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Meet Dee Burch

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*p-*r' teacher in the same room. Dee was the youngest and smallest of all the kids. "l (chopter presidents l92l ond 1999), Dee (second from upper right), ond Horry Rowlond (second Eost Bonk Esplonode: Aon represenlotive, Konnie Schweiger, Dee Burch, ond AGCA joined Kiewit Pacific and moved to historic Lafayette Antique Ma ll-the The family moved to McMinnville Born in Newberg, the oldest of from that day on," Dee says. Compton chores to earn money, and he began ln 1981, with work drying up, Dee I'
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Transcript
Page 1: Meet Dee Burch

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Page 2: Meet Dee Burch
Page 3: Meet Dee Burch
Page 4: Meet Dee Burch

l: Dee hos been oclive in ihe chopter for mony

yeors, serving ond leoding vorious councils.

2: OSU Froternily, 1975 freshmen, third from left

is Dee, second is Joy Compton. 3: Jonelle Burch,

Dee ond Sherri Burch, Angelo ond Cory Corroll,

Greg Lizonich, Ben, Groce & Melonie Burlon.

4: 2000 AGCA Notionol Build Americo Aword,

Eost Bonk Esplonode: Aon represenlotive,

Konnie Schweiger, Dee Burch, ond AGCAPresidenl Terry Deeny.

Born in Newberg, the oldest offive kids raised by a single mom, Dee

attended school in Lafayette throughthe second grade in what is now thehistoric Lafayette Antique Ma ll-thequintessential little red-school house

with multiple grades taught by one

teacher in the same room. Dee was theyoungest and smallest of all the kids. "l

was fortunate to have Mrs. Cabe the firsttwo years," he recalls. "She was nurturingbut also challenging."

The family moved to McMinnvillewhere Dee graduated high school in1974. At the time Yamhill County was

one of the poorest areas in Oregon. Atage seven, Dee, toiled in the summerspicking strawberries and pole beans,

sometimes alongside Gene, Brad, and

Jeff, his three brothers, his sister Darla,

and Peggy, his mother. He also delivered

newspapers, mowed lawns, and did

chores to earn money, and he began

saving for college at a very early age.

His father was a long-haul trucker,and it was likely a good thing that he

was out of the picture. Yet Dee never feltsorry for himself or lacked role models."My mom made up for it, plus I had

great grandparents," he says. He wasparticularly fond of his grandpa Harry

Rowland, a heavy equipment operator.Another important figure was John

Compton, the father of a classmate, who

owned a successful paving business.

When it came time for him to pick a

college, Mr. Compton offered to help pay

for his first year's tuition and also offeredDee a job on a paving crew.

"My admiration for John and

contractors like him was embedded in me

from that day on," Dee says. Comptonlater served as the president of thelocal AGC chapter, and Dee met othercontractors though him-men who were

willing to quietly offer assistance toothers expecting nothing in return otherthan hard work and the desire to findone's own way.

Dee earned a BS in Civil Engineering

from Oregon State in 1978, but with no

opportunities locally he took a job withChicago Bridge and lron. He worked the

western states building elevated watertowers, oil and ammonia storage tanks,

and nuclear containment structures. The

first three years he moved seven times,

working in Salt Lake City, Long Beach,

Portland, Denver, and Wyoming, learningplenty along the way.

ln 1981, with work drying up, Dee

joined Kiewit Pacific and moved toSeattle to build the West Seattle Bridge,

a highly sophisticated project. Just 25years old, Dee realized that he needed

help from some of the more experienced

foremen and superintendents or he

miqht be fired. 'As soon as I asked

'l975 Dod's Weekend ot Oregon Stoie University, (second ond third from left) John ond Joy Complon

(chopter presidents l92l ond 1999), Dee (second from upper right), ond Horry Rowlond (second

from lower right).

