In May, Andria Marrs, an Assistant Estimator here at AEI, is running a 10K that benefits the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation on May 6, 2012. As the event website explains, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation,

…has focused its efforts to improve the care, quality of life and survival rate of children with malignant diseases. The founders, comprised of parents, physicians and community leaders, joined forces to begin support of laboratory research that would translate into immediate treatment for children with cancer. Since 1982, the dedicated volunteers and staff of PCRF have raised over $28 million for pediatric cancer research.

Andria chose this particular organization because a friend of her family has a 4-year old granddaughter named Jayla that is currently battling cancer. Please consider donating to Andria’s walk and children like Jayla by visiting Andria’s Donation Page .

In September, Athena Chiera, the Vice President of Human Resources at Athena Engineering, is walking the 39-mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Santa Barbara. This is Athena’s second time walking the Avon walk and she plans to raise $2,500 to benefit Breast Cancer Research. The money raised during the 9-city Avon Walk benefits hundreds of organizations, including the following:

• Avon Breast Cancer Center at the UCLA-Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Olive View Medical Center
• Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation to support the Love/Avon Army of Women
• UCLA Foundation to support Avon Foundation Breast Imaging Fellowships at the Iris Cantor Breast Imaging Center and the UCLA Santa Monica Women’s Imaging Center.
• Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope
• Project Angel Food

Please consider donating to Athena’s walk by visiting Athena’s Donation Page.

We’re so proud of the people that make up our team here at Athena Engineering! Please consider supporting them with a donation or words of encouragement! In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

By: Lauren Jewett, Athena Engineering Mechanical Intern

After two internships and a couple of other estimating jobs, I was looking for a change, something different. I wanted to find a successful company with a small company feel. Somewhere that would trust in my abilities, and give me responsibilities that other employers save for the full-timers. After my search started to look dismal, I stumbled across Athena Engineering, Inc. Not only was it considered one of the top independently owned private companies in the area, but it was also woman-owned.

Now call me biased, but as a competitive female myself, I am very much aware of the male to female ratio in the construction industry, and how difficult it can be, at times, to be successful in a field dominated by men. Regardless, I sent out my resume, and hoped for the best, as AEI had managed to accomplish just that.

It wasn’t until my first interview, when I had a chance to see their office that I knew this was what I was looking for.  With the organized office spaces, friendly faces, and great natural lighting, I could already picture myself sitting behind one of those shiny white Macs with my own stack of papers. The next step was to impress. I must have been lucky that day…

For the past few months that I have spent as an Athena Engineering, Inc. intern, I have often pondered whether I have learned more about the construction industry here, than I have in the actual classrooms as a Construction Engineering student. It is no wonder Cal Poly Pomona has added internships to the required curriculum. Then again, I guess it is considered a Polytechnic school for a reason.

Even with the perfect internship, another major part of our curricula is our senior project.  Since I am now a senior, that time for me has come.  The project I have chosen is competing in the Associated Schools of Construction 2012 Student Competition.   This isn’t considered one of the easier of tasks, but the description was one that I could not pass up:

“The Associated Schools of Construction is the professional association for the development and advancement of construction education, where the sharing of ideas and knowledge inspires, guides and promotes excellence in curricula, teaching, research, and service.”

This competition, in a nutshell, involves six team members, who spend sixteen hours in a confined room (don’t worry, we at least get food runners), and one problem statement.  The problem statement comes on a compact disc and if the information contained on that compact disc were to be printed out, it would be equivalent to half a tree and worthy of an eight-inch binder.

The disc contains a set of plans to an actual project and all the information our team needs to be chosen as a pretend, yet worthy, company competing against many other pretend, and hopefully not so worthy, companies.  The key to success at this national competition is practice, so my team and I have set off to do just that.

Our plan was to get a feel for site logistics, phasing, safety cultures, and whatever else we thought would be helpful to our future mock company.

Luckily, with my new recent internship at AEI, I knew just where the best place to practice would be.  My employers, and their “always-willing-to-help-when-can” attitude, allowed me and my fellow team members to visit one of their most recent projects, the South Region Elementary School #10.

I had conveniently spent the past couple of months writing Submittals, Job Hazard Analyses, Crane Plans, RFCs and other such information for this project, that I felt comfortable getting my way around the site… But not without a little help from my friends.

Upon arrival, AEI’s Mechanical Foreman, Vince Jackson, was able to spare a few moments to give us all a brief overview of what the Mechanical Subcontractor’s responsibilities are for this particular project. He also paid special attention to the group’s attire, inspecting our PPE and escorting us to our next tour guide (as any responsible and diligent Foreman should!)

Not only was AEI eager to help, but Taisei Construction Corporation, the General Contractor on this project, was also very welcoming. Senior Safety Manager, Greg Patrick, gave us a full on tour of the site while explaining the extra measures they take to make sure every person who enters the job site arrives home safely after the work day is done. With over thirteen months since the scheduled start date working on South Region Elementary School #10, and zero accidents, our team was eager to hear what Greg had to say.

