4 a.m. wake-up calls, 12-hour (or more) physically demanding work days, and no complaints. It's an exceptionally taxing lifestyle requiring a truly tireless work ethic that Webcor Craft field professionals know all too well and office employees usually cannot begin to fathom.

Enter New Engineers Will Build (better known as NEWB), an internal Webcor boot camp that's known to completely redefine each participant's idea of a hard day's work. NEWB has pulled Webcor project engineers (PEs) and assistant project managers (APMs) from the safe confines of the office and thrown them into a five-day crash course in all things Webcor Craft since its launch in 2017. Each year, NEWB continues to evolve as leaders incorporate lessons learned from previous NEWB camps and work to improve the next NEWB class's experience.

"Every NEWB leader has put their own spin on things while still holding true to the Webcor Craft experience and Webcor's core values," says Sr. Project Engineer Miranda Nowlen, who led this year's NEWB class, aka the NEWB Theta class. "It's always great to see the NEWBs develop a connection with the foremen in the field, as this is essential to working with trade partners, and to learn from their expertise. It's even better to see the teams develop and bond throughout the week. On day one, they're thrown into circumstances most have never been in before, like waking up for a 5:30 a.m. start time and performing challenging manual labor with people they just met. By the middle of the week, the teams usually begin to find their groove-they've learned how to communicate with one another and understand the next steps required to complete the day's main task. You can see each one of them smiling from ear to ear, taking photos, and rooting on their teammates. They "graduate' from NEWB with a sense of pride in what they've accomplished and a desire to build more.

"Although it's primarily targeted to office PEs and APMs, I highly encourage all Webcor employees to participate in NEWB on some level if given the chance-it's a learning and bonding experience like no other. I'm so grateful that Webcor continues to offer this program year after year."

In 2019, NEWB's host site transitioned from the Webcor Equipment yard to an active project site that changed each year. Past host projects include UC Merced 2020, Bay Meadows Stations 1 & 5, and SFPUC Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP). This year, NEWB was hosted at Genesis Marina in Brisbane, a few miles south of Webcor's King Street office in San Francisco. Each day was dedicated to a different side of Webcor Craft: concrete (layout, form, and pour), framing (layout, framing including rough opening, backing, and setting welded frames), drywall (hanging sheetrock), carpentry (grab bar, fire extinguisher cabinet, swing door, door hardware, wood paneling, baseboard), and drywall finishing (tape and mud).

"Familiarizing myself with working on an actual job site was extremely valuable," says Project Engineer Tiffany Vuong. "I have a newfound respect and appreciation for our self-perform groups and trade partners out in the field. Each day posed new challenges-understanding the drawings and specs, having a plan of attack at the beginning of each day, delegating tasks, finding ways to be more efficient, running into instances of rework, seeing how each deviation is affected at every step of the project, etc. I know this experience barely scratches the surface, but it gave me a better understanding and perspective of some of the frustrations and issues our subs deal with day in and day out."

Throughout the week, participants ran into near-constant surprises about life in the field, many of which were related to strategy, efficiency, and the weighty consequences of seemingly trivial mistakes on the job.

"The reality is that even when following a good plan, when you're trying to work quickly in such a small space with so many people, anyone can easily make a mistake," says Project Engineer Sandra Padilla. "It's easy to solely focus on your individual tasks and forget to confirm whether your actions will align correctly with the next step of the building process. For instance, if your walls are not plumb (perfectly vertical) when you install the door frame, you will not be able to do it-you'll be left with work to undo/fix before the frame and door can be installed. Essentially, you lose hours, perhaps even days, of work."

Webcor Craft workers dropped in throughout the week to give demonstrations and enlighten the group of novice PEs and APMs with their expert insights on the most effective ways to deliver work in the field, leaving NEWB participants inspired to tackle their projects with Craft workers' shared perspectives fresh in their minds.

"The tips and tricks that the Craft members/demonstrators use in the field every day were surprising and extremely beneficial," says Project Engineer Lia Milam. "As new builders, we hadn't immediately thought of the most efficient ways to approach certain things in the field. Creating a work plan as a team of new builders was definitely the biggest challenge-we were given a set of plans and an agenda for the day, but it was up to us to strategize the most productive way to conquer it."

"The immeasurable difference between the self-perform foremen's skill level and the NEWB cohort's was completely and utterly expected, yet surprising at the same time," Tiffany shares. "Seeing the demonstrations and explanations happen in minutes while our teams took the rest of the day to complete similar work was humbling to say the least. Still, seeing our final structure on the last day was an extremely rewarding moment. I was proud of what we created and accomplished as a team, and seeing the structure's progression each day was a really cool experience. Although it might have looked simple, it took a great deal of effort, coordination, and time to deliver."

