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What was originally planned as a lovely Fall camping trip IN Joshua Tree National Park turned into a lovely Fall camping trip OUTSIDE of the Park. The “campsite” was a bit primitive, but our hearty JAMA campers said it was a great time to hike, explore and bond over hot chocolate! The group headed to Joshua Tree National Park on Friday evening, but since the campsites inside the park were all full the group ended up setting up camp in nearby Sunfair – an interesting area just north/northwest of the park. The next two days offered plenty of sightseeing, bouldering and hiking inside the park. We’re just glad the group made it back……

JAMA’s team on the 60,000 square foot Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Office Building (MOB) have a lot to be proud of. On November 9th the team joined KP administrators and other design team members including Frank Webb Architects and Pankow Builders for the project’s topping out. The completion of the facility’s structure was due in part to the use of ConXtech – a modular, prefabricated structural steel building system that has been refined for use across many of the Kaiser Permanente MOB’s in California.

With 70 employees, celebrating a JAMA-versary is a common occurrence around the office, but it’s always a special day when someone hits a milestone like 20 years. Dr. Hossain Ghaffari, Ph.D., a Project Manager at JAMA, did just that last month. When asked what’s been the special thing that’s kept him at the firm for all these years he replied “JAMA’s professional environment, where ethical and technical matters are highly respected and observed and yet employees feel they are part of an adopted family. The firm’s flexible hours are extremely convenient, allowing the employees to attend to any urgent family or personal matters. In my case I can keep up with my teaching passion as a part time faculty in local universities”. Hossain regularly works on peer reviews, commercial and education projects in both higher education and K-12 and is considered an expert on DSA-related projects.

JAMA has always been proud of our diversity, which shines particularly bright on Halloween. From PBS painter Bob Ross to Melania to Frida to zombie dolls to Bruno Mars, Aladdin Genie’s to the Brawny Man and even Captain America…we’ve got it all! In addition to costumes, the firm hosted a pumpkin carving contest as part of the monthly happy hour. Six teams vied for prizes and bragging rights and JAMA’s 2nd Floor neighbors MGAC captured 1st place for the second year in a row. It was almost a tie with JAMA’s Haunted Halloween Pumpkin Man, though, and a not-too-distant third place went to the Super Mario Pumpkin. Congrats to all!

ACE Mentoring’s “All Schools Day 2018” was held last Saturday and JAMA helped with not just 1 school…but 3! With the participation of Project Managers and Engineers three teams went for the win in a hot glue and popsicle stick building design competition. There were no awards in our groups, but there was a lot of fun.

JAMA had a unique opportunity to participate in the largest anniversary celebration in Los Angeles this month. Our BIM Director Marcello Sgambelluri assisted media artist Refik Anadol and the LA Philharmonic with a laser projection that “covered” the entire Disney Concert Hall during a days-long celebration marking the organization’s 100th year. Marcello was a young engineer when he worked on the original Disney Concert Hall documentation, and as an advanced engineer and REVIT specialist, was able to assist the artist’s team in converting 3D structural models for the projection. Check out some of the stills of the installation here: https://bit.ly/WDCH-LAPhil100

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!