Excellence BY DESIGN

ENGINEERS ARCHITECTS SURVEYORS CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS

SUMMER 2015 A DIGITAL MAGAZINE FOR CLIENTS AND FRIENDS OF R.E. WARNER & ASSOCIATES, INC.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS ON THE COVER R.E. WARNER HELPS INCREASE COATINGS PRODUCTION FEATURES 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE LAKE ERIE AND THE GREAT LAKES VITAL TO OUR SUCCESS

AND LIFESTYLE

2 STRATEGIC PLANNING PAR FOR THE COURSE – IS YOUR BUSINESS PLAN UP TO

PAR?

3 QUALITY DON’T FORGET TO SCHEDULE TIME FOR QUALITY

ASSURANCE – YOUR CONSULTANT IS AN EXTENSION TO YOUR TEAM

4 PROJECT DELIVERY STAY OUT OF JOINTS – THE PREFERRED TEAMING

ARRANGEMENT IS OFTEN A PRIME/SUB TEAMING

5 NEW TEAM MEMBER

5 SAFETY WITH SAFETY, CULTURE TRUMPS PAPER - CREATE A

CULTURE OF SAFETY

6 PROJECTS

7 PROJECT MANAGEMENT FIVE HABITS FOR BETTER PROJECT MANAGEMENT

8-11 CORPORATE NEWS

11 RISK MANAGEMENT MEDIATION – WHY NOT START AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE

13 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

ENGINEERS ARCHITECTS SURVEYORS CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 1

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Ted Beltavski, MS, P.E.

As we head through the summer of 2015 it's always good to

realize what a blessing it is for our company to be located in the Great Lakes Region.

Lake Erie and all the Great Lakes are so vital to our success and our lifestyle. It can be easy

to lament all the rain and snow we experience but in truth many parts of the USA envy what

we have here and, unfortunately, what many of us take for granted. Our industrial base

over a century ago was established through the use of water for manufacturing purposes.

Our region grew as an industrial power based on this natural resource. Now many years

later as the world experiences shortages of water and unprecedented droughts we can truly

appreciate this gift.

We at R.E. Warner will continue to develop our technical skills in order to utilize our Great

Lakes location as a true benefit to our clients. Keep in mind through all of our design and

construction efforts that it's our job as engineers to handle this precious resource with the

respect it deserves.

ON THE COVER:

R.E. Warner Helps Increase Coatings Production PPG Industries selected R.E. Warner to provide detailed engineering for the installation of

process, piping, mechanical and electrical systems for a new production building known as

Building 52 and located on their Cleveland Campus. The project included large batch blending

operations, bulk raw material delivery piping design and new electrical substation and utility

feed. R.E. Warner completed preliminary and conceptual engineering and detailed

civil/structural engineering for the project under a previous contract.

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STRATEGIC PLANNING

PAR FOR THE COURSE

Now that golf season is upon us, we are

reminded how much fun and challenging

the game can be as we constantly strive to

shoot par.

As everyone knows, par is the standard an

expert should

meet for a

particular hole or

course. "Up to

par" is slang for

achieving a set

standard or goal.

In business, we

all set standards or goals. whether it's for

our three year strategic plan, one year

business plan, or individual performance

plans.

Similar to a round of golf, business plans

include a goal (par) and duration (number

of holes). Like golf, where the objective is

to shoot par or under for the round, the

objective of a business plan is to meet or

beat our business goals.

The lesson we can learn from the golf

analogy is that if you bogie the first hole,

you must birdie another in the round to

make par. Worse

yet, if you bogie too

many holes, it can

become

mathematically

impossible to shoot

enough birdies to

make par.

In golf, as you move through the round,

you should think with the end in mind but

focus on the next hole and make

adjustments in your swing or club selection

before it is too late. In business, we must

think strategically but act tactically to

achieve our goals before it's too late.

Is your business plan up to par?

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 3

QUALITY

DON’T FORGET TO SCHEDULE TIME FOR QUALITY ASSURANCEOk, so you've got a contract with a

Consultant. You even have a Scope of

Work stating what we're going to do.

Usually you will then ask for a schedule

stating when we intend to do it.

Don't just file away the schedule believing

it's the Consultant's schedule so let us

worry about it.

Remember, you have a role to play in the

project as well.

So what should you look for?

You will be asked to review our

submissions and provide comments.

This review process takes time and can

impact the schedule of your project. Did

we allow adequate time for your

review?

