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Forum Awards to Honor CCDI, Ehlmann, Hispanic Chamber, Kimbrough, McCoy, Negwer, Wies

Posted on 01/10/2020

The Construction Forum Education Foundation (CFEF) will honor individuals and organizations that have contributed to change in the areas of diversity/inclusion, workforce, regionalism, and collaboration at its fifth annual “Building Tomorrow Awards”

The awards will be presented at a luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 6 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. at the LiUna Event Center, 4532 Lindbergh Blvd.. Cost of the event — a fundraiser for the CFEF — is $50 per person. Reservations are required. To register, click here.

CFEF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which has the mission, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the STL built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.”

The awards are structured around individuals and organizations that exemplify Construction Forum STL’s core areas of focus. Nominations are made by the general public. Awardees are selected by the Forum’s board of directors.

Individuals and organizations being recognized at the fifth annual Building Tomorrow Awards are: 

Tim Wies, CEO, T.J. Wies Contracting — Workforce,  (Individual): The company that Tim Wies started in his basement 25 years ago is now the 19th largest wall and ceiling contracting company in the U.S., according to ENR. Recent or continuing TJ Wies Contracting jobs include those at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, Centene Corp., the museum at Gateway Arch National Park, and Ballpark Village.

Tim Wies

Through it all Tim Wies has been a leader in his industry. He likes to say that, “There’s been enough talk. It’s time to do something.” In his position leading T.J. Wies and as national president of the national Association of Wall and Ceiling Contractors, Wies has been a longtime innovator in building an inclusive workforce pipeline.

He has tried many out-of-the-box solutions to the issue (e.g. recruiting college football players with non-marketable degrees) and is candid about what has and hasn’t worked. Wies has partnered for many years with Demetrius Johnson, a former NFL player, whose foundation has worked for over 20 years with inner-city youth. Recognizing the need for cultural sensitivity for diverse apprentices, Wies and his team developed an onboarding process for new workers that strives to make the entire team   aware and comfortable with the new normal in the workplace.

Construction Careers Development Initiative (CCDI):  Workforce (Organization):   Since 2015, CCDI has been striving to increase awareness of the construction trades and developing the local workforce. A 501(c)3 , led by Clayco Executive Vice President Tom Sieckhaus, CCDI is an independent organization with a mission of bringing, “diversity to the Design and Construction industry by mentoring and exposing minority/underrepresented and under employed men and women to career development in construction.”  The organization, comprised of general contractors, educators, subcontractors and suppliers, and professional staff,  has posted impressive metrics.

In CCDI, high school students get a construction-related mentor and have monthly construction academies where they get exposed to a different degree or trade every month and also learn soft skills and financial planning. They go on job site visits and see the office and field side of construction for a well-rounded perspective .

To date the program has trained and placed 65 jobseekers into full time employment. It is currently training 56 jobseekers and 18 students are receiving higher education with a CCDI scholarship.

Art McCoy, Superintendent, Jennings School District — Diversity: Art McCoy, Ph.D., is an inspiring champion of children and nationally recognized educator. At age 19, he began his career as a math teacher in the Rockwood School District, reportedly as the youngest certified teacher in the State of Missouri.

Art McCoy

In December 2010, Dr. McCoy became the youngest and first African-American Superintendent/CEO of Ferguson-Florissant School District at age 33. He was leader for Harvard’s Pathways to Prosperity, a national education initiative designed to build career pathways systems for high-school-aged students.

In 2016, he became Superintendent in Jennings School District. Under his leadership, the classes of 2017 through 2019 achieved 100% graduation and career and college placement. Dr. McCoy has been highly effective in collaborating with the St. Louis construction industry leaders to creative career opportunities for Jennings Students.

Scott Negwer, CEO, Negwer Materials — Construction Forum Board of Directors’ Award:  Since 1995, Scott Negwer has led the Negwer Materials, architectural products company that his family founded in Ferguson in 1924.  At the same time, he has taken personal ownership of leadership in social equity, workforce development, and economic growth for all people in the St. Louis Region.

