Project Engineer

Insurer sues Fortis, Harvey & Price over $1.4M water damage at LCC. Sept. 24, 2026, 4:03 a.m. PT * An insurance company for Lane Community College is suing two construction contractors for nearly $1.5 million. * The lawsuit alleges negligence led to a major water leak in the college's Health Professions Building in 2024. * The leak originated from a water line that was allegedly improperly installed or secured by the contractors. An insurance company representing Lane Community College is suing a local construction contractor after a water leak at the school's Health Professions Building caused nearly $1.5 million in damages in 2024. Property and Casualty Coverage for Education, also known as PACE, filed a nine-page lawsuit in Lane County Circuit Court Sept. 18 accusing Fortis Construction, Inc. and Eugene-based Harvey & Price of negligence. Lane Community College contracted Fortis to serve as the construction manager and general contractor for the Health Professions building. Fortis subcontracted with Harvey & Price to perform plumbing work on the construction project, which included installation of water supply lines, fittings and connections serving dental equipment in a material laboratory. Once Harvey & Price workers completed work on the water line, Fortis turned the building over for use and the Lane County Public Works Department issued a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Extension allowing students and staff to use the building on Aug. 29, 2024. After students and staff has begun using the building, Harvey & Price allegedly returned for additional work at the request of LCC and pursuant to an agreement separate from is subcontract with Fortis. PACE claims Harvey & Price disconnected, reconnected, altered, adjusted and failed to properly secure the water line to the dental equipment, which led to a leak on Sept. 21, 2024. Water leaked through the building's third-floor classroom, down to the main floor, damaging multiple classrooms, offices and other areas. PACE says an investigation into the cause revealed the water line separated because it was improperly installed and connected either during original project work or post occupancy. At the time, LCC was insured under a policy of property insurance issued by PACE, which paid LCC for the water damages. As a result, PACE incurred a minimum of $1,428,792 in damages. PACE requests a jury trial. The insurer claims both companies were negligent and accuses Harvey & Price of breaching implied warranty of workmanlike performance. Fortis Construction is also a named defendant in a personal injury lawsuit involving a University of Oregon student who was rendered paraplegic after she was struck by a large tree limb near a Fortis Construction site at the university's Eugene campus in 2025.

Fortis Construction names new president. Andrea Weisheimer, formerly of DPR Construction and Webcor Builders, will focus on building the Oregon firm's national presence. Fortis Construction, an international contractor based in Portland, Oregon, has named Andrea Weisheimer as president, according to a Jan. 28 announcement. Weisheimer will focus on national growth in the new role, supporting expansion via the firm's Geographic Markets division and advancing client relationships. Prior to her arrival at Fortis, Weisheimer spent over two decades in the construction industry. Her resume includes work for Redwood City, California-based DPR Construction, San Francisco-based Webcor Builders and Seattle-based Lease Crutcher Lewis. Most recently, Weisheimer served as DPR's national EHS integrations and operations leader, per her LinkedIn. "Over the past five plus years [Fortis has] been growing, but more importantly growing with intention. As we look to expand into new regions and deepen our partnerships across the country, we have an opportunity to amplify the impact our teams are already making," Weisheimer told Construction Dive via email. With $2.2 billion in 2024 revenue, Fortis ranked 57th on Engineering News-Record's Top 400 Contractors list in 2025, a measure of the largest contractors in the U.S. by self-reported revenue. In addition to its Portland location, the firm opened an office in Draper, Utah, in 2024, and maintains an additional presence in Singapore. The company reported $516 million in international revenue in 2024, which earned No. 13 on ENR's list of contractors working abroad. Fortis pursues projects across the education, healthcare and data center construction markets, according to its website. Some of its projects include the PDX01 data center project in Forest Grove, Oregon, and a data center campus for Meta in Cheyenne, Wyoming.