News

Bauer Foundation Corp. receives $40 million task order at Herbert Hoover Dike

2010-05-17T12:56:44Z

Odessa, Fla. – The Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project is one step closer to reducing flood risk around Lake Okeechobee with the recent award of an almost $40 million contract to Bauer Foundation Corp to complete another section of cutoff wall in the southeastern area of the Herbert Hoover Dike.

      The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District awarded Bauer Foundation Corp, BFC, an affiliate company of Coastal Caisson Corp., based out of Odessa, FL, a second task order contract for emplacement of another stretch of cutoff wall.

     “Bauer is excited to be awarded this contract which allows us to continue our work at Herbert Hoover Dike and to continue building on our successes with the United States Army Corps of Engineers,” says Charles Puccini, President and CEO of BFC. “With this task order, Bauer will retain the many local employees used for this project as well as continue to grow our relationships with the many local community businesses and leaders.”

    The Jacksonville District of the Corps of Engineers is currently overseeing the rehabilitation of the dike’s most vulnerable section, the 22-mile section between Port Mayaca and Belle Glade.

      Emplacement of the cutoff wall provides immediate risk reduction benefits to the surrounding area’s population and residential, commercial and industrial properties. The Corps began contracting with various foundation construction companies to assist with installing a partially penetrating cutoff beginning in 2008.

      The cutoff wall serves as a barrier to water pathways or piping, which can lead to internal erosion and extends from approximately six feet from the top of the dike through the foundation to several feet beyond the limestone bedrock, averaging 50 to 70 feet – or about five stories – below the crest of the dike.

      Bauer Foundation Corp. was established in 2004 to further promote Bauer technologies to Government, Commercial, Industry and Residential sectors of the United States. Bauer is a global supplier for specialty foundation constructions and related fields. Bauer is also a market leader for equipment and tools for specialty foundation construction. For more information about Bauer, please visit http://bauerfoundations.com or email Bauer at info@bauerfoundation.com.

Educational alliance formed to develop local student engineers, scientists

2010-03-25T15:36:42Z

In a local ceremony, Pasco-Hernando Community College along with Kettering University of Flint, Mich. entered into an articulation agreement opening doors and opportunities to engineering and science students in the Tampa Bay area. This agreement between the two schools means students can now follow a curriculum for two years at one college then transfer all the credits and enter a four-year school to complete their bachelor's degree.

“This new partnership will provide local students with exciting options to pursue upper level opportunities at Kettering, especially in the engineering and science fields. The further training will also increase the technical talent base in business and industry in the Tampa Bay Region now and in the future,” said Dr. Katherine Johnson, president of PHCC.

Dr. Stan Liberty, president of Kettering, told The Suncoast News that Kettering has been looking to the south for such agreements as this is where the population and industry have shifted. The hardest aspect of establishing articulation agreement, is finding schools that have programs that easily can mesh with those at Kettering. PHCC was one of the easiest fits Kettering has come across, he said.

“This region of Florida is already generating co-op jobs for Kettering’s current students,” said Bob Nichols, director of External Affairs for Kettering. “It will be even better for the new, local talent from PHCC. We’re all sensing this is the start of something good.”

With unemployment reaching double digits across the nation, companies are finding the task of filling job vacancies with qualified candidates increasingly hard, especially in industries such as science and engineering. If the Tampa Bay area can embrace this educational opportunity to cultivate engineering and scientific talent, this newfound talent-pool will be in a position to boost existing companies in the area as well as entice companies from elsewhere to relocate.

Unlike traditional internship programs, Kettering takes the experience to another level. Students are placed in a cooperative education program which includes a long-term assignment with a greater emphasis on responsibility and long-term goals, as most of these students stay with the same company they start with for their cooperative program.

Chuck Puccini, president of Odessa-based Coastal Caisson, said he can't wait to see what this type of program can do for students and businesses alike. When he brought in a student from Kettering, he was offering fresh perspectives and ideas on a multi-million dollar project within weeks of his arrival. After the initial experience, Puccini said, he was so pleased that the company has invited and hosted several more Kettering students and looks forward to a continued partnership.

Puccini is no stranger to hosting students through educational partnerships. Not only does Coastal Caisson embrace college students at the national level, but the company also embraces high school students at the local level. Through an organization called Career Technical Education Foundation, or CTEF, in Pinellas County, founded and lead by Paul Wahnish, Puccini has been introduced to and accepted several high school level interns in an effort to further cultivate Bay Area talent.

"In today's world, you don't have time to set up training," Puccini said. “The prospect of developing and having first pick of homegrown talent would be like a dream come true.”

