Blog

Lewis Foundation 2023 Scholarship Winner: Edgar Conde

September 6, 2023
By: Lewis Team
At first, Edgar Conde didn’t envision a life in construction. Hailing from a family entrenched in the industry, he had big plans to become a mechanical engineer and work on cars, a passion only second to soccer. But even the best-made plans change. The further into his college career, the more Edgar was drawn to… read more

Building a High-Performing Life Science Team

August 30, 2023
By: Coriann Presser, Life Science Market Director
As career builders, few things faze Lease Crutcher Lewis’ life science team. Architectural concrete, cGMP spaces, below-grade research suites with highly sensitive vibration requirements, interstitial floors packed with enough MEP infrastructure to service a small village—we’ve built that. At the same time, we acknowledge that life science projects are tough. From coordinating lab benches and… read more

Why Is Celebrating Pride Important at Lewis?

June 12, 2023
By: Teagan Wood, Marketing Specialist
At Lewis, we believe in empowering our people to improve our communities. When we say this, we can often mean building buildings that matter, but another way that I interpret this is: Lewis empowers our people to hold a spotlight on the communities and topics that make us who we are and say, ‘this matters… read more

Overview of a Linear Accelerator

May 11, 2023
By: Teagan Wood, Marketing Coordinator
Hospitals operate a variety of critical, lifesaving pieces of equipment such as CT’s, MRI’s and Linear Accelerators. These complex machines, operating around the clock, are essential for detecting and treating numerous life-threatening illnesses. This imaging and oncology equipment is housed in special, complex rooms that are necessary to support the units while also protecting patients… read more

Employee Spotlight: Carpenter Foreman Shaun Hagler

January 17, 2023
By: Won Moc and MacKenzie Junor
In celebration and recognition of the important work Dr. Martin Luther King did to combat hate, racism and discrimination, we will hear from Carpenter Foreman Shaun Hagler on his experience in the construction industry, as well as how to support the success and longevity of BIPOC in our industry. Shaun Hagler grew up in New… read more

Lewis Leadership Update

December 12, 2022
We are excited to announce a transition in our leadership structure! Long-time Seattle President Jeff Cleator has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. In his place, Lewis has promoted former Senior Vice President Jay Sorensen. In Portland, we welcomed Tony Stewart as the President of our Oregon Division—a 30-year veteran in the A/E/C market. “This strategic… read more

It’s All About the Kids — Stories from an Operational Campus Project

July 7, 2022
By: Teagan Wood, Marketing Coordinator
While it carries its own special logistical challenges, there’s something uniquely rewarding about working on a site that is busy day-to-day with the kids who get to learn and grow in the schools we’re building. This is one of the main reasons why K-12 projects are particularly special for our Lewis teams. I got to… read more

Eugene Town Square – A Sustainable Community Space

May 20, 2022
by Allie Merrill, Marketing Specialist
The much-anticipated Eugene Town Square, located in The Park Blocks at the heart of Eugene, Oregon, is nearing completion. Slated to open in June 2022, the new Town Square will be home to the Eugene Saturday Market and the Lane County Farmers Market. The Town Square is the first step in the City of Eugene’s… read more

Rainier Square: A Building Like No Other

March 4, 2022
by Mackenzie Junor, Marketing and Communication Specialist
Towering above the streets of downtown, the new Rainier Square Tower has been applauded for many things; namely its first-of-its-kind core construction, impressive height and unique curved facade. Sitting on a tight site in Seattle’s Central Business District, the building shares a block with Minoru Yamasaki’s iconic tapered-based Rainier Tower and redefines the Seattle skyline.… read more

The Bioswale That’s Benefiting Our Bay

February 11, 2022
By: Teagan Wood, Marketing Coordinator
Looking out over Lake Washington, it’s easy to assume that the waterways in our beautiful city are clean. It is also easy to overlook the signs that dot the edges of the shoreline, warning of temporary pollution during rainstorms.   For the most part, the waterways are clean, but sometimes the infrastructure that filters the City’s… read more

