Wayne Atkinson, Inc.

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It’s hard to believe that what seems like just yesterday has now been twenty years ago.

Can you remember where you were? Who you were with while remaining glued to the TV? What was going thru your mind? I have to answer yes to all of the above.

Some can tell you exactly what they saw and now remember. Others were either very young or were not even born. Think of the latter for a moment. Many young men and women were so moved by the events of 9-11 that they joined the military in heartfelt service to their country.

What happened in New York City was aimed at everything great America stood for. The tallest of buildings spoke to the feats of engineering and architecture America could produce both then and now. Likewise striking the Pentagon was a symbol of American military prowess and ingenuity. The final and unsuccessful attack was launched against was the White House; representing the freedom of America found in the people’s house.

Like many I was working that day. My first appointment was with Blankenship Contracting in Tallahassee, Florida. I sat at their kitchen table taking a material list (or take off as we call it) of water and sewer materials.

I saw the first plane hit the first Tower. I called out to Kenny and Francis saying, “y’all need to see this going on in New York City. Something’s not right.” For the next several hours, well after noon, we were glued to CNN. It was a day none of us will ever forget.

Where we you and what were you doing when those planes hit our homeland? Nearly 3,000 lives we lost that day. Let’s honor their memory and never forget.

It’s not often you meet someone that has a tremendous impact on your life personally. Derwin White was one of those people. One who would not just find time, but make time to speak into your life and listen when it was time to listen. That is who Derwin White was. The latter word is hard to say as the reality has not yet set in.

While Derwin and I did not grow up as friends, our families were connected through the small churches we grew up in. We were sure we had met at camp meetings and such like, as we knew all the same people extremely well. I can say I have actually known Derwin since around 2011 when I became the Regional Sales Manager for Quality Culvert. It was not until I moved to Panama City, FL that we became friends. When we did, we figured out our paths had crossed before as our youthful connections were a very small group comprised of only a few thousand in total and less than a thousand in the Florida Panhandle.

When I went to Panama City to manage the Fortiline Water Works Branch, it was under the most tenuous of circumstances and charged with rebuilding a once powerful branch. The first thing I did, once the waters calmed down after a few chaotic weeks, was to contact Derwin. I met with him at his office (the pre-hurricane Michael office). That day, he made me a promise: “Keep your head high, stay the course, and become a part of the community. If you do those things you will succeed here. There is more than enough business to go around.” I will never forget that moment.

I took Darwin’s advice and became an active part of the community. Always attending BCCA Business Meetings, and getting active in the Chamber. Things worked out exactly as he said they would. The branch for all intents and purposes should have folded. Yet it blossomed. Not over night, but over time. I have to believe Derwin had a major hand in that. In fact, I am convinced he did.

After Hurricane Michael, who led the charge to re-build Bay County? Derwin White. When a Category 5 Hurricane pounds you for hour after hour, the devastation and destruction caused are not even able to be imagined. Most of us, especially Floridians, have ridden out many hurricanes. But nothing could prepare any of us for the overwhelming damage everywhere.

That same afternoon Derwin jumped on equipment and started clearing a path to the Emergency Ops Center. It showed who he was at his core. A friend, always ready to help when and where he could. When others saw destruction, he told me he saw opportunity to make us better than before.

When Belinda was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, one of hardest times of my life, Derwin was there. He told me, “I will fly her to Houston or any where else she may need to go on my plane. And it won’t cost you a dime! We are going to help, just let me know what you need.”

Derwin once told me, “I’m no saint…but when my time comes, I hope they can say I was a good man.” That is the message I have tried to convey here. Derwin White, “A Good Man.” RIP

Reportedly, preliminary investigations reveal that perhaps the catastrophe at the Sunrise Condo might possibly have been avoided. We will soon know the answers to many questions.

“Engineer Frank Morabito was direct in his report October 2018 to the building’s condo board treasurer: There was a “major error” in the design. The waterproofing for the “entrance drive, pool deck and planter area did not drain.”

He went on to say, “The water just sat there until it evaporated.” Too many times I have seen areas in Florida full of standing run off water. Let’s face it. Florida receives an abundance of rain each year. Even more so during heavy Hurricane Seasons.

What we need is effective drainage. This comes by designing with a new intent and new designs. But not necessarily new products. Designers must use all the options on the table, combing into a single highly efficient drainage system.