It's a feeling Sr. Project Engineer James Bicamumpaka says he also shared with his NEWB team members, all of whom sunk several long, exhausting hours into bringing their "tiny home" structure to life. Shortly after they'd finished taping and stepped back to admire the work they'd delivered over the last five days, however, they were in for a surprise.

"The carpenter who had taught us how to mud and tape mentioned he had another tutorial for us," James says. "Everyone gathered around him as he approached our tiny home for the demonstration. He then swung his hammer into our south wall with all his might, leaving behind a huge hole in the wall. Although I was agitated in the moment upon seeing what he'd done to our product of several manhours, it quickly turned into my favorite memory of the entire week. He went on to teach us how to do a California drywall patch, which was incredible to see and more or less restored our wall to its pre-smashed state!"

At the end of the week, NEWB participants left the experience with countless valuable lessons, many of which certainly weren't limited to the field. Aside from an appreciation for the manual labor required to physically build a structure and a deeper understanding of the frustrations often faced in the field such as logistics, last-minute changes, and incomplete drawings, they also developed a sense of pride in what they were able to accomplish as a collaborative team, Miranda shares.

"Every year, NEWB participants grow more bold and comfortable with asking questions when needed while remaining humble enough to learn from those who are on the way to mastering their craft," she continues. "They learn to use their resources, including one another; often, PEs on separate projects are dealing with similar problems, but one has determined a solution that the other hasn't thought of. It's encouraging to know you're part of a community of people who most likely have been in your shoes and are willing to help."

"NEWB is an incredible experience filled with plenty of hard work," says Project Engineer Enio Pepe. "Understanding what goes into performing tasks we normally coordinate and the enormity of those efforts helps you become a better PE. Don't miss out on it! Ask your manager about getting involved with the next NEWB class. Once you're there, prioritize going out with your fellow NEWB attendees. You'll be exhausted from the day's work, but connecting with one another outside the work environment will be more than worth it."

Sunday, March 5 kicked off the first day of 2023's Women in Construction Week--a week dedicated to celebrating women as indispensable members of the construction industry. Monday through Friday, we'll be highlighting the experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of five outstanding women from various Webcor teams.

When you talk to Field Administration Manager Jan Yi about her personal and professional background, it doesn't take long to notice that her most significant life choices have consistently been driven by a desire to support those around her-from her family to her community to her colleagues.

Upon her high school graduation, Jan made the selfless decision to put her college plans on hold so she could support the family businesses, which her parents had launched after immigrating to the United States (without any knowledge of English) before she was born. After several years spent working as the businesses' accountant/auditor/bookkeeper while her brother pursued his degree at UC Berkeley, she transitioned to the role of stay-at-home-mom for 15 years to support her own growing family. When she returned to the workforce in 2011, she jumped at the opportunity to oversee a six-year beautification and modernization bond program designed to enrich the learning experience of students within San Jose's Berryessa Union School District.

"The bond program created flexible learning spaces, much-needed site improvements, and safer campuses throughout the district's 13 schools," Jan says. "Directly supporting the students by working with the bond oversight committee and community members on the construction has been the highlight of my career."

It's no wonder Jan's thrived in her current role as field administration manager, a career pivot that catapulted her into an entirely new world while positioning her to continue doing what she does best: support others in doing their best work.

"That first year at Webcor, I could not wait for Monday to come around so I could return to the job site," she says. "Seven years later, I still look forward to the start of a new work week. Being part of this company in a role that allows me to support employee growth and improve lives is incredibly rewarding."

It's a unique role that demands a tireless commitment to championing the success of team members across all Webcor projects and ensuring the work and services they provide Webcor's internal teams, external stakeholders, and trade partners align with the company's core values. Ultimately, she's responsible for supporting the company as a whole and understanding how company processes and procedures impact project teams and day-to-day operations.

"Construction's rapid pace and focus on problem-solving has always drawn me to the industry," she says. "Working with architects, engineers, various trade partners, and developers to build landmarks in major California cities is pretty amazing-and what better company to work with than Webcor, which has proven to prioritize their people first? The overall company ethos, projects, and people are incredible. Supporting our amazing project coordinators/assistants and project teams is the best part of this job-guiding, learning, and improving processes together."

Like most gratifying but time-consuming careers, however, Jan's has come with challenges-notably, balancing the demands of her role with those of life outside the project site.

