2014 SIR Awards Gala — Come Celebrate!

You are invited to the celebration of the year! On Saturday, November 1 at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel, enjoy an extraordinary night filled with celebration to honor four stars of the construction industry. The SIR Awards Gala, presented by Brown & Brown Northwest Insurance, is the Oregon-Columbia Chapter’s most anticipated black tie event.

Known as the “Oscar” of the industry, we pull out all the stops for this special event. AGC members, associates, and their families gather to recognize leaders in the construction industry and celebrate their achievements.

The SIR Award represents skill, integrity, and responsibility. It is presented as the industry’s highest and most prestigious award. SIR recipients are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the construction industry and their communities. Please plan to attend this extraordinary event!

[hr] 2014 SIR Award Recipients

Jack Markgraf, Retired President, Horizon Erectors
Jim McKune, President, McKUNE LLC
David Rogge, Retired Assistant School Head for Construction Engineering Management, Oregon State University
Scott Williams, President, Hamilton Construction Company

As we count down to the event on November 1, we will be blogging about each of our four SIR Award recipients.

[hr]Honoring One of our Four SIR Award Recipients

Jack Markgraf was born and raised in Carson, Washington until the age of 15, when he moved to Madras, Oregon. His father was a farmer, and Jack was raised to love both the soil and the lifestyle. He was active in high school, playing football and serving as student body president his senior year. He received a football scholarship to Pacific University and immediately began playing for the team. Majoring in education and chemistry, he was hoping to teach and coach high school, but after acknowledging his true love of agriculture, of turning the soil and raising animals, he transferred to Oregon State University with a degree in range management in his sights.

As often happens, Jack’s interests shifted once again, and he left Oregon State to try a career working in construction. After a short time, and to Jack’s surprise, he found he was making good money and had the flexibility to do a bit of traveling in his new career. He began working in residential construction, but soon transitioned to commercial work, moving from Madras, to Bend, and then to the Portland area. He did some work for such notable contractors as Emerick Construction, A.V. Peterson Company, and Andersen Construction Company.

Some of his notable projects included the Madras Post Office, David Douglas Middle School, the Mt. Hood Community College gymnasium and observatory, and several Red Lion Inns in Washington, Oregon, and California. Jack began a long career of working on Fred Meyer stores, and worked in many cities, including Chico, California, Tigard, The Dalles, Klamath Falls, Warrenton, and Grants Pass.

After settling in Klamath Falls with his wife Sherry, Jack started Horizon Erectors. A commercial contractor, they built numerous buildings in the Klamath Falls area, the Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport, multiple projects at the Oregon Institute of Technology, and continued working on multiple Fred Meyer locations and projects.

Jack was a member and supporter of AGC early in his career. While at Andersen Construction, Jack worked closely with AGC past president and SIR recipient Andy Andersen, who got him involved with the chapter. Andy’s motto was, “If you have a problem, call AGC,”…and Jack did!

Horizon Erectors joined AGC in 1995, and shortly thereafter Jack began working with the Klamath Area Council, the first council created to address the needs of local members. Its goals were to help unify the region’s contractors on a business level, create opportunities for them to come together and socialize, and to help them reach out to their community. Under his direction they helped improve the industry and the livability and educational opportunities of Klamath County in a manner that serves as a model for AGC’s other area councils. They have supported their local schools and colleges, apprenticeship programs, helped build a sports park and an ice skating arena, and low-income housing for the community. The council was approached by the Air Force Reserve, and together built a veterans memorial park, with Jack in the lead, gathering donations and organizing volunteers. The council received a SIR Award in 2001 in recognition of their community and industry efforts.

In 2012 Jack closed the doors at Horizon and retired. The Markgrafs now spend their time in their travel trailer, enjoying their four children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren (with another little one joining the family soon). An avid fisherman and hunter, Jack has always enjoyed the outdoors, and took annual trips with friends and family throughout the West, from Colorado, to Oregon, to Mexico. While still keeping busy in his retirement, Jack is enjoying his leisure time sitting at his breakfast table, looking out over the valley to the peak of Mt. Shasta.

[hr]Master of Ceremonies

Rick Dancer is an award winning storyteller. He worked as a TV news anchor/producer/executive editor for over 25 years, and is currently owner of Rick Dancer Media Services. In 2008, he was also a candidate for Oregon Secretary of State.

[hr]Event Schedule

[hr] Purchase Tickets before October 24

Tickets

[hr]Attire for the Evening

The SIR Awards is a formal event.
Men: Black tie or suit Tuxedo Coupon
Ladies: Evening gown or cocktail dress

[hr]Thank You to Our SIR Award Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

Premier Sponsor