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Summer 2012 - Barriere Construction

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i n t e r s e c t i o n s<br />

n o l a m o t o r s p o r t s p a r k<br />

Letter from Laney Chouest, MD • Owner, NOLA Motorsports Park, to Dawn D’Angelo, Project Manager, SSA<br />

The unique challenges of building a worldclass,<br />

private asphalt paving project arose<br />

for the South Shore Asphalt Division.<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> <strong>Construction</strong>’s paving of the<br />

NOLA Motorsports Park auto racing tracks<br />

has been one of the most interesting and<br />

rewarding Hot Mix jobs in our history.<br />

Located in Avondale, on the Westbank<br />

of Jefferson Parish, Dr. Laney Chouest’s<br />

vision of a state-of-the-art facility, drawing<br />

racing interests from all over the world,<br />

has come to fruition. While our execution<br />

and performance were under constant<br />

scrutiny, Dawn D’Angelo, Project Manager,<br />

and her team earned the accolades of the<br />

project owner. Below is Dr. Chouest’s letter<br />

to <strong>Barriere</strong>, recognizing our commitment<br />

to excellence:<br />

Dawn, we are nearing the first year of<br />

life of our 2.75-mile road racing course<br />

at NOLA Motorsports. That piece of road<br />

is the best in south Louisiana, and the<br />

only one that a car or motorcycle can<br />

drive on at speeds over 200 mph. We<br />

inthisissue:<br />

NOLA Motorsports Park 2<br />

President’s Message 3<br />

The Retirement of Mr. Robert Thompson 4<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> Responds to Hurricane Isaac 5<br />

Ethics Reminder 5<br />

Safety and Health Extravaganza 6<br />

The United Way–Hurricane Isaac Recovery 12<br />

knew that we had a major task with<br />

major challenges and risks and were<br />

comfortable working with <strong>Barriere</strong>. When<br />

you and your owners promised that they<br />

would do it, that was enough for us.<br />

I am happy to report that, after one<br />

year of being in place, there is not even<br />

one crack in the entire lay of polymer<br />

asphalt. This includes the approximately<br />

3 miles of large track surface, the 7.75<br />

story continued on next page…<br />

ABOVE KArt trAcK<br />

summer<strong>2012</strong><br />

Reneé Morgan Promoted to Foreman 7<br />

Field Supervisory Training Program 13<br />

Saving for Retirement 14<br />

TPR Cranks It Up 16<br />

Up the Ladder 17<br />

Every Day is a New Start 18<br />

August Safety Rewards 19


Published for the<br />

emPloyees of barriere<br />

ConstruCtion ComPany, l.l.C.<br />

1 GAllEriA BOulEVArd<br />

SuitE 1650<br />

MEtAiriE, lA 70001<br />

PhOnE: 504-581-PAVE (7283)<br />

FAx: 504-581-2270<br />

EMAil: inFO@BArriErE.cOM<br />

WEBSitE: WWW.BArriErE.cOM<br />

summer <strong>2012</strong><br />

Contributing Writers:<br />

PAul AlBrEcht<br />

chArliE cASSrEinO<br />

dAVid MAyEr<br />

MilliE MunSch<br />

tOni tAllutO<br />

chriStOPhEr WilliAMS<br />

GEOrGE WilSOn<br />

PEtEr WilSOn, jr.<br />

Proofreaders:<br />

PAul AlBrEcht<br />

dAVid MAyEr<br />

MilliE MunSch<br />

layout:<br />

thE BrAnd cOnStructOrS<br />

w w w .BrAndcOnStructOrS.c o m<br />

continued…<br />

acres of autocross pad, and the 1.5<br />

miles of kart track.<br />

In our business, our success is entirely<br />

dependent on our running surfaces.<br />

Customers from all over the world<br />

have complimented us on all of them.<br />

It is best to let you know some of the<br />

projects that we are working on that are<br />

all playing a role in the development<br />

of New Orleans as a motorsports<br />

destination:<br />

1. The American Motorcycle<br />

Association has scheduled their<br />

national finals, Oct 5-7, <strong>2012</strong>. All<br />

of the Pro teams in that race were<br />

here testing in July; several said<br />

it was the best track that they<br />

ever ran on.<br />

2. Ducati, the Italian maker of exotic<br />

sport motorcycles, had a new<br />

motorcycle launch as our first<br />

major event at the facility. As a<br />

result of their experience, they<br />

have scheduled 9 days of use of<br />

our facility in November <strong>2012</strong>,<br />

to hold an event that they have<br />

never held outside of Europe.<br />

3. After having some of their racing<br />

teams do some testing at our<br />

track, the ALMS is very interested<br />

in having one of their major<br />

American LeMans circuit races in<br />

New Orleans.<br />

4. As I write this, we are in serious<br />

discussions to host an IRL race<br />

in the spring of 2013. Indy Car’s<br />

safety inspector has visited our<br />

facility and declared it safe for an<br />

Indy Car race.<br />

5. The owners of two amateur sport<br />

motorcycle racing organizations,<br />

WERA and California Superbike,<br />

both told me, personally, that<br />

NOLA Motorsports has the best<br />

racing surface in America at this<br />

time. Both groups have canceled<br />

events planned at other tracks to<br />

move them to NOLA Motorsports.<br />

Thanks for all the the time and effort. I<br />

was impressed with the crew you sent<br />

to our job. Their ability to remain civil,<br />

professional, and calm in the heat of<br />

last August is obviously the result of<br />

good management and incentives.<br />

We had a world-class challenge,<br />

and <strong>Barriere</strong> stepped up with worldclass<br />

solutions for us. We are very<br />

happy with the product that we have;<br />

more importantly, our customers are<br />

happy, and our region is on the way to<br />

becoming a motorsports destination,<br />

which will provide a nice boost in<br />

economic activity that is sorely needed.<br />

Thanks to you, your owners, and your<br />

supervisors, machine operators, and<br />

rake and shovel operators, for meeting<br />

the challenge.