After the deluxe tour, we were lucky enough to take a few minutes out of Taisei’s busy Project Manager, Mike Edwards’, schedule.

As the voted Project Manager for our competition team, I was all about what he had to say. He described the specific delivery method, 17406 Lease Back, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) system , their BIM coordination process, the project’s scheduling and many other useful subjects, in detail. He also accounted much of the project’s timeline success to Taisei’s very efficient Superintendent, Ed Dickson.

All in all, our field trip exceeded our expectations and was very helpful in getting things moving for our team. Big thanks to Athena Engineering and Taisei for letting us get our feet wet in the overall process of building construction, real life hard work, planning, and the sometimes stress that comes into play, no matter how experienced or talented a team may be.

-Lauren Jewett, Athena Engineering, Project Assistant

Cal Poly Construction Engineering Majors (left to right): Lauren Jewett, Blake Niggli, Freddy Flores, Alfredo Flores, Franklin Le, Cory Waterbury/ Taisei Construction Corporation Staff (left to right): Scott Kaufman, Greg Patrick, Mike Edwards, Barbara Dillon, Ryan Schneider.

Cal Poly Construction Engineering Majors (left to right): Freddy Flores, Alfredo Flores, Lauren Jewett, Cory Waterbury, Blake Niggli and Franklin Le, standing with AEI’s Mechanical Forman, Vince Jackson (middle).

SAN DIMAS, CA, March 3, 2011 – Brian Edwards, of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, raised the bar for Athena Engineering, Inc. employees by becoming the first staff member to reach 20 years of continuous employment at that organization.

“This is an amazing milestone for Athena Engineering, Inc. and especially, for Brian,” said Jannie Chiera, President. “I have watched Brian work his way from a field assistant to the manager of the Accounting Department and I could not be more proud of him then I am right now.”

A surprise celebration thrown by the office staff at Athena Engineering was held for Brian at the company headquarters in San Dimas, CA. Brian gave a short speech during the celebration, stating “This is my family. A great place to learn and work. I am proud to be an Athena Engineering employee.” Brian has held four positions while at Athena Engineering, including Field Assistant, Dispatcher, Accounting Assistant, and currently, the Accounting Department Manager. Currently, his responsibilities include management of accounts receivable, accounts payable,  and project billing.

“Brian and I have grown together throughout these years and he has become a part of my family,” stated Jannie Chiera. “He is a wonderful friend and manager. He helps make this company a wonderful place to work. Today, we are celebrating his dedication, perseverance, loyalty, and contributions to the success and growth of Athena Engineering.”

Athena Engineering, Inc. is a privately held, woman/minority-owned company located in San Dimas, California. Specialties include heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanical system installation, maintenance and service, general contracting, and building automation systems.

We kicked off the 2010 holiday’s with a food drive benefiting the St. Francis of Rome Food Bank in Azusa, CA. Athena Engineering, Inc. employees and their families gathered boxes of food for needy families that have been hit hard during these economic times and delivered them to St. Francis of Rome on November 23, 2010.

Once the Thanksgiving holiday was over, we started our toy drive campaign. This was another overwhelming success thanks to our employees, their families, and outside community members who donated toys for girls and boys staying at Prototypes (http://www.prototypes.org/) in Pomona, CA. A special thanks goes out to Kristin Crowell and her tenth grade students from Claremont High School who donated toys for our collection. The staff at Prototypes does an amazing job each year of collecting and distributing presents to children staying at their facilities through the holidays and it is our honor to help them.

On December 16, 2010 we held our annual Christmas party at our main office in San Dimas. This was a great success full of food, fun, and games. I want to particularly congratulate Joel Krause (Foreman) and Mary Roach (Project Coordinator) who were voted the 2010 Employee’s of the Year by their peers. These two people are wonderful examples of going above and beyond a job description in order to get the job done. Thank you to both of you for all of your hard work!

We will soon say good bye to 2010, but before we do I want to thank all of the amazing employees of Athena Engineering, our clients, subcontractors, and vendors for making this a successful year. From our families to yours, Happy Holidays!

Best,

Jannie Chiera

SAN DIMAS, CA, August 10, 2010 – Athena Engineering, Inc. was ranked number 32, moving up 6 spots from the 2009 list, on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s list of the Top 100 Largest Woman-Owned Businesses in Los Angeles County. This is Athena Engineering, Inc.’s third time on the list.

The Top 100 companies are from a wide range of industries, including restaurants, construction, and information technology firms. To be considered for the list, companies must be located in Los Angeles County. Each company is ranked according to 2009 revenues.

“I cannot be more proud of my team than I am at this moment,” exclaimed CEO Jannie Chiera. “We’ve maintained high rates of growth by hiring great people, diversifying into different sectors of the construction industry, and taking calculated leaps of faith. I have full confidence that we will continue our growth throughout the years.”

