Author Archive

Putting Trash to Good Use

Tuesday, April 16th, 2019
Complete control system for a trash burner at HERC

During the annual fall shutdown, Egan Company was involved in upgrading the four burners that continually burn trash to produce energy. After 20 years without burner upgrades, Egan controls engineers, electricians, millwrights, and pipefitters were tasked with designing, programming, and installing a newer and more efficient process for the four burners.

“The most challenging aspect of this integrated project was the very tight timeline,” said Randy Kalthoff, Egan Company Project Manager. “We had four weeks to upgrade and connect all four burners so that they were fully operational and continuing to burn and produce energy.”

Fabrication of key components ensured the project was completed on time. Piping components were fabricated in Egan’s Mechanical Shop.

The four control panels, designed, fabricated, and programmed in Egan’s UL 508A Panel Shop, were installed by Egan electricians and can be remotely controlled from GRE engineers in the control room of the facility.

Next up at HERC, Egan electrical and mechanical teams will be partnering with HERC, GRE, and a number of other contractors during the upcoming spring shutdown to replace the large conveyors and the ash handling units.

Egan helped us take a system that was over engineered and more complex than we needed and create an intuitive system for everyone. It’s always great working with Egan and the multiple trades that we utilize every project.

– Eric Freitag, Maintenance Leader at HERC

Core Project Team: Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), Great River Energy (GRE)

Services Provided: electrical and mechanical demolition and installation, control panel fabrication, field device wiring, design, engineering, and programming of electrical controls, millwright services, pipe fabrication

Backing Local Lobbying Groups for Work Zone Safety

Thursday, April 11th, 2019

Two local lobbying groups, Citizens for Safe Work Zones (CSWZ) and AGC of Minnesota, have introduced bills that improve safety for Minnesota road workers. Egan Company has partnered with these groups and support their effort to make a positive impact on work zone safety at the legislative level.

Egan’s involvement has included guidance and recommendations to CSWZ and AGC of Minnesota, as well as providing testimonials before legislative committee hearings. We also have supported both of the parties’ objectives around eliminating distracted driving as a result of handheld mobile phones.

CSWZ Objectives for the 2019 legislative session:

  • Increased speed enforcement activities in work zones (inclusion of automated speed enforcement in work zones with speeds 45+mph)
  • Public education campaign on work zone safety
  • Establish collaborative expectations with MNDOT to improve baseline work zone safety requirements to protect contractors working on the road
  • Specific traffic control and worker protection requirements for all MnDOT jobs
  • Appropriate and additional funding from MnDOT
  • MnDOT/contractor contractual review process to ensure adequate worker protection per project

AGC of Minnesota Objectives for the 2019 legislative session: 

  • Proposing/supporting bill to enact state law against using hand held mobile devices in work zones
  • Supporting additional bill to enact state law against using hand held mobile phones in a vehicle

While there is no definite timeline for these bills, more information will be available at the end of the 2019 legislative session. As a company, we will continue to support state and industry legislative initiatives that improve the safety of Minnesota road workers.

Refined Initiatives Stimulate Safety Rate Reduction

Friday, April 5th, 2019

To be successful in the construction industry is no different than being successful in any feat, it requires consistency. Success demands day in and day out preparation, proper tools and effective training, equipment, and conditions. When it comes to safety, this recipe for success is the same.

From our company leaders to our field leaders and all of our employees in between, we believe the key to being safe is being proactive and consistently engaging our people with safety in everything we do. At Egan Company, safety is everyone’s job. It’s everyone’s job to make sure our safety policies and procedures are being consistently executed. It’s everyone’s job to help us achieve our goal of ZERO injuries and to come home to our family and friends at the end of the work day.

Through much hard work and a refined focus, Egan achieved its Total Recordable Incident Rate goal of < 2.0 for 2018. Our incident rate for the year was 1.87 (down from 2.42 in 2017) which is substantially below the average rate for specialty trade contractors in Minnesota (4.70). This was accomplished with over 1.8 million hours worked.

“Moving the safety needle in 2018 was a great achievement for us as a company,” said Reid Romer, Egan Company Safety Director. “Our safety incident rate is a direct reflection of the time and energy we’ve invested collectively to minimize risk and protect our people. This progress comes from specific safety initiatives we committed to improving over the past few years and we are now seeing rewarding results.”

An example of one of the changes made in 2017 was within the new employee on-boarding process. This process was specifically addressed after recognizing a pattern that new employees were consistently getting injured within their first six months on the job. Egan acknowledged this, invested in changing it, and elevated it on its priority list. As a result, new employee injuries have significantly decreased.

