Up to 116 additional jobs coming to SRS through Recovery Act concrete contract

(Aiken, S.C.) – Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) has awarded a contract for the production of concrete to decommission two nuclear reactors at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility in Aiken, SC. This award means that up to 116 new jobs will be coming to the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

“This is good news for the CSRA,” said Jeff Allison, U.S. Department of Energy- Savannah River Manager. “While most of the Recovery Act workers supporting SRS projects are now on the job, there are still opportunities for jobs through contractors hired to support these activities.”

Champion, Inc. of Iron Mountain, Michigan was the successful bidder to provide up to 252,000 cubic yards of concrete during a 13-month period as part of the decommissioning and closure of the P and R Reactors at SRS. The $33.3 million contract will require up to 24-hour operations at multiple batch plants. Each plant will be capable of providing up to 240 cubic yards per hour. Champion expects to bring to the CSRA up to 10 personnel to manage the plant and hire up to 116 local workers to operate the plants and deliver the concrete to the two reactors.

“We have held discussions with Champion’s senior management about accelerating the process of their review of job applications and subcontracting support they will need from the CSRA,” said Garry Flowers, President and CEO, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the management and operations contractor at the DOE facility.

Champion’s Division President, Stephen Alexa, said his company will organize a local job fair and will provide information to local businesses on subcontract opportunities in the near future as the full scope of the company’s needs are fully assessed. “We are excited about bringing more job opportunities to the CSRA through the Recovery Act. We expect to be looking for workers with skills in equipment operation, truck drivers, engineering technicians, equipment and truck mechanics, safety personnel, clerical staff and general laborers.” An announcement by Champion on the date and locations of a job fair and local small business exchange events is expected in January.

The award of the contract to Champion is the largest to a company outside South Carolina or Georgia since the $1.6 billion allocation for Recovery Act projects at SRS earlier this year. However, the focus by SRS on job creation and support contracts continues to be in the communities closest to the site.

“Thus far, the Recovery Act has retained or created more than 2,500 jobs with approximately 70 percent of the workers coming from South Carolina and Georgia,” said Vince Adams, DOE-Savannah River Recovery Act Portfolio manager. “Through December, more than $260 million in Recovery Act contracts have been awarded to companies with over $110 million in contracts awarded to businesses in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA.) More than $195 million in small business contracts have been awarded which exceeds the original goal of procurement officials to help stimulate small businesses.”

To learn more about Champion, Inc. visit http://www.championinc.com