Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced the winners of the National Craft Championships, the 2016 National Safety Awards, the National Diversity Excellence Awards and the Excellence in Construction® Awards during its annual conference Workforce Week ’17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Workforce Week is ABC's annual celebration of the best in merit shop construction, recognizing the contributions of members, chapters and craft professionals to the construction industry and their dedication to excellence.

ABC Congratulates 2017 National Craft Champions
ABC announced the winners of the 30th annual National Craft Championships (NCC) during its Careers in Construction awards ceremony on March 3 at the conclusion of ABC’s Workforce Week '17.

“This year’s field of the top construction apprentices and trainees truly represents the very best the merit shop construction industry has to offer, and Associated Builders and Contractors could not be more proud of these talented men and women,” said 2017 ABC National Chair Chuck Goodrich, president of Gaylor Electric, Indianapolis. “Gaylor Electric and our fellow ABC member companies are truly fortunate to employ such a talented group of highly trained and incredibly skilled craft professionals who represent the future of our great industry.”

This year’s field of competitors featured nearly 170 craft professionals from 28 states competing for top honors in 13 competitions across 11 crafts. Competitors first took an intense, two-hour written exam and then competed in a daylong hands-on practical performance test. Cash prizes were awarded to medal winners with gold medal winners taking home $750, silver medal winners earning $500 and bronze medal winners receiving $350.

A list of the winners is available on ABC’s website.

Excellence in Construction® Awards
During the 27th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards, ABC honored 98 projects collectively worth $2.4 billion with National Eagle and Pyramid Awards. Read ABC National's news release honoring the award-winning projects.

The Excellence in Construction awards program is the industry’s leading competition that honors both general and specialty contractors for innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost.

A full list of Excellence in Construction Award winners is available on ABC’s website.

2016 National Safety Awards
ABC also recognized a total of 44 member companies for their industry-leading safety performance with 2016 National Safety Awards. Read ABC National's news release highlighting these safety leaders.

The 2016 National Safety Awards were selected from ABC member firms that achieved Diamond, Platinum and Gold status in ABC's Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) in 2016. During the selection process, they were judged on self-evaluation scores, lost workday case rates, total recordable incident rates, leading indicator use, process and program innovations and video interviews conducted by members of ABC’s National Environment, Health and Safety Committee. 

See a complete list of winners on ABC’s website.

National Diversity Excellence Awards
ABC awarded National Diversity Excellence Awards to five member companies: Hensel Phelps, Wu & Associates Inc., Diversity Construction Group, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo and United Rentals Inc. Representatives from each company received the award on March 1 during the 27th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards ceremony. Read ABC National's news release celebrating the winners.

The ABC National Diversity Excellence Awards program recognizes members that display exemplary diversity leadership in their workforce, supply chain and community with best-in-class recruitment policies, retention practices, and training and mentoring programs. 

hth companies Named Contractor of the Year 
During the Excellence in Construction Awards gala, ABC also announced that hth companies of Union, Mo., has been named its 2016 Contractor of the Year for its exceptional leadership in training, safety, innovation and commitment to the merit shop philosophy. Founder and CEO Greg Hoberock accepted the honor at the 27th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards gala on March 1 during Workforce Week ’17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

hth companies, led by the executive team of Greg Hoberock, Mike Freese, Doug Hoberock, Susan Hellebusch, Erin Freese and Shelley Sutton, embodies the principles of the merit shop in all areas of the business. The company was founded in Union, Mo., in 1984 as a family-owned mechanical contracting firm, and has since grown to include more than 600 employees in 13 states. In its more than 30-year history, hth companies has expanded its service offerings to include mechanical insulation, scaffold erection, industrial cleaning and maintenance, welding, pipefitting and confined space rescue. 

hth companies was also honored with a best-in-class National Safety Pinnacle Award during the Excellence in Construction Awards gala. The company’s world-class safety culture has earned it Diamond status in ABC’s STEP and produced an exceptionally low Experience Modification Rate of 0.59, making it among the safest construction companies in the United States.

hth companies is also featured in the cover story in March's issue of Construction Executive, which will arrive at businesses within the next week. Read the cover story online now or on the new Construction Executive app.

ABC Convention 2018
Join us next year at ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, California, March 18-22, 2018. Preregister before March 31 to receive $150 off full conference registration.