p r e s i d e n t’s m e s s a g e<br />

BArriErE WEAthErS hurricAnE iSAAc<br />

The damage done by Hurricane Isaac<br />

will exceed $1 billion. Due to the very<br />

heavy rainfall, high storm surge, and<br />

fierce winds, it is safe to say that<br />

the extent of the damage was much<br />

greater than expected—especially<br />

for a Category 1 hurricane. Through<br />

it all, <strong>Barriere</strong> was well prepared<br />

for the storm, thanks to a good<br />

plan and the strategic execution of<br />

that plan by all of our employees.<br />

Equipment in low-lying areas was<br />

quickly moved to higher ground, and<br />

signs and barricades were quickly<br />

secured. The $14 billion flood and<br />

drainage improvements to the federal<br />

levee system in the Greater New<br />

Orleans area withstood their initial<br />

test, while areas outside federal<br />

protection were not so fortunate.<br />

Parts of Plaquemines Parish, both<br />

East and West Bank, were badly<br />

flooded, as were parts of St. John<br />

the Baptist Parish, in LaPlace. We<br />

have employees that live in some of<br />

those areas, and our hearts go out<br />

to all of them. As we have done in<br />

past hurricanes, we will be offering<br />

assistance on a case-by-case basis.<br />

Our employees will always be our<br />

biggest competitive advantage, and<br />

we remain committed to their safety,<br />

health, and well-being.<br />

Two days after the storm<br />

struck, we had crews<br />

performing emergency work in<br />

Plaquemines Parish. As some of<br />

the area’s first responders, those<br />

dedicated crews worked through the<br />

weekend to restore roads<br />

and assist in the cleanup.<br />

“<br />

”<br />

It goes without saying that we<br />

sincerely thank those employees<br />

who answered the call of duty and<br />

helped those who needed it most. The<br />

North Shore had a real scare with a<br />

number of rivers and a reservoir that<br />

were at flood stage, but no major<br />

damage was sustained. Overall, most<br />

of us lost power for a few days, had<br />

several sleepless nights, cleaned<br />

up some debris from trees, and<br />

are happy to have power restored<br />

and to be back at work. More than<br />

anything, Hurricane Isaac served<br />

as a reminder of the devastation<br />

experienced by the entire area 7<br />

years ago from Hurricane Katrina,<br />

and how much better off we are as a<br />

result of the $14 billion “Hurricane<br />

and Storm Damage Risk Reduction<br />

System”. While the company and<br />

our employees lost a week of work,<br />

it could have been much worse for<br />

many people in the area. Loss of<br />

power, inconvenience, and cases of<br />

water damage quickly become minor<br />

problems, when compared to what<br />

might have happened had the storm<br />

been stronger.<br />

The work outlook remains unchanged<br />

since our last Intersections in the<br />

spring. Both Asphalt Paving Divisions<br />

and our Concrete Paving Division<br />

have sufficient backlog, while<br />

the Heavy Civil <strong>Construction</strong><br />

Division is still struggling to<br />

acquire work. We have seen<br />

a surge in paving work on the<br />

South Shore, in preparation<br />

for the 2013 Super Bowl,<br />

which will be held in New<br />

Orleans next February.<br />

Work on I-10 in Kenner, the<br />

Airport Connector Road, and<br />

the roadways beneath the<br />

expressway<br />

downtown<br />

are all being<br />

completed in<br />

preparation<br />

for the<br />

Saints’ second<br />

Super Bowl<br />

victory. In the<br />

Heavy Civil<br />

<strong>Construction</strong><br />

by George H. Wilson, Jr.<br />

Division,<br />

we see no end in sight to a tight<br />

market for bid work. However, we are<br />

adjusting to the market conditions<br />

and are now beginning to bid in a<br />

more targeted way to match our<br />

strengths and abilities to the jobs<br />

available to build.<br />

Maintaining our good safety record,<br />

properly planning and building quality<br />

work, and keeping our equipment<br />

maintained to run at optimal<br />

performance remain keys to our<br />

success. We need the buy-in of all<br />

our employees in these programs in<br />

order to be successful in the highlycompetitive<br />

markets where we work.<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> has been around for more<br />

than 60 years, and we have lived<br />

through both good and bad market<br />

cycles. With your help, we will emerge<br />

from this downturn a much stronger<br />

and more competitive company.<br />

3


t h e re t i r e m e n t of mr. robert thomp son<br />

from <strong>Barriere</strong>’s Board of Directors<br />

by George H. Wilson, Jr., President<br />

After 12 years of friendship and<br />

unwavering support for the growth and<br />

prosperity of <strong>Barriere</strong>, Mr. Robert “Bob”<br />

Thompson retired from our Board of<br />

Directors in August <strong>2012</strong>. With more<br />

than a decade of service on our Board<br />

of Directors, it is safe to say that no<br />

single Board member has had more<br />

of an impact on the success of our<br />

business than Bob. Bob’s time with<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> will forever be marked by his<br />

vision, commitment to excellence,<br />

and unrelenting competitive spirit.<br />

In honor of a great friend, and even<br />

better person, we have included a short<br />

biography below:<br />

Mr. Thompson is the former President<br />

and Co-founder of Thompson-McCully<br />

Co., an asphalt paving company in<br />

Plymouth, Michigan, and is currently<br />

the President and Owner of McCoig<br />

Materials, a ready-mix concrete supplier<br />

in Michigan.<br />

With over 40 years of experience in<br />

asphalt paving, Mr. Thompson has<br />

4<br />

served as chairman of the National<br />

Asphalt Paving Foundation (NAPA),<br />

president of the Michigan Road Builders<br />

Association, the Michigan Asphalt<br />

Pavement Association and the National<br />

Center for Asphalt Technology. He holds<br />

some of the industry’s highest honors,<br />

including the Asphalt Institute Roll of<br />

Honor, NAPA Man of the Year, Michigan<br />

Road Builders Lifetime Achievement<br />

Award, and Engineering News-Record’s<br />

Award of Excellence.<br />

With $3,500 in savings, Bob, and his<br />

wife, Ellen, along with Thompson’s uncle,<br />

Wilford McCully, started the Thompson-<br />

McCully Co. in 1959. McCully left the<br />

company in 1960, but Thompson stayed<br />

on, developing the company until it<br />

became Michigan’s largest asphalt<br />

paving company.<br />

When Bob developed heart problems, he<br />

decided to sell the business to Oldcastle<br />

Materials in 1999. Thompson shared<br />

nearly one-third of the $461 million sale<br />

with his employees. He gave bonuses up<br />

lEFt rOBErt thOMPSOn (lEFt)<br />

rEcEiVES A PlAquE, rEcOGnizinG<br />

hiS yEArS OF SErVicE On BArriErE’S<br />

BOArd, FrOM GEOrGE WilSOn (riGht).<br />

to $1 million to those loyal employees<br />

who had been with the company for<br />

years, and set up annuity accounts for<br />

others who are still years away from<br />

retirement. That same year, Bob and<br />

Ellen Thompson founded the Thompson<br />

Foundation with $100 million from the<br />

sale of the Thompson-McCully Company.<br />

The Thompson Foundation’s mission is<br />

to help low-income people rise out of<br />

poverty and become self-sufficient.<br />

The Thompson Foundation has already:<br />

• Established 1,000 Detroit private<br />

school scholarships for Detroit<br />

inner-city kids, 500 scholarships at<br />

Schoolcraft Junior College in Livonia,<br />

100 Michigan Tech University<br />

undergraduate engineering<br />

scholarships, and 20 Michigan State<br />

University graduate scholarships.<br />

• Granted funds to dozens of other<br />

programs, such as food banks,<br />

guidance centers, and job placement<br />

and training facilities.<br />

• Completed over $100,000,000 in<br />

construction work on new school<br />

buildings and renovations.<br />

On behalf of my brothers, Peter and<br />

Bert, it is with an abundance of<br />

gratitude that we thank Bob Thompson<br />

for his time, service, and dedication<br />

to both our family and our company.<br />

And, as they say, behind every great<br />

man there is a great woman. We extend<br />

our sincere appreciation to Ellen, for<br />

allowing Bob to be away from home to<br />

help us.


