Monterey College of Law Groundbreaking Salinas Californian (October 13)
Construction will soon be under way on Monterey College of Law's new Community Justice Center - a LEED registered building designed to reuse an original Fort Ord military structure.

It is also the first LEED registered project targeting platinum certification with a team of Monterey Bay design consultants.

The new facility will be home to a new courtroom and a community mediation center containing more than 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

Construction will begin within three weeks, under the direction of Ausonio Inc.

Joe Piedimonte Interviewed In Tilt-Up Today magazine (October 1)
Visit the online edition, page 50.

Ausonio Gains its Arizona Contractors License (September 4)
Ausonio Incorporated obtained a B-1 Commercial license and anticipates working on projects in Arizona in the near future.

Sam Phillips Receives Certified Green Builder Designation Monterey Herald (September 17) Salinas Californian (August 16)
Sam Phillips, project manager with Ausonio Inc., has become a certified green building professional through California's Build It Green organization... [Sam] is now consulting for a client in Tehama that is seeking Build It Green certification for a residence.

An Ausonio employee since 2007, he received training for the Green Building Professional certification through coursework sponsored by the city of Monterey.

Ausonio Company is Recognized for Safety Salinas Californian (June 19) The Monterey Herald (July 2)
--Associated General Contractors California honored the company as one of two finalists in California qualifying for the Safety Award of Excellence in the Builders Division of 200,000 to 500,000 hours because of the company's construction safety for 2007...

Ausonio Earns 'Green Builder' Designation SantaCruz Sentinel (June 10) Salinas Californian (June 11)
Castroville-based Ausonio Inc. is the first construction firm in Monterey County to be certified as a "Green Builder" through the Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program...

Building Greener Homes and Businesses KION 46 (May 1)
Ausonio featured in KION morning news segment on Green Building.

Salinas YMCA Opening The Californian, Salinas (Feb. 22)
The Salinas Community YMCA will celebrate its grand reopening from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The reopening is in celebration of the Y’s massive $7.6-million renovation that has changed the face of this community institution. Every aspect of the facility has been upgraded, and new facilities are in place. Among them:

• Construction of a new, full-sized gymnasium to house the many current and new youth, teen and family programs – youth sports, Friday Night Hoops and adult sports leagues.
• A new climbing wall for people of all ages: families can learn the sport of rock-climbing together.
• A new entrance lobby and a connector between the front building and an existing back building – putting the YMCA under one roof for the first time in nearly 60 years.
• A remodel of the original Y building into a Youth/Teen Center, which sports 4,500 square feet of space for youth programs and new classes.
• More office space and additional parking at 500 Lincoln Avenue, next to the existing Y.

Local Chapter of AIA Announces Winners The Californian, Salinas (Feb. 4)
The Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has announced the winners of its biannual design awards competition.

This year's contest, which included more than 30 entries from member architects, also featured the first awards for Sustainable Design, sponsored by Ausonio, Inc. 

Chartwell School Tackles Language Challenges with America's Greenest Campus BusinessWire (Jan. 15)
--Chartwell school, along with EHDD Architecture and general contractor, Ausonio Inc., achieved the high green building rating by focusing on energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies...

Economic conference sponsored by AMBAG set for Jan. 25. The Monterey Herald (Dec. 27)
Ausonio Inc. The 14th annual Tri-County Economic Conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at Embassy Suites Hotel Monterey Bay.

The Event is sponsored by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, in association with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and others.

Speakers will include AMBAG Executive Director Nick Papadakis and Charles Shulock, assistant executive officer of the California Air Resources Board.

Panel participants will include Mary Claypool, executive director of the Monterey County Business Council; Maggie Ivy, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Santa Cruz County Conference & Visitors Council; Graniterock Manager Aaron Johnson-Kars; and Joe Piedimonte, Corporate Controller of Ausonio Inc.

Ausonio to Sponsor AIAMB, award. The Californian, Salinas (Dec. 22)
Ausonio Inc. has committed to a three-year "Titanium" sponsorship of the Monterey Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects and has become a charter sponsor of the organizations "Excellence in Sustainable Design Awards."

