The new Central Utility Plant (CUP) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) reached a major construction milestone when construction workers placed the final structural steel beam atop the building’s frame on January 24, 2012. Currently on schedule for construction completion in summer 2014, the $438 million (development cost) design-build project is being built by Clark/McCarthy, A Joint Venture.

In just four weeks, construction workers from Schuff Steel used a Manitowoc 999 Lattice-boom crawler crane with a reach of 140 feet to erect 1,400 tons of structural steel, creating the frame for the new CUP. An audience of approximately 300 project stakeholders and construction workers celebrated the ‘topping out’ during a ceremony held near the construction site. As a part of the event, attendees signed the final I-beam adorned with an American flag and an evergreen tree. The beam was then lifted 75 feet high and attached to the top of the structure. The tradition of attaching a tree and flag to the final structural beam has been practiced by construction workers for over 1,000 years. The tree represents growth, life and good luck for the construction workers and the building’s future occupants. The flag is displayed as a patriotic symbol that signifies the united effort by the project team to achieve a common goal.

“An interesting aspect pertaining to the CUP structure is that it was designed as an essential facility with stringent seismic drift criteria to protect the facility during a major earthquake,” said Kevin Carpenter, design manager for Clark/McCarthy. “Furthermore, some of the cogeneration equipment that will be installed on upper floors, including the two Combustion Turbine Generators that weigh in excess of 60 tons each, requires the steel frame to be extremely stout.” The 70,000-square-foot facility has a steel frame that weighs in excess of 1,400 tons, or 40 pounds per square foot — about 30% higher than an Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) hospital in California.

The new CUP is being built to replace the existing 50-year old facility with a modern, state-of-the-art, computer-managed utility plant providing enhanced passenger comfort and reliability of utility service and safety within the newly renovated modernized terminals at LAX. The existing CUP will service the airport throughout construction. Upon project completion, the replacement will be brought on-line and the old CUP will be decommissioned and demolished.

Serving as general contractor for the project, Clark/McCarthy’s contract includes demolition of the existing 50-year-old CUP as well as construction of a new 64,000-square-foot, steel-framed replacement CUP with a 20,000-ton cooling capacity. The project also entails the installation of associated equipment, such as a stand-by boiler, primary and secondary chilled water pumps, cooling towers, electrical systems and switchgear.

A new maintenance shop and offices and an above-grade thermal energy storage (TES) tank with capacity for 1.6 million gallons of water and 15,500 ton-hours of cooling is also being built.  Other work includes: replacement of approximately 18 miles of pipe and duct bank that service the entire Central Terminal Area (CTA) with utility distribution, electrical and communications systems as well as reclaimed water, fire water and potable water systems; installation of several miles of new distribution piping throughout the CTA and beneath existing main entrance roadways throughout the airport; and an upgrade of pump rooms and air handling equipment in 21 different locations within all terminals, administrative buildings and the LAXThemeBuilding.

Systems and their components for the new CUP were designed and constructed to achieve LEED®Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. 

Clark/McCarthy, A Joint Venture is a joint venture between Clark Construction Group and McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Additional project partners include: Gruen Associates,Los Angeles, architect; Arup,Los Angeles, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and commissioning engineer; Capital Engineering Consultants,Rancho Cordova,Calif., mechanical consultant; Greenform,Los Angeles, sustainability consultant; and PID Engineering,San Diego, cogeneration consultant.

For more information about the project and project team, visit: http://www.clarkmccarthylaxcup.com/

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 565 daily flights to 81 domestic cities and over 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 66 international destinations on over 75 air carriers.

About Clark Construction Group, LLC
Clark Construction Group, LLC is one of the nation’s most experienced and respected general contractors. With annual revenue in excess of $4 billion, Clark is consistently ranked among the country’s largest construction companies. The company has California offices in Costa Mesa, San Diego, and Oakland.

About McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
With nearly 150 years of experience, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest, privately held construction firms and the largest general building contractor in California (ENR California, August 2011). In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; Houston; St. Louis and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. For more information, visit http://www.mccarthy.com/.

