Valdes Engineering Company

New Website Launched

2010-01-07T14:01:00.002-06:00

For the latest on Valdes Engineering Company, please visit our newly redesigned website at www.valdeseng.com.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Highlighted Services at the 11th Annual Electric Power Show

2009-06-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

Valdes Engineering Company participated in the 11th Annual Electric Power Show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL May 12-14, 2009. This is the world’s most comprehensive conference for the Power Generation Industry and brings visitors from all over the region interested in learning about the latest technologies and in networking with industry leaders.

This was an excellent opportunity to showcase VEC capabilities and expertise with Fossil Power Generation and Electric Transmission and distribution projects. VEC featured our Industrial Scanning capabilities at the show. This laser surveying technique allows us to map and model facilities, systems, structures, piping, tanks, equipment, etc. that are not easily accessible due to congestion, heights or a variety of other reasons.

We are able to leverage considerable experience with power generation to assist our clients with the unique challenges associated with the maintenance, repair, upgrade and retrofit of operating power plants. VEC has the capabilities and resources to execute a wide range, size and complexity of capital projects. Our work processes and attention to detail allow us to provide high quality engineering deliverables, properly tailored to the client’s specifications.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Recognized in BP Supplier Diversity Annual Report

2009-05-26T13:09:00.002-05:00

There is nothing better than having one of the world’s largest energy companies include your firm in their annual report as a supplier of choice who provides the best option for services. The attached article, taken from BP’s annual report for Supplier Diversity, shows why Valdes Engineering Company’s core values of quality work and innovative engineering services has paid dividends. VEC’s innovative laser technology was noted in the article. VEC provides state-of-the-art high definition scanning services; these services compliment VEC’s traditional project focused services, including project execution, process engineering, mechanical engineering, piping design, structural and civil engineering, electrical, automation and controls.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

5 Year Anniversary Awards

2009-04-22T09:20:00.009-05:00

At the recent Quarterly Safety Meeting, several Valdes Engineering Company employees were honored for 5 years of service at VEC. We recognize each employee for their outstanding contributions and look forward to many more years of shared success. Congratulations to all!

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Coal Gasification Pilot Plant Update #3

2009-04-16T08:58:00.003-05:00

The Coal Gasification Pilot Plant achieved final completion and start-up in late February 2009. The initial test runs have been very successful and comprised a 30 day period of operation. Our client has completed the commercial evaluations necessary to verify their costs of production and has plans to quickly proceed with the development of a larger scale commercial plant in China in the near future. Meanwhile they are busy with the public relations necessary to advertise their company. The following are links to recent articles regarding the company and our cutting edge project:

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=cleaning-up-the-dirtiest-fossil-fue-2009-03-11

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10216860-54.html

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Chicago Minority Business – MBE Success Profile is VEC

2009-04-15T10:21:00.005-05:00

Chicago’s Minority Business Vol. 22 No. 1 (Spring, 2009), published by Minority Business Enterprise input Committee of the Chicago Minority Business Development Council, Inc. has a featured article on Valdes Engineering Company’s success. The article, hot on the heels of the 42nd Chicago Business Opportunity Fair, connecting MBEs with Fortune 500 companies, describes how Bob Valdes used patience, persistence and CMBDC to chart the success journey of Valdes Engineering Company (VEC).

(For best viewing, click the icon on the upper right to "Toggle Full Screen")
Bob Valdes - MBE Success Profiles Bob Valdes - MBE Success Profiles valdeseng

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-to-Guides & Manu Science business dating

VEC has been a member of the CMBDC for more than ten years and is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). The CMBDC is one of the nation's premier organizations for minority business development and is an affiliate of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC). As an MBE, VEC’s awards include its selection as the 2005 Minority Supplier of the Year by BP Products North America. For more information, please contact Sharon Giorno, Minority Business Specialist, at sgiorno@valdeseng.com.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Honored for Outstanding Safety Performance

2009-03-25T09:37:00.009-05:00

This award was presented to the onsite VEC team on March 4 at the Capital Project Team Safety Meeting. This is a unique and rarely matched accomplishment. The award is well-deserved by many Valdes employees over the years. Per Andy Carey, this is a real team effort with much of the credit going to Al Perla and Ken Carrell who developed the written safety program for VEC’s work at ExxonMobil plus the safety awareness practiced by every Valdes employee who has ever been onsite, even if their work brought them to site for only a few hours.
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ExxonMobil – Gold Safety Award presented to Valdes Engineering in recognition of outstanding safety performance in 2008 at the Joliet Refinery. For this award we jumped up several levels from last year because of the great work our team is doing, especially in helping with conducting the Safe Acts Index, and the number and quality of our Safety Assessment Checklists and TSTIs (Total Safety Task Instructions). We hope to continue to improve our performance this year.
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Aux Sable Liquid Products – Awarded by Aux Sable Liquid Products, Channahon NGL facility at their Contractor Safety Luncheon on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at Louie’s Chophouse in Shorewood. “In appreciation of outstanding safety practices resulting in contractor zero lost time or OSHA recordable incidents in 2008”. VEC Team of Ted Raymond and Andy Schwerha are onsite.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Valdes Earns Another Win

2009-03-11T15:32:00.001-05:00

Valdes hoops earned another win last evening with a blowout win over Dazed and Confused. Valdes took the lead right away and never looked back. The quick start was in large part due to hot sharp-shooting by two of VEC’s big men: Devin Cook and Torre Leddy. Devin, the league leader in rebounds, was on a mission to establish himself as an outside threat. Torre’s shots have a technical feel to them. Stellar defense was another key to victory, as a mixed bag of defensive schemes kept our opponents … confused. Rebounding and defensive contributions included Luke Serafin, Dan Schultz, Dave Turnquist, Andy Schwerha and Dan Mueller. The team looks to continue its late-season run, building momentum leading up to the tournament.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Expands Its Minority Business Strategy

2009-01-23T14:06:00.001-06:00

Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) is excited by the many opportunities ahead as it expands its Minority Business strategy. By becoming more involved with organizations that promote Supplier Diversity such as the Chicago Minority Business Development Council, Inc. (CMBDC), VEC will do its part to promote and practice supplier diversity. VEC is proud to announce its participation in the 42nd Annual Chicago Business Opportunity Fair (CBOF) as a member of the Workshops Committee. The CBOF is hosted by the CMBDC and will be at Navy Pier – Chicago, IL this year on April 6th – 8th. It is the oldest and largest procurement show in the nation devoted exclusively to multi-cultural and multi-ethnic businesses.

