Small Businesses Deliver Big in Oak Ridge

Recipients of United Cleanup Oak Ridge’s small business awards this year include Southeast Equipment Sales, JSH Web Designs, Premier Contracting & Technical Services Inc., AISI-CTI JV LLC and Elite Landscapes Inc., and McCall Industrial Supply Co. LLC. Company representatives are pictured.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) recently honored six small businesses whose work has advanced key cleanup projects this year.

“This event ensures we dedicate time to recognize the exceptional work of small businesses, and it also provides a platform to showcase specific examples of how they are supporting and advancing our mission,” Karen Shears, OREM procurement and contracts director, said of the annual Small Business Awards Breakfast ceremony where the winners received trophies. “They play a pivotal role and share in the ownership of our successes.”

UCOR’s small business subcontracting rate has far exceeded the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) goal of 45%. Since beginning its current contract with OREM in 2022, the company has awarded more than $1 billion in subcontracts, with 84% — or $840 million — going to small businesses.

These partnerships have supported the transformation underway at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), positioning Oak Ridge for modernization and future growth.

Attendees listen as keynote speaker Jim Blankenhorn, United Cleanup Oak Ridge president and program manager, discusses the role of small business partnerships in executing the Oak Ridge cleanup mission.

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

• AISI-CTI JV LLC: The joint venture with Oak Ridge-based CTI and Chattanooga, Tennessee-based AIS Infrastructure cleared more than 40 acres of land for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, which will provide essential capacity for debris generated from large-scale demolition projects at Y-12 and ORNL.
• Premier Contracting & Technical Services Inc.: Based in Oak Ridge, this company coordinated the delivery and placement of 2,500 truckloads of cement mixture to fill and level the basement of the 210,000-square-foot Beta-1 facility at Y-12. This task will allow heavy equipment to enter the former Manhattan Project uranium enrichment facility safely during demolition.
• Elite Landscapes Inc.: Based in Oak Ridge, this company provided year-round landscaping and winter weather support at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center (TWPC). By pretreating roads, removing snow and ice and maintaining site conditions, the company enabled uninterrupted operations and ensured the TWPC area met stringent DOE safety and maintenance standards.
• Southeast Equipment Sales: Based in Oak Ridge, this company supported cleanup at the former White Wing Scrapyard by providing specialized equipment and forestry expertise, enabling UCOR to safely clear 39 acres of trees for future remediation field work.
• JSH Web Designs: Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, this company designed and implemented a mobile app for UCOR to ensure more than 600 field workers receive communications, announcements and critical information.
• McCall Industrial Supply Co. LLC: Based in Boise, Idaho, this company identified hard-to-find valves, pipes and other industrial products required for everyday projects in the field.

“Your partnerships are imperative,” Jim Blankenhorn, UCOR president and program manager, told the award recipients. “We need small businesses to continue accelerating cleanup — removing aging facilities, restoring legacy footprints for new missions, and enabling the nation’s nuclear resurgence happening here in East Tennessee.”

-Contributor: Ryan Getsi