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Joseph Nguyen and Peter Chelico, co-founders of Buildskape, share a strong bond both professionally and personally. The pair met nearly four years ago while working at Oregon Health & Science University. Nguyen was a project manager for OHSU and Chelico was a general manager for a contractor that performed work there.

While working on projects together, Nguyen and Chelico found they had similar interests. They became friends and decided to start their own company last December.

鈥淲e鈥檙e also both first-generation Americans,鈥� said Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American who grew up in Portland. 鈥淭hat creates a lot of energy and passion, knowing the stories of our parents and what they went through and what we鈥檝e been through.鈥�

Chelico鈥檚 mother grew up in Turkey and his father is from Egypt. They met after moving to the United States during the 1960s. Chelico and Nguyen agree that their membership in NAMC-Oregon allows them to be surrounded by like-minded people with a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and ideas on what it means to be more inclusive.

鈥淲e definitely have experience with exclusion and know it鈥檚 not good for society or for business, so we鈥檙e looking for ways to be as inclusive as possible,鈥� Nguyen said.

Buildskape has one employee who is the superintendent on projects, and the company plans to hire additional team members as it grows. Its work includes a collaboration with Lease Crutcher Lewis to work as a subcontractor on Portland Community College鈥檚 Sylvania Campus. The partnership is giving them a chance to build on knowledge they already have through a larger bond project that is providing new lessons and experience.

鈥淚 like the project-based nature of discovering, identifying, scoping and solving a problem so everyone is happy, and then learning more on the next project. That keeps you stimulated,鈥� Chelico said.

He and Nguyen added that their membership in NAMC-Oregon gives them access to a support system and wealth of resources while also allowing them to celebrate diversity with other members.

鈥淚n this whole effort I find a lot of reconciliation and finding a like-minded tribe is really good,鈥� Nguyen said. 鈥淭he help is there if you are willing to ask the question, and people are there to help when you need them.鈥