Constructing a Clinic to Combat COVID-19

January 14, 2022
By: MacKenzie Junor, Marketing and Communication Specialist
Nestled in the heart of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s South Lake Union campus—amongst life-saving cancer research—is the Hutch’s COVID-19 Clinical Research Center (CCRC). The 10,000-square-foot clinic, located in the Minor building, is on the hunt for effective treatment and prevention medications for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. At the CCRC, researchers… read more

Collaboration and Trust Build Team Culture at the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health

December 9, 2021
by: Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
Last month, the team behind the Design-Build Institue of America’s 2021 Project of the Year—the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health—sat down with Kim Wright on the Design-Build Delivers podcast to discuss what made the project was so successful. The striking building, hosting three different public health organizations, is the culmination of three years of… read more

Employee Spotlight — Interview With Ushik Shah

November 4, 2021
By: Teagan Wood, Marketing Coordinator
Ushik Shah used to watch a lot of television as a kid and it’s actually one of the ways he fell in love with construction in the first place. He admits that what really made him curious about pursuing a career in construction was his favorite television show in high school, Prison Break. One of… read more

Employee Spotlight — Interview With Charity MacDowell

October 28, 2021
By: Teagan Wood, Marketing Coordinator
Charity MacDowell has been a builder in the Pacific Northwest for 11 years now, both at work and at home on her big, forested property that, fittingly, used to be a lumber yard. It makes it easy for her to geek out about building in her free time, too, whether it is working on ongoing… read more

Employee Spotlight — Interview With Renata Popov

October 21, 2021
By: Teagan Wood, Marketing Coordinator
There is something electric and mysterious about a construction site hidden behind a fence. Curiosity has a way of drawing us in to peek through fence panels and see what activities are hidden from view. Project Engineer Renata Popov can speak to that, especially since what first called her to construction was the gritty cache… read more

Driving Towards a More Sustainable Future

August 23, 2021
by Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
Historically speaking, it’s no secret that construction hasn’t had the greenest track record in the world, and while the industry is making progress towards a more sustainable future, that progress can often seem frustratingly slow. As forward-looking ideas such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) or water reuse undergo rounds and rounds of testing to prove they… read more

The Future is Bright for Women in Construction

March 10, 2021
By: The Lewis Women's Development Group
This week is Women in Construction Week, a national celebration of the growing number of women joining the construction industry, from carpenter apprentice to project manager and beyond.   Members of Lewis’ Women’s Development Group held a discussion about their experiences in the industry, their hopes for the future and the importance of representation as more and more women choose… read more

Discussing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Part 2

January 21, 2021
By: Won Moc, Marketing Director
This is the second blog in Lewis’ Martin Luther King Junior Day series, which shares the perspectives and experiences of several Lewis employees in celebration of diversity, equity and inclusion. Earlier this week, we heard from Celina Yee and David Torres on their experience in the construction industry and what diversity, equity and inclusion mean… read more

Discussing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Part 1

January 19, 2021
By: Won Moc, Marketing Director
In celebration of Martin Luther King Junior Day, we will hear from several Lewis employees on their experience as black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) in the construction industry, what Martin Luther King Junior means to them and how they are taking time to celebrate this year.   WM: Throughout your time working in… read more

Giving Back: The Lewis 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

December 21, 2020
by Bart Ricketts, Chief Executive Officer
As we move into an “unlike-any-other” type of holiday season, I find myself drawing positivity and inspiration from the community outreach, volunteerism and philanthropic support fueled by the compassion found within our Lewis Universe. I invite you to take a deep dive into the Lease Crutcher Lewis 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. I am thrilled… read more

Rainier Square Uses PNW’s First Damper System

November 11, 2020
by Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
When it comes to locations for an 850-foot building, you might raise your eyebrows at certain spots over others.  There are dozens of considerations….size of site, FAA regulations, seismic conditions, soil quality, and so on.  You can imagine that these make designing and building high rises complicated.  Rainier Square’s design certainly had to take all that into account.  But there is… read more

Washington State Convention Center: Aerial Update

June 24, 2020
by Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
The Washington State Convention Center Summit Expansion is well underway!  What you’re seeing in this video is the first of several zones to be erected as part of a construction technique known as “billboarding.” This technique is extremely useful for multi-level projects on massive sites, just like this one, because it allows multiple phases of… read more