The new passageway will cross under Wellborn Road and the Union Pacific Railroad line at the Old Main Drive intersection on the Texas A&M University College Station campus. McCarthy’s construction of the new underpass will allow pedestrian, bicycle, automobile and bus traffic between the East and West Campus, enabling students to safely avoid the railroad tracks and vehicle traffic at Wellborn Road.

“This underpass is a much-needed addition to ensure the safety of students, faculty and visitors whom regularly commute around campus,” said McCarthy Texas Division President Mike McWay. “We are thrilled to begin what we expect to be a longstanding, collaborative relationship with The Texas A&M University System.”

The grade separation will primarily consist of constructing 80-foot bridge structures to carry Wellborn Road and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks over the roadways and pedestrian walkways. During construction, half of Wellborn Road will be accessible, and a temporary track (sho-fly) will be constructed to divert rail traffic, allowing for the construction of the railroad bridge structure.

The phased project will require close coordination with multiple stakeholders including Texas A&M University, City of College Station, Union Pacific Railroad, Texas Department of Transportation and private utilities. McCarthy’s extensive experience working with road, bridge and railway construction will contribute to the successful completion of this project. McCarthy is currently working on many projects with the Texas Department of Transportation, including widening a section of State Highway 5 in Melissa, Texas, and a railroad grade separation structure for farm-to-market road 1960 near Houston.

The $24.9-million project started in November, with completion expected in August 2013. Klotz Associates of Houston, Texas, is the design engineering firm for the project.

To take a virtual drive on the new road, visit: http://transport.tamu.edu/video/WellbornUnderpass.mpg.

About McCarthy
Celebrating 30 years of building in Texas, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial building companies. A 100 percent employee-owned firm, McCarthy offers general contracting, construction management and design-build services for the following project types: bridges and highways, educational, water/wastewater, parking structures, healthcare, office buildings, laboratory, biotechnology, entertainment, retail, microelectronic and industrial facilities, tenant interiors and mixed-use. In addition to Houston, McCarthy has offices in Dallas, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis and Atlanta. For more information, please visit www.mccarthy.com.

Serving as the general contractor, McCarthy began construction on Terminal C in August 2009. The project included adding a 282,000-square-foot, three-level terminal building plus a basement, to the existing 448,000 square feet in Terminals A and B at the Thomas F. Riley Terminal. McCarthy also performed upgrades and renovations to the existing terminals including the installation of a new paging/communications and information technology system in both terminals. The reconfiguration of three gates (two for international flights and one for the Common Use Passenger Processing System) as well as the remodel of select airline offices in Terminal B was also completed.

Terminal C features a total of six commercial passenger gates, two of which connect to Federal Inspection Services (FIS) (Customs) facilities for international flights and two new commuter terminals. Additional airport amenities include: five new passenger security screening checkpoints; new, easy-to-read flat screen monitors, featuring flight and baggage information for all airlines; three new baggage carousels; and a Common Use Passenger Processing System (CUPPS), one of the first universal check-in systems for printing boarding passes and checking bags at all 48 kiosks in the new Terminal and at a total of 142 kiosks throughout the airport once they are completed next year. Terminal C also boasts 23,000-square-feet of additional concession space, with nine new local and internationally known restaurants and retail stores.

“Our design at John Wayne Airport puts passengers first. We wanted to create a terminal that people intuitively understand, and that leverages the latest technology for the modern traveler,” says Keith Thompson, a Gensler Principal and leader of the firm’s global Aviation + Transportation practice area.

The design of Terminal C draws heavily from the distinctive features of the existing Riley Terminal, creating a seamless experience throughout the entire airport complex. The building’s exterior skin incorporates masonry, plaster, and stone along with glass and metal panels similar to the existing structures. The interior features barrel-vaulted ceilings resembling a fuselage, an abundance of windows and skylights, a soft, neutral color palette and natural marble limestone. Called Jura stone, the natural stone is featured throughout the walls and floors in all terminals. Its most distinguishing characteristic is the natural quartz veins and variable fossils which are visible on the beige background. The marble was mined in quarries inGermanyand cut, polished and fabricated inItaly, ensuring the correct color and precise and clean lines that make up this beautiful design treatment throughout the terminals.

