VERSABAR’s Jon Khachaturian Selected as Top 25 Newsmaker

Jon Khachaturian, Founder and President of Heavy-Lift Specialist VERSABAR, has been selected by New York based Engineering News Record (ENR) as one of the Top 25 Newsmakers for 2007.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) January 16, 2008 -- Jon Khachaturian, Founder and President of Heavy-Lift Specialist VERSABAR, has been selected by New York based Engineering News Record (ENR) as one of the Top 25 Newsmakers for 2007.

The McGraw Hill Publishing Group annually recognizes individuals who, through their “innovations or achievements, serve the best interests of the construction industry.”

Khachaturian was acknowledged for his “Bottom Feeder,” an offshore deck-salvage system which is capable of lifting up to 4000 tons from the seafloor. Built in response to the catastrophic damage caused by three powerful hurricanes which swept through Gulf waters in recent years, the system retrieved six large topsides in 2007, and is already scheduled to go after a dozen more this year.

Prior to the deployment of the Bottom Feeder, there was no feasible method of raising sunken decks as single-piece lifts, and conventional piecemeal retrieval methods were considered too costly and hazardous to be widely employed.

The “Top 25” individuals so honored have been invited to convene in New York City in April to receive their awards. At that time, one will be chosen to receive ENR’s “Award of Excellence,“ the publication’s highest honor.

Khachaturian founded VERSABAR in 1981, and since that time the company has engineered over 40,000 lifts around the world. In 2001, when the turret of the Union Ironclad U.S.S. Monitor was brought up from the waters off Cape Hatteras, the custom rigging for the job was provided by VERSABAR. Contact Versabar at solutions@vbar.com or visit the website at www.vbar.com.

To review the award winners, go to http://enr.construction.com/people/AOEGallery/

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Contact:

Peter Devine/Tom Cheatum

VERSABAR Media Division

(713) 937-3100

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