SHOUT OUT! W A catalyst for unprecedented results : + : BY MARK DEWEIRDT Whenever the Portland Timbers soccer team scores, the fans go wild as the Leatherman sponsored lumber jack gets the chainsaw screaming and rips through some fir. MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions could not be prouder to have Leatherman Tool Group as a new client. The Leatherman tool is an icon of the Northwest’s pioneering, “get it done”, spirit. It's the reason Tim Leatherman built his first multi- purpose tool in 1983, and why Leatherman Tool Group has stayed local. Leatherman ships tools all over the world and has always been a leader in energy conservation. Scott Bacon manages the 90,000 square foot Leatherman headquarters, which includes the main manufacturing plant. Scott has worked with the Energy Trust of Oregon to install five energy projects, and as a result has saved Leatherman over $129K annually. He collaborated with the Energy Trust for over a year to find a way to incentivize a portion of the cost of replacement of his antiquated Trane Tracer control system. No solution was in sight until Mike Smith of Energy 350 suggested a new angle: investigate MacMiller’s new fan speed technology, Catalyst. Our objective was to present a plan that would modernize the system for least cost and improve the ability to manage and reduce energy use – and do it FAST! During our initial meeting with Scott, we presented detailed energy saving and cost data pulled from satellite images. After the sharing of this information, two months later Scott approved TO TRAVIS ESHPETER ”Just wanted to let you know that the phase monitor/timer seems to have done exactly what we hoped. We had an outage Sunday around 9 a.m. that took all power down. The generator kicked on as it should and shortly thereafter, the AC timer allowed the unit to restart. We only showed a 2-3 degree rise in server room temps before it started dropping again. Thanks for putting your mind to work on our problems and coming up with what appears to be the right solution.” Doug Deaton, MCSE Vacation International, Inc. PAGE 1 a $340K Catalyst project with a 2-year payback – an initiative that now controls his entire plant, which is over 58 RTU’s! Energy 350, Abacus Engineering and MacMiller all worked together to execute this tremendously successful project for Leatherman and the Energy Trust in a tight 3-month installation schedule. Bryan Nix, project manager; Doug Harmon, lead technician; and Mike Smith all deserve kudos for driving this project home in record speed. Thanks also go to Transformative Wave, the group that provided the custom engineering for the process chiller monitoring and lighting control points. The Leatherman tool is an icon of the Northwest’s pioneering, “get it done”, spirit. VOLUME 3 | QTR 1 | 2015 HIGHLIGHTS P3 The costs of inaction P5 Faces of success P6 More than just “At your service”
Transcript
SHOUT OUT!
WA catalyst for unprecedented results: +: BY MARK DEWEIRDT
Whenever the Portland Timbers soccer team scores, the fans go wild as the Leatherman sponsored lumber jack gets the chainsaw screaming and rips through some fir.
MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions could not be prouder to have Leatherman Tool Group as a new client. The Leatherman tool is an icon of the Northwest’s pioneering, “get it done”, spirit. It's the reason Tim Leatherman built his first multi-purpose tool in 1983, and why Leatherman Tool Group has stayed local. Leatherman ships tools all over the world and has always been a leader in energy conservation.
Scott Bacon manages the 90,000 square foot Leatherman headquarters, which includes the main manufacturing plant. Scott has
worked with the Energy Trust of Oregon to install five energy projects, and as a result has saved Leatherman over $129K annually. He collaborated with the Energy Trust for over a year to find a way to incentivize a portion of the cost of replacement of his antiquated Trane Tracer control system. No solution was in sight until Mike Smith of Energy 350 suggested a new angle: investigate MacMiller’s new fan speed technology, Catalyst. Our objective was to present a plan that would modernize the system for least cost and improve the ability to manage and reduce energy use – and do it FAST! During our initial meeting with Scott, we presented detailed energy saving and cost data pulled from satellite images. After the sharing of this information, two months later Scott approved
TO TRAVIS ESHPETER
”Just wanted to let you know that the phase monitor/timer seems to have done exactly what we hoped. We had an outage Sunday around 9 a.m. that took all power down. The generator kicked on as it should and shortly thereafter, the AC timer allowed the unit to restart. We only showed a 2-3 degree rise in server room temps before it started dropping again. Thanks for putting your mind to work on our problems and coming up with what appears to be the right solution.”