VEC has been a member of the CMBDC for more than ten years and is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). The CMBDC is one of the nation's premier organizations for minority business development and is an affiliate of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC). As an MBE, VEC’s awards include its selection as the 2005 Minority Supplier of the Year by BP Products North America.

VEC also practices what it preaches by developing relationships with certified diverse suppliers who sell their products and services to VEC. VEC is looking to increase its purchases of products and services from certified diverse suppliers for its two engineering offices. For more information, please contact Sharon Giorno, Minority Business Specialist, at sgiorno@valdeseng.com.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Valdes Hoops - Off to a Fast Start

2009-01-16T08:32:00.002-06:00

The Valdes basketball team kicked off the 2009 basketball season with a 34-32 win over Pettibone. The game was a thriller, with Valdes taking the lead for good with 13 seconds remaining on a jumper in the lane by Devin Cook. In addition to the fine play by VEC's big man, the team had contributions by everyone on the team, notably: Andy Schwerha's fast breaks, Ted Raymond's hustle, Bobby Valdes' sharp-shooting, and stellar defense by Torre Leddy, Michael Mack, and Bob Valdes. With the win, Team VEC has its first taste of First Place in the Mens Winter League of the Downers Grove Park District.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Coal Gasification Pilot Plant Project Update #2

2008-12-10T10:03:00.003-06:00

Construction continues on the Gasification Plant Project. The gasification tower is complete and the main process building is standing. Construction teams are focused on completing the instrumentation and final electrical work for the gasifier tower. Additional crews are focused on completing the installation of the many systems housed in the process building intended to duplicate the operation of the major commercial plants. VEC has begun actively supporting the general contractor and our client in the field to assist in final construction and commissioning activities.

The end of construction is drawing near and the initial gasification system test is tentatively planned for January 2009. This will be a great way to ring in the new year with a resolution that demonstrates the commitment to clean energy derived from the most abundant domestic natural resource, coal.

There’s even rumor that President-elect Obama may make a personal site visit.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Coal Unloading Facility Project Update

2008-12-08T15:36:00.003-06:00

VEC is providing mechanical and structural design services for a facility that will unload unit trains and deliver the coal to an existing power plant. Seven conveyor belts and transfer stations will transport the coal over 6,000 feet at a rate of 4,400 tons per hour.

The transfer chutes are being designed using Discrete Element Modeling (DEM). DEM is used to simulate the flow of bulk materials to ensure that the chutes will perform as intended, and that plugging, dust, wear, and several other potentially damaging operational problems are fully understood and resolved.

The initial step is to build a 3D model of the chute work in AutoCAD. The chute geometry, bulk material properties, system dynamics (belt speed, direction, etc) are loaded, and the simulation is 'run' through the DEM numerical analysis software. The simulation results are viewed with and interactive 3D viewer. The design process entails iterative geometry changes and DEM analysis until a desirable flow path is achieved.

The animation shows multiple particles falling through the transfer chute. The colors of the particles represent their velocity; red is zero velocity while blue is the highest velocity. Perhaps the greatest benefit is the feeling an experienced engineer can develop by visualizing the performance prior to committing to a final design. From this feel, the designer can arrange the components in order to eliminate unwanted behavior. Other data can also be captured including impact and wear areas on chute walls.

Viewing this video requires the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. Please click here to download it.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Grand Opening in Griffith!

2008-10-27T12:45:00.002-05:00

The Griffith office construction was completed during September with move-in occurring on September 26th and the doors opening for business on September 29th. A Grand Opening Celebration was held on October 8th with many of our clients, local dignitaries, contractors and employees in attendance for a first look at the completed building at which they were well pleased. Many thanks to FCL Builders and all of the contractors responsible for putting together a solid office building that is both beautiful and functional on time, and on budget. We trust that the new building will aide Valdes Engineering Company in continuing to attract top engineering talent and better serve our clients throughout northwest Indiana and the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC offers CPR, AED & First Aid Training

2008-10-17T10:23:00.005-05:00

This month in Lombard, Valdes Engineering Company's Safety Manager Amy Gibson offered a two-part class to educate VEC families in the latest lifesaving techniques. Training classes had been offered at field locations throughout the summer.

Everyone had a lot of fun learning CPR, practicing bandaging and splinting techniques, pretending to deliver real shocks with the AED (automated external defibrillator) and learning to care for a variety of sudden illnesses. The class primarily focused on treating adults, but included information on treating children and infants as well.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Valdes Engineering opens doors in the region

2008-10-15T08:46:00.002-05:00

This article was originally published October 11, 2008 by the Times of Northwest Indiana.

By Bob Moulesong
Times Correspondent
Saturday, October 11, 2008

Valdes Engineering Company officially opened its doors to the Northwest Indiana manufacturing and industrial community this week.

The company moved into its new building at 211 West Ridge Road, Griffith. The 25,000-square-foot building allowed the Lombard, Ill.-based company to expand into Indiana on a permanent basis.

The company hosted an open house to clients, friends, and potential business associates Wednesday.

"We do a lot of engineering consultant work for BP and other Northwest Indiana businesses," President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Valdes said. "We want our current and our potential clients to know that we plan to be a permanent part of the Northwest Indiana manufacturing culture."

Having an office in the region, where it already does significant business "will allow us to spread our wings and allow us to reach more industrial clients in the area," Valdes said.

