clearing operations on a ridge looking into Kentucky
C O N S T R U C T I O N
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the community,” says Stewart Gaither, Vice President of Bizzack Construction.
As U.S. Route 460 is completed, it will create a stronger connection between Buchanan and the rest of Virginia, but also far beyond.
“US-460 runs through several states, so this will help connect this area with better roads to provide economic development and job opportunities while we’re doing the work,” says Gaither. “Then afterward it will provide the ability for these people to travel to other places for jobs, or to bring jobs to the community.”
OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COAL SYNERGYCoal synergy plays a significant role in making this project viable and affordable for the state of Virginia. Coal synergy reduces road building costs substantially by using coal companies’ larger-scale earth moving equipment to prepare the road bed to rough grade, allowing the companies to recover marketable coal reserves during road bed preparation, states VDOT. While Bizzack is not in Buchanan to mine for coal, it does make use of the valuable coal that it
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SUPPLIER PROFILEDYNO NOBEL
does encounter throughout its road building endeavor.
“A lot of people think we are out there mining coal, and we are not—that’s not what we do, we build roads for a living,” notes Gaither. “But we optimized the design so that if we encounter coal within the footprint of the project, then by mandate we are required to harvest those natural resources . We use that revenue to offset the cost of the project so we can give VDOT and the citizens of Virginia a better value.”
The concept of coal synergy
is also one way that the Corridor Q project is bringing both infrastructure and jobs to the region immediately. “The project wouldn’t be done if it wasn’t for coal synergy—that’s what’s helping fund the project,” says Gaither. “If it wasn’t for coal synergy, we wouldn’t be doing the work and the people we’re employing down there to do the work wouldn’t have that job.”
WORKING CLOSELY FOR H IGHER SAFET Y STANDARDSTo achieve the goals of this project, Bizzack Construction has been working very closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation from the start, with submittals to VDOT at every step of the design stage for review and approval before moving forward. During the build stage, VDOT and Bizzack rely on a multi-layered approach to quality control to ensure that the construction process stays up to standard.
“We have three layers of quality control on the project—quality control, quality assurance, and
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BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION
C O N S T R U C T I O N
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B IZZACK CONSTRUCTION
“The project wouldn’t be done if it wasn’t for coal synergy—that’s what’s helping fund the project”– Stewart Gaither, Vice President of Bizzack Construction
C O N S T R U C T I O N
Bizzack Construction equipment at the top of a side-hill cut
for each phase of the project. Bizzack also requires each of its subcontractors and consultants on the project participate in preparatory meetings and follow prescribed regulations for the safety of all involved.
THE R IGHT BUS INES S FOR AN IMPORTANT REG IONAL JOBWhat makes Bizzack Construction the right fit for the job is a
independent assurance which is directly hired by VDOT,” says Gaither. “We have a quality control plan put in place for both design and construction, which specifically spells out the different requirements for QC, QA and IA.”
Safety is also of the utmost concern throughout the building process, encouraged by weekly safety training meetings for employees along with preparatory meetings to address specific issues
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BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION
3BCS is privileged to partner with Bizzack on the Route 460 Phase II project.We wish Bizzack continued success and look forward to working together on future ventures!
Cut Section #8
Borrow Area #2A
Embankment #12
T: 276-880-0121E: [email protected] www.3bcs.com
Practical People, Practical Solutions
Bizzack workers install a rock core drain in bottom of an embankment
C O N S T R U C T I O N
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combination of its regional experience and the agility of its structure.
“We’re big enough that we can handle large projects like this, but we are not a large bureaucratic company—we’re a small family owned company,” says Gaither. “We’re very close to the people in the areas where we work, and we hire people from those areas that we work in. We have employees and management from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia.”
With this, Bizzack Construction is paving the way for a more connected future in the region.
Company Information
N A M E
Bizzack Construction LLC
I N D U S T RY
Civil Construction
H E A D Q U A RT E R S
Kentucky, USA
F O U N D E D
1958
BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION
Bizzack workers install a rock core drain in bottom of an embankment
GROUNDWORK FOR SUCCESSLithko Contracting Inc. builds the framework for
Tulsa’s new River Spirit Casino expansionWritten by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Tom Venturo
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GROUNDWORK FOR SUCCESSLithko Contracting Inc. builds the framework for
Tulsa’s new River Spirit Casino expansionWritten by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Tom Venturo
LAYING THE
In 2014, construction teams broke ground on an ambitious $365 million expansion of Tulsa,
Oklahoma’s River Spirit Casino resort. With 29 stories and close to 500 rooms, the 415,000-square-foot expansion is a project requiring the know-how and dedication of both general and specialized contractors to ensure that components of the project are strong and solid every step of the way.
