PORTLAND, November 2006—Mother Nature Always Wins. Natural disasters are inevitable, and always the saddest. The tsunami that left over 200,000 dead or missing in Southeast Asia in 2004. Floods throughout Romania, Central, and Eastern Europe in October 2005; 62 dead. An earthquake in Pakistan that same month that left 40,000 dead, 60,000 injured and 3.3 million homeless in the brutal cold of a 14-fahrenheit degree winter. Our own Hurricane Katrina, [wrought disaster] a little closer to home.

What do you do when you have nothing left? After visiting the devastation of New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina, one Portland resident fully understood the impact of natural disasters and the fact that nature and life are impossible to predict. So David Shafer, a Northeast Portland resident went on a quest to protect and insure himself as much as possible right here in the Pacific Northwest. But before he could qualify for earthquake insurance, he needed his house bolted down.

Each year the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network locates over 1,000 earthquakes with magnitude 1.0 or greater in Oregon and Washington. There have been about 25 damaging earthquakes throughout these two states since 1872. The Portland Hills Fault Line runs northwest-southeast directly through the heart of downtown Portland. About 55 percent of Portland houses were built prior to 1950, when the majority of houses were not sufficiently bolted down to their foundation or slabs. A sideways shock could slide the building entirely off the foundations or slabs, and Oregon home owners insurance does not include earthquake coverage.

An athletic and strong 6'1" build, Stephen Gemmell looks like he could withstand an earthquake. But instead he just bolts your house down so that it can.

GEMMELL Construction LLC specializes in bolting down older homes to their foundations, a service that most major insurance companies require in order for your home to qualify for their earthquake insurance policies. In his 15+ year career in construction and general contracting, there isn't much in a house that Mr. Gemmell hasn't seen.

When he learned that his own house had to be bolted down prior to qualifying for earthquake insurance, seismic retrofitting sparked his interest. Seismic retrofitting focuses on strengthening the house-to-foundation connections using specially designed hardware and engineered construction methods. After hours of research, consultation with engineers and architects, and over 100 houses bolted down, Gemmell Construction has learned the art of seismic retrofitting and is on a quest to secure as many houses throughout the city as possible.

There's always something to learn from living, traveling, and experiencing different places. From learning the basics of construction in a Chicago suburb to snowboarding Crested Butte Colorado to the ex-pat experience in Germany , sadness and disasters feel the same around the world.

GEMMELL Construction is a proud supporter of Mercy Corps and its Tsunami Relief Efforts and Katrina Relief Fund. And even closer to home, the company has participated in the annual REACH Community Development Paint-a-thon painting the homes of Portland 's elderly, disabled and low income residents for the last ten years.

"Steve is great at his job, but we rarely let him touch paperwork," joked Jana Hill, owner of Peace of Mind Bookkeeping, a small business bookkeeping service that has worked with GEMMELL Construction since the late 1990's. As a small business owner, paperwork is the last thing that Mr. Gemmell needs to keep him busy.

In addition to his seismic retrofitting work, Mr. Gemmell also buys the supplies, coordinates construction crews, prepares proposals, bids on projects, and develops business. A good bookkeeper is important.

And a good bookkeeper will tell you that a good bank is also important for a small and growing business. So Ms. Hill referred GEMMELL Construction to Albina Community Bank.

As a local bank dedicated to keeping our own Portland neighborhoods unique, Albina bankers take the time to understand the unique needs of small businesses and offer the products, services, and lending solutions to help businesses achieve their potential. Small business is one of the toughest, most exhilarating challenges on earth. And when it comes to GEMMELL Construction, it's truly one of the most fundamental stabilizers of community.

~Albina Community Bank Newsletter, November 6, 2006