For instance, a combination of Face Mix Pavers can be used in conjunction with Slot or Radius Trench Drain systems to rapidly move stormwater away from decks around pools and other areas.

Trench Drains are the fastest way to rapidly move high volumes of Storm Water. Trench drains, which easily adapt to incorporate acceptance of pavers, offer a distinct adavantage during installation.

They can then be drained using Sch 40 pvc pipe, SDR 35, hdpe, or other outlet connection stub-outs and can be easily be adapted to transition to Storm Water transmission lines.

Low-impact Storm Water drainage such as permeable pavers can dramatically improve pedestrian and transportation infrastructure. While products such as Dura Trench can provide reverse grade slope to channel water flow away from sensitive runoff areas.

Every project has challenges and often unforeseen changes when developing and during construction. Engineering designs should be aggressive in balancing the mix of products effectively versus a one product method design.

In addition, new products continue to evolve. Does that mean we throw away what has worked for years? Absolutely not! We take that and build on it. Enhancing what is good and making it better.

Products which use a steel reinforcement is one example of how a product can evolve over time. The steel reinforcement makes pipe stronger by allowing the reinforcement to distribute the live load. Such was not always the case. As time marched on the product evolved.

This evolution brings about an exciting time for the construction industry. We have more options on the table than ever before. Let’s Build Something Together!

We’ve all heard a lot of cliches about roads and bridges, The road to hell and a bridge to nowhere come to mind. There a hundreds, if not thousands just like them. Here in NE Florida, we even have a road named, Noroad!

Some would say, “a road is just a road.” That may be true. But if so, I would say, a road is just a road until something changes. Roads take us from one place to another. Often we drive along and our minds are miles away. But when something changes, that road begins to take a special place in our mind, sometimes our heart and most often in our conscious memory.

Think about it. It could be that special feeling when you turn on that road, the final leg of your family vacation, perhaps at the beach. All of a sudden, that road takes on importance. Even more so, when that journey has been made year after year, reinforcing and strengthening that connection to that road. Then that road is no longer just a road, but some place special.

We and others often call our company ATCO. We do do not build roads. We sell road building materials. Pipe for cross drains and side drains. Bar Grates to keep unwanted things from entering the pipe. It’s a safety measure. Manatee Grates and other steel fabricated pipe for DOT/Municipal infrastructure. We also sell other drainage materials such as Trench Drains, Slotted Pipe, Basins, Clean-Outs and Utility Trenches.

The newest member of our group of manufacturers produces Duckbil check valves and Flap Gates Valves for specific areas such as ports, estuaries and other civil applications.

Our purpose is to help build a better infrastructure system than existed before. Many times, such as the leg of SR 23 in NE Florida, we provided Reinforced Concrete Pipe to the project. Prior to, there was no road there to improve. The same is true with the many subdivisions we have supplied drainage pipe to.

Our goal is to provide quality products and customer service that exceeds expectations of our customers.

Since the early 2000’s NE Florida had been a national leader in new housing starts and economic growth. Billions have been invested in major infrastructure. Roads, schools and hospitals have been and continue to be built. With that comes private jobs, such as Amazon and an explosion of hi-tech, and engineering opportunities, port expansion, Cecil Field expansion, and of course the support network needed underneath all that infrastructure.

Downtown Jax has been prepped for growth for quite some time. The property is available. The Downtown Investment Authority has funds available and the power to make it happen. The NFL Jacksonville “Jags” and owner Shad Khan have introduced a Phased plan for redevelopment to include what some are calling the “Stadium of the Future.” The concept also reportedly features restaurants and a Four Seasons Hotel. The full scope of Phase 2 is yet to be determined; but the total haul for both phases are estimated at $441 million according to ESPN.

SouthEast Development Group LLC and their investment partner have presented a development plan of their own. It is a bold new vision for the redevelopment of 25 acres at a cost of nearly $1.1 Billion. The DIA is yet to comment or accept the proposal; however, the Master Plan itself is a worthwhile conversation about how Jacksonville, becomes a World Class City and destination point.

In addition, Industrial infrastructure is on a steep rise in production. Three major developments featuring 1 million square feet each are in construction or plan and design. The influx of people suggest there will be a continued need for growth to meet the skilled labor moving into North East Florida. When coupled with the recent growth activity taking place at Cecil Field, Jacksonville is well on it’s way to a positive growth scale for the foreseeable future.

