Inaugural Show Me Excellence in Craftsmanship Award Presented to Cement Mason, Alvero Gomez
The Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) announced the winners of the 2023 Keystone construction industry awards at its Construction Awards gala at the River City Casino Hotel. Tom Ackerman, KMOX Radio sports director, served as emcee for the program that showcased the achievements and talents of Missouri’s construction industry. AGCMO also celebrated First Place Specialty Contractors in 12 disciplines and named a Specialty Contractor of the Year.
The inaugural Show Me Excellence in Craftsmanship Award was presented to Alvero Gomez, a member of Cement Mason 513 and 22-year employee of Elastizell of St. Louis. Recognized as an expert in leveling and finishing lightweight concrete floor toppings with skill and precision, Gomez has traveled across the country and internationally to ply his trade.
“Alvero represents just one of the tens of thousands of hard-working craftspersons in our state who contribute their skill and expertise to our built environment,” said Leonard Toenjes, CAE, AGCMO’s president. “His enthusiasm and optimism inspires those around him, and the high standards he sets for himself are contagious to all who are privileged to work with him.”
Eight First Place Keystone Awards were presented to contractors on projects ranging from a residential center for priests, to an art museum and sports venue, to a dam project, to renovation of an historic building and construction of a proton therapy vault. An enormous rail/transit joint venture project in Boston took home a Keystone in the national class.
Keystone Project of the Year winners for building construction included: BSI Constructors, Inc. for the new Saint Louis University Jesuit Center; Russell for the Stanley Museum of Art at the University of Iowa; and a Mortenson|Alberici|Keeley Joint Venture for the CITYPARK Stadium and Downtown West Campus. Additional winners in the building construction category included Acme Erectors, Inc. for 3681 Lindell (former Masonic Temple);Tarlton Corporation for Proton Therapy Vault Concrete in Peoria, IL; and IWR North America for the CITYPARK Stadium and Downtown West Campus. For highway and transportation construction, Alberici Constructors received a Keystone for rebuilding the overlook buildings at the Melvin Price Locks & Dam in Alton, IL.
The Green Line Extension project by GLX Constructors (a joint venture of Fluor Enterprises, Inc., The Middlesex Corp., Herzog Contracting Corp., and Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc.) captured first place in the national class, recognizing projects beyond Missouri and its eight contiguous states. The work occurred inside a 90-foot-wide, 100-plus-year-old Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority rail corridor, requiring a three-phase track staging plan, an extensive track drainage system, and a difficult viaduct alongside 60 daily Boston area commuter trains.
“The Keystone Awards carry great pride and prestige for our winners and finalists because they are judged by an independent panel of experts,” observed Toenjes. “The projects span a broad range of building types and disciplines, but they also have many aspects in common, including exceptional teamwork and innovation used to overcome challenges – all while keeping safety, workforce diversity & inclusion, budgets and schedules in mind.”
The Construction Keystone Awards were judged by an independent panel of experts that included Dennis Bolazina, principal, Bolazina Architects and Consultants, representing American Institutes of America (AIA) of St. Louis; Steve Prange, PE, senior vice president, director of business development & strategy, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly|Engineers & Consultants, representing the American Council of Engineering Companies-Missouri (ACEC-MO); Ryan Spell, owner, Precision Analysis, Inc., representing American Subcontractors Association (ASA-Midwest); Katherine (Kate) Stockton, AIA, LEED green associate, assistant teaching professor, University of Missouri-Architectural Studies, representing US Green Building Council-Missouri Gateway Chapter; and Chris Gordon, Ph.D., LEED AP, associate dean, School of Engineering, Southern Illinois University, representing Institutes of Higher Learning.
Specialty Contractor of the Year Awards
The AGC of Missouri also recognized 12 specialty contractors with Specialty Contractor of the Year (SCOTY) Awards. The specialty contractors were 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: ROSCH Company (Ancillary Services); Elastizell of St. Louis
(Concrete / Paving); Drilling Service Company (Earthwork & Utilities); Guarantee Electrical Company (Electrical); Spirtas Wrecking Company (Environmental Remediation & Demolition); TJ Wies Contracting, Inc. (Int. & Ext. Finishes, Openings & Fixtures); R.F. Meeh Company (HVAC/Piping);
Heitkamp Masonry, Inc. (Masonry); Boyer Fire Protection (Plumbing & Fire Protection); BAM Contracting, LLC (Structural & Finish Carpentry); ACME Erectors, Inc. (Structural & Finish Metals); and IWR North America (Thermal & Moisture Protection).
TJ Wies Contracting, Inc., the specialty contractor receiving the most votes by general contractors, also was presented with the Specialty Contractor of the Year award.
The Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) represents the united voice of the construction industry throughout the state of Missouri. AGC of Missouri represents nearly 550 commercial, industrial, highway, transportation, and utility infrastructure contractors, industry partners and related firms in 110 counties across the state of Missouri. AGCMO operates offices in St. Louis, Jefferson City and Springfield. Visit: www.agcmo.org
2023 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 $20 Million
BSI Constructors, Inc.
Project: Saint Louis University Jesuit Center
Owner: Saint Louis University
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
S. M. Wilson & Co.
Project: Granite City High School Softball Field
Owner: Granite City CUSD #9
Project Location: Granite City, IL
S. M. Wilson & Co.
Project: R. P. Lumber Center
Owner: City of Edwardsville
Project Location: Edwardsville, IL
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor Building Construction
Project $20 – $50 Million
Russell
Project: University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art
Owner: University of Iowa Facilities Management
Project Location: Iowa City, IA
Helmkamp Construction Co.
Project: Bill Simon Field House
Owner: The Principia
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Keeley Construction
Project: Marlowe
Owner: Keeley Properties
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor Building Construction
Project Over $50 Million
Mortenson │Alberici │Keeley Joint Venture
Project: CITYPARK Stadium and Downtown West Campus
Owner: TKFC
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Brinkmann Constructors
Project: Expo at Forest Park
Owner: Tegethoff Development
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
PARIC Corporation
Project: Carle at the Riverfront
Owner: Carle Health
Project Location: Danville, IL
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor Highway & Transportation Construction
Alberici Constructors, Inc.
Project: Melvin Price Locks & Dam
Main Lock Overlook Alterations
Owner: U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
Project Location: Alton, IL
Goodwin Brothers Construction Company
Project: MacArthur Bridge – West Approach Modifications
Owner: Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Herzog Contracting Corp.
Project: I-35 Project
Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation
Project Location: Clinton, Dekalb, Caldwell & Daviess Counties, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor Building Construction
Project Under $3 Million
Acme Erectors, Inc.
Project: 3681 Lindell (Former Masonic Temple)
Owner: Brandonview LLC
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
CNC Foundations
Project: NEO Vantage Pointe
Owner: Mills Properties
Project Location: Maryland Heights, MO
G&S Architectural Products
Project: Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center
Owner: Missouri Botanical Garden
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor Building Construction
Project $3 – $9 Million
Tarlton Corporation
Project: Proton Therapy Vault Concrete
Owner: OSF HealthCare & POINTCORE Construction
Project Location: Peoria, IL
TD4Electrical LLC/Guarantee Electrical Company
Project: Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center
Owner: Missouri Botanical Garden
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
IWR North America
Project: Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center
Owner: Missouri Botanical Garden
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor Building Construction
Project Over $9 Million
IWR North America
Project: CITYPARK Stadium and Downtown West Campus
Owner: St. Louis City SC
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
IWR North America
Project: Forsyth Pointe
Owner: Brentwood-Forsyth Partners 1, LLC
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
icon Mechanical
Project: 3rd Floor Fit-Out
4240 Confidential
Biotech Laboratory
Owner: Confidential Client
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
National Class
(Projects located in lower 48 states, excluding Mid-America Class)
GLX Constructors
(A Joint Venture of Fluor Enterprises, Inc., The Middlesex Corp., Herzog Contracting Corp., and Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc.)
Project: Green Line Extension
Owner: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Project Location: Boston, MA
Millstone Weber, LLC
Project: Second Mainline Project
Ash Fork, AZ
Owner: BNSF Railway Company
Project Location: Ash Fork, AZ
Millstone Weber, LLC
Project: Concrete Repair Mats 1-7
MCAS Camp Lejeune
Owner: Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
Project Location: Jacksonville, NC
2023 Specialty Contractor of the Year Awards
First Place Awards by Discipline
ANCILLARY SERVICES
ROSCH Company
CONCRETE / PAVING
Elastizell of St. Louis
EARTHWORK & UTILITIES
Drilling Service Company
ELECTRICAL
Guarantee Electrical Company
ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION & DEMOLITION
Spirtas Wrecking Company
INT. & EXT. FINISHES, OPENINGS & FIXTURES TJ Wies Contracting, Inc.
HVAC/Piping
R.F. Meeh Company
MASONRY
Heitkamp Masonry, Inc.
PLUMBING & FIRE PROTECTION
Boyer Fire Protection
STRUCTURAL & FINISH CARPENTRY
BAM Contracting, LLC
STRUCTURAL & FINISH METALS
ACME Erectors, Inc.
THERMAL & MOISTURE PROTECTION
IWR North America
AGC’s 2023 SPECIALTY CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR
TJ Wies Contracting, Inc.