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Dan Armstrong of Howard S. Wright Constructors may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

But Rhonnda Edmiston, the small business outreach manager at Howard S. Wright, said he鈥檚 a hero nonetheless. And if he can鈥檛 leap tall buildings, he definitely knows how to oversee their construction.

Armstrong was the construction manager when his company took on the renovation of the Edith Green 鈥� Wendell Wyatt Federal Building. The mission was to take the aging building and turn it into a national model for environmentally friendly structures and green building techniques.

Along the way, Armstrong guided two minority-owned businesses: Ramos Landscaping and City of Roses Disposal & Recycling.

Edmiston said Armstrong guided Jaime Ramos through the confusion of the Labor Contract Agreement and organized safety and technical assistance for Ramos Landscaping.

鈥淚n addition to providing this on-the-job support, Dan and Jaime developed a personal friendship that has led to Dan mentoring Jaime鈥檚 teenage nephew who is trying to get his life back on track.鈥�

Edmiston added that Armstrong enjoys the mentor role. He also acted as mentor for Alando Simpson, vice president of City of Roses.

Armstrong has also brought Simpson鈥檚 younger brother A.J. on board on the federal building project as a Howard S. Wright summer intern. Meanwhile, A.J. attends Portland State pursuing a degree in engineering.

鈥淒an鈥檚 mentoring style is grounded in experience,鈥� Edmiston said. 鈥淗e works hard to assist minority and at-risk teens from the Northeast Portland neighborhood where he grew up become more aware of the construction industry and jobs in the trades.

鈥淒an tries tro get these same teens involved with summer work, including the construction camp for high school juniors and seniors.鈥