A MULTIFACETED CIVIL ENGINEERING FIRM

Land Development Consulting (LDC) is a consulting, engineering, surveying, and planning firm based in Woodinville. The company was founded in 2003 and currently employs 43 people.

LDC works in three different market sectors:

1. The first is civil engineering related to residential land development in the Puget Sound area, which includes surveying, permitting, and road and utility work for builders.
2. The second sector is helping cellular companies, such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, with tower siting and installations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Texas. “It’s interesting and challenging work,” says Mark. “We’re often designing small cell systems in localized environments, like the Gorge Amphitheater and Seattle Center.”
3. LDC’s third area of work is in public works, specifically design and construction for large municipal projects.

Mark has several roles at LDC. As the director of engineering, he manages the day-to-day operations of the firm from a technical and financial aspect. He is also the de facto CFO and manages the company’s benefit and health insurance packages.

LDC HAS ENJOYED 13 YEARS OF MBA HEALTH TRUST BENEFITS

“We’ve been using the MBA Health Trust since the inception of our company. And over the past five or six years, as we’ve really been growing, we’ve shopped MBA’s pricing several times. Every single time, the competitor packages were not nearly as strong. They may have been cheaper, but the MBA always provided the best overall value.” Last year, Mark says, the MBA plan was “almost 9 percent less expensive and provided 20 percent lower deductible costs for individuals and 40 percent lower for a family.”

AFFORDABLE PLAN FOR THE COMPANY, ITS EMPLOYEES, AND THEIR FAMILIES

Mark says that the MBA has evolved with market conditions. LDC was able to transition from a PPO plan to an HSA plan four years ago to ensure more affordable health insurance for the company, employees, and dependents. Mark says, “95 percent of our employees are now on an HSA plan. It was a seamless transition. The MBA team walked us through the entire process and taught us to communicate it to our employees. The plan is working really well. There are no complaints from our employees and all the doctors who were previously available still are.”

REDUCING FINANCIAL STRESS

Mark adds that the HSA plan has saved his company enough money to increase its coverage for dependents. “Our goal,” he says, “was to reduce the financial stress on our staff’s families and the MBA Health Trust helped us do that. Overall, we get much better coverage for a much better cost. And we are now able to provide 50% of dependent coverage.”

Mark’s firm works closely with EPK, the administrator of the Health Trust plans. “They’re great to work with,” he says. “Every year they give a lunchtime presentation about what to expect for the coming year. They have continuously stepped up to the plate and provided the service we’ve needed for the plans we adopt.”

MBA MEMBER BENEFITS ALSO INCLUDE THE GRIP PROGRAM

LDC takes advantage of additional benefits provided by the MBA, including the GRIP program, which helps improve safety and reduces the overall cost of workers’ compensation for MBA members. “That service has been a huge asset in getting our safety procedures up to speed to make sure we are compliant,” Mark says.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sharon Couts
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
425.499.1723

Bellevue, Wash—June 22, 2016—The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and Regence BlueShield will volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County's "La Fortuna" townhome community in Renton, a 3-Star Built Green® property. Volunteers will focus on unmasking floors, installing appliances, painting, and cleaning in preparation for the homeowner dedication on July 16, 2016. At that time, eight low-income families will receive the keys to their new homes and a better future.

La Fortuna residents will include U.S. military veterans, Americans who were once refugees from war-torn countries, and others who came to our region in search of a better life for their families. The future homeowners have worked together as friends and neighbors to help build and create this community.

Habitat for Humanity's vision of creating "a world where everyone has a decent place to live" is shared by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and Regence BlueShield. This vision, and the idea that affordable housing should be accessible to all families—including low-income, middle class, and those struggling with homelessness—has led Regence and the MBA to form ongoing partnerships with this organization.

Schedule—Wednesday, June 22, 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 8:45 a.m.: Check-in. Distribute protective equipment.
• 9:00 a.m.: Safety orientation, description of work assignments.
• 9:15 a.m.: Work under the instruction of Habitat site staff.
• 12:45 p.m.: Cleanup
• Location: Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County's La Fortuna New Construction community in Renton, 17286 127th Ave. SE, Renton, WA 98058

About Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County

Habitat for Humanity SKC is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit housing organization that brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Habitat SKC is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing through constructing, renovating, and preserving affordable homes, and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. Habitat SKC builds more than houses—we transform local communities. Habitat SKC has built renovated or repaired more than 450 homes for local families in need. For more information or to get involved, visit habitatskc.org or follow us on facebook.com/habitatskc or twitter.com/habitatskc.

About Regence BlueShield

Regence BlueShield has been serving Washingtonians in select counties for nearly a century and now provides more than 1.1 million members with comprehensive health insurance solutions. As a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Regence is part of a family of companies dedicated to transforming health care by delivering innovative products and services that change the way consumers nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com, facebook.com/regenceblueshieldwa or twitter.com/regencewa.

About the Master Builders Association

Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA) has grown to become the largest residential homebuilders association in the United States. With 2,800 member companies, the association is dedicated to membership value, government advocacy, financial stewardship, and promoting the residential building industry in the Puget Sound region. The association and its members address many of the concerns and issues affecting the residential housing industry. If you are looking to buy, build, remodel, or maintain your home, trust MBA for industry professional referrals and practical information to get the job done. mbaks.com

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By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

New data from the Puget Sound Regional Council show our four-county region (King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap counties) has added more than 464,000 jobs since 2010. That works out to over 2.75 jobs for every housing unit constructed during this period.

The Builder's Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report: