Nominees sought for 2010 Northern
Maine Construction Hall of Fame
PRESQUE ISLE – Nominations are being sought from the community for individuals who have made a significant impact on the construction industry in the region for the 2010 induction into the Northern Maine Construction Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame was officially opened, and the first five honorees inducted, on the campus of Northern Maine Community College in October of 2007 during National Careers in Construction Week. Since that time, four individuals have been inducted at annual induction events. This year’s ceremony will again take place during the week set aside to honor construction workers, which falls Oct. 18-22.
Nomination forms for 2010 inductees are available on the NMCC website at www.nmcc.edu, can be picked up between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the information window in the main lobby of the Christie building on the NMCC campus, or can be sent to individuals by mail by calling 768-2809. Deadline for nominations is Sept. 3.
“The Northern Maine Construction Hall of Fame was established by the trade and technical occupations faculty to honor the invaluable and immeasurable contributions of professionals in the construction trades here in northern Maine and across the state,” said Brian McDougal, chair of the trade and technical occupations department at NMCC. “The concept of creating a ‘Hall of Fame’ to recognize key individuals who have contributed both to the profession and as mentors to others entering the profession, provides an ideal opportunity to honor the legacy of these individuals and is reflective of the teaching and learning that happens in our programs and across the NMCC campus each and every day.”
The wall of honor featuring the inductee photos is located inside the main entrance of the Mailman Trades Building in the corridor that students, faculty, staff and visitors use to enter and exit the building daily. According to McDougal, the space is ideal, because students and prospective students of the college regularly have the opportunity to see the faces and learn the stories of some of the “legends” in the construction trades, and – in turn – better understand that similar career success is possible for them.
The inductees honored to date represent prominent construction business owners and industry leaders, as well as alumni and retired faculty of NMCC and its forerunner Northern Maine Vocational Technical Institute.
They include 2007 inaugural honorees Stanley “Bub” Anderson of New Sweden, co-founder and an owner of County Electric; Hollis Burgess, a former long-time instructor in the residential construction program at NMCC, who was honored posthumously; Tim Doak of Caribou, co-owner and president of B.R. Smith Associates, Inc. Surveying and Engineering in Presque Isle; Rick St. Peter of Caribou, owner of Patrick St. Peter and Sons; and Richard “Dick” West of Holden, first a sheet metal (present-day welding and metal fabrication) faculty member and then department chairperson for the trade and technical occupations department at NMCC. In 2008, Richard Nadeau Jr., president and treasurer of Presque Isle-based A & L Construction Inc., and Raymond and Timothy Todd, treasurer and president respectively of R. L. Todd & Son, Inc. of Caribou, had their photos unveiled. Last fall, Donald Collins of Caribou, the fourth generation member of his family to operate the S.W. Collins Co. and a well-known and highly respected county leader and businessman, was inducted.
Careers in Construction Week is coordinated across the United States by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) to raise public awareness of the work of the country’s craft professionals and to emphasize the role construction industry partners play in helping youths and adults achieve career success. This year will mark the sixth anniversary of the celebration nationally, and the fourth year NMCC officially joins in the festivities by hosting local events.
NCCER was created by the construction industry to develop standardized curriculum with portable credentials and to help address the skilled construction workforce shortage. Skilled trade workers are in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1 million skilled workers will be needed to fill construction jobs by 2014.
For more information on the Hall of Fame or to receive a nomination form, contact the college relations office at 768-2809.
