April 2012 - Gilchrist Construction Company, LLC

April 2012
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
The Role of Synchro at GCC
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Gilchrist Family Day
Health Tracks
IN EVERY ISSUE
Jobsite Updates
Service Anniversaries
Employee News
As our organization strives to be the
Leader in Safety, Quality, Innovation,
and Efficiency, we are excited
to introduce the integration of a cutting
edge technology, Synchro, into
our existing planning and scheduling
processes. Synchro offers a 4D solution
for project production planning,
scheduling, resource management,
and comprehensive virtual 4D construction
simulation. It allows management
of a 3D model in time; enabling
us to visualize how phases of
construction operations will occur.
Synchro can be used in the construction
of large-scale, complex projects
including infrastructure work.
We recently purchased the tool and
assembled an internal team of project
engineering and planning folks to
begin implementing its use with our
current and upcoming projects. Synchro
will allow us to better support
our project teams and partners by
allowing us to explore options, manage
solutions, and optimize results
through visualization.
Shane Carter, VP
Construction Group Manager
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST
The Role of Synchro at GCC
Focus on Education
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency

Jobsite Updates
1099 US 90 Frontage Road
On February 22, 2012, Governor Bobby Jindal
was on site to mark the completion of a $5.4
million I-49 South project that consisted of the
construction of 2.75 miles of frontage roads
along U.S. 90 from La. 83 to Darnall Road.
Governor Jindal said, "The completion of this
project is a big step in our effort to complete I-
49 South, make our roads safer for our families
and make this region more attractive to companies
who want to invest and create jobs for our
people."
The project was completed in January, 2011. However, DOTD issued a change order to move a 150
year old Live Oak tree named “Mr. Al” from its original location to the interchange of US 90 and La 83,
which was a project constructed by GCC in 2005. Working along with our subcontractor, Environmental
Design, Inc., this massive move was successfully accomplished in May, 2011. Special trailers were
brought in to move this 800,000 pound payload approximately 1 mile down Hwy 90. During the move,
Hwy 90 was closed down completely in both directions and traffic was detoured to La 182. This was a
highly published event and spectators lined the frontage roads with lawn chairs and cameras to see this
extraordinary event; the first of its kind in this part of the country. Environmental Design, who also was
the contractor to install all landscaping and trees at the 911 Memorial in New York, says this is the largest
live oak tree their firm has ever moved. As of today, Mr. Al is approaching his 1 year anniversary at
his new address and is thriving.
After Mr. Al was relocated, another change order was issued to close in a coulee and construct the roadway
over the closure. Once the closure of the coulee was complete, it allowed the remainder of the contract
items to be completed. A huge thank you to ALL Teams and ALL Support that were a part of this
successful project. YOU are Gilchrist Construction
and it’s a great feeling to look back
and see what we have accomplished together,
as a team.
Clay Juneau, VP
Construction Group Manager
1134 Frenchtown Road to Greenwell Springs
Gilchrist Construction was awarded this contract in
July 2011, and started construction on November
11 th . This project is a concrete paved roadway with
under drainage. There is over 34,000 square yards
of base work, 32,000 square yards of concrete paving
and 2300 feet of drainage. We are currently finished
with main line paving and working on completing
the turning lanes and shoulders. This project
has 140 calendar days to complete it and we are
right on track to finish within those days. To all that
have been a part of this project to-date and in the
upcoming days, Thank You.
Adam Breaux, Project Coordinator
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency

