Category: Perlo Culture

Each year, Perlo hires a class of interns for the summer months to provide them with an introduction and education about general contracting, as well as fill our ever-growing need for talented, hard-working individuals. This year, Perlo’s class was made up of 12 stellar students, including 7 men and 5 women, hailing from multiple universities across the Western United States, including Arizona, Cal Poly, Central Washington, and Oregon State.

 

The class also ranged in age from freshman to senior in college, with several intending to return to Perlo for subsequent internships or permanent hire positions.

Our interns experience a variety of tasks and experiences over the course of the summer, including shadowing a tenured project manager, attending onsite meetings, watching unique aspects of the building process and attending formal training sessions. They often receive exposure to our estimating processes, project management, onsite processes, safety, and even business development.

Two of our summer interns were also recipients of the 2023 Schweiger Memorial Scholarship and attended the awards ceremony with us to receive recognition for their hard work and dedication to their education.

Here are some of the things this year’s interns had to say about their time with Perlo this summer:

---

---

Final Thoughts

Perlo has created an internship program that is a two-way street, where both interns and employers have the opportunity to learn and grow. We are grateful for the time spent with the Summer Intern class of 2023, excited about their potential, and look forward to seeing each of them thrive in the construction industry. 

If you’re interested in a future internship, check out our careers page or contact us today! 

3. What kind of vision for the company in your new role?

My main focus is on continued growth and expanding our market share, but in smart and sustainable ways. Potentially expanding geographically. We’ve got an amazing reputation and are known for maintaining relationships and creating quality buildings. I think it’s important that we never get too comfortable and lose those roots.

6.What advice do you have for aspiring leaders or trailblazers in this industry?

Get exposure through internships to different companies and find the right fit. Find a company that aligns with your goals. Don’t wait for the opportunity to come to you; take it. Be self-disciplined, and self-motivated and understand you’ll have to work much harder in the early portion of your career. It gets easier, but you’ve got to be competitive in everything you do.

     

7. Anything else you’d like to share?

The people here are different in a unique way. We’ve got a special thing going on. I believe we’ve got the best talent in the industry. On top of that, there’s a lot of cross-collaboration between teams which leads to results, you don’t feel like you’re on an island here. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m beyond excited to find out!

Final Thoughts

Chris, congratulations on your new role! Thank you for sharing more about your journey with Perlo and construction management.

Perlo is hiring. If you’re looking for your next career opportunity, check out our Careers page for current openings.

Please join us in welcoming Chris and Devin to their new positions. We are so excited to see them continue leading Perlo to new heights. Join us as we learn a little more about them:

---

What was your first project at Perlo?

Devin: I started here with a summer internship and worked on a building in Hillsboro. Dave Wheeler was the project superintendent. I was then hired full time and started as a Field Engineer under Tim Kofstad on the Alderwood Corporate Center project by the airport. Some of that crew evolved into our current superintendents. They (mainly George) would want me to say that I was lucky to be working with them on my first project.

Chris: I actually started with another company, as my degree is in industrial engineering, and didn’t love what I was doing, but they had assigned me to help manage their building expansion and I found myself really enjoying the process. I decided I wanted to pursue construction management as a career, so I interviewed with Gayland and Devin – at an Applebee’s – and about a month later they offered me a Field Engineer position. I worked with Devin onsite at the Village Baptist Church project and…the rest is history.

What has surprised you most about Perlo in the last 10 years?

Devin: There’s never a dull moment. We have grown so much in terms of people, size of project, and product type, but have been able to maintain some of that family feel that existed when I started.

Chris: I’d agree with that. The magnitude and size of projects, how quickly our project sizes grew, how many more market sectors we work in now. When I started, we were all about industrial buildings, but now, we do so much more.

In your kids’ eyes, what do you do for work?

Chris: In my kid’s eyes? I build buildings. They think I do the cool part and actually build the buildings. Swing the hammer, right? That’s what they think I do.

Devin: I have a way different answer. Every day, I go to the place that has a candy bin down by Accounting. A ping pong table, shuffleboard, soda machine, video games, and an office full of fun people.

Chris: You go to Wonderland every day.

Devin: I do. You would hear that answer from my house.

What advice do you have for aspiring leaders or trailblazers in this industry?

Chris: Take on the hard stuff. I think Devin and I have a similar philosophy on that front. You have to be willing to work hard and take on the tasks or projects that others shy away from. Be humble. People can tell when you’re doing things to better yourself, verses doing things because it’s the right thing to do.

Devin: Attitude and effort will overcome most obstacles. Don’t ever give someone a reason to doubt you or question your integrity. Meet all deadlines and play your part to help the cause. And don’t forget that this is a team sport – there are people willing to help and support you if you allow it to happen.

Final Thoughts

We want to take a moment to thank Devin and Chris for their time and congratulate them on their new roles. We have no doubt that they’ll be taking Perlo to new heights.

At Perlo, we believe in investing in our people, fostering a culture of growth and development, and take immense pride in the achievements of our team members. Recently, two employees were promoted to Perlo’s Executive Leadership Team due to their hard work and unwavering determination. Today, we share the stories of our newly promoted Vice President’s: Chris Culbertson and Thomas Quesenberry. We will showcase their experiences and demonstrate the potential for hard working individuals to combine their work with the countless personal and professional developmental opportunities Perlo provides to rise to the highest of heights.

---

“I always want to work harder, but Perlo does a great job of establishing a balance between work and home life.”

He advises those seeking leadership positions: “Stay committed to working hard, building strong relationships, and being a trustworthy resource for clients. You should truly want to help people, because they will appreciate the support and think of you for their next project. Lastly, if you have ideas, you’ve got to speak up. To be heard you have to say something.” For Thomas, working at Perlo is a chance to build something lasting with the freedom to pursue the projects and clients of one’s own interests, allowing for a wide range of possibilities.

“Keep pushing. It may sometimes feel like no one notices your efforts, but people do notice, and they will reward your hard work—keep at it.”

As Perlo Construction has grown and evolved, Chris remains excited about the future of the company and any challenges that lie ahead. Chris’ inspiring story is one of commitment and a willingness to adapt to change, in addition to his humble leadership. His desire to learn and grow within the company has made him an invaluable member of the Perlo Construction team.

Final Thoughts

We are proud to congratulate Chris Culbertson and Thomas Quesenberry on joining the Executive Leadership Team and are excited to see their impact on Perlo’s future success. We recognize their hand in mentoring our growing team of estimators and project managers. Their promotion will continue the company’s ongoing success and growth for years to come.

If you are interested in paving your own path here at Perlo, visit our Careers page to learn more about our current openings.

---

What is your soon to be ending role?

I’m the Director of Safety for Perlo Construction, which means I oversee our corporate safe work practices and policies, including compliance with federal, state, and local rules and regulations related to safety in our office and on our jobsites. I manage our dedicated safety professionals who are a committed resource for our construction supervisors and crews. I coordinate and deliver safety-related training with an emphasis on making it relevant to our employees, both in the office and on the jobsites. I’m also responsible for incident/injury investigations.

How did you get into safety?

What have you seen change in your time managing safety programs, in general?

Certainly, industry-wide there is a greater emphasis on construction safety in recent years. Not only from a total worker health perspective, but as a demand from clients to improve. There’s also more emphasis placed on organizations to have better safety scores (lower EMR, total recordable incident rates, etc). This is being driven by public and private clients, as well as insurance companies.

There’s also been a greater emphasis on credentials for safety professionals; for instance, CHST (Construction Health Safety Technician) is basically a minimum requirement now, replacing the once minimum qualifications of OSHA 10 and OSHA 30. For a lot of employers, ASP (Associated Safety Professional) and CSP (Certified Safety Professional) are desired. The CSP is basically the highest-ranking certification for safety out there. There’s a lot more emphasis from our clients as well on having safety professionals be credentialled at the higher levels.

Perlo has all of our Field Safety Coordinators working on obtaining their CHST.

What have you seen change with Perlo’s safety program in your time here?

A lot! To begin with, it was pretty informal prior to my role beginning. One individual took care of the administrative aspects of safety for Perlo, so we had a safety manual and the basic reports covered. Our lead field superintendent managed the field component for investigations and compliance, but there wasn’t an audit system at all. When I was hired, we had about 20 superintendents and now we have 45+. So, our workforce has grown substantially. And our safety team went from just me to now having 6 safety professionals. As far as other changes, there’s more formality now with compliance. For example, we have a safety management software that helps us audit and track safety scores and training records, including our incident/injury reports, etc.

