RACER Trust Honors Brandenburg Industrial Service Co. for Safe Work Performance at Massena Site

MASSENA, N.Y. — Brandenburg Industrial Service Co. completed deconstruction of the former GM Massena Powertrain Plant on time, within budget and with zero recordable safety incidents, earning a Safety award from the property’s owner, The RACER Trust.

The Brandenburg team completed 85,000 work hours safely over the course of nearly a year, deconstructing an 855,000-square-foot building and a 137-foot water tower. About half of the 45 employees on the site were hired from local communities.

“A commitment to top safety performance, and a track record that bears out that commitment, is paramount for our partners and contractors. Brandenburg lived up to its reputation and then some,” said M. Brendan Mullen, New York Cleanup Manager for The RACER Trust. “Work of this nature has many potential safety challenges, and it requires constant focus and attention to detail. This achievement demonstrates the importance Brandenburg places on safety. We congratulate the company and its employees, and thank them for a job well done.”

Brandenburg also recycled more than 17,000 tons of steel in the course of its work.

The RACER Trust was created in March 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to clean up and position for redevelopment properties owned by the former General Motors Corp. before its 2009 bankruptcy. The former Massena Powertrain Plant is among those properties.

RACER is responsible for the cleanup and sale of 89 industrial properties in 14 states, principally in the Midwest and Northeast.

The deconstruction and removal of the building and tower is the first phase of site remediation to prepare the Massena property for redevelopment. 

“We appreciate the confidence The RACER Trust showed in selecting us for this project, and are grateful for the recognition of our safe performance,” said Gary Basford, Division Manager for Brandenburg and the lead for the Massena deconstruction project. “Safety is a daily point of emphasis with our employees and everyone else who comes onto one of our job sites. Nothing means more to us than to know we’ve done the job well, and doing the job well starts with doing it safely.”

Brandenburg, established in 1968, is one of the nation’s premier demolition firms with a staff in excess of 400 full-time permanent employees. Brandenburg provides comprehensive asset retirement services for total plant closure as well as selective demolition designed to enhance the efficiency and profitability of ongoing plant operations. Brandenburg self-performs associated services including environmental assessments, remediation, scrap management, site preparation, electrical and mechanical utility construction and relocation, equipment salvage and rigging.