The Electrical Blog

When it comes to completing projects with efficiency and excellence, Berwick Electric Co. is always looking for ways to improve. One cutting-edge industry trend, prefabrication (prefab), aims to improve efficiency and quality on the jobsite by constructing selected building components offsite, ahead of time. We recently spoke with Project Manager Mark Norman about Berwick Electric’s take on prefab, as well as the company’s experience with the trend. Keep reading to learn more.

Prefabrication helps increase efficiency on projects with multiple, repetitive parts.

Berwick Electric (BE): What is prefab?
Mark Norman (MN): In our line of work, prefab is anything that can be pre-planned and preassembled in a controlled warehouse environment in order to increase efficiency. Prefab usually involves repetitive tasks that can be a small component of an installation, or in some cases, multi-trade, (various subcontractors working together) full room efforts.

BE: Why is prefab so beneficial?
MN: In many cases, the construction schedule is very tight. Anything we can prefabricate and preplan to be installed in a more efficient manner helps us as electrical contractors to get our job done and then get out of the way for other trades to perform their work. This helps us maintain the project schedule flow.

BE: Can you describe some of Berwick’s experience with prefab?
MN: We kicked off our prefab operations on the Rolling Pin Barracks project several years ago at Fort Carson; we completed 14 barracks building renovations in 15 months. It was very successful. We are currently looking to integrate prefab into upcoming projects in order to support our projects more efficiently.

BE: Can you tell me a little more about the Rolling Pin Barracks project?
MN: Sure. The Rolling Pin Barracks project had several, identical cookie cutter rooms that were very similar in each building. Because of the “cookie cutter” nature of these rooms, this was a perfect project for the prefabrication concept.

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Berwick Electric Co. enjoys sinking its teeth into a variety of projects, including industrial, military, medical, data communications, and more. To learn more about the company’s areas of expertise, click here.

In 1921, Colorado Springs resident J. Douglas Berwick did something “revolutionary”; he converted the lighting system in his home from gas to electricity. After helping his neighbors do the same, J. Douglas applied for and received electric contractor License Number 11 from the state of Colorado.

With roots that extend back to the '20s, Berwick Electric is an integral part of the local community.

By the end of the '30s, Berwick Electric helped remodel many of the properties downtown, wired many of the houses in the Broadmoor area, and worked on a home for the Penrose Hospital nurses. In the early '40s, Berwick Electric performed the electrical work on the Fort Carson hospital.  And when the ration years of WWII hit, Berwick Electric survived with a steady variety of small jobs repairing old electric systems. During the '50s and '60s, rapid growth in the Colorado Springs area fed the company’s expansion, with projects like the Broadmoor’s Colorado Conference Center, Atmel, Honeywell, and Hewlett-Packard.

Today, Berwick Electric is well-known for its wide range of services, including complete design/rebuild capabilities. In addition to residential and commercial customers, Berwick Electric also offers power quality, construction, and data communication services.  

Power Quality Services

Berwick’s Power Quality Division serves the needs of customers ranging from the area’s largest and most sophisticated corporations to individual personal computer use. This division specializes in analyzing a building’s power system to ensure proper grounding and an uninterrupted power supply. “Every customer’s needs are different,” Power Quality Manager Tim Prime explained. “My job is to find a creative, effective solution to fit any budget.”

Construction Services

In addition to excellence in Power Quality, Berwick Electric also collaborates with owners and general contractors on construction projects to design and install high-quality, cost effective electrical systems.  Berwick Electric’s power quality division has extensive experience with design-build and design-assist projects, as well as sustainability and leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED). To help bring sustainability to the Colorado Springs area, Berwick Electric had the opportunity to partner with Colorado Springs Utilities on the Environmental Services Laboratory, which was the first laboratory building in Colorado to obtain LEED Silver certification.

Data Communications Services

This trend of excellence also extends to Berwick’s data communications department, which helps power professional and personal connectivity. Berwick Electric specializes in design, installation, and service of integrated security, safety, voice, and fiber optic cabling systems to provide creative connectivity solutions.

Social Responsibility

Berwick Electric also prioritizes community involvement by setting a positive example of corporate and social responsibility. To help make Colorado Springs a better place to live and visit, Berwick Electric regularly supports various non-profits and local causes and was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Corporate Philanthropic Program Award by Partners in Philanthropy.