When I got here, there was a safety incentive program, but it has since been expanded extensively. We used to give out just high-viz men’s shirts as awards, but now we have tons of swag, and even do lunches for 100% safety audit scores. All of our foremen, superintendents, project engineers, project managers, and executive team members are OSHA-30 certified as well. Safety overview audits are now being done by all project engineers, managers and executive teams on a monthly basis. All of this has basically led to more accountability for safety both in the field and in the office.

Safety training has also greatly improved overall. We have a much bigger awareness and understanding as a company about how important it is. We also created a safety committee in the last few years to make sure we have involvement from a wide variety of field members.

What are you most proud of with regards to your career in safety?

The relationships that I’ve built with our employees. They see the Safety Department more as a resource and not just as the ‘bad cop’ for safety-related topics. I have a lot of discussions with employees that are outside of work topics. It’s cool to be a resource and mentor that’s available no matter what the concern or crisis is. For me, that’s really rewarding, and I try to instill in our safety coordinators that you need to build those relationships first, then you can use those to help motivate workers to enact safe work practices.

Why do you think it’s so hard for people to think about working safely?

I think construction in general is a “Type A” industry, and there is still a taboo associated with working safely. People still want to be ‘tough’. There’s also a huge emphasis on production over safety. I’m really proud that our culture is changing in that regard, but the industry still has a lot of people that value production over safety and don’t realize that you can still prioritize both. The reality is that you can still have a productive jobsite that is also safe. A safe, clean site leads to efficient production, less off-work time, higher morale, etc.

You want people to appreciate what they’re working for, and it’s not necessarily what they have at work, but it’s what they have at home.

What challenges do you see for our industry with regards to safe work practices?

Definitely, tighter project budgets. It makes it hard for people to prioritize safety when cost is a huge driver. Also, increasing regulations from the federal and state governments. For example, there are new heat related policies that require work to stop in certain conditions. The government has to take action because accidents and deaths have occurred from these, and Federal OSHA has to paint with a broad brush. So, regulations are getting tighter and tighter, and this isn’t a bad thing, but it is a challenge. We now have to look at full personal health, so noise exposure, chemical exposure, wildfire smoke, silica, etc. We now have to take action at much lower thresholds than before, and this does affect production, for sure. Suppose your options are to stop work or put everyone in a respirator during wildfires. In that case, the work is going to slow down significantly.

The other real challenge is that today’s workers coming into the workforce have much less exposure to physical labor than in past generations. You don’t necessarily have people that have worked in a rural environment with their hands. Instead, they’re used to being indoors on gaming systems or things like that. Then they’re entering a very physically demanding job without the knowledge and stamina built-up from the get-go.

I tell people at orientation that construction is hard work. If you aren’t tired and sore at the end of the day, you’re probably not working hard enough. Sore muscles aren’t an injury, and you need to know the difference. And people can build up that stamina, but it’s going to take a while. Technology is great, but we have so much of it now that people are generally less prepared to enter a labor-intensive trade like construction.

What is the biggest ‘lesson learned’ you’ve had in your career? 

I don’t know if it’s a lesson, but it’s a reality that you never can know everything about construction safety. It’s always evolving, especially as a General Contractor; we work with so many subcontractors that have new practices we can learn from. There are always new processes, policies, and practices. You can never know it all. It changes all the time.

What will you miss most about your work here?

The people, most definitely. Those relationships.

What are you looking forward to in retirement?

I’m really looking forward to having more time freedom. I think it will be nice to also not have to carry two phones and be worried about what phone call you might get. Safety is 24/7 job, and I’ve always looked at it as my responsibility to be available when the phone rings. I do get those calls during off hours or weekends, and that can wear on you. You can’t really step away entirely, and that’s a lot of my own ‘fault’ because I’m passionate about what I do and hold myself accountable to be available.

What do you want to share as parting words with us?

I look back at my time here with Perlo, and it’s a really special workplace. There is such an investment made to keep workers connected and truly make our workplace a fun place to be, which is engaging and social. Yes, we work hard, but there are a lot of rewards for doing that. To have an organization that makes so much effort to make people feel welcome and be social so that they’re heard and have an opportunity to participate both in and outside of work activities. That’s really what makes Perlo special–and I’m going to miss it.

Final Thoughts

We want to thank Dennis for taking the time to not only share his work and experience at Perlo, but to reflect on the faithful 8 ½ years of service that he has dedicated much of his time to. Dennis will be retiring in June, and his leadership and legacy will very much be missed.

If you’re interested in a career in construction, take a look at our Careers page for more information!

Whenever we win a project at Perlo, we follow the ancient tradition of ringing a bell to celebrate. It’s an opportunity for our employees to come together to hear the story of how we achieved the work, who will be the project team, and more. Bell ringing has a long and storied history that dates back centuries. It’s a tradition that has endured through the ages and has been embraced by cultures worldwide. Bell ringing has been essential in many societies, including the ancient Greeks, English and Americans.  

Today we will explore the history behind this ancient tradition and why we use bell ringing to celebrate our wins here at Perlo Construction.  

---

The Origins of Bell Ringing

The origins of bell ringing are somewhat murky, with various theories and legends surrounding its inception. One popular theory is that it originated in ancient China, where large bronze bells were used for timekeeping and as a means of signaling important events. It is believed that this practice spread to other parts of Asia and eventually made its way to Europe. Bells were also used in ancient Greece and Rome to signal the start of games and other events. In addition, some cultures once believed the sound of the bell could ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.

Final Thoughts

If you’d like to be a part of our award-winning bell-ringing team, visit our careers page, or contact us with your next commercial construction project you want the winning team to build right.  

3. What is your favorite part of working for a construction company?

There are so many things I love about working in this industry! First, I love meeting and recruiting great people and helping them find their potential at Perlo, just like how I found my niche. Second, I enjoy welcoming and setting our new employees up for success. It’s important for me to support and empower our employees to reach their greatest potential, so they can give their best selves to the company, team members and our clients. I’m equally for our people and for our company. I am so proud of our work and know wholeheartedly that our people are the reason we do it so well.

Additionally, it’s rewarding to know that I help play a vital role in constructing a project, whether new construction or tenant improvements. I enjoy being a part of something bigger and seeing how our physical work, blood, sweat and tears positively impact the lives of many people, families and communities.

4. Recruiting is a hot topic. What challenges do you see to people wanting to enter this industry?

It’s different with office and field positions. For the office, it’s the unknown. We have people who intentionally got into construction, but we have a lot of people who only knew what construction work meant once they were here. I think the wide variety of people with diverse backgrounds are a testament to the great career opportunities this field offers.

On the field side, work in the trades can be challenged by inconsistent hours. In addition, with field work being cyclical, layoffs are common. We work hard to keep our crew members busy, even if we have a slowdown. There are also challenges for individuals to find enough consistent work as an intern, requiring travel, odd hours, things like that. If you have family duties and obligations, this kind of inconsistency can be a real trial.

I see the behind the scenes and how hard we work to keep our great workers busy, and it’s sometimes different at other companies. Employment at Perlo means something different. You aren’t just a number; you don’t get lost in the shuffle. I see our leadership standing by the Perlo Way every day and it really makes our team easy to sell.

5. What are the challenges facing our industry in the near and long term?

There are many exciting opportunities, but still some challenges. The more significant one, not surprisingly, is labor shortages. As construction continues to grow and we expand into different regions due to the lack of developable land, we need to get creative with how we recruit talented professionals willing to put in the hard work required to make it in construction.

7. What do you wish more people knew about working in the construction industry?

Our industry has a wide range of jobs – there’s a place for everyone! It’s amazing the extent of backgrounds and experiences that are accepted into this industry and apply very well to the work. I had no idea what I would do for a construction company. I’ve been here 8 years and now understand how I add value, but I can see where others might not know how they initially fit into a construction company. There are so many supporting departments – safety, marketing, accounting, project support, training, IT, and warehouse. There’s something for everyone – just reach out!

8. What advice do you have for individuals wanting to enter the construction industry?

Go for it. Be confident but humble, ask questions and be willing to learn. Find what motivates you, embrace challenges, be a good teammate, stay positive, stay hungry, and let your walls down, but stay true to yourself and be the best you can be. And lastly, don’t be afraid to get out on-site and get dirty! Maybe it’s cheesy . . . but it’s all true! Know your value and bring it with you every day.

9. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your career and/or work here at Perlo?

I’ve never found a work environment or culture as we have here at Perlo. I’m so proud of our team members. We do very challenging, hard work, but we have a genuine, fun, and collaborative culture that makes the stress of the job easier and enjoyable. We carry the burden together and celebrate together, which makes the challenges exciting and worthwhile. We celebrate our achievements and learn from our mistakes. I’ve never found or seen this kind of culture elsewhere, and I’m so proud to be a part of it and grateful for it.

Final Thoughts

We’d like to thank Meghan for taking the time to share her work and experience at Perlo and in the construction industry. If you’re interested in careers in construction, take a look at our Careers page for more information! If you’d like to check out more of our Women in Construction series, visit our Newsroom page.

3. What do you consider to be our most important “Perlo Practice” and why?

I really like Perlo Practice #1, “do what’s right.” In my mind, it is similar to the “Golden Rule” of treating others as one wants to be treated, which is a value my parents instilled in me. It can be applied to many different situations and is an overarching guiding principle that I use every day.

5.What is your pet peeve?

I’m a pretty easy-going guy, but if I had to choose something, it would be the lack of someone saying the two simple words: “Thank you”.  It sounds so simple and yet it is forgotten far too often. Genuine, sincere appreciation can really help drive your co-workers to greatness. I value a culture of team building, respect, and hard work, and I like to see people appreciated for those efforts.      

6. What do you like to do for fun?

My wife and I have three children ranging from a fourth grader to teenager, so we’re pretty busy with sports and school activities. When we get the chance, we like to travel and be active outdoors. Our favorite places to visit are Sunriver and Hawaii. I also love to golf.

7. What or who inspires you?

My wife inspires me. She is a registered nurse at a children’s hospital and takes care of the most critically ill kids and their families. When I think that I have had a bad day, and then listen to the stories she brings home from work . . . well, it puts things into perspective. Let’s just say she keeps me grounded – she is an angel.

8. What advice would you give to someone wanting to enter the construction industry?

Experience matters in construction, so take the time to learn the basics and build a good foundation. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn from all the expertise around you. This is an exciting industry with many career avenues to choose from. If you work hard, build relationships, and do the right thing, then this industry will reward you. 

9. How do you handle high-pressure situations or heavy workloads?

I am a believer of “cooler heads prevail.” When I was younger, I was part of a volunteer fire department and learned how to work swiftly while staying calm. When in doubt, always focus on the task at hand and do not lose your head.

Final Thoughts

We’d like to thank Todd for sharing his thoughts with us about his career, lessons learned, and why the culture at Perlo keeps us highly ranked in the 100 Best companies to Work for in Oregon. If you’ve been considering a career in construction or are looking for a workplace that values your contributions not just to projects, but to the company as a whole, check out our Careers page to view open positions.

Sustaining our growth and future means investing in and mentoring the next generation of employees. We are excited to share the stories of our 2022 Summer Interns, nine students from six schools aspiring to enter the dynamic construction industry. We were blown away by their unique perspectives, go-getter attitudes and willingness to learn. Read on to hear about their summer internship experience. 

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Final Thoughts

Perlo has created an internship program that is a two-way street, where both interns and employers have the opportunity to learn and grow. We are grateful for the time spent with the Summer Intern class of 2022, excited about their potential, and look forward to seeing each of them thrive in the construction industry. 

If you’re interested in a future internship, watch our careers page or contact us today! 

Companies in our business often grow and then sell to national or even international corporations. These large, sprawling businesses operate from distant headquarters and enter local towns with little investment in the people or the surrounding community. Gayland Looney and Jeff Perala, long-time owners of Perlo, wanted to make sure that would never happen. They realized the best way to keep the company local was to invite the Executive Team into the ownership fold.

These executives are:

“Creating the new ownership structure took many months,” says Gayland. “But we knew it was worth the effort. We wanted to make sure the long hours, the tough decisions, and the day-in-and-day-out grit that Jeff and I have put in over the past 30 years resulted in a company that would stay rooted in our community.”

Chris McLaughlin agrees. “The best thing about this transition is that it means we’re staying local. We’re not selling out to a company from outside the area.”

---

A Company Built on Relationships.

Perlo looks at every project as an opportunity to strengthen relationships with clients, partners, and co-workers.

“It’s exciting to see the types of projects we’re getting involved with,” says Jeff Fisher. “But at the end of the day, we’re in the business of building relationships.”

A Path to Continued Innovation.

The ownership expansion is the next chapter in the growth of the company. Perlo is becoming known in the industry for building state-of-the-art medical facilities and other complex projects. Clients and partners appreciate Perlo’s forward-looking approach that taps into new technologies and increased efficiencies.

“This ownership expansion allows for more ideas,” says Chris Gregg. “Perlo is about quality work, but it’s also about innovation. That’s what’s driving our growth.”

Staying ahead of the curve is good for business – and it’s also great for bringing in dynamic talent. “We’re growing, which provides good opportunities for our people,” shares Todd Duwe. “At Perlo, we encourage everyone to develop into their full potential.”

A Door to Tomorrow.

Perlo has been around for 50 years. The future looks bright for the next 50 years.

“This is exciting,” says Devin Koopman. “And now it’s our job to keep the dream alive for everyone in the company.”

Gayland adds, “What always drove us was creating a company that would stand the test of time and be a home for our people and their families. I’m just so proud of everyone who’s been a part of this journey.”

If you’ve been following along these last few weeks, you’ve already read the first three in our four-part Year in Review series for 2021. If you missed them, you can find them in our Newsroom here:

As the year officially comes to a close, today we’ll wrap up the last in our four-part series. We’ll celebrate and explore more about Perlo’s community involvement and accolades in 2021.

---

The Perlo Community in 2021

In addition, 2021 at Perlo featured:

• Office employee block parties
• Jobsite tours for all staff members
• Christmas ornament and tree decorating
• Halloween Costume Party
• Office and Superintendent Holiday Luncheon
• Ugly Holiday Sweater Walk

Perlo Cares Program

This year, our Perlo Cares team members volunteered more than 336 philanthropy hours of time with 7 different organizations, including Store to Door, Adopt-a-road, The Angels in the Outfield, and more. Charitable giving of goods as well as sponsorships and direct donations are a large part of our philanthropic efforts each year. Some of our giving has included:

We also made direct donations to:

• 

• 

• 

• 

Company Growth

Perlo has been on a growth trajectory for many years, and 2021 has been busier than ever. As we’ve grown, we have searched high and low to find the best talent to add to our team. So far this year, we have hired 37 new office staff or superintendents and 156 field crew members. We continue to seek additional candidates for project managers, project engineers, estimators and superintendents. If you’re interested in joining our team, check out our careers page and apply today! 

2021 Company Accolades

We are proud to have achieved a variety of awards from industry groups this year, including multiple Development of the Year awards, the 100 Best Companies award, and more. Several individuals also received recognition, including:

As a company, we are proud to have received the following awards:

• CAB, SIOR, NAIOP Development of the Year Runner-Up (Mahlum TI)
• CAB, SIOR, NAIOP Development of the Year Finalist (Columbia Distributing)
• CAB, SIOR, NAIOP Development of the Year Winner (Portland Meadows)
• CICP 2021 Law Enforcement Partner Award Winner
• DJC 2021 Top Project of the Year Winner (Columbia Distributing)
• DJC 2021 Oregon’s Reader Rankings Best General Contractor (Rank #1)
• Oregon Business’ 2021 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon (Rank #8)
• Oregon Business’ 2021 100 Best Green Companies to Work for in Oregon (Winner)
• Oregonian 2021 Top Workplaces (Rank #7)
• PBJ 2021 Fastest Growing Private Companies (Rank #124)
• PBJ 2021 List of Middle Market Companies (Rank #8)
• PBJ 2021 Commercial Contractors List (Rank #15)
• PBJ 2021 Philanthropy Award (Rank #37)
• PBJ 2021 Healthiest Employers in Oregon 100-499 Employees (Top 15)

This year held its fair share of trials and tribulations. However, our people at Perlo succeeded in making it an incredible and memorable year by keeping culture and company growth at the top of our priorities. This year has set a new standard for success, and we look forward to 2022 and all it has to bring.  

---

As we approach Thanksgiving 2021, we want to say to our clients, trade partners and employees: Thank you!