What about regulatory agency reviews?

Multiple agency reviews can be

complicated and time consuming.

Are coordination meetings adequately

scheduled?

Are field visits properly scheduled and

coordinated so as not to disrupt your

operations?

Have we scheduled sufficient time for

ourselves to check our work?

Have we allowed adequate time to

compensate for unforeseen events?

Many of these questions seem obvious, yet

we have heard of other Consultants

scheduling reviews over holidays or only

two days to review as many as a hundred

drawings. Your Consultant is an extension

of your team and should be treated as

such.

As a former President once said, "Trust...but verify”

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PROJECT DELIVERY

STAY OUT OF JOINTS

In today's design and construction

marketplace, more and more projects are

being delivered by teams. Whether it’s a

designer/contractor or designer/designer

team, teams are commonly being formed

to offer clients knowledge and experience

that no single firm can provide.

This arrangement creates additional value

for the client and new opportunities for the

design and/or construction professional.

Once a team is formed, the next question

becomes "how will it be structured?" Too

often the knee jerk reaction is

"let's form a joint venture"!

Joint ventures are separate

legal entities formed by two or

more firms (members) for a

single purpose. They require a

separate management structure,

financing and insurance. In

addition, each member is legally

responsible for the entire joint

venture. In other words, if one

member defaults, the other member or

members are responsible for the

contractual obligations of the joint venture.

Likewise, the joint venture must remain in

place throughout the warranty period

unless other provisions are made.

Consequently, a prime/sub teaming

arrangement is often the preferred teaming

arrangement because of its clear and

simple contracting and management

structure. Except for very large and

complex projects, it is often recommended

that teams stay out of joint ventures.

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 5

NEWEST TEAM

MEMBER ROBERT P. LACKOWSKI (PERRY) // ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Perry is a 2015 graduate of The Ohio State University with

a Masters of Science degree in electrical engineering. His

skills include power and control systems. He is proficient in AutoCAD, Solidworks and

Matlab. Perry interned with R.E. Warner for four sessions from 2011-2014 and currently

resides in Westlake.

SAFETY WITH SAFETY, CULTURE TRUMPS PAPER Every responsible company professes to

have the utmost concern about safety. We

all have safety manuals, policies,

procedures, posters and plans. We sign

forms and hold tool box meetings.

A company that truly cares about safety

creates a culture of safety. It must be a

corporate philosophy, a mindset, a

company spirit! It must be strong, real, and

visible to everyone! It has to be reflected

in everything we do... at home, at work, in

our designs and our responsibility to the

general public. At R.E. Warner, we are

proud of our culture and the safety record

that reflects it.

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PROJECTS

Mechanical and electrical engineering

for the installation of a new hot water

wash system for two existing vacuum

belt gypsum feeds at a power

generation facility.

Plans and specifications for re-roofing

the main water treatment building and

office at The Lake County Department

of Public Utilities’ East District water

treatment plant.

Detailed engineering for installation of

a ROBUS portable cleaning system in

a building of an automotive coating’s

plant.

Preliminary and conceptual

engineering and preparation of a cost

benefit analysis for five detention

basins to help alleviate flooding on

Rose, Kirk, Westwood, Costello and

Biddulph Roads for the City of

Westlake.

Plans and specifications for

construction of site improvements

including roadways, surface parking

facilities, storm water management,

and electrical infrastructure including

power and lighting for a chemical

process facility’s Vision Project.

Final design of a buffer conveyor

support and catwalk at an automotive

manufacturing plant in Cleveland.

Detailed design of a steel company’s

Advanced Quench and Temper

Facility maintenance building.

Engineering for decommissioning of

an automotive stamping plant.

Preliminary and detailed engineering

and preparation of plans for

relocation of the underground city

sanitary sewer force main and storm

sewer utilities at a Lorain tubular

operations including a topographic

survey, lot split and legal descriptions,

EPA PTI and easement legal

descriptions.

A/E services to assess various City of

Cleveland public improvements and

provide preliminary design,

construction documents and

construction administration to

incorporate energy efficiency

improvements and help reduce the

cost to operate these facilities.

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 7

PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

FIVE HABITS FOR BETTER PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1) Reduce your e-mails. There's no better way to communicate with your client and team than in person or by telephone.

2) Drop the texting during meetings and conversations. Put your phone away! Turn it off! Texting or reading e-mails during meetings is rude and unprofessional.