Pass the Torch: Cultivating Talent from Within

May 19, 2020
by Caity McCarthy, Marketing Coordinator
In life we encounter people who leave a lasting impression on us in one way or another. Whether that be a teacher, friend, public figure or coworker, people can inspire and motivate us to become better versions of ourselves. In the ever-changing construction industry and with a wide variety of projects popping up across the… read more

Preserving the Facade at 400 Westlake

May 5, 2020
by Jacob Boyd, VDC Coordinator and Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
The Firestone Building has stood on the corner of Westlake and Harrison since 1929. At nearly 100 years old, it’s got some stories to tell. As a highly-valued historic Seattle landmark nestled in the heart of South Lake Union, the façade of the building is being preserved as a new, super-green 16-story office building is being built… read more

Building a Healthier Future at Population Health

April 30, 2020
by Brian Aske, Education Market Director
When we originally won the design and construction of the University of Washington Population Health project, I was not totally clear on what Population Health was, why the Gates Foundation provided a very large grant to the University and why the schedule was so aggressive. Today, we understand the real-world impacts of the project and… read more

Resiliency in Construction, Part 2: Ideal Resiliency for Your Building

April 20, 2020
by Andrew Dykeman, Project Executive
In the first installment of our resiliency series, we discussed the case for resiliency and its relationship to economic security and business continuity. Sounds great in theory, but what does it look like in practice? Like most things in life, the answer can be complicated. The right mix of systems and solutions for one building… read more

Rainier Square:  So Where Do We Go From Here?

April 15, 2020
by Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
Even from the corner of Third and Denny, over a mile north of Rainier Square,  the tower looms large on the skyline.  Over the last year, the tower has grown each day, and now the curtainwall has reached the top of the building, the crane has been dismantled, and from here, the project looks complete.… read more

Progressive Design-Build on the UW Hans Rosling Center for Population Health

March 27, 2020
by Brian Aske, Director
Learn how the project team at the UW Hans Rosling Center for Population Health is using  progressive design-build to change the future of project delivery.   Designing and constructing a building is a complicated undertaking, leveraging the knowledge and skills of dozens of people and firms including designers, engineers, manufacturers, installers and many other experts… read more

Building the Future for Women in Construction

March 5, 2020
by MacKenzie Junor, Communication Specialist
We shadowed Journeyman Operator Mercedes Toro and Journeyman Laborer Karen Francis to learn what it’s like to work at Rainier Square, how they found a career in construction and what they are doing to change the future of the industry. The two have more in common than meets the eye.  On the corner of… read more

A New Life, A New Trade

February 18, 2020
by Jordan Gevers and MacKenzie Junor
At Lewis, each of our jobsites consists of hundreds of laborers and construction professionals performing hundreds of tasks.  Every one of those people has a unique story to tell about what brought them to the site that day. This is the story of how Donny McKay, an intelligent, hard-working and highly respected apprentice carpenter at… read more

The Anatomy of a Crane Jump

October 15, 2019
by Jordan Gevers and Gavin Klein
Next to the crews actually working on a jobsite, cranes are one of a project’s most critical resources. Standing hundreds of feet in the air, these high-profile tools keep materials and equipment flowing to the teams that need them. On high-rise projects, the cranes grow along with the building…a process many of us never see… read more

From Student to Mentor: Promoting Career Education Through Industry Involvement

September 26, 2019
by Brittany Woltering, Marketing Manager
Jared Thompson, a project engineer for the modernization of Sam Barlow High School (SBHS) in Gresham, Oregon, has a unique connection to his work. Jared is an alumnus of SBHS and a life-long Gresham resident. His entire immediate family including his parents and older sister are alumni as well and still call Gresham home today.… read more

Mass Timber, Part 1—Cost and Schedule Factors

September 17, 2019
By Scott Akre and Kate Pfretzschner
"Steel or concrete?" This has been the standard question on commercial projects for generations. But the industry is changing—mass timber is quickly becoming a viable and exciting third option for high-rise and high-occupancy commercial and multifamily buildings. For years, builders could only erect wood structures to five stories and 65 feet of wood. However, new… read more

Building Rainier Square, Part 2: So, How’s This Thing Going to Get Built?

