October 9, 2009 - Miramar Speed Circuit, Miramar. ABC hosted its first Team Kart Racing Indoor Challenge pitting team against team to race for the team trophy! The event is hosted by the Special Events Committee with Event Chair John Isham with Casper Company. Master Event Sponsor, Eleven Western Builders opened the event by showcasing their pro race team, Western Motorsports. Their pro-truck, car, and semi filled the parking lot kick off the event. Eleven Western Builders had two kart racing teams participating in the main event. Gold Sponsor, Klinedinst, Attorneys at Law also hosted a team. The reception was sponsored by Sherwood Mechanical. Thank you to the Track Sponsors - Bergelectric and Casper Company. These sponsors not only support ABC events, but also to help fund the fight against Union Only Agreements that restrict the right of the contractor to operate in an open shop environment.
Of 17 teams, the top ten finishers made it to the final 50 lap endurance relay. The top finisher, and trophy winner, was Eleven Western Builders Team One with Cement Cutting and Casper Company following closely behind. Congratulations to all the top teams!Click here for the event pictures and updates!
September 11, 2009 - Under the Chairmanship of Philip Piel with West Coast Group Benefits, 144 golfers tee off for a day of golf, food, and fun at Maderas Golf Course in Poway. Teams of ABC Members & Merit Shop Supporters hit the course on this warm San Diego day. Specialty drinks, tacos and margaritas, and games were hosted on the course by Cement Cutting, Industrial Commercial Systems, Foundation Software, and Eleven Western Builders. Safety Management Services also sponsored a hole on the course.
Teams enjoying VIP benefits included with top sponsorship as Merit Shop Champions were Bergelectric, Brian Cox Mechanical, Helix Electric, Gould Electric, and West Coast Group Benefits. These five companies are also Platinum Annual Sponsors and enjoy maximum benefits throughout the year. Cigars, an open tab for all beverages, VIP registration, and early tee off were just some of the perks enjoyed by the Top Sponsors. Helix was a top scoring team with a final score of 58. Pacific Building Group, also a Platinum Annual Sponsor, hosted a team at the tournament and was master event sponsor of the Excellence in Construction Awards in February 2009.
Fall Golf Major Event Sponsors served as hosts for the event. Lunch Host - American Electric Supply Inc; Polo Shirt Sponsor -Casper Company; Reception Host - Consolidated Electrical Distributors; Beverage Host - Beacon Electric Supply; Cart Sponsor - Brady Company/San Diego, and Driving Range Sponsor - Industrial Commercial Systems.
Gold Medal Champions were American Sheet Metal - edging out the competition for the top team score of 57; Eleven Western Builders; Industrial Commercial Systems; Ledcor Construction; Rosner, Brown, Touchstone, & Keller, LLP; RJ Lanthier Co, Sherwood Mechanical, and Torrey Pines Bank.
Tournament Winners
American Sheet Metal - top score of 57
Helix Electric - score of 58
Graybar Electric teamed with Robert R. Redwitz, CPA - score of 58
Peoria Winners
Brady Company/San Diego - First Place Net - score of 61
Industrial Commercial Systems Team 2 with Team Captain Mark Futala - Second Place Net - score of 62
Golf Committee Members, and Event Hosts Include:
Kathy Harrod - RJ Lanthier, Co.
Richard Anderson - ACME Safety & Supply
Frank Gerberding and Skip Beemus - Apex Advertising
Brooke Velazquez - Go Staff
Vince Kingsley - Torrey Pines Bank
John Isham - Casper Company
Kelli Carper - TAG
Jacqui Gamboa - Contractors & Builders
Michele Salas - Ledcor Construction
Crystal Johnson - Eleven Western Builders
Hanna Bederson - ABC
August 21, Lemon Grove Rod & Gun Club, Alpine - Fifteen teams of six participated in the PAC Shotgun Sports Sporting Clays Tournament hosted in part by Master Event Sponsor, Gould Electric, and Breakfast Host, Barney & Barney. The net event proceeds benefit the ABC San Diego Chapter PAC. The course, comprised of ten stations for a total of 50 rounds, proved a challenge even to the highest caliber of shooters. With a team score of 173, Cement Cutting edged out the titleholder, Bergelectric, to take home the coveted first place trophy. Stacey Coughlin took home top personal win with a score of 39. The second place personal win, after a tie-breaking review by ABC and the committee using the Lewis Class Scoring Method, went to Kathryn Carneal for her score of 35. Kathryn shot with the Western Bay Sheet Metal Team as a guest of Bill Baber with ABC. Other top scorers included Troy Souza with Sherwood Mechanical, Roy Lozano with Western Bay Sheet Metal, James Bartlett-May with Bergelectric, and Co-Chair of the event Richard Bartlett-May with JCI Metal Products. All scored 35.
Congressman Duncan D. Hunter participated in the tournament and spoke briefly to the membership at the closing awards presentation. The Congressman, a friend of ABC and supporter of Free and Open Competition in Construction, addressed the membership regarding issues such as healthcare reform, government overspending, and the importance of staying involved and informed so the voice of the people can be heard.
Other distinguished guests and Merit Shop supporters participating included Oceanside City Councilmember Jerry Kern; California Assemblymember (77th District) Joel Anderson; El Cajon Mayor Pro Tem and California State Assembly Candidate Bill Wells; Santee City Councilmember Brian Jones; and Marie Joyce who represented California State Assemblymember (74th District) Martin Garrick. Jerry Kern and Joel Anderson also addressed the group during the closing awards presentation urging the ABC Members to stay strong and continue to fight for the Merit Shop. They both thanked ABC and the contractor members for the continued support of the issues important to the community.
