Straub Earns National Excellence in Construction Award from ABC

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced that Straub Construction Company's work on the Weaver Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., has earned the company an Eagle Award in the Institutional $5-million – $10-million category of ABC's Excellence in Construction Awards. Straub Construction President Ernie Straub III received the award June 24 during the 19th annual Excellence in Construction Awards celebration at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

This is the second time Straub Construction, Kansas City, earned a national award for the quality construction of Weaver Auditorium.   In January, the National Commercial Builder's Council (NCBC) recognized Straub with the “Project of the Year” award for their outstanding work as a general contractor.

“ABC congratulates Straub Construction for its exceptional work on the Weaver Auditorium,” said Kirk Pickerel, ABC president and CEO. “This project is an outstanding example of the innovation and commitment to superior craftsmanship that embody merit shop construction. It is a pleasure to honor this project with the association's top construction excellence award.”

The Excellence in Construction awards program is the industry's leading competition, developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects and safety programs. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer.

The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost.   This year’s competition was open to all construction projects completed by ABC member firms during 2008.

With its 1,500-seat auditorium and two-story lobby features custom design elements, Weaver Auditorium required Straub to build a 20,000-square-foot scaffolding system to ensure subcontractors could safely access complex ceiling work. The building features high-end finishes and a state-of-the-art audio-visual system and lighting.

A panel of industry experts served as the competition's judges. This year’s panel included representatives from the Design-Build Institute of America, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Surety & Fidelity Association of America, Engineering News-Record and representatives from higher education, among others.