1 Alliance Geomatics
Jason Nakamura
With a project like the Washington State Convention Center Addition, which is excavating 350,000 cubic yards of earth, it is imperative to monitor potential deformation and avoid potential pitfalls. That’s where 1 Alliance Geomatics comes in.
Founded by Jason Nakamura, 1 Alliance is a surveying and mapping company that monitors settlement movement during the excavation phase of construction. Using robotic instruments called total stations, 1 Alliance tracks the side slopes and footings of the excavation area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Any movement will trigger the total stations to notify general contractor Clark/Lewis, who can direct team members to respond.
Jason started 1 Alliance because he saw an opportunity. While working at a large engineering firm, he noticed that many of the WMBE (Women and Minority Business Enterprise) goals on public works projects were not being met. More WMBE contractors were needed. Jason, a Japanese-American, saw an opportunity and decided to start his own business to fulfill those needs. The Addition project, in turn, has generated opportunities for 1 Alliance.
“The Washington State Convention Center project has allowed us to use a new brand of equipment that we've never used before,” Jason says. “Thanks to this project, we will be able to utilize this latest technology in the future.”
Jason’s next goal is to bolster perceptions that minority-owned businesses provide a level of service that is equal to – or superior than – that of other companies. He finds that often the assumption is the opposite.
“Trying to overcome that [assumption] with new clients has been very difficult. But once we've shown them that we can do the work just as well as anybody else, and sometimes even better, it's great to see that they come back to us, even when there are no [WMBE] goals required,” he says.
Jason is grateful to work on the Addition project and hopes to serve as a role model for other small businesses and WMBE contractors. He offers encouragement to those companies:
“You don't have to be a big multinational company. You just need the right people, right processes, and technology, and the opportunities will come.”