The Metal Construction Hall of Fame was founded in 2012. The goal was to recognize those individuals who have had a significant impact on the metal construction industry through their innovation, effort and leadership. Nominees are judged in five categories:
Unique Contribution: The creation or development of a specific aspect or segment of business that has advanced the industry.
Body of Work: The depth and breadth of contribution to the industry throughout a career.
Legacy: The honoree’s contribution must have had a long-lasting impact on the industry.
Integrity: Honorees must exhibit the highest ethical and professional standards in all aspects of business.
Longevity: Honorees must have been actively involved in the industry for at least 15 years.
We’re proud to work with the following organizations on the Metal Construction Hall of Fame:
Metal Building Manufacturers Association
Metal Construction Association
Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association
Inductees are nominated in one of three categories
- Manufacturer/Supplier
- Contractor/Installer
- Friend of the Industry
For more information, go here.
Note: Due to a 5-month calendar shift in timing, no honorees were selected in 2018
2023 Inductees
Ed Karper: Recruited as a volunteer led to a 25-plus-year tenure at MCA and MRA
While working at CFM, Ed worked with a variety of paint suppliers on different projects, as well as working on conversions from post-paint to pre-paint, led to a job offer at AkzoNobel. Beginning in May 1997, Ed worked at AkzoNobel…
George F. King: Revived a business and spearheaded certification
In the metal construction industry, that kind of consistency is considered doing a good job. To earn hall of fame honors, an inductee needs to have changed the industry. Introduce an innovative new product, establish baselines of excellence, have a…
Steven Robert Webster: A second-generation Butler Builder who has been actively involved in the growth of the MBCEA
This was also about the time Steven really got interested in construction. “When I was probably 12 or 13, I during vacations and summer, I would go and help the guys in the field,” he says. “Digging holes and doing…
2022 Inductees
Angelo Borzillo: the co-inventor of Galvalume coating advanced its global, industry-wide adoption
Instead of zinc-coated galvanized steel or aluminum-coated aluminized steel, Borzillo, with his manager in the research department, Jim Horton, combined zinc, with its sacrificial property, and aluminum, with its barrier protective mechanism, in a range of ratios to determine the…
Ken Buchinger: A lifetime spent learning led to many changes in the metal construction industry
Buchinger spent the majority of his 40-year career at MBCI, part of NCI Building Systems, doing everything from product development, handling claims, developing warranties and training, and creating and managing the installation manuals and catalogs. He joined the company in…
Art Hance: Fought for training and quality initiatives and an early adopter of AC 478 accreditation
This was a real turning point for Hance and it gave him the motivation to make a career change. He withdrew $1,200—all the money in his savings account—and founded Hance Construction Inc., Washington, N.J. in 2001. This advice proved beneficial…
Al Kessel: Vital to the growth of MBCEA during a time of transition
Kessel served four years in the U.S. Air Force. While he was proud of his service to his country, in 1966 he went to work in his father’s business. “He started out as an iron worker trainee, an apprentice, and…
Harry R. Lowe: Grew Nucor Building Systems into a national brand and codified quality through the AC 472 accreditation program
“They were looking for an industry veteran that knew how to build a business in an entrepreneurial environment,” says Lowe. On Jan. 5, 1990, Lowe met with Iverson, who asked only about how he would take care of employees, customers…
Michael F. Petersen: Early adopter of new technologies that furthered innovation in the metal construction industry
Petersen started as an inside salesperson to learn about the product line, before graduating to sales management and building out the company’s representative group. Now retired, Petersen was instrumental in the growth, development and success of the company, seeing the…
2021 Inductees
Walter D. Behlen: A pioneer in metal buildings, Behlen had an eye for creating solutions
Early Life The second of nine children, Behlen grew up on a small farm near Columbus, Neb. After his high school education was interrupted by illness, he returned to school at the age of 20, graduated at age 23, and…
Tom Black: An industry ally helps to form an industry alliance