For added passenger convenience, Terminal C is fitted with computer work stations and custom-designed power receptacles located between the backs of the passenger seating rows which allow travelers to charge their cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices while awaiting their flight.  The airport installed similar power receptacles in Terminals A and B and offers free Wi-Fi throughout the facility.

McCarthy also coordinated the installation of a large scale three-dimensional sculpture above the baggage carousels in Terminal C. Created by artist Beth Nybeck ofKansas Cityin association with Dick Jobe, the sculpture is composed of 21 aluminum birds with wing spans ranging in size from three feet to 14 feet suspended on an “S” shaped structure. Created from aluminum and Plexiglas, the wings of the birds display enlarged portions of aeronautical charts rendered in multi-colored vinyl adhesive. Called “Flight of Ideas”, the piece was selected in a competitive process from more than 20 proposals submitted by artists across the country.

Further work by McCarthy included the construction of two new commuter terminals with space for up to three commuter/regional jets at the north end of Terminal A and three commuter/regional jets at the south end of Terminal C. All three terminals on both secure and non-secure sides are directly connected at Terminal B and Terminal C, providing access to a total of 20 gates via a single secure concourse.

“Building a major addition on a fully operational airport facility and coordinating with other ongoing airport improvement projects including a new parking structure and central utility plant required extensive planning and communication,” said Khatchig Tchapadarian, McCarthy’s project director for the airport project.  “We phased construction and worked overnight shifts to ensure minimal impact to the passengers and airport operations. A barricade was also installed between Terminal B and C, and the construction team worked closely with airport operations to coordinate construction access, deliveries and cranes.”

Tchapadarian explained that one of the project’s most unusual and complex features was installing the barrel-vaulted roof on the Terminal C concourse. “The standing-seam metal roof, which is sandwiched by other structures at both ends, measure 60 feet-high and is designed on a 33° degree radius,” said Tchapadarian. “We devised a solution which uses expansion joints enabling the roof to move between the existing concourse and the new terminal to accommodate for any seismic activity or thermal expansion.”  Approximately 26 construction workers completed the roof installation by first pouring 1,080 cubic yards of light weight insulating concrete then carefully installing approximately 2,100 metal roof panels. Much of the work was conducted atop the 60-foot high structure, and the process took six months to complete.

In order to reduce errors in the field, Building Information Modeling (BIM) was used to create a 3D model of the project before construction began. The virtual model helped to detect and avoid any system clashes in advance of construction which in turn reduced construction duration and improved the quality of construction. The project was designed in Revit, and NavisWorks was used for clash detection.

Terminal C also features sustainable elements including an innovative LED lighting system which provides consistent lighting throughout the terminal. The system requires little or no maintenance for 20 years, and will decrease the energy it consumes by at least 37%. Furthermore Terminal C’s Water Quality Management Plan incorporates environmental controls and specifies the means and methods of pollution control. Environmentally responsible construction was used during the project including: curbing storm water runoff from the construction sites to prevent discharge of pollutants to the storm drains; recycling 90 percent of construction-related materials and waste; and dust mitigation activities to minimize air quality effects during construction.

“Visitors to John Wayne Airport will experience a near seamless transition between all three terminals—a key objective in McCarthy’s construction of Terminal C and in improvements made to Terminals A an B in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal,” said Airport Director Alan L. Murphy,. “The extensive use of marble throughout the lobbies and concourse, the floor to ceiling windows, along with all new LED lighting and technological advancements throughout the terminal, provides an innovative yet familiar travel experience.” 

Parsons of Pasadena, Calif. is the Program Manager; Arcadis/Pinnacle One of Irvine, Calif. is the Construction Management firm; Jacobs of Santa Ana, Calif. is the Civil & MEP Engineer; and IDS Group, Inc. ofIrvine,Calif.is the Structural Engineer. The main specialty contractors are: Capparelli/KHS&S ofOrange(framing/drywall); Helix of San Diego, Calif. (electrical), A.O. Reed of San Diego (HVAC) and Pan Pacific Plumbing ofIrvine(plumbing).

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest construction companies and Orange County’s largest commercial builder (Orange County Business Journal, June 2011). More information is available at www.mccarthy.com.

