ABC Guide Addresses How Diversity Increases Your Bottom Line
ABC/WW Hits the Airwaves
BC Cares: ABC Green Council Cleans Up Kent Park for Earth Day
ABC Cares: Call for Volunteers - Tijuana Bound!
ABC recently announced the release of its newly enhanced Employer Guide for Diversity and Inclusion, which provides guidance, direction, information and reference materials for members companies that are initiating or looking to improve a diversity program.
The Employer Guide is free to all ABC members and will help employers to overcome the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities associated with having a diverse workforce.
In addition, the guide will provide information on how creating diverse teams will lead to success in market development, business management, company performance, risk management and business image and how to use a diverse workforce as a competitive advantage.
“Focusing on building a diverse workforce, including subcontractors and suppliers, is the right thing to do to help our businesses grow and, increasingly, something that construction owners expect from those they hire,” said Tim Steigerwald, vice president of Messer Construction, Co., Indianapolis, and a member of ABC’s Diversity Committee. “ABC’s Diversity Committee is proud to offer the Diversity Guide as another tool to help chapters and members build their diversity programs and get ahead in the industry.”
For more information or to request a guide, contact Jen Huber at ABC, huber@abc.org, or visit www.abc.org/DiversityGuide.
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In the past month Immediate Past Chair Grant Larsen (Express Construction Co., Inc.) has been on TV twice, once on TVW commenting on the potential negative impact of increased state taxes and again on local news as the contractor chosen to repair the damaged façade of the Icon Grill in downtown Seattle. Grant was especially qualified to discuss the impact of taxes since he is both a general contractor and a CPA. You can watch the episode of TVW's Impact here (Grant's segment is 22 minutes into the broadcast). In addition, KOMO TV came to the ABC office to interview chapter President Kathleen Garrity about the effect of health care on the construction industry. Her interview never made the TV news, likely because of the bigger story on the dispute between Gov. Gregoire and Atty. General McKenna over filing a lawsuit against the federal government concerning the passing of the health care act. However, her comments did make the KOMO radio news broadcasts.
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ABC helped celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day by participating in a park enhancement project presented by the ABC Green Council in conjunction with the City of Kent. The Uplands Playfields (valley section) is a heavily used ballpark and recreation area in Kent that sits at the intersection of W. Smith Street and the Interurban Trail. The council wanted to get involved with a project that would be beneficial to helping bicycle commuters and a community park. The scope of the project included taking a vacant corner piece of the ballpark and landscaping the area with drought tolerant plants, one-man rock and fencing, trimming back blackberry tendrils along a stretch of the Interurban Trail, removing graffiti from the skate park and repairing the park kiosk.
Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. Founded April 22, 1970, by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, originally held as a national environmental teach-in to be observed by university campuses in the U.S. Gaylord Nelson was an environmental activist who was hoping to gain political support for an environmental agenda. His idea to hold the teach-in was stemmed from outrage by the devastation of an oil spill that occurred off the coast of California in 1969. Fast forward 40 years, Earth Day is now celebrated not only in the United States, but now is celebrated internationally in virtually every country on Earth. We would like to thank ABC members Marlea’s Flaggers, Saybr Contractors, Inc., DCI Engineers, and the Kent McLendon Hardware Store for donating. We were able to offset three-quarters of the cost of the project with the funds raised. We would also like to thank the ABC volunteers who were able to come out and help with the project: Steve Lidicker (DCI Engineers), Brian Pahlow (Nuprecon, LP), Steve Blair and Peter Salama (NW Wind & Solar A Division of S.M.E., Inc. of Seattle), Connie Krebs and Jody Runge (RESTORx DKI), Scott Rhodes (Rhodes Architecture), Amanda Grindle and Serenity Harper (Saybr Contractors, Inc.), Mark Barnett, Harvey Hink, Joshua Rogers and Marcus Sagapoln (Synergy Construction) and Bill Malowney (Technocom). Without the help of these members and companies this project would not have been possible. A great reward from the project came when an active neighbor right across the street from the project contacted the supervising City of Kent maintenance superintendent and promptly asked what was happening to the park. He explained that ABC was here to improve the look of the park that sat right in view of his front yard and that he would like the improvements. Sure enough, once the project was completed he was thrilled to see landscaping and appreciated the effort to help enhance the look of the area.
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AFTER
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Blaise Goudy with
Goudy Construction is putting together a group headed to Tijuana to build a home July 25th through 31st. The homes are built using CMU walls with a concrete slab and concrete roof. They are going through
Esperanza International, which partners with the community as they build each home. During the time they are there, volunteers also make side trips to shelters, feed the homeless, and get a better understanding of life on the other side of the border. The trip cost including airfare is about $900 per person.
If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Blaise Goudy at (425) 455-1255.
If your company does community service projects and would like to share your experience with your fellow ABC members, please email your story
to Victoria Klyce. |
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