AGC Chapters Honor Members, NECA Elects 2007 Board

New boards at various trade associations pre p a reto tackle the issues facing the construction industry.

Associated General Contractors of Washington (AGC) recently awarded AGC Lifetime Achievement Awards. Don Bocek and Allan Osberg were presented with this honor at the AGC annual dinner in January.

This award is given to symbolize a lifetime of achievement, excellence and commitment to AGC, the community and the construction industry.

Don Bocek’s company, Bocek Brothers Construction , did a wide range of work including bridges, site development and utilities. In 1977 Bocek received the Contractor of the Year Award from AGC and was the Chapter President in 1984. He was one of the founders of the AGC Education Foundation and served as the organization’s first President in the early 1990s. He continues as an emeritus trustee of the foundation . Since retirement Bocek has continued to be active in AGC activities including selecting candidates for scholarships and judging the chapter’s Construction Excellence Awards. In 2002 he was inducted into the prestigious University of Washington Construction Hall of Fame. Allan Osberg’s company, Osberg Construction Co., did public works construction in the Western United States including straightening the Sammamish Slough and constructing the Yukon Bridge for the Alyeska pipeline in Alaska. Osberg has the unique distinction of being an A G C chapter president twice. He was President of the Mountain Pacific highway-heavy Chapter in 1965. In 1974, he became the first president of the new merged chapter. Osberg has served on the AGC Education Foundation Board of Trustees since 1990 and was President of the Foundation Board in 1994. He was the Mountain Pacific Chapter's Contractor of the Year in 1970 and was inducted into the University of Washington Construction Hall of Fame in 1998. Osberg and his family generously give to many organizations including the University of Washington , Washington State University, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust , Nordic Heritage Museum and the Olsen Heritage House, a project of Skagitonians to preserve farmlands.

Newly elected board members include, President Dave D’Hondt, Absher Construction safety director; First Vice President: Steve Barger, Northwest Cascade, Inc. (Puyallup) Second Vice President: Lee Kilcup, GLY Construction (Bellevue) Secretary/Treasurer: Van Hardy, GLY Construction (Bellevue) and Past President: Gus Gottschalk, Lydig Construction Inc. (Bellevue).

AGC Contractor of the Year was awarded to Wilf Wainhouse of Sellen Construction. AGC Associate of the Year award went to Wendy Pare from Nuprecon. AGC honored Lindsay Pease with the 2006 Richard C. Bristow Award for Staff Excellence.

In Portland, the Oregon-Columbia Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), which represents more than 100 electrical contractors in the region, announced its 2007 Board of Directors. Among the slate is the newly elected chapter president, George Adams, president of Portland-based E C Company.

The other board members are: Vice President : Stan Heil, Heil Electric Company; Treasurer: Gary Severe, Tice Electric; Secretary & Manager: Tim Gauthier, NECA ; Board Member: Jim Ferris, Reds Electric; Board Member: Jeff Holmes, Cochran Broadway Electric; National NECA Board of Governors, Max Landon, McCoy Electric Co., Inc.; and Past President, Ryan Landon, McCoy Electric Co., Inc.