 FEATURE ARTICLES in this edition include:

Preconstruction in Today’s Collaborative Environment
by Paul Kinsley, McCarthy Vice President, Estimating

Today, a new era of collaboration among owners, designers and builders is creating higher quality structures within budget and schedule constraints. Learn about how new advancements in technology have evolved preconstruction planning and are making a real impact on today’s projects.

Safety First: Are you overlooking the most important part of the builder selection process?
by Gary Amsinger, McCarthy Vice President, Safety

When you begin looking for a construction company for your next project, there’s a crucial qualification that can be overlooked: the company’s safety record. Here’s how it affects nearly every other aspect of a construction job and why you can’t afford to take safety for granted.

Does Your Facility Have a Boiler? Then the EPA’s New Industrial Boiler MACT Rule May Impact You
by Ryan G. Miner, Director of Business Development, MC Industrial and Don Wolf, PE, Principal, Burns & McDonnell

Owners of institutional or industrial boilers will soon be required to comply with new, stricter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air emissions requirements. To determine if these requirements apply to your facility and what steps you need to take to ensure compliance, read on.

See the Summer 2011 Edition  now.

Readers can also view region-specific content by selecting from the drop down menu titled View Other Editions. These include Central, Nevada/Utah, Southern California, Northern Pacific, Southwest, Southeast, Texas and MC Industrial.

Builder’s Innovative Approach Garners National Recognition from Associated General Contractors of America

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately-held construction companies and a 100 percent employee-owned business, was honored last week with a 2011 Education Excellence Award from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

Presented during the AGC Training, Education & Development Conference in Kansas City, the Education Excellence Awards recognize the most innovative and collaborative training and development programs in the construction industry. McCarthy was honored in the category of Supervisor-Executive Management for the firm’s Foundations of Leadership Training Program. This AGC award comes on the heels of McCarthy’s placement on the prestigious 2011 Training Magazine Top 125 list and recognition by Corporate University Xchange for training excellence and innovation earlier this year.

“The key to building great projects is building great professionals,” said AGC President Kristine Young. “McCarthy’s leadership training program is an example of how to turn tremendous talent into outstanding professionals.”

Founded as a family-owned business almost 150 years ago, McCarthy is one of the largest 100% employee-owned companies with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan in America today. The firm has long fostered a culture dedicated to continuous improvement, and “Learning” represents one of McCarthy’s six company Core Values. 
 
“McCarthy transitioned from family to employee ownership in 2002,” explained McCarthy Chairman and CEO Mike Bolen. “This significant shift, together with a combination of company growth and retirements of a number of long-time leaders, resulted in our need to more aggressively prepare our high-potential employees for growth. The opportunities at McCarthy are vast and varied, and training these future leaders is an exciting part of our continuing success.”

The McCarthy Foundations of Leadership Program was designed to accelerate the advancement of high performers by challenging them early in their career to take charge of their own development through an orchestrated “peek behind the curtain” at the unique issues faced by the leaders of a multi-billion dollar general contractor. This fast-track approach was also designed to challenge these employees, keep them fully engaged in the company and heighten the overall level of professionalism in the industry.

“Our senior leadership is 100% behind the development of future leaders at McCarthy and actively participate in our Foundations program as instructors,” noted McCarthy Vice President of Human Resources Al Berardi. “We have invested an incredible amount of time to create an active learning experience that is both challenging and meaningful. To be honored by our national association for our efforts is especially meaningful.”

About the Associated General Contractors of America
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the leading association for the construction industry. Operating in partnership with its nationwide network of Chapters, the AGC provides a full range of services satisfying the needs and concerns of its members, thereby improving the quality of construction and protecting the public interest. The AGC represents more than 33,000 leading firms in the industry,  including general contractors, specialty contractors, and service providers and suppliers.

About McCarthy
McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest domestic general contractors. While a formal McCarthy Training Program had been in place for decades, McCarthy formally launched an entirely revamped training program in 2008 under McCarthy Build U. Unusual in the construction industry and among best-in-class training programs outside of the construction industry, the McCarthy Build U framework provides the company with the structure, alignment, centralization and flexibility needed to personalize training to meet both individual and business needs. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work, McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.

