SSE's Lucas Case to Serve the Branson Community

Lucas Case
SSE Public Relations

Schultz & Summers Engineering would like to congratulate Lucas Case on being elected to serve the downtown Branson community on the Downtown Branson Main Street Association (DBMA) Board of Directors. SSE hired Lucas Case to handle Public Relations and Social Media for the firm earlier this year with the goal of enhancing communications with existing and future clients. “Being involved in our local communities is important to our company and we plan on continuing to play a crucial role in improving the lives of people in the Branson/Tri-Lakes area,” said SSE Owner, Stan Schultz.

Stan Schultz, SSE Owner

“I am honored to be elected by downtown Branson business leaders to serve on this board,” said Case. “The DBMA promotes the downtown area from the top of Hwy 76 all the way down to the Branson Landing and areas in between. The DBMA brings the community some of the most sacred and popular events such as the annual Fiddle Festival, Plumb Nellie Days, Autumn Daze and so much more,” stated Case.

Historic Downtown Branson is considered the “Heart of Branson” to most people who hear of or visit the Branson Tri-Lakes area. Downtown Branson is home to more than 250 small and large businesses that offer anything from attractions and lodging to professional services, restaurants, shopping and more. The DBMA provides the Free Trolley Service to and from one destination to the next with more than seven trolley stops in the downtown area.

Cris Bohinc
DBMA Exec. Director

DBMA Executive Director Cris Bohinc stated, “I am pleased to have Lucas on our board to help bring new creative ideas to better serve our downtown community, while preserving the heritage that downtown Branson offers to our patrons and businesses. Welcome aboard, Lucas.”

Tammy Thurman
Owner, Lock Smith Salon

Owner of downtown business Lock Smith Salon, Tammy Thurman, also stated, “It’s a pleasure to have Lucas on our Board of Directors. We have enjoyed getting to know him over these last few years and I am looking forward to seeing him more here in historic downtown Branson.”

For more information about Downtown Branson please visit www.DowntownBranson.org.

Jaymie Potter is the SSE Employee of the Month for January

Jaymie at her computer

BRANSON, MO ─ Schultz and Summers Engineering, is pleased to announce the January employee of the month was Jaymie Potter from the Branson office.  Owner Stan Schultz said, “It was not as hard to pick an employee of the month for January because Jaymie did such a good job on preparing so many SOQ’s that have helped us obtain new projects. In January she put together 17 SOQ’s which is almost one a day.”

Jaymie will be celebrating her second anniversary with SSE in October 2012.  She helps manage the Branson office, but mainly focuses on preparing all SSE proposals and managing our database.  Schultz added, “Jaymie has made a real difference in how nice our proposals and presentations look. They have helped us obtain some very key projects for the company and her database work has helped us do a much better job of keeping in touch with our customers and reaching new prospects.”

Jaymie hooking a big one

Jaymie lives in Branson, Missouri with her husband Jim and their four dogs Monty, Lucca, Dallas and Estee. Before joining SSE she owned a commercial fishing business in Kodiak, Alaska and still has a family owned B&B the Kodiak Russian River Lodge (www.kodiakrussianriverlodge.com). Marketing Director Rodney Jetton said, “Jaymie has been a huge blessing to SSE. Her desire to see our company succeed is contagious and she doesn’t know the word no. We keep pouring mountains of work on her and she just gets it done!”

Jaymie’s interests include, singing in the choir at her church, the Sanctuary of Hope, participating in the Republican Party, and sport fishing every chance she gets. She loves to visit her daughter and grandkids in Kodiak, Alaska and her newest interest is finding stories from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that have moral lessons for children and recording them for her grandchildren. Jaymie says that stories like the Hedge of Thorns, Teddy’s Button, Jill’s Red Bag and Buried in the Snow, contain a Christian message to teach children, responsibility, kindness, and how to treat others.  “These stories are wonderfully written but mostly in "King's English" so I take to story and tell it in my own words so they understand the message.  My goal is to have a library that my grandkids can listen to so that the miles between us don't separate us as much,” she added.