September 9, 2019
by Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
In part one of this series, we gave an overview of Rainier Square’s structural core: a series of prefabricated sandwich modules, hoisted into the sky, set in place between columns, welded, and filled with concrete. Simple, right? On paper, yes. Put a piece in place, weld it, then fill it. But that skips all the… read more

Rainier Square Tops Out 58 Stories Above Seattle: 360 Video

August 27, 2019
by MacKenzie Junor, Communication Specialist
https://vimeo.com/354960930 On August 15th 2019, nearly 650 people from throughout the A/E/C industry gathered at 4th and Union to celebrate a huge milestone in the construction industry. Rainier Square, Seattle’s second tallest building and the first in the world to use a game-changing structural system, topped out at over 850 feet. The building’s impressive height… read more

Population Heath: Why is Design-Build Fulfilling?

August 1, 2019
by MacKenzie Junor, Communication Specialist
We asked a member from each major partner working on Population Health, an integrated design-build project for the University of Washington, how this project differs from previous ones, and more importantly, if this delivery method has affected their career fulfillment. What we learned was relatively simple; the collaboration, the innovation and the results are what… read more

Building Rainier Square, Part 1: The Revolutionary Core

June 19, 2019
by Jordan Gevers, Marketing Manager
If you’ve ventured into downtown Seattle recently, you may have noticed some big changes happening at 5th and Union, home to the iconic tapered-base Rainier Tower and the rapidly-rising mixed-use tower known as Rainier Square. At 850 feet, Rainier Square will be the second tallest tower in Seattle. It will certainly change Seattle’s skyline, and… read more

Resiliency in Construction, Part I: The Case for Resiliency

March 12, 2019
By: Andrew Dykeman, Project Executive
Earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do. This axiom captures the life-or-death importance of resiliency. In the fields of architecture, engineering and construction, resiliency is a term used to describe a building’s ability to hold up to the forces of a natural event or the wear and tear of time and the elements without suffering failure.… read more

Life as a Lewis Intern

October 15, 2018
By: MacKenzie Junor, Marketing Coordinator
We shadowed Lewis intern Cody Klansnic at Building Cure, a cancer research lab project for Seattle Children’s, to find out more about his experience here at Lewis. Cody is going into his junior year at University of Washington and beginning his studies in the Construction Management program. Cody Klansnic is one of our most unique… read more

Aerial Drone Photography in Construction

April 9, 2018
By: Joe Souza, Project Engineer
I’ve been working as a project engineer on the construction of the Windward Apartments for the past two years. Early in preconstruction, we realized that we’d want to take aerial photos of the project at many points in its progression because it’s a high-profile project that has drawn a lot of interest from the community.… read more

Employee Spotlight: Phil Kreiger, Superintendent

January 10, 2018
By: Brittany Woltering, Marketing Coordinator
If Phil won the lottery, he would spend his free time designing and building everything from his dream house to custom furniture. As a superintendent, he gets to fulfill his passion for building every day on the job. With a background in art, Phil brings a unique skill set to every job, visually communicating constructability… read more

Switch to Warm-Ups is Improving Safety

December 20, 2017
By: Steve Brennan, Safety Director
The old "Stretch & Flex" idea deserves a lot of credit for improving jobsite safety over the years. Everybody would get together prior to starting work for stretching and a crew huddle to talk about the day's activities. Stretching is good, right? Safety stats generally improved, but we wondered: was it the stretching, or the… read more

Cooking a Great Kitchen

November 22, 2017
By: Jordan Swanson, Project Manager
If challenges are good, building a commercial kitchen or restaurant can be just the thing. They pack lots of interesting parts into small spaces – kitchen equipment, floor penetrations, unique finishes, artwork, heavy mechanical/electrical needs, and an extra level of occupancy permits. Your client is depending on you to manage these things perfectly. The definition… read more

PE Volunteer Day with Construction for Change

November 14, 2017
By: Evanne Webster, Project Engineer
When you volunteer, your skills and energy can be a valuable boost for the organization you work with. A little effort can go a long way for a deserving community! The benefit works both ways – volunteering can also help you grow as an individual and leader. On October 26, 22 like-minded individuals from Lease… read more

