Due to alluvial soils with high groundwater conditions adjacent to the Neches River, the City of Beaumont, TX required a new 2516-lf tunnel installed by slurry microtunneling to convey water to a new raw water pumping station.  Requiring two drives of 1,310-ft and 1,215-ft, SEI constructed three secant pile shafts along the alignment at depths ranging from 33-58-ft deep.  Even though intermediate jacking stations were installed within the pipe string, the IJS stations were not used as the thrust required to complete the drives were less than 200-tons due to SEI’s preparedness.

Mr. Mike Garbeth of Super Excavators, Inc., and Troy Stokes of Akkerman Inc. will be giving a technical presentation on this project, as well as a couple other recently completed projects during the upcoming Microtunneling Shortcourse in Scottsdale, AZ on April 11-13, 2023.

Todd Otterbein came to Akkerman on March 5, 2018 as a nightshift machinist and is celebrating his five-year AKKiversary.

Before Akkerman, Todd already had a 30-year-long career of machining experience. He was formally trained in tool and die and CNC technology through vocational technical training at Riverland Community College.

Todd knew about Akkerman, having been friends and classmates with Wayne and Barb Akkerman. Now that he works here he comments, “I find it amazing that the high-tech equipment we produce is made in the small community of Brownsdale.”

Todd appreciates the variety, and uniqueness of part types and size ranges of his machining responsibilities at Akkerman, which are very different than in his past experiences. At first, he was the night-shift operator of the Mazak 450-II MY and now of the Mazak VCN-700D, which handles the parts that were previously made on the Kitamura that we just sold this Fall.

Todd’s free time interests are incredibly eclectic. His cats Oscar and Boris peacefully coexist with Boo the parrot. Boo is the last remaining survivor of a 15-year hobby of breeding parrots, a business he shared with his mother. He also has a house full of exotic orchids and succulents, an appreciation that was passed on to him by his grandmother. Not too long ago he found a patch of orchids in the woods to the north of the parking lot, a variety that originates from the eastern hemisphere (see the photo to the right). Todd also enjoys working on cars and spending time with friends.

Jake Howton came to Akkerman on March 19, 2018, as a mechanic. Today he’s a Senior Mechanic, primary MTBM Field Technician, and celebrating five years at Akkerman, although he’s been around Akkerman all his life.

Jake formally trained as a heavy equipment operator in the Navy Seabees. He enlisted in May 2013 and served five years on active duty and three years as inactive reserves. His military career in the Seabees, the Naval Construction Force that provides heavy civil construction services, prepared him for his career at Akkerman. He received specific training in heavy haul trucks, electronic grading systems, and heavy equipment recovery.

Initially, Jake began as a GBM mechanic and, as he became acclimated, moved to MTBM mechanics while training as a field technician. He had a great mentor and is proud to follow in his father’s footsteps. Some of the best memories he has had during his employment at Akkerman are of tackling projects with Jay.

Jake enjoyed the challenges of his position. “I like being entrusted to help our customers and seeing different parts of the country while doing it.” Jake has been our field technician on several long-term microtunneling projects, including the former Lametti & Sons microtunnel in Rochester, Huxted Tunneling’s project in South Carolina, the ECI project in Minneapolis, and most recently, Melcar Underground’s project in Houston. He finds specific gratification in troubleshooting the electronics of our MTBM systems.

Jason Augustin, “Augie,” came to Akkerman as a welder on March 24, 2008.

He started his career as a welding subcontractor. He and his family moved to Hollandale, where he accepted a manufacturing and sales position with Edwards Iron Works for eight years, then after an ownership change, a few years with Pro Manufacturing.

Growing up in Brownsdale, he knew about Akkerman and some of its people. Doug Luinstra tried to recruit him two times before he said yes to a welding position.

Jason has proven to be a very versatile hire. He says, “The only production position I haven’t done is paint.” His initial stint in welding lasted five years. He also helped in initial processing and TBM assembly for several years before settling into his current role as a manual machinist and company safety manager. “What I like best about Akkerman is that they allow me to do many different jobs without question – they know I can be trusted to handle it – and because of these opportunities, I’ve learned a lot.”.

He truly walks the talk regarding teamwork, believing that “All of our builds are everyone’s responsibility, and it’s rewarding to be able to help out however I can to make them the best they can be.”

Mark Heimer came to Akkerman on March 15, 2003, referred by his sister and brother-inlaw, Jared, to an open position in the TBM and MTBM mechanics area.

Mark worked four years on conventional and microtunneling equipment before moving to electrical assembly. After Daryl moved to aftermarket support in 2007, Mark was promoted to parts department manager. Mechanical aptitude and experience with a variety of parts and components in his previous roles prepared him for success in his current role.

Everyone knows that Mark’s gruff exterior is a guise – he has always been a team player and is eager to help, often applying humor. Like when a certain logistics person returned to work to find packing peanuts in every available empty cavity in their office. The retaliation of the prank was tinsel in his vehicle’s dash. Every now and then, it feels like Christmas when a bit of silver floats out. Mark has also been known to keep a stash of tissues and ring pops to dole out, depending on the occasion.

After 20 years, Mark has built a meaningful career at Akkerman and is viewed as a wealth of information. Mark appreciates Akkerman’s family atmosphere and his coworkers. He jokingly asserts, “If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be here.”