Brad Allbritton donates a check to  of the United Oxford House on behalf Jaymie Potter

When asked what she likes best about working at SSE she replied, “Everyday is a new challenge. I have my normal workload but the variety of projects really makes each day interesting. My weeks fly by, which is always a good assessment of the challenge and job satisfaction. The Branson team is fantastic. I am excited to see the success of the new direction the company is taking with the training and pursuit of new markets and clients.”

In honor of Jaymie being awarded January employee of the month SSE will donate $100 on her behalf to the Oxford House, which is a home in Springfield for women in recovery. “Jaymie has been such a big part of helping us present a more professional image to our customers and prospects.  Having her skills on the SSE team has really helped us be successful,” concluded owner Bob Summers.

  

The Joplin Field of Dreams

This is a short video with Melinda Vaughn, Stan Schultz, Charlie Bass ,Shawn Bass and Heather Morgan.  They do a great job of explaining how FEMA and the USACE worked together to rebuild Joplin's ball fields.  C&M Contractors was the project manager and they had Schultz and Summers Engineering do the design work while Ridge Hill Contractors helped with the construction.

This $1 million project was designed by SSE in just 9 days and C&M completed work and had the fields ready for use 45 days ahead of schedule.      

 

Joplin Field of Dreams

Here are a few photos of the finished fields.

The SEMO Times Covered Our Work In Joplin

Check out the link to the story here:  http://semotimes.com/6421 

KSMU- Engineering Firm Offers Help Understanding New FEMA Flood Maps | KSMU

Missy Shelton of KSMU talked with Stan Schultz about the upcoming FEMA class in Branson. We have helped hundreds of homeowners save thousands of dollars but surveying their property and proving that they are not in the Floodplain.


Engineering Firm Offers Help Understanding New FEMA Flood Maps | KSMU

Listen to the story here-
http://ksmu.org/media/mp3/engineering-firm-offers-help-understanding-new-fema-flood-maps_26368.mp3

LOCAL COMPANIES HELP JOPLIN MISSOURI REBUILD THEIR BALL FIELDS

C&M Contractors & SSE finished the project ahead of schedule and within budget!

Melinda of C&M and Doug of Ridge Hill pose for a photo.

President Obama

JOPLIN, MO- On May 22, 2011 Joplin Missouri was devastated by an F5 tornado that killed 156 people and left the city of Joplin in ruins.  The high school, along with several of the athletic fields, was totally destroyed.  Soon after the event President Obama said, "Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri. We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbors at this very difficult time. At my direction, FEMA is working with the affected areas' state and local officials to support response and recovery efforts, and the federal government stands ready to help our fellow Americans as needed."

With the presidents orders in hand FEMA jumped into action.  They put contracts in place to begin the cleanup effort, and build the needed temporary housing.  Another project they put a priority on was building new High School Athletic fields.  Working through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-Kansas City District, they hoped to design, build and complete new soccer, softball, baseball and football fields that the students could use by October 15th.  Time was of the essence so they moved fast to find a reliable contractor that could quickly design and construct these fields. Owner Charlie Bass said, “The damage to Joplin was indescribable, and losing so many people in a town that side was a tragedy.  Being picked to help the rebuild was a real honor and we did everything we could to finish this job on time and within the budget!” 

The Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) had provided C&M Contractors as well as SSE the help they needed to be registered as a small business with the federal government.  Because of that help the USACE was able to identify that C&M Contractors had the background and experience to handle a design build project for the Joplin ball fields.  SSE owner Stan Schultz added, “Once C&M told us the schedule for this project we quickly gave them the support and staff they needed to begin the design process.  Melinda and Charlie may be new to the 8a program, but their 15 year track record of working in the private sector on demanding construction schedules was perfect for this project.” 

