By Terry Rodgers
STAFF WRITER

September 13, 2008

LA JOLLA – Where others saw only an annoying mudhole at a seaside park, La Jolla's Mary Coakley envisioned an artist's canvas.

The massive in-ground sculpture at Kellogg Park was unveiled at a ceremony yesterday attended by more than 300 people.

The underwater park – nearly 6,000 acres of tidelands and undersea terrain – was created by the city in 1970 to protect and conserve marine life.

Until now, the undersea reserve just offshore was invisible and unnoticed by most visitors to La Jolla Shores.

The frescolike artwork is made of Lithocrete, a mixture of concrete and recycled glass. The surface is embedded with life-sized brass fish ranging from yellowtail to anchovies, created by artists Lynn Reeves and Rick Sparhawk. There's even a memorial to “Blackie,” an avuncular black sea bass who was a favorite of scuba divers until he was illegally killed by a poacher in 2005.

“Every project has an angel, and this one had Mary Coakley,” said Loren Nancarrow, an eco-minded TV weatherman who hosted the ceremony.

Coakley got involved with Kellogg Park in the late 1990s, after the city revealed its blueprints for a humongous public restroom.

“When I saw the plans, I was pretty horrified,” she recalled.
Coakley, who lives across the street from the park, spent the next 18 months persuading city officials to replace the mega-restroom with a more elegant row of toilets called a “comfort station.”

“I don't every oppose anything without proposing an alternative,” she said.

After the downsized restroom was built in 2005, she turned her attention to fixing a nearby patch of muddy ground that had been a longtime eyesore.

The southern end of Kellogg Park is built near an area that, until the early 20th century, was a marshy coastal estuary.

For Coakley, covering the boggy patch with asphalt or concrete was not an acceptable solution. Some thought it could be turned into a lawn.

“A plan to plant grass in a mud patch morphed into a much grander scheme,” said San Diego Councilman Scott Peters, who became an ally of “The Map” at City Hall.

A colorful laminated map of the underwater park that Coakley saw in a local diving shop became the inspiration for the artistic endeavor.

The project eventually became her obsession. She recruited an army of supporters and raised about $350,000 over 3½ years to bring the project to fruition.

Yesterday, she received a standing ovation for her efforts.

“Who would have thought that such a unique educational opportunity would come out of a toilet?” she told the audience.

Beachside art showcases marine life in the Shores' waters

It wasn't until after Mary Coakley and others completed their efforts to get a new restroom at La Jolla Shores in June 2005, that they got the idea for a far bigger and much more ambitious project.

Coakley credits plumber Marc Simpson for first imagining a huge pathway, with embedded images of fish and other wildlife found in La Jolla Shores Underwater Park and Marine Reserve to adorn and crown Kellogg Park.

Now known as "The Map," the project was unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. today next to the children's playground at the beach end of Vallecitos.

"It had always been his dream to pull the underwater park and ecological reserve into the park, to work with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Birch Aquarium to help educate children and the general public about ocean preservation and conservation," community activist Coakley said.

Lifelike images
More than three years and $300,000 in the making, The Map is a 64-foot-long by 30- to 50-footwide pathway containing more than 50 realistic, life-sized embedded bronze fish and invertebrates, dive flags and icons at the entry point to the city's premier dive site.

It's a portion of an evolving plan proposed by The Friends of Kellogg Park to beautify the park while promoting conservation of indigenous ocean species.

Representatives of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, a major donor for the project, and La Jolla oceanographer Dr. Walter Munk will be among dignitaries participating in the dedication.

"We actually produced the map here, locating where the different habitats were and what animals were associated with those habitats," said Ed Parnell, Scripps research scientist. "We were interested in promoting conservation and the condition of the beaches in general. It's great to reach the children, the next generation."

Details, details
Artist D. Lynn Reeves who, along with Rick Sparhawk articulated The Map's concept, said it was a painfully slow undertaking but a labor of love.

"We were concerned it would be used as a teaching tool, so we did a stylized representation of each fish on a flat piece of sculpture without high relief, because there would be people walking on it," he said. "The whole process of realistically coloring them (fish) was experimental, using fade-resistant automotive paint that would settle in low spots so people wouldn't walk on these fish and wear them down."

Reeves noted the products used in crafting The Map weren't unique, but they were used in a unique way. "We had no case history to go back to," he said.

