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DH Glabe & Associates continues to expand! We are pleased to announce that we have recently hired Eric Czaikowski to join our engineering team. Eric brings with him six years of civil, structural and construction engineering experience to our organization. Prior to joining DHG, Eric worked as a Project Engineer at Merrick & Company and at McLaughlin Water Engineers. His duties included engineering, drafting, and assembling contract documents for numerous waterline replacement projects throughout Colorado. Eric received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado at Denver. He grew up in Massachusetts but has called Colorado home since 1999.

“Due to our growth, I am excited to announce that we have increased our engineering staff. Eric’s engineering expertise will strengthen the services we provide our valued clients” – David Glabe, P.E 

For those of you who don’t know me, which may be a lot of you, my name is Krista Ahlgrim and I work at DH Glabe & Associates as a Marketing Coordinator. I started working here shortly after I moved to Colorado upon my graduation from California State – San Marcos. Working for DHG has been a huge learning experience. Every day I am discovering something new about the industry; from basic terminology to OSHA standards and regulations.

When I decided that I would take my learning to a new level and participate in Dave’s Fall Protection Training, I was a little bit nervous to be going back to the classroom. Well that nervous feeling was gone the very first day of training when Dave started cracking jokes and making everyone laugh. Dave has a way to make anything and everything interesting. I know, you are probably thinking I am just saying this because I work for him and he knows where my office is, but trust me when I say that Dave has a unique instruction style. He has a way of making anything fun to learn. I left the classroom feeling intrigued and engaged. Not a lot of professors can do that.

Fall protection is a very serious subject. There are specific regulations and guidelines to be followed to ensure safety of all workers. I may be over simplifying, but what it comes down to is that learning these OSHA standards and regulations can save lives. No pressure right? Well there wasn’t much pressure in Dave’s class. He made learning about these important standards fun and stimulating. He kept the entire class involved and amused at his sometimes outdated jokes.

Before working at DHG I never imagined I would be able to tell you the gravitational acceleration speed, or that the regulations for stairways and ladders can be found in Subpart X of the OSHA standards! I now know how to work my way through that giant OSHA book, talk my way through a hazard analysis, and explain the importance of personal fall arrest systems. All these things were not learned through book memorization or hours of studying, but through Dave’s unique teaching method.  You’d be hard pressed to find anyone more serious about the OSHA standards than Dave, but that doesn’t mean he is a serious instructor. I am excited and proud to say that I am now OSHA certified in Fall Arrest Systems! It is not a certification I thought I would ever have, but ask me about the 8 steps to Fall Protection and I will be happy to tell you, and even happier to tell you Dave was my instructor.

DH Glabe & Associates is looking for a well-qualified individual who is interested in becoming the newest member of our team.

DH Glabe & Associates (www.dhglabe.com) is the foremost Construction Engineering firm in the United States based out of Westminster, Colorado.  We are an established yet rapidly growing firm actively expanding our market share throughout the country.  We specialize in the engineering of temporary structures (shoring, scaffolding, and formwork), fall protection design, OSHA consulting, and OSHA training. We service a broad range of clientele from all parts of the United States and some internationally.  We work in all industries including heavy highway, commercial and industrial.

We are currently seeking an individual to fill the position of Estimator / Business Development in our Engineering division.  The responsibilities of this person will include but not be limited to: develop engineering proposals for clients, cost estimation, attend pre-bid meetings, relationship/business development with clients, and light project management.

The candidate must demonstrate the following characteristics to fit within the culture of our organization and to be successful in this position:

1. A desire to learn as we devote a large portion of our time to continuing education,
2. once trained in this niche, the ability to work in a self-directed environment,
3. a passion for your work,
4. extroversion and a customer-centric attitude.

The successful candidate must also meet the following MINIMUM requirements (resumes submitted that do not meet these requirements will be immediately discarded):

1. Civil, Structural, or Construction Management degree from an accredited institution,
2. 4+ years of post-college relevant estimating / business development work experience in engineering or construction,
3. familiarity with structural engineering and the ability to perform basic calculations,
4. proficient in the use of Microsoft Office,
5. capable of producing drawings in AutoCAD 2010 or newer,
6. clean MVR and reliable transportation for local travel.

Compensation and benefits for the successful candidate includes:

1. Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance for the candidate (not family) paid in full,
2. 10 paid vacation days per year,
3. paid time off for all major holidays,
4. cellular phone for business / personal use paid in full,
5. salary is flexible and incentives tied to performance are a possibility for the right person – submit requirements with resume.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual who is seeking to bring their estimating and business development skills into a unique field of engineering.  If you think you have what it takes, please respond to info@dhglabe.com with your resume, cover letter and salary requirements.

DH Glabe & Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We have made it easier than ever for you to keep up with what we are up to over here at DH Glabe & Associates. Our new Event Calendar on our website will be consistently updated for all our friends and clients. You can now see in advance upcoming training sessions, conferences DHG is attending, events DHG is participating in, and much more.  We wanted to make it as simple as possible for you to plan ahead with us, and now you can. Go check out our new calendar and start marking up yours!

