Oregon Tradeswomen Honored With PCC Community Partner Award
Last night, Oregon Tradeswomen was honored with Portland Community College’s (PCC) first ever community partner award for a partnership with a non-profit organization.
PCC recognized three categories of partnership: non-profit, small business, and large business. At the dinner, PCC President Mark Mitsui introduced us, spoke about our partnership, and how we were one of their strongest employers who guide curriculum and give the support that allows PCC to educate and train a skilled workforce. President Mitsui then introduced the small business partner, Rebecca (Gillenwater) Smith of Blessing Landscape. As soon as they introduced her she professed, “I’m also a grad of Oregon Tradeswomen!” and the whole room cheered with excitement!
Rebecca (Gillenwater) Smith went through our pre-apprenticeship training program in 2009 and also graduated from PCC’s landscaping program. She worked in the field for a number of years and is now the landscape designer for PCC and has helped them win awards for their sustainability practices!
It was a thrilling convergence. Rebecca wanted to re-engage with Oregon Tradeswomen: she is actively looking to recruit Oregon Tradeswomen pre-apprenticeship graduates for her company and has been wanting to come and speak to students in our classes.
We are so humbled by this recognition and are also thrilled to see how our grads are positively impacting the community! Thank you PCC and keep up the good work, Rebecca!
Women on the Rise Awards
Women on the Rise award winners: Katie Kuchta, Isis Harris, Heather Mayther, and Carly Rush
On Thursday November 16, 2017 the whole country celebrated Women in Apprenticeship Day. This day is part of National Apprenticeship Week which was started during President Obama’s administration in 2015 as a call to action to increase the use of Registered apprenticeship to develop the skills of our nation’s workers and expand the talent pipeline available to U.S. Industries.
Heather Mayther, Left, with Amber McCoy, Representative Pacific Northwest Region Carpenters Institute
Aida Arranda, Apprenticeship Coordinator Oregon & S. Idaho Laborers with Katie Kuchta, and Dan Clark, General Superintendent, Skanska
While many organizations across the U.S. celebrated this year, Oregon Tradeswomen did something truly special. This year, we launched our 1st annual, “Woman on the Rise,” awards dinner. We asked four of our closest union apprenticeship partners in the Portland area to nominate four spectacular women apprentices in their program. These women are leaders, supporters of their community, and have shown excellence in their trade.
Kevin Roth, Training Coordinator Sheet Metal Institute, with Carly Rush
Carly Rush receives a hug from her proud daughter
In honor of these four award winners, Oregon Tradeswomen hosted a several course meal with the women, their friends, families, and apprenticeship coordinators to celebrate their achievements. Each apprenticeship representative spoke about their honoree with presentations and custom videos. We were also joined by Steve Simms from the state of Oregon’s Office of Apprenticeship, who gave a moving speech about the importance moving beyond just tolerance of women in the trades, to truly accepting women into these non-traditional fields.
Keith Edwards, IBEW Local 48 Member, Isis Harris, Pat Daniels of Constructing Hope, and Donna Hammond, IBEW Local 48 Member
Donna Hammond is ready to surprise Isis Harris with a bouquet of flowers
The quote of the night belongs to Donna Hammond from IBEW Local 48 who said,
“There is going to be hard work at every job, but do you want to do it for minimum wage or thirty-five dollars an hour?”
Special thanks to Oregon Tradeswomen staff member, Emma Brennan, who handmade toolboxes foe each of the award winners!
IBEW Local 48 Awards Connie Ashbrook With Honorary Membership
Oregon Tradeswomen founding Director, Connie Ashbrook, was awarded with an honorary membership by IBEW Local 48 Business Manager Gary Young and President Wayne Chow.
This prestigious award is historic – it is the first time in the Local’s 106-year history they have recognized someone who is not a member! President Chow stated that the Local sought this honorary membership for Connie because of her tremendous contributions to promoting equity for women in the trades, and clearing the path for women to become leaders in their unions, in their communities, and in the construction industry.
Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Connie!
Guest Blog: Apparatus Contractor Services
We are so excited to announce Apparatus Contractor Services, LLC to the women of our contracting and trades industry! Apparatus is a suite of back office services for small contracting companies, general contractors, independent and subcontractors, and tradeswomen (and men!).
Through months of preparation, we’ve put together three month-to-month subscription-based programs. Each one offers critical business services including administrative assistance, accounting, payroll, marketing, and more. We’re the first of our kind in the Portland area: a comprehensive digital support solution for contractors. We offer our subscription services to contractors locally and nationally.
