Spirit of Construction's

Celebration of Construction Gala Saturday, October 6

On May 15, the Spirit of Construction Foundation held its Second Annual "Spring Fling” at Maketewah Country Club.   

Scott Brown, Esq. (SOC trustee and Spring Fling chair) commented, "The event was a fun and exciting kickoff. We had approximately 200 members of the Cincinnati construction community attend."

The 2012 Honorees were announced, and information was given about grants given by the Spirit of Construction Foundation.

The Spirit's 2012 Honorees are:

Lifetime Achievement Award Winners

Dick Kohls, Fenton Rigging

Dick has been with Fenton Rigging as the vice president of finance since 1967. Fenton provides "bundled-services” for the construction industry. These services include: machinery moving, specialized steel erection, bridge repair and replacement, tank refurbishing, concrete restoration, plant maintenance, plant relocation, equipment setting, and precision alignment. Kohls has been highly involved in the construction community having served as the national president of the American Subcontractors Association, chairperson of the Millwright Association, and board member of the Allied Construction Industry. He has undergraduate and masters degrees from Xavier University.

Pat McLaughlin, cHc

Mr. McLaughlin received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster. After graduation, Pat began work full-time at cHc Fabricating. He later took on an ownership role in the company and became actively involved with the Joint Apprenticeship committee and the Steel Erectors and Riggers negotiating committee. By the early 1990’s, Pat had assumed the role of President of cHc. He served as Board President for the ACI and served on the Regional Advisory Board for the Ironworker Management Progressive Cooperative Trust. Pat was actively involved in the Spirit of Construction Foundation and played a significant role in the Construction Advancement Program (CAP).

Mike Schneider, Baker Concrete Construction

Mr. Schneider received his bachelor’s degree in Personnel Management from Miami University in 1974, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management in 1978. Mike Schneider started with Baker Concrete in 1978 as a Project Manager. Since then he has continued with the company for thirty-four years and is now the Senior Vice-President & Chief People Officer. Mike was instrumental in starting the Baker University Learning Department and has been the company’s champion of Baker’s Incident & Injury Free (IIF) Program. He has been a huge part of the community, serving as a board member for multiple organizations, including the Atrium Medical Center Foundation and the Dan Beard Council of Boy Scouts of America. He was named one of the 10 Most Influential People in the Concrete Industry by Concrete Construction Magazine in 2005 and received the American Concrete Institute Roger H. Corbetta Concrete Construction Award in 2011.

Posthumous:

Ed Hagins, AON Risk Services

Mr. Hagins became heavily involved with construction when he first moved to Cincinnati in 1978. He worked for Aon Construction Services Group as their Vice-President since 1996 and in his time with the company created many deep friendships within the industry and with clients. He started a construction religious retreat. He was active in the founding and planning of the annual Stem Cell (bone marrow) Reunion Event for Jewish Hospital. He received the high honor of being the recipient of the Partners in Hope Award from the aforementioned group. He was active in construction trade associations such as Allied Construction Industries, Ohio Contractors Association, American Subcontractors Association, and Associated Builders and Contractors. Mr. Hagins was a participant in the Spirit of Construction behind the scenes since the beginning.

The principal purpose of the Spirit of Construction Foundation is to recognize and celebrate the construction industry and its contributions to the civic, aesthetic, and economic well being of the Greater Cincinnati Region.  The foundation supports civic, educational, and training ventures for youth.