Webcor has been engaged in preconstruction on the Los Angeles Convention Center expansion for more than a year, ultimately demonstrating that the project could be delivered on budget and on schedule.
On October 1, the City of Los Angeles officially put shovels in the ground. This isn't just a symbolic gesture; it's the definitive and final starting gun for one of the most significant projects Webcor, in a joint venture with PCL, will undertake this decade.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project was a major event, a clarion call from City Hall that this project is non-negotiable and moving forward.
The site was packed with dignitaries, including Mayor Karen Bass, City Council members, and state lawmakers.
As Mayor Bass put it, this project is "more than just a building, it is about revitalizing the heart of our city and bringing good-paying jobs and tourism straight to downtown." The entire event was framed as an investment in the city's future, one that will generate 15,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
Webcor Builders EVP Jit Pahilajani was one of the speakers at the event:
Webcor was well represented at the groundbreaking, as well. In addition to Jit, Webcorians in attendance were Project Planning Sr. VP Allison McCue, Matt Johnson, Taylor Manavian, Ryan Gerber, and Brooke Walbuck.
“It was incredibly meaningful to be there to witness the groundbreaking of this critically important project to our city,” Brooke says. “Hearing Jit speak alongside our civic leaders and stakeholders who have championed moving the project forward fueled excitement and optimism for the future of LA, and an investment that will serve as the catalyst for growth and recovery of our Downtown core. We can all be so proud to be a part of delivering this vision after such a long and difficult course!”
Many Webcorians have already been doing the heavy lifting to get us here, but now the tempo accelerates. We're on the clock.
The ultimate is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. The facility needs to be "Olympic ready" by Spring 2028 to host events like fencing and wrestling.
Our job, as the General Contractor Joint Venture (PCL Construction/Webcor Construction), is to deliver a new LACC that achieves three goals:
This is where Webcor’s experience building massive, complex structures pays off. We are tasked with delivering a generational opportunity for an iconic American city.
The Convention Center will remain open during construction, requiring intense coordination and focus from all teams. This is precisely the kind of complexity we thrive on.
We are already past the talking stage. We’re past the paperwork. Now, we move past preconstruction. We are officially in the execution phase. This is what we’re built for.
From the expectation to own office management tasks to the glaring lack of representation in field/leadership roles, the challenges facing women in construction can feel endless.
From the expectation to own office management tasks to the glaring lack of representation in field/leadership roles, the challenges facing women in construction can feel endless.
“When you don’t see people who look like you in leadership roles, it can be hard to imagine yourself there,” says Nicole Rangel, a senior project coordinator at the Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP). “Women in construction face barriers that men simply don’t—often, we aren’t given the same opportunities or taken as seriously, and mothers usually struggle to find childcare that aligns with our industry’s early hours.”
In 2023, Nicole was presented with a unique opportunity to tackle these challenges head-on in partnership with Kathryn Mallon, a former director with MWH (Webcor’s JV partner at BDFP).
“The idea for the group really emerged from all those early conversations with our CBOs,” Nicole recalls. “They were the ones who pointed out the lack of women on-site and the need for more visibility and support for women in the trades.”
Kathryn and Nicole envisioned a safe space that would champion women across all facets of the project—from Webcor and MWH to BDFP’s many Local Business Enterprise (LBE) trade partners and local hires.
Over the last two years, BuildHERs’ participation has nearly quadrupled from 20 women at the first quarterly meeting to almost 80 at their peak.
“We’ve successfully marketed BuildHERs through branded banners, SWAG items, jackets, and fliers, and we recently launched a new logo to better represent the field,” Nicole says. “I’m so proud of everything BuildHERs has accomplished. It’s become a community that connects women with resources, highlights their contributions, and emphasizes that there’s a place for them in construction.”
In addition to Nicole, BuildHER’s leadership team includes:
“BuildHERs has helped me handle the challenges of being in a male-dominated workforce, especially as a woman of color,” says Deltrea Crayton, a laborer forewoman and QSP inspector at BDFP. “Thank you to BuildHERs for seeing the tradeswomen on-site—your compassion is above and beyond. I truly appreciate them for hearing me and changing the culture for the better.”
Plenty has changed for BuildHERs since its 2023 launch, but their key to success has remained constant: listening.
Before each quarterly meeting, BuildHERs’ leaders go out to the field and ask the women what changes they’d like to see at BDFP and how they think BuildHERs could assist. That feedback drives the brainstorming sessions that follow, during which they begin strategizing solutions to shared challenges, how to incorporate the feedback into the next quarterly meeting, and the logistics required to bring it all to life.
The dedication of allies like Sr. Field Outreach Manager Tyrone Evans and Safety Manager Kendall Cantave has also been essential to BuildHERs’ continued growth and accomplishments.
has also been essential to BuildHERs’ continued growth and accomplishments.
By the time BuildHERs reached its first anniversary, the power of the group’s influence was undeniable. That realization was a gratifying moment for Nicole, who couldn’t believe the community she and Kathryn had envisioned just a year earlier had transformed into a project-wide initiative that empowered women to fully own their place in the construction industry.
“Women who have been in the trades for years have shared how important BuildHERs has become to them and how proud they are to be part of it,” Nicole says. “Other projects and companies have taken note of what we’re doing at BDFP and expressed interest in forming their own BuildHERs groups, which is a major goal of ours.”
