SEATTLE
PARTNER RECOGNITION

2020 Company Award Winners

Commercial Materials Company (CMC)

Preconstruction Award | Nominated by Nick Polack

The Commercial Metals Company (CMC) team, including Boyd Kelly, Michael Williams, Pat Nation, and Robert McKiernan, went above and beyond to help our estimating team reinforce scope in various projects last year. Their technical knowledge and attention to detail made them an asset to our team.

Farwest Steel

Innovation Award | Nominated by Greg Knutson, Tom Aura, Bryon Lyver, & Chris Peterson

Farwest Steel was nominated in almost all of our award categories for being a partner that went above and beyond on all projects they were a part of last year. At Climate Pledge Arena, they tackled each new challenge and did whatever it took to get all the work done.  

Firstline Systems Inc

Quality Award | Nominated by Alex Brown & Ye Zhang 

Firstline Systems Inc was nominated for their work on Climate Pledge Arena. Their early efforts on contract document review and planning helped their team to minimize rework and finish their tasks on schedule. The team's focus on quality also helped our project team to achieve our commitments of "done means done" to our client. 

JR Hayes Corporation

Teamwork Award | Nominated by Greg Knutson 

JR Hayes was an outstanding team player at Climate Pledge Arena. Their team hauled up to 10,000 yards of dirt per night while carefully excavating around temporary roof supports and steel installation for bracing at the Chevrons. They also helped support all things site work at the end of the project.

Mehrer Drywall

Company Award | Nominated by Bryan Maggio, Holly Shoubridge, Erin Erwin, & Matt Rasmussen 

Mehrer has been an important strategic partner in helping us support our core healthcare customers (Providence, Swedish & Kaiser Permanente) on their small works projects. We can always count on them to show up to the project ready to work safely and produce first-time quality. They know what it takes to work in these high-risk environments and can be consistently relied upon to deliver the high level of precision that's required. They consistently meet the schedule, provide flexibility when needed, and are a pleasure to work with.

Miller Sheet MTL

Safety Award | Nominated by Austin Bucholtz

Miller Sheet Metal is a local Olympic Peninsula trade partner performing HVAC and controls work for the Port Angeles Waterfront Center. Their PM and field crew have been a safe, responsive team to work with, and bought directly into Mortenson's required Crane Planning procedures without hesitation. This specific nomination is for the crane plan that was put together by MSM for setting the mechanical equipment up on the roof (AHUs, etc). The work was performed with zero change in plans and most importantly, zero injuries.

Audie Wallace, McKinstry

Project Executive Award | Nominated by Paige Adkinson

Audie with McKinstry always put in extra effort to make the project successful. He is the type of person that is already working on something before you even thought to ask him to do it because he approaches every situation so proactively. Audie is very solutions-oriented and is always ready with input for how something could work, instead of why it can't. He is able to quickly provide results and is well-respected throughout McKinstry and their industry partners.

Derek Allison, Axiom CC

Foreperson Award | Nominated by Austin Bucholtz 

Derek with Axiom CC was nominated for his work at the Port Angeles Waterfront Center project. With a revised Shell & Core construction timeline, Derek was forced to get creative with his office and crew to streamline material procurement, sequence, and execution of the enclosure scope of work for PAWC. Having Team Players such as Derek to coordinate closely with Mortenson Self-Perform has been successful thus far in completing the project on time. 

Derek Reif, Goebel Construction

Individual Award | Nominated by Victoria Vieira

Because Derek was also the foreman at the citizenM Seattle project, he was able to apply lessons learned from there to the citizenM DTLA project. He has not only helped Goebel succeed but also helped other trades by teaching them Best Practices from his previous cM project. He was a great addition to this project and a true team player. Derek went out of his way to help Mortenson and other trades to keep the job clean and organized and did so with tremendous energy and enthusiasm. It was a pleasure to work with Derek.

