Merit Contractors Association celebrates 20 years

Four Apprentice of the Year awards were also given out. The winners are: Justin Jackman, 1st period plumber/gasfitter with Botting & Associates Alberta Ltd. (Calgary); Michael Chaplin, 2nd period plumber/gasfitter with Botting & Associates Alberta Ltd. (Calgary); Harvey Bergstreiser, 3rd period carpenter with Coram Construction (Edmonton); and Karl Yackel, 4th period carpenter with Coram Construction (Edmonton).

Awards given out to member firms, apprentices and employees at event attended by Edmonton’s mayor

Merit Contractors Association celebrated its 20th anniversary at its Annual General Meeting on May 31 in Edmonton at the Royal Glenora Club. Merit was honoured to have His Worship, Mayor Stephen Mandel, and the first President of Merit, George Durocher, as guest speakers. Over 200 people attended the event.Many awards were given out throughout the evening. Merit honours member firms recognized by their employees as outstanding employers. Five companies received Employer of Excellence awards; Brazzo Contractors Ltd. (Edmonton); Dawson Wallace Construction Ltd. (Edmonton); Muth Electrical Management Inc. (Edmonton); G & M Plumbing & Heating Ltd. (Grande Prairie); and Alggin Metal Industries Ltd. (Calgary).

This year, Merit introduced the Merit-Ascentus Construction Employee of the Year Award. The winners are: Mehn Tsen, shop worker with Urban Scaffolding Ltd. (Edmonton); Gregory Matwiiw, journeyman plumber with Tom’s Town & Country Plumbing & Gasfitting Ltd. (Wetaskiwin); and Garry Daubert, project superintendent with T1 Telecom Inc. (Calgary).

The winner of the Willard Kirkpatrick Training Award is Expocrete Concrete Products Ltd. in Acheson. They began producing pavers and sidewalk slabs in 1980. Today their plant is one of the largest and most modern paver plants in Western Canada, with currently 60 employees.

Stephen Kushner, President of Merit Contractors Association, says, “we’re honoured to have the opportunity to recognize such outstanding achievements by Merit members and their employees. Congratulations.”

A new annual scholarship program was announced, to help the children of Merit member company employees pay expenses in their first year of post-secondary education. Merit will contribute $400 to 100 students who are beginning their first year studies in a post-secondary program in 2006. Merit has $340,000 to fund this initiative.

The Merit Contractors Association is a province-wide non-profit association comprised of 1,100 contractor member firms that employ over 30,000 people in commercial, institutional and industrial construction sectors. The Association was formed in 1986 to serve the needs of the open shop construction industry, particularly in the area of human resource programs.

Merit continues to be the fastest growing construction association in Canada, and is the 2nd largest provider of high school awards in the province, next to the provincial government.

Merit membership grew from 960 to approximately 1,060 companies in 2005, and its job recruitment website, www.constructionjobstores.com, has over 5,000 prospective employees registered. Over 300 jobs have been posted since January 2006.

Merit provides 150 scholarships to grade 12 students, and to recruit more people for the construction industry, Merit is offering a Construction Boot Camp in June and July 2006.