A Career To Remember: W. Lee Shoemaker of the MBMA

by David Flaherty | 21 December 2025 5:52 pm

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After 32 years as the director of research and engineering at the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), W. Lee Shoemaker, Ph. D, P.E., will retire at the end of this year.

A 2015 inductee in the Metal Construction News Hall of Fame, Shoemaker has had a tangible impact on the metal building industry.

Below is a portion of his Hall of Fame profile:3

“When W. Lee Shoemaker, Ph.D., P.E., completed his undergraduate education at Duke University in Durham, N.C., he half-expected to work for a large design/ engineering firm, but the best offer came from Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, so he accepted it. His Duke engineering education was very broad and served him well in his new position, where he worked to design ships. But the most important characteristic that served him well in this job and all future endeavors was his curiosity.

While at Avondale, Shoemaker completed his master’s degree in civil engineering from Tulane University, New Orleans. He went on to complete his Ph.D. at Duke in 1983 and then spent seven years as an assistant professor at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala. While there, he was principal investigator on 10 research projects and worked independently as a structural engineering consultant and fraud investigator for the Alabama Office of the Attorney General.

His next job was in Philadelphia, where he designed tower cranes for Cornell Crane Manufacturing. He worked for four years as the vice president of engineering, where he was responsible for engineering, quality control, production, and testing of cranes fabricated from steel. Again, his curiosity and desire to learn new skills served him well, but this job also had an added element. “The crane manufacturing was a very high-pressure job because of designing tower cranes that were working thousands of feet over the streets of Philadelphia,” he says. “There’s a lot of responsibility with that.”

But when Shoemaker got the opportunity to move to Cleveland and take the position at MBMA, he leapt at the chance. It presented new challenges that were unique from the positions he had held previously. The MBMA position supports the association’s goals, which aim to increase market share for metal buildings, making them the preferred choice in construction…”

Shoemaker recently made his formal farewell as part of the MBMA’s yearly report, which was shared at the association’s recent annual meeting.

“After 32 years as Director of Research & Engineering at MBMA, it’s hard to believe the time has come to say goodbye. When I first started with this association, I couldn’t have imagined the journey ahead—the challenges we would tackle, the friendships we would form, and the accomplishments we would achieve together.

I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most dedicated and talented people I’ve ever known. Together, we’ve advanced the technical interests of the metal building industry, taken on complex projects, and shared plenty of laughter along the way. I’m deeply grateful for every collaboration, every lesson learned, and every success we’ve achieved as a team.

Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to have mentors who shaped my growth and perspective—in particular, Charles Stockinger, who taught me the unique dynamics of trade association management, and Duane Ellifritt, who showed me how to lead and build consensus with empathy. Their guidance left a lasting mark on how I approach both challenges and people.

I’ve also had the pleasure of working with a dozen MBMA Technical Committee Chairs—all remarkable sources of expertise and ideas. Their availability and responsiveness to my many questions played a huge role in what we’ve been able to accomplish. And I especially want to recognize my MBMA colleagues—Tony Bouquot, Vincent Sagan, and many more who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Your dedication, professionalism, and teamwork have made every project, meeting, and initiative possible. I couldn’t have asked for better colleagues and friends.

I’m deeply grateful as well to my family for their constant encouragement, patience, and understanding, especially through the many days and weeks spent on the road. Their support made it possible for me to give my best each day.

Looking back, I’m amazed by how much has changed— in our industry, our tools, and our ways of working—yet the spirit of teamwork and commitment has remained constant. While technology changes us, the enduring commitment of dedicated people is the ultimate force that drives innovation and uncovers answers to complex industry challenges. It’s been an honor to contribute to the evolution of the metal building industry and to partner with great minds to find answers to difficult questions.

As I step into this next chapter, I look forward to new adventures, more time with family, and perhaps a slightly slower pace—though I’ll truly miss the energy, purpose, and camaraderie that has made this work so rewarding.

To my successor, Jon-Paul Cardin, I offer my very best wishes. You’re joining an incredible team, and I’m confident you’ll continue to advance MBMA’s mission and build upon the accomplishments of these past decades.

Thank you all for making these 32 years so meaningful. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together and confident that the best is yet to come—for each of you and for this association.

Wishing you continued success, innovation, and fulfillment. It’s been an honor—and a joy—to be part of this journey with you.”

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Several industry professionals who have worked with Shoemaker over the years shared their memories and well-wishes ahead of his retirement.

Ben Shafer
Johns Hopkins University

I don’t believe him. I still don’t believe that he’s actually going to retire. And I don’t want it to happen. So, I fully expect him to be at all the meetings I go to in the future, but, that’s because he’s been such an incredible, steady, and positive force for the industry at large and for the metal building industry in particular.

