Sukut Construction is moving 9 million cubic yards of earth to create the Dos Logo Resort Community located in Corona, California along the I-15 Freeway. It will include 2 lakes, an 18 hole golf course, resort hotels, exclusive homes, restaurants, shopping and office space. (Photo by Geo-Tech Imagery Intl.

Sukut (SU-Kut) Construction, Inc. is the largest earth-moving contractor in Southern California. Taking on demanding and challenging projects is a way of life for the company. Founded in 1968 by Myron Sukut, this awarding winning company is now entirely employee owned with a staff of 400. Sukut frequently hires engineers as project managers and is probably the only construction contractor in California to have two full-time geologists on staff. This type of staffing gives the company the ability to conduct business with some 100 clients throughout the burgeoning California market. Headquartered in Santa Ana, Sukut is involved in a broad range of projects including golf courses/resorts, public works, residential, and environmental.

The figures for Sukut are impressive. The company certainly holds a record for moving one billion cubic yards of earth. In the past four years, Sukut's revenues have quadrupled and now exceed $142 million. In addition, they have one of the largest equipment fleets with over 200 major pieces of machinery that include scrapers and bull dozers. The company recently added California's first Caterpillar 5110B, a large hydraulic excavator, to their inventory. One of the most impressive aspects of the company is the number of awards they have received. Sukut has earned over 20 prestigious awards including "Contractor of the Year" and "Best Place to Work".

(Above) An artist rendering of Dos Lagos, Master Planned Community.

The majority of Sukut's work involves large-scale grading and earth removal. The company graded Orange County's newest toll roads, Foothill (241), and Eastern (241/261/133). Sukut moved over 67 million cubic yards of earth which is about one-third the amount of earth excavated in the construction of the Panama Canal. Due to Sukut's planning and ability to handle complex jobs, the toll road opened 14 months ahead of schedule. The company specializes in technically demanding projects including landfills and dams as well as challenging sites that have extreme hillsides, extensive ground water or rocky terrains.

Sukut has been involved in a number of coastline bluff repair projects and was the first on the West Coast to use ground freezing. The landslide repair near the Ritz Carlton Resort in Laguna Niguel is a perfect example of the type of technically challenging work that Sukut is able to accomplish. The company drilled holes along the beach, sank pipes into the ground and pumped refrigerant to freeze the ground. This created an ice wall, which enabled Sukut to dig 25 feet below sea level to remove and recompact earth materials. Sukut is also the first company on the West Coast to use Geogrid on a large scale in the reinforcement of slopes.

(Left) Robinson Ranch, a 36 hole golf course in Santa Clarita, California built by Sukut Construction. (Photo by Geo-Tech Imagery Intl. (Right) The crosby Golf Course in Rancho Santa Fe, California with finished residential pads. (Photo by Geo-Tech Imagery Intl.)

One of the busiest markets for the company is in golf course/resort construction. Sukut has been involved in the building of some of the best known and challenging courses in California such as Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, Robinson Ranch in Santa Clarita, Spanish Hills in Camarillo, Aviara in Carlsbad and The Crosby in Rancho Santa Fe. Currently, the company has taken on the job of building the Dos Lagos Golf Course and Resort. The company has worked with a who's who of golf course architects and designers including Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, Ted Robinson and Tom Weiskoff. Sukut also has a number of avid golfers on their staff, which adds to the understanding of what it takes to build challenging courses.

The Dos Lagos Golf Course/Resort project in Corona is a prime example of the type of challenges that Sukut takes as a matter of course. The $12.5 million dollar job covers an area of 543 acres and entails excavating some 9 million cubic yards of earth. The property has two existing lakes, hence the name Dos Lagos, that present their own series of challenges. "Before starting any excavation, Sukut had to pump 30 million gallons of water from the lake and ground water to a temporary reservoir," said project manager, Joe Philbin. Then Sukut installed a sub-drain system before placing a 100-foot deep fill on the lake bottom. When the fill is complete, a permanent pump system will be constructed so that the ground water can be recycled back into the newly constructed lakes thereby reestablishing the natural aquifer. The project's logistics also demand the removal of rock materials, which makes the sequencing of excavation extremely critical. The project's geotechnical specifications prepared by Neblett & Associates require that the rock be buried at least ten feet below the finished ground surface. Due to the ground water, lakes and various soil types involved, the project requires the mixing of both wet and dry materials, which adds cost and complexity to the grading of the project. These deep fill areas require 95% compaction. In addition to these challenges, the company must also deal with the environmental and local transportation requirements.

(Left) Sukut Construction equipment mixing clay, sand and silt to meet 95% compaction criteria for the 100 foot deep fill at the Dos Lagos lake bottom. (Photo by Geo-Tech Imagery Intl.) (Right) The Crosby Golf Course in Rancho Santa Fe, California during mass grading and storm drain construction. (Photo by Geo-Tech Imagery Intl.)

The environmentally sensitive company is protecting the existing Temescal Canyon Wash while widening its banks and installing rock for erosion control. The transportation challenge is to widen Temescal Canyon Road, while moving 2.5 million cubic yards of construction materials across it and minimizing road closures.

Equipment used on the Dos Lagos project includes 12 Cat 657 twin engine scrapers, 24 Cat 651 scrapers, a Cat 5110B excavator, 5 Cat 773 fifty-ton rock trucks and 2 Cat D10L ripper dozers.

Sukut broke ground on the Dos Lagos project in November 2003 for the developer SE Corporation. Grading will be completed by September 2004 and the entire project should be finished in 2005. The Dos Lagos Resort will boast a top of the line 18-hole golf course, major resort hotels, hundreds of high-end homes built by Taylor Woodrow and a number of exclusive restaurants and retail shops developed by Poag & McEwen. According to Ali Sahabi, president of SE Corporation, this exciting resort project will be Corona's first truly mixed use master planned community with shopping resembling Newport Beach's Fashion Island.

Sukut's opportunities aren't limited to land grading projects. "Sukut is the type of company that allows its employees to create their own opportunities," says Philbin. A prime example is the company's stock ownership plan which includes 40 office and field employees, including foremen, mechanics, equipment operators, office staff and project managers.

(Above) Sukut Construction's Joe Philbin currently manages $25 million in projects including Dos Lagos.

Opportunities in industry leadership are also encouraged. Company President and CEO, Michael Crawford, is currently on the board of directors of the Construction Industry Coalition for Water Quality. Sukut's Director of Marketing, Michael Bobeczko, was named the Home Builder Council's "Volunteer of the Year." "This is a great company that highly values its employees," said Bobeczko. Crawford seconded this view, "People make our company. And with a winning team like Sukut, we'll continue to rise to award winning challenges."

Additional information is available on the company's web site www.sukut.com or by calling (800) 339-6024.