Louis Guassac, executive director for the Kumeyaay-Digueno land conservancy, said The Map will have special symbolic significance for local Indian tribes."

The Kumeyaay nation tribes are not just mountain but desert and ocean Indians, too, he said.

"We wanted to educate people about who we are as a people, and our relationship to the ocean, which we lived near for thousands of years. We saw this as a promising opportunity to finally acknowledge our people's lifestyle on the ocean, in such a way that the (greater) community embraced it."

When landscape architecture MW Pelz & Associates drafted a plan to create playground trails and basketball courts for Fletcher Cove Park in Solana Beach, Calif., it turned to one of the largest decorative concrete companies in the country, T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc. of San Diego to bring a wide range of cutting-edge decorative concrete systems to the project.....

"Our growth is organic," explains Marc Penick, CEO of T.B. Penick & Sons, "meaning that work is being generated from satisfied clients and our ability to perform the work. We're not forcing top-line growth for its own sake. We've had a lot of success, and some fortuitous events for us to double our growth."

Part of that new revenue has come from an expansion into offering design/build and design/assist services for their expanding client base. The result of the expansion was a new company started last year, Convergent Inc., which utilizes in-house design, engineering and construction to reduce costs and speed the project timeline.

"Accepting the risk and expense of design in the design/build model has been an exciting growth avenue for us and an invaluable service for our clients", notes Tim Penick, company president. "Once we take on the design element, we put in place internal controls that help mitigate our own cost while producing efficiencies in constructability, allowing for a faster schedule and reductions in the cost of work and general conditions for our client."

One recent win for T.B. Penick in this category was a $93 million design/assist project with San Diego's Turner Construction for a 14-story student housing project for the University of California, San Diego. This project, along with others in the pipeline, will add $50 million to the bottom line this year.

Branching into divisions

Marc and Tim have brought the company a long way since their great-grandfather established the business more than 100 years ago, hauling construction materials with horse and trailer. Over the years as the business passed through the generations, its focus changed according to market expectations and customer needs. By the mid-1980s both Marc and Tim were working fulltime at the family business, implementing business management planning techniques they believed would put the company in a profitable growth position. By the late 1990s, when the brothers took full ownership of T.B. Penick, the company was moving upward on a revenue trend.

Today T.B. Penick has about 400 employees, and they perform a mix of general contracting and subcontracting work. T.B. Penick performs jobs all over the country, with about 60 percent of its work in the San Diego area. As quickly as the company has grown, the Penicks used foresight to avoid some of the pitfalls companies encounter during times of rapid growth.

"One of the keys to maintaining profitable growth is diversification within a market so you can reduce market segment risks. If one of your markets takes a nosedive, your company won't because you're engaged in other construction markets," explains Tim. "At the same time, you have to be a specialist in each area you're pursuing - you can't be successful if you're too much of a generalist. That's why we've set up different divisions within our company."

T.B. Penick currently has three divisions - Structural Concrete, General Construction and Innovative Concrete Systems. The Structural Concrete division, headed by Greg Lee, performs structural concrete, as well as prime trade contracting, civil engineering and design/build of mid- and high-rise Type I buildings. This division includes Convergent, Inc.

The General Contracting division, of which Marc is in charge, offers general contracting in the commercial and public building sectors. The division has found a niche in churches, completing several since 1995. It has also found success in military structures, schools, retail spaces and police buildings.

T.B. Penick is involved in the decorative concrete market through its Innovative Concrete Systems division, established in 2000 when Byron and Frank Klemaske came on board with the company. Today, the Klemaskes oversee 165 employees, and in 2006 the division performed more than $16 million in decorative installations.

Through Innovative Concrete, T.B. Penick has seven finishes patented or patent pending under the Lithocrete brand. Lithocrete is an architectural concrete paving system which can be colored and accepts surface-seeded materials. Innovative Concrete has 22 Lithocrete licensees across the United States, and the division added an Ohio branch this year. In addition, Innovative Concrete Systems established a residential department in 2007 and plans to introduce a line of self-levelers in 2008.

As the decorative market across the United States has exploded, the Klemaskes have worked to stay on the cutting edge of trends, establishing T.B. Penick as a "go-to" company for the decorative industry. "We work really hard to emphasize we want to be a resource to the architectural community and builders. When they have a question about concrete, we want them to call us," Byron Klemaske says.

