September marks Suicide Awareness Month, and at Aldridge, we’re taking this opportunity to highlight our ongoing commitment to mental health. Through our collaboration with Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas and the University of Colorado, we've trained over 70 employees as Mental Health First Responders through the VitalCog program.
We are excited to announce the release of the Winter 2024 edition of the Pipeline newsletter as we celebrate a significant milestone: our 30th year in print. Over the past three decades, Aldridge Electric has undergone a remarkable journey of growth, innovation, and success. We've expanded our reach, diversified our expertise, and continually raised the bar for excellence in the industry. None of this would have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our exceptional teams.
At Aldridge, safety isn't just a priority; it's a deeply ingrained value that shapes our culture and defines our commitment to our workforce. Safety is not just about addressing incidents after they happen; it's about proactively reducing or eliminating potential exposures by verifying all adequate controls are in place. At Aldridge, we've taken a pioneering approach to safety, addressing the precursors to performance errors – also referred to as Brain Centered Hazards. We've taken significant steps to build layers of protection and tools to minimize the severity of incidents, and we're excited to introduce our Serious Injury Prevention program, known as SHOK – Seriously Hurt or Killed.
In the bustling heart of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, something significant was brewing. COO Brian Mazzei and Safety Vice President O'Brien Mills, representing our esteemed company, were standing side by side with representatives from OSHA, the Secretary of Labor, and our distinguished partners. The occasion? The renewal ceremony for the OSHA Electrical, Transmission, and Distribution (ETD) Strategic Partnership agreement. This pivotal event marked a remarkable milestone, as the five-year renewal cycle signified 20 years of dedicated efforts to enhance safety in our industry.
Women of Aldridge (WOA) is a proactive initiative that actively supports and promotes women in the construction industry. Through various means such as retention, professional development, networking, mentorship, and access to resources, WOA seeks to empower women and contribute to the company's workforce diversity goals and overall business objectives. The initiative aims to foster a supportive environment where women can connect, build a sense of community, share ideas, and play a significant role in the company's success.
Since establishing our footprint in the Mid-Atlantic, Aldridge has worked on numerous high-profile power and transportation projects throughout Virginia. At the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance (VTCA) annual meeting last week, Aldridge was recognized with a safety award for providing a safe working environment to our employees and the traveling public.
Inside or Outside the Substation Fence, Aldridge is your partner. Our comprehensive services allow us to execute seamlessly. Known for an innovative and client-centric approach, Aldridge is a sought-after team member for complex Mission Critical substations. Widely recognized as one of the leading electrical infrastructure trade partners in the country, our unique approach energizes clients' projects through technology/innovation, proven execution, and life cycle efficiencies to provide cost and schedule certainty.
Welcome to the Class of 2023 Aldridge Intern Crew!
Here at Aldridge, our internship program is immensely important to us, as a significant portion of our team has grown directly from our interns, including some of our executives who have been with the company now for over 20 years. We look forward to continuing to develop and improve our program and maintain the importance of having a strongly beneficial internship program.
The war on talent is truly never-ending but with ComEd’s Construct program, the future leaders of the industry have never been easier to find. The ComEd Construct program allows a pool of qualified minority candidates to enter into entry-level construction jobs in Illinois.
ComEd’s Construct Infrastructure Academy is an 11-week program designed to expose members to work in the construction field. Here, their goal is to inform members of the skills needed in the field, connect participants to companies that fit their needs, prepare members for the field through a variety of testing, and strengthen life skills.
Brieanna Ware is Aldridge’s 5th hire from the program and we couldn’t be happier to have her on the Aldridge Team. Brieanna now works with our Utility department as an Assistant Project Manager.
Our long-range strategic plan has us laser-focused on winning the war for talent. This means establishing ourselves as a great place to work, investing in hiring ahead of operational needs, continuously developing and delivering best-in-class training solutions, and empowering and engaging employees so that we retain the industry’s best people. Our people are the foundation of our company strategy and success, and we are working hard on numerous initiatives that will up our game in terms of talent acquisition, onboarding, training, development, retention, and engagement.
Aldridge’s VDC team is made up of modeling staff skilled in CAD and BIM. They work with the project and prefab teams to model and design the projects, creating design and spool drawings to assist with the prefab process and installation in the field. Aldridge was recently promoted in an article inside ECMAG written by Susan DeGrane. There she writes about our prefabrication process and how it is such an asset to our work.
Our seasoned professionals have the experience and aptitude to be your life-cycle partner for large, fast-paced, complex Mission Critical projects. Our customers depend on us for reliability, cost certainty, and speed of deployment. Driven by a workforce of the industry's most talented and passionate people, Aldridge is an infrastructure leader that bridges the gap between civil and electrical expertise to be a true turnkey trade partner.
Congratulations to Ken Aldridge for his recent recognition at the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Construction Club Banquet where he was honored with their Lifetime Achievement in Construction Award! Ken was honored for his impact on the construction industry by spending his career working to influence change. As a second-generation owner and current Chairman of the Board, Ken has a legacy of setting up Aldridge for success.
Bill Sullivan, our Utility Training Manager at Aldridge Electric, shares his passion for safety innovation in an article from Construction Tech Review.
“With a passion for training the next generation of tradespeople, I recently invented a means for non–entry rescue that I believe will be an industry game–changer and could potentially save many lives.
Jamie Breme, the Director of Business Development was featured as a top transportation construction leader in American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA)’s latest magazine. In the feature, she was asked questions along with other female leaders in the construction industry.
Transportation Builder’s editorial team asked Jamie a variety of questions to answer her industry outlook, advice, and favorite projects.
Jen Hudock, the Marketing and Communications Manager for Aldridge Group is featured in the ADSC Foundation Drilling Magazine for the month of February. In the article, Jen discusses how rare women in construction are and how the sector is starting to grow. She mentions initiatives set by Aldridge Electric and their inclusions for gender differences.
Ever feel like your success is based on luck instead of your merits? Well, you’re not alone.
We are excited to kick off Women in Construction Week 2023! It is important to Aldridge to honor the women in our workforce for their contributions. Join us and the rest of the construction industry as we celebrate these talented professionals. We are committed to recruiting and retaining women at all levels of our business.
At Aldridge, we don’t settle for the status quo. We pride ourselves on our innovative practices that allow us to complete work on the industry’s most challenging projects. This effort not only maximizes efficiency, enhances quality, and keeps workers out of the line of fire - but it offers a unique approach to managing project risk.
As part of A fiber optic project in Washington DC, our crews were required to move heavy power equipment from street level to station level. This often required a heavy cabinet to be transferred manually from cart to cart via team lift, from uneven ground or varying elevations which left less-than-ideal lifting positions. This exposed the crew to sprains, stains, and pinch points.
Keeping the body safe, one decision at a time. Take this unique unloading procedure that utilizes special roller attachments on a hi-rail vehicle to eliminate the need for extra physical labor when moving 300 lb units along the track. As part of our Making Safe Decisions program, we are always looking for innovative ways to foster safer work practices.
When working on projects that require water access, getting materials and manpower to the project site is often the most challenging element of the project. Traditionally access is provided by reinforced open-deck pontoon boats with outboard motors. While effective at providing access, the round trip travel time and site access limitations for traditional propeller-driven pontoon boats limit production and often impact productivity.
The previous Iowa-Illinois Bridge was a significant pinch-point on I-74 between the bi-state communities known as the Quad Cities. The new I-74 Mississippi River Bridge improves traffic flow as it is nearly double the width of the old bridge, supporting six lanes in each direction, including a new 14’ wide multi‐use path along the downstream side of the Illinois-bound bridge.
