Egan Company’s commitment to safety was recognized at the Governor’s Safety Awards Luncheon during the Minnesota Safety & Health Conference. Egan received four Governor’s Safety Awards for achieving safety records better than the 2015 industry average, including an Outstanding Achievement award and three Meritorious Achievement awards!
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Clean, Safe, and Controlled
Wednesday, June 1st, 2016Prefabrication of two, self-contained utility rooms minimizes safety hazards
Is it possible to create a work environment where safety hazards are at a minimum and work is still completed efficiently? Well, start by thinking inside the box. At least, that’s what Egan Company did for one of Wolf Material Handling Systems’ customers.
The customer: a sustainable waste and energy solutions company. Their facility, located on the East Coast, was in need of several new features: a power distribution center (PDC), a motor control center (MCC), and a large air compressor. They also needed to preserve the longevity of these additions, so keeping out damaging materials was a priority. Working with Wolf, Egan’s team of mechanical, electrical, and process controls experts thought of an innovative idea that incorporated two of Egan’s strengths: safety and prefabrication.
Utilizing decommissioned shipping containers, Egan’s team developed two self-contained utility rooms that held all essential equipment, but would insulate it from any damaging materials in the customer’s facility. The best part about this plan: all work could be completed within our Egan facility, allowing for a controlled work environment that reduced many potential safety risks. In addition, this meant there was no need for permanent construction onsite.
The PDC container received the PLC panel and MCC, which basically created two walls of electrical distribution and controls. Employees would be visiting the interior on a regular basis, so features like fire alarm, air-conditioning, and LED lighting were also included.
A 4,000-lb air compressor was added to the other container. Egan’s mechanical team arranged the pieces and added sheet metal ducts to allow air to travel out of the container and into the customer’s own duct system.
Egan Services Provided: design, engineering, and installation of sheet metal ducts, air compressor, power distribution center, motor control center, LED lighting, fire alarm, and HVAC
Expanding Mechanical Trades Shops
Friday, May 27th, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (May 27, 2016) – Specialty trades contractor Egan Company completed the expansion of its 50,000 square foot mechanical trades shop within its Brooklyn Park, Minn. facility. The expansion adds 7,420 square feet to the existing space, as well as upgraded and new equipment – increasing productivity while creating a safer environment for employees.
Over 70 years ago, Egan Company began as a plumbing and heating contractor. The sheet metal trade was added in 1958. Since this era, Egan has invested in its fabrication shops to provide fast delivery of custom-built mechanical systems to its customers.
“We’ve expanded our shops with the purpose of integrating all shops into one . . . we opened walls to promote the sharing of resources and foster collaboration across all trades,” said Mark Habermann, Egan Company Manufacturing Manager.
Rearranging and integrating Egan’s piping, plumbing, sheet metal, and millwright shops has streamlined the operations that enable Egan to offer just-in-time delivery to job sites. Coupled with Virtual Construction technology, Egan provides materials under any timeline while working in a controlled, union-operated environment. Likewise, having union trades personnel working indoors in a shop environment reduces many potential safety hazards.
“Any task we can perform in our facility, under controlled conditions rather than on the jobsite, is a win for our employees and our customers,” Habermann said.
The shop – used to manufacture and store custom piping, plumbing, and sheet metal components – has more space for racking and inventory and now houses new equipment such as an Axxair stainless pipe cutting machine and a Jimmy Jammer semi-automatic welding system.
Trades served by the expanded shop space include sheet metal, piping, plumbing, and millwrights.
About Egan Company
Egan Company is a privately-owned, specialty contractor providing building trades to general contractors, engineers, building owners, property managers, and facility engineers. Specialties include: electrical, mechanical, curtainwall/glazing/metal panels (InterClad), millwrights, building technology, controls and system integration, and 24/7 service. Egan serves every stage of a building and provides in-house expertise in planning, design and engineering, construction, and maintenance. For more information about Egan Company, visit www.eganco.com.
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Media Contact:
Jessica Johnson
jkjohnson@eganco.com
763-595-4310
Egan Company Earns Governor’s Workplace Safety Awards
Wednesday, May 4th, 2016The Minnesota Safety Council awarded four Governor’s Workplace Safety Awards to Egan Company for superior performance in workplace safety and health.
“Employers like Egan Company know that safety isn’t automatic,” said Paul Aasen, President of the Minnesota Safety Council. “It takes attention, dedication, and continuous effort to protect employees.”