Apparatus is the end-result of a careful examination of the challenges faced by growing contracting companies. Companies made of, or ran by, people just like you! We believe that the three programs we offer will be a testament to Apparatus’ skill for process and service design. Most importantly, our willingness and determination to really understand the needs of our future contractor clients.
As the marketing manager, I was witness to the challenges we faced building Apparatus (building a business is hard work!). We wanted to resist the temptation to design the services we thought we should offer. Instead, we listened carefully to what we heard contractors tell us they need. We incorporated this feedback until we felt we had a product that would really help people as they start, grow, and scale their contracting businesses.
Here is a brief overview of the services each program provides:
- Apparatus Start! Program™ is intended to set and reinforce your business’s foundation through entity formation assistance, compliance management, document management, and full-service accounting and payroll.
- Apparatus Grow! Program™ incorporates all the features of Start! and adds business identity and branding as well as opportunities to enhance the professionalism of a contracting business through estimates and full proposals.
- Apparatus Scale! Program™ incorporates all the features of Start! and Grow! and adds an extensive suite of marketing and client management tools and services.
We also offer a variety of a la carte services available alongside each service package. We built these options out to encompass a broader range of need form our clients. The options include, but are not limited to, LLC formation assistance, contractor licensing assistance, and notices of right to a lien. As we grow, we look forward to evolving to meet the needs of our contractor client base.
Beyond unveiling our company, we’re also on a mission to get to know our contracting community better. We’re proud members of the Master Builders Association of Seattle, The Home Builders Associate of Portland and of course, Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.! I love hearing from local contractors and encourage any woman, either aspiring in her career or established, to reach out and start a conversation.
Until next time!
Erin Lehmann, Marketing Manager
Apparatus Contractor Services, LLC
503-833-2888
About Apparatus Contractor Services, LLC: Apparatus Contractor Services, LLC was designed to power the back offices of small and large subcontractors and general contractors. Their back office services are tailored to the unique needs of contracting companies seeking to start, grow, and scale to their true potential.
Easy Ways to Support Oregon Tradeswomen
Hard to believe it, but it’s already November, which means Thanksgiving might as well be tomorrow and Christmas the week after that! The holidays probably have you in one of two camps: thrilled at the thought of getting cozy, spending time with family (biological and chosen!), and coming up with the perfect little something for your loved ones OR terrified at the mere thought of being within 100 yards of a Target parking lot.
The cherry on top, or silver lining, depending on which side you’re on, is that this holiday season you can support Oregon Tradeswomen with minimal effort and at no additional cost to you just by shopping on Amazon or at Fred Meyer. That’s right – free money for Oregon Tradeswomen and the revolutionary program that’s changing lives!
How does it work? For Amazon purchases, simply visit tradeswomen.net/donate to access our AmazonSmile portal and connect your account to Oregon Tradeswomen by logging in to your Amazon account. Then, just shop as you normally would. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to Oregon Tradeswomen!
To support us through the Fred Meyer Community Rewards program, just link your Freddie’s reward card to Oregon Tradeswomen (instructions can be found at tradeswomen.net/donate) and we’ll receive a quarterly donation. You will still receive 100% of your earned rewards!
At Oregon Tradeswomen even small gifts lead to big impact. Our deepest gratitude goes out to all our supporters who generously donate their time, energy, and financial support to making rewarding, living-wage careers for women in the construction trades a reality.
Thank you for supporting Oregon Tradeswomen!
Women Build Nations 2017
This past October, a few of Oregon Tradeswomen’s finest flew to The Windy City of Chicago to attend Women Build Nations, a conference for tradeswomen to address industry issues and to learn from each other. More than 1,500 women from all over the US and the world to talk about their trade, to network and connect with other tradeswomen.
Women of all ages, skill levels, and trades had the opportunity to check out a wide variety of workshops such as:
- Anti-Oppression 101: Building Solidarity by Breaking Down Bigotry
- Tradeswomen’s History: Learning From the Past to Change the Future
- Rising to a Leadership Role in the Union: Examples and Advice
- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Letting Go of Feeling Like a ‘Fraud’
Oregon Tradeswomen pre-apprenticeship graduate and Journeyman Laborer, Vanessa Enos, and Isis Harris, IBEW, both received “Emerging Tradeswomen Leaders” scholarships to attend the conference and also had the honor of speaking on a tradeswomen panel, “Perspectives from the Field.” Lori Baumann, Journeyman Laborer, Liuna Field Representative, and Oregon Tradeswomen Board Member came to represent Laborers Local 737.
Other friends of Oregon Tradeswomen, Donna Hammond and Bridget Quinn from IBEW Local 48, spoke on a panel focused on recruitment and outreach of women and people of color.
