PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Michael Baker Jr. Inc.: Company looks forward to Alaska’s growing stature in global energy markets

Baker’s cold-region experience and consistency in providing high-quality engineering keep company growing

Q. Where is Michael Baker Jr., Inc. located?

A. The Alaska office of Michael Baker Jr. Inc. (Baker) recently moved to 1400 W. Benson Blvd., Suite 200, at the corner of Minnesota and Benson in Anchorage. Baker’s corporate headquarters are in Moon Township, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Q. When was the company founded, who founded it, and what was its original name?

A. Michael Baker Jr. founded the company in 1940. Today, Michael Baker Jr. Inc. is a wholly owned operating subsidiary of the Michael Baker Corp. The first Alaska office was opened in 1942.

Q. Who heads up Baker and who is on its senior management team?

A. In Alaska, Jeffrey Baker, P.E., is assistant vice president and Alaska operations manager; Keith Meyer, P.E., is chief engineer; Paul Carson, P.E., is pipeline engineering manager; and Michael Alexander, P.E., is civil engineering manager.

Donald P. Fusilli Jr., J.D., P.E., is president and CEO of Michael Baker Corp., and Albert Romano is west area manager, which includes Anchorage. Wes Watkins, P.E., is linear utilities practice director.

Q. Does Baker have subsidiaries? If so, what services do they provide?

A. Baker’s subsidiaries are basically divided into engineering and energy service sectors. The engineering subsidiaries provide the full range of engineering and architectural services for large, complex projects, including highway and bridge design, transit planning and design, NEPA regulations and documentation, GIT/GIS/GPS and mapping, and civil infrastructure projects.

Baker’s energy sector provides worldwide operations and maintenance services for the oil and gas industry. It is a single-source supplier of competency-based personnel recruiting and training, comprehensive operations and maintenance, and supply chain management services.

Q. What services does Baker’s Alaska office provide?

A. The Alaska office focuses on civil and pipeline engineering with emphasis on civil engineering specialties of hydrology, hydraulics, and geotechnical investigations. We also provide GIS, CADD, permitting and NEPA support, and documentation support services.

Q. Who are the company’s main clients?

A. Our main Alaska clients include ConocoPhillips Alaska, BP Exploration Alaska, Alyeska Pipeline, and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. We are also performing work for the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Office of Pipeline Safety and for companies involved in the various gas pipeline proposals.

Q. How many employees does Baker have? How many in each of its locations?

A. The Alaska office has 18 full-time employees. Overall the company has some 4,500 employees in more than 40 offices across the United States and internationally.

Q. What is Baker’s main strength, i.e., its edge over the competition?

A. In Alaska, Baker’s edge is our longevity, our consistency in providing high-quality engineering and our cold region experience.

Baker has been a part of Alaska’s development since World War II. For the last 30 years, Baker has provided engineering services for pipelines and infrastructure with special emphasis on cold region developments. Our staff has some of the greatest depth of pipeline engineering expertise in Alaska and other cold regions. Baker has consistently provided innovative techniques to address Arctic challenges, such as our pipeline foundation and support solutions to limit heave and thaw settlement in permafrost. Our strengths include understanding pipeline design requirements and challenges related to seismic-induced ground motions, fault displacements, frost heave, thaw settlement, and ice forces.

One of our strengths is optimization of design. During the Alpine project, Baker was very successful at this. The Colville River crossing was the first horizontal directionally drilled pipeline river crossing in the Arctic. Baker was awarded an Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Honorable Mention by the National ASCE in 2000 for this work.

Our improvement of aboveground pipeline configurations resulted in reductions in overall construction costs. The vertical loop concept eliminated block valves at river crossings. Our development of the Colville River Delta two-dimensional surface water model was instrumental in designing the Alpine facilities, and continues to support satellite development in the delta today. Hydrology of the delta was one of the critical challenges to development.

Q. What new markets, clients, and/or projects has Baker attracted in the last year?

A. In Alaska, we are teamed with Arctic Slope Regional Corp. and Enstar on a feasibility study to supply Southcentral Alaska with natural gas through a spur line originating near Fairbanks or Delta Junction. We recently started a new contract with BP to provide select-stage engineering on the Liberty pipeline project, and have started a project with ADOT&PF for hydrological and hydraulic studies at four northern region airports. A new venture was being part of the Weldin Construction/RIM Architects team for the design/build U.S. Army Corps of Engineers C-17 Flight Simulator building on Elmendorf AFB.

Additionally, Baker has strengthened its coalbed methane position by providing both energy operations and maintenance services, plus engineering and environmental administrative services for key clients in two major U. S. coal bed methane basins.

Q. What are the most challenging jobs the company has undertaken?

A. Overall, TAPS was probably the most challenging project for Baker in Alaska. Baker was instrumental in the civil design of TAPS and logged over 3.2 million man-hours on the project. Baker did pipeline optimization and mile-by-mile design, surveyed the haul road, surveyed pipeline access roads, as well as produced civil and structural design of the pump stations.

More recently, Baker was the civil and pipeline engineering contractor for the Alpine development project. Alpine sits in the heart of the Colville River Delta. To connect the Alpine oil field to existing North Slope facilities and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, a 34-mile cross-country pipeline was built to traverse the Colville River Delta and the East Channel of the Colville River. Facilities and pipelines were designed to withstand the delta’s flooding and ice movements. Additionally, the horizontal directionally drilled crossing of the Colville River presented unique challenges.

Q. What do you see as your company’s biggest challenge in the next five years?

A. In Alaska, the global energy market, combined with the effects of permafrost changes on existing and future pipelines and civil infrastructure projects, will be a challenge for our engineers. With our history and our continuing field hydrology and geotechnical programs and pipeline design, we should be in an excellent position to support our clients’ needs in these changing environments.

Q. What is the average length of time employees work for the company? Are you hiring for any positions?

A. Our current Alaska staff averages about six years with the company. Yes, we are recruiting for staff to supplement our civil and structural disciplines.

Q. Why would someone choose to work at Baker?

A. We are a currently a small office. Staff have the opportunity to work on diverse, challenging projects all over the state. We have a flexible work environment and a high retention rate. There are ample opportunities at Baker to grow professionally. On the corporate side, the company provides excellent benefits and opportunities to work in other areas of the United States and foreign countries for one of the country’s largest engineering firms.

Q. What is Baker’s safety record?

A. Baker’s safety record is excellent. Safety is the first of Baker’s stated values, and we live our values.

Q. Does Baker maintain a website?

A. We do. It is Michael Baker Corporation: www.mbakercorp.com.