FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED IT:
Honoring Our 2021 Idaho AGC Award Recipients By Hailey Reyes, Idaho AGC
ITD director Brian Ness receiving the SIR Award from Idaho AGC president Anna Sparrell. PHOTO CREDIT: DEREN MARTINEZ.
O
n December 8, 2021, the Idaho AGC held its 87th Annual Awards Gala. While the event had record attendance at over 630 guests, some of you may have missed it. The Awards Gala, as the name implies, seeks to bring the industry together for many reasons, but primarily to honor and recognize those serving the industry and organization. While not recognized at the evening’s Gala, it absolutely bears mentioning that the Idaho AGC also presents annual National AGC Safety Awards (NASA) to members at the general meeting that takes place the day prior. The NASA Awards recognize members who have participated actively in the national
28 BUILDING IDAHO • 2022 SPRING/SUMMER
safety program for the three years prior to receiving the award, in additional to maintaining a low safety incident rate during those years. In 2021, only ONE member company had the honor of this distinction: Railco, LLC. When asked what the secret is to building a culture of safety excellence, general manager Kevin Wade shared that the “recipe for success” was cooked up using a few different ingredients, including managing the size of the company, good leadership, communication, and skill. “Having an owner that deeply cares about the company and staff…finding supervisors that feel the same way, results in an environment that fires on all cylinders. We look after each other like a true team does,” Wade said. “Good ownership and good management equate to retention of good employs, which in turn increases skill through experience, which means fewer mistakes and fewer accidents.” Congratulations to Railco on exemplifying the culture of safety excellence we all aspire to in the industry. The evening of the Gala, there were two President’s Cup recipients. The President’s Cup is the oldest award given by the Idaho AGC, and is awarded to individuals who have contributed greatly of their time and effort to the betterment of the construction industry. Both awards this year honored individuals who have
tirelessly worked to solve the industry’s number one challenge: workforce development. The first award went to Wendi Secrist, executive director of the Idaho Workforce Development Council who, as AGC CEO Wayne Hammon put it, is, “leading the statewide charge from the top. She is a tireless advocate for our industry and is personally engaged in the effort to eliminate red tape, secure financial support, and increase the flow of workers through the pipeline and onto our payrolls.” The second award went to Andrew DiPietro, formerly of Starr Corp. “[Andrew] is tackling the issue from the other end of the spectrum. Instead of working from the top down, he’s leading the charge from the ground up. His efforts include countless hours of volunteering in local schools, serving on the advisory board of the local community college’s CTE program, helping to lead the construction combine in his area, and much more.” The Associate Member of the Year is awarded to members who, while not contractors themselves, work hard to ensure that Idaho’s construction industry continues to thrive. They provide supplies and services to those of us who build things, and are an essential part of the process and of our organization. Hammon noted on stage that, “In the
