California High Speed Rail Project

Performance Utility Supply has been hard at work delivering a ton of materials all over California’s Central Valley. The materials are going to our friends at Valverde Construction and although the demand for construction materials has been much higher than the supply, PUS has been able to perform and keep the Valverde Crew busy with what they need to get the job done. The Valverde crew currently have their hands full installing HDPE pipe and Tier 22 Polymer boxes for underground utilities on the high profile and highly controversial California High-Speed Rail project.

California High-Speed Rail

The California high-speed rail is a massive project that will connect the mega-regions of the state, contribute to economic development and a cleaner environment, create jobs, and preserve agricultural and protected lands. The system will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours at speeds capable of over 200 miles per hour. The system will eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations throughout. The California High-Speed Rail Authority

The controversy surrounding the high-speed rail project is nothing new in the world of construction. Every big infrastructure project goes through some sort of controversial episode during its construction. In the case of the CHSR, it has been going on for a long long time. Since 2008, the high-speed rail project has stoked the nerves of California taxpayers and that much time passing has given the rail’s critics a chance to multiply exponentially, each having their own reason to condemn the project. The Atlantic - James Fallows
Nevertheless, the project is moving forward and is starting to gain favor with those involved. Investing in the country’s infrastructure is almost never a misfire regardless of the size of scope and budget. Hopefully, time will tell the story of a high-speed rail that changed the face of Central California for the better and Performance Utility Supply can say that they had a chance to participate in making that change happen.

How are we helping?

The Valverde team is currently working within the 119-mile section of the rail system between Bakersfield to Madera, CA. A few stations will exist within that section of rail and of course, those stations are going to need underground utility systems. That’s where Performance Utility Supply has been able to help.

Learn more about the California High Speed Rail project?

Get the Facts About the California High-Speed Rail

The California High-Speed Rail Project Timeline

The California High-Speed Rail Authority

Neal Electric Golf Tournament

Cat and Diane with Bob Garoutte from Neal Electric

Every year, Neal Electric organizes an annual golf tournament. This year was particularly special because they are celebrating their 30th year in business! It was our first invite to attend, so how could we resist? Cat and Diane packed up a car full of necessities and headed down to North County San Diego to support the Neal Electric 21st Annual Golf Tournament. 

The Performance Utility Supply tent was located at hole #6 at the San Marcos Twin Oaks Golf Course, where Cat and Diane were armed and ready with shots, cigars, and of course, P.U.S. energy drinks!

Cat said, "This was our first time attending and we hope we get invited every year! Everyone was having a blast playing and laughing!"

For Diane, it was an chance to catch up with old friends and form new relationships. “I had a great time seeing former co-workers and old friends, plus getting to meet a lot of Neal Electric employees. I also met some of their general contractors and sub contractors - it was a fun networking opportunity.”

For over 30 years, Neal Electric has been providing electrical services to customers throughout Southern California. Their union shop has grown from a family business to a larger corporation and they continue to provide value through innovative technologies and reliable performance. Neal’s reputation of high quality work product and unparalleled customer service is built from training and growing their best employees from within and keeping all aspects of their work in house. 

Performance Utility Supply is proud of the working relationship we have with Neal Electric. The golf tournament was an excellent day and we appreciated the invite. We hope to see everyone again next year!

For more P.U.S. news and pics, follow us on Facebook.

The Root 66 Community Garden

San Bernardino County has some of the worst access to healthy food options than anywhere else in the State of California, so it's not surprising that a new study this year found Inland Empire residents overall fatter and unhealthier than the average Californian. But a group of concerned locals are trying to change this.

The mission of the non-profit Root 66 Community Garden is to educate local citizens of all ages about the healthful benefits of gardening, while strengthening and building the community. Its intent is to improve the quality of life and access to healthy food options in the Inland Empire region of San Bernardino County. Some of the ways this non-profit will help is by:

• Providing garden plots to anyone with an interest in growing their own food
• Helping low-income families with children
• Donating food to local food banks and homebound seniors
• Revitalizing the local viticulture heritage
• Education in gardening and food production
• Establishing a Farmer's Market

The Root 66 Community Garden Project rests on about 15 acres next to a water channel and electric easement south of Day Creek and Foothill boulevards, south of Victoria Gardens. 

The land, upon which the garden lies, was deeded to the Upland-based Restorative Justice Center of the Inland Empire, a nonprofit that will oversee the community garden's revenue and upkeep. The Restorative Justice Center was founded in 2000 with a mission to find better ways to repair harm when injustices occur.  The lack of access to healthy food within our community is one of those injustices that can be alleviated by this community garden.  Dee Matreyek, the founder of the Root 66 Garden, has a Ph.D in political science from the Claremont Graduate University.  She has worked as a mediator (juvenile victim offender mediation) and trainer of conflict resolution at the California Institute for Woman, Loma Linda University, Chapman University, and in Kenya.  She is a member of and president-elect of the Rotary Club of Rancho Cucamonga, which has adopted the Root 66 Garden as one of its partnership projects.

Korey was approached through some friends to participate in the Root 66 project and he was immediately intrigued by the vision. Korey understands the struggles in today's society and how people often judge others without taking a hard look in the mirror.  He is adamant about giving back to programs that help enrich and rehabilitate the lives of others that normally would not be given the chance.

"I am excited to participate in this endeavor with Dee and the team of people she has put together," said Korey. "It will be a great setting to show kids and families things they just may never see, touch or feel."

Korey Chirkanian working the Backhoe and Zach Chirkanian, Gary Lyttle, Jacob Lyttle and Dillion Lyttle laying pipe

As Performance Utility Supply set to help out the project, Korey experienced this exact situation first-hand when his own child expressed an interest in helping. Korey took his son Zach and Zach's friend Jacob to the site and had them work with the team all day, installing the water and power infrastructure. They carried 20' pieces of 4" PVC pipe - well over 100 yards worth. They laid over 400+ feet, glued caps and pushed pipe into the trenches - and all of this in sweltering 99˚ temperatures.

"When we ended the day and got in the truck, Zach looked at me and said 'Dad, that was fricken' miserable!  But, I feel like I got something done." My response was 'Welcome to the real world son. You did a great job working your butt off and I am proud of you'."

Getting the well pump station in place.

The community garden will rely on volunteers of all ages. You can learn more about the garden, plus check out opportunities to donate time or money, on the Root 66 website. Also, follow them on social media to stay up to date with the latest news:

WEBSITE: http://theroot66garden.org/
FACEBOOK: The Root 66 Community Garden
TWITTER: @TheRoot66Garden

Performance Utility Supply Unveils New Website

Welcome to the new Performance Utility Supply Inc website. It's taken a little bit of time and a whole lot of hard work, but it's finally ready for the world. Our new site was designed with our clients in mind. We've filled it with what they've been asking for, more information about PUS, the products we offer, the services we provide and our trusted manufacturers. We've made it easier than ever to connect with PUS by integrating social media. So take a second to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and connect with us on LinkedIn. We are committed to providing our customers with exactly what they need to get the job done right and we think our new website will only help us keep our commitment. We appreciate the opportunity to earn your business.