by Webmaster | Sep 15, 2015 | News
Dan Gillette joins the Rabine Paving America team.
Rabine Paving America would like to announce the newest member of the Rabine Group team. Dan Gillette is the new Sr. Director of Operations for Rabine Paving America. In his position, Dan is responsible for national field and operations teams helping to oversee and improve processes for national capital projects.
Dan has 21 years of experience in a variety of positions with Target Corporation spanning from store management to managing major capital projects as the Project/Construction Manager. He was hired by Target in 1994. He started his career in stores as an Executive Team Lead and transitioned in 2003 into working in the Property Development Department as an Owner Site Representative. In 2010 he moved into a Head Quarters role as a Senior Business Partner and a year later, Dan started working as a Project/Construction Manager where he managed Major Capital projects to include exterior construction.
Prior to joining Target Corporation, Dan Gillette earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree with a concentration in Business Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Dan was born and raised in a small community in southwestern Minnesota and has made a home in the suburbs of Minneapolis with his wife Meghan. Together they have five boys with ages ranging between 8 and 20 years old.
When he’s not working, Dan enjoys watching, participating, and coaching all types of sporting events. He especially enjoys watching and coaching his children’s sports. In his spare time, he likes to travel, hunt, and work on projects around the house.
About Rabine Paving America
Rabine Paving America (RPA) is a national provider of commercial pavement services. RPA paves more parking lots in the United States than any other company. Crain’s Chicago Business recognizes RPA as one of the 50 fastest growing companies in Chicago in 2015. Our UltraLot Whitetopping was the recipient of the Edison award, celebrating game-changing new products and services.
RPA is one of eleven companies within the Rabine Group, which is a provider of commercial paving, roofing, flooring and snow removal. Rabine Group is a philanthropic minded team of people who proudly participate in activities supported by the Rabine Group Foundation, a nonprofit organization that invests in the communities across Illinois.
For more information on the Rabine Group companies, its services and advocacy, visit www.rabine.com or call 888-RABINE3.
by Webmaster | Sep 17, 2014 | News
By using two percent of the replacement cost for your lot each year on maintenance, you can extend the life of your pavement by fifty percent, or an average of five years. In order to avoid costly repairs and prolong a full parking lot replacement, defend your pavement from forces that threaten to damage it in the first place. Taking the proper steps to extend the life of your pavement from the day after you perform capital improvements will prevent the parking lot from needing early replacement and save you money.
Pavement maintenance includes traditional methods such as sealcoating, removal and replacement, patching and general repairs. While the traditional approaches are critical, there are also some less traditional strategies that should also be included in a full pavement maintenance plan:
Crack Sealing
The most important line of defense for cracking pavement is proper crack sealing. Cracks left untreated leave pavement vulnerable to external forces–notably water. As water permeates the pavement through these cracks, it washes out the subgrade underneath the pavement and weakens it through excess moisture, causing soft spots in the base. In colder regions, the moisture in these cracks freezes and expands, leaving behind large voids, cracks and potholes in the spring.
An example of Crack Sealing:
One crack totaling 100 LF long in the second year after a resurfacing project may cost $100 to repair. If that crack is left unsealed, by the fourth year it will likely be three cracks (300 LF) – expanding on either side as the pavement weakens below. In the fifth and sixth years it can be as high as 500-700 LF. Unsealed cracks inevitably widen to 4’ -8’ and the same location now requires removal and replacement with a budget of $1,500 (actual costs vary). The cost of filling the crack three times ($300) would have a five-time return on investment over doing nothing at all for five to seven years.
Addressing these cracks is the first step to extending the life of your pavement. Cracking occurs for many reasons, and taking early action helps to slow further deterioration.
Storm Structures and Drainage System
Storm structures and drainage systems are one of the most important aspects of a parking lot to maintain. A properly functioning drainage system can extend the life of your pavement by conveying water off of the pavement to areas designed to handle excess moisture. A drainage system that is not functioning properly can lead to:
- Flooding on the pavement
- Slip and fall hazards
- Traffic, congestion and potentially even accidents as a result of flooding
- Damage to nearby property
- Weakened pavement subgrade from poor drainage
- Liability for freeze-thaw damage
Storm structures degrade when surface water enters the pavement and sits in the gravel base over time, creating holes in the structure that are not always visible. The water slowly erodes the structure and causes a hole to develop, causing damage. When a storm structure is damaged, the reoccurring flow of water passing over the storm structure causes it to deteriorate at a rapid rate. This damage over time enlarges as the pavement settles and ultimately cracks the pavement. When the storm structure becomes too damaged, the entire parking lot becomes exposed to water damage and the structure can collapse. Repairing the storm structure immediately will prevent further damage to the structure while protecting the rest of your parking lot.