This conference spoke to the needs of women in the trades and truly fostered a space where tradeswomen could be themselves and feel a camaraderie with other women who are having many of the same experiences in their careers. When only 3% of all trades positions nationwide are filled by women, the existence of an event, for tradeswomen, by tradeswomen is of utmost importance.
Thank you Chicago Women in Trades for organizing Women Build Nations 2017, and we can’t wait to see you all next year in Seattle!
Oregon Tradeswomen is in the Give!Guide!
We are honored to have been selected for inclusion in the 2017 Willamette Week Give!Guide!, and we’re in great company – 148 other local nonprofit organizations doing great work are also featured in this special campaign!
The Willamette Week Give!Guide started in 2004 with a goal of engaging younger Portlanders and encouraging them get in the healthy habit of end of year giving to local organizations that make our community a better place to live.
To inspire giving, donors who give between $10 and $999 receive a code to access your incentives in the Chinook Book mobile app. The incentives range from discount coupons to free ice cream and coffee. Donors who make a gift of $1,000 or more will receive bags filled with incentives delivered to their home!
As we approach the season of giving, we hope you’ll think of Oregon Tradeswomen and help us provide training and opportunities for women to build and strengthen their lives.
Big Give Days
To encourage donors, the Willamette Week Give!Guide also hosts a raffle on certain days and anyone who makes a donation of $10 or more is entered to win one of the BIG PRIZES!
November 9
A $500 shopping spree at Powell’s Books
November 13
Anyone 35 & under who gives on this day is entered to win a $250 gift certificate to Tender Loving Empire, a basket of TLE goodies, five autographed copies of their latest vinyl and four tickets to any 2018 show headlined by a TLI artist!
November 16
Two nights at Brasada Ranch in a luxury suite and a round of golf.
November 30
Two VIP tickets and early entry to the Portugal the Man show at McMenamains’ Crystal Ballroom on 12/17, plus:
+A Euro Queen hotel room at the Crystal Hotel
+ $80 worth of dinner and breakfast vouchers at the Zeus Café
+ A FREE taster tray in the Annex
+ FREE pool and shuffleboard in Ringlers Pub.
December 4
Anyone 35 & under who gives on this day is entered to win a Sony Alpha a6300 camera and a 16-50 zoom lens from Pro Photo Supply.
December 7
One lucky donor will win a Trek FX bike from Bike Gallery
December 14
Two tickets to the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver game, two tickets to the Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia game and a jersey signed by Evan Turner.
December 21
A 60-person Salt & Straw ice cream and ping pong party at Pips & Bounce.
December 28
The Oregon Cultural Trust challenges donors to “Give Big and Get Out” across this amazing state of ours by offering a vacation package! Visit giveguide.org for details
Thank You to Danner Boots!
If you don’t know Danner, they are a Portland based company that has been manufacturing work boots for 85 years! They began as a small group of 12 people in the logging town of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, hand-making affordable work boots for the loggers. As logging in the Pacific Northwest kept growing, Danner moved to Portland to meet the demand. Danner manufactured boots for the US military during World War II and in the 1960s and 1970s, they started a new line of boots and shoes for the growing interest in outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, and mountain-climbing. Danner even developed and patented a waterproof boot using GORE-TEX ® fabric! Danner has always strived to be ahead of the game and we are so grateful that we have the privilege to partner with such an incredible local company.
Recently, we reached out to them with a request for specific boots which would allow our pre-apprenticeship students to participate in a new welding training offering, Danner stepped up like champs! Danner immediately provided a full size run of their wonderful Quarry USA boots. Our students were beyond thrilled when they received a fresh new pairs of boots, both stylish and industry appropriate.
In addition to the generous boots for our pre-apprenticeship students, Danner gave us “Friends and Family passes” to their stores which equates to a generous 40% discount! It warms our hearts when local businesses and members of our community want to pay it forward. It shows us that they value the work that we do and support these incredible women who are taking bold steps to change their own lives.
We’re excited to announce that the first 15 people who sign up as a member of Oregon Tradeswomen in the month of November will receive a “Friends and Family pass” to do their own shopping with Danner.
Thank you, Danner! We are grateful for your continued partnership and your great generosity.
Thank You to Footwear Specialites!
Oregon Tradeswomen ensures that our students are properly equipped for the work they will be doing during the hands-on learning days of the Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class. For example, when welding, it is imperative to have sturdy boots, generally made of leather, with six- to eight-inch ankle coverage and safety-toe protection.
We know how expensive good boots are, and were ecstatic when a wonderful local company, Footwear Specialties, responded to our need for boots that are welding appropriate. Footwear Specialties generously donated 10 pairs of boots to us to be used by students in our pre-apprenticeship program. In addition, they’ve offered a 40% discount to all Oregon Tradeswomen members, staff, and board!
