2012 Iron Workers/IMPACT North American Labor-Management ...

70% said that they
believe the Iron Workers
would get more work if
developers knew us better.
jobs. The session focused on improving
ironworker shop training in order
to compete with the non-union, and in
order to stem the rising tide of foreign
workers hired to replace domestic labor.
“We are in the course of designing
and implementing a shop training
program at next year’s Ironworker Instructor
Training Program,” said Tony
Walencik, executive director of the
Iron Workers Union’s Shop Department.
“An employee who is training is
going to be safer and more productive,
and he can help the shops grow.” General
President Wise added that “we
cannot prosper, cannot double market
share, and cannot grow our industry
if we do not have the shops right
there with us.” Wise said that the cooperation
of outside local unions and
shops are crucial to accomplishing
the union’s goals of doubling market
share by 2020.
IMPACT welcomed a powerhouse
panel to “Real Estate Development—
When is the Commercial Market
Coming Back?” hosted by IMPACT
Regional Advisory Board V Management
Co-Chair Vic Cornellier. Developers
stressed relationship-building
as the key to landing new projects.
“We have to market to the real client:
the owner of the property,” said
Peter Palandjian, a representative
from the Intercontinental Real Estate
Corporation in Boston. Cornel-
“Real Estate Development—When is
the Commercial Market Coming Back?”
“The Customer is Always Right” “Fabricating Jobs”
Vic Cornellier, moderator, president, TSI/Exterior Wall Systems;
Jerry Lea, Hines; Peter Palandjian, Intercontinental Real Estate
Corporation; and Mike Stotz, AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust.
lier, who is also president and CEO of
TSI/Exterior Wall Systems, Fairfax,
Va., added succinctly, “The developer
is the ultimate customer.”
Steve Lindauer, CEO of the Association
of Union Constructors, moderated
“The Customer is Always Right,”
a panel of ten of the largest owners
in North America, including the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Pfizer and
Los Angeles World Airports, among
others. Owners lauded ironworkers’
commitment to safety and training
and stressed the need to market services
more aggressively to large consumers
like themselves who benefit
from good work in the way of large cost
savings and superior quality projects.
Joseph Basile, Pfizer; Joe Mansker, Dynegy; Randy Stefanizyn, Syncrude Rick Sullivan (right), executive director of education and training for
Canada Ltd.; Vanessa Shaw-Jennings, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
IMPACT, moderates the “Fabricating Jobs” panel, along with Tony
Mike Rother, Prairie States Energy; Mike Mahaffey, ArcelorMittal Steel; Walencik, executive director of the Iron Workers Shop Department;
Intessar Durham, Los Angeles World Airports; Ronald Smith, Kaiser
Dave Olson, chairman and CEO of Olson Steel; and Terry Aarnio, CEO
Permanente; Kelly Candaele, Los Angeles Community College District; of Oregon Iron Works.
and Steve Lindauer, TAUC/NMAPC, moderator.
10 THE IRONWORKER