Doug Deaton, MCSE Vacation International, Inc.
PAGE 1
a $340K Catalyst project with a 2-year payback – an initiative that now controls his entire plant, which is over 58 RTU’s!
Energy 350, Abacus Engineering and MacMiller all worked together to execute this tremendously successful project for Leatherman and the Energy Trust in a tight 3-month installation schedule. Bryan Nix, project manager; Doug Harmon, lead technician; and Mike Smith all deserve kudos for driving this project home in record speed. Thanks also go to Transformative Wave, the group that provided the custom engineering for the process chiller monitoring and lighting control points.
The Leatherman tool is an icon
of the Northwest’s pioneering,
“get it done”, spirit.
VOLUME 3 | QTR 1 | 2015
HIGHLIGHTS
P3 The costs of inaction
P5 Faces of success
P6 More than just “At your service”
Intentional Partnership
First, a big cheer for a record breaking 2014! We surpassed our company’s previous high water mark and executed over $180 million in revenue for 2014!
Oh, what great things await us this coming year! We are already running at a fast clip and foresee no first quarter slowdown as all our business units are forecasting higher revenues for 2015. This year, there will be additional focus on infrastructure, IT and HR to keep our machine running smoothly and accommodate our anticipated growth for 2016. Yes, we are already thinking about 2016!
One thing that has become clearer to me over the years is how important being intentional with our efforts to connect with our business partners really is. This connectivity is vital to the improvement of how we do business, between our own business units, and with our clients, subcontractors and vendors. The common and more casual approach of, “if they need something they will let me know”, only provides an unintended defense mechanism around the status quo. To drive continuous improvement, groups of people need to make a regular effort to work on the “what ifs” and the “how abouts”.
As we get busier, it becomes harder to reach out and spend the time with our business partners in the context of innovation, versus execution. This is why the commitment of making a plan to regularly connect with the people that have an impact in your world makes the difference between being good and being great!
This is one of my commitments for the new year: making the business of our business ever more intentional.
I hope you will join me in that effort. And good luck in 2015!
Gus Simonds President
Proud to help an organization that exists to help others: +: BY MEG LANDIES
A major part of our pursuit at MacDonald-Miller is to support local businesses that help grow and improve the Pacific Northwest. One company that fits that description is Northwest Center, a social enterprise organization advancing equal opportunities for children and adults with developmental disabilities. It was through Stephanie Gebhardt, MacMiller’s CFO, that we began our partnership with Northwest Center.
Stephanie first heard about Northwest Center when her one-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a genetic condition. “They swooped in during a difficult time. They provided medical and emotional support throughout the entire three years we worked together,” she said. What Stephanie and her daughter experienced was Early Intervention. Northwest Center is a leader in detecting disabilities or delayed conditions that, if addressed early, can change the entire trajectory of a child’s life toward success and independence.
MacMiller’s recent project with Northwest Center entails an upgrade of their commercial laundry system. We are providing mechanical utilities for a new Kannegiesser German-made industrial tunnel-laundry production line. We designed and installed the high-pressure steam, compressed air, natural gas, tempered water & drainage utilities, and connections to this new equipment. The success of this project will greatly increase Northwest Center’s capability to serve their hospitality and healthcare customers. And, ultimately, it will help the organization continue to create opportunities and improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities.
