2026 Project of the Year Winners

SEAA’s annual Project of the Year contest offers categories for Structural Steel, Miscellaneous Metals and, new this year, Reinforcing Steel. Projects are judged against projects with similar project values.

This year, five projects are being recognized, and four of them are first time winners!

Companies will be recognized during the 2026 Convention & Trade Show in Kansas City, Missouri, May 5-8.

Structural Steel

GMF Steel Group
Class I: Erection contract up to $500,000
Project: Tropicana Field Cupola Renovation, St. Petersburg, Florida, completed March 2024
 
Perry & Perry Builders, Inc.
1st Time Winner!
Class II: Erection contract $500,000 to $1 million
Project: ABIA Infill in Austin, Texas, completed November 2025
 
Flex-Erect
1st Time Winner!
Class III: Erection contract $1 million to $2.5 million
Project: Spring Fire Training Facility, Spring, Texas, completed October 2025
 
KWH Constructors, Inc.
1st Time Winner!
Class IV: Erection contract over $2.5 million
Project: DENA Polychrome - Pretty Rocks Slide Bridge, Denali National Park, Alaska, completed September 2025
 
Reinforcing Steel
Gulf Coast Rebar, Inc.
1st Time Winner!
Class II: Rebar contract over $500,000
Type: Building Structure
Project: 400 Central Ave.

Safety Excellence Winners

The SEAA Erector and Fabricator Safety Excellence Awards and the SEAA Craft Training Recognition Awards honor companies that exemplify the highest standards in both safety and workforce development.

Erector Safety Excellence
Thirteen of the companies earning Safety Excellence are repeat award winners. Joining this elite group for the first time are: All Things Metal, Allen Steel Erection, JGM Fabricators & Constructors, and Cumberland Steel.

World Class

• Cooper Steel
• Cumberland Steel Co.
• Derr & Gruenewald Construction
• Gardner-Watson Decking
• Group Steel Erectors, Inc.
• MAS Building & Bridge, Inc.
• S&R Enterprises, LLC

Premier

• Cubas Welding Construction, Inc.
• Flex-Erect
• GMF Steel Group
• JGM Fabricators & Constructors, LLC
• Piedmont Steel Company, LLC
• Ropac, Inc.
• Shelby Erectors

Gold

• All Things Metal
• Allen Steel Erection, Inc.
• JPW Erectors, Inc.
• L.R. Willson & Sons, Inc.

Fabricator Safety Excellence

New in 2026, the Fabricator Safety Excellence program is for fabricator members who demonstrate outstanding safety performance and best practices. Like the Erector Safety Excellence Award, the new category employs a points-based system that evaluates EMR ratings, OSHA logs, citations, safety programs, and training initiatives.

World Class

• Cooper Steel
  

Premier

• GMF Steel Group
• JGM Fabricators & Constructors, LLC

Gold

• Padgett, Inc.
• Steel Service Corporation

Craft Training Excellence

Companies that exemplify the highest standards in workforce development are recognized for Craft Training Excellence. Ironworker training initiatives are judged against other employers of similar size.

Categories include:

• Category 3: 1–60 Ironworkers
• Category 2: 61–120 Ironworkers
• Category 1: 121+ Ironworkers

Winners

• Derr & Gruenewald Construction — Category 1 — World Class
• GMF Steel Group — Category 1 — Premier
• Shelby Erectors, Inc. — Category 2 — World Class
• MAS Building and Bridge, Inc. — Category 3 — World Class