Merit Contractors Association announces awards

Open shop contractors in Alberta gathered recently to recognize excellence and take care of some association business. Merit Contractors Association met in Edmonton and handed out awards for top apprentices, employees and firms.

Three Willard Kirkpatrick Awards were presented at the gala.

The small company award was presented to Elite Formwork Inc., the medium-sized company award went to Fillmore Construction Management and the large company award went to Clark Builders.

The Willard Kirkpatrick Awards look at the training opportunities that employers offer their employees.

All of the employers offered some type of financial compensation or coverage for training, and have made learning and development a priority.

A number of apprenticeship awards were also handed out that evening. These awards recognize exceptional performance by first, second and third period apprentices employed and nominated by Merit member companies this year.

An independent judging committee considered all nominations to determine the winners.

The Jake Thygessen Award for the top first period Merit apprentice went to Alyssa Shaw.

Shaw had originally intended to become a plumber, but she said she was glad she made the switch to electrical after completing her pre-trades work. She said that she’s always liked working with her hands and appreciates that, in her line of work, there is always a visual result when the project is finished. She works for ProSpark.

The George Durocher Award, for the best second period Merit apprentice was presented to Patrick Blouin, an electrician with Muth Electrical Management Inc.

The Bill Stewart Award for the top third period top Merit apprentice was given to Curtis Harrison, an electrician with Action Electric, Ltd.

The award is named in honour of Stewart, the Merit Contractors Association vice president, who passed away late last year.

Two construction field employees were also recognized for their contributions.

The Merit and Royal & SunAlliance Construction Employee of the Year awards were given to Keiron Tanner, a superintendent/cladder with Clark Builders and Jason Jeglum, a foreman with Alta Pro Electric Ltd. Catherine Swift of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses was the keynote speaker on the evening.

During the annual general meeting portion of the evening, Alan Kuysters of PCL assumed the chair of the Merit board.

JOC DIGITAL MEDIA