Webcor Concrete completed a second pour at the UC Berkeley Switch Station #8 using the experimental Fortera concrete.

Fortera is one of the companies working to replace carbon-intensive Portland Cement in concrete. The mix design for the latest pour included 44 percent Portland Cement, 12 percent ReAct—the replacement material—and 44 percent slag. The concrete was used for two building entrances, a staircase, and an outdoor recycling receptacle area.

Concrete Director Eric Peterson was pleased with the result of the May 9 pour. "The fresh-state properties of the concrete demonstrated impressive workability, were easy to both place and finish, and performed well," he said. "It looks excellent in its hardened, finished state, too, with a very light albedo (reflected by the surface)."

Webcor worked with Central Concrete/@Vulcan Materials Company on the pour at the power plant. Built in 1904, the structure has seen multiple uses; it is now destined to become a substation helping UC Berkeley generate green electricity by 2030.

When the San Francisco Zoo’s carnivore team dreamed of giving its two grizzly bears a richer, more natural habitat, Webcor answered the call. Working alongside one of her high-school best friends – previous carnivore curator and now a volunteer in the carnivore program -- Webcor Carpentry Senior Project Manager Marissa Chin rallied a familiar crew from the company's recent rhino-habitat job to design and build a sprawling, climb-ready platform that doubles as a cozy den.

The assignment:

Create something bigger than the black-bear structures at the SF Zoo that could withstand 5000 pounds, have a teepee-like profile to allow enrichment attachments, and absolute assurance the bears couldn’t dislodge logs and use them to scale a fence.

After an August walk-through to nail down the safest location, the team fast-tracked the design to meet a hard deadline of October 15th for final completion due to bears going into torpor. Project Director Wayne Campbell partnered with structural engineer Maureen Joyce, principal at Ryan Joyce Structural Design (who donated her time).

By late September, the team had drawings in hand. Webcor Concrete poured a subterranean "tub" that locks steel posts in place yet lets the bears dig to suit their instincts without jeopardizing the structure. Two weeks later, Webcor Carpentry wrapped those posts in natural timber and laced hefty logs across the frame, completing work before the grizzlies emerged from their winter torpor.

The project wasn’t without drama. An eleventh-hour change meant Senior Superintendents Maria Osuna (Field) and Erik Roggeveen (Carpentry) re-worked bucket-support details over a single weekend, with Concrete Construction Manager Ivan Ramos, Project Engineer Parker Jones, and Concrete Project Manager Riley Jones pitching in.

On April 18, with the bears fully awake, the crew returned to watch the pair explore their new playground.

“Seeing them clamber up something we built, just for the fun of it -- that’s the payoff,” Marissa says.

Join us in congratulating everyone who turned a curator’s wish into an enrichment centerpiece that showcases Webcor craft, innovation, and community spirit.

Last month, our SoCal project accountants and project coordinators (PAs and PCs) used their annual volunteer hours to support GrowGood, an LA-based nonprofit that provides food, transitional employment, job training, and mindfulness-based ecotherapy to those experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

Located next to the Salvation Army’s Bell Shelter in Southeast LA, GrowGood operates a 1.5-acre urban regenerative farm featuring vegetable crops, orchard fruit trees, an herb and healing garden, a commercial greenhouse, and community gathering spaces for those in need.

“This was a great opportunity to step outside our regular work routine and give back while representing Webcor’s core values,” says Field Administration Manager Judy Gomez Movsessian. “I also appreciated the chance to strengthen bonds with my fellow SoCal PAs/PCs through community service.”

During their shift, participating SoCal PA/PCs joined GrowGood’s staff and community members in pulling weeds and feeding chickens.

“Getting our hands in the soil was extremely fulfilling,” says Sr. Project Coordinator Julia Gray, who organized the event. “It was wonderful to play a role in nurturing the growth and development of the farm’s fruit trees. My personal highlight was the tour of the greenhouse, where we marveled at the advanced engineering.”

Volunteers learned about the gardening process directly from GrowGood’s rehabilitated staff members, who then shared personal stories about the nonprofit’s transformative impact on their lives.

“Gaining hands-on knowledge from individuals who are not only rebuilding their lives but contributing meaningfully to their community was inspiring,” Judy says. “Their stories added a deeper level of connection and purpose to the experience.”