Thank you for a great year and for your partnership with Perlo. We wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and as we continue into winter, a happy holiday season.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

This week’s interview is with Amy Cook, one of Perlo’s Field Safety Coordinators.  Amy began her construction career as a carpenter in the field and has a fascinating story to tell. Read on to learn more about her winding path into construction, the lessons she’s learned from it and the changes she’s seeing in the industry.

---

What kept you going in this career with that kind of an introduction?

At that second company, there was an old-timer that I followed around.  He told me that if it had been 5 years sooner, he would have told me to get off his jobsite because I was a woman, but he told me he’d seen several women on jobsites and that they worked just as hard as the men.  He showed me a lot of things about how to properly swing a hammer to be more efficient, etc.  I really liked that.

Honestly, I really loved the work.  I was in my late twenties and heading into my thirties. A lot of the guys around me had been doing it for 20+ years. I was excited to be learning something new and getting a consistent paycheck.  I had a good attitude and sometimes brought treats. I wanted to bond with my coworkers. I loved getting paid to work out every day.  That’s how I saw it.  I loved the physical aspect of it and was in much better shape then. I did Taikwondo as a kid, and so I liked the physicality of it. I also had that dream of the house in Hawaii and that kept me going. 

What are the differences between being a carpenter and the safety side of construction?

For most of the jobs I had as a carpenter, before Perlo, safety wasn’t a big priority.  It wasn’t something that was held in high regard. We just did what we needed to do to get the job done. No one was really talking about safety until I moved over to Perlo.

Working on the safety side has been a totally different world.  Just being in the office part time is different.  I’m out in the field but also working from a computer about half the time. I appreciate the quality of life that this position has given me.  My body isn’t totally dead at the end of the day – that work was so tiring.  If someone’s been a carpenter for 25 years, they should get their pension – it’s a physically demanding job even if you use perfect ergonomics.  But that’s why there’s good benefits: it’s hard work!

Prior to my current role, I was roving from project to project. Each safety team member has a certain geographical jurisdiction. I did a lot of Portland and everything north of there. Sometimes we mix it up and ‘trade’ projects or walk projects together just to get fresh eyes on things. And we perform safety audits at each site. My credentials were minimal at first, so I spent time building relationships with people and asking questions, talking through any issues.

If an incident, close call or violation occurs, I always want to know how we got to a problem and then how to prevent that in the future. I don’t want to just solve the symptom; I want to find the root cause and then solve that.

We also organize our safety equipment, organize documents and data to track our progress. I’ve gotten massive support from Dennis (Safety Manager) and the rest of the team. You know, you can learn to speak Spanish from Rosetta Stone or you can move to Mexico and become fluent much faster.  And that’s how I feel like I’ve learned about Safety, but with a huge support net.

Do you feel like you’ve been treated differently because you are a woman in construction?

In carpentry, I was absolutely treated differently. To some extent, anyways. It’s not as hard for me as it might be for others. I feel like I got in at a really good time, but I also think that the West Coast is way more forward-thinking and accepting than other states. For the most part, I see the industry course correcting and participating in the shift to improve safety and attitudes – even the old timers.  Which makes those who don’t want to participate stand out even more. 

When the guys were ‘messing’ with me, I actually felt like I was accepted. That said, there’s a line between jovial and harassment, but I did have to report a couple of people for harassment. No one touched me or anything, but there was some weird behavior that I had to report. But I learned from that – I’m still a female in this industry and need to make sure I’m not putting myself in a position where I’m alone on a jobsite.  I mean, I wouldn’t put a man alone on a jobsite, either. That’s just not safe.  If there’s an accident, someone needs to be able to call 9-1-1.

Because I’m a safety professional, I do talk to women on jobsites and act as an advocate for them. I check into their scope of work, and let them know that we have zero tolerance for any kind of bullying, hazing, harassment, etc. There’s kind of an alliance because there’s so few women onsite. We see each other and support each other.

The sisterhood in the brotherhood union is crucial.  I’m still involved in meetings with the union and attending the Tradeswomen ‘Build Nations’ event. I’ve learned a lot through the women onsite.  There are real stories from women we need to capture to be sure we can mitigate hazards before they happen, and find ways to educate men onsite, too. Because of what I saw as a union carpenter, I feel guided to protect minorities no matter their gender. I feel deeply guided to do my due diligence.

Is it correct to assume you’re seeing a structural behavior change in terms of safety and how people treated onsite?

Yes. Absolutely. I haven’t been in this industry as long as many, but there’s a huge effort underway to improve behavior on jobsites. If I see harassment, I’m going to do something about it. All of the safety professionals play a role in preventing poor behavior. Some ‘old timers’ don’t like the idea of safety, but you know what? They don’t have a choice. I am here to be a resource for people and build relationships.

For the most part, everyone has been incredibly welcoming.  The superintendents are on board, and we truly do work together, which is a really special relationship. No one learns from being criticized all day long. We’re here to learn and improve and keep people safe and whole.

Do you still have your Hawaii dream?

I do, but it’s slow-paced living out there and it’s nice to have a steady paycheck for now. I’ve broadened my horizons a bit. I would like to find a way to teach martial arts to kids and do exhibitions, etc. My dream would be to have land somewhere and have all the local kids come out, be safe, learn, play. I want them to learn how to protect themselves. I couldn’t afford a lot when I was a kid, so I want kids to be able to have better opportunities and not have to pay for them.

Final Thoughts

Amy, thank you for sharing your story with us. We are proud to have you on our team! If you’re looking for new career opportunities, check out our Careers page now.

This week we’re taking a look at another fabulous woman in construction, our own Payroll Manager, Jacki Williams. Jacki has been with Perlo for over 20 years and does more than ‘just payroll’. She is truly a force in our company that keeps the wheels turning every day. Jacki is one of our hardest working people, with extensive knowledge about accounting and a go-to person for a variety of questions. Day in and day out, Jacki is as reliable as they come and dedicated to her work, but you won’t hear her boast. Jacki is humble and hard-working and we would no doubt be lost without her.

Let’s learn a little more about her time in the construction industry.

---

Would you say it’s been a rewarding career?

Yes. 100%. I’ve had so many opportunities here and trusted me with a lot of things, and I appreciate that.

How did you get into construction?

My first job out of college was in construction accounting. I was in eastern South Dakota at the time and started with a family run business – a very small contractor that built apartments and churches. That was my first job, but I went into retail, manufacturing and worked at the Navy Exchange in Long Beach, California in accounting support rolls before I came to Perlo.

I went to college for accounting, and after a few classes in auditing, knew I didn’t want to do public accounting. I wanted to go into the private sector, and construction happened to be where I got my first job offer.

We moved to Oregon in 1999 when my husband, Dan, retired from the Navy. We had been in San Diego prior to that, where I worked for a manufacturing company. It was then that I started with McCormack Pacific, which was Perlo’s name back then. They had posted an ad in the paper for a job opening – this was before the internet, of course. They interviewed me on a Friday, and the following Monday I interviewed with the owner at the time, Bill McCormack, and I started the next day. And I’ve been here ever since!

What do you like about working in construction?

In my world, I do a lot of the same things every day, but it’s very detailed and a little different than accounting in other industries. It’s fun because we’re always building different things all the time. And I feel like I’m a part of the whole process, it takes everybody to get buildings constructed. It’s really awesome to see the different types of projects we’re working on and see the excitement people have for their work. When we win a new project, there’s a company email that goes out called ‘Ring the Bell’ and we find out what we’re working on. That’s always exciting.

When I worked in manufacturing, we sold abrasives, and we never saw the customers. It was very impersonal. At least with construction, we’re a little more face to face with the owners. We get to see them and how excited they are, and we can drive by buildings that the company built and have pride in seeing that. It’s a little more tangible than other industries.

What are the challenges of working in construction?

I have been at Perlo since 1999, so a lot has changed at the company and with the construction industry. Over time, Perlo has worked hard to get the right people and procedures in place to get through anything. We have so many tools at our disposal now and can accomplish a lot more now than we did then. When I first started out of college, we didn’t even have computers. We did everything by hand. It makes me appreciate what we have now.

I’ve worked at companies where money was an issue and we didn’t have enough money to pay all our bills, which was a huge challenge. Thankfully, we haven’t had that happen in my time here at Perlo. I try to look at the company’s money as if it’s coming out of my own pocket. For instance, if I can buy candy that’s on sale for the community candy jar, I will. You never know when we might need that $4 I saved sometime down the road. You have to be prepared to work hard and not be afraid of that. I’ve been in the industry through great economic times and really crummy economic times, and we really had to knuckle down and work through it and eventually we came through it.

