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The FAGEN INK is published for Fagen,Inc. employees. Editor: Taunja Kelvington. © 2014 by Fagen, Inc., Granite Falls, MN. All rights reserved. Published by: Fagen, Inc. 501 West Highway 212 • PO Box 159 Granite Falls, MN 56241 • 320.564.3324 • www.fageninc.com

FAGEN INK

FAGEN INK 1

May 2020 • Vol. 7 Issue 2

VAC Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Birth Announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Fagen Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5New & Returning Employees . . . . . . . . . 6Personnel Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6New Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-8Project Completion . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9-11Project Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-17

INSIDE

TEAMWe will all remember the spring of 2020 for years to come, as the COVID-19 pandemic changed the course of our personal and professional lives. In March, Fagen, Inc. created a Business Infectious Disease Outbreak Committee. The Committee’s mission is to monitor the recommendations from federal, state and local authorities on how best to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our employees safe. We issued our first Response Plan on March 16 to employees, clients and business partners. Since that time, we have released revisions as guidelines and recommendations have changed. Our goal throughout has been one of safety first. The health and safety of our employees, our community and those communities in which we work are our top priorities.

Things have not been business as usual. We’ve had to be flexible and adapt to the circumstances. On the jobsites, work has been full steam ahead, but with changes per our Plan derived from CDC. We’ve had to adjust our hire-in procedures and

–Continued on page 2

JACKSON, NE

our response to any sign of illness. We’ve suspended face to face meetings and site visits and replaced with conference calls and Zoom meetings. Morning Safety Meetings are taking place over the radio or cell phones. The Warehouse team worked diligently to secure large quantities of hand sanitizer, soap, gloves, masks, etc. In some cases, employees have been required to carry travel papers when transferring from one project to another. Our brass-in process has been replaced with a verbal check. These are just a few of the modifications we’ve implemented. We are proud of the way our field teams have responded. It hasn’t been easy, and

there have been added processes and burdens that have created more work. But a can-do attitude combined with your team approach has allowed us to respond to COVID-19 without missing a beat for our clients while keeping our team healthy. There have been no reported cases of COVID-19 for any Fagen employee. Well done to all of our field teams making it happen!

At the Corporate Office, the physical changes are more obvious. Our COVID response began by encouraging employees to work from home if able, banning visitors from entering any Fagen buildings, banning non-essential flight travel and meetings/conferences, and more stringent and frequent surface cleaning and sanitation. As recommendations from the authorities changed, so did our response. Since March 27, when Minnesota’s Governor issued a stay-at-home order, we have had fewer than 10 people working in the office. The office is closed to all other employees. Many employees are working remotely from their homes per the Critical Sectors exemption of “all workers who can work from home must do so” requirement. Some employees whose job functions do not allow for that have been placed on a partial paid furlough. Health insurance has not been interrupted. The Corporate team has adapted well and quickly. We’ve found work-arounds and solutions to any physical distance or technology roadblocks we’ve encountered. Our goal has been to support the field and our clients and business partners as if nothing has changed, and we’re proud of all of you for your efforts. The Warehouse, Maintenance Shop and Airport teams were reduced. Our Fab Shop and Fab Shop new construction all continued with full teams working. We don’t know what the near or long-term future holds regarding COVID-19, but we feel confident in our ability to respond and continue to protect our team while serving our clients well. We are hopeful that things can return to normal soon. When they do, we should all continue to follow stay-well practices with increased commitment: washing hands, covering sneezes and coughs, avoiding handshakes, keeping workspaces clean, etc. Please be sure to read the project updates on pages 7-17. Work is proceeding nicely on all of our jobsites. We have also mobilized to a few new projects:• Seaboard Energy, a renewable diesel refinery in Hugoton, KS.

This is a EPC 6,500 barrel-per-day renewable diesel plant. Crews mobilized on March 9.

• Siouxland Ethanol in Jackson, NE, where two projects are underway: Marquis ProCap and Siouxland Combined Heat & Power. Crews mobilized on March 17.