By partnering with AIAMB, Ausonio aims to boost awareness and increase educational opportunities about designing and building healthier buildings, reducing carbon emissions, conserving resources and improving the overall quality of the environment...

Three Area Companies Get Green Building Awards. The Monterey Herald (Dec. 19)
Three Monterey Bay companies have been recognized for green building by the Monterey Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects...  The awards were sponsored by Ausonio Inc. of Castroville, which has signed on for a three-year sponsorship of the institute's Monterey Bay chapter and the awards program.

Going Green Makes Sense, Saves Cents. The Monterey Herald (Dec. 11)
It used to be if you recycled your plastic, paper and aluminum products, you were doing your part, and that is still very important, so don't stop recycling those bottles and cans.

Today, "going green" can run the gamut from recycling of paper products to the design of your facility, placement of your building and choosing the right products.

For most businesses, it comes down to how can they go "green" without increasing initial coast or staff time and will it actually save money in the short- and long-term.

Joe Piedimonte, of Ausonio [Incorporated], said the company is transforming its office building to green one step at a time. They exchanged their 16 40-watt fluorescent bulbs for 3 54-watt T-5 bulbs. The T-5 bulbs last twice as long as the traditional fluorescent bulbs, so not only will they be saving close to 5 kilowatts a day in energy, but will be replacing 10 times fewer bulbs in a two-year period, which will save 20 to 30 trips up a ladder for a maintenance worker and approximately $120 per year on the energy bill.

Because fluorescent bulbs cannot be disposed with normal refuse, they will save on disposal costs through a rebate from Pacific Gas & electric. Another benefit: The lighting is better and the employees love the new environment.

"It will have a positive effect on your bottom line. I see the dollars and cents," said Piedimonte. "It is a good investment in the long run, and the payback was immediate."

Ausonio's work on Chartwell School recognized by Gov. Schwarzenegger. The Monterey Herald (Nov. 25)
The Chartwell School in Seaside received an award from Governor Arnold Shwarzenegger for its high-performance green campus. The school received the 2007 Governor's Economic Leadership Award on Tuesday.

After a Tough Start, Son Grows the Business He Grew Up In. The San Jose Business Journal (Nov. 16)
In 1994, Andrew P. Ausonio took over the Castroville-based construction company his father had begun building before he was even born. It was the company where by age 13, he had started working full weeks during his summer vacations, making more money, he says, than his peers who went the "paper route" route.

And then just as he returned from his honeymoon and completed the transaction that put him in the driver's seat of the company his father founded in 1959, the recession hit.

"I had more debt within six months than I knew what to do with," Ausonio says. "The recession was there and I figured, 'A, I will either keep moving forward and do well with this, or B, I can blame the economy if I fail.'"

Ausonio says he put bids out on every job and every rumor of a job he came across. Within four more months, he had enough work to sustain himself and all of the employees he had hired from his father -- "I think I hired all of them," Ausonio deadpans -- when he bought the company...

Monterey College of Law—Community Justice Center

• LEED project, in conjunction with JHW Architects, targeting LEED Platinum Certification
• 6,000 SF renovation/remodel
• A Fort Ord Reuse project

Imjin Partners

• LEED project in conjunction with Paul Davis Partnership Architects
• 4 buildings, new construction, totaling approx. 48,000 SF
• Located in Fort Ord
• For Imjin Partners: Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG), Carpenter's Union Local 605, Builders Exchange of the Central Coast, and Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA)
  
  

Vinvision

• Design-Build project
• 71,000 SF new construction, concrete tilt-up, warehouse distribution center and office space
• State of the art lighting system, reducing electrical demand by 23%
• Located in Castroville
  
  
  

Sherwood Village

• Design-Build project
• 15,000 SF remodel, commercial retail space
• Located on N. Main St., Salinas CA

Salinas YMCA

• 13,000 SF addition, lobby, offices, gymnasium
• Youth center remodel
• Located at Clay & Lincoln, Salinas CA