News & Insight

• Why More Young People Need to Consider Careers in Construction

  A career in construction offers rich opportunities for advancement, a great work life, competitive wages, and invaluable skills.

• A Key Challenge for Minority-Owned Subcontractors? Misperceptions.

  Messer Construction Co. Director of Economic Inclusion Sonya Walton explores the hurdles facing minority-and women-owned businesses and what you can do to help.

• How Do We Prepare for Indy

  Messer Construction Co. Vice President and Indianapolis Region Leader Steven Bestard shares his perspective on where the industry is heading and what the region can do to prepare for the future.

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  Messer Linbeck team wins 2017 Alliant Build America Award for Cincinnati Children

  Cincinnati Children’s / UC Health Proton Therapy Center was named by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) as the best new construction project valued between $10 million and $99 million and built in the U.S. within the last year.

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  Messer Construction Co. Issues 2017 Community Report

  Messer is pleased to share our 2017 Community Report—an annual overview and update on our company’s collective promise to be an invested community partner.

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  Messer wins Build Ohio Award for Ohio State

  Messer was selected by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Ohio to receive its prestigious 2016 Build Ohio Award for the recently completed North Residential District at The Ohio State University. Over the course of 30 months, together with our partners at Ohio State, Messer led the design-build team in the transformation and creation of the university’s North Residential District in the heart of a busy and occupied campus, for what was the largest public education project of its kind, valued at $320 million. Award criteria for the esteemed Build Ohio Award is based on demonstrated excellence in project management, client service and innovation in construction techniques / materials, as well as the degree of difficulty in meeting the challenges of the project. Project background & details The Ohio State University stands as one of the nation’s largest universities with nearly 65,000 students on campus. In 2010, Ohio State set out to propel itself into the forefront of modern American universities by redefining the student experience on campus with the creation of its Second-Year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) – the largest and most visible aspect of this program was the transformation and creation of its North Residential District. Almost a city unto itself, the 27-acre North Residential District features 1.1 million square feet of new construction: eight new residence halls for more than 3,800 students, two dining halls and a fitness center. In addition, this project also involved phased demolition of 11 buildings and phased replacement of all site utilities, infrastructure, hardscape, and landscape. At its peak, the project involved more than 900 craft workers. Using integrated project delivery concepts, a studio space provided a collaborative environment for architects, engineers, owners, users, and key subcontractors. The design-build team structure itself was complex and involved three construction firms; three architecture firms; structural, electrical, electrical and mechanical engineering firms; and ten other design and engineering firms—all under Messer’s leadership and contract.

• Messer’s Mary Kilburn Leads Knoxville’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Event for Women in Construction

  Senior Project Accountant Mary Kilburn was recently featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel for her leadership role in Knoxville’s local chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). The organization is commemorating its 50th Anniversary in Knoxville, TN, and Kilburn is currently serving as the chair of the celebration event. Kilburn, who has been a member of NAWIC for more than a decade, stated, “We definitely want to bring the ladies who are in the construction industry together. Not just the people who are on a construction site -- the whole gamut of construction, architecture, engineering, banking, legal services -- any relation to construction." To read more, please visit Knoxville News Sentinel.

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  Messer Construction Co. ranked No. 8 nationally for supplier diversity by DiversityInc

  Messer Construction Co. has earned eighth place on DiversityInc’s 2016 Top 13 Companies for Supplier Diversity ranking. The news was announced during DiversityInc’s diversity and inclusion keystone event held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Tuesday, April 19.   DiversityInc’s annual survey – tracking the nation’s top companies when it comes to hiring, retaining and promoting women, minorities, people with disabilities, LGBT and veterans – is the most rigorous, data-driven survey of its kind, gauging detailed demographics based on race/ethnicity and gender at some of the largest U.S. employers.   “We saw 23 companies increase their standings on the DiversityInc Top 50 and Specialty Lists in 2016, and more than 1,000 companies submitting for contention on the list,” said Luke Visconti, DiversityInc’s founder and CEO. “We are very encouraged by the commitment and dedication to diversity management shown by these top performing companies.”   Companies with more than 1,000 U.S.-based employees are eligible to enter, and there is no cost to compete. Each company’s rank is based on an objective analysis of 183 separate factors, based on data from a 300-question survey. The four equally weighted areas of measurement are Talent Pipeline, Equitable Talent Development, CEO/Leadership Commitment and Supplier Diversity.   “Messer is honored to be recognized among the top companies nationally for supplier diversity,” said Tom Keckeis, Messer President & CEO. “Supplier diversity is a key component of our business plan and is critical to the economic vitality of the diverse communities and customers we serve. We’re very proud to have our commitment in this important area recognized on a national level.”   DiversityInc’s Top 13 Companies for Supplier Diversity rankings include seven companies listed on the 2015 edition of the Fortune 500. Messer is the only construction company on the list.   “Supplier diversity has been engrained into the Messer culture,” said Stanford Williams, Messer Vice President, Chief Inclusion Officer. “We’ve committed a great deal of resources toward developing strategic relationships with high-performing minority- and women-owned subcontractors, ensuring that they have an opportunity to work on our jobsites and contribute to the communities they serve. That commitment has produced outstanding results, as last year Messer spent a company-record 19.59 percent of its total purchases with M/WBEs.”   The announcement dinner event included a keynote address from Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art; a sponsor address by Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.; and an after-party with entertainment from Kool & The Gang. To see the complete list, visit http://www.diversityinc.com/diversityinc-top-13-companies-supplier-diversity/. For a look at all of DiversityInc’s 2016 rankings, visit http://www.diversityinc.com/top50 or follow the conversation online with the hashtag #DITop50.  

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