Jobsite Updates
1111 I-20 Monroe
The I-20 project in Monroe is complete! This was a challenging project due to
the time constraint, 7 am – 7 pm work hours; traffic count; and lane closure restrictions.
We paved SMA during the winter months with over a 100 mile
haul. The I-20 project team would like to thank everyone for their help and support
in completing this job.
Leanne Bagley, Project Manager
1140 Bayou Rigolette Emergency Bridge Replacement
Ribbon cutting for Bayou Rigolette Emergency Bridge Replacement
was held March 12, 2012. Those in attendance were Mayor Clarence
Fields of Pineville, members of the Rapides Parish Police Jury and
Chamber of Commerce, as well as several local residents. Construction
began in October 2011 and finished March 2012. The project consisted
of removal of the existing bridge which burnt March of 2011,
constructing a 275' 11 span pre-cast bridge, 3500 cu/yds of embankment
and 273 tons of asphalt. Through the addition of two change orders, we added approximately
41,000 dollars worth of revenue to the project bringing it from 830,000 to 871,000. Those key to the
project were Jerry Burnaman, who's crew drove all the piles and built the bridge, Bert Dauzat and Phillip
Dauzat, who's crew placed embankment, Jimmy Lachney, who's crew laid the asphalt, and Tina
Huffman who was the project accountant. Special thanks to the Equipment/Transportation division
for making equipment moves/hauls in a timely manner.
Davis Bordelon, Project Coordinator
1141 Patterson Slough to Morman Slough Bridges and Approaches
Job 1141 is located in Starks, Louisiana near the Texas State line.
Construction consists of building one mile of detour road and four
temporary detour bridges. Traffic will be relocated onto the detours
and the four existing concrete bridges on La State Hwy 12 will be
replaced. Estimated cost of the project is $10,289,000. Project
start date is March 1, 2102 and completion is expected September
2013.
Alsey Lachney,III Project Manager
1144 La 107 Ruby Wise Elementary/Pine Grove Drive
We began Job 1144 the last week of January. As of mid-March, we
have completed Site 1 and are roughly 50% complete with Site 2. Brent
Ducote’s base crew was able to battle through a wet February and complete
all the base work on the project. Our milling crew has completed all
the cold planning on the project, and Jimmy Lachney’s team has laid all
the binder course on Site 2. Ride data for the binder course indicates
great IRI numbers. We are now gearing up to start our wearing course
operation, and the project completion date is set for April 20 th . Thanks to all the site crews, support
teams, and sub-contractors who have made the project a success thus far.
Justin Gaspard, Project Manager
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency

Gilchrist Family Day
FAMILY FUN!
Food
Prizes
Games
Entertainment
Bring the whole family and enjoy a
fun-filled day.
Location: Corporate Office in Alexandria
Central Louisiana Family Health & Wellness Center
Wellness Coaching Available to All GCC Employees
GCC employees not covered under our company group health insurance plan are now eligible for
wellness coaching at the Central Louisiana Family Health and Wellness Center (our clinic). Appointments
may be scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday mornings between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and
12:00 noon by contacting our Wellness Coach, Amy Sonnier at 318.441.2220.
What is Wellness Coaching? Some of the many reasons why employees work with wellness
coaches are to get in shape, lose weight, reduce stress, quit smoking, and create balance in their
lives. Health and wellness coaches assist individuals with current health problems as well as preventing
future health issues. Health and wellness coaching motivates, guides, and supports employees
in order to reach sustainable behavioral changes by offering creative solutions to your problems.
Employees are eligible to earn 30 reward points for an initial wellness visit and 15 points for follow
up visits. Check it out at https://mygcc.gilchristconstruction.com/?action=wellness/
wellness_rewards. Rewards points may be cashed in for great prizes including gift cards, iPod
touch, Xbox Kinect, Wii, Elliptical machine and many more!
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency

Health Tracks Gym Drive
A Gym Membership Drive was
held to encourage employees
to join a gym and get healthy!
Although the drive is over, you
will still be able to join the gyms
at these rates but you may not
get the enrollment fee and key
fee waived at all of them.
Don’t miss this opportunity to
rack up on Health Tracks
points! (30 points for being a
member and a possible 10
points per month after that)
Here are a few things you
should think about to decide
which gym is best for you.
1. Location, location, locat
i o n ! ! — i s t h e c l u b
nearby? The fitness club you
are looking at may be fabulous,
but if it isn’t conveniently located,
you won’t go regularly.
2. What type of fitness
classes and programs does
the club offer? If this is something
you are interested in, look
into the variety of classes and
programs offered.
3. Does your workout
schedule coincide with the
club’s hours:? Visit the club a
few times during the hours that
you intend to use it to see how
busy it is. Make sure the machines and classes you like are available.
4. Is the fitness staff easily accessible and what type of support do they offer? Find a club
where the trainers will approach members who look like they may need help using the machines or
perfecting their form.
5. Does the club maintain good customer service policies? Staff members should have answers
to your inquiries and be able to handle special requests, such as guest passes, placing a membership
on hold during a long term illness.
6. Do you feel comfortable in a crowd? Pay attention to the people using the club. Are they similar
to you in terms of age, fitness, and attire? You will feel more at ease and are more likely to stick
with your fitness plan if there is a very diverse crowd around you or if most people are like you.
7. Does the club’s overall environment appeal to you? Clubs that provide an atmosphere where
you can meet new friends, learn about wellness, and experience new trends in health and fitness
will keep you coming back.
8. Does the club provide childcare? For an extra charge, more and more fitness clubs are offering
babysitting services or supervised kid areas. This will eliminate some of our excuses!
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency

Health Tracks Smart Portions
Starting in January, we had our 3 rd Health Tracks challenge, called Smart
Portions. It was a 6 week challenge. We met weekly to discuss and learn
various nutrition and physical activity information. Mrs. Quincy Cheek, Nutrition
Agent from the LSU AgCenter, did an outstanding job teaching and presenting
the information. It was a fun and interactive program.
During our Smart Portions program we also had a Smart Loser competition.
It was based on the percentage of weight lost during the 6 weeks, and the
percentage of total inches lost. Each week we had a winner and at the end
we had an overall winner. All of the participants did an amazing job. We are
so proud of each of you. Congrats to everyone for your amazing participation and enthusiasm
throughout this challenge. We hope you all had as much fun as we did planning it, and took away
with you some valuable information.
I am very pleased to announce our winners. They each won a gift certificate to their gym of choice.
1 st place — Curnest Guillot ($150 to gym of choice)
2 nd place — Mark Dubea ($90 to gym of choice)
3 rd place — Denise Winn ($90 to gym of choice)
Thank you to everyone who participated in this program and also those of you who have participated
and continue to participate in the various Health Tracks programs. Together we are building a
healthier organization!
Amy Juneau Sonnier, Wellness Coach
Health Tracks Lunch & Learn
On February 28, a 7:00 a.m. “breakfast & learn” was held at the Asphalt Plant. The guest speaker,
Shawntell Harrell from Southern University AgCenter, spoke on the “dangers of tobacco use.” We
all at least know someone that uses tobacco and this was a great opportunity to learn more about
what it is doing to us. Everyone in attendance earned 25 Health Tracks points.
Scott Cochran, Director CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital Louisiana Athletic Club, was our
guest speaker at the March 22nd “lunch & learn”. He discussed the benefits of exercise and how to
easily incorporate it into our daily life.
25 Health Tracks points are awarded for each event attended.. Stay tuned for future “Lunch &
Learns.”
Important Dates to Remember
Gilchrist Family Day — April 28, 2012
March of Dimes March for Babies — April 28, 2012
Alexandria Museum of Art
Second Annual Louisiana Dragon Boat Race — May 12, 2012
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency

Spotlight on GCC Employees
Congratulations to Ismael Martinez on earning his welding certificate!
Ismael is a graduate of our first CTC class at Glenmora High School (class of
2009). He has been employed with Gilchrist Construction Company since June
of 2009.
Congratulations to Alan Sykes, Jeremy LaPrairie, and Phyllis Fontenot for having successfully
completed the 280 hour Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program facilitated by the Alexandriabased
Louisiana Technical College. This training includes the following:
Heavy Equipment Operations through NCCER Levels 1, 2, & 3
CAT Backhoe Loader
CAT Bulldozer
CAT Hydraulic Excavator
CAT Skid Steer Loader
CAT Mini Excavator
Successful completion of this course earns these employees CAT Level 2 Certification.
Focus on Education
Forklift Training
Grant High School CTC Class gets a taste of harness safety
Career Day at Glenmora
Donald Lacombe, of GCC’s Organizational Development
Department, answers questions from seventh grade pupils
about what type of training they would need to pursue in
school in order to work in the construction industry during
Career Day at Glenmora High and Middle schools.
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency

Service Anniversary Milestones
3 0
Y E A R S
January
Paul Marzett
2 0
Y E A R S
January
Greg Branch
March
Ronnie Ardoin
1 5
Y E A R S
January
Robert Quinney
January
February
March
5
Y E A R S
Brittany Gilchrist
Vernita Montgomery
Joseph Ott
Charlie Reynolds
Michael VanDyke
Valerie Aymond
Keenan Ebey
Farron Gourdon
Lance Pitre
Jessie Williams
Charles Sonnier
Employee News
Melissa & Jeremy Mott—son—Jace Murvin—January 23, 2012
Leading the way in Safety, Quality, Innovation, and Efficiency