Construction Industry Workforce Initiative (CIWI)

On July 11th, CIWI toured Northeastern University with Turner Construction Company (TCCO), and there were enough alumni to fill out a meeting quorum! :) CIWI was created for days like this. We had former interns from 3 CIWI Cohorts in the house, including Jorge Wu Loo (CIWI 2020), Laura Barbosa (CIWI 2021 and 2022), and Jaden Banks (CIWI 2024), who was recruited by TCCO, for a full-time internship at the Northeastern University project. Laura Barbosa (Sares-Regis Group, Jr Project Manager and CIWI Advisory Committee member), is managing the revitalization project. Jorge Wu Loo, who has worked for Turner for many years, is currently working on the Northeastern project as well. Jaden Banks (100 Black Men Bay Area affiliate) secured a full-time internship with TCCO at Northeastern. Big thanks to the Project Superintendent Nicole, for guiding us on the site tour! Last but not least a huge thank you to Bianca Flores Johnson for converting an initial cup of coffee to learn more about CIWI into a full-fledged commitment ( grant funding to CIWI and sponsoring Jaden Banks at Northeastern with a full-time internship) The collaboration with TCCO marks a very important milestone for CIWI!

Tuesday, August 13th was a very special day for CIWI. As a program that looks to create opportunities and exposure for the next generation of industry leaders, today was the day when Jamonte Wells (CIWI 2024) spent quality one-on-one time with Bucky Oduozo (2022 CIWI Alum). Bucky Oduozo is a Project Engineer with Cahill Contractors at HOPE SF’s Hunters View Phase 3. Upon our early arrival at the Hunters View site, we jumped right into their monthly GC team meeting.? The magic really happened once the site tour commenced with Bucky leading the way. At that point, you could see the excitement on Jamonte's face. From Civil Engineer to Civil Engineer, this was an opportunity like no other and CIWI is proud to have played a role in the lives of both of these young men.

On July 25th, in collaboration with Q&A Consulting LLC (an environmental consulting firm, LBE/WBE) and Jamonte Wells, a member of our CIWI 2024 intern cohort, he had the opportunity to tour East Bay Asian Local Development Corp’s (EBALDC) East 12th Street affordable housing development. Jamonte was placed with Q&A as part of EBALDC’s Community Benefits commitment and has been a valuable addition to our team! Hailing from West Oakland, Jamonte is pursuing Civil Engineering at Laney College. This summer, he obtained his OSHA 30 certificate, successfully completed a 6-hour introductory Excel class sponsored by the Association of General Contractors (AGC), and participated in multiple jobsite walks with Q&A. Moreover, Jamonte received mentorship from key industry stakeholders such as Bruce Giron (Giron Construction), Rod Roche (CIWI Advisory Committee member/100 Black Men Bay Area member), and Bucky Oduozo (Project Engineer at Cahill Contractors/CIWI 2022 Alum). #QueAlicia? #BruceGiron #RodRoche #BuckyOduozo #EBALDC #AGC

On July 25th, for the fourth consecutive year of collaboration, CIWI interns toured two Pacific Charter School Development projects that are currently under construction, including Education for Change Public Schools' Achieve Academy and Bay Area Technology School (BayTech). Led by Mary Grace Houlihan, PE, LS, PCSD Northern California Project Director, we toured the two sites. While Achieve Academy nears completion for the upcoming school year, the Bay Tech site is in its initial stages of site preparation. Both school projects are poised to cater to the educational needs of children and adults and other community needs within the greater Fruitvale area. #PCSD #PCSDTeam

On July 30th, CIWI was thrilled to participate in UCSF's first UCSF Real Estate Intern Day. We started our day with a Zoom presentation on the Bay Front Medical Building by Patrick Mcgee, Senior Project Manager. Next up was the amazing Career Panel discussion with members of UCSF’s Design and Construction team. We learned about the exciting projects that the UCSF team is working on and their approach to working as a cohesive team to achieve project goals. We secured advice from them as seasoned professionals, lessons learned as men and women in construction, and the importance of mentors. The panel included Alicia Murasaki – Associate Vice Chancellor, Campus Planning & UCSF Campus Architect, Natasha Ravare-Evans – Interim Executive Director of Project Delivery Health Design & Construction, Ron Blaj – Director of Major Projects Campus Design & Construction, Charles Conway – Assistant Director Campus Facilities, Taylor Liu – Architectural Assistant Health Design & Construction, and Chris Magnuson – Inspector of Record UCSF Real Estate. The Intern Day tours included:? Emergency Department CT Project Tour with Scott Sypult, Sr. Construction Manager Health Design & Construction and the Bay Front Medical Building (Mission Bay Campus)? with Michael Kennedy, Interim Director of Architecture Health Design & Construction, Thank you to Sharon Norwood, Executive Director of Finance-Health Capital Programs and UCSF Real Estate Contracts, for creating the amazing UCSF Real Estate Intern Day.? UCSF Real Estate, including the Design and Construction team, is a multi-year CIWI funder, partner, and sponsor. We are beyond thrilled to have UCSF as part of our team! #UCSFRealEstateInternDay #UCSFDesignandConstruction #SharonNorwood #NatashaRavareEvans #AliciaMurasak #RonBlaj #CharlesConway #TaylorLiu #ChrisMagnuson #MichaelKennedy #ScottSypult #PatrickMcgee

On June 21, 2024, Emerson and Montez Group Inc. hosted the Construction Industry Workforce Initiative Interns to present “Water/Wastewater: How Does it Work,” and then guided the interns on 2 site walks. Our tour started at the new South East Community Center, where we had the privilege of observing the community leaders as part of the Center's impressive public art program. Then we toured the Bruce Flynn Pump station adjacent to the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bayview/Hunters Point, where we were able to witness its pivotal role in maintaining the operational functionality of San Francisco.? ? We love Emerson and Montez, they have been multi-year sponsors, funders, and key stakeholders in CIWI’s Civic Engagement and Sustainability events. ? We also want to show our appreciation to the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) and The BAVC Bridges Live Program. On this remarkable day, BAVC and The BAVC Bridges Live Program had the opportunity to accompany us during our multi-stop site tour. They produced an amazing video for our program which was made possible by funding from the PUC and San Francisco's Department of Children, Youth, and their Families. ? Thank you to all who made this day so special.? #EmmersonConstruction #MontezGroup #BayAreaVideoCoalition

Intern Spotlight: Introducing the 2024 Intern Cohort! What is CIWI? CIWI offers direct work experience in the construction industry. It also provides personal, educational, and career development opportunities for young adults, with the potential to lead them toward pursuing education and career paths within construction, architecture, engineering, real estate and community development. Why Does CIWI exist? These young adults have traditionally been underrepresented in our industry at the professional level. CIWI's objective is to provide support and facilitate a pathway to long-term employment in the construction industry. #UCSF #DBA #WatryDesign #QAConsulting #HathawayDinwiddie