The civil, mechanical and electrical capabilities of AUBURN are unmatched within the treatment plant construction industry. Most projects completed by AUBURN are constructed adjacent to the past work of other contractors. AUBURN takes pride in continually earning a positive comparison when AUBURN’s completed work is seen next to that of another contractor.
About Us
AUBURN is financially strong, carries no debt and can bond single projects up to $75 million. AUBURN believes its reputation will be the key to continued growth and success. AUBURN’s ownership and management understands the company’s reputation is the result of the individual moral character and performance of each employee at all levels of employment. Therefore, AUBURN provides a positive principal-centered work environment which empowers its employees to increase their performance capabilities. AUBURN accepts only the highest ethical standards of conduct and doing the right things as employees make decisions each day.
The most important asset of the company is the quality of its personnel. As an merit-shop contractor, AUBURN interviews for every position in the company. Only positive, enthusiastic people with proven skills and a desire to learn new ones are offered employment with the company. Many of the company’s craftspeople are skilled in several trades which makes the crews versatile and efficient. AUBURN supports its projects with a corporate staff that is thoroughly experienced in all aspects of construction accounting, contracts, risk management and employee administration services.
Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America provides all surety services for AUBURN. Annually Travelers publishes the results of their internal Peer Group Analysis Report. This report assesses the Contractor’s financial performance against a group of up to fifteen (15) peer companies with similar construction-related revenue within the same construction industry. AUBURN has been analyzed each of the past several years against up to fifteen (15) treatment plant contractors of similar size both from the Northern California area as well as across the country.
These analyses review thirteen (13) distinctly different financial ratios and characteristics of AUBURN and compared each item to the Peer Group. Travelers then issues a score for each of the thirteen criteria and totals the individual scores into a Credit Score for the contractor. The Credit Score Scale ranges from 0 – 100, with 0 being the highest credit rating and 100 being the lowest. AUBURN has never been awarded a Credit Score greater than 2 since Travelers has been performing these reviews. The Peer Group was awarded an average Credit Score between 13 and 26 for each of these years. Travelers, being the largest single surety in the country, has a tremendous database of contractors to utilize for these studies. The Credit Score average of the Peer Groups to which AUBURN has been compared places the Peer Group members in the category of “Above Average” according to Travelers. In each of the three years AUBURN’s Credit Score has yielded the highest rating category possible, “AAA”, meaning surety losses are nearly non-existent. While a Credit Score of 1 and 2 are not unheard of in Travelers’ experience, they have stated to AUBURN it is extremely rare.
Our Employees
AUBURN currently employees and trains apprentices in the electrical, laborer and carpenter disciplines. These apprentice employees are enrolled in either the Western Electrical Contractors Association apprenticeship program or in the Associated Builders and Contractors apprenticeship program. This further demonstrates AUBURN’s commitment to employee training and, most importantly, employee loyalty and retention of quality employees by AUBURN.
AUBURN has successfully completed numerous complex and highly technical structural concrete projects, mechanical process piping projects and intricate electrical and instrumentation projects. The Owner is encouraged to look closely at each completed AUBURN project to identify the level of quality craftsmanship the Owner will see upon the completion of this project by AUBURN.
AUBURN has a culture to train and promote from within the organization. AUBURN has promoted from within more than 70% of the foremen currently employed by AUBURN. This enables AUBURN to hand pick each foreman based on his leadership capabilities, craftsmanship, attention to safety and moral character. This also provides for a sense of purpose to each and every apprentice and journeyman employed by AUBURN that they, too, can achieve these positions should they desire. Motivation and loyalty breed success throughout AUBURN.
Safety
AUBURN believes people are its most important asset. As such, safety is considered the Company’s first priority. AUBURN commences with safety training when each person is hired. All new employees must pass a pre-employment drug and alcohol screen and sign up to the Drug & Alcohol Prevention Policy as a condition of employment. Then all new employees are thoroughly trained in safe work practices as it pertains to their respective work assignments. Safety is a big consideration of how work activities are planned and no subcontractor is allowed to begin work until AUBURN reviews its safety plans. AUBURN believes its strict attitude towards safety is the reason the company has an excellent safety record and has never received an OSHA citation despite several OSHA visits over the years. More important than a good safety record, we want all employees to retire in good health with no injuries along the way.