DHG Event Calendar

DH Glabe & Associates (DHG) continues to work with the Ames/Granite Joint Venture team for the FasTracks improvements as part of the US 36 Managed Lanes/Bus Rapid Transit project. DHG was contracted to provide bridge demolition plans, temporary earth shoring (H-piles & sheet piles), as well as girder erection plans for this $312 million dollar reconstruction of US 36. The majority of the work involves five major bridge structures: Wadsworth Parkway, Wadsworth Boulevard (at 112th Avenue), Lowell Boulevard, Sheridan Boulevard, and the US 36 bridge over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

The design of the demolition plan for the US 36 bridge over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway has proven to be both an engineering and cost optimization challenge. Due to the high cost of crane rentals, it was decided that the most cost-effective method of demolishing the bridge would be via the use of excavators outfitted with hydraulic hammers. Even though this method is the optimum technique for cost savings, it would end up increasing the total duration of the demolition process. To effectively manage the increased duration of the demolition and its effect on traffic closures, DHG designed the demolition plan in such a way that the bridge would be demolished in sections that were grouped into manageable phases. These designed phases allowed traffic to utilize all travel lanes of the bridge during 90% of demolition activities without the need for lane closures.

CDOT chose the Ames/Granite Joint Venture team as the design-build contractor for the first phase of this multi-phase project. Divided into two major segments, the proposed completion of the entire project is scheduled for 2015. When complete, the additions will include a bikeway, new Bus Rapid Transit service, and a new managed traffic lane in each direction.

For more information on this project, you can visit http://www.coloradodot.info where project details, updates and timelines are provided.

DH Glabe & Associates is looking for a well-qualified individual who is interested in becoming the newest member of our team.

DH Glabe & Associates (www.dhglabe.com) is the foremost Construction Engineering firm in the United States based out of Westminster, Colorado.  We are an established and growing firm looking to expand our market share throughout the country.  We specialize in the engineering of temporary structures, OSHA consulting, and OSHA training. We service a broad range of clientele from all parts of the United States and some internationally.

We are currently seeking an individual to fill the position of Civil/Structural Engineer.  The responsibilities of this person will include but not be limited to: engineering, drafting, client relations, project inspections, and site meetings.  This person will be responsible for all tasks involved in taking a project from inception to completion in an autonomous environment.

The successful candidate must demonstrate the following characteristics to fit within the culture of our organization:

1. The aspiration to learn a discipline of engineering that most likely is something that will be new to them,
2. a desire to simply learn as we devote a large portion of our time to continuing education,
3. once trained in this field of engineering, the ability to work in a completely self-directed environment,
4. a passion for engineering,
5. the drive to be the best at your profession.

The successful candidate must also meet the following MINIMUM requirements (resumes submitted that do not meet these requirements will be immediately discarded so please do not waste your time and ours):

1. Civil/Structural or related Engineering degree from an accredited institution,
2. 2+ years of after college relevant engineering work experience,
3. proficient in the use of Microsoft Office,
4. proficient in the use of AutoCAD 2010 or newer (this will be tested),
5. Experience with Risa 2D, Risa 3D, Beam 2D, or StruCalc.

Compensation and benefits for the successful candidate includes:

1.  Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance for the candidate (not family) paid in full,
2. 10 days per year paid time off,
3. paid time off for all major holidays,
4. cellular phone for business/personal use paid in full,
5. compensation depending on experience.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual who is seeking to test their skills in a unique field of engineering.  If you think you have what it takes, please submit your resume and cover letter to info@dhglabe.com

DH Glabe & Associates is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

DH Glabe & Associates (DHG) has recently completed design and engineering of a scaffold loading platform for Intel’s semiconductor research and manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon. Due to recent construction improvements at the facility, the scaffold loading platform was necessary to provide efficient access for equipment and material to move into and out of the building. WACO Scaffold & Equipment Company of Portland contracted with DHG to provide a scaffolding design that was not only safe, but one that also accommodated the specific requirements of the client. This became an exceedingly complex challenge as there were numerous structural limitations that the DHG engineers had to contend with throughout the design of the project.

The scaffold loading platform would be placed adjacent to a wall in which a large hole was cut out to allow for the movement of the materials and equipment through the hole. The primary concern during the design process was that there was thirty foot distance between the wall and the slab on grade from which the materials and equipment would dock at. To complicate matters, the thirty foot distance separating the slab on grade from the wall was occupied by a mechanical pit with machinery, ducts, and pipes. To span this distance, DHG engineers had to size large beams that would carry the anticipated loads which included a scissor lift, as well as an elevated scaffold platform above the primary platform. To add to the complication, the lower part of the wall was constructed of hollow CMU which would not carry the anticipated loads. Therefore, DHG engineers had to elevate the lower platform to a height where the large beams could set on structural concrete. The upper platform also provided challenges as the support structure could not interfere with the anticipated traffic on the lower platform. To accommodate this, DHG engineers called out eighteen foot steel beams to be utilized with a layer of aluminum beams and plywood to create the platform surface. DHG provided the steel design in such a way that WACO could re-use these beams in their regular inventory at project completion.

