Finding a competitive edge can be a challenge for many businesses. For Primus Builders, setting themselves a notch above the competition comes easily simply by doing the right thing. The cornerstone of this approach to business is a strong belief system based on ethics and compliance.
The commitment to treating both customers and employees fairly is a tangible concept for Primus Builders and is reflected in the company’s mission statement. “Our mission is to provide innovative and cost-effective approaches which surpass the design and construction expectations of our clients.”
Ethical Leaders Navigate the Company’s Direction
Understanding that a company’s culture starts at the top, Primus Builders’ commitment to ethical conduct is also demonstrated by those entrusted to lead the company. One of those leaders is Board of Directors member and ethics and compliance specialist Dr. Paul J. Voss. “All companies want to make profits and satisfy customers,” said Dr. Voss, “but Primus seeks to separate itself from many other companies by taking steps to enhance andaugment leadership, culture, and ethics to the highest standards in the industry. Thus, their clients can have 100 percent trust and confidence when selecting Primus.”
Incorporating integrity in everyday business is a proven strategy that clearly affects the bottom line, not only as it pertains to customer retention, but with employees as well. Trust among employers and employees is an integral factor of employee satisfaction and retention. According to Dr. Voss, companies with high ethical conduct, along with compliance to the law, tend to have lower turnover rates among employees. |
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Training Strengthens Company-Wide Commitment
Dr. Voss recently conducted a training seminar to reinforce the company’s core philosophy of ethical behavior. Director of Marketing Jordan Kuhn says of the training, “Primus has always been committed to conducting business in a fair and ethical manner. We felt it necessary to take it one step further with the addition of an ethics expert, Dr. Paul Voss, to our Board of Directors. He helped us to thoroughly explore and define our ethical viewpoint, which is vital in today’s corporate climate.”
As this climate is one of the most challenging in decades, a commitment to high standards is crucial to achieve business goals. Primus Builders’ vow to treat their clients, vendors and stakeholders in a fair manner empowers them to accomplish their objectives.
With their unwavering commitment to high ethical standards, Primus Builders is the smart Design/Build choice in any economic condition, but they are an especially prudent choice in uncertain times. |
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 Dr. Paul Voss, Director/
Advisor of Ethics and Compliance |
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As a member of the Primus Board of Directors, Dr. Paul Voss is Director of Ethics and Compliance, and advises the company on its leadership role regarding the ethical responsibilities of management.
Dr. Voss is an Associate Professor at Georgia State University and is the President of Ethikos, a private firm specializing in the exploration and application of ethics in corporate, social and legal environments. He will lead Primus in the exploration and application of the highest ethical standards. |
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As this corporate climate is one of the most challenging
in decades, a commitment to high standards is crucial
to achieve business goals. |
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American Cold Storage in Louisville, Kentucky, recently faced a challenging feat due to a need for blast cell replacement at their 4.8 million cubic foot facility. With changes in food safety requirements requiring reduced dwell times, it was apparent that their old, inefficient cells would no longer suffice for their current clients, much less support new clients. Primus was engaged for the project and the completion of two new blast cells.
While new equipment would improve energy efficiency and reduce the cost per pound to freeze product, the project required that the existing cells be demolished. This meant that, for every day the new cells were not completed, ACS could not generate revenue from their blast cell operation.
Another obstacle was the layout of the facility. The existing blast cells were located inside the freezer adjacent to the main shipping and receiving dock. Coordination of the construction site, along with equipment delivery and assembly, was critical—any interruption to the daily operations of the warehouse would further impact profits.
 Understanding the precarious position of ACS, Primus Builders had the turnkey solution to the project.
Project Manager Mike Smith addressed the specific challenges of working in an operating plant.
“Preconstruction planning and execution are vital to successfully complete this type of project.” |
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On-site Project Superintendent Brian Shelnutt emphasizes Primus Builders’ approach to minimize client disruption and maximize efficiency. Shelnutt states, “Ensuring that daily plant operations continue as normal is a chief concern for us.We were able to accomplish this through a lot of pre-work planning with the client that included a designated daily construction area for us allowing Primus to operate more efficiently.”
American Cold Storage GeneralManager Gus Lazrovitch lauds the Primus Builders team. “In my 20+ years’ experience with these types of projects, we have never had one go so smoothly,” said Lazrovitch. “It was like Primus wasn’t even there.”