Egan is one of 77 companies to receive an Outstanding Achievement Award; recipients of this award have incident rates that are 51-90% better than the industry average and a score between 75 and 90 on the safety program evaluation scale. Egan also received three Meritorious Achievement Awards recognizing an outstanding record and incident rates better than the industry average for at least three years, respectively.
“At Egan, safety is our priority,” said Larry Hanson, Egan Company Safety Director. “This recognition from the Minnesota Safety Council indicates that we have been effective and remained committed to workplace safety at every level.”
Egan is one of 314 Minnesota employers who will be recognized at the Governor’s Safety Awards luncheon at the Minneapolis Convention Center on May 5. To read more about the scorecard and award categories, visit the Minnesota Safety Council.
About Egan Company
Egan Company is a privately-owned, specialty contractor that represents over 15 skilled trade unions serving virtually every infrastructure discipline in the industry. Core services include: electrical, mechanical, curtainwall/glass (InterClad), millwrights, controls and system integration, building automation, and service. Egan serves every stage of a building and provides in-house expertise in planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance. For more information about Egan Company, visit www.eganco.com.
About Minnesota Safety Council and Award
The Governor’s Safety Awards luncheon is part of the 82st Minnesota Safety & Health Conference, coordinated by the Minnesota Safety Council. The conference is the oldest and largest gathering of workplace safety and health professionals in the region. The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries.
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Media Contact:
Jessica Johnson
jkjohnson@eganco.com
763-595-4310
Filling the Minneapolis Skyline
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016Look at the Minneapolis skyline and it becomes obvious: the construction industry is booming. New office buildings, high-rise apartments, sports arenas, and hotels are popping up all over Downtown Minneapolis. And in one small block off South Fourth Street and South Marquette Avenue on Nicollet Mall, Egan Company’s InterClad team has completed three major projects since 2014: Nic on Fifth Apartments, 4Marq Apartments, and Xcel Energy @ 401 Nicollet.
Nic on Fifth Apartments
Completed in August 2014, the Nic on Fifth is the first high-rise luxury apartment development in downtown Minneapolis in nearly three decades. With world-class amenities and sleek architecture, this building offers premium Minneapolis hospitality. As a bonus, the building also features a variety of sustainable elements giving it LEED Silver Certification.
Egan’s InterClad team provided a variety of aesthetic features to this 300,000 square foot, 26-story luxury apartment complex. Installations included exterior windows and aluminum-glazed curtainwall, as well as some interior storefronts, glass handrails, and miscellaneous glass and mirrors.
“The timeline on this project was challenging because the winter of 2013 was rough,” said Paul Rudell, InterClad Senior Project Manager. “We were dealing with the Polar Vortex during this time, so there were some construction delays.”
Despite the weather challenges, this project was still completed in time for residents to move in September 2014.
Core Project Team: Opus Development Company, Opus Design Build, Opus AE Group, Elness Swenson Graham Architects, Inc., Founders Properties, Nicollet Residences
4Marq Apartments
As InterClad’s largest metal panel job ever completed to date, the 30-story 4Marq Apartments make an impressive addition to the downtown Minneapolis landscape. InterClad’s portion of the work was completed in November 2015, and 4Marq is currently leasing apartments.
On the first six floors of the building, Egan’s InterClad team engineered, fabricated, and installed perforated metal parking garage panels, corrugated screen wall panels, and flush seam ribbon panels. On the remaining 24 stories, metal panels were mounted on the corners of the building.
“The most challenging part of this project was the level of detail in each architectural element,” said InterClad Project Manager Todd Fechner. “The perforated metal parking garage panels had a very specific design that we had to engineer, fabricate, and install exactly to specifications.”
A total of 843 panels standing at 9.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide were prefabricated in InterClad’s shop.
“The building had three different colors of metal panels, and two of the colors were very similar, so it made it difficult to tell between the two at times,” said Troy Doble, InterClad Shop Manager.
Though the prefabrication did make installation easier, a color and pattern was agreed upon in advance of installation, so Egan’s InterClad team had to pay close attention to detail when installing each individual panel.
“It was a challenge keeping the perforated metal panels in the proper order, but with good planning from everyone on the team, the finished product looked great,” said Tad Hitchings, InterClad Project Foreman.
Core Project Team: M.A. Mortenson Company, UrbanWorks Architecture, Mortenson Development, Inc.
Xcel Energy @ 401 Nicollet
Located directly across from Xcel Energy’s corporate headquarters, a new nine-story building is currently under construction. The building will provide Xcel with an impressive two-building campus, and features a contemporary architectural design that reflects the style of surrounding buildings.