“It was a welcomed challenge integrating all of the diverse design elements and meeting the clients requirements on this unique project”, said project engineer Tracy Dutting-Kane, P.E.

The Intel facility in Oregon occupies a total of six campuses and is Intel’s largest site in the world. It is considered to be an anchor of the local economy, and has been named “Most Philanthropic Company” in Oregon four times. Home to over 17,000 employees, Intel is the state of Oregon’s largest private employer.

Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc. awarded DH Glabe & Associates a contract to provide a shoring design at the Sunrise Senior Living Center of Flatiron in Broomfield, Colorado. Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc, a firm that provides architectural, engineering and environmental services nationwide, asked DHG to utilize their expertise to develop a shoring design that could be used to support an existing structural slab. Since repairs had to be made to equipment below the structural slab, various openings were required to be cut into the existing concrete. DHG was able to design a shoring plan that accommodated the work in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and OSHA standards. The precise shoring design and drawings enabled Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc. to complete their work efficiently and on schedule.

The Sunrise at Flatirons provides seniors a resort-like lifestyle with a wide range of amenities. DHG provided a plan that minimized the amount of shoring equipment required to reduce interference with the resort lifestyle of the center.  Sunrise at Flatirons is one of the most prominent senior living centers in the Broomfield area and DHG appreciated the opportunity to assist Sunrise in maintaining their excellent reputation.

DHG has worked to build a broad customer base, ranging from small, local companies to large, multi-national companies on a wide array of projects. The Sunrise at Flatirons is just one example of the many diverse projects in which DHG provides services. DHG’s experience across all industries has made it the leading expert in the field of specialty engineering and it is DHG’s priority to continue to provide excellent customer service for all of its clients.

DH Glabe & Associates was glad to partner with Gobbell Hays on this project and provide one of its many engineering services at The Sunrise Senior Center in Broomfield.

DH Glabe & Associates (DHG) recently completed a scaffold and access project at the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver, Colorado. The General Contractor on the project, GH Phipps Construction (GHP), contracted with DHG to provide them with consulting engineering services regarding the installation of a cantilevered loading platform. DHG engineers visited the construction site with GHP to observe the unique situation where the platform would eventually be installed, and to develop conceptual ideas with the project team members. Once safely installed, the pre-manufactured platform would ensure efficient loading and transportation of materials onto and around the massive structure.

The primary advantage of the platform is that it can handle loads up to 9,000 LBS while cantilevered up to 16 feet outside of an upper level of the building.  Unfortunately, this was also the primary engineering challenge as the equipment supplier did not specify how the platform would be attached to the structure itself to resist both vertical and horizontal forces. DHG engineers first designed new anchor points that would be fastened at the floor above the platform with wire cables attaching the edge of the platform to the new anchor points. This, combined with shoring posts installed on the back interior edge of the platform, resisted vertical movement while materials were being landed on the platform. DHG then performed a structural analysis to develop a concept that utilized the buildings’ already installed structural rebar to wedge the bottom of the platform steel in between the rebar that protruded through the concrete floor. This provided resistance of horizontal forces to guarantee stability while the platform was in use.

The loading platform is being utilized as part of an ongoing construction project at the Museum of Nature and Science. This project consists of adding five stories plus a new underground level totaling 126,000 square feet to the existing building. These newly constructed areas will house the new Education and Collections Facility in the upper portions, and the state-of-the-art Rocky Mountain Science Collection Center in the underground portion. The project is scheduled to be open to the public in 2014.

If you would like to read more about this ongoing project, you may do so by going to www.dmns.org

DH Glabe & Associates have recently completed a structural analysis and fall protection design at Nestlé’s 325,000-sq.-ft frozen food manufacturing facility located in Jonesboro, Arkansas. This multi-million dollar plant is currently home to around 1,000 workers, with plans to double that amount in the future.  DHG was contracted by Nestle to provide a comprehensive fall protection design to ensure a safe work environment for all Nestle employees. The DHG team worked directly with Nestle engineers to proactively identify possible fall hazards so appropriate improvements could be made. DHG developed a series of innovative solutions for each unique scenario throughout the plant which consisted of single point anchors, guardrails, and a track & trolley system that will allow workers to safely access areas for routine maintenance operations.

DHG partnered with Nestle engineers to develop a design that would not only meet their fall protection needs, but one that would ensure food safety standards in the plant as well. As this plant is a food preparation facility, sanitation and cleanliness are top priorities. In order to accommodate the strict standards set forth by Nestle, DHG engineers incorporated stainless steel into many of the fall protection devices that will be installed. The stainless steel is not only rugged enough to ensure the systems meet all ANSI and OSHA standards regarding fall protection, but durable enough to withstand corrosion from the chemicals used during daily cleaning operations.

Nestle is an international company that employs over 330,000 people in over 150 countries.  The Jonesboro Plant is just one of 461 operations or plants that Nestle runs worldwide.  Established in 1866, Nestle is the parent company of notable brands such as Lean Cuisine, Kit Kat, and Dreyer’s.

“This was a challenging project that presented many engineering and logistical challenges. It was a great experience working with the folks at Nestle to create a safer work environment for the employees at the plant.” Zach Forster, P.E.