On Aug. 31 the local building community gathered at The Sentinel hotel in downtown Portland to honor 17 firms that are helping to shape Portland, Oregon and beyond.

In addition to being involved in Oregon’s COBID program, these minority-owned, emerging, women-owned and disabled veteran-owned firms all have one thing in common — they all started with a dream. Fueled by passion, hard work and dedication, the winners of the 91ĘÓƵ’s 2017 Building Diversity awards are finding success, standing as shining examples of what can be accomplished when diversity and inclusion are supported both in the work place and on the project site.

Here are the stories of the 91ĘÓƵ’s 2017 Building Diversity award winners:

• Almar Contracting
• Angelo Planning Group
• Architecture Building Culture
• Big C Industries
• CIDA
• Code Unlimited
• Emerick Architects
• Mark Adams Electric
• O’Neill Construction Group
• Pacificmark Construction
• Professional Lath and Plaster
• Rivero Design
• Samata Consulting Engineers
• Sign Wizards
• Thuy Tu Consulting
• Titan Utilities
• Valley Growers Nursery & Landscape

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Maurice Rahming came up through the trades. He started his apprenticeship in 1988, worked his way up to journeyman, and then went on to earn his commercial inspector’s license and additional certifications.

In 1998, he and his wife, Ali O’Neill, decided to go into business for themselves. The company initially focused on electrical contracting. But after partnering on projects with Walsh Construction to gain general contracting experience in 2011 and acquiring Howard Jacobs Masonry in 2014, the company expanded its reach into the construction sector.

The company has grown to more than 60 employees and its portfolio contains a long list of projects that are impressive for both complexity and an inclination toward public service. Those projects include the John Day fish ladders; a Veterans Administration facility in Walla Walla, Washington; a U.S. Forest Service laboratory in Corvallis Oregon; and Tilikum Crossing – Bridge of the People in Portland. The firm’s client list also includes Portland Community College, the city of Portland, TransCore and TriMet

“There was a series of projects that had us rethink how we do things,” Rahming said. “City of Portland and state jobs required certified payroll information, and it got us thinking about managing and tracking our people. We became better at cost projections and that made us more competitive, more precise in our project estimations. What some firms see as a problem, we actually turned into a benefit.”

The firm is also very invested in the community. They’re involved with Metropolitan Alliance for Workforce Equity (MAWE-Portland), Portland Youth Builders, the Asian-Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, Enhabit Portland, All Hands Raised, Oregon Tradeswomen and several other non-profit and professional development organizations.

They’ve won a 2015 City of Portland “Making A Difference” award and a 2017 Rose Community Development “Outstanding Business Partner” award. The firm’s activities in the region are directly applied to its business practices.

“Our approach is based on my experience,” Rahming said. “I came up through the industry and when I had an opportunity to enter the trades I saw it as my pathway out of poverty. That’s very powerful — to offer a way for people to escape poverty. I feel I have a responsibility to open that door for others. It isn’t just checking off a (MWESB) box; it’s about success for people.”

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Almost every enclosed structure requires electrical wiring and products. With that in mind, the building boom in the Pacific Northwest – and in the Portland area in particular – has affordedĚýongoing opportunities for Mark Adams as a small, but active electrical contractor.

Adams, a former U.S. Navy Seabee (construction battalion), established his company in 2004 armed with deep experience as a licensed journeyman electrician. The business was beginning to find its footing just as Oregon’s building industry became mired in a recession. Unwilling to give up, Adams realized that by focusing on maintenance and renovation projects, he could keep his firm afloat.

The recession didn’t last, but the reputation for quality and dependability that Adams established did. In the years since the recession ended, his company has grown to 22 employees and has a long list of customers and repeat business.

Bread-and-butter projects like Walgreens, Wendy’s, Zoup!, Mod Pizza, several locations of Sonic and seven locations of Buffalo Wild Wings stand alongside more individualized projects, including a Department of Motor Vehicles location in Gresham; the Mount Hood Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic; and a New Seasons Market.

More recently, Adam’s company handled work for the Oregon Zoo Education Center, which he considers a pivotal project for his business. In addition to showcasing his company’s commitment to its clients – at one point a job foreman came in during his off time in order to be a part of a critical inspection that had to be rescheduled due to snow – the project also helped Adams and his crew expand their skills sets.

“We had challenges on that job that we hadn’t seen before — new technologies and integrated systems that provide interactive experiences for people who visit. For us, it was a real opportunity for growth,” Adams said.

