Retirees 2K Portland Jubilee
The CH2M HILL Retirees Reunion was held in Portland, Oregon, from September 30 to October 3, 2000, at the Double Tree Hotel at the Portland Lloyd Center. Named the 2K Jubilee, the reunion began with over 40 attendees arriving at the hotel in the afternoon and interacting with other attendees. The festivities started with a Welcome Reception that evening.
The next day began with a Sunday Brunch at the hotel in preparation for local tours in the afternoon. That evening there was a dinner at the hotel with lots of time to visit with old friends and catch up on all the news.
After a buffet breakfast on October 2, the retirees went to the Portland CH2M HILL office, across the street from the hotel, for a tour of the facilities.
Project teams presented various projects underway in the PDX office. Every project was extremely interesting to everyone. One could feel the enthusiasm of every team and the office. After the office tour, everyone took a chartered bus to the highlight activity, a tasting tour at the famous Oregon Northern Willamette wine country. The tour included a visit to the tasting rooms at three wineries and opportunities to purchase wine. Before returning to the hotel, there was a gourmet dinner at the Bistro restaurant in Dundee.
On the last day of the reunion, there was a farewell breakfast buffet at the hotel that included a presentation of door prizes for the lucky ticket holders. In the afternoon, there was an open house at Myrna and Les Wierson’s Cannon Beach home where lunch was served.
Those who attended this retreat are:
Bob and Mary Adams
Lloyd and Pauline Anderson
John and Ginny Filbert
Mike and Sue Fisher
Lyle and June Ann Hassebroek
Burke Hayes
Jerry and Kullaya Knapp
Sally Madden
Harry and Dorothy Mejdell
Tom and Mary Lou Mlcoch
Gus Pantazi
Jim and Raeda Poirot
Ramona Richards
C.Y. and Kathryn Shieh
Les and Myrna Wierson
Carol Wilkinson
Lee Overcamp
Kathy Ritter
Arlen Borgen
Dick and Valerie Nicols
Ray and Mary Hanson
Earl and Jodi Reynolds
Meisy Howland
Bill and Vivian Watters
Ralph and Janie Martin
Nofal Kasrawi
Everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the Jubilee. One of the things everyone noticed was that plenty of time was set aside for mixing and visiting.
The retreat was organized by Gene Suhr and Les Wierson. Prior to the event, Gene became extremely sick, which required emergency surgery and hospitalization. Gene was not able to attend this retreat, but he did survive his surgery and time in the hospital.
The 2K Jubilee was a success, and everyone is looking forward to our next CH2M HILL Retirees Retreat.
Les Wierson wrote this review of the reunion.
An “Outsider” Joins Jubilee
by Lee Overcamp
CH2M HILL, Denver
Last month, during a few days of celebration in the City of Roses, dozens of people swapped stories, exchanged ribbings, recalled a folly or two, and looked back on years of fulfilling dreams and achieving goals. The CH2M HILL Retirees 2000 Jubilee, held in Portland, OR, was an exceptional experience and, for me, a career highlight bright enough to shine through an Oregon rainstorm.
If you were unable to be there, you missed a sometimes humorous, always cordial, thoroughly entertaining event. Flowing along with catch-up conversations was a stream of well-orchestrated activities, including a visit to the Portland office, a trip to Les and Myrna Wierson’s coastal retreat, and a tour through Oregon’s wine country.
I attended the jubilee to learn firsthand about the firm’s history from some of the people who helped create and mold this one-of-a-kind organization. It was an intriguing work assignment, but here’s a little secret I’ll share with you: I had a terrific time! At first I thought I might be considered an infiltrator; a snoop who asks too many questions. Not true. (Well, maybe I did ask too many questions; but everyone kindly put up with my barrage of queries and endless note-taking.) I was taken aback by the gracious welcome I received and the warmth shared at the jubilee. It was a family reunion.
It’s this kinship and mutual respect that, I believe, has served as a rudder and helped steer CH2M HILL on its long, successful journey. Although the firm has grown and diversified, and some might say it’s not the intimate company it once was, the always-take-the-high-road philosophy laid down early on continues to have a guiding quality for CH2M HILL today. To meet so many first-generation CH2Mers was a joy. To learn about the firm’s rich history from people who helped make it was an opportunity of a lifetime.
Thanks, CH2M HILL retirees, for letting me join the fun and meet so many nice people who continue to do “interesting things.”
Lee Overcamp hails from Denver and works in corporate communication. His primary focus is on employee communications and is editor for “Unlimited.”