The Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable and the Construction Advancement Foundation honored almost 60 companies during their annual awards banquet on May 12 in Merrillville.

Companies were given awards for safety performance and project outcomes, among others, for work performed in 2022.

“At the heart of successful construction projects lies an unwavering commitment to safety,” said Rick Foor, NWIBRT safety committee chair and Cargill health and safety manager. “Companies in NWI continually strive to improve their safety practices, even amidst the most challenging of circumstances.”

About 600 construction professionals attend the banquet each year.

Here are 2023's winners:

2023 NWIBRT Award Winners

Contractor of the Year            

• Solid Platforms, Inc. (Over 500,000 hours worked in NWI)
• Hard Rock Concrete Cutters (Under 500,000 hours worked in NWI)

Company of the Year

• Falk PLI

Owner Excellence in Leadership

• BP
• Cargill

Innovation Award

• Cargill Inc.
• EMCOR Hyre Electric
• Fluor Constructors – Suncoke
• Thatcher Foundations Inc.
• Total Safety U.S. Inc.

Site Safety Leader of the Year (Roger Walters Memorial Award)

• David Cooper, Thatcher Foundations Inc.

Excellence Award

• Advanced Engineering Services
• AMS Industries Inc.
• Brock Industrial Services LLC
• Calumet Lumber Inc.
• Falk-PLI
• Fluor Constructors – Suncoke
• Hard Rock Concrete Cutters
• Industrial Contractors & Engineers Inc.
• Luse Contracting Group
• Meccon Industries Inc.
• Middough Inc.
• N.A. Logan Inc.
• Nooter Chicago
• One Way Safety
• Petrochem Insulation
• R.J. Mycka Inc.
• Solid Platforms Inc.
• Stevenson Crane Service Inc.
• Superior Engineering LLC
• Total Mill Services Inc.
• Valdes Architecture and Engineering

Achievement Award

• ACMS Group Inc.
• Atlas Technical Consultants
• BMWC Constructors
• Continental Electric Company Inc.
• DLZ Industrial LLC
• Griffin Contract Dewatering LLC
• K2 Industrial Services Inc.
• Superior Construction
• Total Safety U.S. Inc.

Recognition Award

• Barton Malow Company
• Central Rent-A-Crane Inc.
• EMCOR Hyre Electric
• Fluor Constructors – Cargill
• Hasse Construction Company Inc.
• Hayes Mechanical
• Meade Industries
• Morrison Construction Co.
• Orbital Engineering Inc.
• Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc.
• Sargent Electric Co.
• SEI Solutions
• Thatcher Foundations Inc.
• The Pangere Corporation
• Tonn and Blank Construction
• Tranco Industrial Services Inc.

Outstanding Crafts Persons Safety Leader Award

• David Adams, Hard Rock Concrete Cutters
• Jess Adams, DLZ Industrial
• Kurt Allison, Thatcher Foundations
• John Babe, BMWC Constructors
• Jason Bannwart, Milestone Contractors
• Mike Bilderback, Sargent Electric Company
• Steve Birchett, Morrison Construction Co.
• Jim Booker, Korellis
• Sean Burke, Barton Malow
• Kevin Carrico, Thatcher Foundations
• William Clausing, Sargent Electric Co.
• Johnny Cross, Korellis
• Shaun Daly, Morrison Construction Co.
• Joe Dapshis, Industrial Contractors & Engineers
• Todd Doland, Fluor Constructors
• Robert Donovan, DLZ Industrial
• Jason Fowler, ICE Scaffolding
• Tony Garwood, Fluor Constructors
• Jordan Grommet, Cargill
• Jorge Hernandez, Barton Malow
• Robin Jimenez, Fluor Constructors
• Rick Kekelik, Fluor Constructors
• Robert Matijevich, Morrison Construction Co.
• Brian Murray, DLZ Industrial
• Michael Neidow, Morrison Construction Co.
• Nate Peffers, Solid Platforms Inc.
• Jerry Ripley, Morrison Construction Co.
• Jerry Russell, EMCOR Hyre Electric
• Nick Sekulowski, Fluor Constructors
• Jamie Serrano, The Pangere Corp.
• Tim Singleton, Superior Construction
• Brian Taubee, Rieth-Riley Construction
• Bill VanSchepen, Rieth-Riley Construction
• Jaime Vargas, Milestone Contractors
• Roy Walter, Sargent Electric Co.
• Jason Zelenc, Industrial Contractors & Engineers
• Matt Zuzich, Hard Rock Concrete Cutters

Certificates of Appreciation

• Jim Arendas, CAF
• Rick A. Foor, Cargill
• Brian Fordon, Valdes Engineering Co.
• Kaley Kostelnik, Total Safety U.S. Inc.
• Shoji Nakayama, University of Wisconsin
• Clay West, Cargill

2023 CAF Award Winners

Contractors of the Year

• Commercial Contractor of the Year: Larson-Danielson Construction Company Inc.
• Industrial Contractor of the Year: Hasse Construction Company Inc.
• Highway Contractor of the Year: Superior Construction
• Professional/Engineering Contractor of the Year: DLZ Industrial
• Specialty Contractor of the Year: Thatcher Foundations Inc.

Excellence in Professional Development

• Hasse Construction Company Inc.

Projects of the Year

Maintenance/Service Project of the Year

• ACMS Group Inc.
• Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor Coke Plant

Industrial/Capital Project of the Year

• Morrison Construction Co.
• United States Steel Pig Iron Caster

Commercial Project of the Year

• Larson-Danielson Construction Company Inc.
• Northwest Health – LaPorte

Public Works Project of the Year

• Hasse Construction Company Inc.
• City of East Chicago

Highway Project of the Year

• Superior Construction
• INDOT Bridge Deck Overlay

Portage-based CAF, which was founded in 1967, is a regional construction industry trade organization representing more than 500 contractors in Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Starke and Jasper counties. NWIBRT is a nonprofit council of local companies committed to safety and quality in the construction and maintenance industries.