Member News

Cornerstone

Achieves CHASE Flag status

n May, Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Cathy Muñoz sent a letter to Cornerstone General Contractors, announcing that Cornerstone had been approved for the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health, or AKOSH, Construction Health and Safety Excellence Program, or CHASE. Cornerstone is the first construction company to achieve CHASE Flag status.

A group of people poses outdoors in a park setting with lush green trees in the background. They are arranged in several rows, with some people kneeling in front. The group includes both men and women dressed in casual attire, such as jeans and T-shirts, with some wearing sunglasses and hats. In front, a banner is held, displaying various logos and text. The atmosphere appears friendly and relaxed. A dog stands to the left side, on a leash, next to a person in black attire.

Cornerstone General Contractors employees and affiliates celebrated being the first construction company in Alaska to achieve Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Construction Health and Safety Excellence, or CHASE Flag status.

Photo by Haley Cary, Halcyon Photography

The CHASE Program, unique to Alaska, is a partnership between the state’s construction industry and the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s AKOSH Consultation and Training team. It recognizes employers who go above and beyond to reduce jobsite hazards and build a culture of safety.

Muñoz reports that Cornerstone, along with its longtime safety contractor, SafeLogic, worked with the AKOSH Consulting and Training section to improve safety and health conditions for its employees and was accepted in 2019 into the Alaska CHASE program for five years. In that time, she writes, AKOSH consultants conducted several comprehensive safety and health evaluations and verified that the company meets the CHASE Flag eligibility criteria.

“From the beginning, you have exhibited commitment and hard work toward this goal, and the recommendations our consultants made were received freely and implemented to the effect of enhancing your program. We congratulate you for the positive attitude related to safety and health exhibited by your team,” Muñoz writes.

Cornerstone officials say earning CHASE Flag status took “relentless effort, buy-in at every level, and strategic partnerships, including with SafeLogic, whose expertise played a key role in helping Cornerstone strengthen safety systems and drive continuous improvement.”

“This recognition isn’t just about us, it’s about everyone on our jobsites, every partner who’s helped us improve, and a shared belief that safety is non-negotiable,” says Cornerstone President Joe Jolley. “The CHASE Flag is the gold standard in Alaska, and being the first to achieve it shows what’s possible when your team refuses to cut corners.”

Coffman Engineers

Employees earn licenses, certifications

offman Engineers, Inc., congratulates Catelynn Hettick on earning her professional engineering, or PE, license in fire protection engineering; McKenzie Lallish and Noah Fowler on earning PE licenses in structural engineering and mechanical engineering; and Jesse Wight-Crask on earning his Certified Commissioning Authority certification.

Hettick has more than four years of experience in mechanical and fire protection engineering and has contributed to a range of projects including fire suppression systems, fire alarm design, and life safety code analysis. Her portfolio spans oil and gas facilities, military installations, medical office buildings, and municipal and state condition assessments. Hettick holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from UAA and is currently pursuing a master of science in fire protection engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Lallish joined Coffman in 2013 as a structural engineer after graduating from UAA with a bachelor of science in civil engineering. Lallish has experience in designing and analyzing steel, reinforced concrete, masonry, and timber structures. Some notable projects requiring innovative solutions include structural modifications to an existing, congested steel building to support new mechanical HVAC equipment, assisting in the design of a new mass timber head start child development facility, and evaluating the foundation and support structure of an existing elevated water tower in a highly seismic zone. Lallish has also provided corrosion control field engineering support for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System to ensure the integrity of facility piping and mainline bypass valve piping along the pipeline.

Fowler joined Coffman in 2023 as a mechanical engineer after four years serving as a power generation engineer for Puget Sound Energy. Fowler received his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the UAA. At Coffman, he supports a range of energy projects including solar photovoltaics, battery energy storage systems, microgrids, hydrogen, and fossil-fuel fired power generation. He has experience designing mechanical and power systems and supporting instrumentation and controls design. Fowler also brings experience with both capital and operations and maintenance projects, as well as hands-on work at a range of facilities—including gas-fired power plants, hydroelectric dams and plants, and run-of-river hydro stations.

Photos provided by Coffman Engineers

Wight-Crask has seven years of engineering design experience, five of which include honing his skills in commissioning building systems and facilities. Wight-Crask’s hands-on commissioning experience is complemented by his participation in nationally recognized courses from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers and AABC Commissioning Group. The Certified Commissioning Authority certification reflects Wight-Crask’s dedication to his field and demonstrates his knowledge in overseeing and managing the commissioning process in building projects.

