Forum Focus

I first met Doug Martin almost 45 years ago. Doug recently stepped down as executive director of the St. Louis Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association (known as NECA). He now serves as co-chair of the St. Louis Construction Co-operative.It didn’t take long after that for me to become fast friends with this descendant of a Butte, MT copper mining family.We bonded over a shared passion for the people of another family – the St. Louis construction industry.After college Doug thought ...

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.” The “Forum Focus" podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.Some days Sylvester Taylor has a hard time wrapping his head around the path that took him to his current position. His personal path has shown Taylor the need for change in diversity, e...

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.” The “Forum Focus” podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.Growing up in University City, Cordell Sawyer always liked to read.While he was working a job as a janitor to support his family he read a book on creating generational wealth. The autho...

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.” The “Forum Focus” podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.Today we’re talking with Joe Lewandowski, a project director for McCarthy Building Companies’ Central Region.Lewandowski is leading the construction team Phase 3 of the BJC HealthC...

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.” The “Forum Focus” podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.When Aurora Bihler graduated from high school her Dad bought her an acetylene welding rig.The young budding artist was concerned lest she burn down the family garage so she enrolled in a weldi...

In September, Ron Unterreiner celebrated a birthday he didn't expect to see when he founded People of Construction back in 2013.Around the time he founded his nonprofit, which introduces minority- and women-owned businesses to the broader construction industry, he was diagnosed with ALS.That's normally a death sentence, but Unterreiner is not someone who is easily stopped.He successfully explored alternative medical treatments and today is mostly symptom free. The nonprofit organizations he f...

On October 8th the Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis (HLG) will present the 2021 Anthony B. Ramirez Premio Esperanza (Hope) Award to Sal Valadez.Sal Valadez is a Mexican immigrant, a U.S. Army Veteran, and a graduate of The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he was awarded an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Political Science.He is also a 2019 Fellow of the Washington University in St Louis Community Research Fellows Training Program.Valadez is a dynamic leader, participati...

With a background as an entrepreneur, commercial carpenter, project engineer, foreman and project superintendent, Gerry Bolden started Bolden Construction Services. His goal was to ensure that project owners, general contractors, home builders and residential customers would have access to superior quality, minority construction professionals whose expertise and dedication to excellence ensured craftsmanship and performance on every project.Bolden Construction Services’ capabilities incl...

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.”The “Forum Focus” podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.This edition of Forum Focus features an interview with Lisa Reed, founding principal of Envision Lighting Design. Raised in the town of Marshall in Western Missouri, Lisa had a mind that could ...

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.”The “Forum Focus” podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.Everything about Cory Elliott, CEO of CMT LLC., resists labeling. She's Black. She’s a woman. She’s a roofing, demolition and abatement contractor. She’s also a St. ...