We were also awarded NorthWestern Energy Huron Generating Station EPC Nominal 57 MW power plant addition (6 x Caterpillar G20CM34, 60 Hz, Natural Gas) in Huron, South Dakota. All crafts. We are planning a mobilization by July 20, 2020.Be safe, do good work, and always think “team.”

– Aaron Fagen & Evan Fagen

May 2020 • Vol. 7 Issue 2FAGEN INKTHE

FAGEN INK 2

GEYSER, MT

HALLAM, NE

TEAM–Continued from page 1


FAGEN INK 3

Fagen, Inc. provided another VAC flight in February from Rochester, MN to St. Louis, MO for Danielle Francis, her husband Mike and daughter, Lilly. Fagen pilots have covered this trip to or from St. Louis for Danielle several times in the past also.

Danielle experienced a TBI while serving in the Army. During treatment for that injury, medical staff discovered she had a rare brain tumor. Danielle has been receiving treatment and follow-up appointments for over 10 years for this condition. She received some good news at this last visit. After 10 years of two to four visits per year to the Mayo Clinic, her condition is stable enough that they told her they didn’t need to see her for 12 months. That may seem small to us, but Danielle and her husband were elated!

Fagen, Inc. is a proud volunteer member of the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC), which provides free air transportation to post 9/11 combat wounded and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

Recurring medical mission flight with good news

VETERAN’S AIRLIFT COMMAND

www.veteransairlift.orgCongratulations to Jordan Thompson (Corporate Document Control) and his wife Kasidy on the birth of their baby girl, Emersyn Jade Thompson.

Emersyn was born on April 30, weighing 9 pounds 3 ounces and measuring 21.5” inches. All are doing well!

CALENDAR

HOLIDAY: The Corporate Office will be closed Monday, May 25 in

recognition of Memorial Day.

Check us out on Facebook & Instagram!


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FAGEN FACESAmy Johnson, VP/Procurement ManagerI joined Fagen, Inc. in 2006 and began in the field, serving as a Warehouse Manager, Expeditor and Project Engineer. My project locations included Ord, NE; Janesville, MN; Gillette, WY; and Ganesville, FL. I joined the Corporate team in 2013 and have been in Procurement ever since. Right now I am working from home due to COVID-19.

Where do you live? Hanley Falls, MN

Where were you born? Gillette, WY

Tell us about your family. I’m the oldest of eight siblings: six girls and two boys. My youngest sister, Emily, is just graduating from high school this year. She helps with getting everyone home more than normal. Unfortunately we don’t get to celebrate her graduation, so we better get creative! Between Eric and me, we have 22 nieces and nephews. My mom’s mom is almost 90. She is in good health with the exception of her eyesight. We call her Gram and she loves chocolate, a good beer and God. That’s my kind of lady! I miss my family a lot with all this Covid stuff going on. I can’t wait to get home to visit everyone soon! My husband Eric and I have both worked for Fagen for 14 years. We have two golden doodles, Coach and Bear. We love them like our kids as many of you know. Hopefully someday soon we’ll have a human addition! We also consider our Fagen family our family.

Hobbies & Interests: Snowmobiling, camping, spending time at the cabin, nightly hot tubs, walks with the doods, DIY projects & working on our property.

Fun fact: I was voted most school spirit in high school, and our high school mascot was a camel. Yes, a camel, in Gillette, WY.

Luke Velde, PainterI’m a Painter at the Corporate Warehouse and I joined the Fagen team in July of 2011. In the past, I’ve also worked in the Fagen Fab Shop and as a Pipefitter Helper on the Arthur, Iowa project.

Where do you live? South of Granite Falls

Where were you born? Granite Falls.

Tell us about your family. My fiance’s name is Erin. I have three sisters: Jackie, Megan and Laura. My parents are David and Connie.

Hobbies & Interests: Reading, riding motorcycle, hunting and fishing.

Fun fact: I lived in Brookings, South Dakota for five years.