Working with some likeminded metal construction industry professionals, he strived to educate consumers about the many benefits of metal roofing. As a result, the Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA) was born. Black was MRA’s first executive director and served in this…
Scott Kriner: A life-long industry expert who helped grow the use of metal
A Long Career After attending Lehigh University as a metallurgical engineering student, Kriner says working with metal intrigued him. He started his career in 1981 with Bethlehem Steel Corp. in the metallurgical department at Homer Research Laboratories. From there he…
Mike Reynolds: The student becomes the teacher and raises the standards for excellence among metal building assemblers
“Mike is a friend and mentor to many,” says Art Hance, president of Hance Construction, Washington, N.J., and current president of MBCEA. “He was a past MBCEA president and a strong business leader of Systems Contractors. But that only scratches…
Terry Wolfe, PE: A soldier for the metal construction industry providing engineering guidance and support
He attended Virginia Military Academy (VMI) in Lexington, Va., where he earned a Civil Engineering degree and gained a strong base in professional ethics. He entered the U.S. Army following graduation to continue in the field of military engineering. In…
2020 Inductees
Charles A. Haslebacher, PE: steady leadership led the industry
That program for metal building manufacturers inspired and was later supplemented by the AC478 program for metal building assemblers that was created by the Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association (MBCEA). Now, building owners can be assured of standards of…
Todd Miller: A life-long leader in the metal roofing industry
Miller is the president and co-owner of Piqua, Ohio-based Isaiah Industries Inc., the business his father, Donald Miller, started in 1980. Known then as Classic Products Inc., Miller worked at the company during summers throughout high school and college, working…
John Iveson: A strong advocate for experienced metal building erectors
These words and their impact have aided Iveson’s life-long involvement in the metal building industry and have helped earn him a spot in the in the Metal Construction News Hall of Fame. He has represented independent metal erectors via associations…
John Scarbrough: Rising from draftsman to president with a belief in metal buildings
He chose the latter, got hired by Mitchell Engineering Co., Columbus, Miss., to work in its drafting department and wound up working there for the next 44 years. That company is now Rocky Mount, N.C.-based Ceco Building Systems—a pioneer in…
2019 Inductees
Bill Lowery: Find a need and fill it
“Unique” is one way to describe Bill Lowery’s operating style. “All encompassing” might be better. Having gained the experience of having worked in almost every aspect of the insulated metal panel (IMP) business for over 34 years, that experience has…
Charles E. “Chuck” Praeger: Through his vision and facility, brought a broader vision of the metal building industry
For more than four decades, Charles “Chuck” Praeger, former vice president at Cleveland-based Thomas Associates Inc. and assistant general manager at the Metal Building Manufacturer Association (MBMA), led numerous efforts to advance the use of metal building systems. Through his…
Bill Johnson: A tireless promoter of the value of metal building systems
Industry Development KSBA was a chapter of the Systems Builders Association, which eventually became the Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association (MBCEA), and in its nomination of Johnson, MBCEA said, “Bill Johnson has been a driving force in the pre-engineered…
Robert D. Carr, PE: A software innovation lays the groundwork for metal building system customization
The Dawn of an Age After Carr graduated from Kansas State University in the late 1970s with a degree in structural engineering, he took a job with Star Building Systems as a design engineer, practicing his trade as an engineer…
Jack Sturdivant: 50 years of metal buildings
In 1969, four days after Jack Sturdivant’s 20th birthday, his father, C.O. Sturdivant, president and owner of Houston-based Whirlwind Steel, a manufacturer of power fans and louvers, and pre-engineered metal building systems, passed away suddenly. Unbeknownst to Jack, C.O. bequeathed…
Harold Schroth: A 40-plus-year career in coil coatings led to the start of the Metal Roofing Alliance
A Long Career Schroth’s career started back in 1962, when he began working in the industrial coatings laboratory of the American-Marietta Paint Co., which was later acquired by Mobil Chemical Co., a division of Mobil Oil. In 1972, Harold entered…
