SEAA is excited to announce the winners of its 2025 Project of the Year Winners, Safety Excellence and Craft Training Excellence Awards!

Project of the Year entries could be submitted in four classes for Structural Steel and two classes for Miscellaneous Metals. Classes are based on contract value for that portion of the job.  In all, six companies were recognized for effectively solving unique jobsite challenges while safely completing projects.  Project submissions are chosen by an independent panel of judges.

Winners will get the chance to participate in a peer panel discussion at AISC’s Steel Conference, SEAA’s Convention, and will also be featured in Connector throughout the year.

SEAA has opened the submission forms for 2025 Project of the Year, Safety Excellence, and Craft Training Excellence awards.

The Project of the Year Award is for SEAA members that topped out a steel erection or miscellaneous metals project from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024. Applications can be submitted using a simple online form and supporting documents. Structural steel projects will compete in one of four classes, determined by the dollar value of the erection contract. Miscellaneous metals projects will compete in one of two classes, based on contract value amount. Submissions are evaluated by an independent panel of judges based solely on information presented with each submission.

The Safety Excellence Award acknowledges SEAA members in good standing that go above and beyond in the effort to provide ironworkers a safe place to work, while the Craft Training Excellence Award is for companies that are playing a critical role in the development of skilled ironworkers. Winners are selected in blind presentation by SEAA’s Safety & Education Committee.

Winners are recognized during the Awards Ceremony at SEAA’s 2025 National Convention & Trade Show and will be invited to participate in panel discussions.

There is no cost for SEAA members to submit an application. The application deadline for Project of the Year is December 31, 2024, and the deadline for Safety Excellence and Craft Training Excellence awards is January 31, 2025.

Three of the five winning Projects of the Year– presented by SEAA in April 2024 to members from Arizona, Georgia, and Kentucky– shared common challenges of space constraints and difficult site access.

In Atlanta, Georgia, Porter Steel, Inc., had to deliver materials for an 8,625 lb AESS staircase to be installed between 9th and 10th floors of an office building using a 5 ft x 8 ft elevator. Likewise, All Things Metal faced setting structural steel by hand in the basement and upper floors of a 100 year-old building conversion into a posh boutique hotel. Located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, the building was hemmed in on one side by a light rail line.

​At 691+ tons of steel erected, Cumberland Steel Company’s project was on a larger scale than the other two. However, they faced similar difficulties building an immersive sports, entertainment and arts venue in The Colony, Texas. The jobsite location was not much larger than the overall footprint of the structure itself, and had residential buildings on two sides, access roads that could not be shut down, and several other active projects surrounding it.

May 8, 2024 (Winston-Salem, N.C.) The Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) announces the recipients of its 2024 Safety Excellence and Craft Training Excellence Awards. Member companies received recognition for maintaining good safety records and having a comprehensive training program aligned with long-term career paths.

We’re just days away from the 2024 convention and trade show and the association is excited to announce the recipients of its 2024 awards programs! In all, 14 member companies received Safety Excellence Awards, three companies were awarded World Class recognition for their Craft Training programs, and five projects across multiple categories were awarded Project of the Year.

​SEAA's 2024 award winners will participate in panel discussions during convention next week and will be presented with awards during the Presidents Dinner.

For Project of the Year, entries could be submitted in four classes for Structural Steel and two classes for Miscellaneous Metals. Classes are based on contract value for that portion of the job. In all, six companies were recognized for effectively solving unique jobsite challenges while safely completing projects.  Project submissions are chosen by an independent panel of judges.

Winners will get the chance to participate in a peer panel discussion at AISC’s Steel Conference and SEAA’s Convention, and will also be featured in Connector throughout the year.

Worker safety is consistently one of the top priorities on any construction project, and with good reason. Since 2008, construction has experienced more total deaths than any other industry, and that figure doesn’t include fatalities from suicide. Our industry also has higher injury rates than most other professions, and unfortunately, safety costs.

The industry loses $5 billion annually due to construction-related deaths. The number is measured by lost productivity, loss of family income, and pain and suffering, according to the Midwest Economic Policy Institute.

However, today’s safety and training leaders recognize the impact of investing in creating a culture of safety. During a panel discussion at the 2023 Convention & Trade Show in St. Augustine, Florida, attendees were able to hear from the 2023 World Class Safety Excellence and Craft Training Excellence Winners.

The Safety Excellence Award went to seven SEAA member companies in three categories. Recipients were selected based on evaluations of their EMR ratings, OSHA 300 statistics, and safety program processes over the last three years.

Scoring was based on points assigned to a multi-criteria analysis, conducted in blind review by members of SEAA’s Safety & Education Committee. Applicants were evaluated on the portability of credentials, availability of apprenticeship programs, training, and recruitment efforts, in comparison to other companies of similar size.

“Good safety records, comprehensive training aligned with long-term career paths, and awards recognitions, are among the criteria that prospective employees consider when deciding where to apply. Beyond the inherent value of being a safe company, it’s also a great marketing tool in a highly competitive market,” said outgoing Safety & Education Committee Chairman Bryan McClure, during the panel. The following are excerpts from the panel discussion.

Entries for Project of the Year could be submitted in four classes for Structural Construction based on contract value for that portion of the job. In addition, the association opened a new category last year for Miscellaneous Metals in two classes. This category includes bridges, decking, ornamental steel, reinforcing steel, and steel fabrication projects. In all, five companies were recognized for effectively solving unique jobsite challenges while safely completing projects. Project submissions are reviewed and selected by an independent panel of judges. 