Felix Salazar, Farwest Steel

Individual Award | Nominated by Greg Knutson, Tom Aura, Bryon Lyver, & Chris Peterson

Felix with Farwest Steel was nominated for his efforts to reinforce scope of work at Climate Pledge Arena. Felix found ways to keep the project moving forward despite challenging logistics. He always accommodated changes as the project developed, and had his crew shift their focus accordingly to maintain the project schedule. Felix proved to perform his work as our partner, and his can-do mindset was greatly appreciated. 

Joe Tremblay, Valley

Preconstruction Award | Nominated by Steve Larson

Joe went to extraordinary lengths to work with BLU54 on this project and drove it to a very successful conclusion. He had to navigate the process of engaging BLU54 within his own company and very complex architectural demands for a cutting-edge lighting design within the project budget. Through all the hurdles and challenges, Joe's can-do spirit and enthusiasm to do the right thing for the customer, Mortenson, and Valley produced results that everyone agrees are a success. Joe proved to everyone on one of our first BLU54 projects that by fully utilizing their range of services and knowledge we can provide a greater value to our customers than would otherwise be possible.

Josh Dawe & Tony Kubec, Firstline Systems Inc

Individual Awards | Nominated by Alex Brown & Ye Zhang 

Josh drove work in the field with his can-do attitude, which went a long way with promoting collaboration while tackling difficult tasks. He went above and beyond to make sure his team stayed on top of their tasks at Climate Pledge Arena across the project. 

Tony's involvement in the MEP coordination and design reviews at Climate Pledge Arena contributed to solutions to many challenging field issues. He represented Firstline in the weekly work plan meeting where he helped to remove constraints and keep the project moving forward. 

Kirk Bates, MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions

Foreperson Award | Nominated by Sam Siler

Kirk with MacDonald-Miller was very proactive in his efforts, often looking out 2 or 3 weeks ahead of the work to bring up potential conflicts before they could happen. Working as a team with other trade partners, he was diligent in staying ahead of schedule and always thoroughly inspected work to make sure a quality product was installed. Kirk also consistently provided field safety input, which led to a safer and more productive jobsite.

Kyle Melberg, Michels Corporation

Superintendent Award | Nominated by Josh Erickson

Kyle with Michels Corporation came to the project site every day with a plan to steer his team through the unique challenges that come with working on a small project site like citizenM Pioneer Square. He also successfully installed 25 drilled shaft piles while wearing hazmat suits on a 7,000 square foot site in the middle of a pandemic, with zero injuries!

Lionel Garcia, James W. Fowler Co.

Individual Award | Nominated by Lars Carlson

Lionel with James W. Fowler Co. was nominated for working countless hours on Climate Pledge Arena. His steady leadership and personal commitment to the project's success was a major factor in completing a very challenging and critical scope of work on the project. 

Noel Galvin, Hermanson Company

Foreperson Award | Nominated by Chris Allen

Noel with Hermanson Company was nominated for his fantastic work collaborating to oversee plumbing systems on the Climate Pledge Arena. Noel was a team builder - with his craft, with Mortenson, and for the project. Safety and planning were a clear priority in Noel's scheduling, procedural planning, and work execution. He was a very effective and communicative leader, shown through his engagement between his crew and the greater team. Noel's passion and leadership for doing the right thing were invaluable to our project's success.

Randy Dana, Sound Waterproofers Inc

Preconstruction Award | Nominated by Nick Polack & Keith Jurgens 

Randy with Sound Waterproofers Inc was an essential waterproofing technical resource for our estimating and design phase teams in 2020. A subject matter expert in his field, he provided honest feedback and recommendations on numerous systems we were evaluating. His responsiveness and willingness to help were refreshing and made him a valued partner. 

Van Reilley, Cochran Electric

Foreperson Award | Nominated by Tyson Wagner & Ella Pilgrim

Van with Cochran Electric is a solutions-focused team member. He always goes out of his way to offer suggestions and solutions, and everyone trusts him to help drive the project forward. Any issues or concerns that come up are immediately addressed and his positive attitude keeps the entire team motivated. He embodies the idea of “we’re all one team, no matter the company” and every individual who has worked with him on this project speaks highly of him.