a r r i e r e r e s p o n d s t o h u r r i c a n e i s a a c<br />

by Chris Williams, Project Analyst<br />

With the path of Hurricane<br />

Isaac eminent, Plaquemines<br />

Parish officials contacted<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> days before<br />

the storm to secure our<br />

resources for disaster<br />

recovery. <strong>Barriere</strong>’s long<br />

history as a safe, reliable,<br />

and quality resource<br />

for Plaquemines Parish<br />

positioned our team to<br />

answer the call of duty in an<br />

extreme time of need.<br />

Two days after the storm<br />

hit land in Grand Isle, <strong>Barriere</strong>’s<br />

first responders were on the ground,<br />

working on the west bank side of<br />

Plaquemines Parish. Our crews, led<br />

by Foremen Tommy Huff and Steve<br />

Navarre, began grading the top of<br />

the levee on Thursday, August 31.<br />

From that point on, and through the<br />

Labor Day holiday weekend, we moved<br />

to the east bank side of the Parish<br />

into Braithwaite, where we helped<br />

emergency responders and residents<br />

by adding stone to the top of the<br />

e t h i c s r e m i n d e r<br />

Amid the pre-season excitement of<br />

New Orleans Saints’ <strong>2012</strong> campaign,<br />

the LSU Tigers, and the other great<br />

football programs around our city and<br />

state, we are reminded of the <strong>Barriere</strong><br />

<strong>Construction</strong> Code of Ethical Conduct<br />

and Corporate Compliance Program.<br />

The Code, which has been in place for<br />

the past few years and applies to all of<br />

us, is an excellent source for guidance<br />

regarding Gifts and Entertainment. We<br />

are all also aware of the Super Bowl<br />

being played early next year in<br />

New Orleans.<br />

Our code states, “Please understand<br />

that there are significant limitations, if<br />

not prohibitions, involving invitations<br />

to employees of customers for sporting<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong>’s First Responders<br />

Bart Breland – Vice President<br />

Ricky Dantin – Project Manager<br />

Todd Hountha – Superintendent<br />

Tommy Huff – Foreman<br />

Steve Navarre – Foreman<br />

Josh Clement – Senior Field Engineer<br />

Earl Bacchus, Jr. – Craftsman II<br />

John Dantagnan, III – Lt. Operator<br />

Ron Franklin – Operator II<br />

Heath Huff – Craftsman III<br />

Blaise Isidore – Operator I<br />

Shelby Rohner – Operator I<br />

levee. A smooth, reinforced levee then<br />

served as the main roadway and first<br />

point of drivable access for the people<br />

of Braithwaite. Periphery roads in<br />

Braithwaite remained underwater until<br />

Tuesday, September 4, and <strong>Barriere</strong>’s<br />

work proved vital to their recovery<br />

efforts. Our temporary roadway on<br />

the top of the levee provided valuable<br />

routes for all those who crossed the<br />

river to offer assistance. With heavy<br />

hearts, our dedicated crews provided<br />

support to the people of Plaquemines<br />

Parish in immeasurable ways. Fueled<br />

events, including golf outings, which<br />

limitations and prohibitions likewise<br />

apply to the customer, as a guest of<br />

our suppliers and/or subcontractors.”<br />

Our code does not distinguish between<br />

public and private customers. “For<br />

this reason, it is important that all<br />

employees be extra-sensitive when it<br />

comes to giving or receiving gifts and<br />

entertainment from non-government<br />

personnel.” The present value limit<br />

is $50.00.<br />

If you are unsure, always check with<br />

your supervisor or the compliance<br />

officer before you participate or attend.<br />

Some of the fall events this year are<br />

expensive and outside the permissible<br />

spending range. In such cases,<br />

by emergency supplies and MREs,<br />

the people of <strong>Barriere</strong> acted swiftly,<br />

safely, and responsively to the needs<br />

of the Parish. Our hearts go out to the<br />

people of Plaquemines Parish, and we<br />

extend our sincere gratitude to those<br />

dedicated employees who were called<br />

to help. Service like this is what has<br />

defined The <strong>Barriere</strong> Way for the last<br />

60 years, and the company is proud<br />

to serve as a dedicated partner to the<br />

people of Plaquemines Parish.<br />

by David Mayer, Vice President, Business Development<br />

individuals are expected to pay their<br />

own share if they wish to attend and<br />

participate in an event, ball game,<br />

or outing.<br />

5


<strong>Barriere</strong>’s<br />

23 rd Annual<br />

On<br />

6<br />

s a f e t y a n d h e a l t h e x t r a v a g a n z a<br />

Saturday, April 14, <strong>2012</strong>, <strong>Barriere</strong><br />

held its 23rd Annual Safety and Health<br />

Extravaganza. Audubon Zoo’s Corporate<br />

Picnic Pavilion once again provided a<br />

perfect venue for the festivities. Over<br />

1,000 people (employees and their<br />

families) were in attendance. For this<br />

year’s theme, we decided to use our<br />

new tag line, “Building Better”, which<br />

was rolled out on January 1, <strong>2012</strong>, in<br />

conjunction with our new logo.<br />

Special guests of the day included<br />

representatives from Sterling Wellness<br />

Solutions, Willis of Louisiana, Tikia<br />

Consulting, ING, 401(k) Advisors, The<br />

SchOlArShiP rEciPiEnt ShAnE A. richArd,<br />

With hiS PArEntS And BEtty WilSOn<br />

Brand Constructors, Think:Shoe Creative<br />

Communications, and Second Harvest<br />

Food Bank.<br />

One of the highlights of<br />

the day was recognizing<br />

the retirement of Donnie<br />

Todd. After 52 years<br />

of service to <strong>Barriere</strong>,<br />

Donnie Todd decided it<br />

was time to hang up his<br />

hard hat! A large group<br />

of Donnie’s family and<br />

friends were present<br />

to celebrate this<br />

momentous occasion.<br />

by Millie Munsch, Administrative Assistant<br />

Bert Wilson gave a heartfelt, emotional<br />

tribute to Donnie and spoke about<br />

Donnie’s many contributions to <strong>Barriere</strong><br />

over the past half century.<br />

The recipient of the 2011/<strong>2012</strong> Betty<br />

A. Wilson Education and Safety Scholarship<br />

was Shane A. Richard, who is the son<br />

of George Richard, an Operator in our<br />

North Shore Asphalt Division. Shane<br />

graduated in May from Lakeshore High<br />

School, in Mandeville, where he earned<br />

a 3.86 GPA and was ranked 4th in his<br />

class of 161 students. Shane served<br />

as his school’s Quiz Bowl President and<br />

Key Club Vice President. In addition, he<br />

was a member of the National Honor<br />

Society and Mu Alpha Theta. Shane<br />

enjoys playing baseball and has been<br />

a volunteer assistant baseball coach<br />

at Pelican Park. His plans are to attend<br />

college in the fall, where he will pursue<br />

a degree in Pre-Med. His intended<br />

career choice is Pediatric Cardiology.<br />

Shane’s scholarship is for $4,000 over<br />

4 years. During that time, Shane must<br />

remain a full-time student and maintain<br />

a 3.0 grade point average.<br />

Also recognized were <strong>Barriere</strong>’s current,<br />

on-going scholarship recipients that<br />

were in attendance.<br />

dOnniE tOdd And hiS WiFE, MElAniE


ABOVE driVErS WhO rEcEiVEd A SAFE driVEr BOnuS<br />

The Safe Driver Incentive Program was<br />

designed to reinforce our goal of Zero<br />

Accidents. It progressively awards<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> drivers who drive safely each<br />

