GBRIA presents 2008 Contractor Safety Excellence Awards

The Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance Inc. recently announced the winners of its 2008 Contractor Safety Excellence Awards. The awards were presented at a banquet held Oct. 16 at the Marriott Hotel in Baton Rouge, La.

Approximately 400 guests attended the event.

The awards program was established in 1996 under the leadership of Hal G. Ginn, plant manager of DSM Copolymer, in an effort to recognize excellent safety performance by contractors working in industrial facilities. Ginn played an instrumental role as the chair of GBRIA in raising safety standards and expectations.

The winning companies each year have demonstrated a level of safety excellence that includes thousands and millions of hours worked without injury, a commitment by management to educate workers and a culture where accidents do not happen.

The following companies were announced as GBRIA's 2008 winners:

In the category of Manufacturing and Industrial Building Construction and Maintenance General Contractors, First Place awards were presented to PALA Interstate LLC and Excel Contractors Inc. in the small and medium contractor category, and Shaw Maintenance Inc. was awarded First Place in the large contractor category.

In the medium contractor category, the Honorable Mention award was presented to Performance Contractors Inc. and Recognition awards were presented to Performance Contractors Inc. and Cajun Constructors Inc. BE&K Construction Company, Jacobs Engineering and Turner Industries Group LLC were awarded Recognition awards in the large contractor category.

In the category of Construction and Maintenance Specialty Trade Contractors, Midwest Cooling Tower Services Inc. was awarded First Place in the small contractor category. A tie for First Place was awarded to AbClean Inc. and Webb, Murray & Associates Inc. in the medium contractor category.

Recognition awards were presented to Petrin Corp., Protherm Services Group Inc., and Westgate LLC in the medium contractor category. In the large category Industrial Specialty Contractors LLC took First Place. Honorable Mention awards in the large contractor category were given to Basic Industries Inc., Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services and United Scaffolding Inc. HydroChem Industrial Services and Johnson Controls Inc. were given Recognition awards in the large contractor category.

In the category of Technical Support Contractors, the First Place award was presented to Capital Ultrasonics LLC in the small contractor category and John L. Lowery & Associates Inc. was given a Recognition award. In the medium category there was a tie for First Place with Ford, Bacon and Davis LLC and Veolia Water NA. In the large contractor category, SGS North America Inc., OGC was awarded First Place and SGS Petroleum Services Corp. was given the Recognition award.

In the Most Improved Safety Performance category, Webb, Murray & Associates Inc. was awarded First Place in the small contractor category and Capital Ultrasonics LLC and United Scoffolding Inc. were given Recognition awards. In the large contractor category, Basic Industries Inc. was awarded First Place and Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services was given the Recognition award.

The top award, the "2008 Hal G. Ginn Safety Excellence Award," was earned by AbClean Inc. for the best overall performance.

Louisiana Chapter AIA gives design awards at conference

The Louisiana chapter of the American Institute of Architects presented its 2008 design awards at its Design Conference Honors Luncheon in New Orleans on Oct. 20. The following architectural firms won honor and merit awards:

The Baton Rouge firm of Grace & Hebert Architects received an Honor Award for its design of the Iberville Parish Veterans Memorial.

The Hammond firm of Holly and Smith Architects won an Honor Award for its design of the North Oaks Medical Rehabilitation Center renovation and additions.

The New Orleans firms of Wayne Troyer Architects; Frederick Schwartz, Architect; Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Architects; and Waggonner & Ball Architects, in collaboration with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, won an Honor Award and also the Member's Choice Award for The Rebuild Center.

Eskew+Dumez+Ripple also won an Honor Award for the Outdoor Center. The 5,200-sq-ft Outdoor Center pavilion provides restroom facilities, a covered gathering area and serves as the informational center for Chattanooga's bio-reclamation site - Renaissance Park.

An Honor Award for design of Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP) was presented to the team of Wayne Troyer Architects; Frederick Schwartz, Architect; and Eskew+Dumez+Ripple.

The Baton Rouge firm of Trahan Architects won an Award of Merit for its design of the Church of Highlands and NK Boutique Retail Counter.

A total of 58 design projects by architects throughout Louisiana were entered.

Construction breaks ground on LSU Student Union Theater

New Orleans-based firm HMS Architects have redesigned the highly anticipated, state-of-the-art Louisiana State University Union Theatre, which recently broke ground.

The start of construction for this 1,300-seat theater has generated high expectations for everyone who appreciates the arts and architectural design.

Originally constructed in 1965, the LSU Student Union Theater renovation will include redesigned seating, new side box seating areas, and most importantly, upgrading the audio system to provide greater quality acoustics and sound.

Modern-style, multi-story lobbies and circulation spaces are being added to give the audience a feeling of anticipation of a wondrous musical experience yet to come. An abundance of creature comforts are reflected in pre-function spaces and new dressing rooms for cast members.