Melinda Vaughn

Charlie Bass

On July 13^th the USACE contacted C&M Contractors about this project and on July14th owners Melinda Vaughn and Charlie Bass made their first visit to the site.  They were chosen for a design/build negotiated contract by the USACE- Kansas City District and Melinda Vaughn quickly assembled an experienced team including Schultz & Summers Engineering as well as Ridge Hill Contractors.  On July23rd, only nine days later, SSE successfully completed the design which allowed C&M Contractors to successfully negotiate the contract for the temporary athletic fields located at the Joplin South Middle School.   These included a baseball, softball, soccer, and a football field.  The contracting authority was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; however, the project was funded by FEMA through their critical infrastructure program as part of the disaster relief effort after the tornado. Heather Morgan a landscape architect for the USACE said, “There was a lot of pressure on this project with people saying I need this now, along with me pushing and calling Brad Allbritton on the weekend because SSE had to come out and site plan the project, grade it, do all the permitting and prepare the construction documents at the speed of light.  C&M Contracting and SSE did that! We had a full site with all these existing conditions and SSE had to come up with deliverables that normally take months on end to create, to get earth moving and get everything correct as far as cost estimating.  On a large site that is not easy to do, but it saves time.”    

Heather Morgan goes over the plans

Typically, design build contracts are awarded to large construction and engineering firms, but because of the tornado and emergency situation FEMA wanted to find a small business that could begin work immediately.  Rarely do small companies like C&M Contractors have an opportunity to do this kind of project.  C&M owner Melinda Vaughn said, “Even though we are new to the 8a program working on design build projects is not new to us.  Charlie and our project managers all understand the importance of doing quality work on projects that have demanding timelines.  We also have some very capable and reliable partners in Schultz and Summers Engineering & Ridge Hill Contractors. A good team makes successfully completing a project like this easy” Charlie Bass added, “Having quality local subcontractors helped us complete the project on time.  Bill’s Electric placed the lights for two fields and Anchor Fence built the fencing around the softball and baseball fields. Their hard work was invaluable.”

On September 1^st the final sod was laid down which completed the project 45 days ahead of schedule.  The grading was complete, the grass was growing, the bleachers were in place, and the lights were shining the night the students took the field for the first time.  While some may say ball fields are not that important, the folks in Joplin do not agree.  Mike Johnson, Director of Maintenance  added, “We lost several students in that storm and anything that can help bring some normalcy back into these kids lives is a wonderful thing.  What FEMA the USACE, C&M, SSE and all the workers have done for our school is truly a blessing.” 

One of the finished ball fields.

  

Springfield Business Journal- SSE Business Spotlight

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Business Spotlight: Water Works
Schultz & Summers Engineering's Branson office builds forte in rural water systems

Eric Olson
Editor

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Schultz & Summers Engineering co-owner Stan Schultz, second from left, reviews engineering site documents with the team building athletic fields for the Joplin School District.

Brad Allbritton, Branson branch manager, says the office has found a niche helping rural towns and districts obtain funding to meet water and sewer needs.

Schultz & Summers Engineering Inc. Owners: Stan Schultz and Bob Summers Founded: 1997 Address: 800 State Highway 248, Bldg. 4, Ste. D, Branson, MO 65616 Phone: (417) 337-8820 Fax: (417) 337-8850 Web: www.SchultzAndSummers.com E-mail: sse@schultzandsummers.com Services/Products: Civil engineering, land surveying and materials testing 2010 Revenues: $5.7 million Employees: 60; 6 in Branson

The year 2008 was critical in the life of Schultz & Summers Engineering Inc.

Coming off 12 months that eclipsed $2 million in revenues, principals Stan Schultz and Bob Summers reviewed their Poplar Bluff-based firm’s work orders and saw a lighter-than-comfortable load on the horizon.

“We started pursuing more work in the Branson market because it appeared strong to us,” Schultz says, noting a second strategy in the works at the time. “We had information that New Orleans was just getting ready to boom from the post-Katrina construction.”

Juggling both ideas, the civil engineering partners thought they’d be glad to hit on one.

“We ended up executing successful ventures in both markets,” he says, and the moves ultimately advanced SSE this year on Inc. magazine’s 5,000 fastest-growing private companies list to No. 1,613 with a 169 percent three-year growth rate to $5.7 million in 2010 revenues. The company placed No. 3,832 on Inc.’s 2010 list.