With a customer base that includes many of the region’s largest businesses, Berwick Electric is an integral part of the Colorado Springs community. With a strong heritage of innovation and excellence, Berwick Electric’s employees are proud of their work, and they seek to strengthen and maintain their reputation for quality service.

Berwick Electric’s service team recently had the opportunity to lend a helping hand to the local community’s restoration efforts after the destruction caused by the Black Forest  Fire. First reported in the early afternoon on Tuesday, June 11, the Black Forest Fire quickly grew into the most destructive wildfire  in  Colorado history. 486 structures were destroyed, and the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association estimates  that  damages caused by the fire total nearly $292.8 million.

Smoke from the Black Forest Fire forms a cloud over the sun on 6/11/2013.

As a member of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Berwick was able to participate in an initiative to help the community during this time. To help homeowners get a jumpstart on rebuilding and repairing the  damages sustained during the fire, Berwick Electric offered  complimentary initial electrical inspections.

“We (Berwick’s service team) are happy to be able to help people through a rough time,” Project Manager Terry Schneider said. “It’s the very least we can do to help people get power back to their homes.”

Mountain     View    Electric   Association (MVEA), the utility of which many homeowners in the Black Forest area are members, had the following feedback for our service department:

“On behalf  of Mountain View Electric Association, Inc., I would like to thank you for your hard work and contribution to MVEA and our members during the aftermath of the Black Forest Fire. Many members have lost their homes or have substantial damage to their homes. Thanks to your assistance, they are one step closer to completing a difficult process during such an emotional time.”

Berwick is very pleased to have had the opportunity to participate in NECA’s initiative to help those affected by the Black Forest Fire.

Although the Black Forest Fire has been 100% contained, volunteers are still needed in the clean-up and recovery process. To learn more about how you can help, visit http://bit.ly/18FIlolor http://www.bffire.org/. Disaster unemployment assistance is also now available for individuals affected by the wildfire. To file a claim, visit www.coloradoui.gov.

From the vantage point of an electrical worker, the new Veterans Affairs clinic under construction in Colorado Springs is quite the venture. State-of-the-art medical, electrical, and other systems will combine to help provide excellent health care for veterans and active-duty troops in the Pikes Peak region. And with nearly 72,000 veterans and 50,000 active duty troops in El Paso County (2009 Census Bureau estimate), the need for a local clinic is growing. With Berwick at the helm of the new clinic’s electrical work, we caught up with Project Manager Mark Norman to learn more about the project.

The new VA Clinic, under construction at the top of Fillmore hill.

Berwick Electric (BE): The new Veterans Affairs Clinic will be a great asset to the community. Can you describe what sorts of services will be offered here?

Mark Norman (MN): Sure. The new clinic will offer a large variety of services, including CT scans, lab work, and more. I’ve also learned that it (the clinic) will offer needed mental health care to those who have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, or who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

BE: How was Berwick awarded the VA Clinic project, and what is Berwick’s role in the construction of the clinic?

MN: After a very lengthy interview process with Jacobsen Construction of Salt Lake City, UT, Berwick was chosen as the electrical subcontractor for the VA Clinic. In a nutshell, we will be installing the building’s power and lighting system, as well as the data communications, fire alarm, and security systems.

BE: Have you run into any challenges during the project?

MN: The clinic will have a three-story, open glass atrium that faces Pikes Peak, and the atrium requires a complex smoke evacuation system. Careful coordination of the building’s electrical, life safety, security, and mechanical systems is essential in order for the smoke evacuation system to function properly. It’s been a great challenge!

BE: Is there anything else that you want to share about the project?

MN: Yes; I would like to comment on what an outstanding, hard-working, committed crew that we have on site!  Berwick’s General Foreman John Travers is working with Foremen Eric Norman and Dale Butterfield to ensure the success of the project. The clinic is slated to open in late spring or early summer of 2014.

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The new Veterans Affairs clinic is only a small token of the gratitude that those who have so diligently served our country deserve. Berwick Electric Co. is pleased to contribute to such a worthwhile project. 

The annual Defenders of Freedom Veterans Recognition Ride is coming up soon! Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 19, 2013.

This 40-mile long escorted motorcycle ride benefits the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Berwick Electric Co. is proud to be a sponsor of the event since 2008.

For more info, please visit the official website.