Long time Logistics PE and Field Management Trainer Robert Silver was among those honored in our December issue for his 20 years of service with Fagen, Inc. We also wanted to share a photo of him with his plaque. Robert is currently serving on our Isabella, Michigan project. Thank you for your many years of quality work and leadership in training new Logistics team members, Robert!


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FAGEN FACESLinda Sorenson, PayrollI joined the Fagen Corporate Office team in October of 2007 and have always worked in Payroll.

Where do you live? Granite Falls, MN

Where were you born? Slayton, MN

Tell us about your family. I’ve been married to my husband, Keith, for 25 years. We have a 23-year-old daughter, Kelsey.

Hobbies & Interests: I enjoy spending time with family and friends. My sister and I have a vegetable garden and do some canning every year.

Fun fact: I grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota. I have 4 brothers and 3 sisters. I have a twin sister and my mother also has a twin sister.

FMS TRAINING Project Engineers On February 19, a mix of Logistics, Pipe and Electrical Project Engineers gathered at the Corporate Office for their annual Field Management Training. Other groups were scheduled to follow in the spring, but those training sessions were temporarily cancelled due to COVID-19. We will keep you posted as to the next Field Management Training session. Fagen PEs in attendance in February included Robert Silver, Sarah Selph, Angie Williams, Tammy Horton, Cindy Stutzman, Antonio Sepulveda and Mario Garza.

LONGEVITY AWARDRobert Silver receives his 20-year plaque

Industrial Construction MethodsWhile YME students have been distance learning due to COVID-19, the Industrial Construction Methods class was converted to an online version where students were still able to learn about our industry. Unfortunately, the hands-on education and facility tours were cancelled. We are hoping to be back to business next spring semester.In March, Fagen, Inc. participated in OJT mock interviews with some YME students. This was not part of our ICM course, but it was an activity we participated in at the request of the school. The students were tasked with preparing a cover letter and resume, and then set up a Zoom meeting with their designated interviewer. Aaron Fagen, Evan Fagen and Katie Travis conducted the mock interviews.


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NEW EMPLOYEESPERSONNEL

Carlee GrochowskiIn March, Carlee

Grochowski joined the team as a Safety

Department Assistant. She is serving on

the Isabella project. Welcome aboard,

Carlee!

Scott LuciaIn May, the company

welcomed Scott Lucia, who is serving as a Civil

Roads Manager. He is currently in Isabella.

We’re glad to have you on board, Scott.

We are pleased to welcome Towanda Taite back to Fagen, Inc. She will be serving as the Office Manager for the dual projects at Jackson, Nebraska.Towanda has worked in a variety of roles for Fagen, Inc. over the years, including as an Office Manager, Pipe PE and in Recruiting. She was originally hired in September of 2011. Her project experience includes Nacogdoches, TX; Gainesville, FL; Hanoverton, OH; Lamberton, MN; Monroe, WI; Ithaca, MI; and Nevada, IA. Welcome back, Towanda!

RETURNING EMPLOYEE

Towanda Taite

Tracy HigginsIn March, Tracy

Higgins joined Fagen, Inc. as a new Project Engineer, serving in

Jackson. Welcome to the Fagen team,

Tracy!

Congratulations to Harold Jones, who was recently promoted to Logistics PE. He is serving on the project in Isabella, MI.

Harold worked for us for a short time in 2007. He was rehired in 2019 as an Equipment Operator in Geyser, MT. In 2007 he served on the Bluffton, IN project.

Congratulations, Harold, and we’re glad to have you back!

PERSONNELUPDATE

Harold Jones

Emma O’ NeilIn March, Emma O’

Neil joined Fagen, Inc. as a Safety Department

Assistant. She is working on the Astoria project. We’re glad to have you

on board, Emma!

Sarah SalinasIn April, Sarah Salinas

joined the team as a new Electrical Inspector.

She’s serving on the Isabella project.

Welcome to Fagen, Inc., Sarah!


FAGEN INK 7

NEW PROJECT

On March 9, Fagen crews mobilized to Hugoton, Kansas to begin construction of a renewable diesel refinery for Seaboard Energy.

