Adam joins the team at Brickworks…

Adam

Mark Madsen reports the project has hired a contractor:

The San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild is pleased to announce that Adam Eltinge will join our team as Construction Manager for the Brickworks Project.

Adam and his wife Deanna (Sundstrom) recently moved back to Friday Harbor to make their home and raise their two children.  Adam has a degree in Construction Management and Business from Washington State University, worked for a major commercial developer in the Seattle area, and most recently led the renovation of historic carriage houses in Portland.

Our selection committee began looking for the right candidate in June 2010, advertising for applicants in island newspapers.  We met with six of the most qualified candidates and conducted interviews with the assistance of Richard Hobbs, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and sought-after advisor to designers and developers worldwide.

After securing the purchase of 150 Nichols Street in October, the selection committee conducted a second round of interviews with the top two candidates, leading to an offer to Adam to join the team.

We are thrilled to have someone with Adam’s experience and enthusiasm for the project working to make the Brickworks a reality. The enthusiasm is mutual. Adam put it this way: “I am very excited to be a part of the Brickworks team and project.  Making good on a promise to my wife, Deanna, we are back to Friday Harbor to raise our two children.  We are here to surround ourselves with great people and carry on the traditions of the Sundstrom family. I start this project with a strong motivation to complete another jewel in the downtown area.  I am pleased I get to put my stamp on a structure that will bring the people of the San Juan Islands together.  I look forward to the days of weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays held in this great venue.  With a smile on my face, I can envision my kids shoulder-to-shoulder, with their extended family, selling their products from the farm.”

Adam’s background and experience make him a good fit for the Brickworks project. “ I started my construction career with degrees in Construction Management and Business from Washington State University. I began my professional life with a major residential construction firm on the eastside of Seattle.  After building several hundred houses and completing a commercial renovation, I started my own General Contracting business.  Recently in Portland, Oregon, I had the opportunity to perform massive renovations on carriage houses and a cliff-bound home in the Portland Hills overlooking the city.”

In the coming months, Adam will work closely with our architect, David Waldron, structural engineers and other specialists, and key stakeholders to shape the overall vision of an open, barn-like space into a construction plan, detailed budget, and permit applications.

During renovations, Adam will manage work on the site, using both professional and volunteer labor as appropriate for specific tasks.  Subcontractors will work with Adam, as the Ag Guild’s representative and manager.

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