By Mary ReedCEG CORRESPONDENT

March 16, 2012, was amemorable day in the PeachState.On that date, a ceremonial

groundbreaking forCaterpillar’s state-of-the-artfacility in Athens, Ga., washeld at the intersection ofState Route 316 and U.S. 78,only a month after the com-pany announced plans toconstruct its new plant there. Guests at the event includ-

ed Georgia Sen. JohnnyIsakson, Rep. Paul Brown,Gov. Nathan Deal, VicePresident of Caterpillar’sBuilding ConstructionProducts Division MaryBell, Athens Mayor NancyDenson and other digni-taries.Situated east of Atlanta,

the plant now under con-struction on a site straddlingClarke and Oconee countieswill manufacture mini-hydraulic excavators and smalltrack-type tractors. In addition tofinished products, Caterpillar plansto export partially assembled mini-excavator units to Europe for finalassembly, improving deliverytimes on that continent. Caterpillar decided in late 2011

to move production of these mod-els closer to their American andEuropean base of customers usingthese lines of equipment. The newplant will take over production atpresent carried out at the compa-ny’s Sagami, Japan, facility, whichwill then concentrate on high-techcomponents for Caterpillar prod-

ucts.About 40 percent of the equip-

ment manufactured in the newplant will be exported, and theproximity of ports at Charleston

and Savannah was a factor influ-encing Caterpillar’s decision tobuild the facility in the Peach State.In addition, the company is eligiblefor tax abatements and a $45 mil-

lion project development grant.Gray Construction, based in

Lexington, Ky., is the design-buildcontractor for the $200 million,one million sq. ft. (92,903 sq m)

plant. The company servedin a similar capacity forCaterpillar’s 850,000 sq. ft.(7,896 sq m) axle manufac-turing facility in Winston-Salem, N.C. Ranked thirdamong the top green con-tractors in manufacturing,Gray has several large proj-ects that are under way orrecently completed. Mostlylocated across the south,they include eight projectsfor Volkswagen at theChattanooga, Tenn., cam-pus; a Siemens gas turbineplant in Charlotte, N.C.; aWhirlpool plant inCleveland, Tenn.; and multi-ple projects for Austal USAin Mobile, Ala.Gray Construction began

work on March 12, 2012.Initial production at the facil-ity is expected to begin inlate 2013.Except for a crawler crane

and aerial lifts, all the equip-ment utilized on site is man-ufactured by Caterpillar.

While only a partial listing, theextensive fleet that is or will be uti-lized for this project includes:• 815F and 563C compactors• D10N, D8R and D6R crawler

tractors• D9T, D8RXL and D6NLGP

dozers• 385CL, 365BL and 345CL

excavators• 963B, 930G and 938GII load-

ers• 140H and 14M graders• 621G and 631G scrapers• 773E, 773F and 740 trucksThe D6RXL, D6NLGP and

Work Under Way on New Caterpillar Facility in Athens

GEORGIA STATE EDITION A Supplement to:

Your Georgia Connection: Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”Bainbridge

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1301

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Many dignitaries attended the groundbreaking on March 16, including Caterpillar Vice President Mary Bell,(front row, fourth from the left), and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (front row, fifth from the left).

see ATHENS page 6

July 112012

Vol. XIV • No. 14

“We have accelerated our already aggressive earthwork scheduleby three weeks. That’s gaining a week a month. The first month waserosion-control work required prior to starting heavy earthwork.Ninety-eight percent of the work will be completed in an eight-monthspan.”

Jill WilsonGray Construction

Page 2 • July 11, 2012 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

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Page 4 • July 11, 2012 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • July 11, 2012 • Page 5

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Page 6 • July 11, 2012 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

14M models are fitted with GPS. Ahandful of mini-excavators, skidsteers and all-terrain fork lifts alsoare working on site.“The notable thing about the

equipment is that these pieces arenormally found at heavy civil proj-ects like dams, landfills, highwaywork or mining operations,” saidJill Wilson, vice president of com-munications and marketing atGray Construction.“Plateau Excavation Inc., an

earthwork company based inAustell, Ga., has the equipmentwith the real ‘Wow-Factor,’ espe-

cially the 773F trucks. These arenot typical pieces of equipment wewould have at a job site as they arenormally too large for practicality.However, the magnitude of thissite is ideal for these pieces ofequipment,” she noted, adding“These ridged frame trucks receivethe axles made at the Caterpillaraxle manufacturing plant located inWinston-Salem, N.C., a facilityrecently completed by GrayConstruction.”The massive project sets a num-

ber of challenges.“We are working on a 127- acre

site on a very fast schedule. At the

peak of the job, we will easily have400 to 500 construction workerson site,” Wilson explained. Thisproject involves a very large stormdrainage package of up to 72 per-cent reinforced concrete pipe andbuilding number two has overheadcranes in every bay. By the end ofthe project we will have moved inthe neighborhood of 800,000 cubicyards of dirt. However, while it isstill very early in the project, every-thing is going very well.“We have accelerated our

already aggressive earthworkschedule by three weeks,” Wilsoncontinued. “That’s gaining a week

a month. The first month was ero-sion-control work required prior tostarting heavy earthwork. Ninety-eight percent of the work will becompleted in an eight-monthspan,” she added.The facility is expected to

employ 1,400 workers when fullyoperational. In the longer view, it isestimated that almost 3,000 addi-tional jobs will be created as sup-pliers of raw material and othernecessary goods and servicesmove into the area to support theplant. Once up and running, theCaterpillar facility will be thelargest private employer in Oconee

County, and it is expected the fulleconomic impact on the regionwill ultimately be as much as $2.4billion a year.Not content to rest on his laurels,

Gov. Deal, who expressed appreci-ation for Caterpillar’s investmentin the state at the groundbreakingceremony, has already declared hishope of persuading Caterpillar tomove its corporate headquartersfrom Peoria, Ill., to Georgia.