An example of structure damage:
When the pavement around the structure cracks in the early stages, a qualified contractor may be able to seal the structure and repair the pavement easily for $1,000 (actual costs vary). If that same damage is left unattended and unrepaired, the damaged pavement surrounding the structure can grow by as much as five hundred percent, potentially needing replacement instead of a simple seal. The cost of not attending to the structure in its early damaged state can raise the cost by three to five times the cost of the original repair to as high as $5,000.
Repairing these storm structures immediately will prevent further damage to the structures while protecting the rest of your parking lot.
Preventing Third Party Pavement Damage
One of the most overlooked aspects of parking lot maintenance is protecting the pavement from third party risk factors such as:
- Careless snow removal
- Delivery trucks and other heavy equipment
- Sloppy pavement removal and repair
- Damage from landscapers, roofers and other contractors
Many causes of pavement damage come from preventable external forces. Your pavement is engineered to adhere to its environment, and in the same respect, third parties should be mindful of your pavement design. Here is how you can avoid unnecessary damage to your pavement:
Choose a Reputable Snow Removal Contractor
In cold climates, snow removal is a must for any parking lot. However, snow plowing can take its toll on your pavement. Using a reputable snow removal company will help protect the pavement during the winter months. Damaging elements of snow removal include:
- Sharp snow removal blades dragging on pavement
- Excessive use of rock salt to your landscaped areas and concrete pavements
- Unnecessary use of deicing chemicals that damage asphalt
- Heavy equipment use on weak pavement
- Damaged storm structures and broken curb and gutter
Snow removal damage leaves behind vulnerable cracks that widen throughout winter and deteriorate once the snow melts. Carefully choosing a snow removal contractor that understands the effects of the equipment and chemicals on your pavement allows you to avoid unnecessary repairs in the spring. As a best practice, we recommend videotaping the condition of the lot prior to the snow season and reviewing the video for any new damage when the season is finished. This can remove your liability to as to whom “caused” the new damage, allowing the contractor to pay for the repairs, not the owner.
Keep Heavy Trucks and Equipment Off the Pavement
Heavy weight from delivery trucks and waste management equipment can cause unnecessary stress on your parking lot. If the pavement was not engineered to withstand the weight of heavy equipment, large trucks can cause the pavement to crack under the weight. Installing signs and pavement markings in your lot banning large vehicles and trucks from weaker pavement areas designed for cars will ensure that your pavement does not buckle under weight it was not designed for.
Ensure Correct Pavement Repairs
When access to sewer pipes or electrical lines located underground requires cutting into your parking lot or sidewalk, the pavement should be removed cleanly and replaced properly. Haphazardly removing or replacing pavement leaves it vulnerable to a multitude of risks, including damage to the overall pavement structure. Never accept temporary repairs or re-use existing materials. Ensure a paving contractor is completing the repairs—not a general labor crew who does not have the experience required to reach the quality standards and total area of repair required. When accessing pipes underground, ensure that the pavement is being properly cared for in the process. When choosing a pavement contractor to complete the work, check the company has an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of a 1.0 or lower.
Document Pavement Status and Damage
Landscapers, roofers, and other contractors come into frequent contact with your pavement. Always document the status of your parking lot prior to committing to a contractor. This will reduce your liability if any accidental damage occurs to the pavement.
Parking lots are often replaced too soon as a result of avoidable damage. Each market has unique challenges, and knowing the biggest threats to your parking lot’s health is the first step to extending its life.
Choosing a national pavement contractor with experience balancing business goals with local constraints is the best way to guarantee you will get the most out of your budget. By partnering with an experienced pavement contractor from the beginning and following cost-effective maintenance techniques, it’s possible to extend the life of any pavement.
by Webmaster | Apr 1, 2014 | News
April 1, 2014 –Schaumburg, Ill. and New York, NY– Rabine Group, the national leader in facilities management solutions, rang the closing bell for the NASDAQ Stock Market to commemorate its selection as a 2013 Chicago Innovation Awards winner among 10 honorees. The award recognizes Rabine Group’s dedication to world-class innovation through the introduction of a groundbreaking concrete flooring system.
The 2013 Chicago Innovation Awards honored Rabine Group for PrimeComposite a jointless concrete flooring system built for large industrial, cold storage and manufacturing facilities. The PrimeComposite flooring system can be poured for an area up to 65,000 square feet without a single joint, improving productivity for forklifts and eliminating maintenance created by traditional joints. Thinner slab construction requires less cement consumption and reduces the amount of C02 emissions by up to 30 percent, along with the amount of non-renewable resources otherwise needed.
