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Messer Receives Statewide Award from Association

(September 17, 2008)  Indianapolis, Ind.  – Messer Construction Co. has received the 2008 “Associate Member of the Year” award from the Indiana Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (IAHSA). The company was honored for its support of the Franklin United Methodist Communities (FUMC) when the facility flooded in June.

Messer has been working on an extensive 18-month renovation of the FUMC complex in Franklin, Ind. On Friday, June 6, 2008, heavy rains began soaking the area. The next morning, Tim Steigerwald, vice president of Messer, saw on the TV news that several buildings in Franklin near FUMC had flooded. He called Adam Bryce, the foreman of the project, to alert him to the situation. Bryce was already on the scene with project executive Tom Hart.

Because of the tremendous volume of rain that had fallen in the area, all of the floor drains on FUMC’s lower level had backed up, leaving much of the 5,000-square-foot space six inches deep in rising water. Hart and Bryce quickly obtained a pump, set it up, and began removing water. They were joined that Saturday morning by Steigerwald and Steve Bestard, Messer’s operations vice president, who began mopping and pushing squeegees to assist the process.

Hart and Bryce ended up working nearly 48 hours straight. The extraordinary efforts of the Messer employees prevented thousands of dollars of additional damage to the facility. In addition, the disruption to the lives of more than 600 senior residents at the facility was kept to a minimum.

To recognize the Messer crew’s “above and beyond” service, FUMC nominated the company for the IAHSA award.

“In addition to their hard work, the Messer staff demonstrated quick and strategic thinking while volunteering to help our staff react to a potentially disastrous situation,” said Keith B. Van Deman, chief advancement officer of FUMC. “Messer has served as a tremendous partner to our organization throughout the renovation process and on several occasions has shown how much they care for our senior residents, as exemplified by their support during the flood.”

“We’re pleased to be nominated and proud to be selected for this award,” said Steigerwald. “We have established a special relationship with our friends at FUMC, and were glad to be able to do our part during the flood.”

IAHSA is an association representing not-for-profit services and facilities for the elderly. IAHSA members are non-profit organizations, providing high quality health care, services and housing for over 25,000 seniors throughout Indiana. IAHSA members are sponsored by or affiliated with religious, fraternal, governmental, and community organizations.

About Messer Construction Co.
Messer Construction Co. is a regional general contractor and construction manager that provides leadership for complex building projects in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Founded in 1932, Messer has built a premier reputation for providing outstanding construction experiences and value to a diverse group of clients. In 2007, Messer put in place approximately $650 million in commercial construction.

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