Ryan Randall: Volunteer Extraordinaire
It’s Volunteer Appreciation Month! The Market Foundation is grateful to have a dedicated core of volunteers who give their talents year-over-year to help keep the Market strong.
Today we’re highlighting Ryan Randall: one of our faithful supporters who is famous for lending a helping hoof wherever needed – literally!
What began as an exciting new work project for Ryan has blossomed into a passion for giving back to the Market community. Thanks to his career with Sellen Construction, Ryan has overseen important Market projects like the seismic retrofit of the Desimone Bridge, and construction of the new MarketFront expansion. “I was here from that giant hole in the ground, all the way through the very end,” he proudly proclaims.
Ryan’s involvement began as one of the lead foremen on the MarketFront expansion, focusing on the parking garage and slab-on-grade construction. “Slab-on-grade refers to all of the finished concrete that you walk on,” explains Ryan. “This included all of the 1500 hoofprints placed on the Pavilion. I actually created the path and placed all of the feet.” Ryan was intrigued by the iconic Bronze Hoofprints, and continued volunteering his time as a “hoofprint installer”.
Ryan laid the Bronze Hoofprint path on the MarketFront Pavilion, leading up to our mascot Billie the Piggybank.
“Ryan went above and beyond the call of duty,” says Patricia Gray, Director of Philanthropy. “ After the regular hoofprints were complete, he would come back and do newer installations.” Ryan recalls, “I wanted to keep volunteering, just because I was having so much fun.”
Ryan also felt a strong connection to the community, and loved meeting the workers and residents who call the Market home. “It was really rewarding to get to work on the low-income housing project for the MarketFront, and even now, I get to see the happy faces from all the people that get to live there,” he says. “And then I got to learn so much about what the Foundation does, working with the social services and supporting the people in the Market.”
Ryan (second from right) and the volunteer team at Sunset Supper 2021.
Ryan continued volunteering at Market Foundation events like Sunset Supper and our spring fundraiser events. “All of them were different and unique,” says Ryan. “I love that you get to be a part of the event and really enjoy it.” He also loves the team of volunteers that he gets to work with year after year. “A lot of these volunteers have many years on me,” he says. “Some people have been doing Sunset Supper for 15 years, and I’ve only got five! It’s neat to see that people stick to the Market and enjoy coming back.”
These days, Ryan can be found doing new hoofprint installations, “heavy lifting” at Market events, and supporting a variety of special projects. Most recently, he took our deflated “Pam Pam the Party Ham” and restored her to her former glory. Any challenge great or small, you can bet Ryan is there to support.
Ryan proudly displayed Pam Pam the Party Ham after her repairs, bringing a taste of the Market to his neighborhood.
Five years since Ryan broke ground at Pike Place Market, his versatility and passion continue to help the Market Foundation in new ways. “I love everything about the Market. The smells, tastes, visuals, so much life…” he says. “There’s really no place like it, which is why I keep coming back.” We are thankful to volunteers like Ryan for giving back and making this work possible!
For anyone interested in getting involved with the Market community, Ryan highly recommends volunteering with the Market Foundation. “The Pike Place Market Foundation is so much fun to work with,” he says. “The staff is great, and they make the experience fun, rewarding, and not overwhelming. You’ll love it!”