3) Don't be late. You're supposed to be the most organized person on the team. Show it!

4) Don't ignore deadlines.

If you don't take schedules seriously, why should anyone else?

5) Take good notes and meeting minutes and always distribute in a timely manner. No one can retain everything in their head. Distribution within five days shows you are engaged and allows everyone to comment and address action items in a timely manner.

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CORPORATE NEWS

TWO VALUED MEMBERS OF R.E. WARNER RETIRE AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE

THOMAS J. HARTZELL // Senior Mechanical Piping Designer After nearly 31 years of dedicated service to R.E.

Warner, Tom "Mad Dog" Hartzell retired on May 29th.

Tom started with R.E. Warner in 1984 as a designer.

He holds an Associate’s Degree in Drafting and

Design Technology and is certified as an Ohio UST

Installer. Tom was an integral part of the

Warner/Osborn/Pardee Joint Venture team which was

based at NASA Lewis Research Center for five years.

NASA staff commended Tom for his work ethics,

performance, and particularly in the areas of accuracy

and thoroughness. Since then, Tom has continued

making important contributions and continued his

dedication to the company by providing high quality

work serving as mechanical/process project designer

on significant R.E. Warner projects including a L-Valve chlorinator feed system for a

chemical processing facility, a compressed air system for an electric power company, a new

production building for a coatings company, construction of a new proprietary oil recycling

facility, a gasoline blending optimization project, various Ford Motor Company projects, and

many more.

Tom’s final day of work was honored at our company’s Fourth Friday Celebrations.

(L-R) Dave Sminchak, Past Chairman and President

Tom Hartzell, Sr. Mechanical Piping Designer

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 9

DAVID W. SMINCHAK, P.E. // Past Chairman and President After more than 33 outstanding years at R.E. Warner & Associates, Dave Sminchak, past Chairman and President of the firm, retired on July 2nd.

Dave joined R. E. Warner in 1982 in the newly created position of Business Development Manager. At that time, R.E. Warner had a staff of 27 and by 1992, R.E. Warner had grown to well over 100 employees. In 1984 Dave was elected an Associate and Vice President and member of the Board of Trustees in 1986. He was elected President of the firm in 1994 and Chairman in 1995.

Prior to joining R.E. Warner, Dave served as Marketing Manager for the Pipe Division of Price Brothers Company. From 1972 to 1976, he served as a design engineer and project manager for Paul A. Frank & Associates, a civil engineering and surveying firm.

Dave has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio.

Over the years of his professional career, he has been extremely active and engaged in many professional and community organizations, such as: Leadership Cleveland Class of 1997; Cleveland Engineering Society (president), American Council of Engineering Companies of Ohio (member of the Board of Directors), Bluecoats, Inc.; Build Up Greater Cleveland (member and former chairman of the Human Resource Task Force); Marymount Hospital Community Advisory Council; and the Cleveland Zoological Society Development Committee. Dave also authored numerous publications and participated in many speaking engagements.

“Dave has shaped our firm into an industry leader. He has been a tireless worker and advocate of our firm since the moment he came here so many years ago” says Ted Beltavski, current President of R.E. Warner.

Our company will have a reception on August 5th to honor Dave’s leadership contributions to R.E. Warner.

We congratulate and thank both Tom and Dave on a wonderful career and for their important contributions to the

company. They will be missed.

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JUSTIN HASELTON IS APPOINTED SURVEY DEPARTMENT MANAGER

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Justin Haselton to Survey Department Manager. Justin joined the company in 2008 and has held the position of Senior Civil Engineer in our Civil

Department. In recognition of his many contributions to our company, he was nominated and elected to become a Shareholder of the firm in 2012. Justin holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University, is a registered professional engineer in the State of Ohio, LEED-NC Certified, Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control, and has 12 years of experience in the design and construction of public and private infrastructure improvements. His

experience includes state, county and municipal infrastructure improvements and site design for commercial properties. He is particularly proficient in stormwater pollution prevention plans, site, grading, public utility plans, parking areas and permitting. As Survey Department Manager, Justin will be responsible for managing our established survey operations; will assist in proposal preparation, and will manage and schedule the survey crews. Justin brings energy and enthusiasm to his new role with R.E. Warner.