Currently, our company is onsite with (7) projects under construction. Three others in which we are working closely in design, and are soon to be released for construction. Several others are approved awaiting a notice to proceed. We are very excited for the opportunities we have been afforded and the confidence our clients have instilled in our ability to perform. Each week we continue bid several projects with a wide scope of work. Some are private sub-divisions. Others are Municipal, JTA and FDOT projects. While still others are industrial facility projects.

Growing up in NE Florida, we understand the soils, what works well, and what doesn’t. More importantly we understand the local culture, the people and how to get things done. Our connections and relationships reach deep into the North Florida soils. Many are second and even third generational. It’s our home, we love it, want it to shine for the world to see.

We are Floridians, helping build Florida.

As the saying goes, “here we grow again.” Metro Jacksonville and NE Florida are in a huge growth spurt. In short, the same is true for all of North Florida, including the Florida Panhandle.

With that growth comes a great expansion. Nothing could be more important to the local economy and hundreds, if not thousands of small businesses.

The image above is that of the Mantanzas River. “It is a narrow saltwater barrier bounded by an estuary on one side and protected from the Atlantic Ocean, by Anastasia Island. The opposite side abutting the City of St. Augustine, Florida, our nations “Oldest City” permanently founded in 1565. The Matanzas River was named by Spanish forces, meaning “River of Blood,” referring to a massacre led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, of Spain, against a group of several hundred shipwrecked Frenchmen from Fort Caroline, led by Jean Ribault. But a new day has dawned on the Mantanzas River.

Who could know then, what would be happening today! No one could have seen the huge growth and influx of people into this place of paradise we call home. Nestled between the St. John’s River, one of the few major rivers in the entire world to flow northward, and the Atlantic Ocean, is this thin sliver of land that rarely sees a “Hard Freeze.” It makes up about half of the Metro Jacksonville area, we affectionately call JAX.

This is the home of thousands of independent small businesses looking for community support. Some are brick and mortar establishments. Others, like Wayne Atkinson, Inc. are companies heavily involved in the growth and well being of a vibrant community. There are hundred of us, if not thousands, who are often out of sight and thus out of mind. However, we all have a few things in common. First, we have “Skin In The Game.” Our livelihood and that of our families depends on it. I’ll never forget, when I started my business one local contractor asked me, “Do you have skin in the game?” Once I said “Yessir!” He said, “I will support you then.” It was an exciting day!

Together with local contractors and Engineering Firms we are building a better NE Florida. As a fairly new start up, are we where we need to be? Not even so compared to the Major Corporations; that said, our business grows daily and it’s all because there are local contractors who understand what it means to Buy Local.

Here’s my hope for the future. Local Contractors buy local and together we build a better NE Florida. Will you join me in the quest in support of your local independent businesses who truly have “Skin in the Game?” Thank you for your support.

If you sell or install resin based pipe products, then you are acutely aware of the Industry-Wide product shortages and ever present price increases. Will this trend continue or soon come to an end. No time soon is the answer I keep hearing from my peers, but no one knows for sure.

Blow Mold Resins are predominately produced in the Gulf Region. Due to the long lasting effects of the severe winter storm damage this year. Resin pricing has increased more than 42% by most estimates. Even though Polyethylene resin is mostly produced in Canada, those cost have continued to rival their HDPE counterparts. This is indeed a perfect storm challenging the flexible pipe industry.

Complicating not only the recovery, but also the industries future, are the current Fossil Fuel policies of the Biden Administration. Oil prices have risen accordingly and American production of Fracked Fossil Fuels has diminished. These issues will continue to plague the American economy over the coming months and possibly years. While it is true that this is an indirect effect on the industry; it has significant ramifications due to the steep rise in Diesel Fuel used to deliver pipe across our nation.

The latest set of manufacturers to fall victim in the Water Works Industry is manufacturers of Inverted Marking Paint. Just this week, my clients began asking me if I knew where they could find pallets of Marking Paint. That’s one I never saw coming. Yet here it is!

A spirit of integrity, demands we not intentionally wish ill upon our competitors. While I believe that Rigid Pipe is a much better product long term, I do not want to win by default. I want to win because of the word “Better.” A better product, a better relationship, or perhaps better customer service. New products come and go. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Hardie Pipe was the new FDOT rage. The test of time proves all things. For instance, concrete conductive systems have been moving water from one place to another for about 2000 years. Some of those systems are still going strong.

