PRIDE Recognizes SSM, Eyink, Edinger, Flynn

More than 200 representatives of the St. Louis union construction industry honored efforts to advance St. Louis as the best place to build at the annual PRIDE of St. Louis, Inc. awards luncheon. SSM Health Care was honored with PRIDE's "Industry Impact" Award for cultivating best practices in healthcare construction. The event also spotlighted individual achievements cultivating construction teamwork.

One of the region's largest health care providers, SSM most recently completed the first new full-service hospital in St. Louis County in 30 years - the $236 million SSM St. Clare Health Center in Fenton, Mo. The award-winning project has been heralded for deploying sophisticated construction techniques and tools in its completion, including 3-D modeling and prefabrication of building systems and components. During the past decade, SSM has invested more than $400 million in projects, accounting for more than 3.5 million work hours for the union construction industry.

Don Wojtkowski, executive director of design and construction for SSM Health Care-St. Louis, accepted the award on behalf of the health care provider. He noted that the SSM St. Clare project that was completed on time, on budget, with an investment of 1.2 million workforce hours with no lost time accidents. The OSHA recordable rate of accidents was 0.5 or approximately 15 times less than the industry average in the U.S.

"Our cost per square foot for this development is at the national mean or average," said Wotkowski. "For those of you who have been to the facility, I believe that you would attest to the fact that the environment and quality of the hospital is well above what would be considered average. So the outcome was simply a remarkable result at an average cost. We can be very proud of that and it could not have been accomplished without a committed and engaged labor force."

The second largest health care provider and sixth largest employer in the St. Louis region, SSM has more than 12,000 employees and 2,500 staff physicians. It operates seven hospitals, a SSM managed care organization, and a physicians' organization with more than 150 physicians.

Other honorees are:

• Jerry Eyink, retired group director project management and planning, engineering group for brewing operations and technology division, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.(now Anheuser-Busch InBev), receiving the Joe Rinke Owner Award;

• George R. Edinger, chairman and chief executive officer, C&R Mechanical Co., receiving the Al Fleischer Management Award; and

• John J. Flynn, retired president, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, receiving the Dick Mantia Labor Award.

"Each of these men has advanced PRIDE's mission of cooperation and collaboration to improve the regional construction industry," said LaMantia. "Their dedication has benefited all stakeholders including the buyers of construction services, construction management and labor, but most importantly - the hometown we serve."
PRIDE also honored out-going PRIDE co-chairs Jim Frey, Carole Schmidt and Jerry Feldhaus. Feldhaus remains part of PRIDE under a new corporate governance structure as one of seven members of its new board leadership.

PRIDE, founded in 1972, is an acronym for Productivity and Responsibility Increase Development & Employment. For more than 35 years, PRIDE has worked to maintain harmony and build cooperation among St. Louis area AFL-CIO construction craft workers, contractors, construction buyers, architects, engineers and suppliers.

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