“They swooped in during a
difficult time. They provided
medical and emotional support
throughout the entire three
years we worked together,”
Stephanie Gebhardt with her daughter
PAGE 3
The costs of inaction: +: BY PERRY ENGLAND
We are just beginning to experience the effects of a changing climate. Pacific Northwest industries such as shellfish, forestry, agriculture and health care are dealing with the adverse effects of climate change today. There are some who argue that the Pacific Northwest’s emissions are a small part of a global problem, and that our efforts will not make an impact. I disagree.
SHOUT OUT! TO JIM HIKE
“Jim Hike is an absolute prince when it comes to knowing his clients’ needs and knowing their equipment. Jim has made it very easy to love working with MacDonald-Miller.”
Bruce Nahon Marina Heights
Let’s start with transportation. The economic modeling suggests that a price on carbon will increase gasoline prices between 40 cents and $1.50 by 2030. That translates into an annual increase between 0.67% and 2.5%. However, during the next ten years the average fuel efficiency of new vehicles will improve 5%. What could make us even more efficient? Going electric! An electric-drive vehicle is 3 to 4 times as efficient as an internal combustion, mechanical-drive vehicle.
Next we can look at our buildings. A carbon price will increase the cost of heating, cooling and lighting buildings, based on the fossil content of the fuels used. Homes and commercial buildings routinely waste 20-50% of the energy they consume. What if instead we invested in building efficiencies? We could then redirect our wasted spending into creating family wage jobs in our local communities.
Economic sustainability is driving businesses to call for immediate action on climate change. Representing MacMiller, I joined over 150 Washington businesses in signing the Washington and Oregon Business Climate Declaration. The declaration begins with the statement that “there is a clear and present need for climate action to protect our region’s natural assets, its vibrant communities and its growing economy.”
We cannot fully unleash our innovative potential if we continue to allow unmitigated carbon pollution for free. It is costing all of us in the degradation of our economy and our planet. Putting a price on carbon pollution – either through a direct price or through an emissions mechanism – is a reasonable policy to invigorate a rational economic response to carbon emission and $16 billion of wasted energy just in our very own Evergreen State.
? Why do we have an economic imperative to create clean energy?
$20 BILLION
heat and cool BUILDINGS
power INDUSTRIES
fuel TRANSPORTATION
Imagine the economic development potential of reinvesting $16 billion into our local economies every year.
Because currently Washingtonians spend
OVER 86%THAT’S OVER $16 BILLION LOST!
CLEAN ENERGYOur true reward is making the region greenerCommunity Impact Award Winner!
There were many great moments for MacDonald-Miller in 2014, but one of the most significant accomplishments was winning the Seattle Business Community Impact Award. MacMiller received the distinguished honor of winner in the category of green products/services. Seattle businesses acknowledged our innovative approach to helping landlords make significant energy efficiency improvements and reductions in office building gas emissions.
Indeed our impact was huge, as
MacMiller was recognized for
outstanding service in delivering
over $100 million in efficiency
upgrades for the Puget Sound area.
Customers such as the Seattle Aquarium, Washington Athletic Club and Highline Community College are just a few of the partnerships that led to one of the greatest years in the company's history. In 2014, MacMiller helped building owners save more than $2.1 million and reduce carbon emissions by almost 18,000 metric tons. This clearly illustrates that MacMiller is leading the way in green products and services!
of this energy spend is wasted through inefficiencies
ON ENERGY TO
We’re proud to do our part to help those who are making the economy thrive. 2030 8th Avenue is a 43-story, 354-unit apartment tower located in the rapidly growing South Lake Union area. Adjacent to the Amazon projects currently under construction, 2030 8th Avenue is meeting the housing demands of a rising work force. The project includes eight levels of parking, one level of lobby and retail space, thirty-four floors of high end apartments, a roof top terrace and amenities space and two levels of rooftop mechanical space. The residential units are served by a two-pipe vertical chilled water fan coil system with electric heat fed from two 235-ton rooftop chillers. The plumbing system includes 224,564 lineal feet of pipe, with a combination of Aquatherm, stainless steel, pex and copper. MacDonald-Miller plumbers will install a total of 2,636 fixtures within the building. Our sheet metal group is fabricating and installing 236,675 lbs of sheet metal, along with installing numerous fans and a 34,000 CFM air-handling unit to provide supply air to the residential units and corridors. 2030 8th Avenue is on track to be a LEED Silver certified building, scheduled for completion in June 2015.
