Who's making the big bucks in Oak Ridge?
Based on a preliminary review of the information contained on Recovery.gov, it appears that Joe Nemec -- the president of Bechtel Jacobs -- is leading the pack among Oak Ridge contractor executives. According to the data provided as part of the reporting requirements for working on the stimulus program, Nemec's annual compensation package is $848,065.01.
The compensation varies among other contractor chiefs in Oak Ridge. Those include ORNL Director Thom Mason ($596,241); B&W Y-12 President Darrel Kohlhorst ($624,576); ORAU President Andy Page ($207,835); Navarro President Susana Navarro-Valenti ($546,689); and Pro2Serve CEO Barry Goss ($482,197.60).
Among the many reporting requirements for contractors doing work with Recovery Act funding is to disclose the compensation of the company's top officers. The information is contained in the government's Website, and includes many -- but not all, by any means -- of the Department of Energy's contractors in Oak Ridge. Traditionally information on contractor salaries has been unavailable to the public, so the Recovery Act has given a glimpse -- at least among the top execs -- about compensation levels.
DOE and the National Nuclear Security Administration will only reimburse contractors for salaries to a certain cap. Beyond that, the corporations top off the payments to their executives.
Here are some of the Oak Ridge contractors and the compensation provided to their top five officers.
BECHTEL JACOBS:
Joe Nemec: President and General Manager -- $848,065.01
Jim Thiesing: Vice President and Manager of the K-25 Project -- $836,306.29
Rich Tossetti: Vice President and Deputy General Manager -- $681,634.27
Steve Buckley: Vice President and Manager of Business Services -- $294,964.90
Steve Smith: Vice President and Manager of Operations -- $262,288.37
Bechtel Jacobs is the Dept. of Energy's environmental manager in Oak Ridge. Asked for comment about the compensation, Bechtel Jacobs spokesman Dennis Hill said via e-mail:
"The numbers reported are total compensation, which includes salary, bonuses, long-term incentives, 401k contributions, stock options, and other benefits and allowances, such as housing, vehicles, relocation etc."
He added, "Less than half of the total compensation listed for the five BJC officers comes from DOE. The remainder is paid exclusively by the contractor from corporate funds, not taxpayers . . .Compensation is comparable to that of similar corporate executives in our industry. Bechtel and Jacobs are large firms that work for commercial interests and governments around the world. We benchmark compensation with others in our industry to ensure our competitiveness."
Hill said none of the Bechtel Jacobs officers listed at Recovery.gov were hired with or received extra compensation from Recovery Act funding.
UT-BATTELLE
Thom Mason, ORNL Director -- $596,241
Thomas Zacharia, Deputy Director for Science and Technology -- $516,998
Jeff Smith, Deputy Director for Operations -- $471,458
Greg Turner, director of business and information services and CFO -- $311,720
Nicole Porter, General Counsel -- $297,332
UT-Battelle manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Dept. of Energy. ORNL communications chief Billy Stair made provided this comment: "The figures for UT-Battelle's compensation represent a combination of salary and pension benefits. As a group, the compensation falls roughly into the middle of the pack for the DOE laboratory system and for the major DOE contractors in Oak Ridge."
B&W Y-12
Darrel Kohlhorst: president and general manager -- $624,576
Butch Clements: vice president, safeguards, security and emergency services -- $374,699
Bill Klemm: senior vice president and deputy general manager -- $247,211
Scott Baker: senior vice president, business services, B&W Y-12 -- $363,153
David Black: vice president and controller with Babcock & Wilcox Co. and an officer with B&W Y-12 -- $936,052
B&W Y-12, a partnership of Babcock and Wilcox and Bechtel National, manages the Y-12 National Securitiy Complex for the federal government.
Y-12 public affairs manager David Keim made this comment by e-mail: "The figures listed on Recovery.gov combine salary, pensions, bonuses, and other compensation. None of the executives received any increase in compensation as a result of ARRA work. The figures reflect market rates, and the reimbursable portion of the executives' salaries is approved by the federal officials who oversee Y-12."
OAK RIDGE ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES
Andy Page, president -- $207,835
Donna Cragle, vice president and director of occupational exposure and workers health -- $183,231
Wayne Stevenson -- vice president and director of science education -- $180,162
Albert Wiley, vice president and director of REACTS -- $177,052
Daniel Standley -- vice president, human resources -- $173,823
ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the Dept. of Energy. In a statement by e-mail, ORAU chief financial officer Phil Andrews said, "These salaries are not a direct result of ARRA funds, but are linked to their education, experience, and years of service."
PROFESSIONAL PROJECT SERVICES (Pro2Serve)
Barry Goss -- president and chairman -- $482,197.60
Mark DeGraff -- executive vice president -- $296,684.80
Lorie Baker-Wallace -- senior vice president -- $232,200.50
Joseph Hebert -- (now retired) $216,451.20
Raymond Alexander -- senior vice president -- $215,732
Pro2Serve does technical and engineering work for the Department of Energy and NNSA.
NAVARRO RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING
Susana Navarro-Valenti -- president -- $546,689
Mark Valenti -- secretary and vice president -- $566,960.40
Navarro provides a broad range of support services, including environmenta and nuclear work, to DOE and NNSA. Navarro president Navarro-Valenti did not offer comment on the compensation figures.
Posted by Frank Munger on November 17, 2009 at 2:35 PM | 
Comments
All I can say is WOW! So my boss, Thom Mason, is my age and he makes that much? I'm all for rewarding achievement and hard work, etc., but this seems extreme. If this was my salary, I'd save $500,000 a year!
First of all, is it anyone's business how much anyone makes? Secondly, not only are these people being rewarded for their achievement and hard work but they are also under a tremendous amount of stress and spend extreme amounts of time away from their families. I say, "Congratulations!"
I'd say that whoever determines the compensation rates at Oak Ridge Associated Universities needs to step it up a little bit when you compare it to the rest. That is embarrassing for them.
These salaries are not out of line with similar positions in industry with associated levels of responsibility, liability, and stress. Those with lesser compensation in subordinate positions should endeavor to advance with the knowledge that they'll be rewarded accordingly.
It is the publics business what salaries are paid when a significant portion of that compensation derives from taxpayer funds.
"Those with lesser compensation in subordinate positions should endeavor to advance with the knowledge that they'll be rewarded accordingly."
So in other words, learn how to be a suck and start playing golf. There won't be another Jack Case anymore, This company won't hire you for anything higher than a foreman unless you have a college degree. Any college degree. One of the higher up positions was filled by someone with a psychology degree, how does that have anything to do with nuclear weapon manufacturing?
Senior Writer Frank Munger covers the Dept. of Energy's Oak Ridge facilities and many related topics — nuclear weapons, nuclear waste and other things nuclear, environmental cleanup and science of all sorts. Atomic City Underground is, first and foremost, a news blog, but there's room for analysis, opinion and random thoughts that have no place else to go. 
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