The plan is working. Architects and builders often take advantage of T.B. Penick's resources and bring clients to see the hundreds of sample finishes and applications on view at T.B. Penick's headquarters. T.B. Penick also allows architects and builders the use of its conference rooms for presentations or meetings that might coincide with a visit to T.B. Penick's sample space.

Klemaske encourages clients to visit T.B. Penick's "candy store," a shed full of colored aggregates, glass and other materials that can be incorporated into decorative concrete. T.B. Penick's two full-time sample staffers turn clients' ideas into hands-on examples. Klemaske says he likes to see clients choose colors and finishes on their own because people are more likely to accept a sample when it's something they feel they had a part in creating.

When a customer comes to Klemaske with a challenge, his team works to find them an answer. "If a client has an idea but doesn't know if it can be done with concrete, we're willing to work with them to find out," Klemaske says.

'Green' growth

Another area of growth for T.B. Penick is the green building market. The company has LEED-accredited (LEED AP) employees on staff. Some of the Innovative Concrete division's offerings that contribute points toward LEED certification include Lithocrete, terrazzo, GrassCrete, alternative cementitious components and the HD Concrete Flooring System. T.B. Penick is also one of the leading installers of pervious concrete in the San Diego area. The company has worked with local architects to write performance specifications for projects to help ensure they get the sort of installation they're looking for.

T.B. Penick's other divisions have seen growth potential in the green building market, too. The company has been the designer/builder on five LEED-certified or compliant projects in the last three years - two facilities for the city of San Diego and three projects for the U.S. Navy. The company is currently involved in two more projects that are planning LEED certification. "Sustainable design in the public construction market has bloomed over the last five years," Tim says. "Over the next 15 years, it will continue to be a significant growth market. Folks who have experience and expertise in green construction are going to be in a good place."

Through their work in the green building industry, both as a general contractor and as a subcontractor, T.B. Penick has learned a few tricks to successfully executing sustainable design projects. "Gaining LEED certification is a complicated engineering task. You don't get LEED points by just saying you did something, you have to track how you build and have proof of what you did at the end of the project," Marc says. "You should also plan to achieve more points than the minimum number needed for the LEED certification level your client expects. If you need 33 points for a Silver rating, you should shoot for 40, and you might end up with a Gold rating."

Marc says the major key to success on a sustainable design and construction job is getting involved with project planning as early as possible. You want to know what the client is looking for, the level of LEED rating they'd like to achieve and the information you need to track and prepare for the project you're performing. "As a contractor, it's wise to be included in the design side," Marc says. "There's integration in design and construction, and most LEED projects are design/build."

Green building and the company's past success working with customers from the design stage onward to help T.B. Penick continue on its upward growth path.

Award-winning Safety

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) awarded T.B. Penick & Sons a First Place Construction Safety Excellence Award for 2007 in the "Specialty Contractor - 300,001-700,000 work hours" category. T.B. Penick's strong belief in safety has paid off on several levels.

"Some contractors might not believe safety is worth the money," says Tim Penick, company president. "We're spending money on safety day in and day out, but it's making us money."

Tim estimates the company spends $250,000 on its safety effort annually, but it gets at least a $400,000 payback, plus the benefit of a safe and healthy workforce. For example, T.B. Penick reports that in 2004 it had $14 million in payroll, but a mere $10,000 in worker compensation claims and zero lost-time accidents.

In addition to the monetary benefits, Marc Penick, CEO of T.B. Penick & Sons, says workers are impressed by the company's safety record and come on board because of the safe work environment waiting for them. And the safety record doesn't go unnoticed by owners and general contractors either.

"Many places use a safety record as a measure of a company's success," Marc adds. "Clients don't like accidents on jobsites, especially churches or public and military clients. They look to hire subcontractors and general contractors who work in-house to provide a safe working environment. Our safety record brings us work."

Direct Link to San Diego Business Journal Online: http://www.sdbj.com/article.asp?aID=114542&link=perm

The award -- announced March 27 at the AGC’s 88th Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas -- is a landmark achievement that truly symbolizes safety excellence. Companies invited and ranked already represent the top tier of elite, regional finalists.

Across all divisions, T.B. Penick was the only representative from Southern California to be awarded first place for Construction Safety Excellence. Specifically, competing with the highest-regarded companies from across the country, Penick was honored as the best-rated specialty contractor in the division of those that documented between 300,000 to 700,000 work hours.

