December 2011 – Cannon employees gathered to help benefit local food banks in each office’s local community this holiday season.  Employees participated by bringing in non-perishable food items.

The Santa Monica office saw 100% employee participation with food donations going to the Westside Food Bank of Santa Monica.  The Westside Food Bank distributes food to local food assistance agencies in the Los Angeles area while working to reduce food waste.  Acting as a food warehouse for other agencies, the Westside Food Bank annually distributes around 4 million pounds of food per year!  Those in the Santa Monica office were able to donate a whopping 250 pounds of food — way to go Santa Monica!

Employees in the San Luis Obispo office worked with the Food Bank Coalition San Luis Obispo to help raise over 500 pounds of food!  The Food Bank Coalition works in the County of San Luis Obispo to provide food for over 200 local agencies, supplying around 5.5 million pounds of food each year.

 

Those in Bakersfield worked together to provide goods to benefit the Bakersfield Homeless Center.  Employees bought and donated not only around 50 pounds of food, but also gave jackets, shirts, pants, and other clothing items to benefit the women and children that the Center supports.  The Bakersfield Homeless Center provides temporary housing, food, and supplies to those facing need.  They work to help people in crisis find “A Way Up,” as their motto goes.

Great work to all who participated! We really are making a difference in our local communities!

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Charitable Gift Matching Program

To encourage the spirit of giving, Cannon provides a dollar-for-dollar match for employees who donate part of their paycheck to not-for-profits. This program is a great opportunity for employees to multiply their charitable contributions to the organizations which are close to their heart.

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Tools For Success!

Central Coast – June 30, 2011 marked the “Grand Finale Event” for the 2011 Home Builders Association of the Central Coast (HBACC) Tool Drive which raised close to $2000 in cash and tools for industry partners Habitat for Humanity (HFH) and People’s Self Help Housing (PSHH). Cannon team members collaborated with the HBACC to make the Tool Drive a great success!

Since both HFH and PSHH generate little to no income from the affordable housing they provide to low-income individuals and families, funds for supplies are limited. As the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, Julia Ogden, puts it, “Every tool donated means that the money we would have spent for tools will go toward much needed repairs for these families.” Rather than purchasing a hammer or tool belt, HFH and PSHH can spend those funds on lumber, paint or subsidizing their core programs.

“Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) and the clients it serves are grateful for the generous support provided by the members of the Home Builder’s Association of the Central Coast,” commented Sheryl Flores, the Homeownership Development Manager for Peoples Self Help. “The tools donated by the Association will be used by the families who qualify to build their homes through Peoples’ Self-Help Home Program and by the community members who volunteer to help these hard-working low-income persons construct their homes.”

The response was overwhelming as more than $850 worth of tools and $1125 in cash to purchase tools were graciously contributed by business and individual members of the Home Builders Association.

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Adopt A Highway

Along a two-mile stretch of north-bound Highway 101, Cannon participates in in the CalTrans “Adopt-A-Highway” program. This government-to-public program provides Cannon with the opportunity to maintain the beauty along the 101 corridor by keeping it free from debris and litter.

Keep an eye out for our sign between the Oso Street and Marsh Road exits in San Luis Obispo!

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Bikes For VAFB Service Member’s Kids

For the past two years, Cannon has partnered with the Village Dirtbags, a Lompoc-based mountain biking club, by raising funds to donate bicycles to the children of Vandenberg Air Force Base’s deployed service members. In 2009 Cannon donated money to help the Dirtbags provide 98 bikes for kids and wounded service members, and 108 bikes in 2010. Cannon hopes to participate in this amazing program every year until our service men and women come home for good.

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I Madonnari

Every year, the Mission Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo is transformed into an Italian street-painting fair and since 2004, Cannon has sponsored an artist’s square. Funds raised from this event go toward the Children’s Creative project which helps to fund arts programs in local schools.

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Children’s Museum Sponsor

Over the years, Cannon has donated funds to the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum. This wonderful child-centered spot encourages hands-on participation and manipulation of the “exhibits” throughout the museum. Cannon is proud to have made such a place possible for local community members, and visitors to share with their children.

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Santa Maria YMCA “Tri For Fun”

Since 2008, Cannon has helped sponsor the Santa Maria YMCA’s annual triathlon. Many Cannon employees participate in the event every year. In 2011, About 200 athletes swam one-quarter mile, then rode either 12.5 or 17.9 miles and finally ran 3.1 miles along the course.

