Hawkey’s capabilities include telecommunication services and electric transmission and distribution.

Premier Business Partners:

D&D Power Inc. Terry Tree Service LLC

As the utility infrastructure labor pool in the U.S. continues to shrink and the demand on construction companies to assist utilities in implementing their long-term investment plans in a safe, timely and cost- effective manner grows, one company in the Northeast, Hawkeye LLC , has been able to stand out from the pack.

With nearly 1,500 employees, Hawkeye has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel from across the country by ensuring work continuity, best in class equipment and tooling, a safe and effective work environment and competent leadership.

Haugland founded Hawkeye in 1999 and has since grown the company to $225 million in annual revenues, providing services to utilities, developers and government entities throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.

The company employs more than 700 IBEW personnel and a management team with many years of experience.

Hawkeye’s capabilities include:

• Electric transmission and distribution
• Substation construction, control and protection
• Gas facilities construction and maintenance
• Utility locating and stray voltage through Premier Utility Services LLC
• Power plant construction, maintenance of AC/DC converter stations, substations and retrofits
• Telecommunication services
• Site work, landfill and road construction
• Commercial and industrial electric construction and maintenance

    
Strong Parent
Hawkeye was acquired by the InfrastruX Group Inc., based in Seattle, in November 2006, creating a combined entity with more than 6,500 employees across the country. Like Hawkeye, InfrastruX is an established leader in the construction and servicing of utility transmission and distribution infrastructure in the United States.

With the sale, Hawkeye dramatically expanded its geographic reach, service capabilities and capacity.

“In the last nine years, Hawkeye has taken on the most challenging utility infrastructure projects in the northeast and mid-Atlantic region,” Haugland says.

“Whether it’s a power plant for NRG, a substation for Noble Environmental or a major transmission line for National Grid, we’ve made sure to form a partnership with our customers to understand their needs and objectives and carry out the work in a collaborative manner.”

Siemens Project
Recently, Hawkeye successfully completed – ahead of schedule and on budget – work at two converter stations in the northeast for Siemens.

The work was part of the largest HVDC project in the U.S., a 67-mile underwater transmission cable project extending from New Jersey to New York. Hawkeye crews handled the electrical, civil and mechanical scope.

Since the two substations were in different states, Siemens had to manage different labor agreements.

“Converter station work is relatively new technology that is claimed by many different IBEW’s and local labor trades. Hawkeye has always been able to implement the correct resources and use our labor agreements to judiciously expedite the work. It took a great deal of pressure off our customer and produced an extremely successful project,” Haugland said.
    
Labor Issues
The challenge going forward is to implement a strategy that continues to build and develop a work force to meet the resource requirements that have been announced over the next decade.

“The industry is running at near capacity at this point,” Haugland says. “The utilities, engineering companies and construction companies have to commit to a long term collaborative relationship that will increase productivity and allow for forward planning.

“As for Hawkeye, we continue to actively recruit new candidates in the industry and provide extensive training. We continue to work with the IBEW to qualify persons through an accredited apprenticeship program.”

Industry Involvement
Hawkeye prides itself on the experienced work force and project management team that can cater to the needs of any electric transmission and distribution system, it says. Its services include:

• Complete system reliability reviews and integrated enhancement programs; Wood pole inspections, treatment, reinforcements and replacements;
• Complete systems survey and repair;
• New commercial, residential and industrial distribution system installations with turnkey coordination services including gas, electric and telecommunications facilities;
• Storm emergency system restoration;
• Live line services;
• Transmission and distribution systems infrared line inspections;
• Underground cable fault locating and repair services;
• Complete manhole, duct and cable installation including splicing and terminations;
• Steel pole and tower maintenance and inspection;
• Directional boring and missile capabilities; and
• Rock drilling.

“Hawkeye, in conjunction with strategic business partners, is prepared to assist [customers] with the most challenging infrastructure projects,” the company says. “We strive to deliver the highest quality service available.”