Jan 5, 2012
AWP ASSISTS IN CROSS-COUNTRY TRANSPORT OF COMBAT DRONE
Last month, residents of Cowley County in Kansas reported sightings of a "UFO" being transported down US Highway 77. The "UFO" sighted in Kansas was actually an X-47B, an unmanned combat drone built by Northrop Grumman. AWP, in conjunction with Diamond Heavy Haul, transported the X-47B from Edwards Air Force base in California to a Naval air station in Maryland. We delivered the X-47B safely to its destination on Wednesday, December 21st.
View the full story, reported by MSNBC.com.
Dec 16, 2011
DISTRACTED DRIVING CONTINUES TO THREATEN ROAD SAFETY
In conjunction with the announcement of the record-breaking decline of traffic fatalities in 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation reminds drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. NHTSA data indicates that driver distraction continues to be a significant threat to traffic safety.
AWP’s mission to provide safe and compliant work zones becomes increasingly important as distracted driving threatens the safety of motorists and those working on America’s roadways. A survey conducted by NHTSA found that drivers rarely consider traffic situations when choosing to use their phone. It is AWP’s job to provide traffic control solutions that will alert distracted drivers and protect road workers. Our work zones are designed and implemented by professionals to provide warnings, barriers and ease of traffic flow for even the most complicated work zones. The solutions we provide meet and exceed regulations specific to each location and project because safety is our highest priority.
Click here for source article.
Click here for more information on distracted driving.
Dec 12, 2011
U.S. TRAFFIC FATALITIES DECREASE, AWP CONTINUES SAFETY EFFORTS
Last week NBC Nightly News reported that in 2010, the U.S. saw the lowest numbers of traffic fatalities since 1949. As a nation, we drove nearly 46 billion miles more in 2010 than we drove in 1949. Despite the increase in miles driven, fewer Americans were killed in car accidents last year because of safer roads, safer vehicles, and safer drivers. (This information can be found on MSNBC’s Overhead Bin: http://on.msnbc.com/rI655o)
At Area Wide Protective, we are doing our part to make roads safer as well. We are constantly improving our safety training program for our employees. All our associates are ATSSA certified and our training standards far exceed minimum state requirements for all fifteen states in which we serve! We only use the best equipment and safety gear. Our vehicles and equipment are designed to alert even the most distracted drivers to work zones on the roads. We deploy over 600 professionals every day to protect the roads and road workers of America.
Nov 3, 2011
THOSE WERE THE DAYS…THESE ARE THE DAYS!!
Almost 19 years ago to the day, I was the owner of a struggling security guard and alarm installation company. I wasn’t making any money and, to make matters worse, I was dealing daily with a whole host of frustrating—and frightening—issues. My security guys would be caught sleeping, making inappropriate comments to the cleaning lady, or wave a firearm around without just cause. There had to be a better way to make a living, right?
It just so happened that one of our security clients was a major public utility company, and they were looking to outsource their work area protection needs—traffic control—to a responsible vendor. Somehow, I convinced them that AWP was that vendor.
And, so the journey began. When I think back to those early days now, I have to laugh. There was no “how to” manual available on how to structure a traffic control operation, no commercialized training, and very few DOT or local regulations. We made it up as we went along—trial and error. It took a long time before we settled on full sized company owned pickup trucks for deployment—we first used employee vehicles, then cars, then compact pickups. We used vinyl mesh signs (not retroreflective) mounted on “pogo” stands, i.e., one piece stands with a sharp spike at one end that you stood on to drive into the ground. There were no employee cell phones—we communicated with a central office base station radio and hand held radios in the vehicles. We made our own STOP/SLOW paddles out of wood or plastic, serviced our own vehicles and, most important, thought we would really be a big time, big deal traffic control outfit when we were putting out 50 flaggers a day. That day arrived in 1997.
And look where we are today! In October, 2011, a new, all time company record was set when a total of 823 AWP employees were hard at work throughout our 20 state territory in a single day! Of the five highest daily deployment totals in AWP history, all of them occurred in October. We now have more than 1000 people on our payroll, and our 2011 revenues will set a new record as well. To be sure, as the CEO, I’m proud of how far we’ve come. More importantly, I am immeasurably grateful to all of our AWP associates—now 1000 strong—for the hard work and dedication it took to get us there.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I better get back to making some more STOP/SLOW paddles—looks like we’re going to need them!