“We are thrilled to be named a Chicago Innovation Awards winner for our PrimeComposite flooring solution. All of the NASDAQ listed companies are innovators in their own industries, so we are very honored to be here,” said Gary Rabine, CEO of the Rabine Group. “PrimeComposite is one example of how Rabine is ‘dematerializing’ the status quo with a concrete solution that harnesses science, technology and creativity and proves that less material can lead to more effective products.”
Accompanying the PrimeComposite flooring system, the team developed PrimeQuality SM to offer transparency into the concreting production process. This system provides real-time information, tracking and quality control as the product is made. Integrating PrimeComposite into building designs also contributes points to most projects qualifying for the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification rating system.
In addition to ringing the closing bell, winners were invited to formally share their innovations with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. All 10 honorees also received recognition at an awards ceremony and invitations to the prestigious Disney Institute’s innovation and training program.
“This annual event is an excellent example of how the Chicago Innovation Awards celebrates the spirit of innovation in organizations across all industries, sizes and sectors,” said
Tom Kuczmarski, co-founder of the Chicago Innovation Awards.
About The Rabine Group
Rabine is committed to delivering quality, innovation, and exceeding our clients’ expectations. Rabine Group is provider of pavement, roofing, snow removal, flooring, fuel, and other construction services. Rabine Group companies include: Rabine Paving, Rabine Paving America, Pavement Solutions, Crawford Roofing Experts, Rabine Snow Pros, Pipe View, and Rabine PrimeComposite as well as the Rabine Group Foundation.
by Webmaster | Mar 28, 2014 | News
A View From Above
By Marian Bond
When licensed civil engineer Nick Mathey first heard about televising sanitary and storm sewer lines he had just completed designing a subdivision, complete with roads, retention ponds, and sanitary and storm sewer lines. The reviewing engineer said the plan looked great, but noted in the specifications that the contractor should have sewers televised before acceptance by the municipality.
“My thought was, ‘What does this mean?’” Mathey says. “I didn’t know about this, but I went and found out, thinking what a cool thing the technology was — somebody playing with a robot collecting data. I knew this was something I would enjoy doing. I thought I would be able to add an engineering flair, and perhaps give clients more value. As an engineer I would be able to talk with people at a different level and hopefully provide an edge to the process.”
Pipe View was born. The young entrepreneur already had a full-time job, so his new endeavor was often overwhelming in those first years as he gathered clients and subcontracted televising jobs in his off hours.
In the beginning, Mathey televised storm drains and worked on pre-construction projects where he inspected lines under roadways to document conditions. Although he initially targeted contractors, opportunities soon opened up with municipalities, and he eventually expanded his services to include sanitary lines. In 2013, the company branched out into gas and power line inspections for several utility companies, which became a major part of the business.
Mathey initially designed and used his own camera and transport systems, which performed satisfactorily, and he ran the business on his own. However, he soon realized that for Pipe View to succeed, he would have to focus solely on the business. The comfort of a full-time job had to go, and the equipment would have to come from established CCTV manufacturers.
By 2010, Mathey had partnered with Gary Rabine, whose group of companies offered complimentary services. Pipe View subcontracted for those operations, and Mathey secured office space with Rabine and shared supporting services in their Schaumburg, Ill., facility.
The transformation was in full swing, and by the end of 2013, Mathey had four NASSCO certified technicians and five Aries Industries CCTV vans on the road traveling as far away as Colorado, Mississippi and Illinois to provide TV inspections. Staff also included three team techs, and office assistant Grace McCafferty. Mathey’s father, Jim Mathey, works for Pipe View, and initially, his grandfather, Paul Goralka, went on some of those early service calls.
Mathey also credits his supervisor, Bill McCafferty, who oversees his own CCTV van and two others.
Mathey’s many long hours doing nighttime inspections and running the operation were paying off, and he was able to turn his attention to estimating, servicing existing clients, setting goals, promoting Pipe View and, most important, pushing his team to a high standard of excellence. He also began exploring new avenues for advancement in pipeline inspection technology.
Circle of catalysts
The winning team includes Mathey and his employees, Rabine and the Rabine Group, and Aries because Mathey considers the manufacturer an essential part of the circle. He continually consults with Aries engineers on equipment performance and innovation. He also depends on family support, even down to his little daughter, Hannah, who named the Aries camera “Buddy.”
When Mathey committed to investing in the camera system in 2010, he invited several top manufacturers to visit his facility, and after careful evaluation, he settled on Aries.
“My plan was to bring a new level of expertise using these neat tools in verifying the conditions of pipes and finding obstacles,” Mathey says. “But I wanted the tool to be chiseled out of engineering basics or standards, explaining why we do things, such as by providing summaries at the end of a project. That is kind of what engineers do in determining a goal. You look at something, and put together a conclusion or summary as to what you found with the data. This is why we send our technicians to become NASSCO certified.”