Do you feel like you’ve had any obstacles as a woman in construction?

Not in my role. The accounting roles in construction have always been female, typically.

What changes have you seen in the industry since you’ve started?

Technology has increased significantly. Having computers is huge. We used to use the ‘pegboard’ system with carbon paper and we had to transfer everything by hand. When I was first in construction, we only had seven phases where the labor and materials got charged. So that was easy, but it basically had to be because of the paper processes. By comparison, we have hundreds of phases now. Technology is great, but there was value to doing things by hand, because once you’ve done the process in the ‘old school’ way, doing it with a computer is easy.

Perlo has been really good at investing in technology upgrades and helping people make their jobs easier. The software changes have been great. Like today, we have a meeting to make documentation distribution even more automatic. While it’s a small thing, it will reduce my workload by at least an hour each week, and when you add up several small improvements, it’s a big time savings. I don’t worry about technology taking over my job. There’s still plenty of items that require using your brain, and a computer won’t replace that.

What are some of your favorite memories from working here?

That’s a tough one. Moving into this building two years ago was really cool. It provided such a nice atmosphere. I always enjoyed the company picnics. Pat (now retired receptionist) and I used to shop for all the door prizes and that was always fun. I liked doing that. Don Wheeler (now retired Superintendent) and Devin Koopman (Vice President of Construction) would put together all kinds of games. It was a good time.

The company gives us tickets to the blazer games, and that’s always fun. There’s always so many opportunities here. One time, Gayland Looney (current owner) gave me tickets to the Seahawks verses Packers game. The Packers are my favorite football team, and that was really awesome.

We tend to do some great parties for year-end and I always enjoy those. We’ve done a cruise on the Willamette, and a bowling event, and we did a dinner and dance with a live band at Portland Golf Club one year. Seeing Chris McInroe (Project Director) break dance was amazing. I loved that. For the most part, coming to work is always a good day. It’s happy for me.

Any advice for those interested in construction accounting?

Be flexible and be able to multi-task. You have to want to work hard. At Perlo, we work hard and play hard, but it’s important that you work hard and you will be rewarded if you do. If you like numbers, construction is a good place to be. That said, construction is a cyclical economic business, it does encounter hard times. You have to be ready for that. Overall, it’s a rewarding industry and you get to learn about a lot of things. I have learned a lot of construction jargon working here, which makes it a little more exciting.

Any final thoughts you want to share?

Many people think accounting is boring, but I enjoy it. I wouldn’t want to be a project manager, there’s too much stress involved in that. I admire the folks who can do that job. The jobs that project managers and superintendents do are harder than what I do, and I have a lot of respect for them. They’re responsible for a building, I’m responsible for getting people paid. It takes all of us.

Thank you, Jacki, for sharing your story with us! You are invaluable to us and are appreciated every day.

2020, in short, has been a tough year.  For our communities, for our country, for our globe.  The world over, we have been forced to make significant adjustments to our lives and businesses, have said goodbye to loved ones and worried about our health and wellness more than ever before.  Now that we are on the tail end of the year, we find ourselves operating in an ever-changing manner that nevertheless feels like a new ‘normal’.

In spite of the challenges, there is a lot to be grateful for, and this Thanksgiving, our thankfulness is what we want to set our sights on.

Here at Perlo, we are eternally grateful for our awesome crew. Individuals, certainly, but individuals who work together as a team. And this year, we have done so in a in a whole new way.  We want to say how grateful we are for all of our people.  Cliché as it may sound, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’, and this team goes above and beyond to keep Perlo moving, growing, and successfully delivering projects.  Thank you, Perlo people!  You are the heart of our organization. 

Now join us, as we discover what each of our people are grateful for this year.  

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

As we close out the year, we want to send a warm thank you to our clients, our subcontractors, and our design partners.  Thank you to our employees and the craft workers that keep our jobsites running.  Thank you to those family members that support our workers.  Thank you to our community for keeping supplies coming, restaurants open, and doing your part to make our world a better place. 

May you find peace this Thanksgiving.

At the heart of every project we do is a commitment to getting it done right. We take the time to listen closely and we follow through on each and every detail — every time. Superintendents carry these values on and off the field to ensure projects are constructed correctly, timely and safely.  They must have open and honest communication with all project stakeholders from the design team and management to the field crews, local jurisdictions and third party inspectors, and everyone in between.  True builders, the knowledge you will find in the minds of a great construction superintendent is vast and invaluable.

This week we are diving into a discussion with three of Perlo Construction’s veteran superintendents, Jay Edgar, Gary Lundervold and Fred Lutz. Each of them took a slightly different path into their current roles, and one thing is clear – they love what they do. Read on to learn more about what it takes to be some of the best superintendents in the industry.

• 

• 

• 

How did you become a superintendent?

Fred
I started out building houses and doing carpentry work for about three years with my dad, and then we realized it was hard to make money, so we started doing commercial work. I ended up as a journeyman carpenter with McCormack Pacific. Later I became a foreman for Tim Kofstad. After 10 or so years, they kept asking me to move up. I didn’t want to, but they kept asking me to, so I finally became a superintendent. 

Gary
I was going to college for a different career path.  In the summer I went to work for a construction company in California and ended up with some life events that changed my career path, so I went to work for a carpenter, joined the union, and started running work as a carpenter, then as lead man, and then I changed companies and went to work as a carpenter/foreman.  I never had any formal training on reading blueprints, I just picked it up over time.  I worked for a union company.  I was doing small jobs then.  I moved to another company and was moved up pretty quickly. In the 90’s I became a superintendent.  I’ve been with Perlo as a superintendent since June 2005.

Jay
My path isn’t how they do it anymore. When I started, it was 1980, I was 20 years old and had just started working with this company. I started by working with an older carpenter, so I learned and did whatever he told me to do. It was a different time back then, so my first project was to build a small tilt up as a superintendent right after that. At the same time, I took some classes to learn to read blueprints. My second job was to build a 130-unit retirement home and that was REALLY like being thrown into the wolves. I was 24 when I ran my first job and had to learn very quickly how to get people to listen to me and get their work done. And my career has evolved from there. I basically went from a union laborer to a superintendent at a very young age. No one would do that anymore. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

What path should a future superintendent follow?

Fred
Work your way up. Start in the field and learn how to build things. You can also find classes. Joining the union will help you educate yourself, and of course you’ll need basic computer skills. Nothing replaces hands on experience, though. The typical path is to become a laborer or carpenter, then a lead carpenter, then foreman and after that, superintendent. 

Gary
Work your way up the ladder. If you work hard and care about what you’re doing, you can do what we do.

Jay
Join the carpenter’s union and work your way up. You must have a great work ethic and starting at the bottom and getting as much training as you can is what you will need. 

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Fred
The whole thing! I’m kidding. Getting the project started right and the base structure out of the ground is the hardest part of it. If you get that piece right, the rest is easy in comparison. I have to know how every piece of the building fits together so that it gets done right, and mistakes cost both time and money, so getting that first part right is the most important thing.

Gary
Scheduling. We are managing a lot of people from different companies all the time, so making sure that everything is scheduled in advance and that you can make decisions on the fly when necessary can be a challenge. You can’t control the weather – hard as you might try –  we have to be flexible and adjust, too. Lately it seems that everyone wants things built faster and faster, so we’re doing the same amount of work in less time. That’s a big challenge. 

Jay
The biggest challenge is building the whole thing in your head before you ever start. You have to be able to visualize what you’re about to build so that you can plan everything just right. Also, you have to motivate people every day, and that can be a challenge. You can’t give more than 100% even though you want to. So having good relationships, communicating and planning so that we can work through the schedule is a challenge that you have to be ready to meet. 

Do you ever wish you worked out of the office instead of the field?

Fred
Never. I’m not an office person. I like being out on the jobsites, getting outdoors and hands on.

Gary
No. Some people like the office, but it’s not for me.

Jay
Not a chance. We get a change of scenery every time we move to a new site and we see new things each day. I love that part of it, and I like knowing what’s going on each day on the sites.

Where do you see the industry going in the future?

Fred
Good question. I see it being harder to build because of increased regulations and safety protocols. That’s not to say those are bad things, they are good things, but it does present more challenges. I also see more technology coming in to how we operate. 