Branson in-roadsFounded in 1997 and offering civil engineering, land surveying and materials testing, SSE already had a project track record in southwest Missouri, having completed jobs for Table Rock Dam and Branson Airport and on highways 65 and 13.

Schultz started the Lake of the Ozarks branch office from scratch in early 2003 and discovered it took at least five years to build a sustainable office. Seeking quicker in-roads in its Branson plan, SSE officials – through a consultant – identified an acquisition opportunity with Mesa Engineering in early 2009.

“It was our strategy to purchase Mesa to give us a seat at the table with local developers,” Schultz says. “But then the market evaporated, and we had to rely on our ability to get municipal customers in southwest Missouri to keep the Branson office afloat.”

Government projects emerged as the firm’s bread and butter, both in southwest Missouri and in New Orleans. A combination of federally funded jobs, local municipality water and sewer systems, and state highway projects have pushed the company faster than expected.

“It just loaded us up with more work than we’ve had in the history of our company,” Schultz says, noting the company now employs 60 firmwide.

Efforts to get employees on the ground in New Orleans paid off as SSE secured roughly 40 jobs under the federal $14 billion hurricane protection system rebuilding project. At the peak, the company had 35 employees in the New Orleans office to work on surveying and materials testing, including temporary assignments among the six employees in the Branson office. The firm netted about $3 million, or 60 percent of 2010 revenues, from the post-Katrina work.

“It’s managed for us to keep about 15 people from Missouri employed when we may not have had work for them locally,” Schultz adds.

This year, Branson officials were tabbed by the Army Corps of Engineers for a $1 million job for the Joplin School District. In response to the May tornado, school officials were determined to quickly provide athletic fields for fall sporting events as the community regrouped, and SSE began working with Doniphan-based C&M Contractors Inc. in July to design and build football, soccer, baseball and softball fields to high school standards on more than 10 acres at Joplin South Middle School.

“It was a super-fast-track deal. We worked very hard on that project and were able to provide the fields right as the school started,” says Brad Allbritton, a project engineer and the Branson branch manager. “It was a very good feeling to know that you’re helping that community.”

Funding strategiesThe forte of the Branson office is helping rural towns and districts obtain funding to meet water and sewer needs, Allbritton says. Companywide, SSE has helped townships and nonprofits secure nearly $100 million in public funding, and Branson officials are working with Kanakuk Camps for water and sewer testing, and with Fort Leonard Wood for the design of an Army training support center.

Lampe-based Mo-Ark Water Co. partnered with SSE this year to upgrade its water systems in Lampe and Blue Eye. Mo-Ark assistant office manager Chris Davidson says the not-for-profit water company is seeking government funding to extend and improve its drinking water lines, which pumped more than 45 million gallons of water in the last year to its 582 residential and commercial connections. The $1.1 million project, which would be largely funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan, comprises a new water tower in Blue Eye and additional lines in Lampe.

Davidson says Mo-Ark Water is now seeking a Missouri Department of Natural Resources grant, the company’s first financing efforts since it opened in 1973.

“Brad has helped me get all of the numbers together – a pretty massive amount of information – and this is the first time I’ve done this,” she says. “He’s helped me every step of the way. We actually got preapproval on the DNR grant, and we’re still working on the loan.”

Such work involves writing reports and applications, holding public meetings, getting a bond issue on the ballot, promoting up to the vote and securing government agency funding, Schultz says. “It takes about three years from the first phone call before we get pipe in the ground,” he says.

SSE officials project more than $6 million in 2011 revenues and say a glimmer of hope rests in the private development market.

“We’re getting an uptick of activity from developers in just the last 30 days,” Schultz says. “We think we’re close to the bottom if we haven’t already bottomed out. We look for the private investment market to be active again.”

Schultz and Summers teams up as Balloon Sponsor with The Communities at Branson Creek

The Communities at Branson Creek welcomes Schultz and Summers team as sponsor for the inaugural Balloons over Branson Creek.

Rodney Jetton

Rodney Jetton, Marketing Director, for Schultz and Summers Engineering is excited to be involved in Balloons Over Branson Creek because of the beautiful location and the ability to network with other great sponsors involved in the event.