year, up to a maximum of $2,500.<br />

Any <strong>Barriere</strong> driver who operates or is<br />

assigned to regularly drive a lo-boy,<br />

tanker truck, tack truck, fuel truck,<br />

mechanic truck, or service truck was<br />

eligible. Those drivers who received a<br />

safe driver bonus were: Barry Alfortish,<br />

Tommy Bailey, Zachary Bellard, Ryan<br />

Betz, James Bradley, Jason Bravado, Kevin<br />

Breaud, Craig Brown, Andre’ Callais, Lynn<br />

Campbell, Brian Davis, Ronald Franks,<br />

Willie Hampton, Wilford Jackson, Danny<br />

Knight, Joseph McDaniel, Malcolm Peters,<br />

George Richard, Brad Rodrigue, Tory Smith,<br />

Greg Tatum, Earl Thomas, Leroy Ussin,<br />

Kurt Washington, David Watts, Jessie<br />

Westerman, and Gary Williams.<br />

In August of 2011, <strong>Barriere</strong> created<br />

the Safety Recognition and Rewards<br />

Program to acknowledge and reward<br />

our field employees for positive safety<br />

behavior. This Program, which is<br />

monitored by the Safety Committee,<br />

was instituted to continually educate<br />

our employees, and to ensure that our<br />

workforce stays up to date on all of the<br />

proper safety-related work practices.<br />

All employees who received a Safety<br />

Recognition Award since the program’s<br />

inception last year were eligible to<br />

win a television, donated by Willis of<br />

Louisiana. The winner of this<br />

year’s Willis television award<br />

was Ryan Betz.<br />

Picnic attendees feasted<br />

on crawfish—a new and<br />

welcomed addition this<br />

year—as well as the usual<br />

fare of hamburgers and<br />

hot dogs. Other events of<br />

the day included door prize<br />

drawings, a Spacewalk, photo<br />

booth, face painting, crafts<br />

for the children, volleyball,<br />

horseshoes, tetherball, and<br />

admission to the Zoo. We<br />

extend our sincere thanks to<br />

the following companies for<br />

their services: Audubon Zoo,<br />

Design the Planet/The Brand<br />

Constructors, 401(k) Advisors,<br />

Fun Services, ING, A. Leopold<br />

Advertising Specialties, Mele<br />

Printing, Sterling Wellness<br />

Solutions, Think:Shoe, and Willis<br />

of Louisiana.<br />

We also thank those<br />

employees and their family<br />

members who kept the day’s<br />

activities running smoothly.<br />

Months of time and effort are<br />

involved in putting together<br />

this yearly event, which would<br />

not be the success that it is<br />

without our many volunteers.<br />

ABOVE ryAn BEtz, WinnEr OF thE<br />

WilliS tElEViSiOn AWArd<br />

crAWFiSh!<br />

ABOVE WilSOn GEn 4 FOOd driVE<br />

7


SErVicE AWArdS WErE GiVEn<br />

tO thE FOllOWinG EMPlOyEES,<br />

cOMMEMOrAtinG thEir yEArS OF<br />

SErVicE At BArriErE<br />

35 years – MArGiE huntEr<br />

25 years – jASOn FOrESt, dAVid lEBrEtOn,<br />

8<br />

dOuGlAS OlSOn, And chriStOPhEr<br />

tOdd, Sr.<br />

20 years – jAMES FultOn, WilliE jAcKSOn, And<br />

ruBy WAtKinS<br />

15 years – MichAEl BittnEr, SAMuEl hEStEr,<br />

BriAn iShEE, EArl jOnES, MildrEd<br />

MunSch, PAMElA VEGAS, And<br />

EdMOnd zErinGuE<br />

10 years – jAMES BrElAnd, jr., rOGEr clAy,<br />

iSAAc jiMcOily, rOBErt jOhnSOn,<br />

MichAEl lyOnS, lindSEy MArtin, OrAn<br />

McElVEEn, chAd MOrAlES, GEOrGE<br />

richArd, ShAWn rizzO, lOuiS SAnchEz,<br />

Sr., EArl thOMAS, hEAth WAhdEn, And<br />

clAudE WilliAMS<br />

5 years – dAniEl AllAin, VincEnt AlliSOn, jASOn<br />

BArAdO, zAchAry BEllArd, hEnry<br />

BuStAMAntE, AndrE’ cAllAiS, lucAS<br />

cAruSO, PhiliP crOW, MichAEl GriFFin,<br />

StEVE GriFFin, KEndAll huBBArd,<br />

StAnlEy jOrdAn, KEnny KniGht,<br />

lEOn lOVEtt, jOSEPh MAGGiO, jOSEPh<br />

McdAniEl, MEliSSA MillEr, BrEndOn<br />

MyErS, BrAd rOdriGuE, jASOn<br />

rOdriGuEz, chriStiAn tArullO, lExiE<br />

VErdin, And GAry WilliAMS<br />

3 years – BArry AlFOrtiSh, ryAn AndErSOn, EArl<br />

BAcchuS, jr., MichAEl BlAdES, rAndEll<br />

BrOcK, jErMAinE clAyBOrnE, BriAn<br />

dAViS, StEVEn dAViS, MAtthEW FitznEr,<br />

MichAEl FurMAn, rOBErt jArrEll,<br />

dArrEll jOSEPh, MAtthEW lAnGE,<br />

jOhn lAPOrtE, iii, rOnAld lEdEt, jr.,<br />

jAiME MArtinEz, jr., BrAdEn MOOdy,<br />

trOy rOGErS, juAn SAnchEz, rOBErt<br />

SEnGElMAnn, chArlES SiMMOnS,<br />

tOrrEy SMith, jAMES tABOr, iii,<br />

jOnAthAn tArdO, rAyMOnd thiBOdEAux,<br />

EddiE VEAl, KirK WAShinGtOn, Sr.,<br />

EdWArd WAttS, iii, jESSiE WEStErMAn,<br />

And AArOn WilliAMS<br />

35 years<br />

25 years<br />

20 years


15 years 10 years<br />

5 years<br />

3 years<br />

5 years<br />

5 years<br />

3 years<br />

9


1 0


ABOVE dOnniE tOdd And hiS FAMily POSE With BEtty, GEOrGE, PEtEr, And BErt WilSOn<br />

