Each year, Northwest Indiana professionals come together to celebrate the construction industry’s most notable achievements in performance and safety during an awards banquet hosted in partnership between the Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable (NWIBRT) and the Construction Advancement Foundation (CAF).
This year’s event, held May 8 at Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville, drew over 600 professionals who represent some of the most prominent owners, contractors and subcontractors in the industry. The banquet is an opportunity for attendees to receive recognition for outstanding work from the previous year while also congratulating their colleagues for elevating the industry in both project outcome and safety initiatives.
The annual event serves as two award banquets combined into one inspirational evening. NWIBRT’s awards are presented for exceptional safety performance in the construction industry and CAF awards highlight outstanding builders and projects throughout the previous year.
Aaron Janovitz, Chair of NWIBRT’s Safety Committee and Health and Safety Superintendent at bp Whiting Refinery, said that Indiana’s thriving construction industry is the result of leaders who place great emphasis in both of the two key areas.
“Superior performance and a steadfast commitment to safety spells success in the construction industry. You can’t have one without the other, and we are truly fortunate in our region to have companies who embrace that philosophy and put it into practice every single day,” said Janovitz. “It is an honor to celebrate those companies that have such an impact on the industry today and are positioned to keep moving the needle forward well into the future.”
NWIBRT honored owners, contractors and subcontractors in several categories for their achievements in safety in 2024. During the banquet, CAF presented the Construction Excellence Awards to contractors whose projects stood out over the past year. Dewey Pearman, executive director of CAF, said these honors recognize companies that demonstrate remarkable contributions in advancing the industry.
“With the completion of each new project, the talent, commitment and dedication behind it reminds us that while it can sometimes be a challenging field to navigate, it is, without a doubt, always a rewarding industry to be in,” said Pearman. “With a foundation built from such a high caliber group of companies and leaders, the future of our industry looks stronger than ever.”
Owner Excellence in Leadership Awards
ArcelorMittal
bp Whiting Refinery
Cargill
NIPSCO
Contractor of the Year Winner (Over 500,000 Hours Worked)
Amex Nooter
Contractor of the Year Winner (Under 500,000 Hours Worked)
BMWC Constructors, Inc.
Company of the Year
Superior Engineering
Excellence Awards
ACMS Group, Inc.
Advanced Engineering Services (AES)
Amex Nooter
BMWC Constructors, Inc.
F.E. Moran
Falk PLI
M&O Insulation Company
Petrochem Insulation, Inc.
Superior Engineering
Thatcher Foundations
Valdes Architecture and Engineering
Achievement Awards
AMS Industries, Inc.
Calumet Lumber Inc.
Code Red Safety
Continental Electric Company
Hard Rock Concrete Cutters, Inc.
Hasse Construction Company, Inc.
M.J. Electric
Meade
Morrison Construction Company
N.A. Logan, Inc.
Orbital Engineering, Inc.
R.J. Mycka, Inc.
Stevenson Crane Service, Inc.
The Pangere Corporation
Tonn and Blank Construction, LLC
Total Mill Services, Inc.
Total Safety U.S., Inc.
Recognition Awards
Brock Industrial Services, LLC
EMCOR Hyre Electric
F.H. Paschen
G.E. Marshall, Inc.
Griffin Fluid Management
Grimmer Construction
K2 Industrial Services, Inc.
Sargent Electric Company
Solid Platforms, Inc.
Site Safety Leader of the Year
Travis Bergstrom, Superior Construction
Jason Morris, Cargill
Certificates of Appreciation
Dr. Jim Arendas, Construction Advancement Foundation
Dorothy Falk, Falk PLI
Brian Fordon, Valdes Architecture & Engineering
Aaron Janovitz, bp Whiting Refinery
Kaley Kostelnik, Total Safety U.S., Inc.
Eileen Meingasner, Powers Health - Occupational Health
Matt Vena, Morrison Construction Company
Clay West, BMWC Constructors, Inc.
Jake Wheeler, Tonn and Blank Construction
Special Recognition Award
Rick Foor, Cargill, Inc.
Outstanding Apprentice Safety Leader Awards
Griffin Jelenski, Ironworkers Local 395
Kaleb Peterson, Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters
Steve Ragin, Ironworkers Local 395
Waylon C. Svitek, Stevens Engineering & Constructors
Outstanding Craft Person Safety Leader Awards
Jeremy Allison, Falk PLI
Rob Asztalos, EMCOR Hyre Electric
Ryan Baize, Calumet Lumber Inc
Tom Barcus, Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc.
Ashton Blagojevic, Morrison Construction Company
Shawn Bock, F.H. Paschen
Kevin Carrico, Thatcher Foundations
Josh Cavazos, Korellis
Derek Cavinder, Tranco Industrial Services, Inc.
Shane Chetney, Cargill
Ken Collette, Hasse Construction Company, Inc.
Michael Draus, Calumet Lumber Inc.
Dustin Dunham, Korellis
Rob Edwards, Thatcher Foundations
Jose Fernandez, Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc.
Tim Fishe, Sargent Electric
Shayne Fowler, Petrochem Insulation, Inc.
Luke Francis, Sargent Electric
Jeff Gaydusek, BMWC Constructors
Jaime Gomez, Superior Construction
Alex Guillermo, Falk PLI
Jim Jones, CORE Construction
Aaron Kamke, Cargill
Robert Legal, Morrison Construction Company
Gary Martin, Superior Construction
Brad Massengill, CORE Construction
Mike McDonald, EMCOR Hyre Electric
Danny Medina, Thatcher Foundations
Taniya Michiaels, Morrison Construction Co.
Nick Morris, Falk PLI
Tom Ortiz, Hard Rock Concrete Cutters, Inc.
Kenny Owens, Thatcher Foundations
Steve Persic, Thatcher Foundations
Efrain Ramirez, K2 Industrial Services
Paul Schumann, M. J. Electric
Dan Silverman, Milestone Contractors North, LLC
Kenny Simmons, Tranco Industrial Services, Inc.
Steve Slaven, FLUOR
Adam Spanier, Hasse Construction Company, Inc.
Chris Spudic, Calumet Lumber Inc.
Pat Sullivan, Morrison Construction Company
Ron Uylaki, Superior Construction
Deric Wilson, CORE Construction
Stephen Wright, Superior Construction
Innovation Awards
BMWC Constructors – 360-degree cameras to help improve construction quality and safety
Fluor – Safety software, tailored PPE
Solid Platforms, Inc. - Safety, communication and leadership skills development program
Superior Construction - Implementation of HammerTech to centralize safety data, improve ppe, and reduce injuries
Life Saver Awards
Branden Carden, Meade
Jon O’Dor, Korellis
Commerical Contractor of the Year
Berglund Construction
Industrial Contractor of the Year
Superior Construction
Heavy Civil/Highway Contractor of the Year
Hasse Construction Co., Inc.
Professional And Engineering Services Firm of the Year
DLZ
Specialty Contractor of the Year
Thatcher Foundations Inc.
Commercial Project of the Year
Larson-Danielson Construction Co., Inc.; Project - HealthLinc
Industrial Project of the Year
Superior Construction; Project - bp Whiting Refinery
Public Works Project of the Year
Grimmer Construction, Inc.; Project - SSO Remedial Project, Town of Highland
Heavy/Civil Highway Project of the Year
Superior Construction ; Project - INDOT R-43722 (I-80-94)
Maintenance/Service Project of the Year
BMWC Constructors, Inc.; Project - NIPSCO/Michigan City Unit 12 Outage
Excellence in Professional Development
Superior Construction
