News

For nearly 10 years there has been an annual softball match between JAMA and members of our office building’s (the Federal Reserve Bank) security force. In this year’s showdown, JAMA swept the “Feds” to bring home the coveted trophy, a hefty silver piggy-bank! In the best of 3 games on August 25th at the Glendale Sports Complex, JAMA won 4 to 3 in Game 1, and then a whopping 20-3 in game two. Well done team!! #nomatch

JAMA friends and family enjoyed an afternoon at the beach recently, complete with games, swimming, and food. The firm’s Activities & Adventures Committee has been busy this summer, and continues their stellar programming in late September and beyond. Next up – JAMA Gamenight on Wednesday, September 19th!

Recognizing the contributions of up and coming leaders, John A. Martin & Associates is pleased to announce that Diane Duvand and Matt Timmers have been promoted to Associate Principal. They join the leadership of Partners Barry Schindler, Jackie Vinkler, Kal Benuska, Shane Fitzgerald, Steve Ball, Trailer Martin, Managing Partner Kurt Clandening, and Principal Satish Matani. Diane and Matt have a combined thirty-five years of experience and have contributed significantly to the success of the firm. These new leadership roles and titles are an acknowledgement of their exceptional engineering, technical expertise, and leadership skills. Diane is recognized for her extensive expertise throughout the healthcare market, having recently completed the Chinese Hospital expansion in San Francisco. Matt focuses his efforts on mixed-use/commercial and multi-family residential markets including the award-winning Ten50 Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.

JAMA was thrilled to learn that the structural design for “Agrifolia Major” won a Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) Excellence in Structural Engineering (EISE) award! The project – a 14’-3” tall, 20’-9” long x 22’ wide sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Nancy Rubins – utilizes a unique structural framework to allow the expression of multiple animals of cast iron, bronze, brass and aluminum. The animals are arranged in a balanced compression and ‘secured’ with tensile cables, but the engineering had to allow for a diverse set of weather conditions and loads, and its assembly / re-assembly accommodate transit and set-up anywhere on the across the globe that the piece may be shown or finally housed. Senior Project Manager Jaime Garcia and BIM Manager Felix Olmos accepted the award for this sculpture at the recent SEAOSC awards dinner. We’re awaiting news whether the project has also won at the State level.

In anticipation of Saturday, June 23rd as International Women in Engineering Day (#INWED18), JAMA introduced some of the amazing individuals who produce and support the firm’s award-winning engineering on LinkedIn. Her Yang Lee, E.I.T., who joined JAMA last September, was the first in the five-part series, followed by Jennifer “Jenni” Shishido who serves as JAMA’s Director of Contracts & Risk Management. Partner Jackie Vinkler, SE, was the Wednesday highlight followed by Ivy Policar and finally Kim Pacheco, SE, LEED AP. All of the posts for this important international day can be found on JAMA’s Company LinkedIn Page.

JAMA Partner Steven C. Ball, SE has been busy at work with longtime structural and facade engineering collaborator Knippers Helbig on the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (AMPAS) in Los Angeles. The project is one of the most anticipated in the City. AMPAS was designed by Pritzker-prize winning architect Renzo Piano, but its 130’ tall glass dome with structural engineering by JAMA is the crowning piece of project. While other teams are reworking the Streamline Moderne department store built in 1939 (at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax), the attached Saban Building with a sphere element to the north will be the more interesting architectural feature. The bottom of the sphere will be encased in precast concrete panels and house a 1,000-seat theater named after David Geffen for performances, screenings, premiers, and events. The top will be sheathed in glass and serve as an observation deck looking out over the Hollywood Hills. JAMA is looking forward to the completion of this unique p

JAMA’s Activities & Adventure Committee was looking for a way to channel some of our employee’s competitive spirit into a fun game that could be done during short breaks at work and after hours. The answer: a cornhole tournament! Cornhole (or bean bag toss for those of us who have been around for a while) is a popular lawn game that’s pretty simple: throw your bean bag at a hole in your opponents raised platform 33 feet away. A bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. The first to score 21 wins. After 9 weeks of a 14 team, double elimination tournament, JAMA crowned the firm’s first Cornhole Champion, the undefeated team of Michael Brown and Ben Rogowski – aka “the Holers,” held off the comeback “A-Team” in a best 2 of 3 rounds. Next up….Shuffleboard!

For years JAMA has been involved in the on-again/off-again effort to bring the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) to life. In May the Museum unveiled its latest plans for the new state-of-the-art facility, located adjacent to the Segerstrom Center which also showcases JAMA structural design. The new 52,000 SF venue focuses on connecting to the Segerstrom site and expanding art exhibition space and arts education. An open-air roof terrace will cover 70% of the museum site, while the plaza, with indoor art galleries tucked beneath it, will host film screenings and outdoor art installations. Congrats to JAMA team members Kurt Clandening and Matt Timmers.