Walsh Construction
When you find a company that mirrors your own values, you set your sights on creating a strong partnership. That’s how it’s been between REACH and Walsh Construction Co. over the years (no relation to our Executive Director, Dee Walsh!). REACH has been lucky to work with Walsh as our general contractor on several projects, including the Ritzdorf Court, Powell Boulevard Apartments, Patton Park Apartments, and the Admiral Apartments.
Building quality affordable housing forms the heart of Walsh’s business. As the company has grown from its early days of operating out of a Chevy van, so has their focus on supporting the community. Through time, talent and treasure, Walsh supports non-profit organizations making a difference in the lives of our neighbors in Portland and Seattle. In fact, they commit more than a quarter of a million dollars annually in support of over 75 organizations. And their employee’s walk their talk. When they’re not building some of Portland’s most innovative projects, many Walsh employees serve on nonprofit boards and committee’s throughout the region. Walsh also encourages use of paid work time for employees to volunteer for their favorite organizations and to participate in fundraising events. Walsh is also one of the leading green building general contractors working with nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest. Walsh shares REACH’s commitment to finding ways to minimize our impact on the planet in every aspect of their business.
For us, it’s really about the people behind the company. We’re fortunate to work with many outstanding individuals from Walsh. It would be impossible to name them all, but we wanted to give special attention to Mike Steffen (General Manager) and Katrine Johannessen (Event Coordinator). Mike has been with Walsh for over 12 years, leading their efforts in quality improvement and green building/innovation. He’s a long-time personal supporter of REACH, and works side by side with our Housing Development staff as our buildings go up. Katrine has been with Walsh nearly 2 years, and among her many talents, runs Walsh’s Community Giving Campaign. She boasts an impressive track record: in Portland, over 92% of Walsh employee’s give to local nonprofits; in Seattle, it’s nearly 100%. It’s the company’s mission and Katrine’s dedication that drive the giving programs at Walsh. We’d be remiss if we didn’t also offer our thanks to Bob Walsh (President), Bob Forster (Executive Vice President), Kathy Kelley (Executive Assistant), Don Geddes (Senior Project Manager), Bhavna Kumar (Project Manager and REACH Board member) and the entire Walsh crew for your support of REACH.
At REACH, we’re proud to count Walsh among our professional – and personal – friends. Thanks for your strong support!
