Schofield Media Group - Pullman Power

The majority of Pullman Power's work is in the industrial sector, which could mean uncertainty for the chimney and cooling tower construction company. Vice President Bob Duncan says with reports of coal-fired power plants being questioned by environmental agencies and the construction of new plants delayed, the future is unclear. "We haven't been impacted just yet, but we don't know what the next few years will hold," he says.

However, Pullman Power is used to weathering uncertainty and challenges. The company was founded in 1902 and has since completed more than 10,000 chimney, stack, cooling tower and silo projects from its Kansas City, Mo., headquarters. The company says it uses innovative and cost-effective strategies to help clients build, maintain and upgrade their facilities.

From efficiency and compliance issues to improved operations and structural corrections, Pullman Power's team responds to meet the needs of a planned outage or emergency shutdown. The company says its reaches into every corner of a power plant's infrastructure - offering design, construction, retrofit, alteration, inspection, repair, maintenance and demolition services.

Recent projects include:
* An alloy steel liner retrofit on Petersburg Power Station Unit 3 in Petersburg, Ind.
* A reinforced concrete chimney with fiberglass-reinforced-polyester (FRP) liners at Mountaineer Plant in New Haven, W.V.
* A reinforced concrete chimney with FRP liners at Cross Generating Station in Cross, S.C.
* A reinforced concrete chimney with three alloy C-276 clad liners at Harrison Power Station in Shinnston, W.V.
* A reinforced concrete chimney with independent brick liner at Curtis H. Stanton Energy Center, Unit 2, in Orlando, Fla.
* A reinforced concrete chimney with alloy steel liner at E.A. Gilbert generating unit in Maysville, Ky.
* Concrete repair of two hyperbolic cooling towers in Washingtonville, Pa.

"Most of the work we do is in the Ohio River Valley, from Pennsylvania to south of Cincinnati," Duncan says. "That's where the major power plants going through the scrubber process are situated."

Scrubbers, also called advanced flue gas desulphurization units, can remove up to 98 percent of the sulfur dioxide emitted at a typical power plant. Many plants are installing scrubbers to comply with the Clean Air Interstate Rule, which requires emission reductions.

However, installing scrubbers usually requires new chimneys, as well, which has resulted in much work for Pullman Power. "We're an international contractor, but we've been so inundated with work in North America that we have not been able to pursue opportunities overseas," Duncan says.

Strong Backing
Pullman Power was acquired by Structural Group in 2000. Headquartered in Maryland, Structural Group delivers services, products, systems and technologies that build, repair, protect, strengthen and reinforce concrete, steel, masonry, wood and soils.

In addition to Pullman Power, the Structural Group owns Structural Preservation Systems, a specialty contractor focusing on structural repair, maintenance, waterproofing, geotechnical construction and strengthening services; and VSL, a leader in the design, manufacturing and installation of post-tensioning and specialty reinforcement systems.

As a whole, Structural Group companies have completed more than 14,000 repair projects, 26,000 post-tensioning projects and 10,000 chimney, stack and silo projects.

"With our parent company and sister companies, we benefit from shared resources and information," Duncan notes. "Structural Preservation Systems has incredibly valuable engineering knowledge, which we can apply to our maintenance and repair work. VSL has a fleet of heavy lifts, which helps us in the liner installation of our chimneys. We have group synergies and purchasing power, which make us collectively stronger."

Continuing Its Track Record
Pullman Power celebrated its 105th anniversary last year, and longevity is an ongoing theme in several aspects of the company's operations. Duncan has been with Pullman Power for 34 years, and many other senior managers and employees have similar tenures.

"We've been around a long time and, as a result, have a lot of growth from within," Duncan explains. "We promote our people whenever possible and benefit from very low turnover. Many of our staff members and project managers have been here 25-plus years."

Another approach that keeps Pullman Power's turnover low is its efforts at keeping employees involved in projects, even when the market fluctuates. "We've diversified to other fields that suit our specialties so that we can place our employees on new projects," Duncan says. "We take care of our people and don't let them go during slower times."

In addition to loyal employees, Pullman Power works with loyal customers. Duncan says the company started working with many of its customers back in the '60s and is now completing second-generation chimneys and retrofits. "Long-term relationships are the heart of the company," he stresses.

Moving forward, Pullman Power aims to maintain its leadership, continue its diversification efforts and pursue green projects. "In the energy business, there are a lot of avenues to enter the green movement, such as with wind power plants," Duncan explains. "We think this is a promising market for us to explore."

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