Jun 30, 2009

AGC of Washington

Sen. Janéa Holmquist, a Ephrata Republican, was named Legislator of the Year by the Associated General Contractors of Washington. Holmquist won the award at the June 23 AGC board of trustees' annual retreat. She has advocated on important issues to contractors, including workers' compensation, unemployment insurance taxation and the underground economy in construction.

Shirey Contracting

The National Association of Home Builders last month named Donna Shirey its 2009 Remodeling Advocate of the Year at the 11th Annual NAHB National Green Building Conference in Dallas. The award honors individual remodelers that promote green initiatives. Shirey serves as vice chair of NAHB's Remodelers Council and will be chair in 2010. She also is a past president of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, and is president and CEO of Shirey Contracting in Issaquah.

McKinstry

Dr. Dolores Gibbons, former Northshore School District interim superintendent, has been enlisted by McKinstry to collaborate with school districts and higher educational institutions to integrate sustainability, advancing technologies and green collar career paths into their curricula. Gibbons has held leadership positions in the Federal Way, Renton and Mount Vernon school districts. McKinstry is a design build operate and maintain firm.

American Slate

Walnut Creek, Calif.-based American Slate is opening a Natural Stone Design Center on Wednesday in Seattle. The showroom will have several design-oriented displays that show how natural stone looks like in the kitchen or bath, or on walls and floors. It is located at 711 S. Fidalgo St. and will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays and by appointment on Saturday. An open house will be held noon-5 p.m. today and tomorrow. Charlie Helsby is the branch manager.

Centennial Contractors Enterprises

Centennial Contractors Enterprises signed an alliance with Region X of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to foster safer and healthier workplaces. Through the alliance, Centennial employees and others will be provided with information, guidance and access to training resources covering fall protection, cranes and rigging, electrical safety and equipment operation hazards. Centennial is a national job order contracting firm with a local office. OSHA's Region X offices are in Seattle.

Conference on Building Commissioning

Commissioning industry veteran Don Frey received the Benner Award at the 17th annual National Conference on Building Commissioning held earlier this month in Seattle. The award is for the successful promotion of building commissioning. Frey is senior vice president and co-founder of Boulder, Colo.-based Architectural Energy Corp., which provides building energy-efficiency services and products. The conference is produced by Portland Energy Conservation, which designs energy-efficiency programs for utility companies and government agencies in the western U.S.

Jun 23, 2009

Tacoma Water

A team from Tacoma Water won the water pipe tapping championship for the United States and Canada during the recent American Water Works Association 2009 Conference in San Diego. Employees Doug Reed, Bob Dimond, Geff Yotter and Michael McCaffrey drilled and tapped a water-pressurized ductile iron pipe in 1 minute and 13 seconds to take the title. The event requires speed, accuracy, agility and strength. As the new title holder, the team will get a free trip to next year's conference in Chicago.

Optimum Energy

Optimum Energy, a Seattle-based software developer that makes HVAC systems more efficient, has secured up to $4.5 million in equity financing led by investor Columbia Pacific Advisors. The company's software is called OptimumHVAC.