ABOVE SchOlArShiP rEciPiEnt ShAnE richArd, With BEtty WilSOn<br />

And PASt SchOlArShiP rEciPiEntS<br />

1 1


t he united way–hurric a ne is a ac rec ov e r y<br />

In the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, we<br />

would like to make you aware of some of<br />

the services that are available to you and<br />

your loved ones through The United Way,<br />

and how you can help with the recovery.<br />

NEED HELP?<br />

Dial 2-1-1 for information on nonemergency<br />

services, such as shelters,<br />

food, counseling, and more. The 2-1-1<br />

Call Center counselors are available 24<br />

hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide<br />

crisis counseling, information, and<br />

referrals for help with food, shelter,<br />

medical care, financial assistance,<br />

counseling programs, substance abuse<br />

treatment, childcare, etc. 2-1-1 agencies<br />

work in concert with city, parish, and<br />

state governments, as well as other<br />

organizations, to provide disaster-related<br />

information. Whether the disaster is a<br />

hurricane, flood, fire, etc., the 2-1-1 Call<br />

Center is ready to respond.<br />

1 2<br />

HOW YOUR UNITED WAY IS HELPING:<br />

United Way and 2-1-1 have provided critical safety and referral<br />

information to the citizens of Louisiana, and they are currently<br />

working with the American Red Cross to assist in relief efforts,<br />

through coordinated response to immediate needs and muchneeded<br />

financial resources.<br />

United Way of Southeast Louisiana serves Jefferson, Orleans,<br />

Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and<br />

Washington Parishes.<br />

WANT TO HELP?<br />

United Way appreciates that many of you<br />

have reached out, asking how you can<br />

help. Here are some suggestions<br />

for action:<br />

GIVE. We all know that this will be a long<br />

and expensive recovery for many of our<br />

neighbors, and financial resources will<br />

be needed for services, both immediate<br />

and long-term. The most effective way for<br />

us to assist United Way in the recovery<br />

effort is to continue to support <strong>Barriere</strong>’s<br />

annual United Way employee campaign.<br />

In addition to working with numerous<br />

partners on immediate needs, such<br />

as food and water, United Way is also<br />

working on long-term recovery efforts to<br />

address the needs of the hundreds of<br />

families who have lost their homes.<br />

VOLUNTEER. If you would like to volunteer,<br />

United Way has recently partnered with<br />

HandsOn New Orleans—an organization<br />

which provides service opportunities for<br />

citizens in the New Orleans community.<br />

HandsOn New Orleans provides<br />

worthwhile and effective volunteer<br />

options. If you are interested in a<br />

volunteer opportunity, please contact Mr.<br />

Peyton Juneau, United Way’s in-house<br />

representative, at (504) 827-6892.<br />

ADVOCATE. You can also be of assistance<br />

to United Way by sharing this information<br />

with your family and friends. Please<br />

help spread the word that United Way<br />

is here to respond to the immediate<br />

and long-term needs of our community<br />

and its citizens in the wake of Hurricane<br />

Isaac. As always, your continued support<br />

is critical to United Way’s success. If<br />

you know someone seeking help, ask<br />

the person to call 2-1-1 (or 1-800-749-<br />

2673), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<br />

This free, confidential service links<br />

people who need help with more than<br />

3,100 local health and human<br />

service programs.<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong>’s Heavy Civil <strong>Construction</strong> Division is collecting donations for the local people affected<br />

by Hurricane Isaac. If you have any items you would like to donate, please send them to the Belle<br />

Chasse Office, 1610 <strong>Barriere</strong> Road, Belle Chasse, and we will donate them to the local Red Cross<br />

for distribution.<br />

Thank you for your help.


e n e é m o r g a n p r o m o t e d t o f o r e m a n<br />

by Peter A. Wilson, Jr., Field Intern, North Shore Asphalt<br />

On Friday, August 17, <strong>2012</strong>, Reneé<br />

Morgan was promoted from Heavy<br />

Operator to Foreman. While the<br />

promotion signifies the internal<br />

advancement of a skilled and hardworking<br />

employee, Ms. Morgan will also<br />

be <strong>Barriere</strong>’s first female Foreman.<br />

“<strong>Barriere</strong> is certainly one of the best<br />

companies to work for. I’ve been treated<br />

equal from Day 1. But, being a woman<br />

who works in construction is not like<br />

sitting at home, cooking and cleaning.<br />

It takes determination and willpower,”<br />

Ms. Morgan says. Raising two boys and<br />

a girl, she has certainly proved that it is<br />

possible. One of her sons, Brandon, now<br />

works for <strong>Barriere</strong> after returning from<br />

his tour of duty as a Marine in Operation<br />

Iraqi Freedom. “In the morning, I would<br />

call my daughter from work to make<br />

sure she was awake to make the bus on<br />

time. It’s tough coming home after work<br />

with young kids; feeding them, making<br />

sure they bathe, and then going to sleep<br />

before their bedtime. You never can let<br />

anybody get you down. You have to hold<br />

your head up high and be proud of what<br />

you do.”<br />

Ms. Morgan began working as a flagger<br />

for Mike Seal 16 years ago. Three<br />

years later, she was promoted to a<br />

groundsman for 5 years before eventually<br />

becoming an operator. She served as an<br />

operator, mostly on Danny Walker’s crew<br />

before his promotion to Superintendent,<br />

before her promotion to Foreman.<br />

“Everything I know about being a flagger,<br />

groundsman, and operator I learned<br />

from <strong>Barriere</strong> and the people I worked<br />

with along the way, especially James<br />

Easley. I’ve made a lot of good friends at<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> and have really enjoyed seeing<br />

things being built from the ground up.”<br />

During her time at <strong>Barriere</strong>, Ms. Morgan<br />

certainly has seen many employees<br />

come and go. “If I could give some<br />

advice to a new employee, I would tell<br />

them that you cannot always start at the<br />

ABOVE PEtEr WilSOn, Sr., cOnGrAtulAtES rEnEé MOrGAn On hEr PrOMOtiOn.<br />

top. Sometimes, you have to learn from<br />

the bottom and work your way to the<br />

top. It’s especially hard during the first<br />

6 months,” she says. “An employee who<br />

is going to succeed is somebody who is<br />

willing to jump into any situation to help,<br />

ask questions, and is easy going. You<br />

have to sit back and watch sometimes,<br />

but you also have to pull your weight<br />

when asked. A new employee who is not<br />

going to make it is somebody who is<br />

over-confident, attempts everything on<br />

their own, and never helps anybody<br />

else out.”<br />

There is no doubt Ms. Morgan has had<br />

to overcome her fair share of difficult<br />

times. “There have been times when I<br />

was on the back of a rubbertire backhoe<br />

in the freezing cold, driving down from<br />

one end of a job to the other, and all<br />

I wanted to do was go home and jump<br />

into the bathtub to thaw out. I felt like,<br />

no matter what, I couldn’t put enough<br />

jackets and layers on to keep warm.<br />

I couldn’t feel my fingers, ears, or toes,<br />

and thought they must have gone ahead<br />

and fallen off,” she says. “But, at the end<br />

of a long day like that, you just make it.<br />

Not everybody can do it, but, if you’re<br />

determined, you can make it.”<br />

Well, Ms. Morgan made it. She made<br />

it from Flagger to Groundsman,<br />

Groundsman to Operator, and,<br />

now, Operator to Foreman. While<br />

her promotion certainly marks the<br />

noteworthy occasion of the company’s<br />

first woman Foreman; perhaps the<br />

greater story is of her own determination<br />

and willpower to advance through the<br />

ranks of the company. Perhaps that is<br />

something we all can learn from.<br />

Please join us in congratulating<br />

Ms. Morgan on her promotion.<br />

1 3


f i e l d s u p e r v i s o r y t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m<br />

Motivation, Communication, and TAR Meetings are the Focus of the<br />

Second Session of <strong>Barriere</strong>’s Field Supervisory Training Program<br />