Connector, the associations official publication, will feature each project in-depth in issues throughout the year. The Summer issue will highlight Structural Steel: Class I winner Hodges Erectors and Miscellaneous Metals: Class I and II winners Basden Steel Corporation and Shelby Erectors. Structural Steel: Class III and IV winners Derr Gruenewald Construction and Williams Steel Erection will be featured in the Fall issue. ​

2023 Safety Excellence Awards goes to seven member companies in three categories with excellent 2022 safety records. Recipients were selected based on evaluations of their EMR ratings, OSHA 300A statistics, and safety program processes over the last three years. Scoring was based on points assigned to a multi-criteria analysis, conducted in blind review by members of SEAA’s Safety & Education Committee. 

Safety Excellence and Craft Training Excellence winners will be featured in the Winter issue of Connector. ​

Two companies were recognized for the 2023 Craft Training Award. Applicants were evaluated on the portability of credentials, availability of apprenticeship programs, training, and recruitment efforts. Evaluations for the Craft Training Excellence award are made in comparison to other companies of similar size, based on the number of ironworkers employed from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022. Note that there were not submissions by employers in all size categories for 2023. The World Class honorees each receive $1,500 to further their training program initiatives. ​

SEAA has opened the submission forms for 2022 Project of the Year, Safety Excellence, and Craft Training Excellence awards. Industry-wide publicity and peer recognition are just two of the benefits of participation. Submission deadline is December 31, 2022. ​

Award-winning projects include sports arena, performance centers, and a museum

Seven steel erection companies have been named as recipients in the annual Project of the Year awards by the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA). One winner was selected in each of four categories based on the dollar amount of the erection contract. In addition, three companies received Honorable Mention. Categories are Class I up to $500,000; Class II $500,000 to $1 million; Class III $1-2.5 million; and Class IV over $2.5 million.

Three of the projects were part of broader redevelopment plans in the local communities where they were built, and five of them house centers for cultural expression—including performing arts, sports, and a museum.

Chosen by an independent panel of judges, the companies received notice of their awards in April 2021 for projects that were topped out in either 2019 or 2020.

“Erectors often work in close collaboration with other teams and trades, and sometimes the customer. Challenges frequently deal with logistics, crane selection and rigging methods, and execution of complicated connection plans,” said Alan Sears, SEAA Awards Committee Chairman. “We congratulate these companies for excellent delivery of these unique structural steel construction projects.”​

The Steel Erectors Association of America announces that the Ironworker Skills Institute, Pell City, Ala., which educates future generations of ironworkers, will receive this year’s SEAA Craft Training Grant.

Designated for member companies who are newly implementing SEAA/NCCER Ironworker Training and Assessment programs, the grant covers initial setup, training for administrators, instructors, and coordinators, and custom training materials for Ironworker Levels 1-3, or similar curriculum.

“The committee awarded Ironworker Skills Institute the craft training grant based on its unparalleled commitment to recruiting and developing future Ironworkers. The impact that they have made on their community in such a short period of time really is incredible,” said Bryan McClure, Chairman of SEAA’s Safety & Education committee.

Now in its fifth year of operation, the Ironworker Skills Institute was established by John Garrison of Garrison Steel, for ironworkers to get training on rigging, welding, and the use of safety equipment and tools. In 2017 Garrison was able to partner with a local community college, where he taught classes. After the first semester, he realized the Institute needed a place of its own, and moved it permanently to property next to his company. Today, instructors teach students from area high schools, who come from as far away as an hour’s drive.

“With this grant, we can provide students with their own course materials, which can be a resource to them in the future,” said Patty Daigle, ISI director. “It will also allow us to incorporate new technology into our training program, which is growing and changing as we learn the needs of the high schools we work with.”

With an average of 25 new high school juniors, seniors and recent graduates each fall, the Institute uses NCCER coursework and live situations in its training programs. The organization plans to offer adult education classes in January 2021. “It is an honor to receive this grant,” said Daigle. “We thank SEAA, and hope we can continue to make them proud in our efforts to train ironworkers in Alabama.”

About Steel Erectors Association of America
Founded in 1972, SEAA is the only national trade association representing the interests of steel erectors, fabricators, contractors, and related service providers. The association promotes safety, education and training programs for steel erector trades, including its Ironworker Craft Training curriculum. The association works in partnership with other steel construction, design, and steel product organizations to protect the interests of those who construct steel structures. Learn more at www.seaa.net.

The new SEAA Safety Excellence Award acknowledges SEAA members who go above and
beyond in the effort to provide ironworkers a safe place to work, while the Craft Training
Recognition Award is for companies that are playing a critical role in the development of skilled
ironworkers.

Download applications or submit online. Submissions due by February 14, 2020.

The Steel Erectors Association of America is conducting its 16th Annual Project of the Year national competition. Besides free publicity and peer and industry recognition, one previous recipient of the award says it gives employees and ironworkers a sense of pride in the company.

“At the worker level, there can be sameness to the work—same welds, same connections, same steel, project after project. This is proof that we are better than the other guys. Having done the job well, safely and on schedule to a level that garnered national recognition—gives our workers a sense of pride and makes them partners in our efforts to maintain quality,” said Kurt Hettinger of S.L. Shaw Company Inc., Bakersfield, Calif.

Monterey Structural Steel Inc., a family owned and operated steel fabricator and erector located in Watsonville, Calif., was the 2019 recipient of the SEAA Training Grant. The grant provides funding to cover startup costs associated with establishing a new SEAA/NCCER training unit and assessment site. Monterey Structural Steel is SEAA’s second Training and Assessment site in the state of California.

Jack Vernon Nix, Jr., Vice President of Operations for Shelby Erectors, Inc., was named the 2018 Person of the Year by the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA). A veteran of the steel erection industry for nearly 25 years, Nix is also currently serving his fifth term on the SEAA Board of Directors.