The Los Angeles Business Journal is a weekly publication that examines the Los Angeles economy through the lens of businesses in  Los Angeles County.

Athena Engineering, Inc. is a privately held, woman/minority-owned company located in San Dimas, California. Specialties include heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanical system installation, maintenance and service, general contracting, and building automation systems.

COSTA MESA, CA  August 11, 2010 – Athena Engineering, Inc. and Girls Incorporated of Orange County teamed up on August 11, 2010 to teach 16 teenage girls how to use tools and build a bat house at Orange Coast Community College. The course was taught by Richard Chiera, Executive Vice President of Athena Engineering, Inc. and four other staff members: Terry Van Norstrand (Lead Estimator), Greg Edwards (Construction Manager), Alonzo Medina (Assistant Project Manager), and Athena Chiera (Vice President of Human Resources).

Girls Inc., a non-profit based in Costa Mesa, CA, hosts a month long E! Camp, in which girls ages 15-17 learn college readiness, career training, fitness/team building, and participate in a series of How To-”Life Skills” programs. One of these How To-”Life Skills” programs, Girls with Tools, sought to teach girls a basic overview of working with power tools and various hand tools. Each of the girls received a basic tool school to learn about tools and had the opportunity to construct their own bat houses using both electric and hand tools. At the end of the day, each young lady took home their own pink tool box and a completed bat house.

“Girls Inc. is an organization that I am very committed to and I couldn’t be happier to help out with this workshop,” said Athena Chiera, Vice President of Human Resources. “Men are typically the individuals that use power tools and hand tools or that are seen as the go-to for maintenance around a home. There’s nothing that says women can’t do it to, so Girls Inc. gave us the opportunity to teach these young ladies to be even more independent and self-sufficient!”

“As I expected, the girls did an amazing job and their enthusiasm for learning was so refreshing,” said Richard Chiera, Executive Vice President of Athena Engineering, Inc. “I think we might have more women in the construction field before we know it!”

Athena Engineering, Inc. is a privately held, woman/minority-owned company located in San Dimas, California. Specialties include heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanical system installation, maintenance and service, general contracting, and building automation systems.

Athena Engineering Staff (TOP ROW): Terry Van Norstrand, Athena Chiera, Richard Chiera, Alonzo Medina, Greg Edwards / Girls Incorporated Girls and Workshop Participants (BOTTOM ROW)

About Girls Inc. of Orange County (From the Girls Inc. of Orange County Website)

Since 1954, Girls Incorporated of Orange County has utilized research-based programs to transform the lives of thousands of girls by giving them the skills to become confident, successful, and independent women.

By offering age-appropriate, research-based programs, Girls Incorporated of Orange County helps girls deal effectively with a variety of issues that they face in today’s world. These programs give girls the confidence to do things previous generations of women have only dreamed of or not known were possible:

• pursuing careers in science, math, or technology
• avoiding the traps of teen pregnancy, drugs, and violence
• staying healthy in body and mind
• asserting their point of view with confidence

SAN DIMAS, CA July 1, 2010 – Athena Engineering, Inc., in partnership with JLOOP Rich Media, launched the newly designed athenaengineering.net today on the World Wide Web. The new website features expanded content, new project portfolios, and new resources for subcontractors and job applicants. The redesign incorporates brand new graphics, colors, and navigational tools.

“Clients, subcontractors, and job applicants that visit our new website will experience a more vibrant and visually interesting website. We aimed to create a website that was functional, but still fun to look at,” says Athena Chiera, Vice President of Human Resources at Athena Engineering, Inc. “JLOOP did a great job of translating my thoughts for the website into reality and I’m excited to debut it to our strategic partners and employees.”

In addition to updated and expanded project portfolios, the website also includes a new subcontractor portal, virtual plan room, and an expanded recruiting section. This is the first of several projects with JLOOP that aim to increase the utility of the website for employees and clients alike.

Athena Engineering, Inc. is a privately held, woman/minority-owned company located in San Dimas, California. Specialties include heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanical system installation, maintenance and service, general contracting, and building automation systems.

Access our new website at www.athenaengineering.net

SAN DIMAS, CA, October 1, 2009 – The Business Press ranked Athena Engineering, Inc. number three in the list of Top Woman-Owned Businesses in the Inland Empire. This is Athena Engineering’s first time on the list.

The Business Press ranked businesses by 2008 revenues. In order to be ranked, companies must be 100 percent woman-owned, privately held and headquartered in the Inland Empire.

“I am proud to be a woman business owner, especially in such a male-dominated field as construction,” said Jannie Chiera, the CEO of Athena Engineering, Inc. “My husband and I have built a wonderful company together and it is an honor to be included in a list with so many other successful women-owned businesses.”

Athena Engineering, Inc. is a privately held, woman/minority-owned company located in San Dimas, California. Specialties include heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanical system installation, maintenance and service, general contracting and building automation systems.