Though we are proud of this progress in 2018, Egan has no plans of slowing down its drive to be the best-in-class when it comes to safety. Utilizing employee and peer group feedback and experiences from last year, the bar is set even higher for 2019.

“Our goal is to continue to engage with our employees and do everything we can to keep this injury reduction track trending in 2019,” said Romer. “We’ll continue to fill the information and training pipelines, as well as remain diligent with planning in both the pre-mobilization and throughout our jobs. This, along with a team approach, will continue to give us an opportunity to lead the way for safety on our projects this year and in the future.”

We Are Egan – Dave Horazuk

Thursday, April 4th, 2019

“I really enjoy working at Egan – I think my favorite aspects are having a variety of work and good customer relationships. Both of those things are important to me.”  

Meet Dave Horazuk, an Electrical Field Leader with Egan for over 15 years.

In true Minnesota fashion, Dave’s favorite way to spend the weekend is to get outdoors. He can be found fishing, camping, snowmobiling, and ATV riding in his free time.

Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.

We Are Egan – Joe Black

Wednesday, March 20th, 2019

“Every project is a fresh opportunity to use previous experiences and build something new. I’m fortunate to be a part of some extraordinary collaborations between customers, engineers, and contractors. Success is only possible with the efforts of the outstanding Egan electricians.” Meet Joe Black, a Senior Project Manager at Egan for over seven years.

After the work week is done, you can find Joe challenging himself to long distance gravel bike rides throughout all of Minnesota’s seasons.

Fun Fact: Joe served as an Air Force Civil Engineering Officer for almost eight years prior to his career in project management. He was stationed at bases all around the world including Korea, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and glamorous North Dakota.  

Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.

We Are Egan – Dan Clemens

Wednesday, March 13th, 2019

“What I enjoy about Egan is the comfortable work environment. Each job has its highs and lows, but Egan always gets you what you need when it comes to safety, tools, and equipment. I also enjoy being outside through all the elements of Minnesota.”

Meet Dan Clemens, Electrical Field Leader with Egan for over 10 years.

On the weekends, Dan can be found in the company of his family and friends. They like to be active outside or relax by the fire during the summer months. He also loves to watch his wife and kids participate in karate and admits “yes, they could take me”.

Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.

We Are Egan – Travis Erickson

Monday, March 4th, 2019

The best advice I’ve been given is, ‘Don’t ever let failure deter you from reaching your goals’.

Meet Travis Erickson, a Tool and Equipment Specialist at Egan for four years.

One of Travis’ favorite aspects of his job is the opportunity to work hands-on with some of the newest tools in the industry, as well as working with a great group of co-workers every day.

When he’s not busy bustling around Egan’s warehouse and tool crib, you can find him up at the North Shore relaxing with his family.  

Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan. 

Local Volunteerism for a Global Reach

Tuesday, February 26th, 2019

Turning hunger into hope – and, having a little fun in the process. Such was the theme of the Feed My Starving Children MobilePack held at Egan’s Champlin facility for the fourth consecutive year.

The event ran from February 20-25th and welcomed more than 4,400 members of the community. The goal: to do our part to help in-need children across the globe. 

Over the course of five days, 1.2 million meals were packs which will provide food to 3,515 children for an entire year!

Furthermore, Egan employees also did their fair share of packing and volunteering. Throughout the event, nearly 100 Egan employees volunteered their time to work and/or pack food.

Check out highlights from Egan’s employee packing shift!

Learn more about the Feed My Starving Children organization.

We Are Egan – Aaron McDonough

Wednesday, February 6th, 2019

“Sometimes piping systems can be like a challenging puzzle that seem impossible to complete, but that is what makes it fun and why I love what I do.”

Meet Aaron McDonough, Pipefitter Field Leader with Egan for four and a half years.

When Aaron’s not working, he enjoys spending time outside and creating fun memories with his friends. He also embraces the Minnesota winter by getting out on the slopes to snowboard.

Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.

We Are Egan – Nick Falenczykowski

Thursday, January 31st, 2019

“The best thing about my job is seeing something I helped design and program come to life and operate for years to come. I take pride in telling my family or friends when we drive by buildings all over the Twin Cities, ‘hey, I design, program, and maintain the automation system there”.”

Meet Nick Falenczykowski, Applications Engineer at Egan for over six years.

Nick’s favorite way to spend a weekend is by making extravagant brunches (think sugary and fatty!) for his family and watching movies in front of the fireplace. But, like a true Minnesotan, he also likes it when his wife lets him sneak away to do some hunting and fishing. 

Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.