Saratoga News

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Russian visitors Vladimir Ochevnev (left) and Andrei Gorbounov make a video record of their recent tour of a Citation Homes development in San Jose.

Saratoga visitors tour area construction sites

By Chantal Lamers

"For the next few weeks, teacher will be student and student will be teacher," John Hoiness, Saratoga Rotary Club president, said to the 10 Russians who arrived on American soil June 5. The Russian men and women will spend the next few weeks learning modern construction techniques, including everything from zoning requests to construction financing.

Pola Shornik, senior program coordinator for the Productivity Enhancement Program at the Center for Citizen Initiatives in San Francisco, says that the initiative to bring Russians to America is modeled after the Marshall Plan, which was largely responsible for Europe's recovery after World War II.

Shornik says that 30 Russian groups have already come to America, and 20 more are planned for this year.

The program is sponsored by a grant through the United States Information Agency that funds the program until March 1998. The money supports 500 visiting Russians, but CCI plans to bring over another 250.

"We have worked with 57 Rotary groups and sister-city organizations," Shornik said. "It's a community-based project, and there's no way we could do it without volunteers."

A total of 16 suppliers and contractors were assembled for the Russians to visit in their month-long stay in Silicon Valley. Sites include Saratoga National Bank, a two-day conference and trade show at Moscone Center in San Francisco, a tour of Home Depot and even an Oakland A's baseball game.

Before the Russians joined the study program, their résumés were screened by the Rotary Board to find which men and women would most appropriately fit the construction climate in the Bay Area.

The entrepreneurs also had to meet a number of other criteria. Each must employ a steady workforce while turning out a marketable product. In addition, they must have a strong commitment to reform and democratization.

Among the Russian construction-business owners are Andrei Gorbounov of Ekaterinburg, who owns a 100-person contract company that has built private homes and commercial buildings since 1990. During his trip to the United States, Gorbounov said, he would like to learn about the advanced technology in the construction industry.

The Russian visitors are staying with Saratoga residents during their stay, which began June 5 and continues through July 2. The Saratoga Rotary Club is co-sponsor of this visit.

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