William A. Fink, Chairman & CEO
Area Wide Protective
Oct 22, 2011
AWP'S POSITION ON FHWA'S PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE COMPLIANCE DEADLINES
Topic
On August 31st, 2011, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a proposal to eliminate deadlines for the replacement of traffic signs and related warning devices. The deadlines involved the replacement of non-compliant traffic signs, including those existing traffic signs that do not meet the minimum levels of retroreflectivity. These deadlines were set by Finals Rules (established in the US CFR) in 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2009. Many of the deadlines were to be met through the incremental replacement of traffic signs at the end of their service life through a “systematic upgrading program.” Several factors—including recession driven budget challenges and media fueled hand wringing over the cost of compliance—heavily influenced the FHWA’s decision to drop the deadlines.
The changes now on the table specifically include: 1) the elimination of 46 compliance dates – including eight deadlines that have since passed; 2) the extension and/or revision of four deadlines; and 3) retaining eight compliance deadlines regarding items that FHWA believes would have a high impact on safety.
With regard to the minimum retroreflectivity deadline, FHWA is proposing to:
- Keep the requirement for every municipality to develop and implement a non-changing assessment or management method for maintaining their traffic sign inventories at or above the established minimum levels, but require this method to only be applicable to maintaining regulatory and warning signs at the minimum levels. The deadline for complying with this item is to be extended for two years and there is to be no date for implementing a method for maintaining guide and other signs at the minimum levels.
- Eliminate the compliance dates of January 22, 2015 (regulatory, warning, and ground-mounted guide signs) and January 22, 2018 (street name and overhead guide signs) for replacing any signs found to be below the minimum retroreflectivity levels. This allows municipalities to have some flexibility in determining when the replacement of signs not meeting minimum standards would occur. This would also require the municipality to be able to defend their determined replacement date.
Additional sign replacement deadlines required to comply with new sign designs are proposed to be eliminated. The reasoning behind this is that many of these compliance deadlines were established by Final Rules in 2000 and in 2003, and municipalities are assumed to have already met these deadlines. The elimination of the deadlines is meant to help those who have not replaced these signs do so through “systematic upgrades” of their sign inventories.
Argument for the Proposed Elimination of Deadlines
The combination of decreased municipal budgets, along with the quantity and cost of compliance deadlines, makes it nearly impossible for a municipality to meet the compliance schedule. With the average cost of $150 per sign replaced, the large quantity of signs that need to be replaced and the new sign designs, a small municipality can simply not afford to replace all of their signs to meet the standards. In essence, what has been done here is to take a worthy and much needed public safety initiative that contained some admitted challenges and turn it into an unfunded mandate.
By eliminating the deadline, a municipality can utilize their existing budgets, and the required assessment or management method to meet the requirements in the MUTCD as their signs reach the end of their service lives. There is no reason to spend the excessive monies and labor to replace all the signs by a particular date.
AWP’s Position
The proposed elimination of minimum levels of retroreflectivity for signs would be a step backward for the safety of all drivers and pedestrians nationwide. Although the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is not eliminating the standards, the elimination of the deadlines give state and local governments the option to delay upgrading their traffic signs with these critical, cost-effective safety measures. All of these deadlines have existed for more than two years, and many have existed for more than five years. How much longer must drivers wait for safer roads? Do we want to drive our citizens into the arms of plaintiff’s attorneys as an impetus for needed change?
As the nation’s largest temporary traffic control company, AWP spends more time on the country’s roadways than most drivers and we are privy to safety hazards that exist due to improper and aged traffic signs. Brighter, more retroreflective signs allow for more decision-making time for older drivers and pedestrians, giving them critical time to be in the correct lane, make a left hand turn, or avoid a crash. It is in this instance that every second counts. These sign upgrades will provide those crucial seconds and make a difference in saving the lives of Americans nationwide.
Programs and campaigns such as the USDOT’s “Every Day Counts” and FHWA’s “Toward Zero Deaths” advocate the deployment of vital safety measures to the road as quickly as possible. However, by eliminating compliance deadlines, FHWA is effectively telling Americans that while safe, compliant road signage is critically important, when we get around to enforcing the standards is not as important.
AWP was 100% behind the FHWA taking steps towards making the roadways safer with implementation of new traffic sign designs and minimum retroreflectivity standards. We expended a great deal of effort in working with our customers to make sure they understood the changes to the standards, and helped several become proactive in meeting the standards. Now, those customers who procrastinated feel they have made a strategically correct decision. Is this really how we want to approach safety improvements and enforcement?
From AWP’s observations of the nation’s roadways these days, make no mistake-- the expected “systematic upgrading” of traffic signs is not occurring as FHWA believes it is. State and Local governments need to be motivated – and funded – to actually make these upgrades.