Harry Bendis, principal technical specialist for the company, was the project manager responsible for getting the Griffith building completed on time and on budget.

"It was a very challenging project," Bendis said. "We had to withstand an earthquake (in March), a tornado (August), and a flood (September). But all of the companies involved, and the Town of Griffith, did an outstanding job."

The building can hold up to 110 employees as designed. Approximately 40 engineers and support staff have moved into the building to date.

"We are a very typical consulting engineering firm," Valdes said. "We focus on project management, project engineering and design services."

The consulting engineering firm currently performs engineering work for BP's Whiting refinery projects and numerous other local clients, he said.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Team VEC Walks to Cure Diabetes

2008-10-13T15:29:00.004-05:00

Team VEC joined the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the Chicago Lakefront Walk to Cure Diabetes on October 5, 2008. Team VEC consisted of 9 employees/spouses and raised nearly $800 for this wonderful cause! It was a beautiful day for this 5K walk along Chicago’s picturesque lakeshore. JDRF provided healthy refreshments throughout the walk, as well as lunch afterwards. This was a great opportunity for our employees to build camaraderie while helping out a great organization.

A huge thank you to all the walkers, as well as everyone who made donations!!

Team VEC L to R: Valerie Duncan, Brooke Kosmides, John Kosmides, Jennifer Koenig, Alex Padilla, Amy Gibson, David Mayares, Mary Wisz & John Wisz

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

NWI Times Interview with Bob Valdes

2008-10-07T15:23:00.003-05:00

This article was originally published September 21, 2008 by the Times of Northwest Indiana and reprinted with permission from the editor.
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Valdes Engineering Company:
Focusing on quality control

Controlled, managed growth is secret to engineering firm’s success

While most companies are ecstatic about the opportunity to experience growth, Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) has at times turned down work that would have brought growth to the business. All part of the plan, according to owners and president Robert Valdes.

“We manage our growth very carefully,” Valdes said. “We have to control the quality of our work, which means we also have to control the quantity of our work. At times, that has meant passing on job offers. But it is in the best interest of our customers when we do that.”

VEC sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a local Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

“We are a very typical consulting engineering firm,” Valdes said. “We focus on project management, project engineering and exceptional design services.”

The corporate office is in Lombard, Illinois. A brand-new office is opening soon in Griffith, Indiana. The company broke ground for the new, $3 million, 25,000-square-foot satellite office at Ridge Road and Broad Street, in March.

Most of the new positions will be at the Griffith location.

The new building is designed to house 100-110 employees with the vast majority engineers, engineering technicians and other support staff, who will work on projects based in Northwest Indiana. Valdes said that they hope for 100-110 technical positions to be filled within the Griffith location eventually.
The family owned engineering firm performs project management, engineering and design services. It was founded by Valdes in 1993. His wife, Donna, is the comptroller. Although the firm’s specialty is process engineering, it employs about 200 engineers schooled in every facet of the profession.

“We’ve been thinking about Indiana for many years,” said Valdes, a civil engineer, who graduated from the University of Illinois. “It’s actually a better fit for the work we do than the commercial and residential area we’re in here. The bulk of the work force will be Indiana people because of logistics.”

Having an office in the region, where it already does significant business “will allow us to spread our wings and allow us to reach more industrial clients in the area,” he said.

The consulting engineering firm currently performs engineering work for BP’s Whiting Refinery projects and numerous other Northwest Indiana clients.

Valdes Engineering Company is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE).
“We are a partner with BP in regards to corporate culture and workforce diversity,” Valdes said. “We are a product of BP’s plan to diversify their suppliers. Under their leadership, we not only became a certified MBE, but we also have looked to our suppliers for the same type of diversity as BP did with us.”

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Lakeshore Chamber Business Expo

2008-10-07T07:53:00.002-05:00

Valdes Engineering Company was a proud sponsor of the Lakeshore Chamber 4th Annual Business Expo. This event was held on October 2, 2008 in Hammond, Indiana. VEC Representatives had the opportunity to network with a variety of local Northwest Indiana businesses. Valdes Engineering Company's Griffith, Indiana office officially opened for business on September 29.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC/BP Team Wins Fall Golf Outing (Again)!

2008-09-22T12:26:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, September 21, 2008, VEC golfers teamed with BP Procurement personnel to win the BP Golf League Golf Outing at Minne Monesse Golf Club in Grant Park, IL. The team of Bill Palmer (VEC), Pat Morris (VEC), Tony Barron (BP), and Brad Robbins (BP) posted a 13 under par score of 59 on the par 72 course.

This is the fifth consecutive outing won by the VEC / BP team, but the first win with Tony Barron and Brad Robbins on the team.

The outing was played as a scramble format where each player starts each hole by hitting their own shot. The team then selects the best shot of the four shots followed by each player playing their next shot from this same location. This format is repeated on each successive shot until the ball is holed out.

Bill Palmer also won one of the closest-to-the-pin contests on the twelfth hole - a par three hole measuring 145 yards. Bill's 8-iron tee shot came to rest approximately 5 feet from the cup.

Approximately 120 golfers from BP, RCA, Vendors, and LECs participated in the golf outing. Pat Fitzpatrick was the only other VEC employee who participated.

VEC contributed 10 door prizes to the golf outing.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Chicagoland Safety & Health Conference

2008-09-15T13:19:00.004-05:00

VEC's Safety Manager extrordinare Amy Gibson will be speaking at a Pre-Conference Session at the 20th Annual Chicagoland Safety and Health Conference. "Women in Safety" will feature 9 women safety professionals from the Chicagoland area sharing experiences and words of wisdom from their years in EHS.

The following excerpt is from the Safety Conference brochure, published by the American Society of Safety Engineers.

"By popular demand here is a session designed for women by women. The panel is made up of women in EHS careers with depth and breadth of experience. There will be representation from corporate EHS, industry, insurance, education, consulting, government, etc.