A bipartisan Water Works infrastructure package of +/- $35 Billion just passed the Senate. My hope is that we build to last with Rigid (Ductile Iron) Water, Sanitary Sewer and Force Mains; along with Rigid Reinforced Concrete Pipe for Storm Drainage Material. I began my career at Macon Water Authority. One of the foremost Water and Sewer Utility Systems in the State of Georgia. With many years of practical day-in and day-out experience, I learned one thing. You get what you pay for. Investing in Rigid Pipe up front, pays huge dividends many years down the road. This is even more true when you Buy American.

We finally have a real opportunity to move beyond “band aids” and really upgrade the US Water Works infrastructure system. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work America! We’ve got a lot to get done.

As I often say, “Let’s Build Something Together.”

Today we reinforce our brand with a new logo and renew our commitment of staying true to our roots.

Fresh out of college and in very trying times economically, I landed a CSR job at Macon-Bibb County Water and Sewerage Authority, now MWA. At the time, I had no idea that I had stumbled into a career.

It was the early 80’s. Those harsh and sometimes ugly, early Regan years. What was great for Wall Street, was extremely difficult for the common working man. Fortunately I had landed in a great spot. One that offered opportunity and the ability to learn appreciable skills and talents that would later open the doors of opportunity.

At Macon Water Authority (MWA) I both learned and understood the necessity of buying “Domestic.” To put it bluntly, products “Made In America.” And so it began. My infatuation with American Made products and a dream to succeed in an industry that I had come to love.

As we say in the Water Works Industry, “ you’re either in it for life, or your career is short lived.” There’s no middle ground here! You’re either excited to go to work everyday or you simply don’t last. One of the two. Why you ask? Because each and every day, you make a difference. You’re a part of the system that keeps water moving in the right directions. Unseen, unheard and under appreciated. But you know what you do each day. Satisfaction guaranteed!

It is with that same spirit of excitement that we reveal today our new logo. Just as the name brand “Coke” has a symbiotic relationship with Coca-Cola, ATCO-WW enjoys a reflection of who we are at Wayne Atkinson, Inc.

Reminiscent of my days as the MWA Purchasing Agent for many years, I still follow the guideline set before me. “Buy American First.” There’s no doubt, America is the very best at what we do and how we build it. Therefore it is with great pride that we reveal this new logo.

Our mission is to be the very best at moving water of all types, Potable, Sewage, and Storm Water. Nothing less will do. Just as importantly. We do that by supporting “Made In America Manufacturing.” If there is one thing I believe in. It’s American know how and ingenuity! We can get it done, while solving problems along the way. It’s who we are as a nation. It’s who we are as a company. It’s also who our clients and end users are as well.

Please join us in celebrating our new logo. It’s where we came from, and who we are at our core, “ Moving The Worlds Water.”

It is with great pleasure that we announce our partnership with Eric’sons “Dura Trench” for Manufacturer Representation and Sales. As such we will cover North Florida, South Georgia and Alabama, for the major market segments. That being Water Works, Heavy Civil, Industrial and Landscape.

Trench drain is defined as a linear drainage product, designed to move a large volume of surface water in a rapid manner. The complexity and variety of this product line, lends itself to a broad scope of linear drainage applications. We are here to assist with project design, engineering, bidding, and/or installation of Dura Trench.

To schedule a meeting regarding Dura Trench, a Lunch and Learn, or sales quotation please do not hesitate to contact us:

Wayne Atkinson, (Cell) 904-738-5146

Email: Wayne@wayneatkinson-inc.com

Since my early years in the Water Works industry, at Macon Water Authority, I have followed what I was taught from the very beginning. Buy domestic products when and where you can. That was our policy. I did not start it. But I sure did believe in it. I still do.

It has become increasingly more difficult to maintain that position through the years. Which, if I’m being honest is one reason that I zeroed in on selling concrete pipe. The product, by nature of freight alone, demands it be made locally. In general, I’ve found it is easy to stay focused on what I truly believe in.

I watched the City of Griffin, Georgia become economically gutted, due to textiles moving over seas. Many family members and friends lost so much during these years. That city, though a ‘burb of Atlanta, has never recovered. Griffins’ story of economic depression and rise in crime has played out over America a thousand times over. Since the textile factories shut their doors and moved over seas the crime rate has increased to 59 per one thousand residents. One of the highest in the country regardless of size, citing documented sources. This trend must be reversed.