An unusual amount of rock was encountered when McCarthy began drilling piers for the foundation of the parking structure last summer. Weather was a challenge last winter during precast erection and continued to pose a challenge in regards to site work, said McCarthy Project Manager Bryan Meyer:
“It was a tough winter with lots of rain and snow and continued to be a tough spring. Fortunately, we have a great team that works well together, and we all worked collectively to make up as much of the lost time as possible.”

Edward Jones (www.edwardjones.com) provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm’s business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm’s 12,000-plus financial advisors work directly with nearly 7 million clients to understand their personal goals — from college savings to retirement — and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy.

McCarthy is the largest commercial builder in St. Louis and one of the oldest privately held construction firms in the nation. A 100 percent employee-owned company with national headquarters in St. Louis, the company has additional offices in Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Newport Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento. More information is available on line at www.mccarthy.com.

“I have personally worked on several hundred parking projects, and the McCarran T3 Garage stands above them all as the most successful project,” said Robert E. Stanley, director of operations for Walker Parking Consultants.
“McCarthy was able to deliver another high quality, constructed garage on time and on budget, and I am glad to have had the McCarthy team on board.”

Construction of the parking structure consisted of 126 structural post-tensioned garage deck pours with an additional 14 pours for the structure’s circular concrete helix entry ramp. McCarthy maintained an accelerated schedule by pouring one concrete deck every other day. Additionally, the project team used pre-fabricated reinforcing cages in the concrete decks and a concrete mixture that achieved a very high, early strength. A schedule was also put in place to utilize the number of sets of formwork to help gain days, which helped lead to an early completion. McCarthy used 3,703 tons of elevated architectural precast concrete which is the equivalent of 46 commercial 737 aircrafts.

The McCarthy team also performed several other construction details that are not typically done on an average parking structure. For instance, crews painted the structure’s overhead and ceilings and installed several high-end finishes including:

• 4,200 silver metallic and desert rose aluminum metal panels
• 315 decorative precast panels
• 1,972 cubic yards of tan-colored concrete
• 3,000 interior lights

“I am extremely proud of the team that we put together on this project,” said Paul Dudzinski, McCarthy project manager. “They have done a tremendous job of working together and working safe given the overall magnitude of the project and the complexity of the self-perform concrete. We have a really sharp team that learned even more as it relates to concrete work, and has produced a very high-quality concrete structure that I am proud to put McCarthy’s name on.”

Located just north of the new Terminal 3 building, the eight-level-car parking structure is one of the largest parking facilities in the United States, spanning approximately 270’ wide by 1024’ long. In addition to providing spaces for employee parking, valet parking, and both short and long term public parking, the project also includes construction of an 11,275-square-foot, single level office building, toll plaza and roadway for passenger pickup and drop off.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been one of the nation’s leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s. Celebrating 30 years of building in Nevada, the company also has full-service offices in San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, Phoenix, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta. McCarthy is a 100 percent employee. More information is available at www.mccarthy.com.

Over the next two years, all McCarthy LEED AP’s will complete the required 30 hours of training through the McCarthy Green Curriculum to maintain the new credential. Existing green training programs typically focus on design issues. The McCarthy Green Curriculum is unique, presented from the builder’s perspective. This curriculum focuses on what McCarthy and the building team can do during design, construction and operations to have a positive impact on the sustainability of the project.

In addition to employee training, McCarthy’s commitment to sustainability requires continual review of day-to-day operations affecting the environment to look for different ways to do the same or more, while reducing the environmental impact. McCarthy has also implemented the following:

Policies—McCarthy has established office, field, wellness and transportation policies to track and reduce the firm’s impact on the environment. These include use of recycled materials and improving fleet efficiency every year.

Carbon Footprint—McCarthy has adopted a carbon footprint methodology, established a company baseline and is working towards a 5% reduction over the next five years.

Leadership—In addition to sustainable leadership at the national level, each McCarthy project has an identified sustainability leader and champion.

“Green building techniques and materials are being incorporated into every one of our projects today, and clients and partners need a builder they can count on,” explained McCarthy Vice President, Quality and Sustainability Chad Dorgan. “The GBCI program provides a consistent framework for our industry and at the same time provides owners with a green standard they can trust. By upgrading all of our employees, we are providing this same level of consistency for all clients nationwide.”

