Falling for a Dream

For 30 years, Kitty Arvin knew she wanted to jump out of a plane. But for 30 years, her fear of dying trumped her dream of falling through the sky.

But that all changed as she approached her 63^rd birthday. “I didn’t want to be one of those 90-year-old women who gets notoriety for doing something daring at the age of 90,” Kitty quipped. “I wanted to be a 63-year-old woman who did it!”

So, on what Kitty describes as the “first most beautiful, perfect, day of the summer,” she arrived at the Frankfort airport promptly at 10 a.m. to prepare for something she’d wanted to do for three decades: Kitty was going to jump out of a plane. Because she was doing a tandem jump with an experienced skydiver (a tattooed Slovik with a Mohawk hairdo and a good sense of humor), she went through several steps before leaving the ground. Orientation? Check. Waivers signed? Check. Harness fitting? Check. Loaded on the plane and heading up to 1,300 feet? CRAP! “That trip up to 1,300 feet took forever” she exclaimed. “For awhile I thought maybe we were flying to Chicago!”

During that ascent, Kitty second-guessed her decision to choose skydiving over an iPad. “I was given these two options for my birthday gift,” she explained. “By the time we hit 1,000 feet, that iPad was looking pretty good!”

There were a few jumpers who went first, so by the time Kitty made her way to the door she was ready. Sitting on the floor of the plane, she dangled her feet over the side, then rocked back and forth just a couple of times before making her exit. Then, the 60-second free-fall began. “This was my favorite part of the whole experience,” Kitty says. “Free-falling was tremendous. I felt like I was flying. Unbelievable.”

She was, however, surprised at just how windy it was. “You couldn’t get a decent spit if you wanted to!” she exclaims. Once the chute opened, Kitty gently floated to earth. All totalled, she spent a little more than five minutes in the air. Kitty describes the overall experience in one word: Wow.

Would she do it again? “Absolutely.” While she has no date set for her next skydiving adventure, she says she’s more than happy to go with anyone who’s interested in doing it. Any takers?

Stephanie Torr | Director of Business Development

Football Season Is Back!

Fantasy football nuts rejoice!  After nearly seven months of agonizing anticipation, America’s new favorite pastime is back and in full swing.   As the fall weather begins to set in, football fans across the country settle back into their game day routines and voice their support for their favorite team.  Tailgates-a-plenty, team rivalries turning friends into foes, and diehard fans wearing their emotions on their sleeves…all things to love about the sport.  Whether you prefer the amateur competition of college football, or the pros are your cup of tea, everyone can agree that the ups-and-downs of the game make for unforgettable experiences.

There are a few factors to watch for in this young football season, namely:

- College football parity, or a lack thereof.  Alabama is the obvious #1, and the SEC is the conference to beat, but can any dark horse upset the balance of power?

- The new college football playoff system.  While it does not take effect until 2014, longtime BCS bashers are rejoicing in the fact that teams will now be able to control their own destiny in making it to the national championship.   There are still ways the playoff system can be improved, but at least it will remove the “BCS equation” from the mix.

- Concussions.  A serious threat to all ranks of football, concussions and their after affects are becoming more prevalent as athletes continue to become bigger, faster, and stronger.  There is still much to be learned in regards to concussion symptoms, prevention and treatment, but at least the issue remains on the forefront.  From Pop Warner to the NFL, head trauma is a main concern of all participants, as it could severely affect the quality of their lives in the future.

- Replacement Referees.  We knew it would be bad; we didn’t know it would be this bad.  Through three weeks of football, the masses are beginning to turn on the NFL’s “replacement refs”.  Due to a work stoppage by the league’s regular referees, the replacement refs have been thrown into the fire and are certainly showing their inexperience.  This is causing fans, players, and coaches to question the NFL’s intent and insinuate that the integrity of the game is being jeopardized.

Adam Keller |Project Engineer

The Hagerman Group Completes Project at Notre Dame Stadium

Being in the stands for the recent Notre Dame-Purdue game brought me a great sense of pride.  I have close connections to both great universities; I grew up in South Bend and I am also an alumnus of Purdue University.  The Hagerman Group has many of the same connections.

The Hagerman Group recently wrapped up construction on a significant renovation project at Notre Dame Stadium.  The “House that Rockne Built” was completed in 1930 for roughly $750,000.  Since that time, fans have been witness to quite a bit of history in this great venue: the rise of the forward pass, the “Game of the Century”, the Four Horsemen, 11 national championship teams, seven Heisman Trophy winners, and much more. 

Although the stadium was renovated in 1997, most of the structure still contains the original concrete, steel, brick, and masonry.  We just finished replacing the original drainage tunnel that runs all the way around the field and carries all the water from the field and lower bowl out of the stadium.  This required shoring the structure, demolishing the original tunnel and brick wall, and replacing it to match the original.