(This story also can be foundon Construction EquipmentGuide’s Web site at www.con-structionequipmentguide.com.)CEG

Plant, Suppliers Promise 3,000 Jobs for Oconee County

OTS Capitol Partners took first-place honors with ateam score of 380.

ATHENS from page 1

GUCA Scholarship Foundation Hosts Sporting Clay EventThe GUCA Scholarship Foundation held its 2012

Scholarship Foundation Sporting Clays at the CherokeeRose in Griffin, Ga., on April 16, 2012. Ninety-seven partic-ipants from 34 companies enjoyed the sunny weather for thisannual event, which included teams from: ASC Volvo;Ashley Sling Inc.; Atlanta Grading & Utilities; B&B Septic& Precast; Blount Construction Company; Brad ColeConstruction Co. Inc.; Brent Scarbrough & Company;Brown, Nelms & Co. PC; C.A. Murren & Sons Company,Inc.; Callaway Grading Inc.; Cowin Equipment CompanyInc.; Dennis Taylor and Co. Inc.; Dockery Group;Envirogreen Services LLC; Falcon Engineering; FlintEquipment Company; Gerdau; Integrated RecyclingSolutions; Loggins CPA; McWane Cast Iron Pipe Company;MSC Waterworks of Jonesboro Inc.; OTS Capitol Partners;PopCo Inc.; Powell & Booth PC; Richard Harp ExcavationInc.; Ronny D. Jones Enterprises Inc.; Ruby-Collins Inc.;Sigma Corp.; Sunbelt Rentals; Taylor Turner & Hartsfield;Tractor & Equipment Company; and Yancey Bros. Co.Cowin Equipment Company Inc., which included John

Whitley; Steve Chandler; Ryan Smith; and Chey Chandler,took third place with a team score of 347. Dennis Taylor &Co. Inc., which included Joe Crenshaw; Dale Melton; JohnOwens; and, Dennis Taylor, took second place with a team

score of 355. OTS Capitol Partners, which included TonyMilan; Mike Wasielewski; Tom Mosley; and Ronnie Cail,took first-place honors with a team score of 380. After adouble shoot off between Steve Chandler, Cowin EquipmentCompany, and Tim VanEgmond, MSC Waterworks ofJonesboro Inc., VanEgmond won Best Individual Shooterwith an individual score of 97.Sponsorships from ASC Volvo; Ashley Sling Inc.; Atlanta

Grading & Utilities; B&B Septic & Precast; BlountConstruction Company; Brad Cole Construction Co. Inc.;Brent Scarbrough & Company; Brown, Nelms & Co. PC;C.A. Murren & Sons Company Inc.; Callaway Grading Inc.;Cowin Equipment Company Inc.; Dennis Taylor and Co.Inc.; Dockery Group; Envirogreen Services LLC; FalconEngineering; Flint Equipment Company; Gerdau; IntegratedRecycling Solutions; Loggins CPA; McWane Cast Iron PipeCompany; MSC Waterworks of Jonesboro Inc.; OTSCapitol Partners; PopCo Inc.; Powell & Booth PC; RichardHarp Excavation Inc.; Ronny D. Jones Enterprises Inc.;Ruby-Collins Inc.; Sigma Corp.; Sunbelt Rentals; TaylorTurner & Hartsfield; Tractor & Equipment Company; andYancey Bros. Co., helped make this event a success, accord-ing to GUCA. The money raised from this tournament will go toward the

GUCA Scholarship Foundation, which helps support GUCAfamilies with their children’s college tuitions. “The utility contractors have given so much to the associ-

ation,” said Executive Director Vikki McReynolds, and “it istime we give back.” The foundation has given more than 50 scholarships with-

in the past seven years.The Georgia Utility Contractors Association Inc.

Scholarship Foundation, founded in 2003, has made thedream of a scholarship program for its members become areality. After many months of researching the possibilities ofgiving scholarships to members, the result was to form a sep-arate scholarship foundation that would be tax deductible tothe donor, all the while supporting the children of GUCAmembers. The goal of the foundation is to award children ofmembers who will be graduating high school seniors andattending four year colleges and universities in Georgia witha scholarship that will assist the student with tuition and anIndustry Scholarship for members’ children who are current-ly in a college or degree program that is industry specific:building construction; construction management; and/or,civil engineering. Winner(s) are chosen based on scholasticachievement, extra-curricular activities, community service,career goals, and completion of an essay.

Cowin Equipment Company took third place with ateam score of 347.

Dennis Taylor & Co. took second place with a teamscore of 355.

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • July 11, 2012 • Page 7

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Page 8 • July 11, 2012 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide