July 24, 2024 (Winston-Salem, N.C) The Board of Directors for the Steel Erectors Association of America names officers elected for a one-year term beginning July 2024. In addition, association members have confirmed a new slate of directors.
The Board of Directors consists of up to 19 individuals. From among the directors five officers are elected semi-annually, while the Immediate Past President is an appointed position. The incoming SEAA President is Jack Nix, Chief Operations Officer for Shelby Erectors, Inc. He is supported by David Deem of Deem Structural Services as Immediate Past President and Chris Legnon of Cooper Steel as President-Elect. Nix has been involved with SEAA since 2008 and has served on the board since 2011. He is a previous recipient of the association’s Person of the Year award and previously led the Membership Committee as its Chairman. Nix began his career in 1985 as an ironworker. In 2022, Shelby Erectors was featured on an episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, highlighting rodbusters. “There’s no other subcontractor owner organization out there that focuses on what we do—building with steel. My goal as SEAA’s next president is to continue to grow our membership, but especially among my reinforcing steel and decking contractor colleagues,” said Nix. The other new officers include:
Four incumbents were re-elected to new terms (2024-2027).
In addition, two individuals were appointed to vacated positions. Jamie Hopkins of United Rentals was appointed by the Executive Committee to fill the remaining term of Dave Brown. “Big Dave” Brown passed away on May 31, 2024. He joined SEAA’s Board of Directors in 2014 and championed the Boom Lift Ball Drop fundraiser, which helped to fund many projects dedicated to the safety and education of steel professionals. Geoff Kress, Gardner-Watson Decking, was appointed by the Executive Committee to fill the remaining term of Tom Schlickbernd, who recently retired. Projects in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas July 10, 2024 (Winston-Salem, N.C.) The Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) announces the winners of its 2024 Projects of the Year. Two companies were recognized for Miscellaneous Metals and three for Structural Steel projects.
Projects that were topped out in 2022 or 2023 were eligible and must have been completed without significant accident or injury. Submissions are reviewed and winners are selected by an independent panel of judges from an engineering firm not affiliated with the association. “Only one of the five winning companies is a prior recipient of this award, and two of them are relatively new members of SEAA,” said Drew Heron, Chairman of the Awards Committee. “Regardless of the size or scope, each of these projects demonstrated the grit and talent it takes to be an ironworker,” he said. Winners receive trophies, feature article coverage in Connector magazine, and the chance to participate in peer panel discussions. Summaries provided below. June 27, 2024 (Winston-Salem, N.C), During the President's Dinner at the Steel Erectors Association of America’s 2024 Convention & Trade Show in Glendale, Arizona, two long-standing Board Members were recognized for their years of dedicated service. David Deem, Founder and President of Deem Structural Services, LLC, received the William Davis Service Award, and Chris Legnon, Vice President of Technology at Cooper Steel, was named SEAA’s Person of the Year. David Deem - 2024 William Davis Service Award (Left to right) Drew Heron, Chairman of SEAA’s Awards Committee, David Deem, President of Deem Structural Services, R. Pete Gum, SEAA's Executive Director
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.
October 19, 2023 (Winston-Salem, N.C.) The Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) has joined other industry association stakeholders of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP). Over 5,000 people working in construction die by suicide each year. That’s five times more than the annual number of jobsite fatalities.
“Within the construction industry, our niche is even more at risk. Of the 11 construction occupations cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, structural iron and steel workers are #1 and reinforcing iron and rebar workers are #2 for highest rates of suicide,” said Pete Gum, Executive Director of SEAA. On November 15, SEAA is offering a free webinar on mental health to help employers understand the risk factors, warning signs, and how to integrate suicide prevention training into all levels of an organization. Moderated by Sonya Bohmann, Executive Director of CIASP, the webinar will feature panelists representing contractors, researchers, and suppliers who are experts on this topic. To sign up, visit seaa.net/webinar-registration. “The webinar is just the first of the activities SEAA has planned around this important topic,” said Glen Pisani, Vice Chairman of SEAA’s Marketing Committee. In the coming months, SEAA will launch a resource page on its website, feature a speaker at the 2024 Convention and Trade Show April 2-5 in Glendale, Arizona, and prepare an awareness campaign for the 2024 Suicide Awareness Month. “SEAA encourages members to make corporate commitments to STAND up,” said Gum. Learn more at preventconstructionsuicide.com. The STAND Up pledge Safe: We pledge to create a culture in which team members feel safe to ask for help if they are having suicidal thoughts or if they are concerned that their fellow co-workers are at risk of suicide. Training: We pledge to make suicide prevention training available to all team members so that they can recognize the warning signs and be equipped to help those at risk. Awareness: We pledge to raise awareness by sharing the message of suicide prevention through such organizational activities as trainings, safety meetings, toolbox talks, team meetings, newsletters, and social media posts. Normalize: We pledge to normalize the topic of suicide prevention as a health and safety priority by talking about suicide, suicide prevention, and mental health. Decrease: We pledge to help decrease the risk of suicide in construction by ensuring that all team members have access to an awareness of our EAP/MAP, behavioral health benefits, screening tools, community crisis support, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and Crisis Text Line. 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. October 2, 2023 (Winston-Salem, N.C.) The Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) has named Keri Goldstein as its new Director of Membership & Business Development. In this newly created role, Goldstein will work closely with the board of directors and committees, and she is responsible for developing and administering member recruitment and retention programs. In the last three years, the association has tripled its benefits programs and doubled in-person networking events. “By offering more opportunities for our members to connect and the chance to tap new hiring, training, and business resources, we are giving contractors the tools they are seeking to better run their businesses,” said Pete Gum, Executive Director. “The association’s investment in new services for members has driven membership growth by more than 12% in the first three quarters of 2023 alone. The timing was right to bring on a full-time staff person to provide intentional membership management,” said Gum. SEAA’s goal is to increase membership by more than 20% next year while maintaining 90% retention rates. Goldstein, who has a background in sales and customer relations, has experience with implementing customer education and corporate team building initiatives. She will develop and implement a pro-active onboarding plan for new members, work to educate all members about available benefits in order to increase engagement, and set strategy for prospecting and association promotions. “We look forward to introducing Keri to our Steel Strong community this month at the Dave Schulz Memorial Golf Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina,” said Gum. Members can contact Keri Goldstein at [email protected]. Learn more about member tools, including an applicant tracking system, learning management system, DOL-approved apprenticeship for structural and reinforcing ironworkers, custom craft training, and discounts on insurance, AISC certification, and more at Member Benefits and Member Tools at SEAA.net. 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. During its annual convention in April 2023 in St. Augustine, Florida, Geoff Kress, President of Gardner-Watson Decking, Oldsmar, Florida, and Bryan McClure, Partner in Trivent Safety Consulting, Westminster, Colorado, received two of the association’s most prestigious recognitions. Kress received the William Davis Service award, and McClure was named Person of the Year. The William Davis Service Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated a life-long commitment to service in the steel construction industry. The award is the association’s highest honor, and is not issued annually. Recipients of the Person of the Year award have dedicated many hours supporting the association and providing their expertise. June 7, 2023 (Winston-Salem, N.C.) The Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) announces it has entered into an agreement to collaborate with Crane Risk Logic, a technology and data service provider dedicated to global crane risk improvement. As such, SEAA supports member company participation in the Crane Risk Logic Federation, which is a joint venture administered by Crane Risk Logic with the Crane Safety Research Lab at Texas A&M University on behalf of crane users, OEMs, trade groups, and related industry stakeholders. “Crane safety is one of the two most important aspects of steel construction—the other being fall protection,” said David Deem, President of SEAA. “The goal of our collaboration is to reduce and mitigate crane risks for our members, through access to research, training materials, and insights from subject matter experts,” he said. Crane Risk Logic and the Crane Safety Research Lab uses an innovative information exchange between crane designers, manufacturers, and owners, and organizations that transport, erect, and dismantle cranes, as well as site supervisors and safety managers of crane operations. “Findings are generated from anonymous accident data, real-time telematics, and equipment and device testing using engineering-based research, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Predictive Analytics models and other tools,” explained Kevin Cunningham, President and CEO of Crane Risk Logic. “As the knowledge base grows, the more accurate and powerful the information becomes for everyone participating in the Federation. When we know better, we do better,” said Jim Wiethorn, P.E., and founder of Crane Risk Logic and ICC Forensics. The impetus for the Crane Safety Research Lab was a catalog of crane accident causes gathered by Wiethorn over a span of 35 years. “SEAA is committed to continual investment in our industry by connecting industry leaders, creating a strong network of support, and increasing member value through collaborations such as this,” said Pete Gum, Executive Director of SEAA. This agreement is the latest in a series of investments SEAA has made in hiring, training, insurance, and risk mitigation tools for its members. 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 SEAA.net. |