Adams and his staff are active in ways that benefit both the community and the trades.

The company donates money to the math department at Clackamas High School, the Area 1 Electrical JACT for its annual “Wire Off” event, and Veteran’s Assistance at the University of Oregon. Company employees also volunteered time to renovate a basement at Eastridge Church in Clackamas. In addition, Mark Adams Electric is a member of the Independent Electrical Contractors of Oregon and the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) Oregon.

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Melody and Brian Emerick founded their design firm with the goal of doing great work in the communities where they and their employees live, work and grow. Brian is a seventh-generation Oregonian and Emerick Architects claims “local is part of our DNA.”Ěý Of the firm’s staff of 15, 10 are women.

“To go for it and start the business, that was a big decision (for us),” Melody said. “We were young and I was nine months pregnant with our second child. We were still paying off our student loans and we were broke, but we just went for it.”

The firm has since worked on a portfolio of projects that help the city’s small business and property owners. For example, Emerick Architects worked with Civilis Consultants to help to find a new home for Korean-owned Living Color Beauty Supply when it was being displaced in 2008. They helped place the family-owned business in the Vanport Project, a public-private partnership that gave ownership opportunities to small local businesses, and assisted the family in creating a new look for the store.

With a focus on adaptive reuse, the firm cares deeply for Portland’s historical legacy, and has been a headline sponsor for the Architectural Heritage Center’s auctions for the last two years. Emerick Architects also supports Restore Oregon, the Architectural Foundation of Oregon and the John Yeon Center.

To foster the next generation of architects and remain involved in the current academic community, senior staff volunteers at design reviews at Portland State University and the University of Oregon throughout the year. Staff members also are involved with the ACE Mentor Program of America Inc., which helps mentor high school students and inspires them to pursue careers in design and construction. The firm is a frequent supporter of student architects, hosting the 2016 student symposium for PSU’s teen summer immersion program as well as the 2017 Wilson High art history class. This summer, the firm hosted at-risk youth from Hayhurst’s Summer Program.

The EmericksĚý raised their two daughters while growing their business. Melody has given a presentation to the American Institute of Architects on what it’s like to balance family with being a woman and business leader in today’s profession.

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When Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “A young man knows the rules; an old man knows the exceptions,” he might well have had the construction industry in mind.Ěý It is nearly impossible for someone to walk onto a job site, point at anything and not have it subject to a rule, a law,or a code of some sort.

Code Unlimited LLC is a Beaverton-based consulting firm that focuses on identifying and simplifying how those myriad rules and laws and codes might affect a project.

Samir Mokashi, the founder and president of the firm, earned his undergraduate degree in Mumbai before moving to Oregon to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Oregon. He later moved to Portland in the middle of the Great Recession so that his wife could complete a doctorate in microbiology at Oregon Health and Science University.

Initially partnered with another firm from 2005, Mokashi broke away to establish Code Unlimited in 2011. Since then, the firm has flourished, growing to 20 employees and earning recognition as a minority-owned business that strives to promote diversity in its workforce. The firm currently includes several women in leadership roles—something outside the ordinary in the male-dominated construction, contracting and engineering communities that Code Unlimited and its staff serve.

In the past several years, Code Unlimited has worked on a wide variety of projects, offering the ability to quickly adjust to changing codes and multiple agencies for their clients. Major projects include Park Avenue West; the Oregon State University Student Experience Center; the Oregon Health and Science University Collaborative Life Sciences Building; the Priest Rapids Dam in Yakima, Washington; and ongoing consultations for SolarWorld in Hillsboro.

The firm also has worked on the Cornelius-Woodlark project, which involved the renovation of several buildings that were part of a hotel complex built in 1908.

“There were probably no set codes when it was built,” Mokashi said, “but now we can use alternative materials and methods that will meet modern code requirements and probably exceed them.”

Code Unlimited was listed as a top minority employer in 2016 and actively supports staff with flexible schedules, professional training and mentoring.

“We look for curious, intelligent people,” said Mokashi. “That naturally attracts diversity. I’ve found that if you build on good, it will grow well.”

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CIDA provides architectural and interior design, structural and civil engineering, land-use planning and property development services. With offices in Portland, Bend and Seattle, the firm’s portfolio includes general industrial, manufacturing, food processing, health care, and general office and retail establishment projects.

