San Jose, Calif., Sept. 11, 2020 – Blach Construction (Blach), a full-service and award-winning commercial builder serving the Greater Bay Area and Monterey since 1970, congratulates Senior Human Resources Manager Meghan Johnson and Project Manager Katie Ellington on their Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) Awards from the YWCA Silicon Valley. Johnson and Ellington were formally recognized at a virtual celebration yesterday for their accomplishments, creativity, innovation and dedication to excellence in their fields.
“Meghan and Katie are key contributors to Blach’s ongoing success. We are incredibly proud of the work they do to benefit our clients, employees, partners and broader community and are very fortunate to have them on our team,” said Blach President Dan Rogers. “Over the years, I’ve watched each of them grow in their respective roles, making tremendous strides in their fields, inspiring and mentoring others along the way. They are true role models within Blach and very deserving recipients of the TWIN Award.”
The fifth and sixth Blach employees to receive this honor, Johnson and Ellington join colleagues Nicole Johnson, senior estimator, Kim Scott, vice president of business development and marketing, Gaye Landau-Leonard, retired vice president of human resources, and Laura Bold, vice president of finance, in the TWIN Hall of Fame. Nicole, Kim, Gaye and Laura were each recognized in 2019, 2017, 2013 and 2005, respectively. YWCA Silicon Valley is a cause Blach whole-heartedly supports in its quest to provide much-needed services and programs aimed at eliminating racism and empowering women.
Johnson began her career at Blach in 2003 as a project assistant and quickly worked her way up to become the very first member of the company’s Human Resources (HR) department. Applying her psychology degree from Santa Clara University and in-field experience to her role, Johnson led the charge in growing Blach’s HR team to best serve the growing company and ensure policies and programs were in place to attract and retain top talent. Her responsibilities and achievements have included developing a robust compensation and benefits program, including researching and recommending and implementing industry-leading programs as a strong advocate for both Blach and its employees. As a testament to her foresight and efforts, Blach has been named a “Best Place to Work” by the Silicon Valley Business Journal/San Francisco Business Times for the past 11 years running.
Active in the greater South Bay community, Johnson just rounded out her term as co-chair of the Health Policy Committee for Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), working to affect change in health policy legislation at both local and state levels. She also served as co-chair for SVLG’s Workplace Wellness Taskforce and served as a volunteer and member of the Business Advisory Council at Project HIRED, an organization that provides job training and job placement for people with disabilities in our area and ensures everyone is well-positioned for success.
Recognized as a TWIN “Emerging Leader”, Ellington joined Blach in 2014 after graduating magna cum laude from Boston College and spending three years as an equity research analyst. She quickly transitioned to project engineer, honing her technical construction skills, before taking a brief hiatus to earn her Master’s in Business Administration from The Wharton School. Ellington returned to Blach in 2017 as program manager of then recently-launched innovative prefabricated building solution Folia, which has seen great success in schedule and cost savings for school district clients. Utilizing her diverse skill set, she recently shifted back into the field as project manager of one of Blach’s top education clients. Most notably, and as a result of her incredible work ethic, initiative and contributions, she has been elected to the Blach Leadership Team – the executive body responsible for guiding all strategic direction for the company.
Passionate about advancing her industry and community, Ellington is actively involved in the Associated General Contractors of California, Coalition for Adequate School Housing and California Association of School Business Officials, as well as Boston College and Wharton alumni associations. She also spent several years volunteering at YearUP, coaching young adults without a college degree on career opportunities, and mentors four young women at Blach, supporting them as they advance in their careers.
The YWCA Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Awards
Since 1985, the YWCA Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Awards has honored women in executive-level positions, and the companies that employ them, for exemplifying the innovation, creativity and excellence for which the Silicon Valley is known – including recognizing the importance of advancing women leadership.
About YWCA Silicon Valley
The mission of the YWCA Silicon Valley is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. We continue to provide a broad range of services that transform the lives of our diverse community. Our incredible strength lies with the many staff, volunteers, donors, community members and business leaders who share our vision and passion. For more information, please visit www.ywca-sv.org.
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