Heavy highway construction company, IEW Construction Group (IEW), has played an interesting and dynamic role in the rehabilitation of New Jersey's bridges. Construction has been underway on the widening of the Garden State Parkway in Clifton, NJ since late 2021.  This is Phase 2 of the project. Also known as US Route 46, this most recent section is one of fourteen ventures that is a part of a much larger $24 billion (about $74 per person in the US) capital improvement project put together by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (Authority).  These improvement plans are aimed at creating safer roadways, with wider lanes, shoulders, and approach entrances. 

IEW has been a part of this massive infrastructure project since the pre-construction phase, widening lanes and excavating the area to create two abutments and three retaining walls which make up the foundation for the new temporary structure. For the most recent phase of the project, the experts at IEW utilized their newly purchased ICE® I-100 Diesel Impact Hammer & 42" (In) ICE® Offshore Lead set-up to drive some 36" (in) pipe piles for a temporary trestle that runs parallel to the Garden State Parkway bridge. The IEW crew wisely chose this style of leads to give them the lightest equipment configuration they could use for this application while also providing them the most flexibility and reach with their crane. The temporary bridge will remain in place while construction of the new bridge occurs. An ICE® 416 Vibratory Driver/Extractor that the contractor bought over 20 years ago is also being utilized to drive pin piles and steel sheet pile. This job is still on going, but the Passaic River bridge improvements do have an end in sight, as it is scheduled to be completed in 2025 and is currently running on time and within budget

International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) is proud to have been on the scene providing the deep foundation equipment necessary to aid IEW in continuing to complete each phase of this job in a safe and timely manner.  Bravo, IEW Construction Group! ICE® hopes to continue to work together throughout the project, ensuring that the roads in New Jersey are safer for all who traverse them.

Learn more about the ICE® I-100 Diesel Impact Hammer and our line of ICE® Leads & Spotters 

Media Contact-            
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA            
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations         

Vice President IT and IT Comm         

ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc            
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

     
Freedom Of The Open Road
Richard Laton Retiring March 2024

On March 31, 2024, International Construction Equipment, Inc. will be celebrating an outstanding leader, mentor, and a true ICE® "original", Richard Laton.   

Mr. Laton is a North Carolina native and attended Parkwood High School in Union County. In fact, he is currently living within about 50 miles of his birthplace and is overly proud of his community, church and family who are all located nearby. In his Senior year of high school, Richard and his auto shop classmates built a drag racing car. Unfortunately, they never got to race it, but it did spark a passion in him, and he knew that working with his hands was in his future. During his early years, he expanded his horizons with blueprint reading and technical course work while he was also hands on learning to weld and doing fabrication work, absorbing as many learning opportunities as possible. Mr. Laton passionately believes that anyone who likes to tinker with mechanical sorts of things should be encouraged to attend technical courses to learn a trade. His love of understanding how things work has certainly served him well and he feels blessed to have found his home in pile driving at ICE®.  

Soft-spoken and humble, Richard Laton has been with International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) out of Matthews, NC for 41 years and he has earned respect of everyone that has ever worked with him and based on his ability to train and motivate those around him.  We believe there is a little piece of this big guy in all ICE® equipment made from 1983 to date. 

Through the years, Richard has seen a lot of growth and is proud to have been such a substantial part of building the equipment, company and industry.  He has watch product lines start and be decimated by Chinese knock offs and he has watched this innovative group rise to the top and keep building USA quality machines.  If you ask the guys that bought the original ICE® double acting diesel hammers, "where these hammers are today?"...  they will tell you - still working in their fleet.  And it is all thanks to those that assembled these great machines, like Richard Laton.  A great legacy to leave this industry! 

Richard found great excitement and happily took on the leadership role in our Power Unit Production, explains Christian Cunningham, ICE® CEO. Richard has always been so passionate about making a quality product.  His willingness to jump in and lead has been a real blessing. 

"The guys who actually get hands on and what I would call "make" the equipment are the shear strength of our company." - Pollyanna Cunningham, ICE® VP.  Yes, it takes an army of talented people from engineering, assembly to service and sales but honestly, it's how these folks work together that lends itself to superior results.  Richard Laton is one of those special team members that just adds the right amount of grit to get everyone motivated.  We are thankful he has shared his secrets with the team!  

Out of all the different roles Mr. Laton has played over the years, leading the power unit team and building a fantastic product is high on his accomplishment list. But he has been so much more to the ICE® team.  Richard would pitch in, and handle service work as needed.  He felt this gave him insight into building a better product.  When you can see what the customer is doing with the equipment, it allows you to add and remove barriers in the building of the unit.     