The firm prides itself on promoting women at all stages of professional development and, in contrast to general trends in the fields of architecture and engineering, the representation of women in its offices does not decline with increasing levels of responsibility and authority. The firm is 80-percent woman-owned, and of its total staff, 66 percent are women and 67 percent are principals, higher than industry statistics across the country.

While having a mostly female staff offers a wide range of benefits, it also can present some unique challenges. For example, 10 percent of its workforce recently was pregnant with delivery dates within seven weeks of each other.

“We understood that workload adjustments had to occur and made accommodations. However, we aren’t special because we adapted,” the firm stated. “The newborns are special – each having the potential to be future professionals leading their chosen fields.”

CIDA provides the necessary flexibility to allow employees to embrace work/life balance and is committed to training young professionals in healthy business practices. Its investment in the ongoing development of the industry has led to several successful businesses currently certified as MBE, DBE, WEB and/or EST that have roots at CIDA.

The firm prides itself on its family-like atmosphere, where employees give their all – to each other and to the firm’s clients.

“I have faith in (my employees), and they know I have faith in them,” Jennifer Beattie, the firm’s president, said. “I know they have CIDA’s back and our clients’ backs at all times, and we’re a family so I trust them like family.”

The firm is sponsoring an employee to participate in the Girls Inc. fundraiser Rappel for Her to “support strong, smart and bold girls in the Pacific Northwest.” Each year, the firm organizes food, hygiene and toy drives and helps coordinate a holiday food box preparation party. CIDA also provides ongoing services to organizations such as The Salvation Army, Morrison Child & Family Services, B’nai B’rith International and Chabad Education Center.

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Even though Big C Industries has only been involved in the building industry for a short time – the company opened its doors in November 2015 – it has managed to rack up an impressive list of steel fabrication projects.

Among those projects are more than few standout efforts for some big-name clients: Crane platforms for the Port of Portland, custom steel stairs for Nike and work for Portland State University, structural steel for Ilani Casino. The company’s largest current job is a $1.2 million chunk of work as a subcontractor on a Howard. S Wright-led project in downtown Portland.

Ronda Cross, co-owner and president of Big C Industries, entered the world of business with a decade of experience in steel fabrication, including five years as contract general supervisor. Her partner, Tom Ball, brings to the table 25 years of experience in shop fabrication. Their experience has proven to be a winning combination.

Big C Industries’ current roster of 24 employees is double what the partners had originally projected and the company holds a high rating from the Better Business Bureau. In addition to actively supporting diversity in the workplace, encouraging anyone who has the skill and desire to take on the rigors of steel work, Cross and Ball promote the trade at local high schools and donate steel for students to learn the trade.

Meanwhile, Cross has been singled out for several business-related awards, including being named one of the Daily Journal of Commerce’s Women of Vision in 2016.

“I attribute my success to how I feel when I walk into a room or onto a new job and feel like, as a woman, I have to prove myself to them,” Cross said. “It’s made me work harder.”

Her commitment is evident in all of Big C Industries’ work, a mindset that last year helped the company achieve one of its biggest successes. A project for Wilsonville Subaru was three months behind schedule when Big C Industries came on board. Through hard work and a group effort, the company’s team made quick work of completing steel fabrications to specifications. The effort helped the project get back on track in just a few weeks.

It’s that dedication to projects that Cross and Ball believe will help the company eventually reach its long-term goal.

“We want to be in every port,” Cross said.

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When Brian Cavanaugh and Mark Ritchie decided to start their own architecture firm in 2009, they realized they were venturing into uncharted territory.

For one thing, the partners decided they would base their firm out of two offices: one in Vancouver, B.C., and the other in Portland.

The partners also agreed they would approach projects with a philosophy that all of their design work would be driven by a cultural connection. They even carried that business strategy over into their firm’s name – Architecture Building Culture.

“Everything is driven by this desire to make sure it connects with the people it serves,” Cavanaugh said. “We’re always striving to find the cultural connection.”

Cavanaugh and Ritchie weren’t sure their business approach was going to be a success until they received a contract to design a renovation of the Lubavitch Center for the Lubavitch Foundation of British Columbia. The project resonated with the client, the community and the architecture world, which handed the Lubavitch Center project several prestigious awards.

“It helped us realize that the way we want to approach work is the way we should always approach work,” Cavanaugh said.