At the start of <strong>2012</strong>, <strong>Barriere</strong> reinstituted<br />

our Field Supervisory<br />

Training Program, which was designed<br />

for our Field Supervisors to actively<br />

participate in six learning modules—<br />

including the completion of case<br />

studies and even “homework” from<br />

time to time. The goals of the program<br />

are to address all key areas of<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong>’s operational effectiveness<br />

throughout the year, and to continue<br />

our investment in the company’s<br />

biggest asset—our talented and<br />

dedicated workforce.<br />

During the months of May and<br />

June, Supervisors from each<br />

division gathered to discuss the<br />

1 4<br />

topics of "Motivation” and<br />

“Communication”. In first<br />

segment of this session,<br />

motivation was defined as<br />

“the desire or drive of each<br />

individual to satisfy his or<br />

her own needs”. The group<br />

read a case study and<br />

shared numerous examples<br />

of personal stories of<br />

motivation. It was ultimately<br />

determined that, while all<br />

people are motivated by<br />

something, no Supervisor can motivate<br />

each member of their crew, because<br />

motivation is a desire that comes<br />

from within each individual. It was<br />

fascinating to listen to Supervisors of<br />

all levels—from Division President to<br />

Foreman—share their own sources of<br />

“Internal Motivation”, and to hear how<br />

their goals have changed throughout<br />

their careers.<br />

The second segment of the training<br />

session focused on “Active<br />

Communication”, and it is no secret<br />

that our Supervisors spend the<br />

majority of their day communicating<br />

with numerous different parties.<br />

Communication was defined as<br />

“the process of sending thoughts,<br />

instructions, or messages from one<br />

person or group to another, and<br />

guaranteeing understanding”. With<br />

safety, daily production goals, quality<br />

assurances, and planning ALL at the<br />

top of the priority list, it is not hard<br />

to imagine that the communication<br />

process quickly becomes extremely<br />

complicated. Even with the help of<br />

cell phones, e-mail, text messages,<br />

and radios, the ability to effectively<br />

communicate can never be taken for<br />

granted. Each person involved in the<br />

process has distinct responsibilities,<br />

and the only way to effectively<br />

by Chris Williams, Project Analyst<br />

communicate is if the sender, the<br />

message, and the receiver are all<br />

in tune.<br />

With Communication in mind, the<br />

group set out to identify and share a<br />

list of “best practices” for our daily<br />

TAR (Task Analysis Review) meetings.<br />

I had the opportunity to video—<br />

tape several <strong>Barriere</strong> Supervisors<br />

presenting their TAR meetings in the<br />

field, and then use those videos to<br />

share our “best practices” across<br />

divisions. Of all behaviors displayed<br />

in the videos, our Supervisors<br />

determined that, in every Daily<br />

Huddle Meeting, the most important<br />

contributions are made by the crew<br />

members. Increasing communication<br />

during these daily meetings enhances<br />

our safety behavior throughout the<br />

day, and we can only improve if we<br />

continue to raise any and all safety<br />

concerns as they arise. As <strong>Barriere</strong>’s<br />

first Core Value states, “We put the<br />

safety of our employees and the public<br />

first”, and these daily TAR meetings<br />

serve as every employee’s opportunity<br />

to prove their commitment.


s a v i n g f o r r e t i r e m e n t by Charlie Cassreino, CPA, Director of Tax<br />

I am sure that everyone has read or<br />

heard about the problems with the<br />

Social Security System. Many so-called<br />

experts believe that it is on life<br />

support and will<br />

not be there<br />

when most of<br />

the younger<br />

workers<br />

retire. Others<br />

think that it will<br />

survive, but that<br />

the benefits will be<br />

severely reduced.<br />

No matter what you<br />

think about social<br />

security, I think<br />

everyone would agree that it is not<br />

adequate to secure a comfortable<br />

retirement. Who wants to take on a<br />

job at Wal-Mart for minimum wage just<br />

because their only retirement income is<br />

Social Security?<br />

Fortunately, <strong>Barriere</strong> has a plan<br />

in place for its employees to save<br />

for retirement, with the help of the<br />

company and the government: the<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> <strong>Construction</strong> Co. 401(k)<br />

Savings Plan.<br />

The <strong>Barriere</strong> 401(k) plan allows its<br />

employees to save for retirement using<br />

before-tax dollars. What this means<br />

is that the money that you put in the<br />

plan, plus the earnings on your savings,<br />

are not taxed until you withdraw the<br />

money after you retire. For instance, if<br />

you decide to save $4,000 a year and<br />

you are paid weekly, $76.92 will be<br />

deducted from your weekly paycheck.<br />

Since this is done before taxes, your<br />

paycheck will only go down by $57.69<br />

if you are in the 25% tax bracket.<br />

In addition to the money you save,<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> matches 50 cents on the<br />

dollar, up to 8% of your compensation.<br />

For example, if you save $4,000 per<br />

year and you make $50,000, <strong>Barriere</strong><br />

will put $2,000 into your 401(k)<br />

account for you. This is free money,<br />

which you will not get if you don’t<br />

participate in the plan.<br />

Here are some examples of the money<br />

that you can accumulate in the 401(k)<br />

plan, assuming that you contribute<br />

$4,000 of your own money and <strong>Barriere</strong><br />

puts in $2,000 each year. I’ve assumed<br />

a 5% rate of return, which, over the<br />

long haul, is a conservative number.<br />

Years<br />

in Plan<br />

Your Contributions<br />

+ Earnings<br />

If you participate in the plan for 40<br />

years, even at this modest level,<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong> will have given you over a<br />

quarter of a million dollars. If one of<br />

the Wilsons offered you $250,000,<br />

would you turn him down? Combined<br />

with your savings, you will have<br />

over three-quarters of a million to<br />

supplement social security! Not a bad<br />

result for giving up $57.69 per week.<br />

Even if you are too old to expect to<br />

participate for 40 years, you can still<br />

accumulate a significant amount<br />

of money.<br />

I know saving is difficult when you are<br />

trying to pay today’s bills and you have<br />

kids to raise and educate. But I’m sure<br />

we can all find some things that can we<br />

can do without or stop wasting money<br />

on. You don’t need to find all of the<br />

money in one spot—just a dollar a day<br />

is $365 a year. Find another thing that<br />

saves $10 a month (Netflix or premium<br />

channel) and now you have another<br />

$120. Remember, if you want<br />

to save $4,000 a year (and get<br />

$2,000 free from the company),<br />

you only need to find $3,000 on your<br />

own, since the government helps with<br />

the taxes.<br />

Take it from me (I’m 63): when you<br />

get close to retirement, no matter how<br />

much you have saved, you will wish you<br />

had saved more. If you don’t save, you<br />

will be looking at retirement without the<br />

extra dollars to spend on the grandkids<br />

or just enjoying life.<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong><br />

