James Lindquist, president of Adjustable Forms, Inc., accepts the Corporate Citizenship Award from the BA
A tough year in the building industry came to a good end Dec. 16, when the Builders Association held its annual meeting, this year titled Vision Revision, at the Trump International Hotel & Tower.
The BA has been Chicagoland's leading trade association for contractors and suppliers, large and small, since 1906. The group has helped Midwest builders get through good times and years that were even tougher than 2010. The featured speakers, Joseph Jarboe from AGC of America and Peter Beck of The Beck Group, addressed issues of government regulation and funding, marketing and the convergence of several construction-related industries in the 21st century.
Peter Beck, managing director of The Beck Group, spoke about convergence — the possibility that in years to come firms may house architects, general contractors and several other facets of the building industry under the same roof — and the public's need for leadership from the people who create cities.
Al Leitschuh (left), president of the BA, and Howard Strong, the 2011 BA chairman, present a job-well-done gift to R. Lynn Treat, the 2010 BA chairman
The afternoon went according to plan: the Trump's ballroom was gorgeous and the food was delicious, business cards and ideas were exchanged, lost leaders were honored and old comrades made new memories...and, as builders love to hear, the project was completed on budget and ahead of schedule (by four minutes, exactly).
At the meeting's conclusion, it is back to work for the men and women who will build 21st century structures in the city that invented the skyscraper