I'

10 49F.= Construction News Update Winter 2011

Page 5: Meet Dee Burch

for help, I was mentored by several

different supervison and my esteem forcontractors and the construction industrygrew even more."

ln Phoenix, in 1988, he met Konnie

Schweiger, one of the founders of MCwho was doing some difficult underwaterconstruction (as a subcontractod on theface of the Stewart Mountain Dam. The

two men clicked, and Schweiger laid

out his vision of transforming MC intoa heavy civiUmarine/industrial general

contractor. "l was established with a

successful company and he asked me

to jump with no safety net. I was notbuying it," Dee recalls.

Several years later, however, Dee tiredof the constant traveling and joined AAC.

Co-founded in 1983 by Schweiger (who

died in 2002) and Kent Cochran, whoboth did diving work for constructionprojects and also built bridges and dams,

the company was originally named

Advanced American Diving Service. The

two men wanted more control, so theyIaunched the tiny startup. The companytook oft, and to get even more controlover the ir projects, in 1990 MC become

a marine/heavy civil/industrial general

contractor.Now a union contractor, MC

employs about 150 full time employees.

Their portfolio includes the Eastbank

Esplanade, multiple industrial dockprojects for the Ports of Portland and

Vancouver, and numerous projects forthe Army Corps of Engineen. A fewclients: Schnitzer Steel, Cascade Steel

Mills, Oregon Steel Mills, and

most of the area paper mills.

AAC is currently working on

a $10 million portion of theLake Oswego lnterceptor Sewer

Project. Built in the 1960s, thesewer line cuts a swath throughthe middle of Lake Oswego atopsome of the most expensive

residential real estate in Oregon.

Even a minor earthquakecould rupture the existingline spewing raw sewage intothe lake and creating an environmentalcatastrophe. The project, a decade in theplanning, will improve the water quality in

Lake 0swego while ensuring that the sewer

line will not fail during an earthquake.AAC's biggest customer is the Army

Corps of Engineers, with most of thework aimed at improving salmon runssuch as the Lower Monumental Dam

Removable Spillway Weir. The massive steel

structure, weighing 2.5 million pounds, was

fabricated in one piece by Oregon Steel

Works at the old Port of Portland Shipyard

and transported by tugboats on the Snake

River and installed in a spillway.Last year the AGC of America

recognized the project as a Build AmericaAward Winner, the fifth time that MC has

earned the honor. The project, one of onlythree in the world, allows juvenile salmon

and steelhead to pass through dams near

the water surface, giving the fish a simplerroute and dramatically improving salmonpassage by bypasing the dam's deadlyturbines.

"These projects are the veryembodiment of the potential andpromise of the nation's constructionindustry" says Doug Pruitt, past president

of AGC of America.'They challengeour skills, stretch our imaginations, and

capture our fanry."The.huge photos ofthe many award-

winning projects adorn the offices ofAdvanced American Construction. Dee

is rightly proud of them, but he is quick

to add: "You can never get complacentbecause you are only as good as yourlast job."

"MC's use of odvonced globol positioning systems,

pile templotes, ond cuiting edge surveying techniquesproved iheir know-how ond skill in even lhe most demonding environmentol conditions."

He relishes tackling a new set ofchallenges as AGC chapter president.

Particularly crucial is addressing

workforce issues he says. "Convincing

Generation X, Y and whatever else theyounger generation is referred to, thatworking long houn and mastering yourcraft will result in a healthy, rewardingcareer-that is huge," he says.

Attracting new members while also

spurring much more involvement fromthe existing ones is also a priority. 'Alot of companies join for the worke6'compensation or similar services. We

need to get more of these folks involvedin the advocacy, strategy, and planning

aspects. lt's all tied to the end goal

of improving the business climate in

Oregon," Dee adds smiling. "That's a

forever project." [[[

"Throughoutthe proiect,Dee woshonds on onddemonstrotedtime ondogoin thothis componywould meet thehighest expec-totions, ond lheproiect wouldbe completedon time ondwithin budget."

Construction News Update Winter 20ll Afig= 11


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