WHAT DO OUR CUSTOMERS SAY?
“When our company was contracted to do a seismic retrofit of the V.A. Hospital in La Jolla, I called Earth Support Systems because of their reputation and knowledge of complex excavation support systems. A seismic retrofit meant that we had to go around the hospital, under it and over it. I knew I didn’t want to work with anyone else, I knew that Earth Support Systems’ plan would be economical and would ensure the safety of the adjacent hospital. With ESSI’s help the project was completed 4 months ahead of schedule.”
Carlos Gonzalez
Vice President
Clark Construction Group, CA – LP
San Diego, California
“I have worked with Earth Support for over ten years on multiple projects throughout Southern California. Their firm is always my first choice. My job as a shoring contractor is to assemble a good shoring package in a limited amount of time and within extremely tight budgets. Earth Support enables me to accomplish this with their innovative yet cost effective shoring designs. Earth Support Systems provides detailed, easy to read shoring plans that allow cost effective execution in the field. We’ve worked together on numerous underpinning projects where we have to hold up an adjacent building while excavation is performed for the new structure. When we come across unforeseen conditions, Earth Support Systems provides an immediate site evaluation and proposes timely solutions, keeping the project on schedule and within budget. In an industry where down time is very costly, the team at Earth Support Systems enables me to continue an unimpeded flow of production, giving our customers a quality product at a reasonable cost.”
Jack White
Superintendent, San Diego Office
Malcolm Drilling Company
Foundation Contractors
“We like working with Earth Support Systems because they are specialists in shoring design, and they know what they are doing. They don’t over-design, which would make a project unnecessarily expensive, nor do they under-design, which might mean the shoring could fail. They are very responsive to changing conditions. For example, on a recent job at Los Angeles International Airport, Fischetti’s team designed the shoring with soldier beams and tie-backs. When we began drilling, we started hitting underground utilities. Will had to respond quickly and design an alternate shoring plan in the middle of the job. ESSI designed a cantilever system instead of the original tie-back system which allowed us to install the shoring completely, without damaging further utilities. On a different project in Laguna Beach, the cliff rising up from the beach was starting to slip away and jeopardize the back yard of a private residence at the top. Earth Support Systems designed a Soil Nail Wall with Shotcrete that solved the problem and stopped the slippage.”
Dan Luong
Project Manager
Zamborelli Enterprises
Laguna Beach, CA
“We really enjoy working with Earth Support Systems. We can always count on them to be attentive to our schedule demands and submit their designs on a timely basis. They create efficient designs that are practical and cost-effective to implement. Once the project begins, Earth Support Systems reacts and solves problems that arise in the field quickly avoiding delays to the project. The Breeza San Diego Condominiums project, in particular, illustrated their many talents. The project involved new construction and the re-use of Parron Hall, a historic building in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. During the original excavation, Parron Hall began to settle. ESSI helped us design a permanent underpinning system that stopped the building’s movement and saved it with little or no structural damage. Successful projects such as this are just one of the reasons why we have worked with ESSI since the beginning.“
Peter Speier
Project Manager
Condon-Johnson & Associates
San Diego, CA
“The construction of a new 52-story condominium hi-rise at 1027 Wilshire Blvd & St. Paul Avenue is just one example of the renewed growth and development we are experiencing in downtown Los Angeles. Our site was tight, and an engineering colleague recommended that we hire Earth Support Systems to design the shoring system. We had some challenges with the project early on, and I learned quickly that ESS are experts at shoring design. It turned out that we weren’t able to get underground tie-back easements from the neighboring building, so ESS had to design a bracing system with diagonal struts and walers. Their design was put together very well and very fast. They were able to accommodate everything we asked for and were very efficient throughout the project. We definitely plan to use them again.”
