US Army Corps Of Engineers Awards Ryba Marine Construction Co. Contractor of the Year
02/11
A Cheboygan, Michigan marine construction company was recently honored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a job completed on a Lake Superior harbor.
Ryba Marine Construction Co. was awarded the Civil Works Construction Contractor of the Year for 2002, and just recently received . Several companies were nominated from the immense Great Lakes & Ohio River Division for this award, but Ryba Marine was chosen because of the outstanding work Ryba did repairing the East and West Pier at Ontonagon Harbor, Michigan.
According to Alvin Klein, an administrative contracting officer for the Corps, Ryba's overall work was "outstanding."
He noted occasions where Ryba workers found deficiencies in the existing structure, notified authorities and corrected them in a timely manner, and another incident where a Ryba worker discovered a "bad weld" on some of the fabricated steel which made up the breakwall into Lake Superior.
"This ultimately resulted in all welds on the fabricated steel being re-welded," said Klein.
Despite some of the difficulties workers faced with this project, it was finished six months ahead of schedule.
The Ontonagon Harbor was in serious disrepair after years of beating in Lake Superior storms. Ryba President Tom Morrish said that the existing sheet piling that lined the harbor's breakwall was failing.
Klein noted that work on the harbor included removal of existing sheet piling with support steel, removal of timber crib structures, removal and replacement of existing tie-rods, construction of a rubblemound breakwater and relocating of the existing stone.
Ryba workers also installed a U.S. Coast Guard navigation light.
Klein credited Ryba workers for an "outstanding" performance for both safety and timeliness. In his nomination for Contractor of the Year, he stated "The contractor and all personnel were outstanding to work with on this project..."
He said that any and all issues, questions or disputes were brought to the attention of the appropriate parties.
"All were resolved in a highly professional, timely and courteous manner. All employees involved in this project were highly skilled, conscientious and safety minded, resulting in a high quality project brought to completion ahead of schedule and on budget."
Morrish said that Ryba employs about 40 people during the summer season, most of whom are from the Cheboygan area.
"We have exceptionally high-quality personnel who know the importance of completing a project on time and within budget," said Morrish. "Out employees are our most valuable resource."
He noted that the following people played a special role in making this project happen: Project managers Ralph Farver II and Zachary Morrish, project superintendent Jeff Armstrong and project foreman Jason Wait.
"We are most appreciative of this recognition and honor bestowed on this company," said Tom Morrish. "The cooperation on the part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Duluth Area Office was exemplary. The degree of success would have been difficult to achieve without the Corps help. The project was destined to succeed when everyone was willing to work together," he finished.
Ryba Marine has developed into a full service Marine Company that has been operating for more than 20 years, said Tom Morrish.
"We work on the entire Great Lakes basin and are now capable of doing everything marine based from transportation, design, pile driving, barging, and foundations," he explained. "People don't' realize what a large company we are. Although we employ a small number of people, we are one of the largest marine contractors in the great lakes region."
The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division coverage includes all of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and portions of Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Reported by: Barbara L. Brewster
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