Corey Delta, Inc.

SPRING 2007

Our Commitment to Quality

Quality is number one is an old maxim that has been around for years, yet remains the foundation from which Corey Delta continues to conduct its business. In order to assure our total commitment to quality company-wide, Larry Brown, a senior vice president at Corey Delta, has recently been appointed to the position of Manager of Quality Assurance. Larry is working closely with the Human Resources and Training Departments to target individuals and areas in need of added training and course curriculum that would help improve quality and performance in the field. The Quality Assurance Department is as important and accountable as our Safety and Training Departments.
Our Quality Assurance Policies and Procedures manual covers the following areas that are essential in order to insure a high level of performance and consistency.

Material Control
Procurement, receiving, storage, identification and non-conformances of all materials on job site.

Welding
Assures that all welding will conform to all governing codes and specifications. The areas included are: Welder performance requirements; Nondestructive Examinations (NDE) for Visual, Liquid Penetrant, Magnetic Particle, and Radiographic; Testing Procedures, and Repair Procedures.

Inspection
Includes minimum inspection activities, frequency, acceptance criteria and documentation required in order to assure and provide objective evidence that the facility is constructed to the degree of quality specified by the contract documents and applicable codes/standards. The areas included are: Control and Calibration, Records, Civil, Structural, Piping, Boiler Assembly, Mechanical, Stored Material/Equipment, Electrical, and Instrumentation.

Systems Turnover
Outlines the procedures and responsibilities for inspection and testing of mechanical equipment to assure that a system is ready for commissioning activities. The areas included are: Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical.

Quality assurance efforts take place both in the field and in the office, addressing issues that affect all levels within the company. Without this broad-based approach, no single group or department can achieve the high levels of quality and commitment we demand of ourselves. We owe this to our dedication to employee communication through interaction between individual employees and departments. Our commitment throughout the entire organization benefits our company and leads to the most important goal, total quality management for our customers.

Corey Delta Receives NCCER Training Sponsor Accreditation

Corey Delta recently received a three-year accreditation as a training sponsor from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). The NCCER is a non-profit education foundation serving the construction and maintenance industries and is affiliated with the University of Florida. The foundation is supported by major trade associations, contractors, and industrial sponsors. The high standards and uniformity of accreditation allow individual training programs to be recognized by organizations and companies nationally.

Corey Delta is encouraging student participation in its training programs by working closely with local schools. We are currently offering classes in NCCER core curriculum, pipefitting and welding. Classes are also open to other contractors and we have two master trainers that are able to certify other trainers. In addition, Corey Delta has initiated a master craftsman-apprentice jobsite work team program.

For more information on training, visit our website at www.coreydelta.com/t.html

California Education Foundation

A major industry challenge is the continuing shortage of skilled craftspeople. AGC of California, through efforts spearheaded by Frank Schipper, established the California Education Foundation. Continued funding is needed to ensure success. We also need to continue to stimulate interest in our industry by supporting AGC’s "Build Up!" and "On-Site" programs in the schools. Linked to the challenge of attracting new resources to the industry is our ability to attract and retain new members to the association. One element of this outreach program is through the Education Foundation and its link to the state university and college system. We need to strengthen our relationships with the various student chapters around the state and develop programs and/or forums to encourage their participation at AGC events. One tool we can use to encourage increased participation is our "student chapter graduate" membership classification. This membership category is available to all students and recent graduates from construction management and engineering programs.

For more information, contact Sam Hussem at (916) 371-2422

President's Message
By Gene Waken

Of all the issues we face as a service provider to America’s industries, all pale in contrast to that of our declining “blue collar” workforce. In every aspect of today’s life in the United States, competent workers are at a premium. Clearly, we didn’t plan ahead when we axed the trade classes in our high schools. Corey Delta has always provided training classes for both our own as well as potential employees, free of charge. The results, while admirable, don’t begin to offset attrition nor accommodate growth. Every contractor, construction trade organization as well as labor unions are faced with the same dilemma, an abundance of potential business vs. a diminishing workforce. In previous times, robust periods of construction activity were accommodated by overtime as well as by workers who gravitated to the work from other areas of the country. In fact, the Business Roundtable Construction Committed initiated a white paper on the subject titled “the effects of overtime on construction projects.” Wages ballooned, safety went to Hell and productivity was comparable to a traditional straight time equivalent while costs soared. Our industry is comprised of contractors who are problem solvers. We take on a responsibility and, through creativity, experience and sometimes just guts, we persevere. Mistakes occur and those are converted to experience. We at Corey Delta have loads of experience! That equates to surviving lots of mistakes. One of the mistakes we have made, more than once, whether through circumstance or tenacity, has been taking on more than we were capable of accomplishing. Given the above, we are extremely cautious as to the commitments we make going forward. We continue to explore non-traditional methods of attracting /retaining / augmenting our workforce. We have been somewhat successful to date but continue our pursuit of the task. One method is the training of “off-shore” crafts. We invest in training programs, establish criteria for employment and, through the acquisition of visas, bring folks in for peak periods of activity. There are other options in play as well. That said; the potential industrial project sin the US over the next 3-5 years is daunting. In addition, scads of infrastructure projects are planned concurrently. How all of these projects will be built is anyone’s guess. My guess is that some or many will not be built. Corey Delta will continue doing the right things in terms of safety, performance, quality, meeting/ exceeding our customer’s expectations. Our primary focus is on not taking on more than we can do well! On another note, I have been elected President of our California Contractors Alliance [CCA], an organization of Northern California, non-building trades industrial contractors. It is a two year term. CCA has been an effective vehicle in representing our unique challenges of merit shop construction and maintenance. We have proven CCA to be a consistent and credible voice for our industry; I pledge to continue that tradition. One final note; we have move our offices… again. We are now located near the intersection if highways 12 and 29 in Southern Napa County, adjacent to Napa County Airport.