Jeff Malin
Director of Development
Central City Development Group
A subsidiary of Amidi Group
Los Angeles, CA
“Clark Construction worked with Earth Support Systems over a two-year period on complex excavation at eight locations around the VA San Diego Hospital. We brought them into the seismic retrofit project because of their experience in complex shoring design. Compared to other shoring design engineers, Earth Support Systems stands out because they are able to quickly put together working documents. I was impressed with their ability to work around the existing conditions of the VA Hospital and their ability to adapt their design based on changing sub-surface conditions.”
Jim Douglas
Superintendent, Field Operations
Clark Construction Group, CA – LP
San Diego, CA
“As shoring contractors, our guys like working in the field with Earth Support Systems’ plans, because they know the plans will be complete, the shoring system won’t fail, and they won’t have to stop work to ask questions. Earth Support puts a lot of thought into their design work and the specifics of each project. Their shoring designs don’t just come out of a box; they are very innovative. ESSI understands the actual building process, not just the engineering. When you have that kind of engineer, you can get into more complex jobs and know that when something unexpected comes up in the field, it can be dealt with in a timely manner. Recently, ESSI helped us with a difficult job in Orange County. It was a permanent, cantilevered retaining wall project for a housing track, which consisted of a 14-foot-tall wall and an additional three-foot crash wall above it. We had to integrate a crash barrier capable of taking the impact of an 80,000-lb trash truck driving at 60 miles an hour. Earth Support System’s innovative design handled this unique requirement. That’s just one reason we’ve worked with them for so many years. I know I can always call and get the answers I need when I need them, without playing telephone tag. They are always willing to do what is needed to get the problem fixed even if it’s after hours.”
Rian Grenke
Owner
Alliance Diversified Enterprises, Inc.
Escondido, CA
“We work with the group at Earth Support Systems on 80%-90% of our projects in the Southern California area. They are always very professional and very responsive. We brought them in to do the shoring for the new Breeza Condominium project in downtown San Diego. Breeza is a five to nine story building, with three levels of underground parking adjacent to the Parron Hall historic building. It quickly became a challenging dig because we had to go down thirty-five feet next to the old building, and the building began to move. We realized that the weight of Parron Hall was too much for our new basement wall. Even though most shoring systems used in situations like this are designed to be temporary, our situation demanded a permanent solution. Earth Support Systems responded fast, problem-solved quickly in the field and designed a permanent shoring system to effectively support the historic building and stop it from moving. This is just one example of why our company uses Earth Support Systems for the majority of our projects.”
Levi Stoelting
Project Manager
Glotman-Simpson Consulting Engineers
“We are a specialty contractor for underground foundation and shoring projects, and we have brought in Earth Support Systems to design the plans for dozens of projects since 2002. Recently, our San Diego office brought them in to design the temporary shoring plans for the Allegro Towers project in San Diego. It is a new residential tower adjacent to the Ward Building, an existing 20-story office tower. When you are holding up an adjacent building, it is critical that the building not be damaged. It was complicated to build because the Ward Building had a basement. We put in most of the beams from existing grade. When we got to the bottom of the Ward Building, we had to put in more beams. The job went very well, thanks to Earth Support Systems’ design.”
George Burrough
Condon-Johnson & Associates, Inc.
San Diego, CA
“I’ve known and worked with Will Fischetti for years before he started Earth Support Systems. The key advantage of working with his group, in addition to their technical competence and engineering skills is that Will has extensive construction experience. He has worked with contractors and for contractors, so he knows what is practical and reasonable to build. When the Blue Bird Landslide in Laguna Beach forced evacuation of over 300 homes, Earth Support Systems became a critical part of our team. It was a $33-million project that took 2-1/2 years to complete. In a de-stabilized situation such as a landslide, unexpected situations keep coming up, but you can’t get rattled. The team at Earth Support knows how to think on the run and solve problems in the field as they arise – and that is the key difference between an average consultant and an exceptional consultant. We’ve worked together on dozens of projects and will continue to do so.”
Hannes Richter
Professional Engineer
Geofirm
Laguna Beach, CA