Our History

Advanced American Diving Service, Inc. (AADS) was founded by Konrad Schweiger and Kent Cochran as a commercial diving business in Oregon City, Oregon. They began by building moorages and floatation systems for houses, this soon transitioned into a marine construction and consulting business.

MCC provided quality emergency machinery and equipment repairs for both industrial and marine clients, including paper and steel mills and grain elevators in the Northwest since 1986. Located in Vancouver, Washington.

The Bureau of Reclamation completed construction of the New Waddell Dam in October of 1992, the new reservoir created from this dam placement is located about ½ miles down stream from the Original/Historic Waddel dam. This reservoir added 6,300 surface acres to Lake Pleasant, tripling the size of the lake and greatly increasing the recreational value of Lake Pleasant Regional Park. With the reservoir extended, a new marina was located between the original dam and the new downstream dam, creating an issue, as the top of the original dam was exposed during low water levels, which would cut off travel. Plans were introduced to cut a break in the original dam to allow boaters to safely travel to the marina and provide storage continuity to the new dam.

AADS was hired as a subcontractor to execute this work, marking a major milestone for the company. The project introduced AADS to heavy civil construction and presented complex, first-of-its-kind challenges. AADS successfully completed the breach, removing a 224 foot wide by 70 foot deep section of the original Waddell Dam.

• AADS purchased the M. Cutter Company (MCC)
• Kent Cochran, founder of AADS retires from the company.
• Forrest Schweiger, son of AADS founder Konrad Schweiger, died in a construction accident at age 26. The Forrest L. Schweiger Memorial Scholarship was founded by AADS in his memory.

AADS and MCC formally merged and adopted the name Advanced American Construction, Inc. (AAC) to more accurately reflect the company’s broad range of marine construction, diving, and industrial services.

On May 8, 2006, AAC opened its new headquarters in Portland, Oregon consolidating its operations on the west bank of the Willamette River under the historic St. John’s Bridge. The new seven acre site and 42,000 square foot facility provide ideal location, space and facility equipment to optimally serve clients’ needs.

With our new facility now complete beneath the iconic St. Johns Bridge, we unveiled a refreshed logo to reflect the next chapter of our growth. On the left was the Advanced American Diving Service (AADS) logos, and on the right was our new revised logo incorporating the St. Johns Bridge.

AAC celebrates its 25th Anniversary, hosts event to showcase the new facility

One of only three in the world, the Lower Monumental Dam RSW project was a landmark achievement for our team. The 2-million-pound, high-performance coated structure measured 120 feet tall, 80 feet wide, and 70 feet deep, and was successfully installed at Spillway Bay #8. This project received national acclaim and was awarded a Build America Award in 2009 in the Federal Heavy New category.

This critical bridge replacement project put AAC on the map with BNSF, marking the beginning of a strong and lasting partnership that has led to many future projects. The work involved replacing 832 feet of BNSF’s only east-west rail crossing from Seattle to Chicago, which was on an active line.

To meet tight operational windows, AAC utilized a temporary trestle, ran double shifts, and coordinated closely with BNSF crews to remove and install spans in just six hours. The project was completed within three months, with all in-water work performed by AAC divers.

The Lake Oswego Interceptor Sewer project, was the recipient of the 2010 AGC Build America Grand Award, this project was the first of a multi-phase program to upgrade and replace the existing failing sewer line. The line was designed as a gravity system, constructed of 17,000 lineal feet of fused HDPE pipe, with pipe sizes ranging from 24 to 42 inches in diameter. This project not only won the AGC Grand Award but also the Sir Award and the DJC Top Project Award.

AAC served as Construction Manager (CM) and General Contractor (GM) for a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind project to enhance fish habitat within the Bull Run River system, Portland’s primary drinking water source. The $30M+ multi-phase project involved complex modifications to the North and South intake towers at Bull Run Tower 2, including the installation of a selective withdrawal system never before implemented in this watershed. Additional scope included advanced mechanical and electrical systems, fish flow piping, water quality monitoring, and civil site improvements. Exceptional care was taken to protect the pristine watershed during all phases of construction. The project received national and regional recognition, earning the 2014 AGC/Alliant Build America Award and the Daily Journal of Commerce Top Projects Award

AAC celebrates its 30th Anniversary with an open house event on September 6, 2013 for employees, customers, vendors and friends

AAC purchases the Millennium 4100 Ringer Series 3 derrick barge, the most significant single investment in equipment by AAC to date. With a 300 ton capacity, up to 280 vertical feet of reach and a 6 point moorage system, the Millennium is the largest capacity crane on the Columbia, Willamette and Snake River System. AAC hosted a VIP event for business contacts, customers and community representatives to officially welcome the Millennium to the fleet on September 11, 2014.

In 2022, AAC was awarded its largest contract to date: the Sand Island Pile Dikes project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our longest-standing and largest client. Located at the mouth of the Columbia River, this multi-year effort involves removing aging timber pile and replacing them with durable steel piles. The challenging four season project demands work across multiple locations, strict adherence to in-water work windows, and the ability to operate safely in extreme weather, shifting currents, and coastal swells. Despite the demanding conditions, the project remains on track for substantial completion in 2025.

The Schweiger Memorial Scholarship Fund, founded by Advanced American Construction, was awarded the AGC in the Community Award in 2023. The awards ceremony was held March 21, 2024. The fund surpassed $1,000,000.00 in scholarships, providing opportunities to both Apprentice Trade School and Undergraduate College applicants, including our Military Veterans. It is extremely rewarding to see the growth of this program due to the support from so many of our scholarship foundation partners, sponsors, and past recipients.

Columbia River Carbonates (CRC) was awarded two Build America awards, one in the Highway & Transportation New (Under $20 million) category, and the Marvin M. Black Excellence in partnering and collaboration (Projects under $20 million) category. Additionally, it was awarded an AGC Build Washington award.

This terminal is the first terminal constructed on the Columbia River in over 14 years, designed specifically to offload calcium carbonate mined in Alaska. Advanced American Construction (AAC) partnered with Columbia River Carbonates to build their new facility in Woodland. AAC was brought on prior to the permitting process to provide early-stage consultation, constructability reviews, and value engineering. AAC’s scope included building the offshore substructures, erecting superstructures, and installing various miscellaneous metals. Other key tasks involved lifting over 300,000 pounds to certify the hoist crane, dynamically testing stowage hooks, and installing a mechanized gangway on a mooring dolphin.