About McCarthy
McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held commercial construction companies. More than a decade ago, McCarthy formalized a national in-house green knowledge network to capture and build upon the best green practices across the country. Today, the McCarthy Green Team is comprised of approximately 400 USGBC LEED Accredited Professionals (ranking the company in the top 10 for LEED AP’s by Building Design and Construction and among the nation’s Top 20 Green Construction Companies in America by Engineering News-Record). The firm’s resumé of sustainable projects is valued at over $6 billion. Nationally recognized on the Training 125 list for the firm’s outstanding employee training and development programs, McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information is available online at www.mccarthy.com/about/green.

The CorpU Awards salute corporate and government learning organizations that create exciting, impactful programs resulting in measurable improvements in employee and business performance. Since 1999, the Awards, given by CorpU, the leading provider of corporate education research, benchmarking and advisory services for the enterprise learning marketplace, have set the standard for corporate learning.

“The winning programs show how important learning excellence is in enabling companies to execute their business strategy,” said Peter McAteer, CEO of CorpU. “We congratulate them.”

“Operating in today’s business world is more complicated than ever,” commented McCarthy Chairman and CEO Mike Bolen. “Through McCarthy Build U^® we are able to provide our employee-owners with a comprehensive training and development program designed to result in both short- and long-term success. To be included among this year’s CorpU Xchange award winners is truly an honor.”

Founded as a family owned business almost 150 years ago, McCarthy is one of the largest 100% employee-owned companies in America today. The firm has long fostered a culture dedicated to continuous improvement, and “Learning” represents one of McCarthy’s six company Core Values.

While a formal McCarthy Training Program had been in place for decades, McCarthy formally launched an entirely revamped training program in 2008 under McCarthy Build U. Unusual in the construction industry and among best-in-class training programs outside of the construction industry, the McCarthy Build U framework provides the company with the structure, alignment, centralization and flexibility needed to personalize training to meet both individual and business needs.

About Corporate University Xchange
Corporate University Xchange is a private membership of senior learning and talent executives. Founded in 1997, members have access to cutting-edge research, practitioner-tested tools, and expertly facilitated peer-to-peer networking.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest domestic general contractors. Committed to the construction of high performance buildings, the company provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for healthcare, educational, commercial, parking structures, science and technology facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; bridges; and highways. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work, McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

The CAPE program, which emulates the highly esteemed Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, recognizes organizations that demonstrate superior performance in seven key business areas including leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce focus, process management and results.

Brent Duggleby, chair of the CAPE Council applauded this year’s winners. “The commitment of these organizations to the principles and core elements of the Baldrige criteria is truly inspiring to everyone. Each organization that participates in the process gains and these organizations that are being recognized are exceptional examples of excellence.”

Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial builders. Repeatedly recognized as one of the safest contractors in America, the firm also continues to raise the bar on construction quality through the McCarthy Quality Without Question Program. In addition, the company’s personalized approach to employee training and development, which garnered McCarthy a spot on the nationally recognized 2011 Training Top 125 list, ensures current employees and future company leaders remain the best in the business.

“A driving force behind all aspects of our success is the commitment to continuous improvement,” noted McCarthy California Region President Carter Chappell. “This commitment provides for superior results for our employee-owners, clients, partners and communities. We are honored to be recognized for the success of these efforts by the California Council for Excellence.

“We are pleased to be recognized as a CAPE winner along with other prestigious recipients including premier healthcare and education institutions,” added Chad Dorgan, McCarthy vice president, quality and sustainability. “McCarthy’s integrative and team-based approach to quality, our community, and our employees has positioned us as best-in-class, not just in construction, but in all industries in California.”

About the California Council for Excellence
Founded in 1992, the California Council for Excellence is a nonprofit educational foundation dedicated to helping California-based organizations achieve world-class results through the principles and criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The organization oversees programs such as CAPE™ and the California Team Excellence Awards.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the nation’s top domestic general contractors and one of California’s premier builders.  In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; Houston; St. Louis and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.