Despite the hardship of finding Made In America products, we have been fortunate to experience strong growth in our product offerings. All without compromising our standards.

With that spirit in mind, we are pleased to announce the addition of two great product lines for representation. Both have a long history making products here in America. For clarity and equal opportunity purposes, I will introduce one today and the other in my next blog. The aim is to showcase these individually and I have chosen to do so in the order in which they have honored us with the right to market their product on a local level in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

First, let me introduce Gulf State Hangers and Supports. In 1977 they began filling a need for the local construction industry in and around Mobile, Alabama. Located in Theodore, Alabama, GSH is a second generation company offering American made, Buy American and AIS Compliant pipe Hangers and Supports. In particular, though we support the entire product offering, we have been asked to inherently focus on DOT Bridge Pipe Hangers due to our continued focus on DOT projects.

Let me say this, if we as an industry, and we should, could realize that our focus for now must be contingent upon rebuilding America after the devastating effects of the economy surrounding the Covid-19 Pandemic. Then Buy American becomes the clearest choice.

If you are in the market for DOT/Municipal approved AIS products, whether Bridge, Lift Station or MEP pipe hangers and supports, please do not hesitate to contact Wayne at: atcoflorida@icloud.com

That is the question isn’t it? If I am designing a new storm water system, what are my options? To date, there have been only two real options for drainage pipe.

One is concrete pipe, known colloquially as RCP (Reinforced Concrete Pipe). This is a rigid pipe system. I often say, it’s an underground horizontal structure. RCP has two main components. A dry cast concrete mix design is one. A steel cage that adds reinforcement to the concrete is the other. This steel reinforcement greatly enhances the structural integrity of the pipe.

The other is flexible pipe systems. Unlike RCP, Flexible Pipe. as it is known, has a form of plastic as its main component, with outer corrugations being the other. These corrugations allow compacted soil to fill the voids between the corrugations. The envelope of soil then becomes the strength, or structural integrity, of the pipe. This pipe flexes as the soil does. In some areas that is a significant plus.

My entrance into the Water Works industry began at Macon Water Authority, originally know as Macon-Bibb County Water & Sewerage Authority. That was a mouthful to say when you answered the phone. Macon is a rigid pipe system, built using cast iron pipe and later on, ductile iron pipe. Some would say that DIP is also a flexible pipe in that it will bend or egg shape under certain circumstances. I would disagree and say that it is a semi-rigid pipe whose strengths and characteristics perform as a rigid pipe.

In another segment, we will talk about other forms of semi-rigid pipe that are available for use as storm drainage material. For now, I want to leave you with this awareness. The basic choice for storm water material construction boils down to two basic categories. Rigid pipe versus flexible pipe. That is the question.

Which one will you choose? If you you have questions, contact me and let’s start that discussion.

~ Wayne Atkinson

Here are four points for building an effective foundation for your pipe installation project.

1. Suitable foundation material is a must.

2. Imported materials must be the correct class & gradation.

3. The trench bottom must be firm enough to lay pipe.

4. A soft foundation is ready for use when someone can walk on the surface without sinking into the foundation.

“America the beautiful, home of the brave.” At our core, it is who we are. Some, and even I, have said, “America has become soft.” But I’m glad to say, this current pandemic has proven that theory wrong. As we learned last night, the algorithms of death predictions bet against us buying “all in” to social distancing and staying home except for essential travel. I guess they thought us weak too!

Instead, we came together. Kicking and screaming a little along the way like any family does. But we rose to the challenge. Unexpectedly we flattened the curve, at least at the time of this writing. Unfortunately many will still pass away in coming weeks, and possibly months. However horribly sad that is, it changes not the fact that we’ve come together to beat this challenge. Never bet against America!

Yes it’s true, never bet against America. Just when you think she’s taken a blow that will knock her out; America stands up and fights again. As a nation we stand together. That’s the spirit of America. Sure, as individuals we have our differences. But like family, when everything is on the line, we come together to fight a common enemy.

Covid-19 is the enemy. It came to our shores. Unseen, unheard, it meandered among us. Then it ended it’s silence and attacked with lethal force. But it will not prevail. America is resilient and strong. “America the beautiful, home of the brave.”