ABC - ABC Names Tim Horst Contractor of the Year

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ABC NAMES TIM HORST CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR (02/26/2009)

Contact: Gerry Fritz, (703) 300-0547                             For Immediate Release
             Kinsey Cooper, (703) 812-2087                        February 26, 2008

HONOLULU – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today presented its Contractor of the Year Award to Tim Horst, past president of Becon Construction Co., a subsidiary of Bechtel Corp., one of the world’s leading engineering, construction and project management companies, at its National Convention in Honolulu. ABC presents this prestigious award to an ABC member or member firm that has demonstrated significant accomplishment for the association, the merit shop and the construction industry.

When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, the severe skilled labor shortage became even worse. Not only was it critical to find enough skilled labor to rebuild the devastated areas, but it also was important to find jobs for the people displaced by the storms. Horst led an effort to begin the rebuilding process and also get people back to work with the goal of training more than 20,000 new craft professionals by the end of 2009.

The Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative, developed by the Business Roundtable and a partnership of public and private organizations dedicated to recruiting new talent to the construction industry, and its Get Rewarded for Education and Advancement Training (GREAT) campaign, already has exceeded the goal by training more than 21,300 employees by the end of 2008 in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

“Each year, ABC recognizes one individual for attaining a level of achievement that raises the bar for all of us…and for the entire industry,” said ABC President and CEO Kirk Pickerel at the award ceremony. “In the face of devastation from a natural disaster like we have never seen before on U.S. soil, the leadership of Tim Horst truly stood out.

“Without Horst’s leadership and expertise, the GREAT campaign could not have achieved this level of success in such a short amount of time.” said Pickerel. “His commitment to seeing this project through to the end should be an inspiration to us all.”

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Editor's Note: Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association representing 25,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms in 79 chapters across the United States. For more news and information, visit ABC’s website www.abc.org.