Master Builders of Iowa

Happy work anniversary, Chelsea! We appreciate all that you do! https://mbi.build/about/staff/

Happy work anniversary, Aly! We appreciate all that you do! https://mbi.build/about/staff/

8 projects enrolled in the WORKSAFE program in the last month! Congratulations to the following for their commitment to safety excellence by adopting the MBI/IOSHA WORKSAFE Program. City Construction - UIHC Parking Ramp No. 4 Renovate Mezzanine Level for Simulation Wet Lab... Commonwealth Electric Company of the Midwest - Maple Residence Hall Fire Alarm Upgrade Dean Snyder Construction - N-K Activity CTR GTG Companies - Drake Park Shelter Renovation Kimberley Development Corporation - Willow on Grand McComas-Lacina Construction - UIHC RJC Expand Heart and Vascular Paulson Electric - UNI Power Plant Boiler #3 Electrical Infrastructure The Weitz Company - Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab In total, 164 companies have enrolled 818 projects in WORKSAFE since it began in 2012. To learn more or to enroll a project, visit https://mbi.build/our-services/safety/worksafe/.

As we’re heading into spring, MBI is helping our members prepare for a busy construction season with a variety of training and educational opportunities. Thank you to all of the attendees, speakers, and sponsors who make these opportunities possible. We bookended March with two virtual programs through MBI Live Online Learning and Development. At the beginning of the month was the much-anticipated Best Practices for Recruiting a Diverse Workforce course, and today’s virtu...al seminar was entitled Crew Parade Production Planning. On March 11-12, the final session of Cornerstone Academy took place in Cedar Rapids. During this session, attendees learned about project finances, contracts, insurance, and HR topics. Thank you to North Risk Partners for serving as the dinner sponsor at this session! Last week included two in-person educational opportunities. First, Tactics for Managing Project Work - Small Batch Execution and 5S Job Site Organization took place in Ankeny. This was the second of three sessions that are part of MBI’s Lean Construction Education & Leadership Series. The other in-person training last week was Advanced Blueprint Reading for Commercial Construction in Cedar Falls. This course provided attendees with an opportunity to practice quantity take-offs and estimating at a higher level. In addition to the courses listed above, MBI also provided two member-exclusive webinars and hosted several Training on Demand classes for member firms. To view and register for upcoming programs and events, visit www.mbi.build/events.

April was a busy month for MBI! At the beginning of the month, we wrapped up the 2021 Build Iowa Career Fairs. These career fairs were held in five locations across the state, free for MBI member companies to participate in, and attracted nearly 450 students from local high schools and community colleges. Thank you to all who attended the fairs this year to discuss the many career opportunities available in commercial construction! In addition to our popular Career Fairs, o...ur Build Iowa Virtual Reality Program has been making its way into classrooms to demonstrate a fun and interactive way to job shadow through the lens of a pair of oculus goggles. This is a great opportunity for our member companies to get involved with local schools, as Russell did during our visit in Davenport! Moving on to the education and training realm On April 14th, we kicked-off the inaugural Building a Safety Champion leadership development series. In this first session, led by Seth Bretscher from Caterpillar Safety Services, the group explored Accountability / Recognition as well as the Psychology of Safety. Thank you to Baker Group for serving as our dinner sponsor for this session! On the 16th and 23rd, members of the Scholarship and Academic Advisory Committee interviewed students who are enrolled in the Construction Management Program at UNI and the Construction Engineering program at ISU. The committee awarded a total of just over $28,000 in scholarships deserving applicants! In addition to the final Legislative Update webinar with Ben Hammes, MBI hosted a webinar on Confined Space Awareness with Mark Wieland of CSSI, as well as one on Supply Chain Management and Contracts delivered by Brian Rickert of BrownWinick Law Firm. MBI also hosted a virtual training course through MBI Live titled EOS Self Implementer Three Step Process Documenter which was led by Mark Stanley of The Why! Company. To view and register for upcoming programs and events, visit www.mbi.build/events.