We strongly believe that women considering new careers in EHS and/or women who may be seeking opportunities in new and different areas of this fascinating and challenging profession can benefit from mentoring and networking with their peers. We believe that all of us are strengthened by information, resources and encouragement.

This is an opportunity for women who are new to the profession to benefit from seasoned professionals. It is also an opportunity for seasoned professionals to contribute by sharing their knowledge and insight and providing a bridge to the future.

Half of the session will include individual and panel presentations, the second half will provide for group discussion with generous time for Q&A."

Click on photo for full-size article.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

2008 Recruiting Update

2008-09-10T14:41:00.002-05:00

Valdes Engineering has kicked off recruiting of the 2009 graduating class with visits to career fairs at the University of Illinois and Purdue. With steady, controlled growth, Valdes continues to recruit quality engineers, engaging them in our focus on quality engineering services and career growth. University graduates play a huge role in creating our dynamic company culture.

Valerie Duncan, a 2007 graduate of Purdue University and Valdes Engineering Company employee, was interviewed at the recent Industrial Roundtable. See the attached link for the complete story, from The Exponent, Purdue's Daily Student Newspaper.

http://www.purdueexponent.org/?module=article&story_id=12573

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Coal Gasification Pilot Plant Status Update

2008-09-10T07:55:00.003-05:00

Construction continues on the East Coast for the new Coal Gasification Pilot Plant. The large 200 foot structure will house the state of the art gasification reactor while construction on the process building continues below. The primary engineering effort for this project is now complete and the project is in the good hands of the general contractor.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Hits a Home Run with Sox Night!

2008-09-08T11:35:00.006-05:00

About 60 VEC employees and family members turned out on August 22 at US Cellular Field to celebrate Elvis Night and enjoy some great baseball. Elvis Night is an annual event for the Sox, and one of the most anticipated games of the year. Highlights included Elvis impersonators throughout the park, skydivers dressed in white jumpsuits, and a spectacular fireworks display set, of course, to the music of the King.

VEC's Director of Engineering Operations, Dan Mueller, even paid tribute to the King in his head-to-toe Elvis costume! Check out the photos below of the game and pregame party.

Writers note: Go Cubs!!

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Copolymer Adhesives Facility Expansion

2008-09-08T11:21:00.004-05:00

In anticipation of an expanding market, Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) assisted an international corporation with the engineering/design of a plant expansion to increase production capacity at their Northern Illinois facility. The plant produces vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) copolymer adhesives by means of a high pressure process utilizing vinyl acetate and cryogenic ethylene.

The plant expansion included the addition of a new 12,000 square foot process building and production area, increasing adhesive production by 50%. Major process equipment included a high pressure reactor, heat exchanger, recirculation pump, and cryogenic ethylene storage tank. All process equipment, utility piping, vessels and structures were modeled in 3D using PDS. VEC met an aggressive schedule by completing the engineering phase of the project within 10 months. This enabled the client to begin the construction phase on schedule.

Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc. (www.graycor.com) provided construction services on the project. Please reference the following excerpt from a recent Graycor news letter.

Click on the above picture to read the full article.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Safety Milestone!

2008-08-28T09:52:00.002-05:00

Kudos to our VEC team at CITGO for contributing to the huge milestone recognized with the attached flyer! This flyer was handed out at the gates this morning and recognizes CITGO contractors for one full year (1.7 million hours worked) free of OSHA recordable injuries.

With all the project work as well as the vast array of high and low hazard activities taking place daily at CITGO, this type of success happens because everyone stays alert to the hazards of their surroundings, communicates constantly with one another, and never hesitates to speak up or stop work as necessary to make corrections.

Good job and best wishes to everyone at CITGO for another safe year!

Amy Gibson, CSP
Manager of Safety
“Think Safety, Work Safely, Live Greatly”
Valdes Engineering Company

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Griffith Office Update

2008-08-11T07:54:00.004-05:00

The Griffith office construction is nearing completion on schedule even with the devastating storms that struck last week. The building suffered no damage although many of our neighbors were less fortunate. We hope that with power being restored late last week that those suffering losses can recover quickly.

FCL Builders, the construction company, should complete their work and be ready for the final walk-through at the end of August. Installation of the furniture, cubicles and communication wiring will then begin with move-in projected for the end of September or early October. We are very pleased with the speed and results of the entire construction process and are excited about opening our new office to better serve our clients in northwest Indiana.

For the latest construction photos, click here.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Fall Protection: Friends Don’t Let Friends Go Splat

2008-07-16T10:02:00.003-05:00

On July 1 and 8, 2008, Valdes Engineering Company was pleased to host Mike Murphy and the Miller-Dalloz Fall Protection demonstration trailer. Mike set up his trailer for Valdes employees at the BP Whiting Refinery in Indiana, the ExxonMobil Refinery in Joliet, the CITGO Refinery in Lemont, and our Lombard, Illinois staff. This unique event was attended by 36 employees who wear or anticipate wearing fall protection. It was GREAT safety training!

We learned how to inspect the equipment, don and adjust it properly, reviewed the capabilities and limitations of the equipment, discussed new equipment solutions, and asked lots of questions. Some lucky participants were even suspended from the rig to see how they might feel if suspended. The “drop tests” Mike did clearly showed why you want to use your equipment properly. (Only 220# test bags were dropped – not real people!)

This kind of interactive training is one of the many steps Valdes employees are taking to become safety performance leaders.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC in the News

2008-07-14T12:39:00.001-05:00

Congratulations, everyone!

The safety awards we received from Three Rivers Manufacturers’ Association in May are in the news. VEC is featured in a full page advertisement in the Joliet Herald, Sunday, June 29, 2008.

Keep up the good work being safety conscious! And remember that these awards are based on the safety performance ALL Valdes employees, not only field personnel.