As the foundation and the backbone of any building—and for maximum progress on a structure as large as the River Spirit Casino—finding the right mix of concrete for speed and strength is imperative. To tackle the structural concrete portion of the project, the Muscogee Creek Nation and joint venture contractors Manhattan Redstone turned to the concrete construction specialists at Lithko Contracting Inc.
L ITHKO - R IVER SPIR IT CASINO PROJECT
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KEEPING THE PROJECT SAFELY ON SCHEDULEWith the new and improved River Spirit Casino set to open in 2017, all contractors on the job must keep to a tight schedule to avoid falling behind. This is especially important for contractors like Lithko, responsible for placing the foundations, columns, decks and floors on schedule to specific tolerances that every other detail
L ITHKO - R IVER SPIR IT CASINO PROJECT C O N S T R U C T I O N
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will be built on. “Key items on this project really
were schedule-driven,” says James Duke, Operations Manager for Lithko’s work on the River Spirit Casino project. Lithko worked out a seven-day cycle with Manhattan Redstone and its concrete mix supplier and subcontractors, working nights three times a week to make the most of crane and site logistics.
L ITHKO - SP IR IT R IVER PROJECT
But despite this tight turnaround timeframe, safety never takes a back seat for Lithko Contracting. The company approaches this issue through several safeguards, starting with preliminary Phase Hazard Plans drawn up by Project Leads and then involving Field Leads on weekly “Operational Activity Trainings” (OAT) and using
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415,000-square-foot expansion - 29 stories,
close to 500 rooms
$365 million expansion of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s River
Spirit Casino
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the Daily Preparation Process (DPP) to identify and assess the unique hazards and challenges facing co-workers each day.
“We don’t try to push it down from the top, but try to get the buy-in and input from each and every one of the guys doing work on the best way to do it safely,” says Duke. “Do we put the ladder on the inside or the
outside? Do we stage materials left or right? They get to have a voice in that and some ownership in their own plan for the day, and it gets more eyes and more ideas around each thing we’re doing. So you tend to get tunnel vision if you’ve done the same thing over again. With eight or ten more guys working on a problem, you get a better result.”
THE R IGHT M IX FOR THE JOBFinding the perfect concrete mix is also vital to staying on schedule, as every other operation hinges on floors and load-bearing walls that have gained enough strength to keep moving forward.
“We poured the structural deck typically at 2:00 a.m., and by 3:00 p.m. that afternoon we poured
columns and sheer walls—then by noon the next day we tensioned the post-tension slabs,” says Duke. “We had to have 3750 PSI on the concrete within 24-30 hours in order to make schedule. We also had to not just make the strength in the timeframe, but finish it.”
Countless tests and trial batches performed by local Tulsa-based supplier and partner Eagle Ready
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L ITHKO - R IVER SPIR IT CASINO PROJECT
The Lithko crew places level 25 at the River Spirit project
C O N S T R U C T I O NL ITHKO - R IVER SPIR IT CASINO PROJECT
The River Spirit project
“They worked with us, and really got something that I think they’ll market for a long time. We used Engius intelliRock II maturity meters to determine the strength in the concrete, where we didn’t have to wait on cylinder breaks from the testing lab. We were making 3,750 PSI within 24-30 hours, dependent on what the temperatures were, and ultimate strength was within the 7,000 PSI range.”
Mix, resulted in the perfect concrete formulation to meet the challenges of the River Spirit Casino resort.
“They worked with BASF to really hone in on the mix and the additives we used,” says Duke, noting that by working together they were able to dial in a perfect mix of concrete and additives to suit the needs of Lithko and Manhattan Redstone.
“A lot of times you get the strength, but it turns into something you can’t finish,” Duke explains.
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L ITHKO - R IVER SPIR IT CASINO PROJECT
T: 918-607-1245 | E: [email protected]: 918-234-3200
Contact Mark Jones
Providing quality concrete to the Commercial, Infrastructure and
Residential contractors throughout the Tulsa
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Secured with the proper safety harness, a Lithko employee installs a wall gang form
C O N S T R U C T I O N
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LAY ING THE GROUNDWORK FOR SUCCES SWith its last significant pour achieved on schedule, Lithko’s active part in the River Spirit Casino project is now starting to wind down. When all is said and done, the contractor will have contributed nearly 20,500 cubic yards of concrete to the structure as well as 700,000 ft of post tension cable and 1,800 tons of rebar. When the project is complete, visitors will be able to enjoy new entertainment and luxuries atop Lithko’s strong and steady surface.
