Newsletter:  August 2004 a "When I went to work for my father I started as an installer and then pretty soon I was designing systems and soon after that I was selling them." – Mike Ruzicka, LeDuc & Dexter's new Residential Fire Sprinkler Project Manager, describing how he started his career right out of high school. "It's a perfect example of what a design/build winery project can be." – Bill Zeeb, LeDuc & Dexter Commercial Manager, referring to the Mauritson Family Winery project. "It was a very special event. We were very glad to be there." – Tom LeDuc, President & CEO of LeDuc & Dexter Inc., speaking about the Raceway Builders monument dedication at Infineon Raceway.

Mike Ruzicka – Residential Fire Sprinkler Project Manager	RESIDENTIAL

Mike Ruzicka is the Residential Fire Sprinkler Project Manager at LeDuc & Dexter Inc. Ruzicka has over 20 years of experience in the fire sprinkler industry. Ruzicka has previous fire sprinkler experience in this market, having worked for Grinnell Fire Protection in Santa Rosa for 8 years. As Residential Fire Sprinkler Project Manager at LeDuc & Dexter Ruzicka works with Residential Manager Jim Kempers with responsibilities for designing fire sprinkler systems plans, bidding projects and overseeing installations with the two installers in the department. The zero tolerance ordinance that requires fire sprinkler systems in all Sonoma County homes that received building permits, after it took effect in May of 2003, has caused a big increase in activity for the fire sprinkler industry.

Mike Ruzicka Residential Fire Sprinkler Project Manager at LeDuc & Dexter Inc.

Ruzicka is currently working on 80 homes including 12 more new homes in the latest release in the Renaissance community for Davidon Homes at Black Point in Novato. Ruzicka is also working on 8 new homes at Sea Ranch, 26 homes for Rivendale Homes in Santa Rosa and 15 homes in an affordable housing project in Healdsburg. Ruzicka started his career when he graduated from high school, going to work for his father, who owned Valley Fire Protection in Southern California. "It was a big operation," says Ruzicka, "we had 16 crews working every day from 1985 until 1993." Ruzicka acquired early experience installing, designing and selling fire sprinkler systems, "When I went to work for my father I started as an installer and then pretty soon I was designing systems and soon after that I was selling them."

Mauritson Family Winery – Design/Build Success	WINERIES

Design/build construction has become the practical and innovative direction taken by many of the new wineries built in the wine country. Because of the complexity of winery construction, the work calls out for specialists, or design/build teams, that have the experience of winery construction, working with owners and winemakers, plus working with each other.

Mauritson Family Winery Located on Dry Creek Road west of Hwy. 101 (click image to enlarge)

Mauritson Family Winery tasting room where LeDuc & Dexter installed the plumbing and fixtures. (click image to enlarge)

Mauritson Family Winery is a design/build project coming to completion that saw weekly planning meetings before construction began with the design/build team meeting and working directly with the owners and winemaker. The design/build team subcontractors on this project were LeDuc & Dexter for plumbing, Knights' Electric, Coleman Concrete, and IRRAP for refrigeration.

Winemaker Clay Mauritson, his father Thom, and their project manager Dennis Prior worked closely with their design/build team throughout the project. "We told them what we were looking for, they made suggestions and in the end we got what we wanted, says Clay Mauritson, "the results were fantastic, I wouldn't have done it any other way."

Winemaker Clay Mauritson puts a new hose station to work from the crush pad. (click image to enlarge)

LeDuc & Dexter installed this piping in the winery, from top to bottom, (1) industrial cold water supply, (2) compressed air, (3) industrial hot water supply, (4) industrial hot water return, and (5) liquid propane gas. (click image to enlarge)

Bill Zeeb, LeDuc & Dexter commercial manager, was also very happy with this design/build project, "Not only were the owners great to work with, this job had a flow to it. It went very smoothly. All of the subs have worked together many times before on winery projects so we all know what to expect from each other. In terms of timing issues and being considerate of each other on the job, this is the way to go. It's a perfect example of what a design/build winery project can be."

Right from the beginning of construction the design/build collaboration was paying off says Zeeb, "We did the under slab plumbing with Coleman Concrete laying out the foundation, trenching for our plumbing lines and then they backfilled for us."

LeDuc & Dexter piping and hose station, which is installed snugly along the wall taking up less space. (click image to enlarge)

For their part in the project LeDuc & Dexter completed all of the process piping for wastewater and vent systems, overhead piping for domestic hot and cold water, process hot and cold water, propane piping and compressed air. LeDuc & Dexter also installed the boiler and hot water storage tank, air compressor, hose stations, plumbing fixtures and trim that include the kitchen, restrooms and tasting room.

Pipe rack holds piping produced and installed by LeDuc & Dexter and IRRAP. (click image to enlarge)	(Clockwise from left) Air compressor, compressed air receiver tank, boiler, and hot water storage tank all installed by LeDuc & Dexter. (click image to enlarge)

LeDuc & Dexter Honored at Infineon Raceway	THE COMMUNITY

LeDuc & Dexter was recently honored along with 13 other Raceway Builders, who have worked with Infineon Raceway and made donations to the Speedway Children's Charities at Infineon Raceway. A granite monument is displayed in front of the Speedway Café near the entrance of Infineon Raceway with the names of the 14 Raceway Builders that made donations benefiting Sonoma County non-profit youth programs.

LeDuc & Dexter's Bill Zeeb and Tom LeDuc and Infineon Raceway's President & CEO, Steve Page, and V.P. of Facilities, Jere Starks, at the dedication of the new monument for the Raceway Builders. (click image to enlarge)

Infineon Raceway President and General Manager Steve Page along with Jere Starks, Vice President of Facilities made the dedication of the monument with many of the participating Raceway Builders present at the event held prior to the 2004 Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race weekend of June 25–27.

NASCAR racers charge past Infineon Raceway grandstands that LeDuc & Dexter helped build. (click image to enlarge)

Tom LeDuc, President and CEO of LeDuc & Dexter Inc. along with Bill Zeeb, Commercial Manager at LeDuc & Dexter Inc. were present for the dedication of the monument. "It was a very special event, said LeDuc, "We were very glad to be there. Steve Page was very appreciative of the donations that were made to the community and they honored us with a very impressive monument."

This year's Raceway Builders donations to the Speedway Children's Charities benefit 3 youth organizations, the Valley of the Moon Boys and Girls Club, the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance and the Valley of the Moon Children's Home, which is building a new facility on Hwy. 12 in Kenwood. The Raceway Builders will donate to the Speedway Children's Charities over the next 4 years and sponsor the Grand Marshall's Banquet, which was held this year on Friday, June 25th at the beautiful Cline Cellars in Sonoma. The Smothers Brothers were the honorary Grand Marshalls for this year's NASCAR race and were honored at the banquet.