2020 Metal Construction Hall of Fame
One of John Iveson’s greatest inspirations came while working as an engineer’s assistant at Gloucester, Mass.-based Gloucester Engineering Corp. in June 1976. “Frank Cole sat me down one day, and he gave me this advice: ‘John, you’re going to make a thousand decisions every day, if 900 are right, you will be way ahead of the game. If you make a mistake, own it and ask for help to fix it. You will never regret it.’ I’ve carried those words with me ever since.”
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, and his hard work, integrity and professionalism has had great results. One of which is making the erector division of Systems Builders Association (SBA) to become full and equal SBA members, and this continues to date with the Metal Building Contractors Erectors Association (MBCEA), which SBA would later become.
Additionally, Iveson is responsible for erecting some of the very first multistory, pre-engineered metal buildings in New England. Pro-actively working with and mentoring many manufacturers on successful erection practices, he is well known for sharing his knowledge of the design details of safe structure erection. Iveson has received many Building of the Year awards for excellence in multiple categories from multiple sources.
My entire career has been in the metal construction industry; my livelihood has been totally dependent on this business. I will do all that I can to continue to support it any way I can. The metal construction industry has evolved into the most sophisticated, versatile product for enclosing tempered environment in the world. I’m proud to have been a very small part in its growth. It’s also been a large sense of accomplishment to drive by a project that is still in place many years later functioning as it should.
John Iveson, Package Steel Systems Inc.
“I have known John Iveson since the early 1980s,” says Rob Haddock, founder and CEO of S-5!, Colorado Springs, Colo. “Our association grew when I opened an operation in Massachusetts about 1986. I was away from home and he was a true friend. Through up and down, thick and thin, John has always been a man of integrity, spoken the truth and has been true to his word. He has remained within the industry of his expertise. He was always under-promised and over-delivered with a humble spirit. John is a good soul and a guy with whom I have always been proud to be associated.”
Bob Fisette, sales manager at Package Steel Systems Inc., Sutton, Mass., met Iveson back in the late 1980s when he was in business as a steel erector, and over the years worked with him when he was working with a fabricator and then later with a building manufacturer as a district manager. “John has shown over the years to be a motivated sales person. He has proven to me that he is not afraid to roll up his sleeves in order to get the job done. John has long pioneered the use and installation of metal buildings where others may have looked at it as a conventional project. Today, John continues to promote our industry professionally with great integrity.”
Bigger and Better Roles
In both junior and senior high school, Iveson was always interested in drawing and drafting. He even had an instructor/mentor that pushed him along and showed him how to take a drawing and visualize it in 3-D. Immediately jumping into the workforce after college was a struggle for him. “As a 20-year-old kid with no real construction experience, I was always challenged by the veterans,” he says. “As I gained experience, I was advanced into bigger and better roles within. When I couldn’t grow in one place, I jumped to another, gaining more experience.”
In 1985, at age 29 with no formal business training, Iveson started his first business partnership, Southborough,Mass.-based I-bar Industrial Roofing and Siding Inc. “It was a huge challenge,” he says. “I leaned on my partner and was tutored until I grew into the position. I watched, I listenebeen an obstacle to get past, but with the help of other erectors and contractors, I was able to keep the business going, erecting buildings not only in New England, but in Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri. In the process I have met and made many friends in the business and will cherish those forever.”
Two years after I-bar closed following an eight-year run, he and his partners formed Wrentham, Mass.-based Erection Specialists Inc., a division of Metro West Steel. “We were positioned to provide conventional structures, metal siding, metal roofing and hybrid buildings. The division grew to multiple field crews, builder agreements with multiple building manufacturers and component suppliers. Life was good. The years flew by.”
Recognizing Erectors
Getting involved with the SBA, Iveson volunteered for the local chapter board of directors: the Pioneer Chapter, then he was later elected its president. At that time SBA only recognized builder contractors as true members; the erectors were a division with no voting rights.
However, as president of the local chapter he had a seat on the national board of directors, and at the same time he was very active with SBA’s erector division. “We held separate meetings within the national conventions and had separate erector-only meetings,” he says. “I hosted a National Erectors Meeting in New England in the early fall of 1988. We had about 150 attendees, at the time being on the national board, and constantly pushed for full membership. I invited the national board members to attend as our guests. This was the first time that the builders fully interacted with the erectors. The meeting was a huge success. The seed was planted that the erectors had a lot to offer the association as full members. Shortly after that meeting, the board voted to change the bylaws making the erectors full voting members and eligible for leadership positions in the association. I’m honestly not sure if the association would have survived without the change. History has shown that erectors have been the lifeblood of the association and they have held many leadership positions since.” Iveson received the Oil Can Award for dedicated service to the industry by SBA in 1989.
Keith Wentworth, vice president at Dutton & Garfield Inc. has worked together with John on both the New England Chapter (NEC) and National board of the MBCEA for the last eight years. “John is the current treasurer of the NEC and active board member with National,” he says. “His work on both has been outstanding and goes above the call of duty when asked. He [has been] very vocal and brought about a lot of positive changes for the erectors in the association. He [has been] very involved with getting educational programs started and implemented in the community colleges around the country.”