Aided tremendously by a record warm winter, The Hagerman Group was able to deliver this project ahead of schedule and within budget to the university.  To the joy of many runners, Notre Dame was even able to have the finish line of the annual Sunburst Race in the stadium, which was not scheduled to happen due to construction.   Yet another successful project for a great long-time client of The Hagerman Group.  Go Irish!

John Kilbury

The Hagerman Group Gives CANI a Helping Hand

The Hagerman Group is proud to thank Kyle Wilson, Kris Knox, Tom Werling, and Jim Woodruff for participating on behalf of the Indiana Construction Association to give CANI a hand with a community service project last Thursday.  CANI is a nonprofit organization that helps communities, families and individuals overcome poverty.

The team members, all from local construction and paving firms, gathered at 217 W. Fourth St. to landscape a home and build a back porch/step area. The property was donated a year ago to CANI by Wells Fargo Bank.

The house is being rehabbed for a family. The group of 10 men started at 8 a.m., and were planning to work until 4 p.m.  By working on this project, they were helping the family who will live in the home, the community, and potentially the neighborhood by cleaning up the property and giving the house curb appeal.  The Hagerman Group was joined by Hanson Aggregates, Fox Contractors Corp. and E&B Paving. 

Stacy Neill
Marketing Director

The Hagerman Group Receives Another LEED Project Certification

I am happy to announce that The Hagerman Group has received another LEED project certification! 

Ivy Tech Community College Student Life Center in Fort Wayne, IN, achieved LEED SILVER!!!  The Hagerman Group played the role of Construction Manager on this $8,360,000 project completed in 2008.  Congratulations to those who contributed to the success of this project:  Jim Burkett, Kitty Arvin, Terry Greene, Jeff VanHorn, and Jay Bangert!   

Other external project team members include MSKTD & Associates, Fluid Dynamics, Inc., and our clients for life Ivy Tech Community College.

**This brings our number of certified LEED projects to 7** 

Karen Schutte

On Site Project Engineer | Sustainability Coordinator

United Way Month of Miracles at The Hagerman Group

United Way Support Team!

I am excited to announce our first ever United Way Month of Miracles Campaign.  As you all know, we have been a strong supporter of the United Way campaign for several decades and I personally have been involved with the United Way Capital Campaign (4 years) and executive committees (6 years) as a show of support.  This year, we are taking a different approach by doing a campaign kick-off in the month of September.   

Our goal is to generate excitement and awareness for United Way within the company, and ultimately have 100% participation between both offices.  Participation can mean financial or taking part in these United Way events.  You may have noticed the posters around the offices by now, however, below is the schedule of events.  Further details will follow from your campaign chairs:  Mary Anne, Stephanie, and Stacy.

Friday September 7^th – Trivia Day

Friday September 14^th – Scavenger Hunt

Friday September 21^st – Corn Hole Tournament

Friday September 28^th – Companywide pitch in, campaign results, and United Way presentation

This is a great opportunity for all of us to once again show our community support and passion to help others!  I hope you are all willing to participate with either your time, talent or treasure this year and trust you can join the group for some fun Friday activities in September!  Thank you in advance for your consideration and commitment.

Jeff Hagerman

President

The Hagerman Group

The Hagerman Group Sponsors Indiana Construction Roundtable Educational Event of the Year

The Hagerman Group is a proud sponsor of this year’s Indiana Construction Roundtable second annual Educational Event of the Year; scheduled for Sept. 26 at the Downtown Indianapolis Westin Hotel. It will feature educational sessions from owners across the state of Indiana.

This year’s event will feature guest presentations from Indiana owner companies such as Purdue University, Dow Agro Sciences, Wishard Health and Hospital, Indiana Department of Transportation, Simon Properties and more. The presentation topics are intended to provide a forum for owners from across the state of Indiana to share their unique experiences in dealing with specific construction related issues. Each presentation will offer those in all segments of the construction industry the opportunity to learn from each other as participants and share their own ideas and experiences.

Tim Steigerwald, Immediate Past Chairman of the Industry Outreach Committee, lead the planning effort for the 2011 inaugural event. “Last year’s event exceeded my expectations in many ways. Since then we’ve gathered feedback that provided our committee with insights on how to build upon and improve what was previously done,” said Steigerwald. “The major difference that people will notice at this year’s event will be improved opportunities for networking.”

Participants in this year’s event will qualify for up to three hours of professional development credits, and three AIA credit hours. Classes are pending approval. For more information on how to participate in this year’s event go to www.2012icreducationaleventoftheyear.com.

Stacy Neill

Marketing Director