Dale Nelson: A start in design-build general contracting led to a career innovating the metal construction industry
A Part-Time Career After graduating from Northern Illinois University, Nelson moved down to Clearwater, Fla., to be closer to his mom and stepdad. It was Nelson’s stepfather who introduced him to McConnohie. McConnohie had been complaining that he couldn’t find…
J. David Clapperton: Promoted MCM rainscreen types for the industry as they grew in popularity
J. David Clapperton’s expertise in, and approach to, construction was so impactful it left enduring effects that went beyond his company to the metal construction industry. The former vice president of operations at Austell, Ga.-based fabricator and installer MillerClapperton contributed…
2017 Inductees
Leo Neyer: Developed numerous standing seam roof systems and established a market for manufacturing licenses
Leo Neyer’s work was indispensable to the advancement of metal roofs. His efforts on standing seam roof systems changed the market, brought people with diverse areas of expertise together and contributed to the industry-wide improvement of metal roofs.Identifying Opportunity In…
Mark Engle: Champion of efforts to help metal compete with other building materials
Mark Engle has been an unrelenting advocate for the metal construction industry. His company, Chicago-based Association Management Center Inc., has managed the Metal Construction Association (MCA) since 2001. Engle, who is a principal at Association Management Center, served as executive…
James D. Murphy: One of the industry’s great entrepreneurs
James D. Murphy was known as the “Lee Iacocca” of the metal building business in Eufaula, Ala., for his work with American Buildings Co. (ABC).Throughout the metal building systems industry, he is known as an entrepreneur whose many contributions were…
Kelly Burk: 50 years of erecting success​
Kelly Burk’s contribution to the metal building industry is his life-long involvement in the industry.He has worked hard and tirelessly building his company from the ground up, starting with one truck, one forklift, one trailer and six men; to grow…
Scott Knepper: An Innovator and Leader in the Construction of Hybrid Metal Buildings
Scott Knepper is an innovator who helped pioneer the growing use of hybrid metal frame buildings. Today, he is vice president of the Schwob Steel Structures, a division of Schwob Cos., where he has worked since 1992. Through his efforts…
Gene McNichols: Leader of a multigenerational family company in its “hole story”
The McNICHOLS CO. story began 65 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, with a vision from Robert L. “Bob” McNichols, a World War II POW. After being the sole survivor of a 10-crew B-17 crash and ending up in a German…
2016 Inductees
Jack A. Berridge: Innovative products, equipment, processes and business practices
Jack A. Berridge, chairman of the board at Houston-based Berridge Manufacturing Co., has influenced the metal construction industry through his creative development of metal building products and equipment and passion for the business for more than 50 years. Early Days…
Bill Croucher, PE: Patents, dedicated commitment and 45 years of successful service
Bill Croucher loved math and science in school. He originally wanted to build bridges and earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Structural Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Since then, he has left a legacy of…
Dave Evers: A product development leader who raised the bar on energy efficiency
Over the last 43 years, Dave Evers has been a fixture at Butler Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo. He retired this past July after spending almost his entire career at the company, rising through the ranks from structural designer to vice…
T.K. Frahm: A career to metal buildings with a focus on safety and quality
T.K. Frahm has walked both sides of the street. In considering him for the Hall of Fame, the judges needed to decide between entering him in the contractor/installer category or the manufacturer/supplier category. Frahm has done it all. In the…
A.R. Ginn: A visionary who spearheaded the metal components industry
Albert R. (A.R.) Ginn spent an impressive 48 years championing the metal construction industry before retiring in 2007. He began his long career as an assistant on the shop floor at Metallic Building Co., Houston in 1959. After spending seven…
Jack Hatcher: Contributions include rigid frames and market expansion
Jack Hatcher’s contributions to the metal construction industry continue to reverberate in the widespread adoption of rigid frame metal buildings, at the companies he helped expand and turnaround, in connections made among industry leaders and their support of future generations…