Sincerely,

Amy Gibson
Manager of Safety

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Somerset Pilot Plant

2008-07-14T12:24:00.002-05:00

Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) is proud to be a part of what is happening in Somerset, Mass. The project is a Pilot Plant for GreatPoint Energy. The Pilot Plant will test GreatPoint's coal gasification process, a process that makes pipeline grade natural gas from coal, petcoke, or other feedstock. The process is part of the solution to provide the world with environmentally friendly energy, or green energy. GreatPoint came to VEC with the technology. VEC provided the technology transfer in the form of this Pilot Plant. The project, located adjacent to the Brayton Point Power Station, broke ground in February and is scheduled to start-up this fall.

For more information:
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/business/x1898463585/Coal-gasification-project-beginning-to-take-shape

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC and BP Team Up for Another Golf Victory!

2008-07-08T12:56:00.003-05:00

Despite implementation of the "Palmer Rule", as coined by BP Whiting Golf League President, Ralph Ford, Valdes Engineering Company's (VEC) Pat Morris and Bill Palmer teamed with BP's Mike Berna and his son, Evan Berna to claim 1st place in the Summer Golf Outing on June 21, 2008 at The Course at Aberdeen in Valparaiso, Indiana. By posting a 13 under par score of 59, which included eagles on the par 4 13th and par 5 15th holes, the team won their 4th straight BP Whiting Golf League outing. VEC participated in this event with three foursomes made up of VEC employees and guests. Other VEC employees participating in the outing were Chris Baccino, Tim Leib, Pat Fitzpatrick, Chris Schnabel, and Bill Zato.

The team hopes to continue their winning streak when they play in the year end outing on September 20th!

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Let's Bowl!

2008-07-08T08:57:00.003-05:00

The VEC Management Team kicked off their shoes last Friday night, and slipped on some new ones—bowling shoes! The team headed out to Lucky Strike in Lombard for an evening of bowling and bonding. It looks like a great time was had by all. Check out some pictures below...

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Summer Safety – First Aid, CPR and AED Training

2008-06-24T15:42:00.003-05:00

This month Valdes employees at Whiting, Indiana are attending training for First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillators (AED). With all the new changes to this training over the last two years there was a lot to learn!

We had a lot of fun learning CPR, practicing bandaging and splinting techniques, pretending like we were delivering real shocks with the AED and learning to care for a variety of sudden illnesses.

The class is being offered in Whiting again Thursday, June 26, so contact Amy Gibson if you would like to take the course. It will then be offered to other field employees, then Lombard staff. It is a voluntary course and helpful especially in the summer time when we are more active. Even though the course focuses on treating adults, we learn some important differences when treating children, too.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

It's BBQ Season!

2008-06-09T13:04:00.003-05:00

Taking advantage of the perfect summer weather, VEC employees in the Whiting office had an impromptu cookout on Thursday, June 5. Looks like quite a feast!!

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Golf League Photos

2008-05-19T09:54:00.006-05:00

VEC's Shooting Team Gears Up For Competition

2008-05-15T10:23:00.003-05:00

In preparation for the upcoming ExxonMobil "Shoot for A's" Shotgun sports competition, Valdes Engineering Company's shooting team held a practice shoot at Elburn's St. Charles Sportman's Club. The team was instructed in target techniques by VEC's own Master Classified Sporting Clays shotgunner, William Freivald. The team is hopeful that preparation will allow VEC to retain the championship trophy.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC rolls out new Mentoring Program

2008-05-06T09:26:00.003-05:00

John Cardone, Dan Mueller and Gwen Allar rolled out the new Mentoring Program at meetings at the Lombard office on April 24, 2008, and in Whiting, IN on Monday, April 28, 2008.

The Mentoring Program has paired each employee below the Senior level with two mentors, a Technical Mentor and a Business Mentor.

The Technical Mentor is a seasoned professional with experience in the discipline of the Mentee. The Mentor will not be involved in the day-to-day projects but will offer advice and support to the Mentee as they grow in their careers.

The Business Mentor will offer the Mentee an avenue to address business questions that are not necessarily technical. The Business Mentor will support the Mentee with questions regarding client relationships and growth within our industry.

For some, these relationships will be for the purpose to move a Mentee to the next level. For others, these will be life-long relationships. For all, we hope that these relationships will be rewarding experiences for the both the Mentor and the Mentee.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Golf League is Officially Underway!

2008-05-02T14:18:00.001-05:00

It was nice to break the ice on the third season of the VEC golf league. There were quite a few familiar faces, but also a fair number of new faces as well. I think for the most part everyone started this season about where they left off last year; there is always room for improvement. I don't think we could have asked for better golfing weather this week. Let's hope that streak continues. In regards to continuing a good streak of golf play, best of luck to everyone! Let the golf banter begin!!

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Safety Awards Conferred on Valdes Engineering Company

2008-04-30T08:02:00.002-05:00

On Monday, April 28, 2008 at the annual awards dinner of the Three Rivers Manufacturers’ Association (TRMA), Valdes Engineering Company received two prestigious safety awards. The first was the “Gold” Award for having a 25% or greater reduction in OSHA recordable rate compared to the previous 3-year company average and the second was the “Meritorious” Award for having no OSHA recordable injuries in 2007.

Valdes Engineering Company is a member of TRMA and one of the 700 or so contractor companies serving clients such as CITGO Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Corn Products, Aux Sable Liquid Products, Flint Hills Resources, Midwest Generation, and Forbo among many others. Only 33 of the 700 active contractor companies received awards. Since awards such as these factor the safety performance of field and office personnel equally, these awards are indicative of the outstanding safety performance of all Valdes employees. Congratulations, everyone!

Amy Gibson, CSP
Manager of Safety
Valdes Engineering Company
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Shoot For A's in Math & Science

2008-04-24T10:22:00.002-05:00

Valdes Engineering is again pleased to sponsor and participate in the "Shoot For A's" trap shooting event on Saturday June 7, 2008 and defend the Contractors Cup traveling trophy. This ExxonMobil organized event aims to surpass the $30,000 raised last year for Math and Science education within the Channahon, Minooka and Troy school districts.