Gary
I think it’s going to be harder to get crews to work in the field, even though it’s a rewarding career. I see more technology coming into how we communicate and build things. It’s changing all the time.

Jay
I see technology increasing and pre-fabrication becoming more common. Because the industry is changing so rapidly and people want buildings delivered at an increasingly fast pace, we will be forced to innovate. But I think my job is all about quality, so I try to make sure people understand that going faster is sometimes at the expense of quality, and I hope people don’t lose sight of that. I worry that craftsmanship is going to get lost. 

Final Thoughts
We want to say thank you to Fred, Gary and Jay for taking the time to share their stories with us!  We are grateful to all of our superintendents for their work each day to deliver quality projects.  As always, if you are interested in working with or working for Perlo, give us a call or visit the links below. 

Work for Perlo—view career opportunities here. Work with Perlo—contact us.

Kathleen Buono is one of Perlo’s powerhouse Project Managers. As the child of a real estate developer, Kathleen was exposed to the real estate industry from a young age, but her path to Perlo and construction project management wasn’t a straight path. We took some time to sit down and find out more about her story.

What was it like changing careers midstream?

I thought it would be a lot scarier than it was. I didn’t do it for so long because I felt like what I did as an appraiser was very specific and that the skill set wouldn’t apply to other careers. When you are mired in what you do on a daily basis, it’s hard to know that the soft skills that make you good at what you do can apply to other things. It took me awhile to figure out that those skills were transferable and I didn’t have to be a bean counter for the rest of my life. The informational interview process made it less scary. And then of course, Perlo being an opening and welcoming environment made it less scary, as well.

What do you like about project management?

The best thing about what I do is seeing people get really excited and happy as their projects come together. A lot of people can’t visualize what things will be when it’s just drawings on paper, but as we build it, people get excited about it. It’s hugely rewarding to provide that kind of service to people.
I like that the projects change and the challenges that come with that. Even with different TI’s in the same building, each one has its own challenges. Sometimes achieving a short schedule is most important, but the person next door might think a certain feature is most important.

There’s always the challenge of finding the best way to repair things in a creative way that will provide the result that the client wants and longevity of the repairs. I like the short term quality of SPG. Our TI’s aren’t typically longer than three months, and some projects are even just a day or two. So it’s always changing, it’s never the same day twice.

What do you find particularly challenging about project management?

Clients tend to delay what they knew they needed, and so time is exceedingly critical, and everybody wants their work done yesterday. It can be stressful to try to convey realistic expectations – sometimes I feel like I’m saying no too often. Time is not our friend.

What skills are required to be successful?

You need to be detail oriented, organized, a self-starter, and resourceful. You need to have an innate sense of curiosity combined with resourcefulness. You have to be able to find information for yourself and know when to ask questions. You have to be independent, and a resourceful researcher to find the answers that you need, whether that’s from Google or our company server or another PM, architect, etc. And staying diligent about finding the answers you need until you determine the right answer.

What has been your most challenging project to date?

Probably a tie between the VLMK building renovation and the Tuality OR remodels. Both were complex projects. On VLMK, even the manufacturer of the tectum tiles that we needed to replace hadn’t seen it used in the manner that existed on this building. And the OR’s because time was such a factor. We had three weeks to completely gut and remodel two OR’s in an active hospital, and that was challenging.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Do you find that being a woman in construction presents particular challenges?

I think on rare occasions, but less so now. I felt like when I was newer to the industry, men might have assumed that I didn’t know enough to do the job. But very quickly, that became a non-issue. I do think you have to be a particular type of woman to work in construction because it’s so male dominated.

Where do you see the industry heading in the next 5 – 10 years?

Certainly we are becoming more digitized. All of our plans and processes are digital, nothing is paper any longer. The integration of technology like Building Information Modeling (BIM) is going to infiltrate construction even more. Reliance and implementation of technology, reliance on IT professionals is going to be required to be a larger contractor.

On the 5 year horizon, I see continued strength in the industrial market, particularly the distribution side with the growth of online shopping during COVID-19. I think adaptive reuse of office buildings will be coming as people realize that remote working is effective, but I don’t think that will be as big a deal on the 10 year horizon as it will be in the near term. Employees will start asking to be a part of company culture again.

What advice do you have for someone who might want to pursue project management?

The informational interviews I did were integral to figuring out what I wanted to do. I looked at a lot of roles in the commercial real estate sector and construction project management was by far more interesting to me than most other positions that I looked into. I do think development would be interesting, though. So my advice is to do lots of interviews. Find out what their everyday is like, what the skillsets you need are and think critically about whether you like those. You have to like a fast changing world and uncertainty in construction.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Perlo’s a great place to work. It’s a wonderful company to work for. There’s a reason we’ve been in top workplaces and 100 best companies for multiple years in a row.

Thank you, Kathleen, for taking the time to share your story with us!

Read more about Women in Construction in our Newsroom.

---

Governmental Agencies

Perhaps the most well-known governmental entity that works to provide training is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Commonly referred to as OSHA, their construction industry web pages include assistance and guidance to help identify, reduce and eliminate construction-related hazards.

In addition to the national OSHA assistance, there are typically state agencies such as Oregon OSHA and Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Both of these agencies offer consultations for businesses in their respective states.

---

University Education

Several colleges and universities offer degree programs in health and safety. If you’re interested in pursuing a degree to become a safety professional, OSHA has a list of the colleges and universities, searchable by degree type from certificates to doctorates. You can find this searchable database here. Some of the programs are offered by institutions such as:

• Northern Illinois University
• University of Cincinnati
• Rochester Institute of Technology OSHA Education Center
• Pacific Northwest OSHA Education Center University of Washington
• University of South Florida

---

Third Party Consultation

Many third party consultants exist to help companies improve their internal safety programs. These companies can offer one-on-one help and insight, as well as onsite training and inspections. Here are just a few in the Pacific Northwest:

• GEW, LLC
• Safety Northwest, LLC
• Columbia Industrial Training & Education, LLC

---

Vendor Training

Many vendors that rent or sell safety equipment offer training services either online or onsite. Here are a few of them:

• CAT
• United Rentals
• ACME

---

Other Educational Sources

Of course, some less formal training resources exist on the internet. Safety Talk Ideas help provide discussion points for safety professionals to use when speaking to crew workers. There are also great examples of employee safety training available online, such as Oregon State University, Portland State University and Washington State University.

There are also safety conferences for added education. One example is the Washington State, Governor’s Industrial Health and Safety Conference. This conference is all virtual this year and runs September 21 – 25, 2020.

In addition to these, some topics that are less directly related to construction activities and more related to mental health. 2020 has brought us plenty of challenges, but there has been a mental health crisis for many years in our country, and efforts need to be made to combat these concerns, as well. Perlo has put a new focus on helping employees through this time, and the industry as a whole is taking note of the challenges that people are facing with regards to this issue, as well.

It’s important that employers provide training and support for those who may be struggling with mental health challenges. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides a myriad of resources to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. You can also call 1-800-723-8255.

Many health insurance providers will also have resources available for employers and employees, and we encourage you to ask about those services.

---

Perlo’s Safety Program

Perlo is dedicated to our safety program and is continuously evolving its practices so we can improve. We employ a full-time safety manager, assistant safety manager, and four field safety coordinators. All projects are visited on a regular basis by our safety team members. A unique site-specific safety plan and job hazard analyses is created by the project management team and safety manager prior to construction activities. We also align all of our efforts to our Perlo Practices.

Continuing education for superintendents and site management staff is considered and delivered prior to each project. The safety manager utilizes weekly Toolbox Talks to emphasize safe work practices and ensures all superintendents are certified in OSHA-10 and/or 30, CPR, first aid and AED.

Superintendents are trained to the competent person level in fall protection, trenching and excavation, scaffolding, and in the management of crystalline silica. Each workday begins with a daily huddle to emphasize safe work practices, issue work assignments, and coordinate work activities.

The ultimate responsibility for each job site lies with each superintendent, who are on-site during all working hours, and set up employees for success every day by providing the right tools, training and safeguarding the public from any construction activities we’re performing.

Safety on construction sites is our number one priority, and as we join the industry in celebrating Safety in Construction Week, we hope that the resources listed above will help others with improving their safety programs, too.

Be well. Be safe. Stay healthy. Join us this week, increasing the awareness of safety in construction, for yourself, and your fellow workers.

