In August 2008, the Government started construction on a new 127,000 square feet Reserve Center. The new Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center is located at Jefferson Barracks in South County Missouri. The facility will house the Missouri National Guard and the Army. This is the first major project in the area where Union Carpenters and Local 57 Union Electricians are working side by side.  K&S Associates Inc. is the General on the Project.

Charlie Schulz is the Project Superintendent (Local 5). Birkel Electric is the Electricial Contractor. This new Government Building has a lot of strict codes that all of the Contractors have to abide by. For one thing, this building must be blast resistant. After the Oklahoma City Bombing more than 13 years ago, all Government Buildings must be built with the materials that will make it blast resistant. “The Steel in here is enormous. There are three wings listed as: A, B, and C. We could erect a building in seven days, but it took us 30 days to weld this one,” said Charlie Schulz, project Superintendent for K&S Associates Inc.

On the Electrical end of construction, Birkel Electric had some major blast proofing to do of their own. “We had to install heavy wall conduit coming up through the slabs of concrete. Everything is exposed,” said Mike Birkel, Owner of Birkel Electric.

Along with all of the specialty building materials and the installation of said materials, one thing that everyone did the same was that all of the Construction Workers on this job site were trained in OSHA 10. As of August 28, 2009, the State of Missouri requires all employees on State Works Projects to have an OSHA 10 Certification. If the worker does not have this certification, the Contractor can be fined $100 per day per person. Turn to page 4 of this month’s magazine to see the letter that the State of Missouri sent to all Contractors who are working on Public Works Projects.
“When we went into Electricians’ Local 57, we had to abide by the exact same standards as the Carpenters: OSHA 10, Drug Testing, Pneumatic Tools Orientation, Lifts, and Scaffold Testing. The orientation is a solid week—40 hours of Safety and Rigging testing. It’s extremely comprehensive and intensive compared to anything we’ve been affiliated with before,” said Mike Birkel, Owner of Birkel Electric.

Before this building could come to fruition, the Society for Historical Preservation Office had to hand out their specifications for this new facility. The colors, stone, dormers, and gables all had to match the existing buildings on the property. When you see the new building you can tell it’s new; however, it does fit in nicely with the surrounding buildings.

Two buildings were torn down in the area where this new construction is taking place. A third building was torn down on Monday, September 28th. Archeologists from Jefferson City, Missouri were on site for each of the demos of the buildings just in case something needed to be archived.
The completion date for this project is slated for May, 2010.
THECUTTINGEDGE, October 2009 | 5
By KRISTY WHITE, PR Director

Joint ventures are working well at Jefferson
Barracks new Reserve Center.
Attention Contractors

For more information to meet the demands on
Structural Metal Framing Welding or any other
specialty Welding Certifications, please contact
Larry Elms, Welding Coordinator / Career
Counselor at (314) 457-8300, Ext. 343.
Photos Courtesy: KRISTY WHITE, PR Director

The Complete Article:

Click Here for the October 2009 issue of the Cutting Edge in .PDF.

July 28, 2009: ST. LOUIS, MO. – Birkel Electric, a corporate sponsor for the 25th Annual St. Patrick’s Irish Open, helped the organization raise $715,000 for programs to serve the homeless and poor throughout the St. Louis region.

The charitable event, held May 30 and June 1, included a dinner auction at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown St. Louis and a golf tournament at Norwood Hills Country Club in North St. Louis County.

“As a locally based company, we believe in helping those in need right here in our community and making St. Louis a better place to live and work,” Mike Birkel, Vice President of Birkel Electric, said. “The money raised at this event will go to providing services for the homeless in Missouri.”

Since its inception 25 years ago, the charity event has seen tremendous growth. The proceeds of this year’s event will go to building permanent and positive change for the homeless of St. Louis.

Birkel Electric, based in Chesterfield, Mo., provides commercial and electrical contracting services throughout St. Louis. Birkel works closely with the lead sponsor of St. Patrick’s Irish Open, Major Brands, Missouri’s largest wine and spirits distributor.

