Events
Dropbox Derby 2018
Lovett Deconstruction announced its first ever Dropbox Derby in 2017 and it was a rousing success! Now an annual event, Lovett’s Drobox Derby hosts thirty teams, comprised of 2-4 people, and the teams have four hours with identical packages of salvaged materials to build on a theme. Last year’s concept was “Bridge House” which led to creations such as these:
After the building portion, a panel of three judges come to an agreement as to which finished products win each of the three top design awards! Watch the 2017 Dropbox Derby video.
The concept for Dropbox Derby came from Der Lovett, the owner of Lovett Deconstruction. He wanted to do something with all the salvaged wood that came from old deconstructed Portland buildings as well finding as a way to participate in PDX Rust’s Portland ReUse for Societal Transformation: A Week of Neighborhood ReUse Events. Last year’s event was such a success that they will be hosting the event again during the 2018 Portland ReUse for Societal Transformation.
This event is free and open to the public, featuring excellent food, local ciders, live music, and an opportunity to bid on any of the finished products! It’s like an Iron Chef for builders mixed with a block party! And the best part is that all the proceeds will go to support Oregon Tradeswomen and our mission!
We hope to see you out there on Monday, September 3rd, from 10am-6pm to support Oregon Tradeswomen and your favorite builders at this unique event! Join the event on Facebook!
NIETC Is Hosting Apprenticeship Information Sessions!
Our friends at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center (NIETC) are committed to offering education and providing resources to help more students and career seekers access careers in the skilled trades through registered apprenticeship!
This year, they are organizing four informational panels which will provide a general overview of apprenticeship and an open discussion with Apprenticeship Coordinators from specific trades. Attendees will have an opportunity to connect with the Apprenticeship Coordinators and network with others at the event.
The dates for the Informational Panel for the Union Building Trades Apprenticeship Programs are as follows:
September 7, 2018
9:30 – 11:00am
Portland Sheet Metal Institute
2379 NE 178th Ave
Portland, OR 97230
Pre-registration is not required!
December 3, 2018
Two identical sessions:
Career Technical Education Center
3501 Portland Rd NE
Salem, OR 97301
Pre-registration for the general public is required unless you are a CTEC student or have arranged to attend through your Salem-Keizer school.
Senator Ron Wyden Talks Infrastructure at Town Hall
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden held a press conference on Thursday, February 1, 2018, about the dire need for federal funding to fix roads and bridges not only in Oregon, but across the United States.
The press conference took place at the Marquam Bridge, one of the bridges in Multnomah County in need of structural reinforcement in the case of a seismic event. Nearly all of Oregon’s major construction unions were represented at the event, as well as Oregon Tradeswomen’s Executive Director, Kelly Kupcak.
Pictured from Left: Kelly Kupcak (Oregon Tradeswomen), Nicole Rappaport (Local 701), AJ Banuelos (Local 737), and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Wyden addressed President Trump’s purported intention to raise $1.5 trillion to fix our nation’s failing infrastructure. Senator Wyden said, “The way you improve bridges and roads and do all the great work these people do is with real federal dollars… We still haven’t heard from the president and the Republicans how that’s going to happen.”
Sources from the Trump administration claim that only $200 billion would come from the federal government, putting the pressure on state and local governments to raise the rest of the money. Since 2003, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been making major efforts to fix Oregon’s bridges and even with the $5.2 billion plan approved by state legislature in 2017 to invest in our infrastructure, federal aid is needed to truly strengthen our roads and bridges to the extent needed.
In 2009, Senator Wyden authored the bi-partisan Build America bonds program that successfully generated $181 billion for public works projects and created 3,500 jobs in Oregon. Now, the Senator is calling on the current administration to help fund the rebuilding of the nation’s infrastructure by endorsing a plan to use some of the $2.6 trillion coming back into America’s economy as a result of the tax cuts implemented in December 2017.
Investing in infrastructure not only improves our local and national economy by creating jobs and reliable mobility for people and businesses, but it is also a critical issue of public safety. We applaud Senator Wyden for his efforts in making sure that funding to maintain a strong infrastructure for our country is a priority for our government.
Donna Hammond to be Honored at LERC Black History Month Event
Donna Hammond (Photo from Portland Tribune)
The University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) is holding a special Black History Month Event!
Pioneering a Living Legacy:
Shaping Our Vision for Diversity and Inclusion in the Labor Movement
February 8, 2018
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
UO Portland
White Stag Building Room 142/144
70 NW Couch Street
Portland OR 97209
Click here to save your seat for this free event!
LERC will be honoring Donna Hammond for her continued efforts to make the trades a safer place for women, people of color, and other minorities. There will be a special viewing of the film “Sista in the Brotherhood” by Dawn Jones Redstone followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Roberta Hunt of Portland State University and honoree, Donna Hammond, Business Representative for IBEW 48.
Donna began her career in the trades 39 years ago as an apprentice electrician and became Oregon’s 2nd ever black woman to journey out as an electrician. During her time in the trades, Donna faced discrimination and harassment from her coworkers and even supervisors. As a result of her experiences during those 20 years where she was a union electrician, Donna took it upon herself to blaze a trail for marginalized people so that they could pursue a career in the skilled trades without fear of harassment.
Hammond joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) as their first black female Business Representative and negotiates contracts and inspects job sites among other things. Outside of her work there, she has been a member of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus for the past 22 years and has spent the past 3 years with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Not only that, but Donna Hammond played a key role in the development of our Pathways to Success program here at Oregon Tradeswomen.
We have immense respect for Donna and the impact she has made. Thank you for your continued work making the trades a safe place for women and diverse workers!
Isis Harris (front) and Donna Hammond (back) on National Women in Apprenticeship Day
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!
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!
Build With Us! A Call to Makers!
Oregon Tradeswomen is having a party! Build With Us is our inaugural and celebratory fundraising event set for September 8, 2017, to support our work and to celebrate the 10th annual Tradeswomen Leadership Institute which facilitates the development of leadership and advocacy skills for tradeswomen. We hope you will attend and help us share our mission with the public and raise funds to support tradeswomen and their training. Mark your calendar and come have some fun!
Do you make things out of metal, wood or something else? We’re looking for donations of handmade items from tradeswomen and their friends. These items will be auctioned off at Build With Us to help support Oregon Tradeswomen. Here’s what we’re looking for:
- Tables, bookcases, fire pits, benches, etc.
- Jewelry, art, etc
- A gift certificate we can auction off (examples: you offer to go to a person’s home and build planter boxes, or a trellis, or a photography session, etc.)
Live edge coffee table with hairpin legs will be built and donated by
Oregon Tradeswomen staff member, Emma Brennan!
If you want to donate but have questions, please reach out to lisa@tradeswomen.net or 503.335.8200 x 38.
We’ll need all donations to be delivered to us by 8/21. We’re excited to see what you have!
OTI’s Annual Meeting: February 2, 2017!
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
RESCHEDULED to Thursday, February 2, 2017
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Oregon Tradeswomen
3934 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Suite # 101
Portland, OR 97212
OTI can’t exist without the support of our membership base, our allies, and supporters. We depend on members to support OTI’s efforts, to guide the decisions of the organization, to contribute financially to the organization, to volunteer, and much more!
We hope you can join us in January to enjoy some social time, great Mexican food from La Cocina, voting on new OTI Board members, hearing about the highlights from 2016 and learning what OTI hopes to accomplish in the new year!
OTI will provide dinner and non-alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase from the restaurant bar.
Questions? Please contact Lisa Palermo, Development Director at lisa@tradeswomen.net or 503.335.8200 x 38