AGCMO Keystone/SCOTY Awards Honor Excellence in Construction
Date Posted: November 12, 2024
Posted In: News, Projects,
On November 7, the Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) announced the winners of the 2024 Keystone construction industry awards at its Construction Awards gala at the River City Casino Hotel.
Guy Phillips, former St. Louis Y98 radio personality, served as emcee for the program that showcased the work of Missouri’s construction industry. AGCMO also celebrated First Place Specialty Contractors in 12 disciplines and named the Specialty Contractor of the Year.
The Show Me Excellence in Craftsmanship Award, now in its second year, was presented to Stephen Leamon, superintendent, Pace Construction Company. Leamon was cited for his outstanding achievements in scheduling and budgeting as he consistently minimized downtime and maximized productivity in producing high-quality asphalt paving. His dedication to training new crew members and integration of the workforce into a challenging time schedule also were noted.
“Stephen is just one example of the hard work and dedication of the more than 150,000 construction workers who comprise Missouri’s construction workforce,” said Leonard Toenjes, CAE, AGCMO’s president. “They build and maintain our roads and other essential infrastructure, and they create our hospitals, factories, schools, libraries, homes and virtually every other space in our built environment. Last night was also an opportunity to honor the contractors and their teams for outstanding performance, often going above and beyond to overcome special challenges.”
Eleven First Place Keystone Awards were presented to contractors on projects ranging from manufacturing, research and infrastructure to hospitality, sports and historic renovation Ben Hur Construction went home with a First Place Keystone Award for product manufacturing space it created for Procter & Gamble and McCarthy Building Companies was celebrated for its completion of the new Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building at the Washington University School of Medicine. PARIC Corporation captured a Keystone for the Kings Hill Redevelopment (renovation of the former Magic Chef oven manufacturing and warehouse space) on The Hill and Russell took home a Keystone for the 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis – a complete renovation and re-imagination of the former 10-story, Renaissance style YMCA on Locust Ave. Other projects capturing First Place included the massive I-270 North Design-Build project by Millstone Weber, LLC, an emergency sewer replacement for Missouri American Water by Elastizell of St. Louis, Inc., PayneCrest Electric, Inc.’s work on the O’Loughlin Family Champions Center at Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Center, and KAI Build, LLC’s construction of the link bridge to the Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building. Two First Place Keystone Awards also went to Guarantee Electrical Company and Haberberger, Inc. for the specialty contractors’ performance on MEMC’s 300mm SOI Expansion project.
The Brightline Florida Higher-Speed Rail project, a joint venture of Herzog Contracting Corp., StacyWitbeck Inc. and RailWorks Corp., was honored with a Keystone Award in the National Class for the top project performed beyond Missouri and its eight contiguous states. At more than 165 miles long, Brightline Florida represents the largest U.S. passenger rail undertaking in more than a century. The Herzog-led HSR joint venture team built a record 129 miles of second mainline track in the existing railroad corridor between West Palm Beach and Cocoa, FL to enable train speeds up to 110 mph. The HSR joint venture also constructed 35 miles of new track to Class 7 standards in a sealed corridor between Cocoa and Orlando International Airports, allowing speeds up to 125 mph.
“The Keystone Awards represent the best of our best,” said Toenjes. “Projects are not judged by their beauty or size, but rather by the contractors’ ability to overcome challenges, problem-solve, encourage teamwork, and foster enhanced communications. We also honor outstanding safety, diversity & inclusion, and meeting or exceeding schedule and budget expectations. Because the Construction Keystone Awards are judged by an independent and rotating panel of experts, these coveted awards have come to represent the gold standard for our industry.”
The 2024 panel of judges included Melissa Harlan, AIA, project architect, Kiku Obata & Co., as board member and president-elect, representing the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) of St. Louis; Michelle Kratzer, P.E., Midwest Integrated Services Division, leader, Gannett Fleming + TranSystems, representing the American Council of Engineering Companies-Missouri (ACEC-MO); Julie Villa, AIA, LEED AP, vice president/director of planning, Cordogan Clark, as president-elect, representing US Green Building Council-Missouri Gateway Chapter; Matt Tucker, president, Affton Fabricating & Welding Co., Inc., as vice-president, representing the American Subcontractors Association (ASA-Midwest); and Ralph Tayeh, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Construction, School of Engineering, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 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); Bommarito Construction (Earthwork & Utilities); Guarantee Electrical Company (Electrical); Spirtas Wrecking Company (Environmental Remediation & Demolition); TJ Wies Contracting, Inc. (Int. & Ext. Finishes, Openings & Fixtures); Haberberger, Inc. (HVAC/Piping); Grant Masonry Contracting Co., Inc. (Masonry); Boyer Fire Protection (Plumbing & Fire Protection); BAM Contracting, LLC (Structural & Finish Carpentry); Collins & Hermann, Inc. (Structural & Finish Metals); and IWR North America (Thermal & Moisture Protection).
Boyer Fire Protection, the specialty contractor receiving the most votes by general contractors, also received the Specialty Contractor of the Year award.
Click here to see AGCMO’s 2024 Keystone Construction Awards publication.
Click here for a list of Keystone Award Winners & Finalists.
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.