We are in the early stages of construction, with the rough grading and site roads still in progress. 160 auger casts have been completed for the pretreatment building. Crews have begun to excavate for 36 pile caps which go on top of the auger casts. The team is pre-tying rebar and compacting soils to get ready to form, place rebar and pour.

The project is already receiving many pieces of equipment and is gearing up to begin iron work in mid June.

– Rob Schladetzky, Project Manager

Seaboard Energy – Renewable Diesel Refinery in Hugoton, KS


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NEW PROJECT

Fagen teams began work at the Siouxland Ethanol projects in Jackson Nebraska on March 17. Two projects, Marquis ProCap and Siouxland Combined Heat & Power, will be going on concurrently through summer. Civil work began at the beginning of April, digging and placing concrete for the CHP pipe rack supports. Layout for the boiler turbine foundation has begun, and duct banks are being installed. Drain piping has been completed, and work on the 16” steam piping is underway.

SLE shut down for their annual spring outage on April 20, allowing Pipe teams to make ties-ins for the ProCap project. Piping in plant proper is close to completion, and teams will be moving into the new building in the next few weeks. The first tanks have been set, and centrifugal pump work will begin shortly. The Electricians have started to hang tray and will begin running conduit and pulling wire by the third week of May.

Everyone has adjusted well to the new social distancing guidelines and continue to work together from a distance. It has been an adjustment for everyone, but each person understands the need to keep themselves and the community safe.

– Phil Reed, Project Manager

Siouxland Ethanol – Marquis ProCap and Siouxland CHP in Jackson, NE


FAGEN INK 9

PROJECT COMPLETION

At the Monolith project in Hallam, Nebraska, work is just about complete and the team is transitioning into full demobilization phase. Currently 90% of the plant has been turned over to the client. Pipe and Electrical are working on the last bits and pieces of scope work. Only three pipe packages are currently in the field, and the project should be 100% pipe tight by the end of the week. Electrical is 95% complete with scope work, with the remaining work consisting mostly of heat trace, lighting and receptacles. Outside of this, Pipe and Electrical are chasing punchlist items as they come up. The Millwrights have completed their scope work and are working on extra tasks Monolith has requested. The skeleton Iron Crew remaining on site is completing touch up paint on pipe supports and electrical stands, and helping with demobilization.

Big thanks to our on-site staff and the field workers for their SAFE work, the attention to detail, and the quality of the job performed to make this project successful. The Monolith leadership has repeatedly expressed how impressed they are with our workers’ craftsmanship.

– Chuck Pendelton, Project Engineer

Monolith – Olive Creek 1 in Hallam, NE


FAGEN INK 10

Monolith – Olive Creek 1 in Hallam, NE –Continued from page 9


FAGEN INK 11

PROJECT COMPLETION

Finishing exactly one year from project mobilization, the team at South Peak Wind has completed installation of 26 GE 2.8 and 3 GE 2.3 MW wind turbines.

Despite 127 MPH wind storms, wildfires, and the greatest snowfall on record, the crews at South Peak completed all work activities.

Aside from the turbines and electrical substation, the team also constructed an O&M facility.

– Chris Manuele, Project Manager

Allette Clean Energy – South Peak Wind Farm near Geyser, MT


FAGEN INK 12

PROJECT UPDATE

Apex – Aviator Wind Farm near Robert Lee, TX

Crews are pushing toward the finish line at the Aviator Wind Project in Robert Lee, Texas. All 191 wind turbines have been successfully erected. MCCs are close to wrapping up, with only a few remaining to be executed. On the Electrical side, all tower wiring has been completed. One hundred thirty nine pad mount transformers have been set, with three fourths of those already terminated. Collection system installation is on the home stretch, with 107 of 108 miles installed! Seven out of 19 substantial completion certs have been executed.Transmission line has pulled all hard line. Stringing OPGW/Conductor is 93% complete and will be wrapping up by the end of this month. Work on both substations is well underway, with the Aviator substation equipment 89% installed and the DeWolf equipment 73% installed.