"Shoot for the A's in Math and Science" is a fundraising event organized to help math and science teachers through company sponsorships and participation in clay target shotgun sports. Scott Miller, Dan Green, and Eddie Webster return to the competition this year with the goal of once more claiming victory and going home with the Contractor's Cup. Good luck guys!!
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Amy Gibson's Safety Update 4-24-08

2008-04-23T14:28:00.004-05:00

As Valdes Engineering Company’s Safety Manager, I thought it would be great to post some timely information for our employees and others. At Valdes we are focused not only on the safety of our employees while working in oil refineries, petrochemical plants, power plants, heavy industrial manufacturing, etc., but on total well-being. Since tornado season is upon us and we experienced recent earthquakes in Illinois, the following information might be helpful. Enjoy! If you cannot follow the link for the answers to the tornado crossword puzzle, email me: agibson@valdeseng.com

Tornado Safety

Tornadoes in DuPage & Will County

Tornado Safety Crossword Puzzle

Earthquake Safety

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Welcome New Employees!

2008-04-21T10:45:00.001-05:00

Valdes Engineering Company warmly welcomes the newest additions to our team!

Randy Silzer
Heather Maier
Dick Humalainen
Willie Wajvoda
Amy Gibson
Steven Moser

VEC's success is directly attributed to our staff of highly-trained, talented professionals. VEC offers its employees a unique, challenging and rewarding work environment. We are proud to add these new faces to our staff!

VEC Basketball Season Recap

2008-04-07T15:07:00.001-05:00

The VEC Basketball inaugural season came to an end on March 31st 2008 with a loss to Sungard. VEC battled hard despite the absence of some of their key contributors at the guard and center positions. With a halftime lead that was later built on in the first five minutes of the second half, VEC was riding high on momentum. Sungard, however, battled back, getting themselves to the foul line and regaining the lead. Sungard sank key free throws in the final minutes to clinch the game. VEC's team greatly appreciates all of the employee and family fan support throughout the season. The team looks forward to building on the late season momentum during next years season, where they will look to improve upon this years successes and increase involvement in the program with more employees that express interest.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Dodgeball Update, Week of 3-28

2008-04-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

The VEC Dodgeball's of Fire suffered a setback with a loss to Hellman Law on Wednesday, March 26th. VEC put up a good fight, even though the team was plagued by injuries and a shortage of players. This loss brings VEC into a tie for second place with a record of 5-3. The next dodgeball match is at 8 pm on April 9th at the River Woods School in Naperville.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

New Jobs Coming to Griffith

2008-03-25T07:53:00.004-05:00

New Jobs Coming to Griffith

BY ANDREA HOLECEK

March 22, 2008

GRIFFITH Valdes Engineering Co.'s new office scheduled to open here in fall could bring nearly 100 well-paying engineering jobs to the region.

"We hope -- in time -- as we grow our customer base and reach other customers, it could grow to that number," owner/founder Bob Valdes said this week. "We hope it's a positive impact on employment."

The family owned engineering firm based in Lombard, Ill. performs project management, engineering and design services. It was founded by Valdes in 1993. His wife, Donna, is the comptroller. Although the firm's specialty is process engineering, it employs about 200 engineers schooled in every facet of the profession.

The company broke ground for the new, $3 million, 25,000-square-foot satellite office at Ridge Road and Broad Street, earlier this month.

"We've been thinking about Indiana for many years," said Valdes, a civil engineer, who graduated from the University of Illinois. "It's actually a better fit for the work we do than the commercial and residential area we're in here."

The new building is designed to house 100 to 105 employees with the vast majority engineers, engineering technicians and other support staff, who will work on projects based in Northwest Indiana.

"The bulk of the work force will be Indiana people because of logistics," Valdes said.

Having an office in the region, where it already does significant business "will allow us to spread our wings and allow us to reach more industrial clients in the area," he said.

The consulting engineering firm currently performs engineering work for BP's Whiting Refinery projects and numerous other local clients, Valdes wouldn't name, citing confidentiality agreements.

"We hope more clients will look at us as a viable engineering service once we have a presence in Northwest Indiana in proximity to interface with their plants," Valdes said. "Interface is very important. The closer to the plant, the better it is for a project's execution."

Currently, the company's engineers and other staff work in trailers trucked to job sites.

"Trailers, as nice as we try to make them, are never to the level of a permanent office, especially in the date and age of highly technical equipment," Valdes said. "There are a lot of tools we have in order to execute engineering projects and there's only so much room in the trailers."

The company broke ground for the new, $3 million, 25,000-square-foot satellite office at Ridge Road and Broad Street, earlier this month. It could bring nearly 100 well-paying engineering jobs to the region.

Source: www.nwi.com
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Dodgeball Blog, Week of 3-14

2008-03-20T07:48:00.000-05:00

The VEC Dodgeballs O' Fire triumphed over the Wednesday Warriors this week by a final score of 7 to 3. After the 7th week of matches, VEC finds itself with a record of 5-1 and is sitting atop the league standings in a first place tie with the Bootleggers. Week 8 will pit the Bootleggers against VEC. The VEC Dodgeballs O' Fire look to avenge their only loss of the year and take outright control of the top spot in the league. Game time is at 9 PM on March 19th at the River Woods School in Naperville.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Groundbreaking Photos Posted!

2008-03-17T12:40:00.003-05:00

Valdes Engineering Company broke ground on it's new Griffith, Indiana office on Friday, March 7, 2008. VEC was pleased to welcome the FCL Builders team; Rick Ryfa, President of the town of Griffith; and U.S. Congressman Pete Visclosky to the ceremony. Click here for photos of the event!

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Company bringing $3M facility to Griffith

2008-03-13T08:03:00.004-05:00

Company bringing $3M facility to Griffith

BY CHARLES F. HABER
Times Correspondent

Friday, March 07, 2008

GRIFFITH Valdes Engineering Co., of Lombard, Ill., breaks ground this morning on a $3 million facility at the southwest corner of Ridge Road and Broad Street.

