23 May 2016

On May 23, 2016, the Los Angeles Business Journal hosted its 2016 Women's Summit at JW Marriott L.A. Live. Pankow's Senior Supertintendent Amanda Gallagher and Project Executive Emily Nochez each received a nomination for Volunteer of the Year and Rising Star, respectively.

The event kicked off with several forum discussions moderated and led by female leaders, covering a wide range of topics such as How to Find Your Passion or Purpose, Celebrating Your Failures, Work/Life Rhythm, How to be Assertive, and How to be Your Best Self. All attendees had an opportunity to be inspired by local women executives sharing their expertise in wealth, wellness and wisdom. The speaker forum session offered a continental breakfast followed by a luncheon awards ceremony where outstanding achievements in business by women throughout Los Angeles County were recognized.

Pictured in above group photo (L-R): Senior Marketing Coordinator, Christine Timbre; Senior Superintendent, Amanda Gallagher; Project Executive, Emily Nochez; Assistant Controller, Diana Barba; Senior Project Manager, Mary Larkins.

Below are excerpts from Amanda and Emily's nomination forms:

Amanda Gallagher: Volunteer of the Year Nominee
In addition to her quick wit and strong intelligence in construction as a Senior Superintendent, Amanda volunteers her time with San Gabriel Valley’s Habitat for Humanity. Working closely with its Board of Directors, she regularly recruits volunteers (internally and externally) to participate in either “Brush with Kindness” renovation projects or new ground-up construction. She leads volunteer crews in activities varying from hammering nails and painting walls to pouring concrete foundation and erecting structural beams.

While Amanda enjoys the construction side of the non-profit organization, she equally enjoys getting to know the family members who volunteer alongside her to build their home. Additionally, Amanda shares her passion for baking by bringing home-bake goods made with love and creativity – to the office, jobsites and volunteer sites. She generously donated her home-baked goods to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team-in-Training (TNT) program during which a few Pankow employees participated in Nike Women’s Half Marathon on October 18, 2015 held in San Francisco.

For Pankow's 2016 Company-Wide Meeting, Amanda was instrumental in collaborating with both Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity for a seamless, safe and fun Playhouse Build Program.

Emily Nochez: Rising Star Nominee
As Project Executive at Pankow, Emily’s extensive experience in healthcare construction has elevated Pankow’s reputation with significant clients such as Kaiser Permanente, White Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Health Center. She continues to see the possibilities by developing relationships with other clients such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCI Medical Center. Most recently, she was instrumental in winning the contract for Kaiser’s Baldwin Park Medical Office Building and Parking Structure. She continues to deliver value in construction services for Kaiser’s Murrieta Medical Office Building comprised of 80,000 SF and sitework.

Emily is able to lead project teams from proposal development through preconstruction and construction. With her level-headed demeanor and sharp engineering mindset, she is able to tackle challenges effectively, assign tasks efficiently – all while having her “boots on the ground” alongside the project team. In honor of NAWIC’s WIC Week from March 6-12, 2016, Emily spearheaded an appreciation lunch for a few of Pankow’s “women in construction” with positions varying from Project Executive, Senior Project Manager, Senior Superintendent, Project Manager, Assistant Project Manager and Project Engineers.

Additionally, Emily is passionate about the impact she brings to Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Engineering and Environmental Sciences (EES) College and Careers Pathway where she works with a small learning community of educators to prepare high school students for college and career. This program prepares its students for both college and career through an innovative program that blends academic learning with foundation technical training in the field of Engineering.

Congratulations Amanda and Emily!