Oak Ridge Honors Small Businesses for Bolstering Cleanup Mission

Oak Ridge cleanup contractor UCOR recognized six small businesses at a recent annual awards ceremony. Representatives from the winning businesses include, from left: David Stevens and Nick Trzcinski from Aleut Demolition Services; Mark Morgan and Mike Lamon from CTI and Associates; Olivia Rockett and Chad Drummond from Drummond Carpenter; Rebecca Barr from Barr Technical Services; and James Luby and Jason Watson from Premier Contracting and Technical Services.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. -Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) cleanup contractor UCOR recently recognized six small businesses for their critical support to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) cleanup mission.

"Small businesses are often the unsung heroes behind our progress," OREM Small Business Program Manager Carol Jennings said. "They provide important services that help us complete projects on schedule and on budget, and they share ownership in our successes."

Since UCOR began its current contract with OREM in 2022, it has far exceeded DOE's goal to award 45% of subcontracting dollars to small businesses. During that period, the company awarded 85% of its subcontracted work, totaling $559 million, to small businesses.

Each recipient at this year's event was recognized as a valued partner, especially for outstanding customer service and exceptional responsiveness in supporting cleanup work across DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation.

Partnerships with subcontractors have enabled UCOR to advance cleanup and several key projects at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

One of the most impressive examples is CTI & Associates. UCOR subcontracted the company to perform early site preparation for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, a key piece of infrastructure vital for future cleanup. CTI & Associates helped complete that work $10 million under budget and six months ahead of schedule.

UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter told attendees what they do makes a difference to the cleanup mission.

"Everyone in this room has demonstrated time and time again your commitment to excellent performance, to partnership with us, and to safety," Rueter said.

UCOR's awards for top performance and the small businesses that received them this year are:

• Small Business of the Year: CTI and Associates, an Oak Ridge-based environmental consulting and engineering firm, has evolved from geotechnical engineering to a full-service contractor.
• Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year: Aleut Demolition Services, based in Oak Ridge, specializes in site preparation and secure construction services, including radioactive and hazardous structures.
• HUBZone Small Business of the Year: Impres Technology Solutions, based in Round Rock, Texas, provides technology services, including cybersecurity, storage and networking, cloud solutions, and information technology modernization. A HUBZone is a historically underutilized business zone.
• Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: Barr Technical Services, based in Oak Ridge, supports the procurement of goods and services. The company offers business management and support services to government and commercial entities.
• Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Drummond Carpenter, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, provides services in environmental and water resources, engineering and applied research.
• Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Premier Contracting and Technical Services is an Oak Ridge-based business that supplies hard-to-find large equipment as well as industrial and office supplies.

-Contributor: Ryan Getsi