Sam Aiello, a general superintendent at Sukut Construction, LLC (Sukut), was selected by the Beavers as a recipient of the 2021 Golden Beaver Award in the Supervision category. The purpose of the Beavers, a Heavy Engineering Construction Association, is to promote the heavy engineering construction industry and recognize those who have outperformed in their field.
Sam first joined Sukut in 1987 as a heavy equipment operator/grade checker. Soon after he began his career at Sukut, he exhibited excellent attention to detail, leadership skills, and willingness to go above and beyond. He quickly moved up the ranks to a grading foreman and then a general superintendent.
Sam played a crucial role in many history-worthy and challenging projects. One of these projects was the Eastern Transportation Corridor 241/261 Toll Road project in Orange County, California. From 1996 to 1998, Sam managed a staff of over 100 individuals and played a major role in 67 million cubic yards of earthmoving, including 15 million cubic yards of rock. With his innovative approach to project oversight and an eye for safety, Sukut completed the project approximately one year ahead of schedule, resulting in numerous industry awards, including Excellence in Safety by the American Road and Transportation Building Association.
In 2011, Sukut broke ground at the Calaveras Dam Replacement project located east of San Francisco Bay in California. Sam supervised a team of over 300 field employees on this risk level three project. The team placed 65,000 cubic yards of spillway concrete, excavated seven million cubic yards of earth, and moved approximately four million cubic yards of earth for the dam embankment. The project was completed in 2019 and received over a dozen awards, including a safety award by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Currently, Sam is working on the Lake Isabella Dam Safety Modification project located forty miles northeast of Bakersfield in Kern County, California. Like the previous projects that Sam has overseen, this one is not an easy task to take. The construction activities will enhance the structural capability of the existing dam and restore the water storage capacity. With the formation of a new emergency spillway, the project requires more than 3.75 million cubic yards of excavation, in addition to drilling, blasting, and crushing of over 2.5 million cubic yards of granitic rock for additional buttressing and embankment.
At Sukut, Sam is known as a team-player who always goes above and beyond what is asked of him. He takes his job with pride and enjoys developing and training young employees while focusing on what matters most – safety. “Sam has a firm understanding of projects and the critical thinking skills to supervise large crews to ensure the timely completion of projects under deadlines and specifications. With his vast experience, friendly personality, and above all, his commitment, Sam makes an impact on the lives of the men and women he works with daily and continues to be a great hands-on leader,” said Mike Zanaboni, Vice President of Joint Ventures at Sukut.
About Sukut:
Sukut Construction is a general heavy civil engineering contractor with over 50 years of superior performance on residential, public, commercial, and industrial projects throughout the Western region. Sukut is most widely referred to as one of California’s largest mass excavation and grading contractors, moving up to 50 million cubic yards of earth per year and maintaining an equipment fleet of more than 300 pieces of heavy equipment. In recent years, Sukut has received more than 50 industry honors, including Contractor of the Year and Best Company to Work For. Sukut maintains its high status in the construction industry by offering the maximum level of project quality and safety, the very best in personnel, and cost-effective work.