Underground Construction - November 2020 - 27

50th Anniversary: People, Service Drive Mears' Continued Success
services, and international operations
* 2000s - became a member of Quanta
Services, gas distribution construction,
and HDD capabilities expanded to larger,
more complex projects.
Particularly significant in the company's
growth, " is the cathodic protection data
management system, AnodeFlex, cathodic
protection, and turning to directional
drilling as a method of installing
AnodeFlex, " added Fluharty.
" The Cathodic Protection Data
Management System was our first effort
that brought national attention. In 1983,
we hired several local college student
programmers to develop microcomputer
software to help us better manage the
cathodic surveys we were performing
for Dow Chemical, our first big customer, "
he pointed out.
" We started advertising this software
and got attention from pipeline customers around the country. This provided
us the opportunity to start performing
pipeline integrity surveys nationwide. "
Transco (now Williams) hired Mears in
1985 to perform some of these surveys
and became a large customer. That's when
Mears was introduced to AnodeFlex,
which Transco was experimenting with,
but having difficulty installing.
" We devised the plowing system (later
patented) to facilitate efficient installation
of the product, " Fluharty explained.
" This became a major part of our business
nationwide. When the first HDD rigs
started to be developed, we recognized
the potential to install the AnodeFlex
product in environmentally sensitive
areas and purchased a 7,000-pound
Straightline rig in 1991.
With a number of oilfield drilling
contractors also being based in Michigan,
there was a strong pool of recruits for
running the HDD rig and Mears " quickly
realized we had a good team for pursuing
potentially larger crossings, " he continued.
" From there, we ordered one of American
Augers' first track rigs - a 70,000-pound
machine - and began performing longer
and more complex crossings. "
Today, Mears is one of the world's
leading directional drilling contractors
operating 15 large HDD drill rigs
(400,000-pound to 1.5 million-pounds

Mears pipeline and facilities.

of pullback force), and more than 100
smaller drill rigs used throughout gas,
electrical and telecom operations.
Mears specializes in shore-approach
and water-to-water crossings and long,
complex intersects. In 2009, Mears set a
record for the longest HDD installation of
24-inch steel gas pipe with a 7,457-linearfoot crossing of the Elizabeth River in
Hampton Roads, Va.
Mears also operates two Direct Pipe
(DP) spreads. The trenchless DP process
combines the benefits of HDD and microtunneling.
In 2000, Mears joined the Quanta
Services family. It was not a typical corporate " takeover. "
" Quanta has a unique, entrepreneurial
model that is decentralized, and encourages and facilitates business growth, " said
Fluharty. " Our entrepreneurial culture was
a perfect fit and has provided tremendous
growth opportunities for Mears. "

Secret of success
Looking back over the last 50 years, Herb
Fluharty considers what has been responsible for Mears' success.
" I really believe it's customers giving us
opportunities to do things we hadn't done
before and then providing quality service
they can rely on.
" A good friend - we were doing Bible
study - advised me: 'It isn't always about

Mears yesterday: Herb's father with welder's
mask, second from left.

how you act, but often how you react.'
Mears has made it a priority that if a
customer is displeased, we always make the
extra effort necessary to make things right.
" Finally, I truly believe Mears is where
it is today because of the talented people
along the way having great integrity and
commitment to providing quality service. "
During the formative years, Fluharty
continued, " it really came down to having
a customer trust the company enough to
let us do for them something our resume
might not yet support.
" Mears has always believed the
customer you have is the most valuable
opportunity. Our interest, therefore, has
been to find other services the customer
needed that we could fulfill.
" That is how we really progressed
into all the different disciplines and
services - satisfying customers with
an additional need. " *
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mears Group, (281) 448-2488, mears.net
UCONonline.com | NOVEMBER 2020

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Underground Construction - November 2020

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