Jerry Iselin: A passion for metal roofing and the metal building world
When Jerry Iselin was 21 years old, he was happy working in the sporting goods business. But a friend told him about ASC Pacific, Tacoma, Wash. (now ASC Profiles), a leading manufacturer of metal roofing products in Washington’s Puget Sound…
Wilbur B. Larkin: Combined business acumen and passion for product improvements
Wilbur Larkin’s impact on the metal construction industry is seen today in the types of products produced and how they’re brought to market. He held multiple positions at Kansas City, Mo.-based Butler Manufacturing Co. from the early 1930s to 196…
Sam W. Milnark: A publisher and editor inspired by what the metal construction industry could become
Sam W. Milnark believed the metal building industry was the next big thing. And the next big thing needed a magazine and an association to promote it. In 1978, Milnark, along with 2012 Hall of Fame inductee John S. Lawrence…
Johnie Schulte: Pioneered a hub-and-spoke approach to manufacturing and cultivated thriving company culture
Johnie Schulte shaped the metal construction industry by establishing a new manufacturing method for metal buildings and proving metal building companies could sell metal building components and multiple brands of products in a single market. But perhaps Schulte’s greatest contributions…
Gary T. Smith: A driving force for the benefit of metal building assemblers
Once Gary T. Smith starts something, he likes to finish it. In 1976, as part of the celebration of the Montreal Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee staged numerous events surrounding the Olympics. One was a 400-mile canoe race from Toronto…
Thad Strickland: An essential part of his local community and a leader in the metal building industry
There are people who move through life with quiet confidence, and over the course of a lifetime we are surprised by the influence they have exerted in their community and industry. Thad Strickland, TN Construction, Spartanburg, S.C., is just such…
Larry A. Swaney: Visionary, association founder and industry promoter
“A visionary.” That’s what John S. Lawrence Sr., founder of Modern Trade Communications and 2012 Metal Construction Hall of Fame inductee calls Larry A. Swaney. The Larry A. Swaney Award⎯that’s what the Metal Construction Association (MCA) calls its award it…
2015 Inductees
Herb Englert: A pioneer in total rollforming systems and total metal roofing systems
Herb Englert, who passed away in 2000, was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He was the son of a siding installer for a major aluminum siding and gutter manufacturer. By the time he finished high school, Englert, like many of…
D.V. “Red” McConnohie: Pioneer of the metal retrofit market
A consummate salesman, D.V. “Red” McConnohie spent 46 years in the metal construction industry. He started out in the pre-fabricated metal building industry early on, joining the original sales team for a new company after answering an ad to be…
Earl Raymond: A legacy of promoting safety and education to metal building contractors and educators
In 1980, Earl Raymond got his start in the metal building industry at Denver-based Denver Commercial Builder Inc. (DCB) working as an accountant. DCB is a Builder with Kansas City, Mo.-based Butler Manufacturing, producing pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMBs) since the…
W. Lee Shoemaker: An engineer’s engineer who has guided research for the metal building industry during the last two decades
When W. Lee Shoemaker, Ph.D., P.E., completed his undergraduate education at Duke University, Durham, N.C., he half expected to work for for a large design/ engineering firm, but the best offer came from Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, so he took…
George Smeja: With the support of his family, Smeja grew his company with hard work, expert craftsmanship and great passion for the metal building industry
George Smeja, co-founder of McHenry, Ill.-based Metalmaster Roofmaster Inc., was always building. Building a family, business, expertise, professional partnerships and mentorships, thousands of metal building components and projects and a reputation as someone who knew how to get things done…
2014 Inductees
Jim Bush: A passion for proper detailing and installation helps a company grow
Jim Bush recently celebrated 30 years working at ATAS International Inc. in Allentown, Pa. After starting his career in heavy plate and bar fabrication in Easton, Pa., and after a relocation to Birmingham, Ala., Bush moved back to Bethlehem, Pa….