Griffith Building Commissioner Donche Andonov said the single-story building will be 25,000 square feet and will take about six months to complete. The company plans to move into the all-brick facility by Sept. 1, he said.

Valdes provides engineering services to process, power and manufacturing industries in the Midwest, according to the company's Web site.

Griffith Town Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd, said the new business is a win-win situation for the company and Griffith residents.

"As more Illinois businesses begin to understand the substantial cost savings they will realize by crossing over the border into Indiana, we want to let them know that Griffith is open for business."

Source: www.nwi.com
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Dodgeball Blog, Week of 3-7

2008-03-07T14:33:00.000-06:00

The VEC Dodgeballs of Fire won a close match against The Lantern on March 05 by a score of 6 games to 4. Highlights of the match were two seemingly impossible circus catches made by Ted Raymond and an impressive sudden death victory by Andy Schwerha. VEC has now defeated the tough Lantern team twice this season and will look to achieve the clean sweep when the teams square off for the final time on April 16th. VEC's record improved to 4-1 and the Dodgeballs of Fire sit atop the standings in a first place tie with The Bootleggers. The next match is at 7:00 PM on March 12th against the Wednesday Warriors at the River Woods School in Naperville.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Shoot for the A's in Math And Science

2008-03-05T08:44:00.000-06:00

Last year, Valdes Engineering Company participated in ExxonMobil's "Shoot for the A's in Math and Science"; a fundraising event organized to help math and science teachers through company sponsorships and participation in clay target shotgun sports. VEC's shooting team took second place overall, capturing the first place contractors trophy for high overall team score, as well as picking up the individual high overall score in the event. The competition consisted of a round of trap, 5-stand, and a 50 bird sporting clays competition, with the total score for the three events counting towards each team members overall score. VEC will be defending their first place contractor trophy this June.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Basketball Blog for Week of 3/3/08

2008-03-05T08:42:00.000-06:00

The VEC basketball team played at their peak this week, as things are beginning to come together. While only six players were available for this weeks game, five of which would be considered guards, the VEC team managed to hold their own against the undefeated and top ranked team in the entire league. While only a few games remain, the VEC team is beginning to figure out how to play with one another, and the general consensus of the team is that next year could show a considerable turnaround. The team's next game is on 3/10/08 against the Tappers.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Welcome New Employees!

2008-03-04T08:47:00.005-06:00

Valdes Engineering Company warmly welcomes the newest additions to our team!

Brooke Haggerty
Timothy Poe
Peter Folga
Diane Mueller
Charlene Thomas

Dodgeball Update, Week of 2/29

2008-02-28T12:24:00.000-06:00

The VEC Dodgeball team improved their record to 3-1 with a victory over I'd Hit on February 27th. Although shorthanded by one player, the Valdes squad easily beat I'd Hit 7 games to 3. VEC is definitely coming together as a team and gaining momentum. The team is looking forward to next week's re-match against the Lantern. VEC will be aiming to move to the top of the heap by knocking the Lantern out of a first place tie in the league standings. The next match is on Wednesday, March 5th, at 7 PM at the River Woods School in Naperville.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

Dodgeball Blog - Week of 2/22

2008-02-26T07:45:00.001-06:00

The VEC Dodgeball Team was able to put the disappointing loss from week 3 behind them and returned to championship form this week with an impressive victory over the previously unbeaten Hellman Law Team. The team quickly dug a hole by losing the first two games, but came back and won the next 5 in a row and ultimately clinched a 7 to 3 victory over Hellman Law. The victory brings VEC into a tie for first place in the league. VEC's will face off against I'd Hit in the next match at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 27 at the River Woods School in Naperville.
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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, coal gasification, power, chemical, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries.

VEC Basketball Update, Week of Feb. 25

2008-02-25T13:56:00.001-06:00

The Valdes Engineering Company basketball team received a shorthanded loss at the hands of All-Star Sports last week. While there was promise shown by the defense and improved shot selection by all, the team wasn't able to combat the absences of some caused by the winter snow storm, failing to pull together the win against a very strong opponent. The VEC team has a bye week on February 25th and will play its next game against the Ball Shots on March 3rd at 9:00PM at the Downers Grove Park District.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, power, chemical and manufacturing industries.

VEC Dodgeball Update, Week of Feb. 11

2008-02-18T08:19:00.000-06:00

The VEC Dodgeball team suffered a disappointing setback this week by losing to The Bootleggers. The final score was 3 games to 7 in favor of The Bootleggers. Although the loss was disappointing, both teams were able to gather for cookies after the match. VEC is confident that they can avenge this loss when the teams meet back up on March 19th. VEC is planning on modifying some of their strategy and tactics for their next match. The next Dodgeball match will pit VEC against Hellman Law and will take place on Wednesday, February 20th at the River Woods Elementary School in Naperville.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical, refining, power, chemical and manufacturing industries.

VEC featured on AutodeskCatalog.com

2008-02-08T14:11:00.000-06:00

Software Reduces Field Rework 90% for Cooling Water System Project
AEC Design Group CADPIPE Software

Valdes Engineering Company in Lombard, Ill., has been providing a wide range of mechanical, electrical/instrumentation engineering, civil/structural and process engineering services to some of the largest petroleum, chemical, power, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage corporations in the United States since 1992. With hundreds of man-years of experience in these core-engineering disciplines, Valdes offers a full range of solutions to its clients.

At a large U.S. refinery, the underground cooling water system from an existing water station was very old and had exceeded its useful life. Leaks were occurring at a rate of two to three per year.

Objectives

The project included replacement of the aged and failure-prone underground cooling water system with a new aboveground system from the existing water station to the unit complex as well as abandonment of the existing cooling water supply piping.
The objective was to build in reliability by incorporating isolation valves and emergency connections that would allow a section of damaged pipe to be isolated while still supplying the other units with cooling water.

