Med Week 2011 Award Winners
Lifetime Achievement Award
Home Forward (the new name for the Housing Authority of Portland)
Jerry Walker, MCA, Director Economic Equity Program
Jerry has worked for the Home Forward since December 2005. He was initially responsible for the agency’s procurement and contracting processes including target business utilization and overseeing the workforce hiring and training objectives. Jerry’s appointment to Home Forward’s Economic Equity Program Director 2 years ago is a culmination of his lifetime committee to service, social justice and economic equity.
Jerry’s commitment and is also clearly demonstrated by his employment volunteer history. As an undergraduate student he worked as a community organizer in Galveston County. During his nearly 30 years in Portland, Jerry has:
• Led Multnomah County’s efforts to implement recommendations of the
Multi-jurisdictional disparity study in the 1990s.
• Received an award at the Skanner’s MLK Jr. Annual breakfast in 1998.
• Served as the Board Chair for the non-profit Brother to Brother
Portland from 2001-2003.
• Actively engaged in numerous local and state committees seeking to
increase public and private utilization of Minority/Women and
Emerging Small Businesses.
• Served on the Board of several community based organizations
including Cascade AIDS Project and Our House of Portland.
In addition to his involvement in conducting workshops for national professional organizations, Jerry has been a long time member of NIGP, OPPA, NFBPA and ACCA which he currently serves as Board President.
Jerry has been a mentor to many young professionals of color and a role model for the communities to which he has an affinity.
Construction Contractor of the Year
Affordable Electric, Inc
Jean-wildy Malary
Jean-wildy Malary founded Affordable Electric Inc in 2004 after being in the electrical trade for more than 12 years with Local 48.
In the beginning, Affordable Electric was primarily a residential business specializing in remodel work. Over the years Affordable Electric has expanded and now has a positive history in commercial, multi family and infrastructure work. In addition, Affordable Electric capacity has grown to include all aspect of transit work from the underground ductbank to the overhead catenary.
Service Company of the Year
City of Roses Disposal and Recycling, LLC
Alando Simpson
As an up and coming advocate for sustainability from the N/NE Portland Community, Vice President & General Manager Alando Simpson as many might refer to as, is ahead of his time. Alando came aboard City of Roses in 2004 providing assistance on both the administrative end as well as the trade aspect understanding the nature of the company kinesthetically both in and out. After graduating from Portland State University, Alando jumped straight into the mix as a full time general manager it was there where he began to direct the firm’s current and future operations and placed his center of attention on shifting the organizations focus around sustainability and most significantly recycling.
Over the years, Alando obtained the precise managerial experience which has enabled him to become and organizational leader who believes in motivating employees to “get it done right the first time” and avoid wasted time. These same managerial traits and characteristics have been the catalyst behind the restructuring of City of Roses’ entire operations with the spotlight being placed upon management processes. These same processes, which were motivated by sustainability, have led to the inception of construction waste reduction plans, waste and recycling education, recycling reports and innovative formulas which highlight carbon offsets through recycling. All services which City of Roses provides for each and every commercial customer.
A North Portland resident who believes in giving back, Alando spends hours upon hours dedicating his time year round to coaching and training High School Basketball at local Benson High School. Aside from being a leader in the office and on the sidelines, Alando works diligently to sustain and uphold the community by supporting equitable education and small business growth through his involvement with various boards and committees and most importantly through City of Roses Disposal & Recycling.
Professional Service Firm of the Year
Sigma Consultants Group, Inc.
Venky Ramakrishnan
Venky Ramakrishnan, Vice President of Sigma Consultants Group, Inc. (SIGMA) along with his wife, Shanthi Ramakrishnan, President of SIGMA are involved in professional services providing Information Technology Solutions, Software Development, Network/ System Design and Staff Augmentation to a wide variety of companies including IT and administrative services.
Both Venky and Shanthi were born and educated in Madras, India. Shanthi earned a BS in Engineering and Venky earned a BS in Science with a post graduate diploma in computer programming and systems analysis. Both have work experience in major corporations within India and overseas. They both came to the United States nearly 20 years ago to learn about new technologies and to insure that their learned skills in both information technology and administration were utilized.