Company Information
N A M E
Lithko Contracting
I N D U S T RY
Construction
H E A D Q U A RT E R S
Plain City, Ohio - USA
F O U N D E D
1992
E M P L O Y E E S
1500
L ITHKO - R IVER SPIR IT CASINO PROJECT
Secured with the proper safety harness, a Lithko employee installs a wall gang form
Taking Nashville TO NEW HEIGHTSArcher Western Project Manager Brian Evans discusses goals and challenges of the Nashville’s ambitious 505Written by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Tom Venturo
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Taking Nashville TO NEW HEIGHTSArcher Western Project Manager Brian Evans discusses goals and challenges of the Nashville’s ambitious 505Written by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Tom Venturo
Tony Giarratana is known for his ambition, striving to make every new building
taller and better than the last. The Nashville real estate developer’s latest project is poised to redefine his city’s skyline: the 505 Tower.
From the designs of architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the
gleaming 524-ft tower will stand as the tallest building in Nashville by habitable floors—matched only by the spires of the city’s iconic AT&T Tower, known locally as the “Batman Building.” To take on the challenge of realizing this grand project, Giarratana has turned to contracting firm Archer Western.
ARCHER WESTERN - 505 TOWER PROJECT
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REIMAGIN ING NASHV ILLE DOWNTOWN LIV INGThe 505 Tower is not all about its height—it’s also about expanding the possibilities for luxurious living in downtown Nashville. Once completed, the LEED Silver tower will contain two amenity floors
ARCHER WESTERN - 505 TOWER PROJECT C O N S T R U C T I O N
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with sq. ft. of restaurant and retail space. Beyond this, the entire top floor of the adjacent parking garage is projected as an “amenity deck,” sporting such features as a full-sized pool, tennis and bocce ball courts, cabanas, and even a dog run and dog park.
The tower’s 16 top-most floors
ARCHER WESTERN - 505 TOWER PROJECT
boast one very special extra benefit, as part of Giarratana’s plan. “Right now when you’re on the 29th floor, you’re at the current highest occupied living space in Nashville,” explains Brian Evans, the Archer Western project manager for the development. Residents
of the condos built into floors 30 through 45, therefore, will be able to enjoy fully unobstructed views of downtown Nashville.
“I would say that this is taking downtown urban living to the next level,” says Evans. “Nothing like this exists in Nashville right now,
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and Giarratana’s team have had unbelievable vision for that. Once he started creating residential living in downtown, everything he’s done has been bigger and better. This far and away exceeds anything in the downtown market.”
MEETING CHALLENGES OF PROXIMIT Y AND SAFET YOne of the most significant challenges facing Archer Western in the construction of the 505 Tower is the very thing that makes it desirable—its location in the heart of downtown, and therefore its close proximity to surrounding buildings and projects. The building shares a construction site with the city of Nashville, occupying a third of the space for the tower, while the remaining two-thirds is allotted for the construction of a parking garage.
“The parking garage started before we did,” notes Evans. The Archer Western team has employed several strategies to mitigate this challenge, including the construction of sidewalk canopies
to store materials and tools overhead and maximize available space.
“The other big piece is that in the center of the site we put a self-climbing core system into our elevator shaft,” says Evans. “It literally will jack itself up, and
the creation of Controlled Access Zones no less than six feet from the edge of any deck.
“We have our own separate training and certifications,” Evans says. “Our tradespeople or subcontractors who go into the Controlled Access Zones are fully trained to do so.” By taking these measures, Archer Western can ensure that construction continues smoothly as the workers make their ascent.
it’s got a platform on top of it that again allows us to store material, build rebar and physically work. In essence, we’ve created our own small laydown and storage areas.”
Safety is also a key challenge, especially when dealing with the skyscraper heights of a tower like the 505. Archer Western’s solution to maintaining a high level of safety at all times, especially on elevated decks where leading edge and lathe operations are underway, is
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ARCHER WESTERN - 505 TOWER PROJECT
1136 2nd Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208615-255-1900 Dispatch | 615-355-1028 Office
www.smyrnareadymix.com
SRM Concrete provides quality ready mix concrete and unmatched service to our customers in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky.
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UNMATCHED SERVICE
C O N S T R U C T I O N
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OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD“I was shown a rendering of the building and that was all it took,” says Evans of his commitment to the 505 Tower. “We at Archer Western are honored to have the opportunity to build this for Tony and his team.”
The 505 Tower is currently on track for completion by the end of 2017, and the Archer Western team looks forward to seeing the project through from start to finish. The firm also hopes that this will be the beginning of a strong relationship with Nashville’s construction and development industry.
Company Information
N A M E
Archer Western,
505 Tower Project
I N D U S T RY
Construction
H E A D Q U A RT E R SNashville, Tennessee
USA
A B O U TReal estate developer Tony Giarratana selected Archer Western as the general contractor to complete his 505 Tower project, an ambitious 45-story skyscraper in the heart of downtown Nashville
B U D G E T
$169 million
ARCHER WESTERN - 505 TOWER PROJECT
