GLFEA

2001 Annual Meeting
Covers Both Old and New

The 2001 annual meeting of the Great Lakes Fabricators & Erectors Association attracted a large crowd of members and related construction professionals to the Detroit Athletic Club. The dinner program was a celebration of spring, featuring a look back at the association's history, and a look into the future, with the assistance of guest speaker Larry Johnson.

A Powerpoint presentation by GLFEA Executive Director James Walker traced back to the roots of the organization, with photographs and text on such Detroit landmarks as the Hammond Building - the city's first steel framed "skyscraper," long since demolished, the Penobscot Bulding, and the Fisher Building.

Today's organization originally called itself the Steel and Metal Erectors Association and was incorporated on April 7, 1938. On March 4, 1959, steel fabricators formed a group that called itself the Associated Steel Fabricators of Detroit. Then, on the last day of February 1967, the two groups merged into the Great Lakes Fabricators & Erectors Association. Since 1967 the GLFEA has had three executive directors, starting with Gard Martin, continuing with Al Freschette, and now withWalker.

For nearly a year the GLFEA has been conducting historical research, mapping out its unique role in Michigan's construction industry. Johnson discussed how to changing outdated management methods to incorporate changes necessary for survival, if not success, in the future. "After all," he observed, "things change, and change constantly. And if you don't capture those change points, you fall behind."

People resist change unless its advantages are extremely clear to them. Most contractors are familiar with project owners not saying a word while construction is underway, only to start quickly order change orders and revisions when completion nears. "That's because that's the time when the alternatives finally become more apparent to them," Johnson said.

Contractors have to recognize that change, like life, can often be a painful but vital journey. One has to weigh the pain of continuing with old methods with the pain of not incorporating the new method, along with the pain of the process of adopting the new method. If the equation yields a result that changing to the new method is less painful, the journey probably should get underway. To keep themselves flexible and willing to accommodate change that's necessary to remain competitive, Johnson advised GLFEA members to:

Pay attention to strategic developments in the steel construction industry.

Keep an open mind for new ideas.

Encourage open discussion and debate among your staff about what you could, should, and should not be doing to remain competitive.

Listen to suggestions and seriously consider them. Don't resent people who tell you how to run your business because one or two of their many suggestions may well end up being valuable.

The leadership of the GLFEA includes, from left: K. Ritchie, D. Makins, G. Broad, M. Woodbeck, B. Treharne, C. Nestor, R. Beckwith, M. Rogers, J. Cavanaugh, and J. Walker.

Ron Johnson (left) and Bob Jozwiak, both with Johnson Steel, Sanford.

Dave Hannah (left) and Mike Rogers, both with Douglas Steel Fabricating, Lansing.

George Lewis (left) and Charlie Burger, both with Johnson Steel, Sanford

Cindy Broad Nestor and Robert Piro, both with Broad, Vogt & Conant Inc., Detroit.

John Hamilton (left), Operating Engineers Local 324, and Jim Walker, GLFEA executive director.

Chris Kittides, BEI Associates, Detroit, chats with Barbara Gattern, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce

Ray Schemanske, Ventcon, Inc., Allen Park, (left) with Pat Devlin, Greater Detroit Building & Construction Trades Council.

John Davis (left) and Tom Story, both with the Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors of Detroit.

Steve Cogei (left) and Randy Balconi, both with Interior Environments, LLC, Southfield.

Harry Papadopoulis (left), Detroit Testing Consultants, with Michael Smith, Greater Detroit Chapter, Associated General Contractors of America.

Charles Glasscock and Angela Williams made a scene, both from Steel Erectors, Inc., Grand Blanc.

Steve Isom, (left) W.S. Molnar Co., Detroit, with Rick Muffat, Pearson Consulting LLC.

From the left are Wayne Vert, Barton-Malow Co., Southfield, and John Banicki and Rueben Ramos, both with Testing Engineers & Consultants, Troy.

From the left: Mark Okroy and Tim Wise, both with J.S. Alberici Construction Inc., Livonia, and Don O'Connell, Great Lakes Constructioon Alliance.

Joe Neussendorfer, Greater Detroit Chapter AGC, with John Banicki, Testing Engineers & Consultants, Troy.

Mel Woobeck, (left) Overhead Conveyor Co., Ferndale, with Mike Silberberg, Federal Pipe & Steel Corp., Plymouth.

Kyle Thoren, (left) Ross Structural Steel, Detroit, with Mike John, Vulcan Iron Works, Detroit.

Patrick Dimet, (left), Vulcan Iron Works, Detroit, with Bill Kingsinger, Whitmore Steel, Hamburg.

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