Venky’s tenacity to learn the US business model, to network and find potential opportunities, and to be at nearly every SBA, OAME, SAO and other association training event to learn new ideas made him successful. Today he has been successful in combining his talents to contribute to a “garden salad” vision to insure that Sigma’s personnel staffing, information technology management and administrative services are of the highest quality. These include providing IT consulting and staff augmentation services, along with project services to ODOT, City of Portland and various technology firms on the West Coast.
Manufacturer of the Year
Warm Springs Composite Products
Duane Darnell
Warm Springs Composite Products (WSCP) is a wholly owned Business Enterprise of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs of Oregon. WSCP was created by Tribal Council resolution on May 17, 1994 and is located on the 640,000 acre Tribal Reservation in North Central Oregon. WSCP provides employment for Tribal Members and generates revenue for The Tribe.
WSCP has grown into a company with over 50 employees (80% of which have Tribal affiliation) and several business segments. Sales are currently in the range of seven million dollars per year, anticipated to double in the next year with the addition of new product lines. From its inception in 1994, WSCP has produced Fire Rated Door Systems. Product offerings include; a proprietary fire-rated architectural jamb system, banded core, and proprietary mineral core in addition to Tectonite™ (proprietary fire-rated mineral based fire door components) products. These products supply most of the architectural door manufacturers in the United States as well as manufacturers in Canada, Europe, The Middle East and South East Asia. WSCP can deliver standard commercial and residential fire rated door systems and associated moldings as-well-as architectural grade fire rated systems and moldings. In-house research and development capabilities keep WSCP on the leading edge of product technology.
Corporate Diversity Award
RH/Colas Construction, LLC
Andrew Colas and Dave Gunsul
R&H/Colas Construction is a corporation formed in 2009 by two established commercial general contractors, Colas Construction (14 years in business) and R&H Construction (32 years in business.) The company was founded with a distinct mission and goal; to provide a greater number of, and more meaningful opportunities for minority contractors on projects within our community. Our market is focused on projects in which M/W/ESB participation is a high priority. By teaming together two companies with excellent reputations as builders, R&H/Colas offers the depth of resources and capacity of one of the largest locally owned contractor’s in Oregon, R&H; and the strong minority contractor relationships and procurement strategies of Colas Construction.
To date, we have put our mission to work on numerous projects, averaging between 30 - 40% minority participation on each one, even when no goals were stated. Central City Concern gave us our first opportunity awarding R&H/Colas the Golden West Hotel. Our largest project to date is the Portland Community College – Newberg Center, a $5.4 million, LEED Platinum, Net-Zero project. We are excited for the future of our partnership and equity contracting, having recently been awarded the Glisan Commons project for Human Solutions, Ride Connection and REACH and the Hillsdale Terrace project for Home Forward. Teamed together, R&H/Colas is providing a new model for how construction companies can work together to truly make a difference and maximize equity contracting.
SBA 2011 Award Winner
LKE Corporation
Lorraine Kim Erion
Kim Erion, LKE CORPORATION president from 1993 to present, has been self employed since 1988. For 18 years, Kim and her husband have been dedicated to environment and habitat restoration throughout the Pacific Northwest. LKE CORPORATION has completed hundreds of miles of watershed restoration and thousands of acres of wetlands and instream habitat throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California.
Kim has been an Owner/Operator in the construction industry for over 20 years. She is involved with project logistics and will be found operating an excavator whenever she can. When she’s not operating a machine, she continually monitors safety, oversees quality control, records daily reports, tests water quality and ensures each job is being carried out in accordance with plans and specifications. In addition to her primary career responsibilities, Kim volunteers her time and support to conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Oregon Trout, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, ExCEL Academic League, and the Outdoor School for Canyon Creek Middle School.
LKE’s team conscientiousness combined with Kim’s unique “naturalization methodology” towards engineered restoration sets a higher standard that is recognizable on every project. Kim acknowledges the efforts of her individual team members and strives to ensure that everyone has a good time on LKE’s projects—because getting the job done is a team effort.