Some of Primus’ improvements included a blast cell control panel with an automated run-time and defrost program, and temperature logging software. The new refrigeration provides increased energy efficiency, reducing cost per pound to freeze the product.
And with increased blast capacity and dwell time, increased business has followed. Since project completion in the fall of 2008, ACS Louisville continues to gain additional business, which they attribute directly to the blast cell renovation done by Primus Builders.
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LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is increasingly becoming a top-priority business goal for many in the building industry and was the focus of a discussion forum at the recent Southwest Chapter Meeting of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Michael Jones, President of Primus Design Services, led the discussion to inform IARW members of the energy-saving principles associated with LEED, along with the opportunities available through Primus Builders to earn certification points.
The LEED energy-saving principles measure a building’s performance across a standard set of metrics. Categories of performance include sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
Cold storage inherently consumes a significant amount of energy, so gaining points for LEED certification can be especially challenging for those in the industry. Jones addressed the specific challenges by saying, “Primus can assist our clients who have challenges due to the large demand for energy in new buildings. We can also provide added value for customers who have LEED challenges due to the expansion of existing facilities.” |
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Jones also stressed the importance of the industry’s commitment to green initiatives. “While obtaining LEED certification is not always possible, we feel like many of the concepts within the LEED system should be adopted as best design practices.”
Highlighting a number of factors that contribute to energy efficiency, Jones shared Primus Builders’ approach to addressing them. Some of these include incorporating measures such as variable frequency motors on refrigeration equipment; specialized computer controls for refrigeration systems; high-output, motion-controlled fluorescent lighting; and premium-efficiency motors.
Clients of Primus Builders know ahead of time where their project will stand in relation to LEED construction. Jones said, “We have provided some up-front assessments for many of our recent proposals, indicating our best estimates of LEED certification points possible for various projects.”
Looking to the future, Jones advised, “As new projects are being planned, there should be a concerted effort to evaluate energy saving techniques and the life-cycle costs of these items to ensure that owners are getting high-performance facilities.” Jones also stressed that there are often tax incentives available for LEED-certified projects.
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Primus Builders is known throughout the cold storage industry for responding quickly to customer needs, especially during times of disaster. Since operational downtime translates to massive product and revenue losses, companies have demonstrated their trust in the Primus Emergency Response Team (PERT) as the solution that will quickly help them back on their feet.
Assisting NOCS in theWake of Hurricane Season
New Orleans Cold Storage (NOCS) recruited PERT when they were faced with a dual set of storm-related problems in the aftermath of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, NOCS’s New Orleans location was already in a vulnerable situation when building damage from Hurricane Gustav left the facility with no power.
PERT was promptly mobilized, averting potentially catastrophic consequences for the 121-year-old company.
Challenged with locating a generator on Labor Day weekend, the team’s diligence paid off when they were able to find two 1-megawatt generators in Miami. The generators were immediately transported by truck, arriving at the NOCS facility within 36 hours. Maintaining the integrity of the products entrusted to NOCS, the generators were operational within six hours.
NOCS’ LaPorte, Texas, location suffered a similar predicament following Hurricane Ike. Loss of power put the facility at risk of compromising a substantial amount of frozen food. The PERT members acted upon the urgent situation by securing a megawatt generator in Pennsylvania. The generator was driven through the night to Texas, arriving within 24 hours of notification, and was operational within six hours of delivery. |
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 Mark Blanchard, Executive Vice President of New Orleans Cold Storage, praised the crew’s efficiency.
“I can’t thank you enough for all that your hurricane response team did to help us.
Your employees worked from the moment they got here until we were fully operational. They did everything humanly possible to minimize our downtime and get us back in business as soon as possible,” said Blanchard.
Restoring VersaCold to
Full Capacity
VersaCold in Avon, Massachusetts, is another company who relied on PERT to assist them following a disaster. They recruited PERT when their facility suffered extensive fire damage to its dock and cooler storage areas.
Primus Builders Chief Operating Officer John Navarro and Primus Design Services Structural Engineer Tony Ooten arrived on-site immediately after the fire to analyze the structure’s integrity and develop a plan for the clean-up and shoring of the building. They were faced with the difficulty of recommending a shoring system that was immediately available for installation and would also allow the rest of the building to function safely.