Prior to Tuesday September 5, 1882, a typical workday for the average American construction worker lasted 12 hours and the work week extended the entire seven days. Thanks to the collective opinion of a multitude of voices brave enough to put their foot down, the tradition of a national “day off” was formed for all American workers. It was also discovered that allowing more time away from their job provided more time for them to spend the money they earned. As individuals worked less hours, the economy grew.

It’s a split decision over who founded the national holiday. A large portion of the population believe it was Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. Others attribute it to machinist, Mathew Maguire. Though disagreement remains on the origin of the holiday, it is a widely known fact that our very own home state of Oregon approved the state bill into law on February 21, 1887, becoming the very first state to do so. More states followed suit, until finally, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a legal holiday in honor of the American worker.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, Labor Day “is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.”

This yearly national tribute was originally planned to include a parade, followed by a festival, and complete with speeches from prominent members of society. Though these initial plans have changed over the past 130 years, it still remains a celebrated day of rest, a day of play, a time to take a breath and enjoy the world around you outside of the demands of work. The entire work force may not be able to cease working for this day, yet it’s important to recognize and be grateful for each person’s contribution to the community and our nation as a whole.

Our country’s workers pride themselves on achievement, results and working hard. They give their all and often have little time for themselves. “Work hard, play hard” often means “Work hard, play if you can find the time”.

In order to maintain optimum efficacy in the workplace, our workers need to be tending to their mental and emotional health. Working hard is important, but so is rest.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

This Labor Day, Perlo would like to extend a giant thank you to our employees. The talent we have includes a variety of trades and skills, and our people are, without question, the best in the industry.  We appreciate the work you do each day, the buildings you help build, the communities you foster and the economy you support.

Be safe, be healthy, enjoy your time with family this weekend. And know that we salute you!

In recent decades, safety in the construction industry has risen to the forefront as a high priority for contractors, labor unions and project owners. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), construction fatalities still make up nearly 1 in 5 worker deaths for private sector workers, mostly attributed to falls, being struck by an object, electrocution and caught-in/between incidents. While worker injuries and illnesses are down significantly in the last 50 years, the industry still has work to do to eliminate injuries and deaths on jobsites.

Here at Perlo, we have developed a series of practices – known as the Perlo Practices – that we strive to represent each and every day. If we work in ways that are consistent with these practices as they relate to safety, we will continue to see rates of injuries decline. It is our goal that all our people go home each day as healthy as they came, without strains, sprains, abrasions or worse. Here we explore just how each of these practices relate to construction safety.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

The bottom line is that safety is priority #1 on our jobsites. We care about our people and their well-being both on and offsite, and want to see them living their best lives, free of injury, each and every day.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought confusion, stress and anxiety to our world earlier this year, and those elements are persisting today. In Oregon, construction was deemed an essential business, and as such, Perlo has been able to continue operations with some modifications to ensure health and safety. We are grateful that we have been able to maintain the employment of nearly 400 people, as well as hundreds of subcontracted employees working on our jobsites, and have done so safely. 

When it was clear that construction activity would resume, we assembled a task force to look at ways that we can best support our employees and our communities. While Perlo was fortunate to continue operating, many other businesses were either shut down, or severely restricted, and we wanted to find a way to help them. Out of this effort, our #rebuildtogether campaign was born.  

What is the #rebuildtogether campaign?

#rebuildtogether is a support and giving campaign that is designed to help the communities we live and work in during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that a collective effort to sustain and rebuild businesses hardest hit by the measures put in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19 will help everyone in our economy to recover and eventually thrive. Our hope is that by providing care to our own employees and non-profit partners, as well as bringing revenue to other local businesses, we will inspire others to pitch in, help where each of us can and come out of this pandemic stronger on the other side.       

---

The Big Idea

Externally, we sought to develop an even bigger idea, which culminated in partnering with ten locally owned restaurants to provide 50 free meals to their customers. In addition to funding the meals (up to $25 per order), Perlo provides a $250 tip to the restaurant staff, and the efforts to design and produce associated marketing materials. In this way, we hope to do our part to make sure that Perlo isn’t alone when this pandemic ends. We want all of the surrounding businesses to survive, too.

Our Restaurant Partners

Our commitment includes partnering with ten restaurants at a rate of one per week. There are an overwhelming number of restaurants in and around the Portland Metro area that can use support during this time. Our choices for partnerships were made based in part on restaurants we have used in the past for events and company lunches, spreading the effort across our region to reach communities where our employees live, and most importantly, finding restaurants that are locally owned and operated.  

Our partners to date have included:  

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Where do we go from here?

Though our efforts with the weekly restaurant campaign is nearing an end, our commitment to helping rebuild our communities is not. 

In addition to continuing to support our employees and non-profit partners, we are also committed to helping our customers retrofit their physical spaces in preparation of employees returning to the office, or to provide upgrades to increase their health and safety measures as we all respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Special Projects Group has completed research into a variety of physical building changes that may help to prevent the spread of illness in commercial spaces. Our teams are prepared to engage to make any changes a building may need to help safely bring team members back to work. For more information, check out the information outlined here. If cost is an issue, please let us know. We care about our community, and will do our part to help make spaces safe for your employees. 

Our #rebuildtogether campaign continues to evolve, and we aren’t done with our work, yet. Watch this space for further announcements about ways Perlo is giving back to our community. 

A Call to Action

Undoubtedly, the way forward will take all of us working together. If you’ve been inspired by our efforts or have received free food through our #rebuildtogether campaign and are in a position to do so, we encourage you to find small ways to pay it forward to others around you. 

If we all pitch in, we will come out of this stronger on the other side and with our community businesses intact.   

Perlo puts a premium on people – clients, partners, and most of all, employees. This commitment to culture starts from the top. In this article, Chris Gregg, our Senior VP of Operations, shares his story about what Perlo means to him. He also shares his personal journey to where he is today as well as his perspective about where he thinks the construction industry is headed.

How did you get you started in construction?

I was on a senior trip after high school with my best friend and his dad. His dad was soft-spoken but was a very cool guy. He runs his family business which invented a coating for circuit boards that could handle the harsh environments of space. I remember we had just eaten dinner, and we were walking up the stairs. As I recall, it was pouring down rain. He asked me what I was going to do with my life. I said I have no idea. I remember he turned to me and said, “You’re going to be an engineer.”

That cemented it. My buddy and I then went on to OSU. His family helped pay for me to go. While I was there, industrial engineering really spoke to me. After school, I got hired by a technology company in Vancouver where I was in charge of bringing on new equipment. Everything had to be documented. Part of my role was to help the company plan for an expansion. I was hooked and I poured my heart into this project. It didn’t feel like work.

Then I met Gayland Looney, one of the owners of Perlo. We talked for several hours. He told me about the construction industry and I told him about my passion for engineering and processes. Later, a field engineering position at Perlo opened up and I was offered the position. At the time, I had shaggy hair and wore jeans, which my colleagues still joke about.

Every day I’m glad I’m here. As a kid you always hope you’re going to find something that you’re passionate about. This job has never been a job for me. I enjoy every minute of it. I feel very fortunate.

What does the “Perlo Way” mean to you?

How do you think the construction industry will change over the next ten years?

There’s a wave of tech changes coming that will dramatically alter construction. There are a couple of driving forces behind this wave. First, the population in Oregon is growing. At the same time, the labor force is dwindling dramatically. People aren’t wanting to learn the trade industries. They’re wanting to be a YouTube star or a blogger. It’s getting tougher and tougher to find good people – people who actually want to work hard and work with their hands. The reality is that we’re going to need to figure out to meet an increasing demand with less labor. We’re looking at prefab as one solution. Also, we’re going to continue to need to adopt more sustainable practices and produce less waste on jobsites.

What do you like to do in your time off?

I’m a homebody. I enjoy just putzing around the house and playing with my kids. I’m a kid at heart. I’m always coming up with games or building forts. I just love hanging out with my boys. If I have a choice, I’m with my family.

What drives you crazy?

I can’t stand indecision. To me, the only wrong decision is no decision. In our work, we’re faced with so many decisions. But if you don’t make a decision, a small problem today can become a nightmare tomorrow. The way I see it, you have to “leave the dock” and do something – you can always course correct if needed. When I see indecision, that’s when I step in – whether I’m supposed to or not.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you can offer to people considering going into construction?

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is that construction is not for the faint of heart. You have to solve problems every day and that can take a toll on you. You have to report tough things – like an unexpected sinkhole. You have to be able to show the owner that you care – and that you’ll take care of the problem. You’re constantly trying to keep it together and show leadership and strength. That can wear you out. I’ve seen people lose their soft sides and become angry at the world and not treat clients or subs well. Or they just burn out. It’s a tough business.

