In 2021, SEAA renamed the annual Education Fundraiser Golf Tournament in memory of Dave Schulz, SEAA past president, who was instrumental in organizing the event for many years. The 2021 tournament will be held in Orlando, Fla., on October 12, preceding the 48th Convention & Trade Show.

The Captain’s Choice style tournament is open to members and non-members. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place teams, longest drive, closest to the pin, and more.

Registration fees include green fee, cart, range balls, lunch, and beverages. Sponsorship opportunities are also available at seaa.net/daveschulzgolf.

Through this event, SEAA has awarded more than $40,000 in Craft Training grants and for the
development of training videos. SEAA is working toward developing approximately 20 Level 1 videos that can be used to accompany the SEAA/NCCER Ironworker Craft Training Program.

SEAA supports the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. The week-long focus on fall prevention will be held May 3-7, 2021.

Erectors are encouraged to plan events at their job sites. In April, SEAA will distribute to members tips for holding an effective safety stand down and recommendations on topics relevant to fall prevention in steel erection. Members will have the option to order banners and hard stickers to utilize during their events. In addition, SEAA member Trivent Safety Consulting will offer members a free virtual Ironworkers Fall Protection Awareness class on May 5, 2021 at 11 AM MST taught by Scott Seppers. The one hour class will focus on Overview of OSHA’s Fall Protection Standards for Ironworkers- Subpart R & Subpart M; SRl’s- Overhead vs. Leading/Sharp Edge; and Fall Arrest Component Compatibility. ​

“We suggest choosing a topic that employees will relate to, either something that is specific to your job site or workforce or that comes from past incidents or near misses,” suggests Glen Pisani of MAS Building & Bridge in Massachusetts and a SEAA board member.

“The tips and banner packages are designed to make this easy for erectors of all sizes,” said Pisani. SEAA members can post their event photos on social media using hashtags #standdown4safety and #seaa.

Members can order their SEAA Stands with Ironworkers banner and hard hat stickers at www.seaa.net/standdown.html.  “The materials aren’t dated, so they can be used again and again for future Fall Prevention Stand Down meetings,” said Pisani. Deadline to place an order is April 19.

The second round of the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loans opened on January 11, 2021. The U.S. Small Business Administrations (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Treasury released the final guidance for first time applications, and stronger stipulations for second time borrowers.  

Forgivable PPP loans require that 60 percent of the loan pay employees & wages and 40 percent is used for rent, utilities, mortgage interest payments and other expenses.  

First time applicants can apply for loan coverage for any length between 8 and 24 weeks. Among the other business-related expenses that can be covered by the loan are supplier costs and property damage.  

Second time borrowers must have fewer than 300 employers, and must prove that they suffered at least a 25 percent drop in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.

The SEAA Board of Directors announces that Tom Underhill, Executive Director, retired as of December 31, 2020. He served in that role from 2011 to 2020.

“We appreciate Tom’s years of service both as the association’s director and before that as a past
president of the association,” said Geoff Kress, SEAA President.

Under the direction of Underhill, SEAA implemented its Ironworker Craft Training Program and achieved U.S. DOL-approval of its Ironworker Apprenticeship, re-launched Connector magazine, and has worked closely with other industry groups on technical standards, workforce development issues, and promotion of erector and fabricator interests.

“Hiring a new Executive Director is the first priority of the Board of Directors,” said David Deem,
Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee. “However, the association is first conducting a full evaluation to assist in selecting an Executive Director that will help the association position itself to meet the future needs of members.”

“Like many organizations, the past year has forced us to re-examine how we conduct the business of the association in a way that assures we will remain relevant and responsive to the needs of steel erection and fabrication contractors,” said Kress. In the meantime, the association continues business as usual under the management of its Board of Directors and with assistance of staff.

David Alan Schulz was born October 9, 1954 in Saginaw, Michigan. He died December 19, 2020 at his home in Sanford, North Carolina. He was 66.

Known by his friends as Dave, he was a hardworking ironworker who started his career in construction in 1973 erecting grain dryers and boilers. Described as a funny, kind, and generous fireball of a personality, Dave was certainly rough around the edges. But that exterior belied a heart of gold.

With more gumption than money, he and his wife Cindy, opened Schulz Iron Works, Inc., in 1999 equipped with not much more than a pickup truck and credit card. Anyone who ever observed Dave and Cindy together knows that they just fit together. Married for 34 years, he adored her beyond measure.

Cindy serves as President, managing the business side of Schulz Iron Works, while Dave as Vice
President, remained hands on, reportedly working as many as six days a week, often in the field.
Together they assembled a team that today is about 45 people strong and feels more like family than employees. Several have been with Schulz Iron Works for 20+ years.

Generous with both his time and finances, Dave was a man of second chances, affording many of his employees an opportunity for a fresh start and a career path. He supported them in more ways than just a paycheck, investing in their personal and professional lives. For example, he was godfather to one team member’s child and made sure another had a company truck with a king cab, suitable for toting children in car seats to school.

In much the same way, he was passionate about safety, which was a key reason he joined the Steel
Erectors Association of America in 2001. Schulz Iron Works was one of the first companies to become an accredited training and assessment site in the SEAA/NCCER Ironworker Craft Training Program, which he later expanded to also include crane operator and rigger training for his employees. He shared these training resources with other companies; on more than one occasion brought nearly one-fourth of his crew to SEAA’s annual conventions; and put his all into fundraising for SEAA’s education and training programs.

Dave first joined the SEAA board of directors in 2007. He served on the Safety & Education Committee for several years and more recently led the planning for SEAA’s Annual Education Fundraiser Golf Tournament at Lonnie Poole Golf Course located on the campus of NC State University in Raleigh, N.C. In typical Dave style, he agreed to not charge a customer for change orders if the company supported the golf tournament. That charitable mind set permeated much of the company’s activities with donated supplies and labor for Raleigh-area community projects and the NC State Student Steel Bridge Competition.

An unofficial ambassador of SEAA, Dave was named the association’s Person of the Year in 2009 and was elected President in 2018. Achieving this goal was a life-long dream of Dave’s which at times may have seemed like wishful thinking to anyone but Dave. The man was not polished—he wore red sneakers with his dress pants—and at times he had no filter, which was often hilarious. But when he screwed up, he learned from it. His energy and passion for life was amazing; his kindness overwhelming.