Restroom Access: BuildHERs successfully advocated for more women’s restrooms installed throughout BDFP’s project site—"pink for visibility and representation.”
Recruitment & Retention: Since BuildHERs’ launch, BDFP has hired more women, provided new training and promotion opportunities, and increased retention rates among women in the field.
Online Resources: Last year, BuildHERs launched a digital/print newsletter and resource website for tradeswomen and their families.
Offsite Learning Opportunities: BuildHERs sponsored three tradeswomen at BDFP to attend Tradeswomen Build Nations—the world’s largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen.
Women in Construction Week: For this year’s Women in Construction Week, Nicole and her team organized a full line-up of events dedicated to celebrating the women of BDFP while connecting them with valuable resources for professional/personal success.
1st Offsite Networking Event: This summer, BuildHERs hosted their first offsite, after-hours networking event—something several women had requested during WiC Week to avoid interference with work.
BuildHERs responded by organizing their first offsite event at Spark Social, where women were encouraged to bring their kids so they wouldn’t have to worry about finding or paying for childcare on a Friday evening. “We wanted to support them in a real way by ensuring participation wouldn’t cost them anything,” Nicole says.
More than two years later, the feedback for BuildHERs remains “overwhelmingly positive,” Nicole says. Women across the project have shared that the group’s instilled a sense of belonging that they never thought they’d experience in the trades.
“So many women have told me they’ve long been frustrated with our industry’s lack of support for women,” Nicole says. “Every story reminds me why we keep showing up, creating visibility, and taking up space. Hopefully, more women across the industry will take the initiative we have at BDFP and foster that vital sense of community and support for women in the trades at their own projects.”
The MWH/Webcor JV’s Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP) isn’t just a massive infrastructure project critical to Webcor’s portfolio—it’s one that embodies our Community core value in a way no other project has before.
The MWH/Webcor JV’s Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP) isn’t just a massive infrastructure project critical to Webcor’s portfolio—it’s one that embodies our Community core value in a way no other project has before.
Through its Local Business Enterprise (LBE) engagement, BDFP has generated over $300 million in economic impact benefiting local businesses in Bayview-Hunters Point (District 10), one of San Francisco’s most underserved and racially diverse neighborhoods.
“XBE participation (the umbrella term for diverse businesses, e.g. LBE, MBE, WBE, etc.) matters for so many reasons,” says Project Outreach Manager Chris Bardales. “It creates access to opportunity while stimulating the local economy, champions the growth of small businesses, builds a list of potential trade partners, and demonstrates to potential clients that we’re committed to supplier diversity and impactful community partnerships—something that’s becoming a higher priority for an increasing number of clients.”
When the American Contract Compliance Association (ACCA) released its annual call for National Training Institute (NTI) speaker abstracts, Outreach and Partnerships Manager Sharla Sullivan knew it was the perfect opportunity for Chris to share his inclusive contracting expertise with fellow outreach professionals striving to drive similar results at their own projects.
“I participated in a contractor’s panel at the conference last year and knew it was time for Chris to present this year!” she says. “The opportunity to connect with other outreach and compliance professionals at ACCA’s NTI and learn what’s working and not working from real case studies is hugely valuable.”
Established as a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring equitable employment and contracting practices, ACCA offers training, networking, and support for contract compliance professionals across the U.S.
Chris agreed to submit an abstract in partnership with MWH Contracts Manager Caroline Galle. Last month, they presented their case study, “Building Inclusive Supply Chains: A Case Study on the Impactful Role of General Contractors in Supplier Diversity Compliance for a Public Megaproject,” at the 2025 NTI conference in Colorado to rave reviews.
“The audience was completely engaged throughout the entire presentation,” says Dept. Manager, Estimating/Outreach Rosa Arevalo. “Chris and Caroline received a lot of great feedback and questions, even after they finished presenting. I would love to see them come back to ACCA next year and lead a presentation on local workforce development.”
On the final day of NTI, Chris and Caroline kicked off their presentation with an introduction to BDFP, the surrounding Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, and BDFP’s LBE requirements before diving into the tools and strategies that fueled their outreach and engagement with District 10’s LBE community.
“Chris and Caroline expertly detailed the steps they took to create and execute an LBE procurement strategy centered on proactive engagement, diversified contracting, setting specific LBE requirements by scope, and, most importantly, with the buy-in of the client, team, and community,” Sharla says. “I loved how they focused on examples and even shared a situation where something they tried didn’t result as expected. They pivoted to a new strategy based on what they’d learned, which resulted in even greater XBE participation. The result? A project that reflects the community inside out.”
They wrapped up with a detailed analysis of the local economic impact driven by BDFP’s LBE engagement throughout the project. “I was excited for the opportunity share our buyout/LBE-related successes and strategies with industry peers,” Chris says. “It’s amazing to realize everything the project team’s accomplished through collaboration and dedication. Several of the strategies we presented could serve as starting points for other projects.”
Aside from being a valuable learning opportunity, the story at the heart of their case study was genuinely inspiring, Rosa says. Their authenticity and commitment to the Bayview-Hunters Point community, regardless of the BDFP’s LBE requirements, resonated deeply with the entire audience.
“It was obvious that they both truly care about uplifting Bayview-Hunters Point residents and equipping them with the necessary tools for success,” she says. “They weren’t just trying to check the boxes. They wanted to make a difference—and they did.”