This project enables MacMiller to showcase the advantages of providing one stop shopping for the owner, highlighted by a seamless transition from design to installation. As engineering, detailing, sheet metal, fitting, plumbing, electrical & controls install and TAB are all being self-performed, the entire project team benefits from the close coordination and group planning. Our
internal coordination efforts have allowed us to pre-plan our work, resulting in the avoidance of unforeseen issues at time of install, and the ability to maintain the schedule and be prepared to respond quickly if conditions change. With the limited lay down space and tight delivery schedule, the planning of our prefabrication efforts continue to be a huge success in minimizing impact to the job and maximizing efficiencies in the field.
We applaud the hard work and efforts of the project team, led by: Jason Liening, Mark Reynolds, Bart Warrington, Greg Nanadjanians, Engineering; Rory Olson, Detailing Manager; Mike Wiley, Fitting Foreman; Bill Dixon, Fitting Fabrication; Mike Kindle, Sheet Metal Foreman; Dion Senger, Plumbing Foreman; Chris Hash, Plumbing Fabrication; Mark Samuelson, Electrical Foreman; Noah Walker, TAB Foreman; Gary Larkin, Systems Specialist; Brian Hickory and Ben Leventer, Project Managers. Due to the dedication of all of these professionals, MacMiller was able to secure another high-rise tower project with the same owner and Sellen team, which is scheduled to break ground in early 2015.
A high-rise meets high efficiency: +: BY AMY JOHNSON
THE PROJECT | DESIGN-BUILD | 2030 8th Avenue | Seattle, Washington
DB GID Development Group | OWNER
Weber Thompson | ARCHITECT
Sellen | GENERAL CONTRACTOR the teamHudson Bay | INSULATION & FIRE STOP WORK
(All other work is self-performed.)
Contract | $16.5 MILLION
Gary Larkin SYSTEM SPECIALIST (BMS)
Gary is proud to share this anecdote: I was a high-voltage electrician in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and served on the Nimitz Class Air Craft Carrier the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) from 1989-1993, after 2 years of Nuke School. The USS Carl Vinson is the ship that Osama Bin Laden’s body was buried from in the North Arabian Sea in May 2011. As a veteran, I now serve as the Chaplain at the Bothell American Legion.
Years with MacMiller: I've been with MacMiller for 14 years.
Most memorable day on the job: It was Monday morning, August 2006 at the Hotel 1000 project and we were getting ready for the week when the GC’s PM came bursting through the door yelling, “There’s SH_T everywhere!!!”. On Sunday night, the 4” pressurized pumped sewage pipe bulkhead fitting where it goes to the Seattle City sewer came apart inside one of the parking garage storage units. Every time the pump ran, water came up from underneath the door and plugged the garage drains, which would then back-up on to the garage floor. “Poop Fest 2006” was all hands on deck – no matter your job description – with MacMiller teammates fighting the evils of stink and stench. Needless to say, this is why I advocate Building Management System monitoring of sewage and sump pumps!
Ben Leventer ASSOCIATE PROJECT MANAGER
Ben wants you to know…well, sort of: As a kid growing up, my two favorite things were bowl-cuts and Star Wars.
Years with MacMiller: I was an intern for about 6 months and have been full-time for a year and a half.
“What I value most about the team I
work with at MacMiller is the overall
positive attitude that everyone has
towards the job. This is definitely
the first job I"ve had where everyone
constantly works hard, but manages to
have a good time. The result is a very
productive work environment. Not only
between the MacMiller team, but also
the other parties involved with the job.”