– Nathaniel Adames, Project Engineer


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Otter Tail Power – Astoria Station in Astoria, SD

PROJECT UPDATE

Phase 2 of the Otter Tail Power project in Astoria, South Dakota is progressing well. The generator and turbine arrived and have been installed. Structural steel is being installed around these units and the transformers.

The Pipefitters are working on the interconnecting piping between the modules and the turbine. The CT and PDC Buildings have been installed and cable tray for these buildings is also being installed.

Duct Banks are mostly complete with some shorter runs yet to be installed. Underground piping in the power block area is complete. The storm sewer and fire loop are complete, and cable tray is being installed. Pouring of equipment foundations and slabs is continuing now that the underground work is complete.

– Mike Schaub, Project Manager


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Good spring weather and warmer temperatures over the last month have allowed the Outlaw Wind team to make good progress on concrete placement on the east side of the project. Placement of the first V150 base foundation has also been completed, which consisted of 61.2 tons of rebar and 600 CY of concrete. Concrete placement on the west side of the project will be completed over the next month, and the Fagen concrete crew will be transitioning to the east side of the project over the next month.

The O&M Building has been sheeted, with rough ins completed for the office area and rough ins started for the shop area. Drywall has been installed and painting of the office area has begun. Substation underground conduit installation and setting of steel structures and substation equipment is progressing. Boring for the collection line is complete and boring crew has demobilized from the jobsite.

Collection line trenching for the homeruns is progressing well, and turbine-to-turbine collections have begun. The transmission line installation is complete except for the two substation tie-ins which will be completed over the next month. Due to Covid-19 situation, the turbine deliveries have been delayed, but turbine receiving and erection are currently scheduled to commence on June 22.

– Nate Salmond, Project Manager

Invenergy – Outlaw Wind Farm near Westboro, MO

PROJECT UPDATE


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Willow creek is just starting back up after the spring shutdown. The concrete was all poured last fall. Road rework is underway. The first tower is scheduled to arrive on May 20, and it will be erected with a small crew. The remaining towers will begin arriving the first week of June, and the project’s manpower will increase at that time. The Manitowoc 16000 is assembled and ready for the first tower. Three hydros are also onsite, and the Corporate Warehouse is preparing the rest of the site’s tooling and equipment.

– Brad Bormann, Project Manager

PROJECT UPDATE

Lincoln Clean Energy – Willow Creek Wind Farm near Sturgis, SD


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Fagen Facility Project – New Fabrication Facility

The Fagen shop project is scheduled to be completed over the next month. The team will begin placing equipment soon, with training to follow in early June. The new equipment will consist of a Plasma pipe profiler to accelerate pipe preparation time to compete the spooling. We are also adding a high definition plasma table so we can provide shims and structural plates and gussets for all of our construction projects, as well as process sheet stock when needed for duct work. To coincide with the duct work, we are adding a shear, press break, roller for sheet stock and angle iron and an iron worker to punch holes and aid in fabrication of flanges for the duct work. For beam, C channel and tubing processing, we are adding a large band saw. We will have the capability to do both square and round duct as well as transitions. With this added equipment, we will be able to better aid our Fagen project needs in-house, keeping costs down and minimizing outsourcing.

– Matt Luukkonen, Fab Shop/Panel Shop Manager

PROJECT UPDATE


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Apex Clean Energy – Isabella Wind Farm in Isabella County, MI

With good weather on the horizon, we are anticipating the site drying up and planning to make the most of favorable site conditions. Crews are gaining momentum on the foundation spring restart, with two foundations per day pending weather as of this writing.

Our offload and erection crews have been impatiently waiting on the first turbine components. Just today hubs and nacelles arrived, slightly behind schedule. Our main erection and offload cranes are either fully assembled or in the final stages of assembly. The roads and collection spring re-start is proceeding as well.

Our A team is on site and continuously ramping up. We look forward to our foundation and tower erection production on this project competing with the industry pace bar set by our team at Aviator.

– Aaron Fagen, CEO

PROJECT UPDATE

team · our fab shop and fab shop new construction all continued with full teams working. we...

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