Therefore, with the understanding that budgets are tighter than ever and that signs that meet the new standards provide a needed improvement in safety, FHWA should not eliminate any of the deadlines. At the same time, a source of funding for this important effort in the form of a federal loan program to local governments or even a tenth of a cent increase in the federal gasoline tax should be made available to make this effort affordable. This will serve as proper motivation for completing the required “systematic upgrades” to traffic signs. FHWA should however, extend the deadlines for retroreflectivity upgrades and sign replacement by three years. This would give state and local entities more time to make their upgrades. This compromise would help save lives as well as give more time for the upgrades to be completed.
All of us in the safety business know too well that safety improvements come at a cost. And, like that old TV commercial says: “You can pay me now, or pay me later.” We all know what the right choice is. We just need to summon the will to make it.
Aug 15, 2011
JAY JIMENEZ PROMOTED TO AWP PRESIDENT
On August 12, 2011, AWP Chairman and CEO, Bill Fink, announced that the Company’s Board of Directors had voted to promote Jay Jimenez, Chief Operating Officer (COO), to the office of President of AWP, effective immediately. Mr. Jimenez will also continue in his role as Chief Operating Officer. This move, according to Mr. Fink, signals that Mr. Jimenez will eventually succeed Mr. Fink as CEO upon his retirement, which will take place in the next 12-18 months.
Mr. Jimenez joined AWP as its Chief Operating Officer in October of 2009 after completing a successful ten year career at FirstEnergy, one of the largest investor owned electric utilities in the United States. From the very beginning, Mr. Jimenez set out to effect major and needed changes at AWP, revamping the Company’s safety policies and procedures to lessen on the job injuries. He also hired a number of new field managers to promote growth and expert operation in AWP’s 18 state territory.
In marking the occasion of Mr. Jimenez’s promotion, Mr. Fink stated that “smart organizations are always looking toward the future and, in that sense, Jay Jimenez will provide the leadership to secure AWP’s future for years to come.”
Jul 30, 2011
AWP INTRODUCES DIGITAL SPEED TRAILERS IN WORK ZONES
AWP Chief Operating Officer, Jay Jimenez, recently announced that AWP has begun a major initiative to enhance safe operation in customer work areas--- the introduction of digital speed trailers.
All of us, as motorists, are familiar with these devices, which provide a flashing digital display depicting your vehicle’s speed . What isn’t very common is the use of this equipment in a flagging operation. Mr. Jimenez states that AWP has conducted extensive research on these devices, and these studies reveal that use of speed control units has a positive and immediate effect on motorist behavior. “Our Training and Compliance team, led by Mr. Eric Hulme, did an excellent job of demonstrating the clear safety advantages of utilizing this equipment,” Jimenez said. “We then began sharing these findings with some of our major customers, and they were excited about the benefits as well,” Jimenez went on to say.
AWP is already planning deployment of eight of these devices in work areas in OH, MI and IN. Within the next year, all AWP locations will be using speed trailers in work zones. Let’s get everyone to SLOW DOWN!
Jul 15, 2011
AWP COMPLETES SECOND QUARTER, 2011 IN RECORD FASHION
AWP Chairman, Bill Fink, reports that the company had a very successful six months ending June 30, 2011, capped by a record breaking month of June.
According to Mr. Fink, revenues and billable hours were up in the first half of this year when compared to the same period in 2010. In June, the company set records for most billable hours in a single month, most revenue in a month and most revenue billed in a single week. Most significantly, AWP did not have a single employee injury or OSHA recordable incident in June.
In reviewing the 2011 results to date, Fink said that “AWP must continue to operate safely while significantly growing its business at the same time. We can’t have one without the other, and our performance in June certainly demonstrates that we are capable of achieving both goals.”
Looks like we’re on the right track for the remainder of this year.
Aug 17, 2010
NEW SERVICE OFFERINGS
AWP has always embraced the philosophy to perform any service that it can safely provide that is needed by its customers. So far in 2010, the company is moving quickly from concept to reality. In March, AWP began its second year of providing cathodic protection inspections to Columbia Gas. In April, the company was awarded a similar cathodic inspection contract by the Knoxville Utility Board. In July, AWP received a two year contract for steel road plate delivery service to support NiSource operations in Columbus, Ohio. AWP is now exploring the possibility of providing dump truck service to a major utility customer. Clearly, we are more than just a traffic control company.
