When Webcor and JV partner MWH took on the San Francisco Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP), the contract came with a commitment to the Hunter’s Point-Bayview community, one that maps directly to Webcor's Community core value.
- What the BDFP team delivered for 100% College Prep, a Bayview-based nonprofit, went well beyond meeting a target.
- Over five to six months, a coalition of Webcorians and local trade partners transformed a neglected backyard into a fully equipped outdoor amphitheater, entirely at no cost to the client.
How It Started
- 100% College Prep is one of Webcor's community-based organization (CBO) partners in Bayview, alongside groups like Mission Hiring Hall, Success Centers, and YCB.
- The opportunity came through Webcor VP Ryan Fischer, who connected with 100% College Prep staff before departing the Bay Area for the Los Angeles Convention Center project.
- As Safety Manager Kendall Cantave recalls, the nonprofit "wanted support to revamp their yard and create a space for outdoor events. That's how the amphitheater came about."
Building Without a Blueprint
One of the project's defining challenges: there were no plans or blueprints.
- Along with Kendall and Tyrone, Webcor Concrete Construction Manager Ivan Ramos and Sr. Superintendent Stuart Chapman took a site walk to strategize how to build the amphitheater in existing conditions, marking what the client wanted removed, sketching the design, and determining the concrete profile on the spot.
From there, the work moved through a coordinated sequence of donated labor and materials.
What They Built
The finished amphitheater serves the Bayview community as a space for cultural events, community committee meetings, and trainings—and, above all, for the students 100% College Prep supports.
- The nonprofit sponsors first-generation college students through scholarships and mentorship.
- As Tyrone put it, the space means students in the afternoon program "can participate in the performing arts in a clean and safe outdoor environment."
The amphitheater comes equipped with a sound system and microphones, ready for everything from performances to award ceremonies.
Challenges Along the Way
The team worked under a real deadline: the space had to be ready for an award ceremony honoring the program's founders and a board member who had passed away. On the day of the event, the community planted a lemon tree in one of the planter boxes the team had built.
Weather added another layer of difficulty. As Tyrone noted, "We performed this volunteer during the rainy winter season while fulfilling all our obligations to the Biosolids project." The team was balancing a live construction project with a volunteer effort squeezed into the winter months.
There was also a memorial to protect.
- One tree in the yard honored one of the program's founders, and the crew took care not to damage the tree or the memorial stone on the ground during construction.
Recognition Beyond the Client
When SFPUC learned what the BDFP team was doing, the response was enthusiastic. Carolyn Chiu from SFPUC asked for progress updates, and when the team mentioned that 100% College Prep planned to present them with an award, she asked for photos to share with the SFPUC Board.
Why It Mattered
The bottom line: For Kendall, the project was personal.
- He enrolled his own son — now a med student at UC Davis — in a college prep program during high school, and he sees the same value in what 100% College Prep offers Bayview's youth.
- The difference, he notes, is resources: "100 College Prep doesn't have the luck or luxury of being sponsored by Microsoft, so they need help like ours to keep the project running."
He sees the nonprofit’s hyper-local roots as its strength. "A lot of kids in this community have potential, but they either get lost or left out because there's no guidance.
- They're first-gen college students; we have to support them."
The amphitheater project fulfilled a portion of BDFP's committed community volunteer hours—but as the team's work makes clear, it delivered something well beyond the contract.
- As Kendall summed it up: "Every community volunteer event helps the project. This was a great opportunity for us to fulfill those hours. As experienced builders, we use our expertise to visually map out the design and execution means and methods," says Kendall. "They receive top-notch quality and workmanship as we leave behind our legacy and commitment that will be talked about for generations to come."
- 100% College Prep presented MWH-Webcor and Webcor Craft with an award during the Memorial Day Weekend grand opening of the Amphitheater.