PAGE 5
It takes people from a wide range of professional skills to make MacDonald-Miller the industry
leader that it is today. It’s the diverse personalities and backgrounds that seamlessly come
together to create smart, successful project teams here at MacMiller. That’s why in each issue of
Perspective we take the time to highlight three members of MacMiller who’ve made invaluable
contributions. It’s a way to give you a little more insight
into those that proudly represent us, and a way to
further illustrate how three different individuals
can make one team greatly successful.
Michael Wiley FITTING FOREMAN
Michael thinks you might find this impressive (we do): During the late winters of 2005, 2006, and 2007, I snowmobiled the Tok, Alaska trail to Dawson, Yukon and back (200 mile trip each way) in the "Trek Over The Top" with the Alaska Trail Blazers Association.
Years with MacMiller: I have over 23 years working in the trade, and I've been with MacMiller since May 2010.
“What I value most about the team
I work with at MacMiller are the
relationships, communication and
willingness to work together to create
a successful outcome – for MacMiller
and for the general contractor.“
FACeS OFSuC CeS S
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
RELATIONSHIPS
TEAMW
ORK
FUN FACT
The three MacMiller folks featured above worked together on the 2030 8th Avenue project, detailed in the article on the left.
Michael with his daughter, Katie-Linn and his wife, Kim.
Columbia Center, Seattle | Floors 18,19,20 – City of Seattle Attorneys, 55,000 SF tenant improvement & heat pump replacement
Stadium Place II (255 S. King St./North Lot), Seattle | 700,000 SF ground-up 23-story hotel and 19-story office tower, including retail, restaurants, health club, conference center, fitness center and parking garage, Sodo Builders
Motif (Formerly Red Lion), Seattle | 330 VAV box replacement project including new electrical to boxes and TAB
Microsoft B30 WPA Project, Redmond | 111,000 SF, existing Office/Lab remodel consisting of 3 floors, BNBuilders
CMC Biologics, Bothell | 8,500 SF, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Clean Rooms, extremely fast-paced project – double shifts, 7 days a week to meet completion date of less than 3 months, BNBuilders
Macy’s Re-Tenanting, Seattle | 150,000 SF, Shell & Core Redevelopment of existing retail building, Bayley Construction
Union Stables, Seattle | Shell & Core, historical renovation of 1910 stables to 57,600 SF of office and retail space, LEED Gold, Lease Crutcher Lewis
South Common Shops (aka JC Penny Building), Bellevue | Approximately 190,000 SF, GLY
2200 Western, Seattle | Levels 4 & 5, new Seattle Headquarters for Lease Crutcher Lewis, LEED Platinum
Renewed partnership with AT&T | Serving over 1,300 cell sites in Washington and Oregon
the industry, bringing optimal building performance to our clients in all types of buildings and environments.
As a result of the hard work that occurred building the new native app for iOS 8, our deployment of MobileTech will be back in full swing. Soon after the New Year, we will roll out more iPads to the field, bringing field mobile technology to all of our technicians. This will continue to enhance our suite of services, as we continue to go above and beyond for our clients.
With the completion of the audit, retasking of the entire contract base, and the final deployment of the MobileTech technology, the onset of 2015 brings with it much anticipation for Service. It will be a year of more successes, as we’ll drive efficiency – both internally and externally – with our clients and deliver best-in-class service. Our technicians are the industry’s best trained and best equipped professionals; this means that our customers’ experience is enhanced every day by the unequaled MacMiller Service approach.
Finally, we will close the year out with a record number of new clients that have chosen MacMiller as their Building Performance Service provider of choice. Close to 400 new clients joined our growing service base. This is in large part due to the efforts of our Maintenance Sales Team, including Grant Gummow, Jake Woelke and Robert Gibson – all were awarded Sales Person of the Quarter this year! Go Team!