John Navarro explained how Primus met the challenge. “The immediate response by Primus allowed the existing facility to operate refrigeration systems to keep the product intact,” said John. “It also allowed the building official and the fire chief to permit VersaCold and their vendors to operate under a temporary certificate of occupancy.” Experts in the area of disaster management, Primus Builders has the solid experience to provide solutions following catastrophic incidents.
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 Primus Builders has recently undertaken several projects in Alabama for Wayne Farms, one of the nation’s largest poultry processors.
At the company’s Decatur, Alabama facility, Primus completed a new process line and built a new distribution center. Primus also wrapped up several jobs at Wayne Farms’ Jack, Alabama operation.
At the Decatur West facility, Primus Builders provided project coordination, construction management services and overall scheduling for a new processing line. Key process line components include a 46,000 SF process expansion that allows for 16,000 pounds of fully cooked chicken per hour.
The plant came online in April of 2008, necessitating the construction of a new distribution center, which Wayne Farms also entrusted to Primus. The distribution center totals 135,000 SF, including 108,900 SF of dedicated freezer storage maintained at -10°.
The facility’s completion linked the Decatur East and West plants, and consolidated shipping operations while reducing transportation costs for both plants.
At Wayne Farms’ Jack, Alabama facility, Primus Builders was engaged to complete several projects. Work included construction of a new DSI pump building, construction of a new MCC room, and the 5,850 SF renovation and expansion of an existing room to a new marination and sizing room.
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The distribution center totals 135,000 SF, including 108,900 SF of dedicated freezer storage
maintained at -10°. |
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 Tony Pitrone
VP of Business Development
Tony has over 28 years of experience in nearly every aspect of the construction industry. His extensive background enables him to communicate and develop client project needs.
One focus of Tony’s role as head of business development will be to develop new clients within the renewable and environmentally sustainable markets as well as integrating “green’” technology into the firm’s professional engineering services and construction projects.
 Dorothy Nugent
Project Administrator
Dorothy is responsible for daily project administration, including supervising communication and documentation for Primus’ client teams. She has an extensive background in financial reporting, contracts, purchasing and administration. Dorothy has worked in the construction industry for over 17 years. |
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 Randy Broome
Senior Design Project Manager
Starting with initial site planning and permitting, Randy directs internal multidiscipline project teams through issuance of construction documents to construction administration and project closeout.
With over 36 years of experience, Randy has gained an industry-wide reputation for excellence regarding due diligence, client management, code research and compliance services. His goal is to provide cost-effective design solutions to clients while maintaining the highest level of design commitment.
He currently holds professional registration as an architect in nine states. Randy is also a member of the American Institute of Architects and is a certificate holder with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. |
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 Cargill, an international producer of food, agricultural and industrial products, recently engaged Primus’ commercial division to renovate existing employee facilities.
The space was converted from a restroom/breakroom area into expanded men’s and women’s restrooms and locker rooms. Key features of this job include the installation of an epoxy floor systemtominimize slippage.
The main challenges of this project were working in a tight space with limited ventilation and only one access/entry point. The Primus team overcame these challenges by closely coordinating project management to maximize space and by installing ventilation systems in the workspace. |
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Primus Builders was awarded the contract for a freezer expansion project at VersaCold Corporation’s Dawson Facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The 4.7 million cubic foot facility has multiple temperature rooms which mainly handle dairy products, fish, pork and packaged goods. The facility also handles significant blast-freezing volumes and is approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Included in the scope of work is a deep foundation system as well as a Kalman Tension Ring floor system. Primus was originally asked to help consult on this project but was eventually awarded overall design and construction responsibility.
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Construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.
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Primus will be at the following
events in 2009:
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Jan. 28-30
International Poultry Expo
Atlanta, GA
Feb. 8-11
WFLO Institute
Atlanta, GA
Feb. 28-March 3
Food Shippers of America Conference
Tucson, AZ
March 28-April 2
IARW-WFLO-IRTA Annual Convention and Expo
Palm Springs, CA
May 6-8
IARW North Pacific Chapter Meeting
Sunriver, OR |
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June 11-13
SEMA (Southeastern Meat Association) Convention
Daytona Beach, FL
July 25-28
Global Cold Chain Alliance Assembly of Committees
Washington, D.C.
Oct. 28-31
World Food Expo
Chicago, IL
Nov. 5-8
2009 IACSC Annual Conference and Expo
New Orleans, LA |
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