Heritage Award Presented to Little River Drainage District in Southeast MO
The Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) announced the winners of its 2021 Keystone construction industry awards at a dinner event held at the River City Casino Hotel. The awards ceremony highlighted the creativity and talents of Missouri’s construction industry. AGCMO also celebrated First Place Specialty Contractors in 12 disciplines along with the Specialty Contractor of the Year.
Ten Keystone Awards were presented to contractors on projects ranging from hospital, family entertainment and educational facilities to lock & dam, water and utility projects. The coveted Keystone Heritage Award, recognizing projects, people and organizations that have had a lasting impact on the state of Missouri and its citizens, went to the Little River Drainage District in southeast Missouri.
Keystone Project of the Year winners for building construction included: Tarlton Corporation, the Primate Canopy Trails for the Saint Louis Zoo as well as for their work on Levels 5 & 8 Renovation, St. Louis Children’s Hospital for BJC HealthCare; Alberici Constructors, Inc., SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital for SSM Health; and Murphy Company, U2 Mechanical, Labadie Energy Center for Ameren Missouri. Keystone project winners for transportation & infrastructure included: L. Keeley Construction, Storm Channel Repair, Dellridge Court (Dellwood, MO) for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District; and Alberici Constructors, Inc., Marseilles & Starved Rock Lock Chamber Rehabilitation (LaSalle County, IL) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District;
Specialty contractors/subcontractor Keystone winners included: ACME Erectors, Inc., the Primate Canopy Trails at the Saint Louis Zoo; CNC Foundations, St. Louis Aquarium for USH, LLC; and Murphy Company, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital.
In the National Class, Alberici Constructors, Inc. captured First Place for its Linville Dam Embankment, Seismic Stability Improvement (Lake James, NC) for Duke Energy.
“The Keystone Awards are not awarded based upon a project’s beauty but, instead, they recognize a contractor’s success in achieving solutions during construction for challenges faced on a project,” said Leonard Toenjes, CAE, AGCMO’s president. “We recognize construction professionals whose skill, teamwork and spirit of innovation make a lasting contribution to a community by building facilities that support and enhance the quality of life. Safety performance, use of technology or new innovations, and workforce diversity are also essential components of overall performance. Our members are known for quality and timely construction. The projects honored last night mark the ‘best of the best’.”
Specialty Contractor of the Year Awards
The AGC of Missouri also presented 12 Specialty Contractor of the Year (SCOTY) Awards to Specialty Contractors voted “First Place” in their discipline by the general contractor members of AGCMO. The general contractor members were asked to consider a specialty contractor’s timeliness in regard to completion of project(s), ability to stay within budget and their overall experience with the specialty contractor. The 12 First Place Specialty Contractor of the Year (SCOTY) award winners are: D & S Fencing Co., Inc. (Ancillary Services); Vee-Jay Cement Contracting Co., Inc. (Concrete / Paving); Budrovich Excavating & Contracting (Earthwork & Utilities); Guarantee Electrical Company (Electrical); Hayden Wrecking Corporation (Environmental Remediation & Demolition); TJ Wies Contracting, Inc. (Int. & Ext. Finishes, Openings & Fixtures); Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Co., Inc. (HVAC / Piping); John J. Smith Masonry Company (Masonry); Boyer Fire Protection (Plumbing & Fire Protection); BAM Contracting, LLC (Structural & Finish Carpentry); ACME Erectors, Inc. (Structural & Finish Metals); and Western Specialty Contractors (Thermal & Moisture Protection).
The Specialty Contractor receiving the most votes by general contractors also was presented with the Specialty Contractor of the Year award. This distinction was awarded to Vee-Jay Cement Contracting Co., Inc.
The Construction Keystone Awards were judged by a panel of experts that included Sheila Miranda, AIA LEED AP BD+C, CORE10 Architecture, Inc., representing AIA of St. Louis; Bob Gilbert, P.E., Bartlett & West, Inc., representing American Council of Engineering Companies-Missouri; Dan Tucker, MC Services, representing American Subcontractors Association (ASA-Midwest); James Roseberry, AIA, CDT, LEED AP BD+C, project manager/associate, Trivers, representing the US Green Building Council-Missouri Gateway Chapter; and Chenxi Yuan, Ph.D., assistant professor, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, representing Institutes of Higher Learning.
Keystone Heritage Award
The 2021 Keystone Heritage Award was presented to the Little River Drainage District (LRDD) of southeast Missouri. From as far north as Cape Girardeau to as far south as the Arkansas state line, the LRDD is an engineering feat that includes a massive series of levees and ditches to drain a total of two million acres. (For a detailed view, download the Map of the District.) The work that began more than 100 years ago on LRDD has provided many benefits to southeast Missouri. Land that was once 95 percent covered in water and trees now accounts for one third of Missouri’s agricultural income. The roads that were built during and after the project provide the lifeline for the region’s economic development. The Headwater Diversion Channel collects water from area rivers and creeks and funnels them into the Mississippi River and away from vital farmland and communities. The system’s 1,000 miles of ditches carries the remainder of the district’s low-velocity water into Arkansas, where it flows into that state’s collection system and eventually enters the Mississippi River at Helena, AR. Drainage is the lifeblood of the social and economic well-being of southeast Missouri.