Bettisworth North

Expands in Anchorage and Fairbanks

ettisworth North Architects and Planners has hired two senior professionals and two associates, expanding the firm’s Anchorage and Fairbanks teams.

The addition of Rebekah Gray, a senior interior designer with 20-plus years of experience, expands Bettisworth North’s capabilities in Fairbanks with onsite interior design expertise. Gray has led multi-disciplinary design teams and specializes in commercial environments and user-centered experience design. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, where she also served as a professor.

Senior architect Jack Fowler joins Bettisworth North’s Anchorage office. His seventeen-year professional history includes significant experience with K-12 through post-secondary institutions, as well as healthcare facility design for medical campuses and hospitals. He is proficient with digital tools and with freelance drawing, often producing quick sketches to clearly communicate design concepts. Fowler’s role leading architectural design for the National Park Service Alaska Region involved master planning, and ongoing public engagement and coordination between state and federal agencies to identify funding opportunities for Alaska’s parks.

Photos provided by Bettisworth North

Associate architect Paul Mullins and associate landscape architect Aisha Malik have also joined the Bettisworth North team. Mullins recently earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Hawaii and has worked as an intern for the firm since 2022. Malik interned for Bettisworth North in 2024 and received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Rhode Island. Malik operates from the firm’s Fairbanks office while Mullins is located in Anchorage. With the additions, Bettisworth North’s staff now comprises forty-three professionals.

AGC of Alaska

Welcomes New Employees

wo new employees at Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska, will be on hand to help members. Norma Lucero joins AGC as Deputy Director after working with the Small Business Administration in Alaska and Heidi Olson steps in as the new Membership Director, following work at the Alaska Department of Corrections.

Lucero is a lifelong Alaskan with deep family roots dating back to the ‘60s. She brings decades of leadership in economic and workforce development, having served as economic development specialist and public information officer at the Small Business Administration Alaska District Office. During the pandemic, she helped approve more than $300 million in Restaurant Revitalization Fund applications and supported recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

At the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Civil Rights Office, Lucero led statewide Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and On the Job Training programs, transforming them into nationally recognized models. Her work has earned honors from US Secretaries of Transportation and Labor, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or WASHTO, Leadership Recognition, along with multiple state-level awards including the Denali Governor’s Peak Award from three governors.

Outside of work, Lucero enjoys Alaska’s outdoors, traveling, mentoring youth, and motivating individuals to pursue business ownership.

Photos provided by AGC of Alaska

Olson relocated to Alaska from Wisconsin in 2021, bringing with her a background in education and a passion for service. Olson transitions to AGC from the Alaska Department of Corrections, or DOC, where she served as a Criminal Justice Planner.

At DOC, Olson’s work centered on strengthening DOC’s vocational training programs and building strong industry partnerships to better connect education occurring within the prison system to employment opportunities upon release. As a criminal justice planner, Olson served on the Alaska Adult Education Association and the National Corrections Education Association boards of directors. She was selected as a 2024 cohort member of the Vera Institute of Justice Corrections Education Leadership Academy.

Outside of work, Olson enjoys Alaska’s outdoors through hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, and snowshoeing.

Davis Block & Concrete

Celebrates fifty years, Scott Davis honored with legislative citation

Cover of The Alaska Contractor Summer 1994 issue with three men standing in front of industrial buildings and trucks.

Rusty, Scott, and Chuck Davis, who owned Davis Block & Concrete at the time, pose in front of their Anchorage facility on the cover of the Summer 1994 Alaska Contractor.

Photo provided by Davis Block & Concrete

avis Block & Concrete celebrated its milestone 50th anniversary July 25, with an event attended by many current and former employees, local leaders, and many Davis family members. The celebration highlighted the company’s lasting legacy and contributions to the Kenai Peninsula community.

During the event, Senator Jesse Bjorkman, who represents Kenai, presented a citation from the Alaska Legislature to company owner Scott Davis, recognizing his 2025 induction into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame.

“This honor from the Alaska Legislature for Scott’s induction into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame is a great achievement, and I’m truly grateful for the support from our team and community,” says Davis.

Founded in Soldotna in 1975 by Leonard and Viola Davis, Davis Block & Concrete has played a vital role in the Alaska construction community for decades, providing top-quality concrete products and services.

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