Footwear Specialties was started in 1996 by people who had worked in athletic footwear and who wanted to blend the lightweight features of athletic shoes with the safety features of work shoes/boots. The result is a growing line of innovative footwear. They offer over 200 different styles to meet the increasingly technical demands of industrial workers and working environments and even are committed to creating shoes and boots specifically designed for women.
There’s a warm, fuzzy feeling we get when local businesses, organizations, and folks from our community want to get involved or pay it forward. These actions show us that people value the work Oregon Tradeswomen does and that they want to support the incredible women who are changing their own lives by going through our pre-apprenticeship program. A big, gracious thank you to Footwear Specialties for their donation and continued support. We hope you will show them some love for their generosity and commitment to tradeswomen.
Thank you, Footwear Specialties!
Guest Blog: The Growing Trend of Green Energy Jobs
Guest Blog Written By: Danielle Hegedus
Careers related to renewable energy, or “green energy” are on the rise around the world. This is due in large part to advances in technology that have lowered the cost of renewable energy just as public interest in sustainable sources of power has hit an all-time high. The solar industry has increased 82% in the US in just the past three years. What’s more, wind energy jobs have increased 100%, with a new wind turbine installed every 2.4 hours in the first quarter of 2017! State and federal tax credits have also helped incentivize average consumers to adopt renewable energy, increasing the demand for a trained workforce. If you’re looking for your next career opportunity, or trying to find a way to break into the eco-friendly energy sector, here’s what you need to know.
How is Green Energy Classified? And Why is It So Important?
Whether it’s referred to as renewable, clean, or green energy, it’s energy that is generated from and naturally replenished by natural resources such as sunlight, rain, wind, or geothermal heat. Unlike traditional fossil fuel energy sources, renewable energy doesn’t emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Along with other gases, carbon dioxide blocks heat from escaping our atmosphere, Our reliance on fossil-fuel-based energy has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began. In addition to making the temperature of the planet rise, CO2 emissions are impacting the severity of storms, and melting glaciers and contributing to sea levels rising, which has the potential to destroy animal habitats and force people who live on coasts to seek refuge in-land where they will face tough competition for increasingly scarce land for living and agriculture. Many people believe that the switch to renewable energy, along with other behavioral changes, can help reverse the effects of climate change. So if you choose to enter the green energy sector, you can feel good about the impact of your work on the health of the planet and future generations to come.
So What Kind of Job Can I Get?
You don’t have to be on a roof installing residential solar panels to work in the industry—though there are plenty of jobs in that field if you are interested! Get started now though, because by 2025, Oregon is projected to see the highest growth in the following clean energy job sectors: solar PV manufacturing, wind power development, green building design services, sustainable bioenergy, and smart-grid technology.
The highest growth is projected in the solar industry. While the Pacific Northwest may have a reputation for being rainy, you can still expect at least 144 sunny days a year in Oregon, making solar power a great option for families or businesses looking to reduce their utility expenses and their environmental footprint. There are a lot of job opportunities in the field, too. Are you customer service oriented and good at breaking down complex concepts? You might be great at helping customers understand the long-term benefits of investing in solar, while helping them access tax incentives and rebates to maximize their return on investment. If you prefer to be out in the field, careers as a solar fabricator or installer pay an average $15-20 an hour with higher wages possible with professional certification.
If solar isn’t up your alley, but you have an aptitude for solving problems, you may want to consider engineering. Engineers make up a large part of the green energy workforce (typically, but not limited to mechanical, electrical, and environmental), designing systems to harness and transport power such as solar cells or hydroelectric dams. While you’ll need to have a bachelor’s degree at a minimum, engineering jobs can pay from the high $60K to six figures.
Finally, it’s nearly impossible to drive through Oregon without seeing a wind turbine. Oregon ranks in the top five states in the country for its generation and use of wind power. If you have the capital and the willingness to work hard and build a project from the ground up, you may want to consider highly lucrative wind farming. If the cost and logistics of running a massive wind farm aren’t for you, don’t worry. Oregon’s wind farms need lots of employees to help build and instal turbines, set up power distribution, and fix structures when they break down. To access these jobs, a background in engineering, construction, electrical and mechanical work, and/or heavy machinery are all major pluses and can help increase your hourly rate or annual salary.
Where can I Get Training?
Check out these training resources from the Department of Energy to get started. They also have a career planning guide that helps you find internships and career opportunities within the sector. By participating in trainings, earning professional certifications, and getting as much hands-on experience through internships or apprenticeships, you’ll be a more competitive and more qualified job candidate, bound for great success in this industry.