MBMA Celebrates 2019 Metal Construction Hall of Fame Inductees

The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) is pleased to announce that five industry leaders with MBMA ties have been introduced as part of the 2019 Metal Construction Hall of Fame class. Charles “Chuck” Praeger, retired assistant general manager for MBMA, has been inducted as a Friend of the Industry. Jack Sturdivant of Whirlwind Steel, Robert Carr, formerly of Robertson CECO/NCI, Bill Lowery of All Weather Insulated Panels and Dale Nelson of Roof Hugger, LLC have also been introduced as Hall of Fame members in the Manufacturer/Supplier category.

“The Metal Building Manufacturers Association would like to congratulate all of the members of this year’s Hall of Fame class. We are particularly proud of those with MBMA ties, including one of my predecessors, Chuck Praeger. Chuck worked in the industry for 47 years and led our association for 19 years until his retirement in 2014,” notes Tony Bouquot, current MBMA general manager. “His leadership was instrumental in shaping the industry and bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, code officials and the design community to help lead us to where we are today.”

“Chuck was vital in instituting the AC 472 accreditation program for metal building manufacturers,” adds W. Lee Shoemaker, Ph.D., PE, director of research and engineering for MBMA and Thomas Associates and a member of the Metal Construction Hall of Fame, class of 2017. “This transformative program elevated metal building manufacturers by creating a standard of excellence that recognizes accredited manufacturers. His work for the industry will be long remembered.”

As day-to-day manager of MBMA for 19 years, Chuck Praeger spent countless hours working with committees comprised of the industry’s biggest leaders, who also happened to be direct competitors. He helped these leaders work together for the greater good of the entire industry through cooperative educational, research and promotional programs, cultivating a spirit of innovation and building a sense of community throughout the MBMA membership. In addition to the AC 472 accreditation program, Chuck helped MBMA institute a thriving Associate member program, which now numbers over 70 participants. He also was responsible for creating MBMA’s Energy Committee and the Sustainability Committee. Other work includes: writing dozens of articles promoting the metal building systems industry across a variety of publications and websites; serving as chairman of the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition; planning and executing seminars for code and standards awareness; instituting a manufacturer and supplier safety program for MBMA members; overseeing joint university and association research projects; and developing strategic planning exercises that have helped to shape the industry. Combined, all of these efforts helped to bring metal buildings into the 21st century and broadened market share growth and acceptance of the industry.

Jack Sturdivant is CEO and chairman of the board of directors for Whirlwind Steel, located in Houston, TX. Upon the death of his father in 1972, Jack took over as president and CEO and led the company for 40 years. He retired from his role as president in 2012, when his son Ty Sturdivant took the reins.

Robert Carr is a longtime metal building industry leader. He was vice president of technical services for NCI Building Systems, Inc., headquartered in Houston, TX, from 2006 through 2017. Prior to that he worked for Robertson CECO II Corporation of Oklahoma City, OK, from 1992 until 2002 as vice president of technical services/CIO and director of engineering systems development.

Bill Lowery is president of All Weather Insulated Panels, located in Vacaville, CA. Bill founded the company in 2004 to meet the challenges of today’s stringent environmental and structural building regulations. Before that, he served as president for API, a national manufacturer of composite insulated panels.

Dale Nelson is a co-founder and president of Roof Hugger, LLC, headquartered in Lutz, FL. Dale helped found the company in 1991 and he has led Roof Hugger, an innovator in metal roofing retrofit solutions, since then.

For more information, visit www.mbma.com.