LA's homelessness crisis-a harrowing consequence of unresolved societal issues ranging from systemic racism to insufficient access to effective mental health services to the economic aftermath of COVID-19-has been well-documented and widely discussed for decades. Last year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) determined that 69,133 people were experiencing homelessness countywide, about 70 percent of which were unsheltered.

As part of our mission to Build Solutions and Better Lives, LA Webcorians came together to assemble and donate hygiene packs to the Weingart Center, a nonprofit dedicated to "delivering innovative solutions to break the cycle of homelessness." The Weingart Center would later distribute the kits to those living on LA's Skid Row (also known as Central City East), where the homeless population is estimated to fall between 8,000-11,000.

"As a Los Angelena, I get to live and work in one of the most vibrant cities in America, which also has one of the largest homeless populations in the country," says Project Director Cicely Rice. "It's hard not to be affected by the juxtaposition of our gleaming luxury high-rise buildings with homeless encampments mere blocks away."

As a born-and-bred LA resident, Project Manager Cody Curran says he's also all too familiar with the city's "highs and lows" and was eager to give back to his beloved hometown by joining the hygiene pack assembly effort.

"It's hard to find the answer to the homelessness crisis, but helping cover basic human necessities for someone in need is important regardless of how they fell into their circumstances," he says. "We take so many things for granted, whether it's a pair of socks or a toothbrush, that can significantly change the life of someone less fortunate."

This year's event marked Webcor's fourth time partnering with the Weingart Center to distribute the hygiene packs, the cost of which Webcor's Community Engagement Committee enthusiastically approved as a 1:1:1 corporate donation. With upbeat music playing in the background and laughter filling the room, the group of nearly 25 Webcorians poured their energy into folding shirts and socks, organizing supplies, and carefully packaging all the components together until they'd assembled all 550 kits. Each kit included a shirt, socks, deodorant, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, and soap.

"It was amazing that we were able to make such a substantial impact in the short period of time we had together," Cicely says. "The shelters really appreciate these packs of bare essentials, which most of us take for granted. I wish we'd had more supplies."

"Other companies may claim "community' as a core value, but seeing Webcorians from executive vice presidents to project engineers participate and practice this shared value proved we put our money where our mouth is," Cody adds. "It was pretty incredible to witness. Although it obviously wasn't a permanent solution to the issue of homelessness, what we accomplished together will truly make a difference and help the community around us, so big kudos to the team and to everyone involved in putting this together."

Participating Webcorians included: Executive Assistant Agueda Zarate, who spearheaded the event and pitched it to the Community Engagement Committee for cost approval; Cicely; Cody; Sr. Project Manager Goitia; Project Director Aaron Case; Sr. Estimator Thomas Murray; Project Director, Design Franco Marinaro; Assistant Project Manager Josel Lagadia; Proposal Manager Nicole Grounds; Field Administration Manager Judy Gomez; Assistant Project Manager Gaurav Hegde; VDC Director Liem Tran; Sr. Manager, L&D Ken Flamer; Sr. Safety Manager Brian Winger; Project Coordinator Diana Serrano; Dept. Manager, Estimating/Outreach Rosa Arevalo; Assistant Project Manager Aditya Shah; Sr. Support Engineer Cynthia Sanchez; Assistant VDC Manager Annie Eismeier; Sr. Project Manager Graciela Santillan; Chief Estimator Sam Khatibi; EVP, Builders Jit Pahilajani; and Sr. VP, Project Planning Allison McCue.

"I'd like to thank the SoCal Volunteer group (Agueda) for organizing a fun way for us to get together and give back to the community," Sr. Manager, L&D Ken Flamer says. "Community events are such a great way to spend time with other Webcorians. Homelessness is a real problem, and it's great to know our efforts went toward helping those who need it most."

It was an absolute pleasure to tune into The Construction Hall of Fame podcast featuring guest Cecilia Kucharski, vice president and Operations leader for the San Diego market.

