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Weekly UpdatesHow many engineering companies can you name that have their work stamped on a U.S. coin?
Give up? The answer is two.
In 2005, the corporation of Michael Baker Jr. Inc. was selected to have its design of a bridge minted on a commemorative quarter of West Virginia. The other structure to be depicted on a coin is the famous Gateway Arch portrayed on the Missouri quarter.
"Not many businesses can say that they have their work displayed on any money," said Executive Vice President and CEO David Greenwood, from its Michael Baker headquarters in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon Township, Pa. "We're very proud that they (West Virginia) chose to honor our company with such a prestigious place in history."
Greenwood has 35 years invested with the engineering firm.
The bridge that graces the commemorative 25 cent collector's item is not just your ordinary everyday run-of-the-mill structure. The New River Gorge Bridge is the second highest of its kind in the U.S., which stands at 875 feet above water level. It is also the second longest steel arch span in the world at 1,700 feet.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
The engineering firm, founded by his namesake, Michael Baker Jr. Inc., in 1940 in Rochester, Pa., is in its seventh decade of business and is celebrating its 65th anniversary of operating in Alaska.
The national company also can be equally proud of its accomplishments, roots and feats in the 49th state.
"Baker men and women logged more than 3.2 million manhours of work on the design and construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline system, said Jeff Baker, P.E., (no relation), assistant vice president for Alaska operations. "We designed the pipeline, roads, pump stations, airstrips and pipeline bridges. We have continued to work with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. on the pipeline maintenance and repair projects."
"Baker is proud of its accomplishments in the development of Alaska," Baker said.
The company designed the Fairbanks International Airport nearly 60 years ago and it also designed and engineered the Tok Road in 1959.
The company's handprints also can be seen as part of the survey, design, construction management, and quality-control inspection from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay Highway (now the Dalton Highway). Using 30 million yards of gravel and fill, the road was constructed in 154 days. It was the first all-weather road along the oil pipeline and was critical in its construction.
"Some of the same businesses and entities that started with us from the beginning still remain our loyal customers," continued Greenwood. "I think that is part of the key to our longevity. And that also speaks well of our company."
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Shemya, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Fairbanks, Mile 26 (Eielson), Galena and the Nome are areas of the state where Baker engineers have left their Alaska footprints. Many of these sites are where roads and airfields were built to support World War II.
"Our company was awarded the pipeline and Arctic civil engineering services contract in 1995 for the Alpine oil fields near the Colville River Delta on the North Slope," Baker said. In 2000, oil began flowing through the Alpine pipelines.
TODAY IN ALASKA
The Alaska office has a work force of 25 and two in its energy department.
"Our people have unique skills in Alaska," said Baker, who is nearing his sixth year with the company. "We focus on designing pipelines on the North Slope as well as other areas of the state. Another project is the Cosmopolitan Development on the Kenai Peninsula for Pioneer Natural Resources. Within the company, the Anchorage office is considered the pipeline center of excellence."
Michael Baker is a recognized leader in bridge design, inspection, training, and software development. Its employees have designed and inspected bridges of all types and sizes for clients across the nation and around the world. Baker is also a recognized leader in cold regions engineering. Alaska engineers have worked on several greenfield pipeline projects in Russia and Alaska, including the Ardalin Pipeline in the Komi Republic of Russia, Sakhalin Island, and proposed projects to transport natural gas from the North Slope.
"Services in Alaska go beyond pipeline engineering," Baker said. "Our other areas of Alaska expertise are cold region hydraulics and hydrology as well as geo-technical engineering and GIS. Part of the Alpine project consisted of a detailed 2-dimensional surface water model of the Colville River Delta. We continued to use this model to support projects in the area."
IMPRESSIVE RESUME
The company has been honored with national safety awards for three consecutive years, as well as an award-winning horizontal directional (HDD) Colville River crossing--first arctic HDD crossing-esign, engineering, construction management and module support. "Michael Baker has a long history of strong ties with the military," Greenwood said. "We have been providing transportation needs for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bagram Airfield, and Kabul Consolidated Compound."
The corporation is an engineering and energy-management firm established in 1940, near Pittsburgh, Pa. It was initially a small government subcontractor, but has grown into an international company in the past half century.
ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE
The East Coast-based firm, which has 40 offices and employs nearly 4,900 workers worldwide, offers a plethora of services under its large engineering umbrella. As an architectural company, it designs buildings and assesses construction of facilities for private individuals or corporations. The firm also designs electrical systems and fire prevention systems, and it studies spacial relations, surveys properties, and determines the feasibility of construction plans. Baker also specializes in mechanical engineering, which is useful in the redesign or remodeling of older structures.
The company also provides civil engineering to various government departments, ranging from designing water pipelines for communities to mining operations for companies to high-tech equipment for the U.S. military. Engineers at Baker also design highways, railroads and airports.
The corporation's energy-related services generally involve resource and employee management. However, the company also engineers pipelines and rigging equipment for oil companies.
One arm of Michael Baker Jr. Inc. is dedicated to environmental concerns. The company offers air- and water-quality controls, environmental safety analysis, contamination analysis and other general environmental studies.
The corporation's energy-related services generally involve the operation and maintenance of oil and gas production facilities domestically and internationally. The group is also supporting exploration programs on the North Slope for Brooks Range Petroleum.
No one can be certain what the long-term future may hold for Michael Baker Jr. Inc. Judging from its long history, reputation and record, it looks bright. But that is the other side of the coin.
BY BEN GRENN
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
FEED