Dan Walker
Industrial Fastener Institute

I think it was immediately apparent to me that Lee Shoemaker loves the metal building industry. And so, he has done a tremendous number of things to help that industry thrive and has always had the industry’s best interests in his heart.

Lee has really set MBMA up for success, and he leaves behind a legacy and some big shoes to fill.

Greg Pasley
BlueScope China

Lee had a tremendous impact on our industry, gaining a seat at the table and the engineering and construction industries being on code writing committees, and really raising the profile of metal buildings within the community as a whole. It cannot be overstated the impact that Lee had as an advocate for metal buildings.

You have made a tremendous impact on not just the industry, but more importantly, on the people that you’ve worked with and the people that you’ve met.

Charlie Carter
American Institute of Steel Construction

I say happy retirement. Our industry thanks you for all that you’ve done and the progress you’ve led. I thank you for your wise advice. The funny transitions that kept all of us motivated and engaged in meetings, and your support and your friendship over many, many years. May retirement be everything you want.

Igor Marinovic
BlueScope Buildings North America         

Well, I just wanted to say that he was always professional, knowledgeable, open-minded, willing to listen, and search for those optimum solutions. That was a compromise solution because you can’t win everything every time. But he would know how to find that common thing that would connect our industry with what others were looking for and at the end, we’d end up with the best possible option.

So, Lee, congratulations. I think now you can know that this is the important point in everybody’s life, and especially your life now. And I’m sure that you have good plans for what to do next. So, wishing you all the best.

Bob Zabcik
ZTech Consulting

Having Lee as the example for all those years and what he did at MBMA, and his personality and his dedication were my North Star in starting my role with the Metal Construction Association (MCA). He probably doesn’t even realize that.

Congratulations, Lee. I’m so happy for you and your family. And after knowing you for so long, I’m just very excited that you’re going to get the chance to take a little break from this crazy industry we have and go enjoy things for a little while.

Matt Eatherton
Virginia Tech

I’d say the thing I find most impressive is how he can live in so many worlds. He can go to the code committees and speak very well about technical details and hold his own in those code committees. He can deal with the professors and get into the technical weeds with us. But then I see him talking to the manufacturers, and he has such easy confidence; he lives in that world as well. So, he seems like a real jack of all trades and it’s hard to find people like that these days.

Charles Mullaley
Bigbee Steel Buildings

Where did the time go? It seemed like yesterday I was in your classroom. You were the teacher, and I was a student. You had an impact on my life as an engineer, and I thank you for that. I’d like to take this opportunity to say congratulations on an incredible career. And I wish you joy and happiness as you transition into the next phase of your life.

Rick Haws
Nucor (retired)

He was an excellent research and development person and manager–you can’t always do both of those. I thought he represented the industry in the technical field extremely well, and I very much enjoyed working with him. Congratulations on your retirement. And, I’ve been retired for a few years now, and I know it’s a bit of a transition. I’m going to suggest that you stay busy.

Jay Larson
American Iron and Steel Institute (retired)

I would say that the metal building manufacturers’ technical program was really—from our perspective at the American Iron and Steel Institute—kind of the poster child for all the other associations.

As one who somewhat recently retired. I would say, Lee, I hope you’re looking forward to it. And I hope when you get to the other side, you see that the water’s great. So, jump on in. Enjoy your retirement. It’s well-deserved.

Eric Pros
DS Architecture

Lee, I’m just going to miss you. We’ve had a lot of fun together working on the student design competition over the past several years. Thank you again for bringing me into the process. It’s so rewarding to work with the students and the faculty, and the MBMA representatives, and just bringing all those ideas together, all those different people who have knowledge to be shared or knowledge to be learned. I just consider it such a huge honor to be a part of it.

Donna Kacmar
University of Houston         

I’ve so enjoyed getting to know you through the MBMA. The architecture faculty workshops that we’ve done together have been so much fun. The architectural folios, followed by the student design competitions. I know that they have been meaningful to so many students and faculty alike. I wish you all the best.

Don White
Georgia Tech

Lee, I wish you the best. If you ever miss talking about lateral torsional buckling, please feel free to give me a call, and thanks very much for all the camaraderie over the years.

James Fisher
CSD Structural Engineers (retired)

You were always dealing with everybody in a very professional manner. I remember that the most. You have been a real asset to me through the years. And I wish you happiness and good luck in your retirement.

 

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/articles/w-lee-shoemaker-mbma-retirement/

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