Contributions<br />

+ Earnings<br />

Total<br />

20 $138,877.01 $69,438.50 $208,315.51<br />

30 $279,043.16 $139,521.58 $418,564.74<br />

40 $507,359.05 $253,679.53 $761,038.58<br />

1 5


t p r c r a n k s i t u p<br />

<strong>Barriere</strong>’s nationally recognized TPR (Total<br />

Process Reliability) program recently<br />

surveyed its customers: our foremen,<br />

superintendents, and project managers.<br />

The results have been collected by Ben<br />

Tucker and his team: Pat Klaman, Rick<br />

Crochet, Brett Todd, James Bradley, and<br />

Matt Zuvich. The Field Survey asked<br />

questions about Availability (service<br />

and equipment), Courtesy, Quality, and<br />

Effectiveness.<br />

We are pleased to report a 95% positive<br />

response from our TPR customers. Here<br />

are some of the comments from our folks:<br />

“The work has been done with good<br />

quality and a fast response time.”<br />

“I think Matt does a great job. You can<br />

get him on the phone and he will have<br />

the problem fixed in a timely manner<br />

without a lot of cost.”<br />

“The Maintenance Department works<br />

hard at getting problems solved.”<br />

Ben Tucker, <strong>Barriere</strong>’s Equipment Manager<br />

and TPR guru, is quick to point out that<br />

there is room for improvement and it is<br />

time to RE-INVIGORATE TPR!!!<br />

1 6<br />

Recently, Ben made a presentation to<br />

the Executive Committee at <strong>Barriere</strong>. He<br />

pointed out some of the strengths we<br />

gained from TPR:<br />

• Our people understand the value<br />

of the program; it has become part<br />

of our culture over the past ten<br />

(10) years.<br />

• Our equipment is cared for by<br />

our operators, and it shows. Our<br />

machinery uptime is improved, and<br />

we have fewer breakdowns.<br />

• Our production on construction<br />

and paving projects is greatly<br />

improved by using reliable<br />

equipment. Basically, Ben and his<br />

team have created a culture of<br />

caring, strong accountability, and<br />

lower equipment costs.<br />

Additionally, we can expect a “Go<br />

Forward Plan” in the works. We are<br />

developing a TPR support structure<br />

in Preventative Maintenance for<br />

superintendents and field engineers.<br />

Additionally, there will be a refinement<br />

of the PM process to become more proactive.<br />

Ben envisions a library of “One<br />

Point Lesson Plans” on small repairs.<br />

The TPR team is also looking at a<br />

Rewards and Recognition Program and<br />

by David Mayer, Vice President, Business Development<br />

an Operator Care and Development Guide<br />

and Certification.<br />

When all is said and done, <strong>Barriere</strong>’s<br />

TPR Program has set some remarkable<br />

records in Key Performance Indicators.<br />

Our equipment maintenance costs fall<br />

well below the national industry average.<br />

Our TPR team keeps us up and running,<br />

keeps us competitive, and brings safety<br />

and value to <strong>Barriere</strong> projects every day.