The firm’s commitment to connect culture and design has helped it build a growing list of projects, including a developing expertise in modular work. But Cavanaugh and Ritchie also see their early decision to work out of two offices as key to helping grow that success.

“We collaborate in real time every single day, multiple times a day,” Cavanaugh said. “It has allowed us to start to understand and create a truly 21^st-century office, an office that can be quite lean and can still produce multiple (projects) Ěýin multiple regions.

“It probably in many ways allowed us to be where we are right now. At a young age (for a firm), we have quite a diverse collection of work.”

While Cavanaugh and Ritchie realize their firm will likely grow in size in the next five years or so, they plan on approaching an increase carefully to ensure they will be able to drive the growth of their projects rather than having the projects spur growth.

“We’re committed to growing in a sustainable way,” Cavanaugh said. “Mark and I want to make sure we maintain a very intimate connection to each project.”

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Angelo Planning Group’s (APG) services include comprehensive planning, concept and master planning, transportation planning, public facility planning, environmental planning, development code updates and development services.

GreenWorks PC frequently partners with APG on projects and credits the firm with striving to build stronger communities in the Portland region and beyond.

“APG strives to engage communities, understand their priorities and help them achieve their goals,” GreenWorks said in its nomination of the firm. “They are highly collaborative and passionate. They help engage members of the community who have historically not had a voice in the public process.”

GreenWorks noted that while working with APG on Independence’s Parks & Open Space Master Plan, in which public involvement was a major component, APG “brought fresh and innovative strategies to involve the community in the project.” In order to reach the area’s significant Latino/Hispanic population, its outreach strategies included providing bilingual materials, facilitating a Latino residents’ focus group, and conducting intercept surveys at gathering places, local festivals and other events.

As a women-owned firm, APG regularly partners with other minority-owned, emerging and women-owned firms in collaborating on planning projects. It is at the forefront of sustainability planning, and it designed and produced the Oregon Greenhouse Gas Reduction Toolkit, a set of strategies and case studies to help jurisdictions identify and explore actions and programs that can help reduce GHG emissions from transportation.

APG staff regularly volunteer with the Transportation YOU program, which supports young women – particularly those of color or in low-income communities – in learning more about careers in transportation. Staff recently participated in a one-day workshop that introduced students to mapping software to analyze vehicle crash data, bike share programs, and transportation safety and active transportation.

APG also encourages staff to engage in community service, including school and neighborhood organizations and advisory committees such as Portland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, the Westside Economic Alliance Transportation Committee and the American Planning Association’s Sustainability Committee.

“This firm has an ethos of being community-minded and community-oriented. The employees do volunteer, community-service work and the firm supports that. That’s one of the things I really like about this place,” said Matt Hastie, project manager with Angelo Planning Group.

“It’s a collection of people who are committed to the firm and who are capable and committed to the work,” he added.

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Since Maria Rojo de Steffey formed Almar Contracting LLC with business partner Alfonso Elias in 2011, the firm has grown quickly and now boasts 20 full-time employees

While Rojo de Steffy and Elias wear different hats – she serves as president and he handles dual roles as vice president and chief of field operations – they are in synch when it comes to the type of restoration and remodeling work the company tackles.

“We look for projects that are different, and that’s what gets us excited,” Rojo de Steffey said.

Restoration and remodeling contracts for apartments and related housing make up a large part of the company’s ongoing bread-and-butter work. Rojo de Steffey, Elias and the Almar team have worked on projects for several non-profit organizations in the area, including Cascade Behavioral Health, REACH, Habitat for Humanity and Home Forward.

One of the company’s most recent community involvement projects was with Kenton Women’s Village, which provides transitional housing for homeless women along with on-site supervision and counsel provided in cooperation with Catholic Charities. While students and future residents built 14 tiny houses for the village, Almar Contracting built a communal bathroom and communal kitchen using shipping containers.

Rojo de Steffey, a former Multnomah County Commissioner, sees the project as a great example of how people and local businesses can come together to help the community.

“When we moved into … working more projects for non-profit organizations, that really touched us,” Rojo de Steffey said. “Social service and diversity are hand-in-hand and the work these nonprofits do is amazing.”

For Rojo de Steffey, the concept of community extends to her company, another sign of her mother’s influence.

“Almar Contracting is more like a big family,” she said. “We work with our people if they need time off for something. It shows them that we want to take care of them and their kids. It creates loyalty, and that shows in what we do together. Our projects are their projects, too.”

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