Experience and Innovation Lead the Way

Anchorage construction company takes pride in tackling tough projects

By Nancy Erickson

he owners of Southcentral Construction Inc. combined their vast construction knowledge to catapult their Anchorage-based business to one of the most experienced landfill construction contractors in the state.

Ken Griner, Bob Boozer, and Dane Dahlgren began working for the same contractor in the late 1980s. When the company dissolved, the three moved on to other opportunities, eventually reuniting at Northstar Paving in 2004 with the intent to buy out the owners when they retired. That option didn’t pan out, so they started SCC four years later, becoming equal partners.

Specializing in landfills, underground water and sewer, and road construction, the company prides itself on doing more with less.

“We have minimal management personnel, small, quality crews, and a small fleet of quality equipment,” says Boozer. “We also pride ourselves on being more innovative than most companies, which has allowed us to successfully chase high-risk, high-reward projects.”

SCC crews installed a 20-inch diameter length of water pipe in the DeBarr Intertie project this summer. The crews also installed control valves, piping, instrumentation controls, and relocated existing electrical equipment utilizing subcontractors.

Many of SCC’s utility projects involve threading new, smaller-diameter line into existing damaged pipe without service interruption to customers.

One such challenging contract was Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility’s (AWWU) Fish Creek Sewer project.

The job consisted of sliplining an existing 45-inch sewer line located in the mudflats of Cook Inlet with approximately 256 linear feet of 41-inch fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) while maintaining the live flow of water, Griner says.

Another AWWU project involved snaking 600 linear feet of 20-inch flexible plastic pipe through a neighborhood and around three 90-degree corners before inserting it into a pre-drilled hole without causing damage to the pipe or the neighborhood, Griner says.

The DeBarr Intertie project required SCC to work in tight quarters with neighboring homes.

“Working on water lines that serve the public, you realize that they can be the life-blood of businesses and homeowners,” says James Armstrong, AWWU’s engineering division project manager. “Our work can be challenging, in that our contractors have to be personable with the public and tough in the field.”

“Our projects take place in developed areas with people, structures, overhead and buried utilities,” Armstrong says. “Often our best information is from incomplete plans [that are] decades old or utility locates that may be feet off. Our contractors must be prepared for finding and dealing with these ‘discrepancies,’ often in tight quarters, mud, water, and the cold.”

“It is how you handle the hard times that cements my impression of the companies I work with,” he continues. “Southcentral Construction and the management team have shown excellent character and fortitude while working on AWWU projects.”

SCC’s recent projects in Homer earned high praise for the crew’s diligence. The company was awarded a contract last year to install Homer’s second signal light and an extensive re-do of Pioneer Avenue, the main thoroughfare for the city on the shores of Kachemak Bay.

Albert and Janice Waddell have owned a business and six acres in the middle of Homer since 1953. Their land is often the staging area for the town’s construction and renovation projects.

The couple wrote a letter of commendation to SCC in July, complimenting the company for how well they worked with the community. The letter says Dahlgren introduced himself to business owners and fully explained the job.

“We want to go on record with saying that their concern for the [public’s safety], cosmetics and informing the public of what was to take place was impeccable. Everyone knew what to expect and when to expect it. This company really does care about safety first and the care of the public,” the Waddells wrote.

Griner credits his core employees, who have been with the company for ten years, for letters like this one. Griner, 65, is single but says, “My family is this company and its employees. SCC would not have continued to grow and prosper without them.”

“We try to take care of our employees and the loyalty goes both ways,” says Boozer. “I feel like we all have a mutual respect for what each of us brings to the company and that we take a lot of pride in our work and owner relationship.”