AGCW Northern District Report: $100K donation to Rotary Club project | Jeff Gray appointed to AGCA committee | "Women in Construction" Week

Louie and Tamara Palmer of PowerTek Electric donate to Rotary’s Dock For Kids project

Louie and Tamara Palmer of Whatcom County’s PowerTek Electric have made a generous donation of $100,000 to the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club for their Docks For Kids project.
The donation will cover the cost of construction and installation cost to bring swim docks back to the swimming area at Bloedel Donovan Park. The docks were removed 15 years ago due to city budget cuts. Currently, kids jump from the bridge off a very busy street which runs on the edge of the park which is both prohibited and very dangerous. This project will provide a safe place to dive and swim at the popular swimming destination for Bellingham kids and families.
In talking with Spencer Palmer, president of PowerTek, he recalls that he and his father, Louie, both spent a lot of time in their respective youths at Bloedel Donovan on the swimming docks during the summer months diving and swimming. It’s because of these fond memories of the both generations of Palmers that they felt it was important to make a meaningful donation to the community by supporting this project. Spencer shared his thoughts on this community project. "It’s important to have quality and accessible recreational areas for youth in our community. This project also improves safety around the swimming area at the park in that this will provide a great alternative for kids to dive into the water as opposed to jumping off the bridge with a lot of traffic along Electric Street. I don’t recall seeing kids jumping from the bridge when we had the swimming docks in use."
The Bellingham Bay Rotary Club is working with the City of Bellingham, Bellingham Marine Inc. and Anchor QEA on all aspects to hopefully have the swimming docks installed for use late summer of 2020. For more information on the Docks For Kids project, click here.

Jeff Gray appointed to AGCA's
Lean-Construction steering committee

Jeff Gray, president for Bellingham's SixSigmaTV.net, was recently appointed to serve a two-year term on AGC of America’s Lean Construction steering committee. AGC’s Lean-Construction Forum is focused on growing the implementation of lean practices in the construction industry by providing educational opportunities and developing a community where anyone with an interest in lean construction can come together to engage in a dialog on best practices, share information and participate in a broad, coordinated effort to promote and define the use of lean concepts and processes within the construction industry.
Gray, a certified Lean SixSigma Master Black Belt, leads SixSigmaTV.net assisting construction firms and other industries by providing high-impact, low-cost solutions on a scalable basis, allowing for rapid results and a legacy of continuous improvement within any industry or organization.

Women making big strides in construction
From the days of Rosie the Riveter to today’s image of powerful female leadership on construction sites, things have changed for the better for women looking to break into the building industry. And each year in early March, National Women in Construction Week is celebrated, reminding us of the critical role that women play in the construction industry in Washington and beyond. At AGC of Washington, we are proud of the women who are part of our association and who serve in leadership roles at construction firms throughout our region.
We also stand in appreciation of organizations such as the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), which promotes career development, networking and mentorship among women in our industry. NAWIC has been in operation for more than half a century, and its mission has never wavered since 16 women founded the group in 1953. Read more…

Annual CMAA conference coming to Lynnwood

AGC of Washington is a co-sponsor of the Construction Management Association of America Pacific Northwest Chapter's 2020 Annual Construction Conference, coming up on March 20 at the Lynnwood Convention Center.

This event is for construction managers, engineers, contractors, owners, designers and providers. The event runs from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.and includes full breakfast and lunch, keynote speaker and break-out sessions throughout the day. Topics include agency updates, contracting methods, emerging technology, new construction trends and much more. CMAA is sponsoring a limited number of student tickets available at $20.00 each. Click here for more event information and registration.

AGC supports WIC Week with NAWIC Puget Sound
AGC of Washington is proud to support NAWIC Puget Sound’s celebration of national Women in Construction Week, March 1-7. Since 1953, the women of NAWIC have provided opportunities for professional development, education and advocacy for our community. Join in some of these fun festivities each day of WIC week by registering online.
Northern District event:
Wednesday, March 4 – North Sound ELEVATE! Happy Hour, Mount Vernon Join NAWIC Puget Sound on Wednesday, March 4 at Bertelson Winery in Mount Vernon for a happy hour and presentation by Kathryn Emtman. Registration includes heavy appetizers and two drink tickets. Register here.
Other Puget Sound events celebrating Women In Construction:
Sunday, March 1 – Hot Chocolate Race, Seattle
Monday, March 2 – AGC of Washington WIC Week luncheon, Seattle
Tuesday, March 3 – The ABCs of Construction dinner, Fife
Wednesday, March 4 – North Sound ELEVATE! Happy Hour, Mount Vernon
Thursday, March 5 – Working Womxn in Construction UNITE!, Seattle
Friday, March 6 – Volunteer day with Sawhorse Revolution, Seattle

Jobsites' most universal hazard: personal cellphones
From Construction Dive - The use of mobile phones for wireless streaming of music, podcasts or other entertainment is everywhere. Walk down any street in the country and you’ll often see more people wearing headphones than not. Some of these listening devices even come equipped with sound-canceling features that completely block off noises from the outside world.
The growing use of headphones, especially among young Americans, has left some construction companies scrambling to formulate policies for their use on the jobsite.
At orientations and safety meetings on Miller & Long Concrete Construction jobsites in the Washington, D.C. area, managers let employees know that earpods and headphones are not acceptable, said Frank Trujillo, vice president of the Bethesda, Maryland-based contracting company. "It's a never-ending battle," he said, because the use of listening devices is so prevalent that sometimes workers don’t even realize they have them in their ears when they enter the site. Read more...