Egan’s InterClad team is providing curtainwall, metal panels, storefront interior glazing, interior waterfall glass, hand rails, and glass/glazing.
The overarching challenge with this project has been limited space to work, causing the team to have to think creatively about how to install the various elements.
“We have limited access to the street, so everyone on the job works in the same small area,” said Mike Kush, InterClad Project Foreman. “It requires coordinating work schedules, but Opus has been great to work with, especially with this challenge.”
Due to a lack of space on the ground to store large equipment and machinery, the team performs all glass installation and glazing while standing inside the building. To accomplish this, all materials were prefabricated in the InterClad shop and then delivered to the jobsite, with the exception of the glass glazed in the field.
“There’s virtually no storage on the ground in downtown Minneapolis, so prefabrication is essential to the success of our projects,” Rudell said.
In addition to work on the exterior of the new building, Egan’s InterClad team is also providing glass for a skyway system that connects Xcel Energy’s existing corporate headquarters across the street to the new building.
InterClad’s work will be done in March 2016, and the building is slated for occupancy in July 2016.
Core Project Team: Opus Development Company, Opus Design Build, Opus AE Group, Xcel Energy
Three Projects, One Block Downtown
Working in a busy downtown setting does present some challenges. Lack of ground storage is a major problem, but traffic can also be challenging in a downtown setting. Many roads and sidewalks are closed around the jobsites for safety. And often material and equipment deliveries can only be scheduled during a set timeframe.
“Overall, the downtown area has been good to us the past few years,” said Egan Company Senior Vice President Tim Woolworth. “These three projects on this block showcase the diversity in our work and capabilities. We’re looking forward to working on another block in Minneapolis soon.”
Intelligent Building Consulting Firm Joins Egan
Tuesday, February 9th, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (February 19, 2016) – Specialty trade contractor Egan Company announces the asset acquisition of intelligent building consulting firm TekNecks based in Minneapolis, Minn. TekNecks offers varied information technology services to commercial properties.
“TekNecks and Egan have a long history of working together,” said Michael Kohn, former TekNecks owner. “I’m excited to continue to develop our unique systems of technology delivery and network management and present these offerings to current and new customers. This ‘joining of forces’ is a natural fit. Both Egan and TekNecks have an opportunity to expand our services together and experience great growth.”
With the merger, Egan Company will continue to be a leader in the intelligent building and information technology industry in the Twin Cities. “TekNecks expands Egan’s intelligent building services, and offers a specific service that Egan wasn’t able to deliver before,” said Jeff Hawthorne, Egan Company Senior Vice President. “TekNecks will help us offer complete property management and IT network services – from conception to completion, and we have eliminated the need for customers to hire multiple contractors for maintenance.”
TekNecks’ three employees will office within Egan Company’s Brooklyn Park, Minn. facility, but will maintain the TekNecks presence in Downtown Minneapolis.
About Egan Company:
Egan Company is a specialty contractor that represents over 15 skilled trade unions serving virtually every infrastructure discipline in the industry. Core services include: electrical, mechanical, curtainwall/glass (InterClad), millwrights, controls and system integration, building automation, and service. Egan serves every stage of a building and provides in-house expertise in planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance.
Media Contact:
Jessica Johnson
jkjohnson@eganco.com // 763-595-4310
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Hosting Feed My Starving Children Foodpacking
Monday, February 8th, 2016MINNEAPOLIS, MN (February 8, 2016) – Egan Company, a Brooklyn Park specialty contractor, announced its Champlin facility as the site of the Northwest Metro MobilePack event for Feed My Starving Children.
“We’re fortunate to have a facility in a state of construction to offer as a MobilePack site. It gives us a chance to get to know our community as we partner with Feed My Starving Children,” said Duane Hendricks, Egan Company Chief Operating Officer. “If you’re interested in donating or packing food that will feed children in need in our community and around the world, join us and help out this great cause.”
Community members are invited to pack food at Egan Company’s Champlin facility. The event will take place February 24-28, and see a total of 10,000 volunteers packing two million meals that will feed 6,000 children for one year. For more information or to sign-up, visit the Northwest Metro MobilePack event link: http://bit.ly/23f1vLc
Egan Company has a strong commitment to the local community, actively devoting time, compassion, and resources for organizations like Feed My Starving Children. Egan has over 50 employees who have volunteered time to support this event.
Feed My Starving Children is a local nonprofit hunger relief organization working with volunteers to produce a scientifically formulated food formula that is culturally acceptable worldwide. Organizations in nearly 70 countries around the world distribute these meals to children in greatest need.