The afternoon wrapped up with a BBQ which included marinated carne asada and all the fixings, hosted and prepared by the chefs extraordinaire - Ken Bertalan with Bergelectric and Philip Piel with West Coast Group Benefits. The Special Events Committee with Event Chairs Richard Bartlett-May with JCI Metal Products & Bryan Weaver with Scholefield Associates P.C. hosted the event. Both Chairs worked tirelessly to design an event that raises money for PAC and allows shooters of any skill level to participate in a fun, team building event. In addition to the trophy winner, prizes were given based on the Lewis Class Scoring System using a specialized software which recognizes a range of shooters. $60 and $40 gift cards to Cabelas were given to the first and second place winners, respectively.
Tournament Lewis Class Winners
First Class Winners
1st - Stacey Coughlin, Cement Cutting Team
2nd - Kathryn Carneal, Western Bay Sheet Metal Team
Second Class Winners
1st - Rick Greenwell, Bergelectric Team
2nd - Chris Conte, Alliant Insurance/Erickson Hall Team
Third Class Winners
1st - Mike Jones, Enterprise/Green Mechanical Team
2nd - Sirus Karimi, Enterprise/ Green Mechanical Team
Fourth Class Winners
1st -Craig Fornier, Sherwood Mechanical Team
2nd - Anne Marie Waddington, Bergelectric Team
Fifth Class Winners
1st - Jim Hoffman, Enterprise/ Green Mechanical Team
2nd - Ben Sullivan, Guest of Oceanside City Councilmember Jerry Kern. Alliant/Erickson-Hall Team
Click here to read more about the Lewis Class Scoring System, which originated as an optional purse. ABC has adopted this method of scoring so shooters at any level have the opportunity to win a prize.
Event Field Sponsors include Sherwood Mechanical, TAG, Ledcor Construction, and Enterprise Fleet Management.
ABC & The Connections Committee - Summer Mixer at Stone Brewing Co
July 30, 2009 - Members and guests enjoyed the ambiance of the beautiful Stone Brewing Co. Gardens and Restaurant in Escondido. Specialty beers, drinks, and appetizers are presented by the event sponsors - Master Event Sponsor, Brian Cox Mechanical and Silver Sponsors Ledcor Construction and Western Fire Protection.
Thank you to the Connections Committee for putting on the event with Co-Chairs Corey Klinke with West Coast Group Benefits and Jim Hoffman with Enterprise.
2008 Excellence In Construction Awards
February 19, 2009 - In one of the tightest competitions in the last seven years, eight of the fifteen entries in the annual Excellence in Construction Awards program won top honors. Straub Construction's Santa Maria Public Library in Santa Maria, California led the way.
I.E. Pacific, Inc., Ledcor Construction, Reno Contracting and Western Summit Constructors were also recipients of the Award of Excellence for their projects. All of them are repeat winners, with I.E. Pacific nearly a perennial winner with its work. This year’s project by I.E. Pacific, named as a top job by the competition judges, was the renovation of the Field Medical Training Battalion at Camp Pendleton.
Ledcor was recognized with an Award of Excellence for the Grossmont Medical Terrace Parking Structure. Ledcor, too, has been in the top category in past years, along with Reno Contracting, another winner this year. Reno Contracting had two projects listed as best of the best, the Scripps Healthcare Rancho Bernardo Clinic and Gateway at Torrey Hills.
A second entry by Straub, the Allan Hancock College Science/Health Occupation Complex, made the top listings as well. Straub has also won recognition at the National ABC competitive level, winning in past years against dozens of entries from around the country in its project category.
For Western Summit Constructors, Inc., another winner at the national level in past years, this year’s Miramar Water Treatment Plant Upgrade and its Los Coches Pump Station were both viewed by the competition’s judges as excellent work. Helix Electric, an ABC Member, was the electrical sub-contractor on the Miramar Water Treatment Plant Upgrade - the largest ever Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project for the City of San Diego, built by two open shop leaders.
Six more merit shop projects, some of which were built by Echo Pacific Construction, Gould Electric, and Stronghold Engineering received the second highest recognition available, a Merit Award. Ledcor Construction also had a project in this winning category.
The margin of difference on the point grading system was small, and all fifteen projects entered were complimented by the three judges, Joe Guerin of the San Diego Daily Transcript, Randy Minnier with MPE Consulting, and Ron Smith of Interpipe Contracting, Inc. Each has judged in this competition in previous years and all commented that this year’s entries were top notch.
“Winning in this local competition means the work is exceptional,” says George Hawkins, president of the chapter. “Our judges use safety records and owner satisfaction as the foundation for their review. Other values are overcoming difficult conditions, meeting schedules and finishing the work within or under budget. ABC congratulates all of the builders who submitted projects for consideration. It is clear merit shop builders build quality and value into their work.”
This year, for the first time, the quality of each entry was such that all of them, having won in the top two tiers, are eligible for the National ABC Competition. Western Summit Constructors was awarded an Eagle Award for the Miramar Water Treatment Plant and Straub Construction and Western Summit will also be recognized with an Award of Commendation for Santa Maria Public Library and Los Coches Pump Station, respectively. The winners at the National level will be honored at a dinner in Washington D.C. on June 25. In San Diego, the recognition ceremony was held on February 19th, 2009 at Anthology in Little India.
Echo Pacific’s winning entries were a pair of schools, Willow Grove Elementary and the Meadowbrook Middle School Modernization. The G Street Lofts propelled Gould Electric into the winner’s circle. Ledcor had a second entry, the Grossmont Medical Terrace, and Stronghold Engineering had three winning projects, Perimeter Security Enhancements at the Ontario International Airport, the Airfield Lighting Systems Repair at the Marine Corps Station Miramar and the Comprehensive Seismic and Life Safety Renovations to the basement of the Federal Building in Los Angeles.