Dateline: 2006 ...

It was 1921. Cal Berkeley had just announced plans to build a new football facility. That same year, three Stanford engineering professors designed a 60,000-seat capacity stadium modeled after the ancient Pompeiian amphitheater in Italy. In 18 weeks, teams of mules and men dug out that stadium and beat Cal to the punch. It cost $200,000. Ironically, Stanford scored the first touch-down in their new facility but lost the game (7-42) to Cal, who went on to win the Rose Bowl later that year. Fast forward 80+ years. Cal Berkeley, again, announced plans to build a new stadium in 2004. By mid-year 2005, Stanford determined to rebuild their own stadium and have it ready for the 2006 season opener in September. The race is on …again.

On November 28, 2005, the Stanford Stadium began its metamorphosis into a state-of-the-art, fan-friendly sports arena of the highest caliber. For two weeks, Ferma Corp was on a tight schedule to demolish the 84-year-old stadium, leaving a smooth, clean earthen bowl for the next contractor to contend with. At the close of the last game of the 2005 season (Stanford vs. Notre Dame), Ferma pulled a CAT 350 excavator and dump truck out to center field. Standing at the 50-yard line, fans and alumni gathered around the equipment, almost reverently, as the giant bucket sunk its teeth into the Cardinal’s legendary turf, signaling the beginning of the end. “After that first bite, it was a free-for-all,” says Rob Verga, Ferma’s purchasing manager who worked for Peterson (1977-86). “Everybody started grabbing whatever they wanted.”

Ferma has helped develop the art and science of demolition over the past 45 years. “Our mechanics and truck drivers and CAT operators and fuel-man all work together in concert. Everything is timed,” explains Ray Ferrari, co-founder of Ferma Corp. “The trucks are all timed – loaded properly, and covered so we don’t spread any debris onto the highway. These details may seem insignificant, but they’re essential for a smooth operation.” Ferma brought in 14 CAT machines along with a 20-man crew for the intense schedule. They worked 16-hour days, in two shifts, from 7:00 am until 11:30 pm, to ensure they’d make the deadline. “These men and machines took down the stadium piece by piece, literally … all 86,000 seats, concession stands, even the huge concrete press box. And, they came in three days early, and under budget,” explains Ray Ferrari. The skill and experience required to make that happen is what makes Ferma tops in the demolition industry.

Most of the material hauled from the site was diverted to recycling centers all over the bay area. The operators spend a lot of time separating the aluminum and steel and concrete and wood from the mud and dirt. They surgically stripped out the aluminum seating and sorted it into piles. In the end, some 500 truckloads were hauled away. And only about 5% actually went to a landfill. The aluminum and steel will eventually be melted down to make new products. The concrete will be crushed to make base rock. Even the wood will be saved and reused.

Ferma has 70 CAT machines in their 250-piece fleet, 30 of which are excavators. Peterson’s relationship with Ferma goes back to 1965 and the very first machine they bought - a 977H loader. They liked it so much they bought a second one two weeks later. Since then, Peterson and Ferma have forged a working relationship of trust and innovation. “We’ve designed a lot of attachments to help Ferma do the jobs that no one else can,” states salesman Bob Holm, who has known the Ferrari’s since the 1970s. “They’re one of our biggest customers.” A few years back, Holm sold Ferma a CAT 345 Ultra-High Lift excavator for work at U.C. Berkeley, very similar to the one they used on Stanford’s press box. With past jobs like the Dumbarton Bridge, Kezar Stadium, SFO and most of the SF pier-line, Ferma’s reputation is becoming as legendary as the infamous rivalry between its two collegiate clients Stanford and Cal.

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Ferma’s two week contract was

just the tip of the iceberg for

the 9 month ... $90 million job