About Egan Company:
Egan Company is a specialty contractor that represents over 15 skilled trade unions serving virtually every infrastructure discipline in the industry. Core services include: electrical, mechanical, curtainwall/glass (InterClad), millwrights, controls and system integration, building automation, and service. Egan serves every stage of a building and provides in-house expertise in planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance. For more information about Egan Company, visit www.eganco.com.
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Media Contact:
Jessica Johnson
jkjohnson@eganco.com
763-595-4310
New Board Member Appointed
Wednesday, January 20th, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (January 20, 2016) – Egan Company, a Brooklyn Park specialty contractor, announced Jim Nonn, Chief Information Officer, has been appointed to the Egan Company Board of Directors.
“We [the Board] feel this is a signal of the next generation. Jim Nonn has been an innovative leader in his almost 18 years here. He provides unique expertise to his department…and we look forward to that on the Board as well,” said Jim Malecha, Egan Company President and Chief Executive Officer. “He demonstrates great positivity and a desire to invest in both the people of Egan and the Company itself. I’m excited to welcome him to the Board.”
Nonn joined Egan Company’s Information Technology group in 1998, and has developed into the role of CIO. Throughout his time at Egan, he and his team have introduced new and innovative technology – including server and desktop virtualization technology.
Nonn joins four other members on Egan’s board, including Jim Malecha, President and Chief Executive Officer, Duane Hendricks, Chief Operating Officer, Jim Paul, Executive Vice President, and Tim Woolworth, Senior Vice President.
About Egan Company:
Egan Company is a specialty contractor that represents over 15 skilled trade unions serving virtually every infrastructure discipline in the industry. Core services include: electrical, mechanical, curtainwall/glass (InterClad), millwrights, controls and system integration, building automation, and service. Egan serves every stage of a building and provides in-house expertise in planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance. For more information about Egan Company, visit www.eganco.com.
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Media Contact:
Jessica Johnson
jkjohnson@eganco.com
763-595-4310
Local Expansion Helps CHS Grow
Thursday, December 17th, 2015
Minnesota is the fourth-largest agricultural exporting state in the country. About 54 percent (or 27.6M acres) of the state consists of farmland. That’s close to the total acreage of Tennessee (26.9M acres). For home-grown grain products, Cenex Harvest States (CHS), a Minnesota-based multinational agricultural cooperative, relies on a vast network of roads, railways, and river transit to export around the world.
An important step in the distribution process is the system of grain-handling terminals, or “grain elevators,” where corn, soybean, and wheat can be stored and later moved onto river barges by conveyors. In 1982, CHS opened a multiple commodity grain-handling terminal in Savage, Minn., with a storage capacity of 560,000 bushels (or roughly 31.4 million lbs. if using only corn). That capacity more than doubled this past year with the construction of a new 801,000-bushel bin.
CHS moves more than two billion bushels of grain annually, so efficiency is key. Without an efficient transportation network, farmers could not compete on an international scale. That’s why expansions must be strategic and well executed.
When it came time to choose who would provide automation for the new bin, CHS Savage Terminal Manager Greg Oberle knew Egan held a distinct advantage.
“The work that Paul Meier [Project Manager], Todd Voth [Electrical Foreman], Darin Shaw [Electrical Foremen], Joe Trosen [Controls Engineer], and Mark Thomas [Electrical Foreman] have performed for us is outstanding,” said Oberle. “We already knew they were a good fit for the expansion, based on past experience.”
The experience Oberle mentions is in reference to a full-scale software update that occurred in 1999. The then-current PLC/3 control system had become out-of-date. CHS hired technicians from Industrial Electric (since acquired by Egan) to upgrade the system with new ControlLogix and RSView software. After a successful installation, the business relationship continued to stay strong through the years.
“The whole operation has been Egan’s baby since the update,” said Oberle. “The Egan crew works hard to make sure they come to me with solutions, not just issues. That kind of relationship is what wins you the first major expansion to this facility since it opened in 1982.”
The new bin is a 105
-foot wide cylinder that stands 99-feet tall at the eve and 128 feet at its peak. Egan installed two new motor control centers for product supply and control motors for conveyance to-and-from the new bin. Todd Voth, who lives in the area and is frequently called on by CHS to tend to the facility’s many-faceted needs, played a key role in the technology integration effort.
“Automation-wise, grain elevators are definitely more complex than most people might think,” Voth said. “It’s a process with many coordinated steps to move grain that efficiently, and any missteps can lead to angry grain haulers and lost business.”