St. Patrick Center provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Individuals achieve permanent, positive changes in their lives through affordable housing, sound mental health, employment and financial stability. More information is available at www.stpatrickcenter.org

About Birkel Electric

Birkel Electric specializes in providing commercial and industrial electrical contracting services throughout St. Louis.  Founded in 1967, Birkel Electric offers a number of contracting services including value-based engineering, design/build projects, backup generators, and power solutions for critical facilities and telecommunications systems for data and communication companies. Birkel Electric is located at 178 Chesterfield Blvd., in Chesterfield, Mo. Birkel Electric has an additional office at the Fort Leonard Wood military base. Birkel Electric is a proud member of the Association of General Contractors St. Louis and Local 57-The Electricians of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. More information may be accessed by visiting www.birkelelectric.com

June 1, 2009: ST. LOUIS, MO. – Birkel Electric, commercial and industrial electrical contractor, recently launched a new company website at www.birkelelectric.com, which demonstrates the company’s rich history, affiliations and commitment to the latest in electrical technology. The new site focuses on Birkel Electric’s distinct capabilities, which include design/build electrical contracting, telecommunications, mission-critical applications, diagnostics and emergency services.

According to Mike Birkel, Vice President of Birkel Electric, “Increasing our web presence is the first in a series of steps to bring Birkel Electric customers improved communication of what we offer and how our services differ from others in the market.  By demonstrating our commitment to technological advances and the type of work we’re known for consistently providing, our new website will help us reach out to current and future Birkel Electric customers.”

The company is also utilizing the new website as a useful source of information on the recently-formed electricians’ union, Local 57, The Electricians of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, to which Birkel Electric is a founding member.  Regular Local 57 news, projects and updates will be available to view on the website.

The new website also includes an interactive Google map, which provides visitors with directions to Birkel Electric’s headquarters in Chesterfield, Mo. and the company’s satellite office at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. , which specializes in government and military projects.

About Birkel Electric
Birkel Electric specializes in providing commercial and industrial electrical contracting services throughout St. Louis.  Founded in 1967, Birkel Electric offers a number of contracting services including value-based engineering, design/build projects, backup generators, and power solutions for critical facilities and telecommunications systems for data and communication companies. Birkel Electric is located at 178 Chesterfield Blvd., in Chesterfield, Mo.  Birkel Electric has an additional office at the Fort Leonard Wood military base.   Birkel Electric is a proud member of the Association of General Contractors St. Louis and Local 57-The Electricians of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. More information may be accessed by visiting www.birkelelectric.com

# # #

April 30, 2009: ST. LOUIS, MO. – Birkel Electric of St. Louis has recently been selected as the electrical contractor for the upcoming construction of the $10-million St. Louis Community College Harrison Northside Education Center project, a 30-000 square foot facility that is the result of a long term vision, giving St. Louis Community College a definitive presence in North St. Louis City.

Birkel Electric will be responsible for the construction and installation of a fully integrated electrical system, including surveillance components, audio and visual equipment and a ten gigabyte telecommunications backbone.

The new Harrison Education Center will house four general-purpose classrooms, laboratory space, administrative offices, common areas and a multipurpose community center as well as parking. Academic offerings will concentrate on computers/technology, child care, environmental sciences and allied health.

According to Mike Birkel, Vice President of Birkel Electric, “For a project of this complexity, a team of electricians, engineers and telecommunications specialists will be working together and implementing the latest in modern electrical innovation to bring students at the Harrison Education Center a state-of-the art learning facility for years to come.”

Construction of the two-story building is expected to begin late in 2009, with expected completion in 2010. Managing the overall construction efforts for the Harrison Education Center project is St. Louis-based KWAME Building Group. Kennedy Associates Inc. is the college’s architectural design partner for the project.