The Associated General Contractors of Missouri is the leading voice of the construction industry in Missouri, representing over 500 commercial, industrial, heavy and highway contractors, industry partners and related firms in 110 counties throughout Missouri. View at: www.agcmo.org
PHOTOS of First Place Keystone Award Winners’ Projects Here:
2021 Construction Keystone Award Winners & Finalists
Mid-America Class
(Projects located in Missouri or contiguous states)
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Building Construction Project Under $15 Million
Tarlton Corporation
Project: Primate Canopy Trails
Owner: Saint Louis Zoo
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Russell HBD LLC
Project: Missouri Foundation for Health
Owner: Missouri Foundation for Health
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
The Lawrence Group Projects, LLC
Project: Iron Workers Local 396 Union Hall
Owner: International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local No. 396
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Building Construction Project $15 – $50 Million
Tarlton Corporation
Project: Levels 5 & 8 Renovation, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Owner: BJC HealthCare
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
IMPACT Strategies, Inc.
Project: Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 Training Center
Owner: Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562
Project Location: Earth City, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Building Construction Project Over $50 Million
Alberici Constructors, Inc.
Project: SSM Health, Saint Louis University Hospital
Owner: SSM Health
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
PARIC Corporation
Project: Ballpark Village – Phase 2
Owner: The Cordish Companies
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
S. M. Wilson & Co.
Project: City Foundry STL
Owner: FoPa Partners, LLC, An affiliate of New + Found Development
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Wright Construction Services, Inc.
Project: North Point High School, Wentzville
Owner: Wentzville R-IV School District
Project Location: Wentzville, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Industrial Construction
Murphy Company
Project: U2 Mechanical, Labadie Energy Center
Owner: Ameren Missouri
Project Location: Labadie, MO
Helmkamp Construction Co.
Project: Conveyor Upgrades, Sioux Unit #1 & #2
Owner: Ameren Missouri
Project Location: Portage Des Sioux, MO
L. Keeley Construction Company
Project: Primary Expansion, Falling Springs Quarry
Owner: Casper Stolle Quarry and Contracting Co.
Project Location: Dupo, IL
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Transportation & Infrastructure Project Under $15 Million
L. Keeley Construction
Project: Storm Channel Repair, Dellridge Court
Owner: Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
Project Location: Dellwood, MO
Branco Enterprises, Inc.
Project: Stormwater Improvement Project, 7th & Illinois Streets
Owner: City of Joplin
Project Location: Joplin, MO
Goodwin Brothers Construction
Project: Chouteau Island Grit Tank
Owner: Illinois American Water Company
Project Location: Granite City, IL
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Transportation & Infrastructure, Project Over $15 Million
Alberici Constructors, Inc.
Project: Marseilles & Starved Rock Lock, Chamber Rehabilitation
Owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District
Project Location: LaSalle County, IL
Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc.
Project: I-44 Project Bridge Rebuild, Design-Build
Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation
Project Location: Newton, Jasper, Lawrence Counties, MO
Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc.
Project: I-70 & I-435 Interchange, Jackson County
Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation
Project Location: Kansas City, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor
Building Construction Project Under $1 Million
Acme Erectors, Inc.
Project: Primate Canopy Trails
Owner: Saint Louis Zoo
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
CNC Foundations
Project: Ballpark Village – Phase 2
Owner: Ballpark Village Holdings
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
TJ Wies Contracting, Inc.
Project: SCC DOC Pedestrian Bridge
Owner: St. Charles County
Project Location: St. Charles, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor
Building Construction Project $1 – $10 Million
CNC Foundations
Project: St. Louis Aquarium
Owner: USH, LLC
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Guarantee Electrical Company
Project: New Growth Horizon, Medical Marijuana Facility
Owner: Proper Cannabis
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Murphy Company
Project: Uncle Ray’s Potato Chip Plant
Owner: H. T. Hackney Company
Project Location: Montgomery City, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor
Building Construction Project Over $10 Million
Murphy Company
Project: SSM Health
Saint Louis University Hospital
Owner: SSM Health
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Guarantee Electrical Company
Project: Ballpark Village, One Cardinal Way
Owner: The Cordish Companies
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
National Class
(Projects located in lower 48 states, excluding Mid-America Class)
Alberici Constructors, Inc.
Project: Linville Dam Embankment, Seismic Stability Improvement
Owner: Duke Energy
Project Location: Lake James, NC
icon Mechanical Construction & Engineering, LLC
Project: New Rocket Engine, Manufacturing Facility
Owner: Blue Origin
Project Location: Huntsville, AL
2021 Specialty Contractor of the Year Awards
First Place Awards by Discipline
ANCILLARY SERVICES: D & S Fencing Co., Inc.
CONCRETE / PAVING: Vee-Jay Cement Contracting Co., Inc.
EARTHWORK & UTILITIES: Budrovich Excavating & Contracting
ELECTRICAL: Guarantee Electrical Company
ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION & DEMOLITION: Hayden Wrecking Corporation
INT. & EXT. FINISHES, OPENINGS & FIXTURES: TJ Wies Contracting, Inc.
AGC’s 2021 SPECIALTY CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR: Vee-Jay Cement Contracting Co., Inc