John Callahan Garden Dedication

October 26, 2017
By: Dan Callahan, Project Manager
  It’s rare to have the opportunity to work with a client on a project that has a deep personal meaning to you as well. This year I have been fortunate to be able to work on a memorial for my late uncle, John Callahan, in collaboration with Legacy Health Good Samaritan. John was a… read more

Employee Spotlight: Tammara Beck

September 7, 2017
By: Matt Hays, Senior Proposals Manager
Tammara is a top-performing project manager who focuses on life science facilities. She joined Lewis in 2015 with a well-rounded background on the "owner" side at the Allen Institute and Amgen, with contracting experience and even a stint with architect Perkins+Will as well. She is team-oriented, technically proficient and focused – outstanding traits in life… read more

“Lean”ing VDC Meetings

June 26, 2017
By: Lana Gochenauer, VDC Manager
On a list of cool things happening in virtual design & construction (VDC), running effective meetings isn't the flashiest. But meetings play an important role in the collaborative VDC process with designers and subcontractors, leading to happy, successful clients and teammates. Making meetings leaner can go a long way. Lean is about incremental improvements, and… read more

Employee Spotlight: Mariam Abarientos

May 18, 2017
By: Matt Hays, Senior Proposals Manager
Since joining Lewis in 1996, Mariam has grown from staff accountant to accounting supervisor and now accounting manager, responsible for general ledger, accounts receivable, and job cost. She is also a leader in Lean as co-chair of our Lean Committee, turning ideas into process improvements in her own department, and helping spread Lean improvements throughout… read more

Safety Week 2017 – Photo Essay

May 12, 2017
Safety is a critical component of the work we do, every day. Once a year, the industry rallies together as a collective force to raise awareness and renew our continual commitment to eliminate accidents and injuries. Our employees participated in a variety of activities as part of Safety Week, which ran from May 1-5. Check… read more

Infection Control

April 27, 2017
By: Dan Callahan, Project Manager
Infection control is one of the most important functions of every hospital. Building in an occupied hospital is a specialized job and critical responsibility. Healthcare-associated infections pose a severe, though preventable, threat to patient safety. About 4% of hospital patients contract healthcare-associated infections each day, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Construction… read more

Employee Spotlight: Tim Carpenter

March 17, 2017
By: Brittany Woltering, Marketing Coordinator
With more than 40 years of experience in the construction industry, our latest employee spotlight features someone who has had the unique opportunity to watch the industry grow and evolve throughout times of economic prosperity as well as hardship. Tim Carpenter, a Portland native, has spent half of his career as a valued member of… read more

Career Technical Education Program at Roosevelt High School

October 9, 2016
By: Nate Buddress, Project Manager
In order for students to succeed, it’s important to prepare them for the ever-evolving professional world, which means not only higher education preparedness, but also career readiness. Today, more than ever, students are bombarded with endless opportunities and decisions that will shape their future careers—and it can be difficult to maneuver the variety of options… read more

Obliteride

August 17, 2016
By: Carey Smith, Marketing Director
You can tell when it gets close to the Obliteride time of year and Lewis riders are gearing up for the annual Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center benefit ride. Water cooler conversations turn to discussions on carbo loading and comparing notes on the best training routes. Obsessive talk of bike computers can be heard with… read more

Employee Spotlight: Mike Levang

July 28, 2016
By: Matt Hays, Senior Proposals Manager
Mike Levang is one of the region's top superintendents. His main focus has been tenant improvements and renovations, from medical offices to the two entire buildings he is currently building out for a large local tech company. He has been at Lewis for 29 years, following his father John Levang who was also an outstanding… read more

Innovative Energy Strategies at the Oregon Zoo

June 27, 2016
By: Andrew Dykeman, Senior Project Manager
Elephants and polar bears are complete opposites when it comes to their climate preferences—elephants prefer it warm, while polar bears are partial to cooler temperatures. At the end of 2015, our team, which inlcuded Senior Project Manager Andy Dykeman, completed a three year expansion project that provided the Oregon Zoo’s elephant family with more than… read more

Safety Week

May 6, 2016
By: Steve Brennan, Safety Director
Every year construction professionals across the nation join together in a combined effort in a show of force to promote Safety. This year Lewis joined the effort in a major way. While every week at Lewis is safety week, the national event is a useful rallying point and chance for every one of us to… read more