The substantial increase in storage frees up business options for CHS. Deliveries that used to have to wait until a barge arrived can now freely move product to the facility without delay. The new bin is also designed to help railroad cars load more efficiently.
The bin officially opened in May 2015, after five months of construction. The facility can now efficiently store and manage about 1.36 million bushels of grain product, and continues to receive dedicated service from Egan personnel.
Egan Services Provided: Installation of two new motor control centers for product supply and control motors for conveyance to-and-from the new bin.
Sustained support for MN healthcare
Wednesday, December 16th, 2015
When Egan & Sons Company was founded in 1945, Costney, Bill, Joseph, and (later) Gerald Egan depended on mechanical expertise. Since then, Egan Company has evolved to include services across virtually every corner of specialty contracting.
Some industries are just discovering Egan’s capabilities, whereas others, like the local healthcare industry, are well-acquainted with Egan as a multi-trade resource. This Minnesota medical landscape has seen many changes over the years, and healthcare facilities have looked to Egan’s experience and knowledge to accommodate the industry’s needs.
Understanding Healthcare Risks
In the atmosphere of a hospital or clinic, special attention must be paid to the infrastructure to ensure patient care isn’t hindered. Many work sites are sealed off by plastic barriers before work is performed, and Egan follows the Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) protocol to enforce extra precaution.
“When you have a heavily-controlled area like a hospital, you need to align with established procedures and be aware of potential risks because you’re working around people when they’re most vulnerable,” said Larry Hanson, Egan Company Safety Director.
In some cases, tools and equipment are decontaminated and remain onsite until work is completed. Egan employees have even worn full scrub gowns and facemasks at places like the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.
High-Tech, Critical Work
The Mayo Clinic’s Rochester, Minn. campus has grown at a blistering pace. In the past few years, it has completed a state-of-the-art proton beam therapy cancer treatment center and announced a $6-billion Destination Medical Center.
Nietz Electric, a brand of Egan Company, has provided electrical service to Mayo since the early 1980s for a variety of high-profile spaces.
“We install and service Mayo’s non-cookie-cutter projects,” said Jeff Young, Nietz Vice President and General Manager. “The challenges it faces are multi-faceted, even by industry standards, and that’s why Mayo calls us. We have the resources and the specialty expertise to take care of its needs, no matter how unique.”
For multiple facilities, nearly all electrical work to Mayo’s medical-intensive spaces is performed by Nietz. This includes rooms for operating, exams, ultrasounds, research labs, emergency rooms, radiology, and CT scan centers. This past year, proton beam therapy room was added to that list when Egan finished out the electrical infrastructure in the Richard O. Jacobson Building.
In addition to electrical work performed by Nietz, Egan has also provided services for new construction, renovation, and upgrade projects for Mayo Clinic inside and outside the Rochester campus, including places like Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Mankato, St. Peter, and St. James. This work includes mechanical, building automation, fire/life safety systems, as well as curtainwall/glazing/metal panels. In addition, Egan continually provides ongoing maintenance to various Mayo Clinic facilities in Minnesota.
The Twin Cities area hosts many healthcare facilities that partner with Egan Company. One particular facility has relied as much on Egan’s longevity as its specialty services for its day-to-day operations.
Decades of Proactive Support
At North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minn., Egan Company has maintained a full-time presence for over thirty years. The relationship is built on comprehensive building knowledge, leading to gains for the hospital.
“Our team fully understands its mechanical systems. It helps us foresee potential issues and operate without hindering [North Memorial’s] staff,” said Egan Company Project Manager Shawn Kubinski.
A hospital’s mechanical network encounters typical problems like plumbing backups, but it is further complicated by the medical gas systems that flow throughout the building, such as oxygen, nitrous oxide, or carbon dioxide. Working with these gases requires special certifications. But it takes more than certifications to do exceptional work for a fast-paced hospital. North Memorial’s Engineering Services Supervisor, Andy Baumtrog, attributes the success to Egan’s steadfast, proactive team.
“They do a great job of taking care of us and bringing good ideas to the table,” said Baumtrog. “Credit to Shawn Kubinski [Project Manager], Rick Johnson [Sheet Metal Foreman], Steve Rother [Plumbing Foreman], Scott Degel [Plumbing Foreman], Shawn Collette [Pipefitting Foreman] and Egan’s Service crew.”
Minnesota’s healthcare infrastructure has grown beyond recognition compared to the days of the Egan brothers. Now more than ever, healthcare facilities will need specialized support as they work to care for the millions of patients who walk through their doors annually.