Several Loose Cannons were among those to take top honors. Reynaldo Jaimes, Ron Hunt, and Jesse Russell tied for first place in their division on the long course with an impressive time of 1:45:55. Clay Bradfield’s team took 2nd place, and Gary Wilson came in 4th in his division on the long course.

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Cannon Makes Cal Poly Student a Priority

July, 2010; San Luis Obispo, California – Educating future engineers is a top priority at Cannon, a California-based engineering consulting firm. Cannon has long partnered with Cal Poly to encourage and inspire students. With many Cal Poly alumni in the ranks, including company president Mike Cannon, the Cannon-Cal Poly partnership has allowed employees to give back to their alma mater.

In 2010, Cannon was a major sponsor of the Cal Poly Concrete Canoe Team. The Concrete Canoe Competition provides students with a practical application of the engineering principles they learn in the classroom. After placing first or second in the regional competitions, the best and brightest students from 22 top engineering schools matched wits and skills in the national finals, hosted by Cal Poly. Cal Poly placed first in the National Concrete Canoe Championship in June.

This year marks the first time a school has hosted and won the competition simultaneously. In addition to supporting the Concrete Canoe Team, Cannon supports Cal Poly with Courses. For the past five years, several Cannon employees have volunteered their time and expertise to help faculty member and other practicing professionals design Cal Poly’s Civil Engineering Senior Design Course. Cannon professionals are Section Instructors, Guest Speakers, and Interview Panel Members.

In 2006, a new Senior Design sequence was implemented to correct the deficiencies and problems in the original program. This design provided a more valuable learning experience for the students. Course content was selected to ensure that each senior had an opportunity to acquire a variety of professional skills that are used on a daily basis by civil engineering professionals.

The result of this new capstone design experience has exceeded the expectations of its designers. Assessment data collected since 2006 shows that the new course has fostered learning and enabled graduating seniors to be better prepared for the practice of Civil Engineering. Cal Poly’s submittal entitled “Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice through Capstone Design” was awarded one of six 2010 NCEES awards.

The NCEES Engineering Award recognizes engineering programs that encourage collaboration between students and professional engineers. All EAC/ABET – accredited engineering programs were invited to submit projects that integrate professional practice and education. The winners were selected by a panel of NCEES members and representatives from academic institutions and professional engineering organizations.

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Cannon Answers the Call of Servicemen and Women Serving in Afghanistan

Santa Maria, California, March 25, 2010 – All it took was an introduction letter from U.S. Army 2LT Jake C. Bradfield of the 3rd Platoon, A Troop/1-91 Cavalry, 173rd Infantry Brigade (Airborne) in Afghanistan to inspire Cannon employees to give. After hearing about many of the simple things our servicemen and women are unable to get, many things that we take for granted, employees collected, packaged and sent everything from dried fruit to body wash.

“The big hits were the stockings, the washcloths and the motorcycle magazines. The dried fruit was eaten in about an hour. The toiletries are always exciting…I will say that you should feel very good for making the men’s lives a little easier. You brought them great cheer and thoughts of home,” said 2LT Bradfield.

After the initial response, Cannon employees set up an ongoing support program to continue sending care packages to the 3rd Platoon. Packages will be sent quarterly and anyone that wants to contribute to this effort can send supplies to any one of Cannon’s offices. This is just one of several ways Cannon supports servicemen and servicewomen. They have donated to the Village Dirtbags annual Christmas Bikes for Kids program that provides bikes and helmets to families of Vandenberg Air Force Base’s deployed service members. They have also donated to the Balfour Beatty Foundation whose mission it is to honor those who protect and serve our country by assisting returning service members who have become disabled, and by offering educational scholarships to children of active duty military members who reside in our communities. “These brave young men and women give so much for our country,” said company president Mike Cannon. “It is our obligation and privilege to show them support in their efforts.”

Who is Cannon? Since 1976, Cannon has been providing professional consulting services to clients in water resources, streets and highways, energy, education, and military. Our staff of professionals includes civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers; land surveyors; instrumentation and controls (SCADA) specialists; construction managers; funding administrators; and planners. Our network of offices currently includes San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Bakersfield, and Santa Monica, California.