What gets you through your tough days?

I use a time-management tool so I can keep my mind clear. I manage my time in 30-minute chunks. I keep my inbox clean. I list everything that I need to do and what I have gotten done– it’s my scoreboard. That’s how I can tell whether I’ve had a productive day or not. I don’t carry stuff in my head. I write everything down so I don’t get bogged down.

What do you think makes Perlo unique in the marketplace?

I think it’s our culture. At Perlo, people genuinely care about each other. The company is set up where we all win together. There are no cutthroat people or big egos here. People are looking out for each other. We all genuinely like hanging out with each other. There’s a lot of laughter here.

Any other thoughts?

I know a lot of us feel fear and uncertainty right now. But I know that our focus on a family feel at Perlo will get us through this. The exciting thing is that together we can create whatever we want.

There’s no question that the effects of this pandemic will be hard-hitting and long-lasting. We can give up. Or we can dig in. To get through this challenge, we’ll need to rethink, restore, and rebuild. And we’ll need to continue to pull together as a company and a community.

At Perlo, we have a strong culture of connecting our people and our communities. We believe that by doubling down on our efforts to bring everyone together, we can find a way through. In short, we believe that by helping others, we all win.

Finding our purpose.

Gayland Looney, co-owner of Perlo, believes that the best way to face our fears is to identify our purpose. In his mind, there’s no better purpose than having the opportunity to help others.

Gayland shares a story of when he was suffered a badly broken ankle on a hunting trip in the Idaho wilderness a few years ago. He remembers the fear on everyone’s faces. But what he discovered was that if he gave each person a purpose – basically a simple task of helping – people started to relax.

“I think we all need a purpose in order to deal with our fears in a productive way,” Gayland offers. “By being able to put one foot in front of the other, we feel better.”

His idea is backed by scientific research. Helping others not only provides a sense of purpose, it lowers depression, regulates our emotions, and improves our overall emotional well-being.

Finding ways to help.

There are many things each of us can do to keep “putting one foot in front of the other.” Take, for example, a recent blood drive we held for the Red Cross. 27 brave Perlo volunteers stepped up to donate their blood, ringing in a grand total of 24 pints of blood collected. These efforts were not insignificant. In fact, this amount of blood translated to potentially 72 lives saved.

Another great example of pitching in to help was an effort led by our own Kimberly Wood, Director of Corporate Risk Management. Recognizing that crew members would have a hard time tracking down masks at the onset of the crisis, she took on the herculean task of launching a massive mask sewing project. She singlehandedly created mask kits that included ready-cut materials and how-to instructions. She then recruited co-workers, including Rebecca Cook, and even Perlo family members to join the team. This crew made close to 1,000 masks in one weekend. Since then, Rebecca has expanded the mask initiative and organized another crew to create even more masks. The net result is that “Project Mask” has created enough masks for all field workers as well as family members, partners, and even clients.

Inspiration from our Perlo partners.

We’re inspired by our partners who are stepping up to help out in really important ways. Here’s a peek at what some of them are doing.

Alpine Foods

A local food distributor, Alpine Foods, is filling a critical need and finding strategic ways to make a difference. Some of their community initiatives include donating food to Gleaners of Clackamas County, a non-profit that is committed to reducing hunger and waste by distributing food to low-income, senior, and disabled people throughout Clackamas County. Alpine Foods is also assisting with local school nutrition programs, supporting USDA box programs, and distributing sandwiches to the homeless in and around Portland. In addition, Alpine Foods is providing regular meals for their own internal teams.

Capstone Partners

Capstone Partners, headed up by Chris Nelson, has taken a proactive and hands-on approach to helping out where help is most needed. Chris and his Capstone team are providing immediate rent relief to his tenants, which include restaurants, shops, and other retail businesses that have been hit the hardest. This initiative provides actual rent forgiveness for a period of time to help tenants navigate their financial challenges.

Capstone has played a pivotal role in supporting United for Relief, an advocacy group comprised of business and real estate representatives that is seeking a “right to defer” rule that would stop lenders from declaring default for missed mortgage payments. Their efforts would go a long way to protect tenants during this COVID emergency. Ultimately, this rule would be a win/win for both tenants and landlords.

Stoller Family Estate

Stoller Family Estate, another Perlo partner, has gone above and beyond to reach out to vulnerable community members. They’re donating a considerable portion of sales from select wines to Meals on Wheels, an organization that has spent the past 50 years meeting the social and nutritional needs of older adults in the community.

Stoller has also launched a “Making a Case for Giving” initiative that’s a proceeds-matching program to help raise funds for non-profits in the area.

Spreading the Perlo net of support.

Every day we look for ways both big and small to build the fabric of our community. We’re supporting the efforts of Healing Arts Animal Care by loaning tall cones for signage to help safely treat animal patients outdoors. We’re continuing to provide resources to Parrott Creek Child & Family Services, a group dedicated to building stronger families and safer communities.

Perlo is contributing funds to Providence Cancer Center, along with personal donations from Gayland Looney and others, to ensure the center’s important work continues. When the center’s annual fundraising dinner had to be canceled due to COVID-19, we turned our sponsorship into a direct donation.

A big idea to help out.

To make a big difference, we’re looking at how we can create the most impact by focusing on what we do best, which of course, is to build. To capitalize on our strengths, we’re launching a new program called “#RebuildTogether.”

We’ll focus on our local restaurants through a hands-on sponsorship program. Our plan is to sponsor a total of ten local restaurants to help them through this time. They’ve been there for us, so we want to be there for them. Stay tuned for more updates on this “big idea.”

Moving forward.

As a culture and a company, Perlo will continue to strengthen its purpose by fostering connections with our families, our co-workers, and our communities. As Gayland puts it, “There’s no better way to move forward than by reaching out and helping out.”

“We work hard, we take care of our people, and we always do what’s right.”
– The Perlo Way

When we came up with “The Perlo Way,” we had no idea we’d be tested the way we’re being tested now. COVID-19 is the challenge of the century. And yet, we know that by staying grounded in our core beliefs, we’ll get to the other side stronger than ever.

#PerloStrong: More than just a hashtag.

#PerloStrong started with our people in the field. It encapsulates our drive to dig in and face this challenge with grit and determination.

#PerloStrong has generated a flurry of activity. Our risk management and IT teams, along with many family members, took on the herculean task of sewing masks for our employees and their families, as well as for clients, project owners, and partners. Our marketing team is delivering lunches to work sites. Our executives are visiting projects to coordinate with superintendents to make sure they have the safety equipment they need. Our safety team has even started setting up temperature screening protocols on several projects.

Our key goals for Perlo at this time are simple:

• To look after the health of every team member.
• To continue to be a business that supports the lives of hundreds of employees and their families.
• To deliver on our commitments to our clients.
• To give back to our community.

Keeping our people safe.

Health and safety have to come first. Perlo has implemented many new policies and initiatives over the last month that go well above and beyond the CDC guidelines and state mandates.

Specifically, we’ve taken the following precautions:

Focusing on our culture.

At Perlo, we play together to stay together. Even in this strange time of social distancing, face masks, and constant handwashing, our team spirit is what keeps us going strong.

To maintain our culture, we’ve launched a “Perlo Challenge” that poses new challenges for employees each week, with fun raffle prizes at the end. We’re holding virtual happy hours, bingo games, and have moved our in-house educational book club to a virtual platform. In addition, we’re sharing wellness tips and ways to manage stress, so that we all have the tools to cope in this “new normal.”

Supporting our communities.

We recognize that it does take a village. Perlo has always supported the community by investing volunteer hours and other resources into critical non-profits like Meals on Wheels and Children’s Cancer Association. Through this crisis, we’re stepping up our efforts. We’re maintaining our sponsorship commitments to fundraisers that have been canceled. Wherever we can, we’re continuing to support local restaurants and other suppliers to help them stay in business. In early May, we’ll be holding a blood drive for Perlo employees to help augment hospital supplies.

Staying grounded in our mission.

By upholding the strictest safety standards, finding ways to keep our people connected, and giving back to our surrounding communities, we’ll continue to follow our mission: to do what’s right. This singular mission is at the heart of #PerloStrong. We thank each and every one of our employees for being strong and keeping an eye on what’s ahead. Together, we do see a better future.