"It's taken some time, but I've learned to find balance," she says. "I experienced some health challenges recently that reminded me how vulnerable we can be. We need to learn to be kind to ourselves and others and seek balance in life, work, and family."

In the spirit of finding balance, Jan's prioritized the pursuit of a long-held personal and professional goal. This fall, she'll be returning to school to finish the BA program she'd put on the back burner years earlier to support her family. "I look forward to fulfilling those final 55 units!"

Sunday, March 5 kicked off the first day of 2023's Women in Construction Week--a week dedicated to celebrating women as indispensable members of the construction industry. Monday through Friday, we'll be highlighting the experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of five outstanding women from various Webcor teams.

When Regional Safety Manager Clara de Lara joined Webcor nearly a decade ago, she wasn't sure what she was getting herself into-just that she needed to work after being laid off by her former employer. She'd discovered Webcor, where one of her friends happened to work at the time, months earlier while researching jobs online and decided to apply for the open project assistant (now referred to as a project coordinator) position as her friend's referral. On March 22, 2014, Clara began her first day with Webcor Concrete in the Bay Area.

Over the last nine years, Clara's grown from a construction novice in a project support role to a highly knowledgeable safety leader managing safety initiatives and processes on one of our largest, most complex projects-UCSF New Hospital Parnassus Heights (NHPH)-and UCSF HSIR Seismic.

"I love the opportunity my role in Safety provides to not only build relationships with our office and field staff, but bridge the gap between the two," Clara says. "I love being able to work with both sides of the team and earn their trust to perform my job effectively."

Clara's transition to the Safety world began about a year after she'd joined Webcor. She decided to take advantage of a unique opportunity to move to LA for a new project-a move that would be a major turning point in her career. Upon her arrival to her new project site, she was assigned to a shared office with Sr. Safety Manager Mike Hernandez, who took her on a site tour while explaining his roles and responsibilities on the project as a safety leader. It was her first exposure to a career path in construction she'd never before considered. Immediately, she was intrigued.

Clara wasted no time demonstrating her passion and initiative for transitioning to Safety-she asked all the questions she could, enrolled in classes, and earned relevant certifications, determined to prove to Vice President Jack Harrington (her director at the time) that she'd found her niche. Sure enough, Jack agreed to work with her on mapping out a transition plan, and she was transferred to Safety shortly afterward.

While Clara was thrilled to know her efforts had paid off, she knew she'd continue to face certain challenges inherent with being a woman in construction, regardless of switching departments.

"Constantly having to prove myself in this industry has always been a challenge," she says. "I learned early on that people were treating me differently-maybe because I'm a woman, maybe because I lacked a background in the trades, maybe because I haven't been in the construction industry long enough… I really don't have the answer. However, I've learned to take the challenges at face value and simply allow my performance to speak for itself. You can't please everyone; someone will always have something to say. If someone has a critique to share, you just have to take it into consideration and move on. I've learned to combat any self-doubt fueled by others' criticism by trusting in my skills and developing expertise."

That expertise has grown substantially since joining the Safety team in 2015. In addition to her rapid career growth within the department over the last eight years, Clara has earned a Construction Health and Safety Technician certificate (CHST) and expects to graduate with her master's in environmental health and safety in June. After that, she plans to work toward her Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certificate. She's made exemplary progress, but her proudest accomplishment is the genuine confidence she's built after years spent shadowed by uncertainty.

"Overcoming the initial insecurities that emerged after transitioning to the Safety department was no easy feat," Clara says. "I was timid and unsure of what lay ahead. However, I decided to treat it as if I were starting a whole new career… which I technically was. With the experience and knowledge that I've acquired over the years, I've developed an unwavering level of self-confidence regarding my role and tackle challenges by utilizing all my available resources and communicating with my team."

Her teammates and colleagues have continued to be one of the most rewarding parts of her Webcor experience-especially the women, including those she's met at external industry events.

"I've shared countless insightful conversations with women in construction regarding their career paths and the slow but steady changes they're seeing in the industry for "us,'" Clara says. "They always point out that "we' can do this, as women in a male-dominated industry."

That message was powerfully delivered in the "Dream Crazier" Nike video played during last year's Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference, she shares. The video, narrated by tennis champion Serena Williams, features several highly accomplished female athletes and coaches breaking barriers in sports-another world commanded by men.

"Since the conference, I've saved this video and find myself watching when I need some extra motivation," she says. "The message applies not just to female athletes, but to anyone who's faced the challenge of breaking barriers in their industry."