All aspects of construction are performed with worker safety being the highest priority. Each series of activities is planned and coordinated by the AUBURN Project Managers and Foremen. Employee PPE is used at all times and strict attention to fall protection is a major focus of AUBURN. Areas of attention also include fire prevention, hot work permits, confined space entry, injuries from pinch points and crushing and electrical safety procedures. All employees have the proper training prior to working at any project site and the AUBURN Safety Team will provide continuous supplemental training throughout the course of each project.
AUBURN has a safety record nearly unmatched by its peers in the industry. AUBURN achieved a 0.00 incident rate for Recordable Cases for the third time in its history in 2010. In other words AUBURN has completed three full years of construction projects with no more than an injury requiring simple first aid; no stitches, no return office visits, no tetanus shots, etc. Safety is not just an activity practiced by the employees of AUBURN, it’s the culture of life at Auburn Constructors, Inc.
Innovation
AUBURN is an innovative leader in the construction of water/wastewater treatment plants, water/wastewater pumping facilities, water storage facilities, storm water pumping plants and other water resource/recovery projects. AUBURN is a full service general contractor which self-performs the majority of all field work with its own experienced crews, including structural concrete, mechanical and process piping, equipment installation, associated earthwork and electrical just to name a few.
AUBURN continues to leverage its resources and experience to establish and maintain its reputation for innovation. Using its project management staff as the foundation, AUBURN employs the most current technological advances in project management and scheduling software, resource loading, material acquisition and overall project implementation. Each AUBURN project is managed in a way to extract the highest degree of quality, safety and satisfaction possible.
Integrity & Reputation
AUBURN has established a long standing reputation within the treatment plant construction industry. Beginning in the mid-1990’s AUBURN has consistently maintained a current list of active projects constructed for repeat clients. AUBURN has achieved this task not only through quality construction but through the personal efforts of each AUBURN employee to create and maintain friendships with many of the professionals we encounter.
AUBURN maintains the highest degree of ethical standards with each decision made throughout the life of the company. AUBURN staunchly opposes to such unethical practices as “bid shopping” and financial kickbacks. Should AUBURN earn favor with one of our subcontractors or vendors it will be the old fashioned way; it will earned through hard work and completing each obligation as promised. There are a couple of sayings around AUBURN which are engrained into the fiber the workplace; 1) “We are only as good as our last project.” and 2) “Do the right thing even when no one is looking.” These two statements exemplify the character of each AUBURN employee.
Few, if any, companies in our peer group can make this statement; AUBURN has never completed a project late and has never been assessed $1.00 in liquidated damages in the history of the company. AUBURN has a proven record of success and approaches each project with the desire to improve upon the reputation already established.
Quality
The civil, mechanical and electrical capabilities of AUBURN are unmatched within the treatment plant construction industry. Most projects completed by AUBURN are constructed adjacent to the past work of other contractors. AUBURN takes pride in continually earning a positive comparison when AUBURN’s completed work is seen next to that of another contractor.
AUBURN has successfully completed numerous complex and highly technical structural concrete projects, mechanical process piping projects and intricate electrical and instrumentation projects. Each Client/Owner is encouraged to look closely at each completed AUBURN project to identify the level of quality craftsmanship to be expected upon the completion of any AUBURN project.
Awards
Recognition of AUBURN’s safety practices is another of the Company’s strengths. AUBURN has been awarded the Associated Builders and Contractors Platinum STEP Award (Safety Training and Evaluation Process) for the years of 2004 – 2010 and in 2011 has been awarded a newly established premium award, the Diamond Award by ABC. Additionally, AUBURN was awarded the National Safety Excellence Award in 2004 for contractors with 50,000-100,000 worker-hours within the treatment plant industry. This prestigious award is also given by the Associated Builders and Contractors and is awarded to only one contractor nationwide per category each year.
Throughout its history, AUBURN has been honored by various industry organizations for its exceptional performance. Recent past accomplishments include being awarded the Capital City Chapter of the American Subcontractors Association as the 2007 General Contractor of the Year for Sacramento area companies with less that $100 Million in volume. The General Contractor of the Year is determined by a vote of subcontractors and other construction related companies who are asked to rank general contractors on their performance in areas that the ASA Capital City Chapter believes are important for a successful general contractor. These areas are strength of staff, payment practices, scheduling, fair contracts, safety program, ethical behavior and overall project management. AUBURN has been nominated for this award three times; 2006, 2007 and 2010.