Chuck Howard: A dedication and passion for metal roofing
In 1979, one of Chuck Howard’s, P.E., metal building customers asked him if it was possible to install over his current flat-roofed building the same sloped roof Howard had provided to one of his recent warehouse buildings. As a young…
King Husein: On the back of a simple concept, Husein has built a business that has transformed an industry
King Husein has built Madera, Calif.- based Span Construction and Engineering into the country’s largest metal building construction company by establishing it on a basic concept: Keep your commitments at any cost. “There have been times we have swallowed a…
Norman W. Rimmer, P.E.: He brought metal building solutions to the construction industry’s forefront
Norman Rimmer, who passed away in 2008, was a leading influencer in specifications, codes and standards adopted by metal building manufacturing companies industry wide. Rimmer was a founding member of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) technical committee. In addition…
Daniel Zabcik: Helping companies achieve success while training customers and employees
During the 40 years Daniel (Dan) D. Zabcik spent in the metal construction industry, he has worked in virtually all aspects of the industry from finance and administration to marketing, sales, engineering and customer service. Zabcik started his career as…
2013 Inductees
Dr. Duane S. Ellifritt: A love of teaching, an iconic sculpture and a nationally recognized expert
Dr. Duane Ellifritt grew up in a little hill country town in West Virginia with a population of 366. “My parents never went beyond eighth grade in school,” he says. “I didn’t know any college graduates, except my high school…
Mary Farrar: A force in the metal building industry
Mary Farrar has lots of energy. The Kansas-based contractor even came out of retirement to start a new metal erection division at All Pro Contracting, based in Olathe, Kan. That restlessness defines her career. Farrar admits that she’s uncertain exactly…
Donald L. Johnson, P.E.: Demonstrates a commitment to innovation in structural design and design standards
Donald Johnson’s leadership in product research and testing has directly resulted in product improvements that have been implemented by metal building manufacturing companies worldwide. Throughout his career, Johnson has demonstrated a commitment to innovation, structural design and design standards, with…
Tem McElroy: Grew the family business and helped create a new industry association
A pioneer in the metal components industry, Tem McElroy has spent 43 years in the metal construction industry, growing his small family company into a national company that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Growing the company McElroy received…
Ted S. Miller: Integrity and a desire to do the right thing drove this salesman
As this year’s Legacy Award in the Contractor/Installer category, Ted S. Miller has been described as a total salesman. Always working to better the industry, he believed in doing the right thing. After a 10-year battle against Stage 4 colon…
Clark Prudhon: Created a Metal Construction Dynasty
Memphis, Tenn.-based Varco Pruden is a well-known manufacturer and supplier of preengineered metal building systems. However, the company itself has humble beginnings in the legacy of Clark Prudhon, one of the company’s founders and an innovator in the metal construction…
2012 Inductees
Dick Bus: A leader with a lifelong career dedicated to the industry
Dick Bus got his start in the metal construction industry early in life, when as a nine-year-old boy he would accompany his father to job sites, helping him install metal siding and trim. Along with his brother Jim, Bus has…
Dave Fulton: An entire career spent advancing the metal construction industry
Dave Fulton is no stranger to the metal building industry, having spent his entire working career in metal construction. While he claims he got started in the industry by accident, it is that long and active career, along with his…
Rob Haddock: A lifetime in metal construction and a drive to contribute earns Haddock a spot in the Hall of Fame
Rob Haddock is known throughout the industry as the founder of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based S-5!, the company that invented the non-invasive clamps for fastening accessories to standing seam metal roofs. That innovation and impact on the industry would probably be…
Gill Harris: A hall-of-famer who brought computerization to metal building engineering and drafting
Gill Harris saw the start of his career in civil engineering interrupted twice by war; first by World War II and then by the Korean War. When he finally settled into his career, he was in Houston and answered an…
Bob Ketenbrink: A leader in safety and education for metal building contractors
The role of a contractor in the metal construction industry can be isolating and one where it’s difficult to exert influence. Certainly, contractors can drive excellence and improvements within their own companies, but they need leverage to make changes on…
John Lawrence: Co-founder Modern Trade Communications, which helped define, promote and grow the industry
John Lawrence is a magazine guy. He’s built a career selling ads and running magazines, which as an industry is pretty far afield from the metal construction industry. With his partner, Sam Milnark, though, Lawrence created Metal Building News (which…
Raymond A. Miller Jr.: A love of metal construction and a competitive work ethic earns Raymond Miller a spot in the hall of fame
“I was actually hired as a salesman through an employment agency,” says Raymond Miller Jr. of his start at Fleming Building Co. “I had 90 days to produce or be released.” Not only was Miller not released, but under his…
Marvin K. Snyder, PE, AE: Innovative metal building systems pioneer has legacy of testing and advanced construction methods
Marvin Snyder is an icon in the field of research throughout the metal building systems industry and has demonstrated continuing involvement in it for 63 years. Snyder has developed and tested metal building product solutions, raising the level of respect…
