Flatiron Construction’s Year in Review: 2013 Awards

2013 has been an eventful year for all of us at Flatiron Construction. From completing noteworthy projects across the United States and Canada to partnering with some of the top movers and shakers of our industry, our commitment to our employees, our work, and the communities we serve hasn’t gone unnoticed. On top of being recognized as one of the best employers, Flatiron projects have won several notable industry awards. Below we’re recapping this year’s most notable honors with a New Year’s Eve style countdown: 

NINE hundred tons of steel make up the arch of the Lake Champlain Bridge. In 2013, American Public Works Association named the project the Public Works Project of the Year in the Transportation, over $75 million category. Winners were honored at an awards ceremony at the APWA’s International Public Works Congress and Exposition in Chicago on August 26.

EIGHT lanes now, four lanes before. On the Yadkin River Bridge in Salisbury, North Carolina, Flatiron widened approximately three miles of the four-lane I-85 to eight lanes, including the north and south approaches to the bridges. The was completed with safety as a top priority, which helped Flatiron earn a 2012 Safety Award from the North Carolina Department of Labor.

SEVEN years. Over the seven years that Flatiron’s Build-A-Bridge program in California has been in existence, nearly 100 students have completed the program. The program is geared for students in high school in an effort to help identify the next generation of construction professionals. Its education outreach efforts across North America are part of a company-wide effort to introduce students to the construction industry as a career option and provide scholarships to those who are interested in studying engineering or construction management in college. This year, Flatiron awarded $15,000 in scholarships to 11 high school students.

SIX feet tall and four feet wide. That’s roughly the size of the hand-carved 118-foot tunnel entrance to the Point Bonita Lighthouse. This entrance is the only way to access the site on land, which made the Point Bonita Lighthouse Pedestrian Bridge project uniquely challenging for the Flatiron team. In 2013 the The Associated General Contractors of America awarded Flatiron’s Point Bonita Lighthouse Bridge project in San Francisco an Alliant Build America Award in the Highway and Transportation Under $10 Million category.

FIVE hundred foot-towers with anchored cable stays is only part of the work Flatiron Construction completed on the John James Audubon Bridge in Louisiana. This joint venture project earned the Transportation Project of the Year from Engineering News-Record as well as the overall Best Project in 2013.

FOUR plus decades of placing safety first. Since being founded in 1947, safety is Flatiron Construction’s top priority. Flatiron earned a Platinum Safety Award from the Associated General Contractors of Utah in 2013.

THREE major best employer awards were given to Flatiron Construction this year. In early 2013, Flatiron was named one of BC’s top employers as part of the Top 100 BC Employers competition. Flatiron was selected based on company policies, programs and benefits. Editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers noted that Flatiron provides tuition subsidies and training for employees, supports local charitable initiatives, and generously contributes to employee retirement funds. For the second year in a row, Flatiron was recognized as a 2013 Best Workplace in Canada on the annual list published by the Globe and Mail. Flatiron earned the No. 49 spot on the list of the best large workplaces in Canada. Over 57,000 employees from more than 300 nominated companies participated in the 2013 competition. In September, Flatiron was named one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People in 2013 Canada’s Top 100 Employers. How are the companies chosen?  Each employer is evaluated by the editors of in terms of the programs they have to attract and retain younger workers. [x1]

TWO partnering awards from Caltrans. The California Department of Transportation honored two Flatiron projects with Excellence in Partnering Awards, one being The Big Bear Bridge project with a silver award and the Interstate 15 Manages Lanes project with a bronze award. Flatiron also won three awards from the California Transportation Foundation in May.

ONE cause. Flatiron has partnered with the nonprofit organization Bridges to Prosperity since 2009. This year, Flatiron’s Bridges to Prosperity program was recognized by the charitable arm of the organization with an AGC in the Community Award. Three teams of employees from Flatiron, sister company Turner Construction and subsidiary E.E. Cruz built three much needed footbridges in Nicaragua in 2013.

These awards are a direct reflection of Flatiron’s uncompromising core values — safety, people, ingenuity, results and success. As we say in our motto, “Build the Best. Be the Best.“, being the best means conducting business with absolute integrity and ethics.