When Project Manager Adrienne Filley realized Construction Inclusion Week (CIW) was coming up, she saw a perfect opportunity to organize an event championing one of her favorite facets of community engagement: local workforce development.
On the final day of CIW, the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) Behavioral Health Services Center (SCVMC) team hosted a site tour for students at New Valley High School, a Santa Clara-based continuation school designed to feed Bay Area trade schools.
Although it was treated as a CIW activity, the significance of community engagement doesn’t end there. Whether visiting a local MC3 program, volunteering as an ACE Mentor, or hosting a job site tour, Webcorians’ involvement in local workforce development has never been more critical to the future of our industry.
“From a business standpoint, these site tours give us early exposure to the students who will one day join our workforce,” Adrienne says. “It’s a chance to build connections with promising young talent while inspiring kids who might not have otherwise considered careers in construction. Sharing rewarding, valuable opportunities with underserved populations is an endeavor that’s well worth our time.”
The day of the tour, Superintendent Justin Schmitt, Safety Manager Phil Nunez, and SCVMC BHSC trade partners kicked off the morning with doughnuts and discussion. They dove into it all: Potential construction career paths, the skills they’d need to succeed, and an overview of a typical day on the job before opening it up to questions.
“I loved hearing the wide range of interest in the students’ career choices,” Phil says. “I shared my experience as a union carpenter who eventually transitioned to the safety side, as well as my current responsibilities as a safety manager at SCVMC BHSC."
After the presentation, Assistant Superintendents Eileen Deasy and Evan To co-led a detailed tour of SCVMC BHSC before wrapping up the day with a group lunch. The goal was to introduce students to the various work activities and scale involved with building a structure from the ground-up in real time, Adrienne says.
“This type of exposure goes a long way in inspiring students to broaden their horizons,” she says. “They asked really great questions and shared insightful perspectives. It was so rewarding to see their smiles and excitement and hear the teachers’ positive feedback after the tour!”
Phil’s no stranger to leading these types of student-centered site tours. As someone deeply concerned about the industry’s labor shortage, he’s committed to educating the next generation about the many career paths construction has to offer.
“More and more experienced tradespeople are retiring, so it’s crucial that we excite and motivate young people to consider pursuing the trades,” he says. “Investing in the future starts with sharing our experiences and passion for this work. I’ve led four site tours with different affiliates that help guide students’ career development, and it’s always a gratifying experience.”
SCVMC BHSC’s site tour was also an important opportunity to expose New Valley HS’s female students to a construction team filled with women.
“It helped demonstrate that construction’s a field that will welcome and value them as contributors and leaders,” Adrienne says. “All the students learned that it takes many people, all working on different tasks, to deliver an entire structure.”
Webcor's Contra Costa County Administration Building project received an Honor Award in the Zero Waste and Circular Solutions category last month at US Green Building Council (USGBC) California’s Annual Green Gala in Hollywood.
Several Webcor representatives attended the December 11 ceremony held at the Taglyan Complex. Webcor Sr. Sustainability Director Sarah Rege, Sustainability Manager Kavita Karmarkar, Sr. BD Director Brooke Walbuck, and Sr. Project Planning VP Allison McCue joined our partners from Contra Costa County, Perkins&Will, Vanir, and All About Waste onstage to accept the recognition.
As the world's first Total Resource Use & Efficiency (TRUE) for Construction-certified public construction project, CCC ADR achieved a 95.07 percent diversion rate, meaning over 15,211 tons of project waste were reduced, reused, recycled, composted, and/or recovered for productive use in nature or the economy.
The California Green Building Award recognizes innovative efforts to advance zero-waste and circular economy principles in building design and construction. This honor highlights the Administration Building's groundbreaking achievements in sustainable material use, waste reduction, and environmental stewardship.
"Having built two TRUE-certified zero waste buildings, Webcor is in a solid position to win more work from clients who value this level of investment in developing the circular economy," Sarah says.
The Green Gala award is only the latest for the Contra Costa County Administration Building, which previously received TRUE certification for zero waste and achieved LEED Platinum certification, the U.S. Green Building Council's highest-level designation for sustainable design and energy efficiency. The project also received a plaque at the GreenBuild conference in Philadelphia in November, presented by Sarah Zaleski, USGBC's chief products officer.
The new administration building and plaza replaced an outdated office tower and a jail dating back to 1902. The facility is a modern hub for County departments, including the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, the Law Library, the Public Defender, and the County Sheriff's Civil Division.
Imagine trying to park a semi-truck in a single-car garage with just inches to spare on all sides. Now, you have some idea of the complexity involved in two successive crane picks at the UCSF Health Sciences Instruction & Research (HSIR) project.
The cranes needed to hoist dampers that, when installed, would improve the buildings' seismic ratings. The dampers were manufactured in Germany, tested in Italy, and returned to Germany before being shipped to the U.S. for installation.
The HSIR buildings are part of UCSF's Parnassus Heights complex, which is ringed by Medical Center Way, a vital road that must remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cranes could not be situated on the road, leaving few options for their placement, none of which were easy.
However, the buildings were still occupied during the picks, and deliveries came and went from the loading docks along Medical Center Way, all of which required careful scheduling and planning for alternative delivery routes and emergency egress from the building.
"We had so many flaggers," Yasser says, including some on a pedestrian bridge connecting buildings. Foot traffic had to stop when loads were flying above the bridge, effectively turning it into a temporary exclusion zone, along with other exclusion zones established throughout the site.
The team also had to coordinate with Parnassus Heights construction projects, including the Webcor joint venture at the Helen Diller Medical Center and some work managed by other general contractors.
The crane setup area was chosen for the first pick's crane location for the east building, a very tight space with open trenches leading to it. The trench plates covering them weren't sufficient to handle the crane's weight, leading the team to perform a structural analysis and request replacing some of the trench plates. The crane setup began at 1 a.m. to limit disruption as the crane made its way to the site, and around 15 trucks carried crane parts that had to be backed up along Medical Center Way.
The crane location for the second pick, for the west building, did require blocking a portion of Medical Center Way for the entire weekend, since the road was the only place for the crane. The team found a way to leave the loading docks operational (except when crane loads were flying overhead), so trucks could still make deliveries.
"It was very complex, but it all happened perfectly," Yasser says. "The owner was really happy. There were no complaints. This success was made possible by the incredible collaboration of our project team, including our Webcor, Maffei’s design team, UCSF’s logistics and real estate team, and the support from the HDH field team."
“I’m incredibly proud of how the team united to overcome obstacles, challenges, and scheduling issues to reach this milestone," says Sr. Project Manager Ryan Miller. "A lot of team members have dedicated years to this project, and their meticulous planning has driven exceptional execution.
"This is what I love about this industry—witnessing a team persevere and succeed together.," Ryan says. "Special thanks to our co-leader, Michael Spillane, whose understated yet methodical leadership has been instrumental in resolving key issues and achieving this success. We wouldn’t be here without him!”
