St. Louis PRIDE Labor-Management Awards Luncheon Honors Construction Industry Leadership…and a Good Samaritan

ST. LOUIS – Leadership and leading by example
were highlighted in this year’s PRIDE of St. Louis, Inc. award luncheon at the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36 Training Center and Union Hall at 2319 Chouteau Ave. on Sept. 13, 2012. Good Samaritan Ray Leuthauser, a member of Plasterers Local 3 and employee of Niehaus Construction Services, was saluted for his inspiring act of kindness in August 2012 when he helped recover lost money destined to pay for homeless meals. Other honorees saluted for their leadership in the industry were BJC HealthCare; outgoing Missouri State Senator Timothy P. Green; mechanical contractor Murphy Co. Chairman and CEO James J. Murphy, Jr.; and Lambert St. Louis International Airport Contract Compliance Officer Francoise Lyles-Wiggins.

On August 13, 2012, Leuthauser saw money flying in the air as he drove on I-44 in Shrewsbury, Mo. to head to his home in Cedar Hill, Mo.  The money, $835, came from an envelope that another Good Samaritan, Jane Corbett, had left on back of her car and was to pay for Peter and Paul Community Services (PPCS) homeless meals. Leuthauser scrambled to collect as much of the fluttering bills as he could and tracked down Corbett to return $300 of the $835 lost in wind. When he told union coworkers at the Kenrick Seminary construction site the following day, they all chipped in to make up the difference in unrecovered money.

Leuthauser was presented with the PRIDE Building Community Award. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO added to the generosity by presenting $1,000 in donations by its affiliates to PPCS to help fund additional homeless meals through the winter.

BJC HealthCare was honored with the PRIDE Industry Impact Award.  BJC is the largest consumer of construction in the state of Missouri, investing more $200 million dollars annually in building projects. State Senator Green was saluted with the Dick Mantia Labor Award for his 24 years of service in the Missouri house and senate, advancing the quality and safety of construction work statewide while supporting working families. Murphy was given the Al Fleischer Management Award for his efforts in advancing labor-management cooperation and growing Murphy Co. to become the largest mechanical contractor in St. Louis and the 19^th largest in the country. Lyles-Wiggins earned the Joe Rinke Owner Award for her dedication to advancing diversity in the construction industry.

PRIDE, founded in 1972, is an acronym for Productivity and Responsibility Increase Development & Employment. For more than 35 years, PRIDE has worked to maintain harmony and build cooperation among St. Louis area AFL-CIO construction craft workers, contractors, construction buyers, architects, engineers and suppliers.