Survey Areas of Specialization:

• Boundary Surveys

• Route Surveys

• Right-of-Way Surveys

• Pipeline Surveys

• Electric Power Transmission Line Surveys

• Horizontal & Vertical Control

• GIS Data Collection & Mapping

• Topographic Surveys

• Construction Layout & Staking

• Land Subdivisions

• Crane Rail Surveys

• Machine Baseline Installation

• Deformation Monitoring

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 11

R.E. WARNER NAMED TO THE 2015 ZWEIG GROUP BEST FIRM TO WORK FOR AGAIN ZweigGroup has once again named R.E. Warner to its Best Firms To Work For list at number 41 in the Multidiscipline category. The Best Firms To Work For awards recognizes the top architecture, structural engineering, civil engineering, environmental, and multidiscipline firms in the US and Canada based on employee responses to a satisfaction survey about specific metrics such as benefits, corporate

culture, management, corporate values, quality and work environment. “We owe a great deal of thanks to our entire team for their contributions and their dedication to client service in achieving our success and for making R.E. Warner a great place to work” said R.E. Warner President, Ted Beltavski.

RISK MANAGEMENT MEDIATION

When there is a construction dispute,

chances are the case will never get as far

as a courtroom. More than 95 percent of

all lawsuits involving professional liability

are settled before they go to trial – but

often only after years of interrogations,

depositions, countersuits, legal

maneuvering and mounting legal fees. No

wonder parties to construction disputes

have come to see the arbitration and

litigation process as a frustrating waste of

productive time and massive sums of

money. It makes one ask, if chances are

that a dispute will eventually end at the

negotiating table, why not start there in the

first place? (continued on page 12)

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In fact, there is already a method that

allows disputing parties to do just that – a

comparatively inexpensive and quick

process, with established structure and

rules: mediation. It is an approach,

typically voluntary, that helps disputing

parties reach agreement among

themselves, thus maintaining or reopening

their communications.

The approach

involves a

mediator, an

impartial third

party who

helps resolve

conflict by

direct and

informed

negotiations.

Consulting

with each side

and engaging in “shuttle diplomacy”

between them, the mediator works with

(and on) the parties until they are able to

reach their own settlement. Unlike

arbitration, mediation is usually not

binding on the participants. But no matter,

if the disputing parties choose their own

solution, they are much more likely to carry

it out.

There are other advantages to mediation.

First, it’s private. No one need be told the

details of the settlement or who was legally

liable. In most mediation settlement

agreements, the parties specifically state

they are not admitting any fault. In fact,

no one but the parties has to know there

was ever a dispute.

Second, mediation offers an alternative to

costly blanket discovery. In litigation, the

usual response to a dispute is to spend a

lot of money in the form of all-out

discovery warfare: written interrogatories

by both parties,

subpoenas for

document

production,

expert opinions

and depositions.

Lastly,

mediation is

highly regarded

by the legal

professions – for

many reasons.

In a landmark survey on dispute avoidance

and resolution within the construction

industry, attorneys rated mediation as the

most effective technique for reducing the

time necessary to resolve disputes.

Provide for mediation in all of your

contracts. Mediation has a remarkable

track record, especially when it is

employed at the appropriate stage of the

dispute. (The average rate of settlement in

mediated cases is nearly 85 percent.)

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 13

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

A YEAR OF JEANS FOR A CAUSE

Great workplaces know that how a company contributes to the community is an important

part of employee morale and fostering pride in the company. This year our employees are

helping a different charity/organization every month by paying $5 to wear jeans each Friday.

Charities and organizations we are helping during the summer months include:

June: Engineers Without Borders http://www.ewb-usa.org/

July: 22Q http://www.22q.org/

August: We Support One Of Our Own! The Ramer family and their battle against

pediatric cancer. https://vimeo.com/album/2406728/video/80040863

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PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Members of our firm support and actively participate in professional organizations and serve on several technology committees. Below are events recently attended or soon to be attended NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS (NSPS) Trig-Star Program Contest Peter Zwick, P.E., P.S., Senior Project Manager, Professional Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor of R.E. Warner presented Gyumin Kwon from St. Edward High School in Lakewood the Trig-Star award on July 9th. The award is sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors and cosponsored locally. The competition is a timed exercise to solve trigonometry problems that incorporate the use of right triangle formulas, circle formulas, the law of sines, and the law of cosines. The Trig-Star contest helps to promote careers in surveying and mapping to students at high schools across the country.

AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE (ACI) ACI 318-14: Reorganized for Design Building Code Seminar Date | Cleveland Hilton Garden Inn Matt Benovic, P.E., S.E. attended a seminar to get acquainted with the new organization and various technical changes to the building code requirements for structural concrete in order to ensure our designs fully comply with the new code. ASSOCIATION FOR IRON AND STEEL TECHNOLOGY (AIST) GOLF OUTINGS Professionals from R.E. Warner’s metals market are enjoying rounds of golf, lunch and dinner and prizes at the AIST Midwest, Pittsburgh and Canton golf outings in support of the organization’s scholarship and education initiatives.

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN – SUMMER 2015 15

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS (ASCE) CLEVELAND SECTION EVENTS Construction Tour of the Cleveland Convention Center Hotel Thursday, April 30, 2015 Ryan O’Hearn, E.I. and Peter Zwick, P.E., P.S. participated in a Turner Construction guided tour of the 32-story, 600-room hotel that will be connected underground to the Global Center for Health Innovation and the new Convention Center. Construction is scheduled for completion in time for the Republic National Convention in July 2016. R.E. Warner is the project surveyor responsible for site survey and layout. History of the Veterans Memorial Bridge May Centennial Event May 12, 2015 | Cleveland Metropark’s Merwin’s Landing Peter Zwick, P.E., P.S, Ryan O’Hearn, E.I. and Matt Barratt, P.E., LEED AP BD+C attended the presentation and dinner meeting on the “History of the Veterans Memorial Bridge” as part of the ongoing 100 Year ASCE Cleveland anniversary. Centennial Gala Annual Meeting June 2, 2015 | Stillwater Place Banquet Center at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Ryan O’Hearn, E.I. attended the ASCE annual dinner meeting honoring the 10th project of the 10 for 100 years, the Emerald Necklace and the Centennial Gala to cap the 100th ASCE Cleveland Year. Keynote Speaker, Mr. Robert

Reitherman, Winner of the 2014 Civil Engineering History and Heritage Award spoke on "A Historical Perspective and Some Speculations About the Future". Ms. Debra Berry, Vice President, Cleveland Metroparks Board of Park Commissioners spoke on "Cleveland Metroparks: Past, Present, Future". CLEVELAND ENGINEERING SOCIETY (CES) Leadership Breakfast Series April 21, 2015 | Growth and Opportunity Panel: Connecting People with Communities to Economic Opportunity May 12, 2015 | NOACA’s Regional Strategic Plan: Goals & Strategies June 16, 2015 | Opportunity Corridor - Revitalization for Cleveland & Northeast Ohio The 135th Annual Meeting June 25, 2015 | The Cleveland Museum of Natural History Brett Neff, Vice President, Business Development was inducted to the CES Board of Directors at their Annual Meeting.

E5LEADER ONE-ON-ONE COACHING AND MENTORING Three R.E. Warner executives worked with E5’s business and personal development leaders for one-on-one coaching to teach, train, educate and motivate them to live a life of equilibrium spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially.

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Since our founding in 1951, R.E. Warner & Associates, Inc. has experienced steady and continuous growth. Building on our traditional strengths and values, we have entered into new fields only when it is consistent with the basic mission of our company. Today, R.E. Warner is a full service, multi-discipline consulting firm serving both public and private clients.

We call ourselves multi-discipline because we offer profes-sional services in civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and process engineering; architecture and planning; surveying; and environmental science and engineering.

Our impressive list of clients includes many of our nation’s larg-est steel, automotive and chemical producers, electric power companies, health and educational facilities, and various agen-cies of the federal, state and local governments.

R.E. Warner’s mission is to provide technical solutions through teamwork and a passion for service. Our areas of practice in-clude buildings and facilities, industrial operations and process engineering, infrastructure, transportation, energy manage-ment, surveying, environmental and construction services.

In order to fulfill our mission to our clients, R.E. Warner con-sistently recruits, hires and retains the leaders in our profes-sion. In recognition of our great workplace, R.E. Warner has been named a multi-year winner of the NorthCoast 99 Award, presented annually by the Employers Resource Council to the top 99 companies to work for in Northeast, Ohio.

We invite you to contact many of our peers to discover how working with R.E. Warner can be economical, efficient, profes-sional and down right pleasant!

E N G I N E E R SA R C H I T E C T SS U R V E YO R SC O N S T R U C T I O N M A N A G E R S

Our mission is to provide technical solutions through teamwork and a passion for service.

If you would like a printed version of this publication, please email Lydia Janis at ljanis@rewarner.com.