Many contacts from clients stay in touch with this talented mechanic, Richard Laton, including Michael McCormick from Pile Drivers Incorporated in Hollywood, SC who started working with Richard about 35 years ago.  

Mr. McCormick "always looked forward to discussions with Richard," and was thrilled to send Richard his best wishes on his upcoming retirement. According to Mr. McCormick, "Richard became a friend immediately" and if Micheal had a problem that Richard could not answer over the phone, Mr. Laton would be at the site first thing. "Richard was always very professional and knowledgeable of the diesel hammers; we had and would work his butt off to fix no matter what the issue was that we encountered." 

During his four-plus decades at ICE®, Richard has worn many hats because he would learn a position, enhance it, train the next guy and move on...  showing growth and grit all in one.  For the last several years, he has worked closely with ICE® Sr Design Engineer, Mike Douglas, focusing on research and development, along with training to enhance the team by providing expertise to help them avoid various problems and challenges by sharing best practices.  Mike Douglas expressed his belief that, "Richard has been instrumental in the growth of the hydraulic power unit".   

Mr. Laton not only trained folks the assembly techniques but he also had a special way of throwing in troubleshooting techniques that our team uses on both hydraulic and electrical systems. "He has been influential in our engineering, machining and service for his entire time at ICE®. His special soft-sell support and knowledge will be missed," noted Mr. Douglas.  
                                                                                                                                            

With much joy, Mr. Laton says that his proudest accomplishment is being married to his wife Wanda for the past 50 years and watching their two sons grow into fine upstanding men.  

He is also quite proud of being a part of ICE®, including all the equipment he has helped bring to life. Richard feels, and rightfully so, that he has helped the company and team grow by being on the ground floor and staying in touch with clients.  

For Richard's next adventure, he is looking forward to being able to enjoy his eight grandchildren, ranging from 5 to 15 years old, and spending more time with his loving wife Wanda.  

Mr. Laton is also looking forward to continuing his volunteer work with the church. Richard currently teaches Sunday school, every third Sunday at Wolf Pond Baptist Church right on the edge of South Carolina. This small country church is where he and Wanda married in 1973 and have attended faithfully since. He also is looking forward to getting more involved locally and helping his church with the Good News Club at the local elementary school. 

His patience and kindness are something he has tried to encourage in his children and grand-kids, reminding them to always, "Love your Mama, because she'll love you when nobody else does," and "try to help everybody, because you do not ever know what people are going through. Try to treat everybody like you want to be treated."   

Advice that Mr. Laton has for others: 

"If you are coming into manufacturing associated with the pile driving industry, number one, learn everything you can about electrical, hydraulics and diesel engines.... Always keep learning. Learn all you can from school and those around you. And, the stuff you don't know, know who you can ask. Push yourself to find the answer and have the grit to keep searching until you do find what is the the working answer. And most importantly, be honest, be kind and work hard at everything you do."  

When he isn't volunteering, Richard is excited to be taking afternoon rides on his Harley to enjoy the countryside.  

International Construction Equipment, Inc. is grateful to have had such an extraordinary team member on our team for these past 41 years. Our entire team sends well wishes on your upcoming retirement and many blessings to you and your family! You will truly be missed, Richard.  Thank you for your dedication and service.   

Richard, you are and will always be an integral part of the ICE® family. 

The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in New England and one of the largest oil ports on the East Coast. Over the years, the local economy has shifted from fishing, manufacturing, and agriculture towards a more service-based economy. Most banks such as Bank of America and Key Bank have positioned their Maine operations in Portland which provides jobs as well as drives in businesses from outside the state that may not have had prior interest.    

Recently, a cold storage facility has been under construction in Portland with the goal of revamping the fishing industry. This cold storage facility will be located right on the waterfront and will allow refrigeration to happen right at the center of the port.  Once in place, various Maine food production businesses can store their products at the new facility as well as being able to save on transportation costs. The 50-million-dollar project is underway, and H.B. Fleming has been awarded the project to construct this new facility. H.B. Fleming was founded in 1955 by Howard B. Fleming and Ray Erickson with a focus on pile driving and marine work. They have partnered with International Construction Equipment, INC (ICE®) to create the foundation for the new cold storage warehouse. To construct the foundation of the warehouse, H.B. Fleming will be using an RTG 16 machine to drill the first 50' (ft) to insert H piles followed by an ICE® 44E Vibratory Hammer to further drive the 14" (in) H piles to bedrock. Almost $2 billion (about $6 per person in the US) in frozen seafood exported from the Eastern Seaboard does not pass through Portland. With this new facility the fishing and seafood industry should make a strong comeback as becoming one of the top economic drivers of Portland, ME. New customers who are looking to ship and store their fresh seafood will want some realty space inside this state-of-the-art cold storage facility.  

