Top Notch of Indiana held its annual Standards of Excellence Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 18th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Attendees came from all facets of the construction industry, including customers and owners, general contractors and construction managers, state and local government representatives, associates representing bonding, accounting, banking, etc., suppliers and subcontractors from all trades and from all over the state. There are awards given in four categories, Union of the Year, Training Excellence, Contractor of the Year and Labor Management Foundation Award.
ERMCO was honored to be named Contractor of the Year as well as joint winners of the Labor Management Foundation Award alongside the IBEW Local 481.
The Contractor of the Year award is different from other many other industry awards as the parameters include a review of all facets of company operation including productivity and efficiency, safety practices, commitment to education and training, commitment to diversity initiatives as well as contributions to construction industry economic development. Another unique aspect that sets this award apart is that the application process includes a survey to receive feedback from employees to ensure that a company is actually doing what it says it is doing. It also includes applicants from all general contractors and subcontractors in all trades from the entire state of Indiana so it is truly an honor to be recognized among such prestigious competition. In their comments, jurors recognized ERMCO's dedication to furthering employees in their careers, an emphasis on safety and ingenuity and the significance of being an employee owned company.
President and CEO Greg Gossett said about the award " Given the high quality of the contractors who were eligible, we are even more humbled by this recognition. Most of all, I want to emphasize that this is a team award. The measures considered by the judges are a direct reflection of the mission, vision and values of ERMCO. Our team members throughout the company have embraced these values and have made them a part of the ERMCO culture. Each one of you can be proud of the part you have played in making us the “Best of the Best,” as described by Top Notch."
The second award, the Labor Management Foundation Award, is given in recognition of bringing together the labor and management sectors of the construction industry to improve a job site, the industry or the community, the very premise on which Top Notch of Indiana was founded. This year, the jury was inspired by the
partnership that brought together our union partners and ERMCO to secure and successfully perform the ongoing work at the Market Square tower Project under the guidance of Dave Kessler III, Greg Cullison and Mike Hoover. Additionally, the MST project has been heavily supported by Abe Hundt in Construction Services, creating the coordination and layout drawings as well as helping to create and manage the prefabrication / productivity plan. The jury specifically noted the value of a labor management partnership that allows for flexible and innovative approaches to delivering what an owner’s specific site needs. This type of unique project delivery is critical to the growth of the industry throughout the region.
It truly was a great day for ERMCO and the members of the IBEW Local 481 - IBEW Local 481 was named Union of the Year. The only award that went outside of the electrical segment of the industry was the Training Excellence Award. However, the electrical Training Institute had a part in this award as it was presented to ‘Built to Succeed’, a cooperative effort that includes all of the union training programs focused on bringing youth into the organized construction market.
ERMCO Chairman, Darrell Gossett, summed up what winning these awards means to ERMCO - "It is truly a team effort and I couldn’t be prouder of our people who do what they do every day to allow us to win this prestigious award. To be recognized by Top Notch and by their panel of judges is just about the highest honor I can imagine receiving in our industry. We are both honored and humbled."