Scott Negwer

Negwer served on the Ferguson Commission. He has worked to implement mentor programs for minority youth within Negwer. He was 2017 president of North County, Inc., an organization which acts as a catalyst to define and advocate economic and community development for North St. Louis County.

In his Ferguson Commission bio Negwer wrote, “I was born and raised in Ferguson, as was my father. My grandfather started Negwer Materials in Ferguson in 1924, and its headquarters are still there. I am now president of the company with nine locations and more than 200 employees. As business owner and citizen, I am very committed to Ferguson and the entire North County community.

“One of my strengths is the ability to take a complex issue and break it down into pieces. I also know what I do not know and am open minded. My main reason for wanting to be involved is this is a passion of mine on many fronts. I am passionate about education. I am passionate about enabling those who are disadvantaged to succeed, and I am passionate about the well-being of North County.”

Steve Ehlmann, St. Charles County Executive — Regional Unity: Steve E. Ehlmann is a strong representative of his constituency, but has also been an equally strong proponent of regional collaboration. Ehlmann has served as St. Charles County executive since 2007. He has also served as a circuit judge and in the Missouri General Assembly in the Missouri Senate and the House of Representatives, where he rose to the level of Senate Minority Floor Leader. Strengthening his ability to lead is his grasp of the past and his ability to drill down into the data to understand the needs of his constituents and the problems and needs of the region.

Steve Ehlmann

Ehlmann has vocally supported a STL Region-wide collaborative approach to issues such as public safety, economic development, and the future of Lambert Airport.

A lifelong Republican, and a conservative in the traditional sense of that term, Ehlmann has pushed back against blanket definitions of regionalism, stating that the opinions and the needs of all the Region’s citizens need to be considered in decisions affecting the Region as a whole.

His no-nonsense, humorous approach is personified in this written response to an article to which he took exception:  “We have never suggested that Jefferson and Franklin counties should not have a say in regional initiatives… I did not, as you state, ‘swoop into an East-West Gateway Council of Governments meeting.’ Like everyone else, I took the elevator as I have for the last eleven years, during which I have worked with other regional leaders to reach consensus on transportation, public safety and regional planning issues.”

Orv Kimbrough, CEO, Midwest BankCentre — Working Relationships (Individual): As CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, he introduced technology and accountability into the agency’s giving platform drove a bold new funding vision of, “pay for collaboration, pay for innovation, pay for performance”. He was an inspirational figure, focused on bringing the Region’s people together to focus on UWGSL’s mission of, “helping people live their best possible lives.

Orv Kimbrough

Today Kimbrough — a product of the St. Louis Public Schools and the State of Missouri foster care system — serves as CEO of Midwest BankCentre. His vision for the bank is, “to empower people, enable business and energize neighborhoods through the strength of our financial services. We rise together.”

The American Banking Association recognized the Midwest in 2019 with a national award for its work in Bosnian and black neighborhoods. At the time of the award,  Kimbrough said: “It’s not social justice, it’s business. Capital, far more so than philanthropy, helps people achieve their dreams. Diversity and inclusion are not a tactic, they’re a business strategy.”

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis — Working Relationships (Organization): Growing from 200 members to over 500 between 2013 and 2018 as the Hispanic Chamber has done is an impressive metric. Even more impressive are the connections that the collaborations that the Chamber has built within the broader St. Louis community.

The Chamber was founded in 1982 by a group of Hispanic businesspersons interested in increasing opportunities for Hispanic business owners. Under the leadership of President and CEO Karlos Ramirez the organization the Chamber has connected with the economic development and construction backbone of the St. Louis Region.

Ramirez has served on the boards of the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the Contractor Loan Fund. He is the current board chair of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. Gabriela S. Ramírez-Arellano, the Chamber’s business counselor, was chosen for the Diversity Champion award by the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers in 2018 and was recognized in 2017 as one of  the, “Top 100 St. Louisans to Know”  to succeed in business by Small Business Monthly.

“Our members and supporters have the ability to see into the future and realize that the growth of Hispanic businesses and the Hispanic Chamber goes hand-in-hand with the growth of our regional economy,”  Karlos Ramirez said.

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