Project

A 3-D CAD model of the new aboveground cooling water supply/return headers needed to be established. Valdes used Lica Geosystems laser scanning equipment to survey the plant and create a PointCloud file.

Valdes used the CADPIPE suite of AutoCAD based process piping software products to create the as-built 3-D model from the PointCloud information. CADPIPE was also used to design the modifica tions and additional pipe runs and automatically create the manufacturing spool drawing from the 3-D model. The project was 10 months long, involved four CAD designers and more than 550 manufacturing spools. The Valdes engineering team for this project found CADPIPE specification and automatic spool capabilities essential to complete the project.

The engineering manager said, "Because of CADPIPE, we were able to deliver the project ahead of schedule and under budget. The ability to integrate all the information using CADPIPE reduced field reworks 90 to 95 percent."

CADPIPE modules are specification based and include 3-D Design, ISO and P&ID. Features include auto-pipe, auto-elbow, auto-annotate, auto-iso and collision detection. ArTrA is CAD independent 3-D Asset Management software that attaches all documentation and data to objects in the model with the capability to do complex searches.

Benefits:

Reduced time and cost during the design phase.
Reduced errors in fabrication and installation to minimize waste.
3D coordination of trades to identify and correct conflicts before construction.
Detailed Bill of Materials and reporting for purchasing, delivery and installation.
Automatic generation of spool/fabrication drawings from 3D model.

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Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical refining, power, chemical and manufacturing industries.

VEC Basketball Update, Week of Feb. 4

2008-02-08T10:53:00.001-06:00

This past week showed promise for VEC athletics as the basketball team held the opposing team to a mere 16 points in the first half. At that point, It seemed as if the momentum gained from the dodgeball success was going to carry over onto the basketball court. However, a few injuries to the VEC team and a shift in momentum, proved to be just enough to tilt the outcome of the game in the opponents favor. VEC is looking forward to its next game on February 11th at 8:00PM, where they look to get their season back on track.

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"Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical refining, power, chemical and manufacturing industries."

VEC Dodgeball Team, Week of Feb. 4

2008-02-08T10:52:00.000-06:00

The VEC Dodgeball match on Wednesday, February 6th against the Wednesday Warriors was canceled due to the snowy conditions. The match will be re-scheduled for the end of the season. The team has started off the season strong with a 7-3 opening match victory against The Lantern on January 30th and a 9-1 routing of I'd Hit in the exhibition match held on January 23. VEC has to be considered one of the top teams in the league and a definite favorite to win the title.
VEC's next match is against the Bootleggers at 9:00PM February 13th at the River Woods Elementary School in Naperville.

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"Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical refining, power, chemical and manufacturing industries."

Devin Cook quoted on TribStar.com

2008-02-08T08:16:00.000-06:00

VEC's own Devin Cook was recently quoted in an article published in the Terre Haute Tribune Star. He recounted his experience attending the Rose-Hulman Career Fair that led to his employment with VEC.

"The familiar adage “Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail” could be used to describe Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students and other college jobseekers preparing to participate in career/job fairs in the home stretch of the recruitment season for full-time, summer internship or co-op work positions.

Devin Cook, a 2007 Rose-Hulman graduate, says that lessons learned before attending his first job fair on campus helped him land his first job at Valdes Engineering near Chicago.

He participated in job fair training workshops offered by Rose-Hulman’s Office of Career Services before attending his first fair.

“They taught us how to sell ourselves, how to write attractive resumes and how to dress,” Cook recently told The Chicago Tribune for a story published in the newspaper’s Jobs Section. Before attending the engineering job fair in 2006 that would lead to his job, the civil engineering alumnus took this one step further. He researched the companies that were going to be at the fair, narrowed his choices and wrote constructive questions to ask recruiters. And, he asked some engineers to critique his resume.

The result: After the fair, Cook secured five interviews, then landed his current job as a structural engineer. Cook was way ahead of the crowd, says Kevin Hewerdine, director of Rose-Hulman’s Office of Career Services and Employer Relations. A veteran in the college career services field, Hewerdine has seen it all — from well-prepared job seekers, like Cook, to those who read from their own resumes during impromptu job fair interviews."

For the full article, click here
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"Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical refining, power, chemical and manufacturing industries."

Safety Manager

2008-02-08T07:50:00.000-06:00

Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) provides professional engineering services to companies located in the greater Chicago-land area. Our client base includes leading companies in the petroleum, chemical, power and industrial manufacturing business.

We are seeking qualified individuals interested in being part of our dynamic and growing organization. We have an immediate opening for the newly created position of Safety Manager, who will be responsible for developing and implementing a positive safety culture at VEC, ensuring compliance with VEC and client safety programs, overseeing the continuous improvement in all areas of safety for the company and the implementation of industry best practices.

This person should possess strong team leadership skills, the ability to coordinate multiple projects, good time management and project organization skills and excellent communication, public speaking, leadership, and supervisory skills. A college degree and experience in a heavy industry are preferred.

Duties to generally include:

Develop, present and schedule on-going safety training programs
Oversee improvements/revisions to Safety Manual
Respond to client safety questionnaires
Frequent field client sites visits. Majority of work hours to be spent at field locations
Safety Audits
Safety equipment tracking and inspections
Liaison with clients’ Safety Contacts
Investigate incidents and near misses. Root Cause Analysis
Maintain any/all documentation: Safety training, OSHA documentation, etc
Monitor and manage EMR

Forward your resume in confidence to:

Gwen Allar

Valdes Engineering Company

100 W. 22nd Street

Lombard, IL 60148

Phone: (630) 792-1886; Fax (630) 792-1986; gallar@valdeseng.com

www.valdeseng.com

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"Valdes Engineering Company (VEC) sets the standard for excellence in engineering serving regional, national and global corporations with on-time, on-budget projects. VEC is a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm, specializing in the petrochemical refining, power, chemical and manufacturing industries."