IBEW Local 48 Contributes $100,000

Portland - The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 48 donated $100,000 to the trade union's national relief fund aimed at helping the thousands of members displaced and injured by Hurricane Katrina.

The IBEW Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund will provide short and long term help to those members and their families who have suffered the greatest losses. Relief will be primarily targeted to those in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Local unions across the United States are also joining in to support the relief fund.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 48 represents more than 3,700 electricians in the greater Portland area, as well as Southwest Washington.

DEA named Best Workplace

Portland - Portland-based David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA) has been ranked among the top 50 firms in the nation in CE News Annual "Best Engineering Firms To Work For" competition. DEA placed #13 in the overall final results for 2005 and #6 in the "Large Firm" category.

DEA's ranking was based in part on the results of an online employee satisfaction survey. The survey covered a comprehensive range of employment-related categories including: attraction, retention, and compensation; work environment; decision making and trust; performance management and rewards; career development and training; and employee benefits. DEA employees consistently rated their company higher than the benchmark in nearly every category, with over 50 percent of the rankings above the 85th percentile, including 100 percent satisfaction with the firm's support of balancing work and personal life.

Marine Contractor Builds New Office

Portland - Advanced American Construction, Inc. (AAC), a marine contractor since 1983, will be consolidating all of its operations in Portland by the Spring of 2006. The new facility is currently under construction.

The location on the Willamette River will increase efficiency by bringing Advanced American Construction, Advanced American Diving Service in Oregon City, and the M. Cutter Company in Vancouver, Wash. together at one facility. These companies combine specialties to provide a broad range of expertise in heavy, civil construction in and around the water.

AAC's purchase of the property was complicated by the fact that it was in the Portland Harbor, a Superfund site, and had been declared an orphan site by DEQ. DEQ's investigation and sampling on the property had indicated past releases of hazardous substances, and the former owner's financial insolvency meant he was not going to clean up the site. DEQ worked with AAC and approved a plan whereby AAC agreed to conduct certain specified cleanup activities and to reimburse DEQ for the state's previous remedial action costs in exchange for releasing AAC from liability to the state for any preexisting hazardous substances. Advanced American Construction plans new offices.