Central States Building Works Names New VP of Engineering & Operations
Central States, manufacturer of metal building components, roofing, and building packages, has named Ahmed Abdelaal to the new role of Vice President of Engineering and Operations for the Central States Building Works division. Ahmed will lead the group’s technical services including engineering, drafting, and detailing and will bring his know-how in automation, software, operations, and manufacturing to the business as preparations are made for the company’s new frame plant, planned to open in Springdale, Arkansas, in the Spring of 2025.
“I’ve always believed in the power of innovation to create solutions, to overcome roadblocks, and work collaboratively,” Abdelaal said.
Ahmed brings almost three decades of industry experience working for some of the largest Pre-Engineered Metal Building (PEMB) companies in the United States and internationally. He comes to Central States after spending the initial 11 years of his career at American Buildings Company (now Nucor) and Butler Manufacturing Company (now BlueScope Steel), where he held leadership positions in engineering and project management. For the last 12 years, Ahmed has served global companies by building out factories and technical capabilities in executive operations roles.
Central States Building Works designs and delivers material-only building packages across the United States for commercial, storage, agricultural, industrial, and other applications. The business unit was established in 2003 as Central Storage Works and was rebranded earlier this year in recognition of its expansion to additional building types and capabilities.
On November 15, 2023, Central States broke ground on a new 105,000-square-foot plant to support the fast-growing pre-engineered metal frame business. The factory, which will open in 2025, expects to grow to 140 employee-owners over the first few years of operation.
New GM and Architectural Sales Reps Join IMETCO
IMETCO (Innovative Metals Company, Inc.), a manufacturer of metal products for the building envelope, has engaged Robert Gregory as general manager, a role in which he expects to introduce sophisticated manufacturing technologies while overseeing business development to ensure an excellent customer experience and improve operational efficiencies.
According to Joe Mellott, IMETCO president, “Robert [Gregory] has risen through the ranks from plant-floor machine operator through management. He knows this business inside and out, and has the communications skills necessary to motivate operational excellence and promote business development.”
The company also recently added three architectural sales reps to its team, and is looking forward to deeper penetration in their respective markets. Sam Sloan will be responsible for sales in Colorado and Utah. Representing customers across New England will be Joel McLaughlin. Doug Matthews is the new architectural sales rep for the Deep South, including Mississippi, Arkansas, southern Alabama, northern Louisiana, and western Tennessee.
Elevate Names L’Hoste As Regional Director of Business Development
Elevate Structures’ Cydney L’Hoste, current Director of Pre-Construction and former Construction Project Manager, will take responsibility as the Regional Director of Business Development for the Atlantic Sales Territory, including Delaware, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Elevate president Richard Allen states, “With a positive outlook, natural advocacy for our customers, and deep experience, we believe Cydney is uniquely positioned to support customers from concept to completion.” Cydney replaces Kevin Neal, who has resigned to pursue other opportunities. He will stay on during a time to ensure a smooth transition.
McElroy Metal names Sellers its Cold-Formed Buildings Manager
Louisiana-based metal component manufacturer McElroy Metal has named Jason Sellers as the new Cold-Formed Buildings Manager. Sellers’ responsibilities include growing the distributor base, supporting current distributors and educating McElroy Metal retail stores while improving their sales growth. Sellers has an MBA from Washburn and years of experience in the cold-formed buildings industry.
Diversified Fall Protection Appoints First Chief People Officer
Diversified Fall Protection (DFP), the largest turnkey fall protection integrator in the U.S. for regulatory-driven systems and services, has named Kynan Wynne as Chief People Officer. This marks the first time in the company’s history that an executive has been appointed to this role, a reflection of the company’s commitment to the ongoing support of its employees and dedication to building an empowering culture.
“We fondly refer to Kynan as our culture crusader,” said Travis Nelson, CEO of DFP. “We are so fortunate to have someone with Kynan’s experience and people skills to fill this role. This is an uncommon position for a company in our industry, but our people are the most important input to our success, and we know we cannot grow without investing in them. The customer experience is a direct reflection of the employee experience.”
Wynne is an industry veteran with nearly 40 years of experience. He most recently served as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for DFP, a position he has held since late 2021 when he formally became part of the organization as a result of DFP’s acquisition of his company, Rooftop Anchor, Inc. Wynne had founded Rooftop Anchor in 2009 and was CEO before the company became a DFP brand.
In his newly created position at DFP, Wynne will be responsible for creating the overall employee experience, guiding career growth, and building upon an existing employee-oriented culture. Wynne will report directly to the CEO with the full Human Resources team reporting to him.
