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ASSOCIATION NEWS
■ SEAA Honors Association Leaders at 2024 Convention and Trade Show
During the 2024 Convention and Trade Show in Glendale, Arizona, association leaders were recognized for their passion and dedication to the association and the steel industry as a whole.
David Deem, President of Deem Structural Services and outgoing SEAA President, received the association’s highest honor, the William Davis Service Award. In addition, he shared the inaugural Top Trailblazer award with Jack Nix, Chief Operations Officer for Shelby Erectors, and incoming SEAA President.
“The William Davis Service Award is not presented lightly. This award is reserved for individuals who have demonstrated a life-long commitment to service in the steel construction industry,” said SEAA’s Executive Director. R. Pete Gum.
Deem has been active in SEAA for nearly 30 years, serving on the Board of Directors at various times through the decades. He was named SEAA Person of the Year in 2019.
Chris Legnon, Vice President Technology for Cooper Steel and SEAA Marketing Committee Chairman, was named SEAA’s 2024 Person of the Year. Legnon joined SEAA’s Board of Directors in 2015 and has served on the Media Advisory Committee for Connector magazine since 2017. That role was expanded in 2021 when he took on Chairman of the newly formed Marketing Committee.
“Chris has been a constant and reliable presence through the redesign of Connector, website rebuilds, and strategic marketing initiatives,” said Tracy Bennett, Editor of Connector.
Trailblazers Lead Member Recruitment
New this year was the Trailblazer Award, given to any individual who recruited three or more new members in the previous year. The Top Trailblazer is reserved for the person who recruited the most members.
“It doesn’t come as a shock that David Deem and Jack Nix, our outgoing and incoming Presidents, respectively, recruited the most new companies. We already knew that David and Jack are passionate about the associations. Their fierce battle to win this new award ended in a tie, but getting to see them both in their gold Trailblazer jackets was priceless,” said Gum.
The other Trailblazers were Tracy Bennett, President of Mighty Mo Media Partners and Editor of Connector, and Geoff Kress, President of Gardner-Watson Decking.
“Since the Covid pandemic, SEAA membership has grown by 40% and in 2023 we secured a 96% member retention rate—a first for the association,” said Jack Nix, outgoing chairman of the Membership Committee. “We came up with the Trailblazer award in order to tap into that excitement and set us up for sustained growth. We wanted to provide an incentive to our members so that we can keep the momentum going and continue to provide resources and support for all steel professionals. At our 2025 Convention in Pittsburgh, I want to see a stage full of people wearing Gold Hard Hats,” said Nix.
■ SEAA launches Stand Up for Mental Health page
Within the industry, ironworkers and rodbusters are even more at risk of dying by suicide than other types of construction workers. “As SEAA was made aware of the staggering statistics surrounding mental health and suicide rates in our industry, the association’s Board of Directors made the decision to join other industry stakeholders to provide education and resources for our members,” said R. Pete Gum, Executive Director. Along with the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, SEAA pledges to STAND Up.
In May, the associations created a Stand Up for Mental Health resources page, with construction-focused resources and training materials (in Spanish and English). On this page, you will also find a list of events that will be held throughout the year that help bring awareness to the issue. “SEAA encourages everyone to use these events and resources as a way to prepare your teams for the conversation surrounding mental health and suicide prevention,” said Gum.
■ SEAA Members Stand-Down to Prevent Falls
SEAA member companies participated in OSHA’s 2024 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction this past May. Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 395 of the 1069 construction fatalities recorded in 2022 (BLS data), and the National Stand-Down aims to raise awareness in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries. Check out photos on our Gallery.
This year’s printable poster featured R.A.D. Ideas for Fall Prevention, focused on Research, Awareness, and Delivery. SEAA’s Fall Prevention Stand-Down resources page is available yearround. Download it from our Safety Stand-Down page. •