Jul 27, 2010
NEW AWP LOCATIONS OFF TO FAST START
In March 2010, AWP entered the Florida traffic control market, opening a full service facility in Daytona Beach. Since then, AWP has launched two additional satellite offices – in Green Cove Springs and Melbourne. More than 20 AWP traffic control professionals are now working daily in the Sunshine State, primarily for Florida Power and Light and its affiliated contractors.
In May 2010, AWP was invited by Columbia Gas to expand its presence in the state of Virginia, by opening office in Fishersville and Fredericksburg. This increased activity has prompted American Electric Power to reach out for AWP’s support of its operations in the Roanoke and Lynchburg areas. To date, AWP has more than 17 new employees working daily to promote safety and work area protection
Jul 27, 2010
IT’S HALFTIME: AWP FORGES AHEAD IN 2010
AWP President Bill Fink recently announced that the company recorded encouraging results on all fronts during the first six months of 2010. Fink stated that where safety , compliance, and billable hours are concerned, the company is on pace to match its 2008 performance. Fink pointed to the growth occurring in AWP’s Southern offices as the primary driver for increased business, and he predicted that the company’s safety performance would be at least 50 percent better than results achieved in 2009.
The second half of 2010 is now underway. Here’s hoping that AWP’s good news story continues.
Apr 25, 2010
MORE GOOD NEWS IN THE SOUTHERN REGION!
Bill Fink, AWP’s President, recently announced the opening of two new offices in Virginia. The new offices will be located in Fishersville and Fredericksburg. Both locations will be providing comprehensive traffic control services to Columbia Gas, their outside contractors, and other utility and construction companies throughout the Commonwealth. The two new locations are in addition to our thriving Bristol, VA operation, which was established in 2006. In addition to serving the Fishersville and Fredericksburg areas, these new offices will bring crews to Lynchburg, Roanoke, Wytheville and Charlottesville. Mr. Fink stated that the primary “drivers” for the expansion are the increasingly stringent compliance standards in Virginia, and the increased focus on safety in work areas emanating from AWP’s customers.
Opening Day will be in Mid May!
Feb 28, 2010
HEADING SOUTH FOR THE WINTER
AWP President Bill Fink is pleased to announce beginning March 8, 2010, the company will begin providing its full array of traffic control services to Florida Power & Light Company, specifically in their Northern Region. Mr. Fink stated that AWP has established an office in Daytona Beach, which will serve FPL’s needs from St. Augustine to Juno Beach. The move into Florida is yet another extension of AWP’s strategic plan, which began in 2006, to focus growth efforts in the Southeastern U.S. AWP senior management expects the Florida operation to become the largest operating region in the company within the next 2-3 years. Stay tuned!
Jan 15, 2010
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...
…AWP gets going! When record snow and ice storms pummeled the Mid Atlantic states beginning December 20, 2009, AWP sprang into action to assist American Electric Power (AEP) in its restoration of electric service to more than 1.6 million customers in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Forsaking their Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the AWP storm team, consisting of over 135 employees, moved into the affected regions within 48 hours of the initial call to provide traffic control assistance to line crews assembled from all over the country. Facing two feet of snow, bitter cold temperatures, more than 7,000 downed power lines and 400 broken poles, AWP employees safely and consistently guided area motorists around the emergency work areas without incident or delay.
This storm event was the second largest in AWP history, topped only by a tornado event in Northeast Ohio in May 2003. “This kind of event and response sets our company apart from anyone else in the traffic control business,” said AWP President Bill Fink. “When minutes and hours count for our customers, they certainly know who to call,” Mr. Fink went on to say.
Just another reminder as to why AWP is America’s traffic control leader.
Nov 5, 2009
NEW LEADERSHIP AT AWP
AWP President, Bill Fink, has announced changes in two key upper management positions at the company.
Jay A. Jimenez, of Hudson, Ohio, has joined AWP as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Jimenez, a New Jersey native, brings over ten years of public utility operating experience to his new assignment. Jay comes to us after serving First Energy in a variety of capacities, most notably as its Director of Operations for meter reading and collections. For 2010, Mr. Jimenez will focus on enhancing AWP’s safety culture and improving the firm’s operational efficiency.
Donald A. Weidig, a Canton, Ohio resident, has joined AWP as our Chief Financial Officer. A certified public accountant and life-long resident of the Northeast Ohio community, Mr. Weidig has more than 30 years of accounting & finance experience, including spending over ten years with Ernst & Young followed by a number of prominent for profit corporations. Mr. Weidig’s immediate goals are to increase the efficiency of AWP’s internal accounting operations, and to create accurate profit and loss reporting for each of AWP’s 14 regional offices.
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