“All the business success I’ve enjoyed in my life is a direct result of being surrounded by amazing people,” said Wynne. “When a company is devoted to providing a workplace culture that allows people to grow and thrive, the best version of that person appears. As an employer, it’s our duty to help that along. A Core Value of ours is ‘to take people to higher ground,’ and our goal is to do just that, starting with our own team members.”
MBMA/MBCEA News:
• 2023 MBMA Safety Awards
• MBCEA Individual Awards
• MBCEA, MBI Get Pledges for Building Assembly Curriculum
Each year the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) honors member companies that demonstrate exceptional performance in maintaining workplace safety. These awards are given to Building Systems members as well as Associate members for their performance during the previous calendar year. Safety awards for the 2023 year were presented during the 2024 MBMA Spring Meeting held April 24–26 in San Diego, California.
“Since 2011 the MBMA and our Safety Committee, under the direction of chair David Weatherford, has presented awards to 369 plants and facilities,” says Tony Bouquot, MBMA general manager. “Both Building Systems members and Associate members participate in the safety program, and we are proud to honor those members who have exceptional safety records.”
In 2023, Building Systems members had 46 plant facilities that participated in MBMA’s Quarterly OSHA Injury Statistics Program, logging over 15 million hours on the job. “MBMA and our member companies strive to make the industry a safe place for everyone,” adds Bouquot. “Effective safety initiatives have many benefits, including boosting employee morale, improving operations, and mitigating insurance risks and exposure to OSHA audits.”
MBMA’s awards program consists of three categories. The 2023 Superior Safety Award was presented to three plants that achieved zero recordable cases for the entire calendar year, which is a significant accomplishment. The 17 facilities that received the 2023 Safety Performance Award achieved an incident rate equal to 50% or less than the OSHA industry average. The 2023 Associate Member Superior Safety Award went to 57 facilities that achieved zero recordable cases for the year, also a major achievement.
The following is a list of 2023 MBMA safety award winners:
2023 Superior Safety Award – In recognition of Building Systems member manufacturing facilities with zero recordable incidents.
• Kirby Building Systems, a Nucor Company (Portland, TN)
• Dean Steel Buildings (Thomasville, GA)
• Spirco Manufacturing (Memphis, TN)
2023 Safety Performance Award – In recognition of Building Systems member manufacturing facilities having achieved an incident rate equal to 50% or less than the industry average as reported by OSHA.
• ACI Building Systems (Batesville, MS)
• American Buildings, a Nucor Brand (El Paso, IL)
• BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. (Annville, PA; St. Joseph, MO; Jackson, TN)
• Cornerstone Building Brands (Atwater, CA; Houston, TX; Mt. Pleasant, IA)
• Inland Buildings (Culman, AL)
• Kirby Building Systems, Inc. (Portland, TN)
• Nucor Building Systems, a Nucor Company (Brigham City, UT; La Crosse, VA; Swansea, SC)
• Red Dot Buildings (Athens, TX)
• Schulte Building Systems, Inc. (Hockley, TX; Hueytown, AL)
• Whirlwind Steel Buildings (Houston, TX)
2023 Associate Member Safety Award – In recognition of Associate member facilities with zero recordable incidents.
• Bay Insulation Systems (Baton Rouge, LA; Brooklyn Heights, OH; Coppell, TX; Eastlake, OH; Easton, PA; Fridley, MN; Green Bay, WI (2 locations); Indianapolis, IN; Kansas City, MO; London, ON; Louisville, KY; Memphis, TN; Norcross, GA; Orlando, FL; Pensacola, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Raleigh, NC; Roanoke, VA (2 locations); San Marcos, TX (2 locations); St. Louis, MO; Sumner, WA)
• Curbs Plus (El Dorado, KS, Glendale, AZ; Rossville, GA)
• Konecranes (Houston, TX)
• Metl-Span, A Nucor Company (Hamilton, ON; Lewisville, TX; Waterloo, IN; Las Vegas, NV; Sheridan, AR)
• PSI Preferred Solutions, Inc. (Cleveland, OH)
• Silvercote, A Service Partners Company (Ashland, VA; Byram, MS; Denver, CO; Duluth, GA; Greenville, SC; Houston, TX; Huntsville, AL; Itasca, IL; Lubbock, TX; Marshfield, WI; Mooresville, NC; Pottstown, PA; Salt Lake City, UT; Scotia, NY; Spokane Valley, WA; Springfield, KY; Stockton, CA)
• Würth Construction Services (Birmingham, AL; Greensboro, NC; Hicksville, NY; Houston, TX; Orlando, FL; Tampa, FL)
Founded in 1956, MBMA serves manufacturers and suppliers that work with industry professionals, architects, building designers, educators, building code officials and others to advance the metal building systems industry.