 “I can’t think of a better terrain than Branson Creek for a hot air balloon race,” Mr. Jetton said. “ The visual will be breathtaking.  I imagine if you are sitting on a hilltop you will be level with the hot air balloon as it rises higher into the sky.”

 The Communities at Branson Creek sales and marketing department teamed up with Schultz and Summers earlier this year when they co-hosted a well-received Shrimp Boil, held August 25^th, in the Fieldstone neighborhood at the Communities at Branson Creek.

 Now the largest civil engineering firm between St. Louis and Memphis, Schultz and Summers currently employs over 50 of the brightest Engineers, Surveyors, and Materials Testers in Missouri and Louisiana.

Clink this link to read more about all the activities!

www.balloonsoverbransoncreek.com

THE GREAT FLOOD OF 2011

Wapappello Emergency Spillway

     John Barry’s 2005 book, Rising Tide, is required reading material to those curious about the engineering behind the operation of the Mississippi River system and the great flood of 1927 that caused today’s flood control systems to be engineered and constructed. 

Mississippi River Levee

     The Mississippi River watershed is the third largest watershed in the world.  As was the case in 1927, increased volumes of water from the Spring snow melt have reached the river system at the same time unprecedented amounts of rainfall have fallen on the country’s mid-section.  The 1927 flood resulted in 1 million Americans (almost 1% of the entire U.S. population at the time) being displaced.  Thousands died and over 250,000 lived in refugee camps for months.  The Red Cross reported feeding as many as 700,000 people for weeks during the 1927 event. 

     The great flood of 1927 was partially caused by the ‘levees-only’ policy the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers enacted in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  The levees were constructed so that the rich soil of the Mississippi and Arkansas delta could be cultivated and farmed.  The farmland created immense wealth for southern plantation owners.  However, the levees contained the rising river in a constricted area causing its velocity to increase and its power to become uncontrollable.  The resulting disaster caused Congress to pass new legislation in 1928 calling for a better plan ‘to operate the river’.  What we are seeing on the news today is the culmination of decades of engineering and construction along the river system. 

Bathhouse at KC's campground

     This year’s rains caused major flooding in the heartland, and in Poplar Bluff where SSE is headquartered, things were particularly bad.  Over 22 inches of rain fell in 5 days.  A levee in Poplar Bluff broke and hundreds of homes were evacuated.  Also, Wappapello Lake reached a record 400 feet and water poured over the emergency spillway washing out roads and making things even worse downstream.

     Stan’s hometown of Doniphan is on the Current River which was at historic flood levels.  His home is on high ground, however his outfitting company, KC’s on the Current was flooded, and many business were left underwater including Stan’s father –in- laws’ retail store. 

Table Rock Lake Spillway

     In the Missouri Bootheel, the Mississippi River was about to breach the floodwalls and the USACE had to blow a levee and flood over 130,000 acres of farmland in order to protect homes and business downstream.  Things were no better over in Branson along the White River watershed.  They had even more rain, and all the lakes and streams were overflowing.  Table Rock Dam had its’ spillway almost at max capacity and Lake Taneycomo was completely over its’ banks which left Bass Pro and the Branson Landing underwater. 

The Landing in Branson

     Fortunately, despite all the rain the Flood control protections worked!  The White River is dammed in several places; Beaver Dam, Table Rock Dam, Power Site Dam, and Bull Shoals Dam.  Beaver Dam had its’ spillway completely open, which put enormous pressure on Table Rock resulting in another open spillway which left  Lake Taneycomo at full capacity as it poured into Bull Shoals Lake.  Bull Shoals remains full and is backed all the way up to the Power Site Dam and basically, both lakes have become one.  The USACE has tried to release only as much as they absolutely have to because all this water runs into the Mississippi River and could have a negative effect on those downstream.

     As General Walsh made announcements on the Corps’ plan to ‘operate’ the river system as it was designed, thousands and thousands of innocent property owners have been affected.  The operation (blasting of the levees) of the Birds Point system near New Madrid, Missouri did cause tremendous loss of property in Missouri’s fertile delta farmland but they were trying to limit the catastrophic losses in other locations along the river. 

