Chambers Construction has always had a commitment to supporting career and workforce development. It is with that spirit that Joy Pendowski, Director of Marketing & Business Development, jumped at the opportunity when asked to be a mentor with a new program launched by Lane Community College (LCC), in partnership with Onward Eugene and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, called Mentor Connect.

Mentor Connect is a new mentorship initiative designed to strengthen career pathways for local students and enhance education through real world, experiential learning opportunities. Mentors and their mentees will meet monthly over the course of six months in this pilot program, giving students direct insight  into various professional fields and one-on-one guidance/feedback that they might not get in the classroom or anywhere else that can help them get an edge up as they go into the professional arena.

As Joy works with her mentee, Sunny, they will work on things such as job-shadowing opportunities, community networking events, resume and portfolio preparation, interview practice, and whatever else Sunny feels would be helpful to build confidence and prepare him for success.

Mentor Connect was developed to align with LCC’s ongoing efforts to enhance career and technical education (CTE) pathways and ensure that students are equipped with the skills, confidence, and community connections they need to succeed after graduation.

For Joy, mentoring is not something new. In December, she will complete a year of working with Onward Eugene's Women's Network Program where she mentored a group of women business founders through different challenges businesses face as they work on growth and expansion. She has also spent the past several years working with University of Oregon students in the School of Journalism helping them with their portfolio presentations and delivering their work to a panel of professionals as they enter the workforce. This is an area of passion for Joy, and we're glad for it as she represents Chambers in the community.

Photo credit:  Amelia Remington Corbari, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce

​We’re incredibly proud to celebrate our CFO/COO, Debi Creager, for receiving the Jean Richardson Industry Impact Award at the Daily Journal of Commerce’s Women of Vision Awards this year. This prestigious recognition honors women who are breaking barriers, shaping the future of construction, and inspiring others through their leadership—and Debi embodies all of that and more. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to excellence, integrity, and innovation. Her leadership at Chambers Construction has been instrumental in strengthening our operations, fostering a culture of teamwork, and encouraging growth at every level of the organization.

Beyond the walls of Chambers, she is a champion for women in construction and the skilled trades—advocating for workforce development, advancing our apprenticeship program, and mentoring the next generation of construction professionals. Debi’s impact is recognized not only by those who work alongside her every day but by peers throughout the construction community. Her passion, resilience, and forward-thinking approach serve as an inspiration to us all. We are deeply proud of Debi and grateful for her leadership, guidance, and heart.

​Congratulations, Debi, on this well-deserved honor! 

What an incredible anniversary celebration we had for Chambers in June. With more than 600 people in attendance, we are truly in awe of the support this community brings. Our team worked hard at planning the construction-themed carnival and joint Business After Hours event, and with your help, we think it turned out to be a blast! Thank you to everyone who played a part in making this event happen, those who were able to join us and celebrate, and to all who have played a part in our last 70 years in construction. We are truly honored to Build What’s Important in Peoples’ Lives. 

One of our goals with this celebration was to utilize local businesses as much as we could. We'd like to give special shout-outs to the following, for which this event would not have been possible:

• Kidsports
• Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce
• Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce

 

• Bigfoot Beverages
• Falling Sky Brewing
• Market of Choice
• Moi Poki Grill
• Silvan Ridge Winery
• Smok'n Gingers BBQ
• Sweet Life Patisserie

 

• Bubble Social Balloons
• Delene & Co. (photo booth & event photography)
• High Priority Consultants (medical tent)
• Jerry's Home Improvement Center
• ​Mary Reilly (event emcee)
• McKenzie SewOn
• Pura Vida Mobile Bartending Services​

​Chambers was honored to receive the General Contractor of the Year award from this year’s DJC Construction All Stars event! The company was recognized by the Daily Journal of Commerce at a ceremony at the Sentinel Hotel in Portland with an audience of industry peers. Huge thanks to our incredible team, partners, and clients who make the work we do, day after day, possible. Here’s to building even bigger and better things ahead!

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) held the awards ceremony for the 2024 Construction Craft Award in October. The purpose of this long-running awards program is to give special recognition to those individuals in the building industry who have mastered the ideals of their craft on a particular project or over the course of their careers. AIA Eugene accepted nominations, and a jury comprised of AIA Oregon architects, members of the construction industry, and past award winners chose a winner, which was announced at the October 22 event.

​This year, Chambers Construction nominated superintendent Jon Baugus, and he was selected by the AIA jury! Jon has been employed with Chambers for almost 29 years and has close to 40 years of experience in the construction industry. With an impressive history of projects and glowing letters of recommendation from architects, owner reps, and subcontractors, we knew he deserved to be recognized for this prestigious award. Congratulations, Jon! We are so proud of you.

​In a mutually beneficial relationship, Chambers Construction has apprentices working with Habitat for Humanity to build new homes in their Fischer Village development, located in Springfield. In this partnership, Chambers is donating the labor, and in exchange, our apprentices are getting the necessary hands-on learning vital to becoming successful journeyman carpenters. It's a true win-win. Currently, as you can see in these photos, we have apprentices and interns working on the framing of a new unit, under the direction of tenured, experienced carpenters.

At the 43rd installment of the Excellence In Concrete Awards, Chambers Construction project, Marshfield Jr. High, took the win in the Education category! Organized by the Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association, the Oregon Chapter of the American Concrete Institute and industry sponsors, this annual competition is designed to recognize projects that use concrete in extensive or innovative ways.

As quoted by the the awards committee, "Marshfield Junior High School is an exceptional example of how a creative design and construction team can provide a community with a state-of-the-art, modern school that is both extremely durable and beautiful by utilizing concrete and taking advantage of its great variety of systems, forms, colors and graphics. We have no doubt that because this school is built extensively with concrete that it will serve the community of Coos Bay for far longer than it would have if constructed of other materials."

Thank you to our project partners:

• Owner - Coos Bay School District
• Architectural Firm - Steele Associates Architects​
  
• Civil/Structural Engineer - Froelich Consulting Engineers
  
• Concrete Contractor - Knife River Prestress
  
• Concrete Finisher - 3C Custom Concrete Finishing
  
• Ready Mix Supplier - Knife River Corporation
  

EUGENE, OR — Chambers Construction, a leading Pacific Northwest general contractor based in Eugene, Oregon, is pleased to announce the first class of graduates who have successfully completed their apprenticeship program to become journeyman carpenters. While the pandemic caused almost a year delay for this first class, the apprentices persevered to reach their goal of graduation. This year’s graduates include Adam Hastings, John Peters and Izayah Moriguchi.
 
Graduation will be held on Wednesday, June 30 at 4:00 p.m. at the Chambers Construction main office.
 
The Chambers Construction Apprenticeship Program was started in 2017 to address the need for skilled labor in the local area. Under the guidance of trainer Mark Harrington, and over the course of three years, those in the program learn the ins and outs of the construction industry including building best practices, safety protocols and craftsmanship fundamentals — all through a combination of classroom and hands-on work. Apprentices are paid throughout their time in the program with a step-up pay scale as they progress with their coursework and meet program hours.
 
With support and cooperation from local school districts, chambers of commerce and work ready programs, the Chambers Construction Apprenticeship Program has grown. Currently the program has 15 apprentices in training. The construction industry offers great career opportunities for those who are not interested in or able to attend college. Completing an apprenticeship program like the one at Chambers Construction provides graduates a solid start to a lifelong career with competitive pay and benefits.