Image of Emcee Guy Phillips courtesy of CNR Magazine
By BARBARA PIERCE
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – On Nov. 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.
Below is the compete list of 2024 Construction Keystone/SCOTY Award winners and finalists:
Mid-America Class
(Projects located in Missouri or contiguous states)
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Building Construction
Project Under $10 Million
Ben Hur Construction (Winner)
Project: Project Aether
Owner: Procter & Gamble
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Alberici Constructors, Inc.
Project: Behavioral Health Urgent Care
Saint Louis University Hospital
Owner: SSM Health
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Ben Hur Construction
Project: Stella Artois Flash Pasteurizer Keg Line 93
Owner: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Building Construction
Project $10 – $30 Million
PARIC Corporation (Winner)
Project: King’s Hill Redevelopment
Owner: Third Man Development
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Holland Construction Services
Project: MidAmerica St. Louis Airport Terminal Expansion
Owner: MidAmerica St. Louis Airport
Project Location: Mascoutah, IL
Wright Construction Services, Inc.
Project: St. Louis County Police Precinct #3
Owner: St. Louis County
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Building Construction
Project $30 – $70 Million
Russell
Project: 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis (Winner)
Owner: 21c Museum Hotels
Location: St. Louis, MO
Brinkmann Constructors
Project: First Bank Headquarters
Owner: First Bank
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Integrate Construction Partners
Project: Tenant Improvement City Foundry STL
Owner: FoPa Partners
Location: St. Louis, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Building Construction
Project Over $70 Million
McCarthy Building Companies (Winner)
Project: Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Bldg.
Owner: Washington University in St. Louis
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Alberici Constructors, Inc.
Project: Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center
Owner: Missouri Botanical Garden
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
PARIC Corporation
Project: Butler Brothers Building Historic Renovation
Owner: Development Services Group
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
General Contractor / Construction Manager / Prime Contractor
Highway & Transportation Construction
Millstone Weber, LLC (Winner)
Project: I-270 North Design-Build
Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation
Project Location: St. Louis County, MO
Capital Materials, Paving & Construction
Project: Fixing Access to Rural Missouri (FARM) Bridge Program
Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation
Project Location: Across Missouri
Herzog Contracting Corp.
Project: Interstate 29 Resurfacing
Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation
Project Location: Andrew & Buchanan Counties, MO
Utility Infrastructure Construction
Elastizell of St. Louis, Inc. (Winner)
Project: Emergency Sewer Replacement
Owner: Missouri American Water
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Keeley Construction
Project: Chain of Rocks Bridge Park Enhancements
Owner: Great Rivers Greenway
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor
Building Construction
Project Under $2.5 Million
PayneCrest Electric, Inc. (Winner)
Project: O’Loughlin Family Champions Center
Owner: Saint Louis University
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
G&S Architectural Products
Project Bank Headquarters
Owner: First Bank
Project Location: St. Louis
Murphy Company
Project: Costco University City
Owner: Costco Wholesale
Project Location: University City, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor
Building Construction
Project $2.5 – $15 Million
KAI Build, LLC (Winner)
Project: Link Bridge
Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building
Owner: Washington University School of Medicine
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Guarantee Electrical Company
Project: Mercy Center for Performance Medicine & Specialty Care
Owner: Mercy
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Tarlton Corporation
Project: First Bank Headquarters Concrete
Owner: First Bank
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor
Building Construction
Project $16 – $25 Million
Guarantee Electrical Company (Winner)
Project: 300mm SOI Expansion
Owner: MEMC LLC
Project Location: St. Peters, MO
IWR North America
Project: University of Missouri Children’s Hospital
Owner: University of Missouri
Project Location: Columbia, MO
Vee-Jay Cement Contracting
Project: Chicken N Pickle
Owner: Chicken N Pickle 8, LLC
Project Location: North Kansas City, MO
Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor
Building Construction
Project Over $25 Million
Haberberger, Inc. (Winner)
Project: 300mm SOI Expansion
Owner: MEMC LLC
Project Location: St. Peters, MO
icon Mechanical
Project: Boeing MQ-25 Stingray Production Facility, Phases 1 & 2
Owner: The Boeing Company
Location: Hazelwood, MO
Murphy Corrigan Joint Venture
Project: Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building
Owner: Washington University in St. Louis
Project Location: St. Louis, MO
National Class
(Projects located in lower 48 states, excluding Mid-America Class)
HSR Constructors (Winner)
A Joint Venture of Herzog Contracting Corp.,
StacyWitbeck Inc., and RailWorks Corp.
Project: Brightline Florida Higher-Speed Rail
Owner: Brightline Trains Florida, LLC
Project Location: Orlando, FL
Millstone Weber, Inc.
Project: Runway 17L-35R
Pavement Rehabilitation & Electrical Upgrade
Owner: Denver International Airport
Project Location: Denver, CO
PARIC Corporation
Project: KEC Headquarters, Member Center & Training Facility
Owner: Kootenai Electric Cooperative
Project Location: Rathdrum, ID
2024 Specialty Contractor of the Year Awards
First Place Awards by Discipline
ANCILLARY SERVICES:
ROSCH Company
CONCRETE / PAVING:
Elastizell of St. Louis
EARTHWORK & UTILITIES:
Bommarito Construction
ELECTRICAL:
Guarantee Electrical Company
ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION & DEMOLITION:
Spirtas Wrecking Company
INT. & EXT. FINISHES, OPENINGS & FIXTURES:
TJ Wies Contracting, Inc.
HVAC / PIPING:
Haberberger, Inc.
MASONRY:
Grant Masonry Contracting Co., Inc.
PLUMBING & FIRE PROTECTION
Boyer Fire Protection
STRUCTURAL & FINISH CARPENTRY:
BAM Contracting, LLC
STRUCTURAL & FINISH METALS:
Collins & Hermann, Inc.
THERMAL & MOISTURE PROTECTION:
IWR North America