About Birkel Electric
Birkel Electric specializes in providing commercial and industrial electrical contracting services throughout St. Louis.  Founded in 1967, Birkel Electric offers a number of contracting services including value-based engineering, design/build projects, backup generators, and power solutions for critical facilities and telecommunications systems for data and communication companies. Birkel Electric is located at 178 Chesterfield Blvd., in Chesterfield, Mo.  Birkel Electric has an additional office at the Fort Leonard Wood military base.   Birkel Electric is a proud member of the Association of General Contractors St. Louis and Local 57-The Electricians of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. More information may be accessed by visiting www.birkelelectric.com

April 3, 2009: ST. LOUIS, MO. – Birkel Electric has recently announced that it will provide the electrical contracting services for upcoming Joint Armed Forces (JAF) Reserve Center project at Jefferson Barracks. The project is expected to include 140,500 square feet of new training space for the Missouri National Guard.

According to K& S Associates, Inc., the St. Louis-based general contractor for the project, “the new Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center will include a three-story, 133,000 square-foot administration building and a one-story, 7,500 square-foot maintenance building. The main building will feature administrative space, an assembly hall, classrooms, secure storage for ordinance, munitions and other supplies, plus a full-service kitchen for 24/7 operations.  The project includes several anti-terrorism protection features and eight acres of lighted parking areas for military and personal vehicles.”

“Our commitment to serving our government and defense has been demonstrated by numerous projects we’ve worked on at some of St. Louis’ regional military bases.  Birkel Electric will work side by side with all of the various building trade unions to ensure the work is done to meet the exact specifications of Jefferson Barracks,” said Mike Birkel, Vice President of Birkel Electric.

Birkel Electric has an additional company office at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., which specializes in military contracts. Since 2003, Birkel Electric has completed numerous projects at the Fort Leonard Wood location, including tank firing ranges, a counter explosive training center, and the TRAPS barracks project.

K&S Associates, Inc. was founded in 1972. In addition to general contracting, the company manages complete design/build projects and provides comprehensive construction management services for building projects in virtually every construction industry sector, including commercial, industrial, healthcare, military support, government, education, recreational and ecclesiastical.

Construction is expected to be completed on the Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center in February 2010.  Jefferson Barracks, established in 1826 as the country’s first “Infantry School of Practice,” served as a major military installation until 1946.

About Birkel Electric
Birkel Electric specializes in providing commercial and industrial electrical contracting services throughout St. Louis.  Founded in 1967, Birkel Electric offers a number of contracting services including value-based engineering, design/build projects, backup generators, and power solutions for critical facilities and telecommunications systems for data and communication companies. Birkel Electric is located at 178 Chesterfield Blvd., in Chesterfield, Mo.  Birkel Electric has an additional office at the Fort Leonard Wood military base.   Birkel Electric is a proud member of the Association of General Contractors St. Louis and Local 57-The Electricians of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. More information may be accessed by visiting www.birkelelectric.com

January 5, 2009: ST. LOUIS, MO. – Birkel Electric, a commercial and industrial electrical contractor, is among the first to join Local 57-The Electricians of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. The formation of the new union was a response to the growing argument that the St. Louis region is losing its competitive edge and becoming an expensive place to do business.

The creation of Local 57 will have no affect on the original Carpenters’ Union contract specifications.  Additionally, executive board members and workers’ wages will remain the same under the new Union.

“We are trying to find a way to make the St. Louis Region more attractive to businesses by offering more value through the efficient use of resources,” said Mike Birkel, Vice President of Birkel Electric. “We want to offer an alternative working union to businesses that would give them significant savings through reduced labor costs, no jurisdictional disputes or prohibitive work rules and an increase overall work productivity.”

The Carpenters’ District Council (CDC) of the Greater St. Louis Vicinity has more than 22,000 skilled craftsmen that serve the eastern half of Missouri and Southern Illinois. The CDC provides the region with quality construction, a competitive home mortgage program and a commitment to leadership. More information is available at http://www.carpdc.org.

Birkel Electric specializes in providing commercial and industrial electrical contracting services throughout St. Louis.  Founded in 1967, Birkel Electric offers a number of contracting services including value-based engineering, design/build projects, backup generators, and power solutions for critical facilities and telecommunications systems for data and communication companies.  Birkel Electric is a member of the Association of General Contractors and Local 57-The Electricians of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. More information may be accessed by visiting www.birkelelectric.com