Cecilia's career-spanning dialogue with Podcast host Matt Gorgolinski (of Big League Talent Co.) touched on several things that have meaningfully contributed to Cecilia's growth and success in the construction industry. She talks about the value of internships, strategic mentorship, mission-based teams, upskilling, continuous improvement, and much more.

If you're seeking the perspective of a seasoned construction leader who has worked in nearly every aspect of the business, this is a gem of an episode! Give it a listen here or stream wherever you get your podcasts.

Webcor's greatest asset has long been its people-talented, passionate, ambitious construction professionals driven to disrupt the AEC industry with fresh, innovative solutions. From the field to the project trailer to the main regional offices, Webcor employs carefully selected individuals who embrace the company's core values and commit themselves to Webcor's purpose: building solutions and bettering lives.

When tasked with recruiting the type of people whose talents and experience align with a company as selective as Webcor, it all starts with knowing where to discover them. For the last 15+ years, Webcor has sponsored the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) problem statement at the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Regions 6 & 7 Student Competition, a major event that draws about 1,300 students pursuing construction-related degrees from colleges throughout the Rocky Mountain Region (Region 6) and Far West Region (Region 7) each year.

"Targeted industry events such as the annual ASC competition are excellent sources of the type of talent we seek," says Director, Talent Gina Glasco. "Every year, we identify and recruit outstanding engineering students for summer internships or project engineer roles. It's also a great opportunity to spend time with recruits who recently accepted a job offer or are considering a postgrad offer from Webcor. Our recruiters are able to connect with the students one-on-one and foster valuable relationships."

Each year, the Webcor judges dedicate about six months to creating and finalizing the problem statement presented to the student teams. This year's judging panel included VDC Director Jocelyn Mezofenyi, Assistant Project Manager Marina Rosso, Assistant Project Manager Rachel Johnson, Sr. Preconstruction Director Ryan Hoff, Project Engineer Mac Hammit, and Assistant Project Manager Karen Turcios. As always, the problem statement's development was based on a current Webcor project under construction.

The entire statement consisted of nine "small" problems inspired by actual challenges the project team faced during construction that the students could realistically solve over the 12-hour working period, explains Project Director Blair Hinojosa. Participating student teams were tasked with correctly solving the nine presented problems, which tested their knowledge on trade coordination, field logistics, cost estimating, and scheduling, while demonstrating their ability to think critically, apply VDC skills, and clearly present their solutions to the judging panel.

"Students get a real-life understanding of the challenges we face on real projects," Blair says. "With the problem being focused on VDC skills, it always pushes them to leverage VDC and technology tools to not only more efficiently solve the presented problem but be nimble and react to mid-problem statement curve balls.

"Each year, the VDC tools (such as those used for trade coordination, cost estimating, 3D models, and field verification software) are suggested as ways to solve the problem statements. Over the last four years, the Webcor team has pushed the envelope of students' VDC skill use and extended the use of the tools and their skills from simply processing information on their computers to doing real, live field verification using an in-place mock-up that the team builds and sets up. In "the field' (the conference space with our mock-up), we've begun asking the students to create shop drawings, validate embed and column layouts, create 3D super plots, verify that "in the field' pipes and cans are placed correctly, and cross-check super plots with 3D photos captured in the construction site."

This year, Webcor's judges selected Sacramento State as the winning team for their outstanding team cohesion, preparedness, and professionalism. "They were extremely well put-together, and it was obvious they'd come to win," Jocelyn says.

Karen commended Sacramento State's team for remaining calm and confident throughout their entire presentation and clearly being prepared to share their thought process and struggles with the problem statement.

"The team was full of talented students who understood what they were speaking to," she says. "The students' ability to turn around quality work in such a short amount of time always stands out to us.

"Leading up to the event, they all spend so much time preparing for the competition, which in my opinion is the most rewarding part of the overall ASC experience. The students' excitement always comes to light during their presentations, and speaking to them afterward is very rewarding. They usually give us their feedback on the problem and share how much they enjoyed solving it with their team, which always excites us about putting together next year's problem statement!"