u p t h e l a d d e r<br />

p r o m o t i o n s<br />

North Shore Asphalt Division<br />

Theresa (Reneé) Morgan, Heavy<br />

Equipment Operator to Foreman<br />

David Watts, Heavy Equipment<br />

Operator to Foreman<br />

Justin White, Field Engineer to<br />

Estimator/Project Manager<br />

South Shore Asphalt Division<br />

Michael Lyons, Heavy<br />

Equipment Operator to Foreman<br />

Matthew Wilson, Sr. Field Engineer to<br />

Estimator/Project Manager<br />

Aaron Williams, Lt. Operator to<br />

Field Clerk<br />

Concrete Paving Division<br />

Stephen Abadie, Intern to<br />

Field Engineer<br />

General Administration<br />

Brian Cooney, Vice President/Chief<br />

Financial Officer to Executive Vice<br />

President - Finance & Administration<br />

David Mayer, Manager of Business<br />

Development to Vice President-<br />

Business Development<br />

Heath Wahden, Financial Controller to<br />

Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer<br />

n e w h i r e s<br />

North Shore Asphalt Division<br />

Kasie Creel, Craftsman I<br />

Stephen Jones, Craftsman II<br />

Charles Armstrong, Craftsman III<br />

Jamie Crain, Craftsman III<br />

Tyler Jones, Craftsman III<br />

Cleotha Martin, III, Craftsman III<br />

Joseph Miller, Craftsman III<br />

Lucien Wicker, Jr., Craftsman III<br />

Michael Wilkins, Craftsman III<br />

Edward Harris, Lt. Operator<br />

Robert Stafford, Lt. Operator<br />

Douglas Coates, Operator I<br />

Justin Cleland, Lt. Operator II<br />

Ralph Thomas, Plant Groundsman III<br />

Heavy Civil <strong>Construction</strong> Division<br />

Gerardo Duron, Carpenter III<br />

Brian Young, Carpenter III<br />

Michael Balfour, Estimator<br />

Jacob Roberts, Field Engineer<br />

dOuBlE rAinBOW in FrAnKlintOn<br />

South Shore Asphalt Division<br />

Rashaad Jones, Craftsman III<br />

Allison Khodra, Craftsman III<br />

Gary Banks, Field Engineer<br />

Jonah Brown, Field Engineer<br />

Matthew Gibson, Operator I<br />

Benjamin Beverly, Operator II<br />

Albert Sims, III, Operator II<br />

Edward Tyson, Operator II<br />

Jesse Robinson, Jr., Surveyor Helper<br />

Jerry Tanner, Loader Operator I<br />

Concrete Paving Division<br />

Timothy Briscoe, III, Cement Finisher II<br />

Robert Palmer, Cement Finisher II<br />

Pernell Joseph, Cement Finisher III<br />

Kerry Lawless, Cement Finisher III<br />

Devon Nelson, Cement Finisher III<br />

Byron James, Craftsman II<br />

Shon Lucien, Craftsman III<br />

Alex Tatum, Craftsman III<br />

William Rhodes, Craftsman III<br />

by Toni Talluto, Human Resources Manager<br />

1 7


e v e r y d a y i s a n e w s t a r t<br />

Every day is different, so we should never<br />

start a safety meeting by saying, “it’s the<br />

same thing we did yesterday”. Are things<br />

exactly the same as they were yesterday?<br />

Even when our tasks remain the same<br />

on the jobsite, the conditions around<br />

us change constantly. Perhaps we are<br />

approaching a high traffic intersection,<br />

an overhead power line, a school zone…<br />

maybe it rained, perhaps someone didn’t<br />

show up for work today, or a new crew or<br />

subcontractor has started to work on the<br />

project, creating more work zone traffic.<br />

That is why, when it comes to safety,<br />

every day is a new challenge.<br />

A long record of success can end quickly<br />

when we become complacent. Some of<br />

our tasks are repetitive, so we get a false<br />

sense of security. We begin to believe that,<br />

if something has not happened to us, it<br />

never will, rather than acknowledge that, if<br />

the wrong things happen at just the right<br />

time, an incident will usually occur.<br />

Often on long-duration jobs, we start with<br />

a strong sense of safety because it is a<br />

new setting and we have a high sense of<br />

awareness. Once we become comfortable<br />

with the location and the crews we are<br />

working with, we drop our guard. This is<br />

usually when incidents occur. After an<br />

incident occurs, it raises our awareness<br />

and we take specific action to prevent<br />

it from recurring. This roller coaster will<br />

repeat itself until we stop and look at<br />

every situation.<br />

1 8<br />

The Situation How to Prevent an Incident<br />

You’re performing a<br />

task you’ve performed<br />

“hundreds of times.”<br />

You do not expect<br />

anything to happen or you<br />

are doing something you<br />

think is easy.<br />

You are thinking or<br />

worrying about something<br />

outside of work.<br />

Something distracts you.<br />

EVERY situation.<br />

Distractions at Work<br />

Look around for anything<br />

unusual or what might<br />

have changed.<br />

Perform the task one<br />

step at a time.<br />

Clear your mind while at work.<br />

Off the job, try to address<br />

the problem.<br />

Finish or stop your task. Secure<br />

equipment as needed. Then turn<br />

your attention to the distraction.<br />

Make sure all safety measures<br />

are in place and properly<br />

adjusted. Look ahead.<br />

Sometimes, we have personal problems<br />

that occur outside of work. When your<br />

focus is on personal problems instead<br />

of the task, you can overlook a hazard<br />

that can lead to an incident or injury.<br />

The problem could be financial, or a<br />

disagreement with a friend or significant<br />

other. We have frequently seen an increase<br />

in incidents after major weather events.<br />

Our minds may be elsewhere, such as<br />

lack of power to our homes; our property/<br />

homes may be damaged; or we may have<br />

even been displaced from our homes.<br />

If you feel that you are distracted and need<br />

to regain your focus, try the following tips:<br />

• Accept the fact that you can’t solve<br />

the situation that is distracting you<br />

immediately, and clear your mind until<br />

you have the time to resolve it.<br />

by Paul Albrecht, Field Safety Supervisor<br />

• During a break, you can talk about<br />

what’s troubling you with a friend.<br />

• Clear your head. Take a minute to walk<br />

away, stretch, or grab a drink of water.<br />

Don’t Lose Focus<br />

Staying tuned into the risks present on the<br />

jobsite is key to staying safe, day-in and<br />

day-out. Many incidents occur when we get<br />

complacent or too comfortable with our<br />

routines. Bottom Line: We can’t see into<br />

the future, so we don’t know exactly when<br />

an incident will occur. Otherwise, we would<br />

all have won the Powerball by now. What<br />

we do know, though, is that when we let<br />

our guard down, there are enough hazards<br />

in a construction work zone that we are<br />

increasing our odds of being injured.<br />

One thing is certain—we always want to<br />

conduct a thorough TAR, cover all hazards<br />

to be encountered with our work, and<br />

explain how we are going to mitigate these<br />

hazards. We want to communicate this<br />

information in a manner that everyone<br />

will understand. It is important that all<br />

employees participate during the TAR,<br />

because the employees that conduct<br />

the work every day have the most to<br />

contribute. We want everyone to stay<br />

focused. Our work is very important, and<br />

so are our employees. Please help to keep<br />

everyone alert and focused, so that they<br />

can return home safely each day.


a u g u s t s a f e t y r e w a r d s<br />

As you all know, last year, <strong>Barriere</strong><br />

created the Safety Recognition and<br />

Rewards Program, to acknowledge and<br />

reward our field employees for positive<br />

safety behavior. This Program, which<br />

is monitored by the Safety Committee,<br />

was instituted to continually educate<br />

our employees, and to ensure that our<br />

workforce stays up to date on all of the<br />

proper safety-related work practices.<br />

This Program also serves as a way<br />

for <strong>Barriere</strong> to reward our employees<br />

for promoting safety, by identifying<br />

leading indicators in the field. Leading<br />

indicators are preventative measures<br />

that can help predict the likelihood of<br />

an event before it occurs. Basically,<br />

the earlier we can identify a potential<br />

safety hazard, the greater chance we<br />

have of avoiding a serious accident in<br />

the future.<br />

Since we last reported the list of<br />

recipients this spring, Field<br />

Supervisors and the Safety Committee<br />

issued $6,700 in gift cards to 51<br />

employees who displayed exemplary<br />

safety behavior.<br />

We would like to congratulate and<br />

thank the following employees for their<br />

continued dedication to safety:<br />

c o m p l i m e n t s o n h i g h w a y 10 8 2<br />

Letter from Arthur R. Pittari to Jason Latiolais<br />

Dear Jason,<br />

As I told you yesterday during our<br />

telecon, I compliment <strong>Barriere</strong><br />

<strong>Construction</strong> for the outstanding<br />

performance of the 1082 Project.<br />

All phases of work were performed in an<br />

organized and expedient manner. The<br />

finished product is beyond excellent.<br />

Traffic control was the best I have<br />

ever experienced.<br />

Earl Bacchus, Jr.*, Austin<br />

Bass, Ryan Betz, Brandon<br />

Beverly, Michael Bittner,<br />

Randell Brock, Connie<br />

Brown, Andre Callais,<br />

Edward Cook*, John<br />

Dantagnan, III, Roland<br />

Darby*, Brian Davis*,<br />

Patrick Dyson, Matt Fitzner,<br />

Jason Forest, Jerome<br />

Fortune*, Ron Franklin,<br />

James Fulton, Jr., Christian<br />

Garrison, Roshaun Gilmore,<br />

Michael Griffin, Heath<br />

Huff, Blaise Isidore, Willie<br />

Jackson, Lakeisha Johnson,<br />

Edwin Johnson, Sr., Melvin<br />

Jones, Josh Kennedy,<br />

Allison Khodra, Elizabeth<br />

LaFrance, Abe LeBlanc, Roland Lockett,<br />

Jerome Lyons*, Kim Madison, Cesar<br />

Madrid*, Joseph Marceaux, Dale<br />

Mattingly, Wilson Morehead, Steve<br />

Navarre, Ronald Norton, Malcom<br />

Peters*, Walter Sharpe, Reynard Simon,<br />

Jr., William Smith, Howard Tate, Aaron<br />

Turner, Leroy Ussin, Eddie Veal, Andrew<br />

Warihay, Johnny Weber, Roosevelt<br />

White*, Nate Williams, John Wilson*,<br />

and Edmond Zeringue’s Crew.<br />

*Awarded Additional Funds<br />

I have been in the fields of commercial,<br />

marine, and industrial construction<br />

for over fifty years. During that time,<br />

I have worked on many projects on<br />

which <strong>Barriere</strong> was also working. Your<br />

equipment, personnel, performance of<br />

the work, and the finished product has<br />

always been of the highest quality.<br />

Highway 1082, “Old Military Road”, is<br />

a Louisiana Scenic Highway. I live four<br />

miles beyond the north end of it. That<br />

means I travel the full length of it almost<br />

daily. The rolling hills, pastures, and<br />

forest along its length make it a very<br />

enjoyable ride. Your roadwork enhances<br />

that experience.<br />

Please let everyone involved with this<br />

project know that their work has not gone<br />

unnoticed. It is greatly appreciated!<br />

Arthur R. Pittari<br />

House Creek Road<br />

Bush, LA<br />

by Chris Williams, Project Analyst<br />

Thank you for your efforts to keep<br />

yourself, your co-workers, and the<br />

public safe. As we did earlier this<br />

year, all award recipients in <strong>2012</strong> will<br />

be entered into a raffle at next year’s<br />

company picnic for a chance to win<br />

a prize.<br />

1 9


B<br />

b a r r i e r e<br />

c o n s t r u c t i o n<br />

1 GAllEriA BlVd., StE. 1650, MEtAiriE lA 70001-7595<br />

WWW.BArriErE.cOM<br />

hAlliE KinlEr lOVEd hEr Shirt<br />

And hAt; ShE WOrE it All OVEr<br />

thE zOO.<br />

S E E P H O T O S F RO M T H E S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H E X T R AVA G A N Z A I N S I D E

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