In 2011, Mathey realized lateral launching was an opportunity to expand service for his customers. The company had primarily televised mainlines before that point, but the technology has been a boon for Pipe View and now represents up to 95 percent of the business.
“When we offered this, I wasn’t that surprised that it took off so quickly,” he says. “But I did see it as a risk in the beginning. This has proven to be profitable for us, and gives us an area where we can use our expertise and our ability to document — to give that engineering flair I looked for, to use all of our tools. It has been a great fit for us.”
The NASSCO training and standards offer more than just guidelines for inspecting pipe; they provide parameters for proper documentation.
“We want to document, diagnose — and if requested — design the solution,” Mathey says. “We don’t just say what is going on, but why it is going on. We offer to design solutions. To simply document is like a flat soda.”
World of pipes
Pipe View has inspected miles and miles of storm and sanitary sewer lines in the past few years. In Colorado, the company is televising lines running under roadways scheduled for surface improvements.
“Wherever you have hard surfaces, there will usually be sewers underneath. If a company is improving the surface, why not know what lies beneath?” Mathey says.
Mathey says they have televised 4- to 72-inch lines, but pipes are typically 8 to 18 inches. They find everything from collapsed and broken pipe to roots, cracks and even animals that have moved in. Some pipes are no longer round, some are underwater and some have dips that hold water. For the team in the field, his goal is to share the vision and show the big picture.
“I want them to have instant connectivity and transparency for the work of the day. That is what is important,” Mathey says. “Our customers do not want to know this week what was done last week. They want real time. We want real-time activities, real-time connectivity.
“Part of that is listening to the ideas of the technicians,” he says. “We are always changing our standard operation or procedure. Not big changes. Little changes. Somebody comes up with how to do something differently. We implement it. That is a big deal to us. These are the guys doing the work. This is like a suggestion box. My guys are always sending a text or an email to make a suggestion. They have ownership. Part of our quality control process is giving rewards. When we are looking for something in a pipe, and they find it, we give a bonus. Something like a utility that crosses the pipe, that’s an instant bonus. We don’t reward for the number of units televised, but for the quality of what they find and accomplish. The last thing our clients want is the numbers. They want results.”
Motivational management
Because Mathey sends his technicians away on one- or two-week assignments, he describes his management style as that of a leader with a vision who inspires his employees to follow. As a manager, he sees that his job is creating strategies and implementing goals. Basically, he wants to have the right people in place, people he can depend on during these assignments.
“Typically, we will have one box truck with a two-man crew on a site to service a job to inspect 12,000 lineal feet of pipe in a week,” he says. “A two-man crew will consist of the lead man and a technician. Each position is important, but the truck belongs to the lead. It is his truck. The goal for each technician is to achieve a lead position. We want our people to have a sense of wanting advancement, and this becomes a ladder they can climb to their full potential. This helps us achieve a good cohesive team. Furthermore, when we add a new truck we will have a lead in waiting.”
Mathey visits remote job sites if there’s a new job or client, or as the project demands, but he has complete confidence in his team. Additionally, daily report cards for each truck show the quantity of work done or the footage in lineal feet – whatever the project requires.
“With these reports I know in an instant how a job is going,” he says. “We work in harsh conditions, and maintenance of equipment is always on our minds. When we have a problem with our equipment, there is always a backup camera, and Aries also has plants in Atlanta, California and Wisconsin should such a need arise. But this is where our training comes in. Every van has a toolbox, and our crews are trained to handle the most critical issues that can come up on this equipment. There is not much our guys have not seen, and they know how to adapt. There is a lot about our business that is not cut and dried. You have to have adaptability to be successful.”
All comforts on the road
Pipe View utilizes three dedicated inspection vans with climate-controlled control rooms. Cameras include the Aries Pathfinder Zoom, used for mainline inspections, and two Aries Lateral Evaluation Television Systems (LETS). They also use two Aries Seeker Portable Pipeline Video Inspection Systems, and a RIDGID SeekTech SR20 for locating.
A significant portion of Pipe View’s work comes through the Rabine Group, which handles maintenance, asphalt and paving. Pipe View also gets referrals from Rabine for other contractors.
While providing a solution in each situation is one of Mathey’s goals, it’s not always part of the project. He says they do suggest options and strategies, and generally consult with clients right in the field.
“We don’t bring data back to the office because most often we are on site to discuss the job. For us, it is all about timing. Real time. Real-time connectivity in the field. Providing the information our clients need. That sums up our goals.”
A View from Above was originally published as the cover story in Cleaner Magazine’s April 2014 issue. For more information on Pipe View, visit www.pipeviewamerica.com.
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