HIGHER EDUCATION — UCLA is the is the top-ranked public university in the U.S. and ranked 20th overall in the most recent edition of U.S. News and World Report. Our teams are currently working on multiple projects there; the latest in a string of major projects worth a combined $40 million completed on the Westwood campus over the past eight years. Our teams are also working on a large retrofit project at sister campus UC Riverside. Speaking of iconic Southern California campuses, USC is ranked 4th in California and 27th nationally. Xcel Mechanical went through an exhaustive prequalification process to renew our status as a Preferred Vendor at USC and today builds on a resume that includes more than 60 projects worth more than $20 million completed over the past decade.

AEROSPACE — The U.S. Government issued $705 billion in federal contracts in fiscal year 2022, according to Bloomberg Government’s 2022 BGOV200 report released today. Of the Top 200 U.S. companies to receive federal contracts in 2022, Xcel Mechanical is working today to deliver projects on campuses belonging to three of the top five. These Owners include Lockheed Martin (#1/ $46B); Raytheon Technologies (#2/$26B); Boeing (#5/ $15B); and Northrop Grumman (#6/$14B). Add to these mission-critical aerospace clients Relativity Space, now building its Corporate HQ in Long Beach, CA. Founded recently by comparison, Relativity aims to be the first company to successfully launch a fully 3D-printed space vehicle into orbit. How cool is that?

HOSPITALS  —  Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is the second-highest ranked Hospital in the United States behind only the Mayo Clinic, according to the 2022 rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. UCLA Medical Center is ranked fifth nationally, tied with Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. CSMC and UCLA are tops in the West and in California. Between the work performed on both of these campuses, plus the work performed at USC’s Keck School of Medicine and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Xcel Mechanical has developed a reputation for performing in the most delicate, acute-care patient treatment facilities in California. It takes extraordinary people doing extraordinary things to work in places like these.

SAFETY – Xcel Mechanical Systems – a commercial engineering and construction firm retained by some of the nation’s largest general contractors to implement HVAC and plumbing systems in some of Southern California’s most iconic buildings – was recognized again today with an MCAA/CNA National Safety Excellence Award.

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), based in Rockville, MD, represents more than 2,600 mechanical contractors nationwide. CNA Insurance, based in Chicago, IL, is the nation’s seventh-largest commercial insurer. The MCAA/CNA Safety Excellence Award is presented annually to five commercial mechanical contractors of varying size that demonstrate a profound commitment to keeping their employees and project partners safe through ownership investment and documented safety program results.

Today’s recognition – which came during MCAA’s weeklong National Convention in San Diego, CA – marks Xcel Mechanical’s third MCAA/CNA National Safety Excellence Award in the past five years.

“It’s important to note that every MCAA member contractor that competes for this award is already a leader in terms of their commitment to Occupational Health & Safety,” said Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety & Health. “For an MCAA member contractor to win this award just once is remarkable, which makes Xcel Mechanical’s third award extraordinary.”

Xcel Mechanical Systems President Kevin Michel, a California state-licensed professional engineer who founded the Gardena, CA-based design-build firm more than two decades ago, said his senior management team’s decision to invest in an industry-leading Safety Program many years ago came easily, especially given the job-related dangers construction workers face each day.

“Construction workers everywhere perform their jobs in high-risk environments, and so doing whatever we can to keep our employees safe is an everyday priority,” Mr. Michel said.

“An effective safety program starts with commitment, teamwork, accountability, and personal responsibility,” he said. “The result of that effort is that our employees return home to their families safe each night, which is the most important part. But these awards are also an enormous point of pride for everyone at Xcel Mechanical,” he said. “These awards represent the diligence of our entire company. They are without question the most important recognitions we have received since opening our doors.”

About Xcel Mechanical Systems, Inc.