H.B. Fleming has done such a fantastic job constructing this new foundation for the cold storage warehouse that will boost Portland's economy for many years to come. International Construction Equipment, INC (ICE®) is thrilled to be partnered with H.B. Fleming on a very important "COOL" project that will not just impact local business, but also companies along the entire Eastern Seaboard. Brilliant work H.B. Fleming, we look forward to continuing to assist you on more projects that help grow the community and benefit domestic industry. 

Learn more about the ICE® 44E   

Media Contact-            
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA            
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations         

Vice President IT and IT Comm         
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc            
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com   

Media Contact-            
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA            
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations        
Vice President IT and IT Comm        
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc            
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

New Ferry Terminal in Boca De Chila Nayarit, Mexico 
Edited by Debbie Reaney

After almost seven years of negotiations and paperwork, the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (FONATUR) has donated a four-hectare property on Litibú Beach in Punta de Mita to the Naval Secretary of the Mexican Navy to build an advanced naval station. 100 billion Mexican Pesos ($584 Million US) is being invested in the project, which will be financed, in equal parts, by the state, the municipality and the Punta Mita Business Association (ADEPM).  

This massive project just started in Sept 2023, with Ingenieria Proyectos y Construcciones IPC SA de CV (IPC) based out of Guadalajara, Mexico, as the contractor. The island, formerly a penitentiary in the West Coast of Mexico similar to Alcatraz, is being updated to be used by the Mexican Navy as well as utilizing some of the area as a tourist attraction, museum and eco-tourism center- including a shark viewing area. This is a fast-track project and the docking terminal substructure is scheduled to be completed by mid-2024 and will serve as a link between the Naval Zones of San Blas in Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco.  

For the foundation of this ferry terminal, IPC is using an ICE® Dual Sheet Clamp system paired with an ICE® 66 Vibratory Driver/Extractor. Driving the NZ-38 sheets with the ICE® 66 makes this a special job for IPC, as guiding the 75' (Ft) NZ-38 sheet piles with the dual sheet clamp system helped to provide better energy transfer from the hammer to the tip of the piles, thus allowing the IPC crew to keep the project running on time. Thanks to the guidance of their ICE® Sales & Service Team members, the IPC crew mastered this skill and plans to implement it more often in the future. ICE® I-36, ICE® I-46 & ICE® I-62 Diesel Impact Hammers are also being utilized for this project to further drive the sheets to tip as well as using them to drive the many 24" (In) square piles required for this pier.  

International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) thanks IPC for once again trusting in our equipment and is proud of the partnership our expert sales team has created. This project is bound to help the islands in the Pacific Coast of Mexico bring more business and tourism to this incredible destination. Enhorabuena, Ingenieria Proyectos y Construcciones IPC SA de CV! 

Learn more about the ICE® 66 Vibratory Driver/Extractor, ICE® Diesel Impact Hammers, or contact the ICE® Sales & Service Team 

Media Contact-          
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA          
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations       

Vice President IT and IT Comm       
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc          
Office - 704-821-8200          
Email - marketing@iceusa.com   

Widening the Delaware Water Gap
Edited by Alan Zimmerman


The Delaware Water Gap is truly a breath-taking wonder of nature. The 40-mile stretch of the Delaware River resides in northwest New Jersey and Northeast Pennsylvania with an estimated 4 million people (about twice the population of New Mexico) who visit the recreation area annually. Canoeing, kayaking, and rafting trips down the river are popular in the summer. Other activities include hiking, rock climbing, swimming, and fishing. Worthington State Forest and a section of the long-distance Appalachian Trail are in the area, alongside many waterfalls and historic sites. 

Nearby Waldwick, NJ, IEW Construction completed a project along the Delaware Water Gap on Route 80. IEW Construction Group was founded in 1925 by Vaughan S. Grundy and continues to be led by a third-generation family member.  Much of the company's early work has become a part of New Jersey's landmarks, including projects such as The New Jersey War Memorial, New Jersey State Museum, and Princeton High School. For this project, IEW drove 40' (FT) Steel H-piles with an ICE® 28 Vibratory Hammer along Route 80 to shore up the road and help drainage as the Delaware River is known to flood easily. With this work completed it will allow visitors to more safely explore this incredible recreational area.  