Bonnet Carre spillway

     Farmers in southeast Missouri have suffered serious losses as have the oyster fisherman in Lake Pontchartrain.  The Corps’ decision to open the Bonnet Carre spillway for just the 8^th time inundated the lake’s brackish water with millions of gallons of freshwater per day, causing the oysters to either perish or leave the area.  Finally, the operation of the Old River spillway in Morganza, Louisiana for just the second time protected the important cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans but it displaced about 25,000 people in rural Louisiana.

     Seeing loss of life being minimized during this catastrophe should make us all appreciate what those early engineers accomplished without the technology we have today.  It is impressive that they were able to envisioned and build flood control projects such as Clearwater, Wapappello, Table Rock, Beaver, and Bull Shoals Dams along with the thousands of miles of  levees with sometimes nothing more than teams of mules and shear manpower.  Thankfully, their hard work and planning minimized the damage and loss of life the Great Flood of 2011 could have caused.

     The lakes will remain at high water levels this summer as the USACE slowly releases the spring rainwater.  The process of assessing the damage has begun.  There will be repairs to roads, levees, and bridges as well as houses fixed, up and some torn down.  Slowly life is getting back to normal but things could have been much worse.  People worked together and helped each other out and communities all along the Mississippi River are stronger today than they were before the spring rains washed so many dreams away.  

Wendell Beard Joins Schultz and Summers Engineering

He brings SSE over 35 years of surveying experience in

 Taney, Stone, Barry, Ozark and Christian Counties.

BRANSON, MO – Schultz and Summers Engineering is proud to announce the addition of Wendell Beard to their company.  Wendell spent 30 years of his career working for Larry Gardner, owner of Midwest Surveyors and the former Taney County Surveyor.  Owner Stan Schultz said, “Wendell brings a wealth of knowledge of the Branson region to our surveying department.  His 35 years experience will help us better serve our clients and we are excited about having him join our team!”  

He first learned basic surveying by taking night classes in the fundamentals of land surveying, boundary survey calculations and land survey law, taught by Dr. Richard Elgin who many consider to be the father of surveying in Missouri.  During his long career, Wendell has performed all types of surveying including boundary surveys, topographic surveys, Alta surveys, highway and road staking, sewer line staking, golf course staking and building staking.  He added, “I have done thousands of small and large surveys for hundreds of different customers including, business, developers, realtors, cities, counties, water, sewer and county road districts as well as the USACE.”

Brad Allbritton and Wendell look over some plans

Because of his vast experience in surveying in and around Table Rock and Bull Shoals lakes, many consider Mr. Beard to be one of the most knowledgeable surveyors on USACE lake boundaries in this region.  Well known developer Kandis Davis said, “Wendell has worked on over 400 miles of government fee take line for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Table Rock and Bull Shoals lakes.  Additionally, he handled over 200 miles of maintenance contracts through the Corps of Engineers.  Nobody knows this area like Wendell does.”

Wendell is a lifelong resident of Taney County and graduated from Hollister High School in 1973. His surveying experience has been almost exclusively in Taney, Stone, Barry, Ozark and Christian counties. Larry Gardner, owner of Midwest Surveyors and former Taney County Surveyor commented, “Wendell is the perfect employee for any business.  He is technically sound, works well with the public and knows this region like the back of his hand.  Wendell can handle any survey in any situation.”

One question Wendell keeps being asked is, “After 37 years why keep surveying?”  He responded, “I am healthy and love seeing this region progress.  Almost all our improvements and expansions start with a survey.  I have really become close friends with most of my customers.  I love the people in our area and helping them build the houses, businesses, utility lines and roads to accomplish their dreams is very satisfying to me.”

Schultz concluded by saying, “Knowledge of the local area is extremely important in surveying.  The chance to hire an experienced surveyor who has worked in almost every area of this region is a tremendous opportunity for SSE.  For year’s successful business, community and civic leaders have depended on Wendell for all their surveying needs.  We are thrilled to have him join us and keep his services available to all those in the Branson area.”