ACE Building Services News | Manitowoc, Wisconsin

A.C.E. Projects

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PolyOne Corporation: Safety comes first with A.C.E. and PolyOne

PolyOne Corporation, located in Kohler, is on a mission to be the world’s premier provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions. But they can’t execute their mission without taking care of their own first, which includes operating from a culture of safety.

Safety concerns were an integral part of what prompted PolyOne’s recently completed project with A.C.E., which included fixing cracked/broken concrete in certain areas, poor drainage in others and blacktop paving that was in a state of disrepair. Those issues prompted Jason Yost, maintenance manager, to reach out to A.C.E. with the issues, asking for a solution.

In addition, the company required some off-street parking as most employees had to park on the street. A.C.E. stepped up with a plan that addressed all these issues, designing parking space and working with the City of Sheboygan Falls to adhere to their requirements. The process began with a survey to create a detailed record of the existing conditions and then they developed a site plan that was all-encompassing in its approach.

“I had a vision of what we were looking for and it took A.C.E. to pull it together and put the finishing touches on it,” said Yost. “Chris came over with blueprints and plans far ahead of time so we could review them, and the planning portion of the project really sold a lot of the project as well.”

The plan of action was finalized by mid-October, which posed its own challenges “since in Wisconsin, October means winter is coming and pouring concrete in cold weather gets a little tricky and more expensive,” said Herzog. The clock was ticking on pouring both the concrete and placing the blacktop, and A.C.E. was onsite within two weeks to tackle the issues. Two weeks later, they wrapped up the project that required tapping an excavation contractor, blacktop contractor, mechanical contractor, precast stair manufacturer and others, not to mention juggling both Sheboygan Falls’ guidelines for parking lot placement as well as American Institute of Bakers (AIB International) requirements.

The project was quite detailed and required on-your-feet shifting of plans as well as taking actions in anticipation of the future. “We took some different routes with repair work at the time so we do not have to reinvest and do the same thing again next time,” said Yost.

A.C.E. was able to modify the drainage to ensure it goes in the right direction, which was a big concern. “Before, we had pooling water that caused safety hazards in the winter with ice buildup. It looks like we’ll have a lot fewer hazards this winter,” he said. “It has a straight impact on our bottom line. Everybody wants to keep their employees safe. Getting rid of safety hazards allows us to focus on other areas of the business where we should be putting our attention.”

Topics: Site Improvement Spotlights

Written by Tina Alfson

Office Administrator
Tina earned her Associate degree in Marketing at Lakeshore Technical College. She has more than 20 years of experience in customer service and marketing roles—mainly in small businesses where she wore many hats including accounting, purchasing, customer service, and scheduling. At A.C.E., Tina handles accounts payable, human resources and marketing.

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