RECENT MAJOR PROJECT
AWARDS
More than just ”At your service”: +: BY DAVE HERR
As we close out another successful year in Service it’s a great time to reflect on the past 12 months. The Service Team at MacDonald-Miller has had a very busy 2014 and deserves to be recognized for their significant accomplishments.
During the past 18 months we embarked on a huge initiative to audit our entire service contract base. This task was extremely crucial as it helped eliminate waste and elevate the efficiency and effectiveness of our service delivery. Every individual contract was audited and the equipment verified in the field – over 1,500 individual audits were conducted and over 20,000 pieces of equipment verified! Our hard-working service technicians were on the front lines of this major effort, under a very tight timeline, and this audit couldn’t have been completed without them. Maintenance Contract Administrator, Dani Omasich, worked full time on this initiative and helped keep the process flowing. Our entire Service Team, from Coordinator to Contract Administration to Account Manager, greatly contributed to the success of this effort.
This year we also concluded another monumental effort: completely retasking our preventive maintenance services. We call it “Peak Performance Tasking”, and as an industry leader are proud to offer this unique approach to our clients. Each type of HVAC equipment was reviewed and multiple authorities were used to determine the right tasks that need to be performed to maximize comfort and energy performance. The MacMiller preventative maintenance program is second-to-none in
PAGE 7
Sclater Architects
We’re keeping it clean: +: BY KELLY JOHNSON
Many people don’t stop to truly consider what keeps the air in buildings fresh, clean and free of dust. They may be surprised to discover just how big a role air filters play behind the scenes. Filters are an unseen, yet very significant part of building performance – so important, in fact, that the technicians at MacDonald-Miller changed out more than 26,000 filters in 2014!
What makes MacMiller so special in this arena is that we house our very own Filter Shop, which is rare for a Mechanical Services Contractor.
“First of all, we’re the only service provider I know that has their own Filter
Shop,” boasts Fred Edejer, Filter Shop Manager. “This is extremely beneficial
to our technicians and our customers. Having an internal provider that
knows our business inside and out saves a ton of cost and time.”
The Bag-It and Tag-It program has proven invaluable for delivering filters to the service zones. Fred and David Rellinger, Filter Service Specialists, place a bulk order for all the different filters needed in each zone, separate each filter needed for each job, label those filters, bag them, tag them, and then deliver them to each zone. This keeps the 200 MacMiller technicians from running around and searching for their own filters – it’s a seamless service that ensures customers’ buildings have the clean filters they need.
Additionally, the Filter Shop creates custom filters if a piece of equipment demands a certain size that isn’t normally in stock. “If they require a special order, we can often make it and deliver it the same day.” said Fred. “We are our own distributor, which means immediate service.”
From $2,000 HEPA filters for hospital systems to $3 filters for small office units, there exists a wide array of filter types that keep the air in buildings clean. So, the next time you’re in the MacMiller Seattle office, stop by the Lower Building for a tour of the Filter Shop. It’ll truly be a breath of fresh air.
South Common Shops (aka JC Penny Building)
Approximately 190,000 SF | GLY
Conversion of 3 story anchor store into 3 levels of retail space. Half of the lower floor will become additional parking for the mall, and the remaining half is earmarked for a grocery tenant. The other two floors will be constructed as an extension of the current mall. The Grand Opening is set for October 1st of 2015.
SHOUT OUT! TO SETH L. & MATT W.
“JTM would like to send a special word of appreciation to you and especially to Seth LaRiviere and Matt White for their amazing customer service in a very critical time and very visible pressure-packed environment. Seth and Matt walked into our project to troubleshoot an inoperable feature fireplace that our owner wanted to have working and captured in professional photography for soon-to-be-launched national press releases. We are extremely appreciative of their professionalism, can-do attitude and willingness to identify and solve a multitude of issues with a multi-country fireplace (France & Canada) as well as their technical abilities and thoroughness to find a way to make it work and please our discerning owner.”
