CCCIA ends year with its ACE Awards
How great a year has it been for the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association? It has grown so much that it was forced to move its annual ACE Awards Holiday Party and Board of Directors instillation to the Harborside Events Center in Fort Myers on Friday.
Numerous business and city leaders were on hand as the CCCIA swore in the new board, including new president Keith Moyer, handed out awards for top contractor, sub-contractor and affiliate, had a nice dinner and enjoyed itself.
Joe Francioni, outgoing CCCIA president, said he was excited to return to Harborside, and thanked everyone for getting the organization to the point where they needed it again.
“We grew in membership, we grew in the different issues that need to be dealt with and grew in our involvement with other organizations. We sat with the American Architect Association this year, the BIA and CBIA, different chambers and delegations. We really branched out to work on broadening our place in our industry,” Francioni said.
CCCIA executive director Bill Johnson Jr. said with all the existing homes having been sold, the industry has started to once again build homes instead of selling the old ones.
“We nearly doubled the amount of single-family-home permits pulled. We’re seeing a resurgence of small business owners going back to bricks and mortar. Skilled labor is the one thing we need,” Johnson said.
The event featured numerous awards. Nancy Ramos was given the Deborah Jude Schvinski Memorial Award, which was reinstituted this year, as the female contractor of the year and a pair of pink work boots.
The winners of the ACE Awards, sponsored by The Breeze Newspapers, were:
* Premier Cape Construction was named Contractor of the Year with other finalists being Castle Harbor Homes and Sinclair Custom Homes.
* R&R Landscape & Irrigation was named Sub-Contractor of the Year with other finalists being Stokes Marine and Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers.
* Dixie Roadhouse, was named Affiliate of the Year with other finalists being Becker & Poliakof and Priority Payments.
Johnson said all without all three components, the CCCIA would not exist, noting especially the affiliates who choose to be part of the family.
“Each award holds its own place. The affiliates are the lifeblood of the organization, the subcontractors are the backbone and the contractors are what make the organization run. It’s a nice synergy between the three,” Johnson said. “I love the affiliates because they don’t have to belong, but they choose to. We’re glad to see them as part of the organization.”
Lynn Pippinger, owner of Dixie Roadhouse, is especially glad, as she has not only built her business into one of the go-to places in Cape Coral, but has chosen to move her family here.
“It’s a huge honor. It’s a wonderful group to be a part of. The CCCIA is all over the place, and the construction industry is a good fit for us and our customers,” Pippinger said. “They are our customers. They like to have fun and kick back for a beer once in a while and we want to be the place they do that.”
Brian Gomer, vice president of Premier Cape Construction and past CCCIA president, said he didn’t expect to win and that it was awesome to be recognized by the industry.
“It’s nice to be recognize for the hard work you do and give not only to the community but to the industry,” Gomer said. “It’s a matter of staying in touch not just in the industry but your peers and to the industry as a whole.”
The new board was installed by State Rep. Dane Eagle, and will include, for the first time, two new directors and a chairman emeritus, past president Brian Rist.
New president Keith Moyer said the past year was the most exciting he has been a part of in the last decade, and hopes to continue the upward momentum through 2016.
“I’m honored to be a part of this board. It’s an incredible cross-section of the biggest and best business leaders in this community.” Moyer said. “We spread our wings this year. The CCCIA is not just Cape Coral. We’re going to continue to grow.”