For information on PHCC, please visit www.phcc.edu. For information on Kettering University, please visit www.kettering.edu. For information on Coastal Caisson Corp., please visit www.coastalcaisson.com. For information on CTEF, please visit http://www.careertechedfoundation.org/.

Coastal Caisson Corp. Partners with Kettering University, Co-op Students Find New Opportunities in Grim Market

2009-12-01T21:10:46Z

Odessa, FL -- Coastal Caisson Corp. is happy to announce the recent partnership with Kettering University to help create professional cooperative education opportunities for the students in the Kettering University network. The partnership came out of a mutual desire for both organizations to provide students the opportunities they need to develop at a higher level.

Students at Kettering have twelve week schedule of classes, then enter into the next section of their educational path, which includes a twelve week stint at a business as an intern or as a co-op student in their chosen career path. This alternating schedule of classes and internships continues on their four and a half year education career path.

With a unique education structure and highly evolved curriculum, it should be no surprise to learn that Kettering is consistently recognized among the top 20 colleges in the nation, according to ‘America’s Best Colleges,’ published by U.S. News and World Report.

Additionally, the same report ranks Kettering’s Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering program as number one in the nation, followed by their Mechanical Engineering program ranked as number two, all distinctions which piqued the interest of one local CEO.

“Kettering University has always been highly regarded in the collegiate world. Their achievements are simply a reflection of the students who embody all the essential qualities and skill sets a company like ours looks for in potential employees,” said Charles Puccini, President and CEO of Coastal Caisson Corp. “We are leading the way in our field and naturally we only want to partner with an organization that leads the way in theirs.”
With Kettering’s need for new opportunities for their students and CCC’s desire to employ the brightest and the best engineering minds in the country, it was only natural that this relationship was forged.

“The relationship between Kettering University and Coastal Caisson is mutually beneficial. Kettering will help them recruit high-tech talent from the local market and keep them in the region. This isn’t a brain drain – we are working hard to develop local and international talent for the Tampa area and Gulf Coast,” said Bob Nichols, Director of External Affairs at Kettering University.

In addition to the announcement of the partnership, CCC is also delighted to announce the placement of a Kettering University student, Hector Davila. Davila, a senior in the Industrial Engineering program at Kettering, was awarded an engineering internship with Bauer Foundation Corp., an affiliate of CCC. Davila is currently on site assisting Project Managers, Engineers and Estimators with location pre-drills.

“Construction is now being seen as the high technology and highly sought after industry for these students,” said Puccini. “The construction industry is ready to embrace these sharp minds and use their skill sets to create the next generation of engineers.”

Coastal Caisson Corp. receives Training Grant

2009-11-18T14:55:58Z

The training grant was awarded to CCC for the extensive course conducted onsite by two trainers from Coastal’s parent company, BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH headquartered in Schrobenhausen, Germany, on the Cutter Soil Mixing, or CSM, technology and the accompanying machinery. This eliminated overseas training and additional costs for a dozen employees.

With assistance from Career Central, CCC was able to complete the process to be considered for a grant from the Employed Worker Training (EWT) program. “Career Central's Employed Worker Training program is designed to reimburse approved local businesses, such as Coastal Caisson, up to half of their eligible training costs,” said David Wright, Business Service Consultant for Career Central. “[The]…reimbursement program helped Coastal Caisson train seven of their employees on the leading edge Cutter-Soil-Mixing equipment.”

The partnership created through training and program assistance from Career Central has made CCC a success story for how local businesses and resources can come together to support and grow the local economy while delivering a product which is environmentally sound and cost effective.

“The grant Coastal Caisson received proves that the program works and that Coastal Caisson can continue to grow and lead the way in our industry,” said Charles Puccini, President and CEO of Coastal Caisson Corp. “Our company’s success with the program shows this type of funding works and has undoubtedly made our company and employees much more competitive.”

Before the training took place, CCC had only three employees who were qualified to operate the CSM rigs, which limited the number of work shifts and hindered hiring efforts for other positions. CCC now has ten employees who are CSM Operator certified. As a result, those who are certified will have the opportunity for increased wages and opportunities for advancement. In addition, for every CSM qualified employee on a shift at a job site, nine new jobs are created as the support team for the operator, ranging from supervisor to skilled labor.

As a direct result of this training grant, the company has been able to add shifts, employees, and sales. With this type of grant and the increased jobs and profits created, Puccini said that CCC fully intends on holding another CSM training session. “The whole idea behind this program is to rejuvenate the economy and stimulate the job market,” said Puccini. “This training has done that tenfold, and we plan to hold another training class early next year so we can do our part to rebuild the economy one CSM wall at a time.”