• MBCEA Awards
The Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association (MBCEA) presented two prestigious member awards at the 55th Annual MBCEA Conference, held April 24-26 in San Diego. The Robert and Beverly Ketenbrink “Oil Can” Service Award was given to Douglas Seth Collins for his dedication and service to the metal building industry. Additionally, four MBCEA members, Timothy Allison, Dean Davids, Rick Gallier, and Keith Wentworth, were honored as new members of the MBCEA Pioneers Club for their years of service in the industry.
The Oil Can Award is presented to an MBCEA member who has given service to both the metal building industry as well as the MBCEA and its training partner, the Metal Buildings Institute (MBI). Douglas “Seth” Collins serves as Quality Director with Dunn Building Company, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama, an AC478 accredited company. He is a current MBCEA Board Member and serves on MBCEA’s Metal Building Curriculum Committee as well as several Curriculum Course sub-committees and MBCEA’s Technical Committee. He also participates in the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) BIM Task Group and represented the MBCEA at the last two MBMA Research Symposiums.
The MBCEA bestows membership in the Pioneers Club to those Contractor and Erector members who have served for at least 25 consecutive years. Timothy Allison is Executive Vice President for BARNES Buildings & Management Group, Inc. in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Dean Davids is President of Commercial Metal Building Services Corp. in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Rick Gallier is President of Super Structures General Contractors, Inc. in Midlothian, Virginia. Keith Wentworth, a former MBCEA President, is President of Dutton & Garfield, Inc. of Hampstead, New Hampshire, and is currently President of the Metal Buildings Institute.
“Congratulations to all of these members,” adds Sasha Demyan, MBCEA Executive Director. “Their dedication and years of service to the industry is admirable and each one sets a great example to follow.”
• MBCEA, MBI Receive Pledges for New Metal Building Assembly Curriculum
The Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association (MBCEA) and Metal Buildings Institute (MBI) have received pledges totaling $462,500 for the development of a new Metal Building Assembly Curriculum. The Ketenbrink Education Foundation will match all funds raised from industry members up to $500,000. Additionally, kickoff funds totaling $150,000 have been provided to get the development of the 13-unit, 80-module training program started.
The Metal Building Assembly Curriculum is intended to serve as a complete metal building assembly training program, and will be offered via the NCCER learning management system. The new curriculum will qualify as a formal apprenticeship program while educating workers in the many facets of metal building construction.
Company and association donors:
BlueScope Buildings North America, $150,000
Span Construction & Engineering, $75,000
MBCEA, $50,000
Nucor Building Systems, $50,000
ACI Building Systems/Alliance Steel Buildings, $30,000
Chief Buildings, $30,000
Bay Insulation, $15,000
Kingspan, $15,000
S & S Structures, $15,000
S-5!, $15,000
MBMA, $5,000,
Mac Con Company, $5,000
Fleming Steel Erectors, $2,500
Rainwater Construction, $2,500
J & M Steel Solutions, $2,500.
Kickoff funds have been provided by: the Metal Buildings Institute, $100,000; the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), $25,000; and the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), $25,000.
“I would like to thank these companies for their very generous support of our new training curriculum,” says Sasha Demyan. “This program will keep the MBCEA and our members at the forefront of the industry, and these pledges will help make it possible.”
“Metal buildings have some unique characteristics that require special training for building assemblers,” notes Keith Wentworth, MBI President. “By offering this complete curriculum, we hope our members will have the best-trained workforce while creating a culture of craft workers in the industry.”
The MBCEA was formed in 1968 to serve the needs and support the interests of metal building contractors and erectors.
Hy-Brid Lifts Announces Sales Director for South-Central United States
Hy-Brid Lifts, a specialist in aerial lift equipment, has announced Gary Coke as director of sales covering the south-central United States. Coke’s responsibilities include providing customer support as well as continuing the growth and channel development of the Hy-Brid Lifts line of low-level scissor lifts.
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“I am excited to join this team and look forward to the opportunity to work with past and future customers. Coming from equipment manufacturing, I understand the importance of quality equipment and customer service backed by a solid service department,” said Coke. “After meeting the Hy-Brid Lifts team and seeing all of the new products in the pipeline, it’s no surprise that this company is continuing to grow, and I look forward to being a part of that growth.”
Coke brings 19 years of industry experience to his new role, largely derived from his time in equipment manufacturing with SkyJack. He spent a majority of his career in sales with a strong emphasis on customer relationships. MB