Xcel Mechanical Systems is a nationally recognized engineering and construction firm specializing in commercial HVAC and plumbing systems. Building owners and some of the nation’s largest general contractors trust Xcel Mechanical to deliver cost-effective solutions that make their buildings more comfortable and energy efficient. Based in Gardena, CA, Xcel Mechanical Systems is one of the largest mechanical and plumbing contractors in California, and one of the safest in the United States. For more information, please visit: www.xcelmech.com

REDONDO BEACH, CA— Xcel Mechanical Systems entered the mechanical contracting industry as a highly technical and capable Design Build mechanical contractor that specialized in engineering and delivering Aerospace High Bays and Clean Rooms that were then used for research, or to manufacture sensitive instruments and equipment. We continue to secure work with those longtime clients, and in fact have worked in nearly every building on every aerospace campus in the South Bay. That resume and capability now extends to secured sites located in Northeast Los Angeles County, under the purview of Xcel Mechanical’s new Palmdale-Lancaster Project Management Office.

Industry-leading construction management software provider Procore hosts a two-day conference each Fall to announce new product releases – and also to recognize and celebrate innovative “Procore Groundbreaker” customers and partners.

During yesterday’s 2021 Conference Kickoff, Procore Founder and CEO Tooey Courtemanche recognized Xcel Mechanical Systems as a “Procore Groundbreaker Award Finalist” for our Office and Field Team’s collaborative work on the LAX TBIT Terminal Core and APM Interface Project.

Mr. Courtemanche recognized Xcel Mechanical Systems along with five other award finalists from around the world.

The Procore Conference is being broadcast on a proprietary platform to thousands of attendees from more than 60 countries. And while in-progress, this content is only available to registered attendees.

No matter the outcome of today’s final announcement, we would like to recognize the hard work and diligence of our internal Procore Champions; our Project Team; our Superintendents and Foremen; and members of our Engineering, Detailing and Field Teams who together have already positioned our company as one of the most innovative Procore users in the world.

Our Executive Leadership Team has believed from Day One that a short list of strategies could help steer our company through the COVID-19 crisis: communication, collaboration, and hard work. So, we focused on establishing open lines of communication. Encouraged honest dialogue. And, continue to do our best to meet our commitments to our customers. All of this while the news seemed to get a little worse each day. Well, we’re happy to report something you already know: the statistics are still concerning, but the news does seem to be getting a little better each day. We will continue on this path. We will remain focused on your safety, and the continued strength of our company. We value both. We need both. – ELT

The most recent edition of our company’s Safety Incentive and Recognition Program was inspired by a recent meeting between a Cal OSHA investigator and Company Safety Director Steve Prisk, who invited the investigator’s review of an already strong safety program.

“The Safety Incentive Program should be focused on encouraging direct employee involvement. Examples could include employee participation on the safety committee, hazard identification, safety suggestions, and correcting unsafe conditions,” said Bob Middo, associate safety engineer for Cal OSHA.

The high-level feedback was delivered during a conference call between Prisk, Middo and members of the Rudolph & Sletten construction team now overseeing our company’s current project at California State University, Los Angeles.

And, it came just months after Prisk had launched the company’s first-ever Safety Technician Initiative with Manuel Madrid, Jr. and Charles Juarez, Jr.

“Sometimes things just fall into place. Manny and Charles were already covering every major Xcel project site,” Prisk said. “Their primary responsibility is still to help me and support our Foremen’s jobsite safety efforts. But with this new Cal OSHA guidance, they will now begin actively recommending those who they see going ‘above and beyond’ for incentive checks and company-wide recognition.”

The S.A.F.E. Jobsite Incentive and Recognition Program is named after the team’s moniker (Safety Affecting Field Employees).

The first to be recognized under the new program is Sheet Metal Foreman Jessie Gaytan for his work at the UCLA Franz Tower jobsite.

“Jessie seems to always have an eye on his jobsites, even when he’s not there,” said Juarez Jr. “He was splitting time between the UCLA Franz Tower jobsite and work he was doing at LAX. He’d call me or text me after working all night at the airport and ask me if I was going to UCLA that day and if yes, to make sure I had safety vests, gloves and goggles on my truck for his guys,” he said.

“Our guys are good, but that just doesn’t happen all the time.”

“It starts with the Foremen,” Gaytan said. “I help Sean as much as I can. He’s always there whenever I need him. We both look out for each other. We respect each other and what we do. And when we do that, our teams follow.”