The Delaware Water Gap is a "must" for people who have not experienced it yet. Even if you are not an outdoors person, just a drive through the National Recreation area is sure to leave you speechless. International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) applauds IEW and their entire team for completing such tremendous work on this important and scenic project, both quickly and safely. ICE® looks forward to working on more jobs with our partners like IEW Construction in the future. Fantastic work IEW! 

Learn More about the ICE® 28. 

Media Contact-           
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA           
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations        

Vice President IT and IT Comm        
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc           
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com  

Updated Bridge in Florida Pan Handle
Edited by Alan Zimmerman

The pan handle of Florida has some of the most diverse and unpredictable weather. Heavy rains, high gusty winds, and baking hot temperatures can lead to the deterioration of man-made structures such as bridges and other infrastructures. Just outside of Holt, FL, a new bridge was built to replace the older two-lane bridge that previously served Santa Rose County residents. This bridge is a part of the Blackwater River State Forest which has several attractions like hiking and biking trails. This new bridge will provide a safer and easier crossing over Alligator Creek for motorists. 

H.G. Harders and Son, Inc. is overseeing this bridge replacement. Founded in 1987, H.G. Harders specializes in heavy civil and marine construction. The company serves as a general contractor and specialty subcontractor on both marine and land-based projects. To complete the bridge replacement, H.G. Harders utilized an ICE® HS-50 drilling rig turning 36'' (in) diameter flighting to pre-drill for a 30'' (In) concrete pile. After the drilling took place, H.G. Harders used an ICE® I-46 Diesel Impact Hammer to drive 30" (In) concrete pile 40'(ft) into the ground. Road closures occurred for the project to be completed, and Pleasant Home Church Road was closed for about 4 months while construction was underway.  

The completed bridge adds reliable transportation along this scenic route on Pleasant Home Church Road. Now locals and residents exploring Florida's Pan Handle have a more modern and reliable bridge to get to and from where they desire. International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) is very honored to have been partnered with H. G. Harders and Son, Inc. for this newly completed bridge! Keep up the amazing work H.G Harders and Son crew! 

Learn More about the ICE® I-46 and HS-50  

Media Contact-           
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA           
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations        

Vice President IT and IT Comm        
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc           
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

New Timber Pile Supports NJ Fishery
Edited by: Alan Zimmerman 

The historic seaside town of Cape May, NJ is arguably one of the oldest tourist destinations in the United States. Located where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the town's largest industry is tourism and it has much to offer such as the Washington Street Mall, Cape May Boardwalk, and many historic hotels. Commercial fishing is almost just as important to Cape May's economy and has been a mainstay in the area since the late 1600's. The combined port of Cape May/Wildwood is the largest commercial fishing port in New Jersey and is one of the largest on the East Coast, making this port the center of fish processing and freezing in New Jersey.  

Lund's Fisheries, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned company and a primary producer of fresh and frozen seafood in Cape May with one of the largest seafood processing facilities on the eastern seaboard. Over 1,200' (Ft) (about 365.76 m) of waterfront and a minimum of 15 vessels per day that land their catch at their New Jersey location, Lund's is imperative to the US seafood chain. Recently, new construction was completed that would serve as a loading and packing house for the Lund's facility. Thomas Barry Marine Construction Inc, who has been working with Lund's Fisheries for the past 35 years continuously updating the business, was awarded the job of completing the new work. To complete this project, Thomas Barry partnered with International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) and rented an ICE® 14 Vibratory Hammer along with an ICE® 55 Clamp to drive two hundred-seventy 30-35' (Ft) timber piles to a depth of 30' (Ft.) to complete the substructure. Lund's also is making a $2 million investment in its scallop operations with the acquisition of a new tunnel freezer that will also be supported by this new foundation. 

Today, the Port of Cape May/Wildwood ranks among the top 25 ports in the country in commercial landings. Thomas Barry Marine Construction, Inc. has been a huge contributor to the growth of this port and Lund's Fisheries ongoing success. International Construction Equipment, Inc. (ICE®) is honored to have been a part of such an important and exciting project with Thomas Barry Inc. Great work to the entire Thomas Barry crew, keep on landing those "big fish"! 

Learn more about the ICE® 14D Vibratory Hammer and ICE® Specialty Clamps/Clamping Systems. 

Media Contact-          
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA          
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations       

Vice President IT and IT Comm       
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc          
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com