Judgment criteria at the 8th Annual Construction Safety Awards included: commitment to a safe work site at every level of the organization; training programs; work site hazard identification and control; and innovation across all safety procedures.

Tim Penick, Director of Safety Peter Lupo, and Greg Lee helped deliver a terrific presentation, during which the judging panel was noticeably interested and impressed with the Safety Department.

“The Construction Safety Excellence Awards recognize those companies that have proven both dedication and innovation to constantly improve workplace safety by making safety a companywide priority,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of the AGC. “Employees are our members’ most valuable asset, and AGC is committed to enhancing workplace safety.”

The Associated General Contractors of America is the nation's oldest and largest trade association representing the construction industry. It was formed in 1918 following a request by President Woodrow Wilson, who -- after meeting individually with different builders -- suggested they form an association in order to speak with a unified voice on industry matters.

Today, the AGC of America plays an integral role in advocating for construction safety and is active on numerous Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) committees, the American National Standards Institute Committee on Safety in Construction Demolition Operations, as well as the Committee on Ladder Safety.

Headquarted in Arlington, Virginia, the AGC represents more than 32,000 firms, including 7,000 of America’s leading general contractors, and over 11,000 specialty-contracting firms. More than 13,000 service providers and suppliers are associated with AGC through a nationwide network of 98 local chapters, not including student chapters on many college campuses.

We would also like to announce our new Residential Concrete division. Headed by Richard O'Leary and Curt Trujillo, bringing you this new service is a result of numerous requests we have received from architects and owners who want the opportunity to use our systems for their residential projects. Please contact Curt Trujillo at 858-558-1800 or CurtT@tbpenick.com for more information.

The U.S. Grant was built in 1910 by Ulysees S. Grant Jr. to honor his Civil War father hero. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation purchased the hotel in 2003. Sycuan’s purchase of the hotel represents an ancestral tribute to their legacy as it was President Grant , who in 1875 passed an executive order setting aside 640 acres of land in East San Diego for the Kumeyaay Tribes, granted them sovereignty. When the Sycuan Tribe began the meticulous $52 million renovation of this historical landmark in downtown San Diego, they were in need of options for the replacement of the red tile that surrounded the building. They were seeking something more decorative, grander, something that would complement the changes they were making to the interior of the building. The footprint of the building was a critical portion of this renovation project.

The tribe then hired an international team of designers, architects, and craftsmen to undertake the design of the renovation. Because of the underground corridors, tear-out was not an option. The architects and designers had a vision for the U.S. Grant, and they wanted rustic terrazzo. Samples were created by T.B. Penick, and the chosen finishes were developed. Great care was taken by T.B. Penick during the construction of the new sidewalks and porte cochere. First, the surface was prepared for the terrazzo by removing the tile material, and filling of the cracks. A new waterproofing system was set in place, and the rustic terrazzo went directly on top of that. The team had chosen Inyo Oro and black mini pearl aggregates with terrazzo strips to delineate the colors in a simple, yet elegant, pattern to complement the restored black and gold travertine in the grand foyer on Fourth Avenue. The resulting design pays tribute to the U.S. Grant’s 1910 origins.

The CCDC feels that this is the only surface that keeps the integrity of old buildings intact.

The CCDC has since adopted T.B. Penick’s proprietary specifications on any downtown renovation with underground parking.

Employees at T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc. Innovative Concrete Systems Group set a new safety record over the last year three years. “1205 days with no loss time injuries” was the longest run in the 100- year history of the company. This equates to almost 600,000 hours on the job.

The Innovative Concrete Systems Group is a highly safety conscious group within T.B. Penick, requiring a strong safety program in order to maintain strict compliance with regulations for the safety and health of its employees. Crucial elements leading to the success of the safety culture are management and employee commitment to safety.

The Penick Company’s management and employees work together as a team with representatives from insurance carriers and the company’s insurance broker, Barney & Barney, to ensure that appropriate risk management programs are in place. Penick owes its success to the daily contributions of its field and management personnel. Byron Klemaske II, Executive Vice President of the Innovative Concrete Systems Group, credits the savvy and effectiveness of the field operation for this remarkable performance, “Day in and day out, our folks take care of business efficiently and safely. My hat is off to them. The achievement is theirs.”

T.B. Penick believes that that everyone who works for the company should go home as healthy as when they arrived for duty.