Solid Platforms, Hasse Construction, Falk PLI and Cargill were among 60 Northwest Indiana companies to receive construction awards for excellence at the recent construction awards banquet in Merrillville.
The Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable and Construction Advancement Foundation honored companies for safety performance, project outcomes, job site innovation, professional development and collaborative efforts to improve construction.
“At the heart of successful construction projects lies an unwavering commitment to safety. Companies in Northwest Indiana continually strive to improve their safety practices, even amidst the most challenging of circumstances. We are honored to recognize and celebrate these companies, whose dedication to safety not only sets them apart but elevates the entire regional construction industry,” said NWIBRT Safety Committee Chair and Cargill Health & Safety Manager Rick Foor.
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The ceremony was attended by hundreds, with presentations from major companies like BP, Cleveland-Cliffs, NIPSCO, Cargill and Franciscan Health.
Video provided in partnership with The Times, JEDtv and WJOB. Sponsored by Strack & Van Til. Weekend weather sponsored by NIPSCO.
“It is truly inspiring to witness the ingenuity and superior craftsmanship that is consistently demonstrated in construction projects throughout our region. We take great pride in recognizing and honoring the remarkable achievements of these outstanding craftspeople and contractors. Their dedication and commitment to excellence are evident in their daily work, as they lay the foundation for the future of our communities and serve as leaders for others in the construction industry,” said Dewey Pearman, executive director of CAF.
This year’s NWIBRT Award Winners were Solid Platforms and Hard Rock Concrete Cutters for Contractor of the Year, Falk PLI for Company of the Year and BP and Cargill for Owner Excellence in Leadership. David Cooper with Thatcher Foundations got the Roger Walters Memorial Award for Site Safety Leader of the Year.
Cargill, EMCOR Hyre Electric, Fluor Constructors-Suncoke, Thatcher Foundations and Total Safety U.S. won Innovation Awards.
Excellence Awards went to Advanced Engineering Services, AMS Industries, Brock Industrial Services, Calumet Lumber, Falk-PLI, Fluor Constructors-Suncoke, Hard Rock Concrete Cutters, Industrial Contractors & Engineers, Luse Contracting Group, Meccon Industries, Middough, N.A. Logan, Nooter Chicago, One Way Safety, Petrochem Insulation, R.J. Mycka, Solid Platforms, Stevenson Crane Service, Superior Engineering, Total Mill Services and Valdes Architecture and Engineering.
Achievement Award recipients included ACMS Group, Atlas Technical Consultants, BMWC Constructors, Continental Electric Co., DLZ Industrial, Griffin Contract Dewatering, K2 Industrial Services, Superior Construction and Total Safety U.S.
Recognition Awards went to Barton Malow Co., Central Rent-A-Crane, EMCOR Hyre Electric, Fluor Constructors-Cargill, Hasse Construction Co, Hayes Mechanical, Meade Industries, Morrison Construction Company, Orbital Engineering, Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Sargent Electric Co., SEI Solutions, Thatcher Foundations, The Pangere Corp., Tonn and Blank Construction and Tranco Industrial Services.
Construction Advancement Foundation Award winners included Larson-Danielson Construction Co., as Commercial Contractor of the Year, Hasse Construction Co. as Industrial Contractor of the Year, Superior Construction as Highway Contractor of the Year, DLZ Industrial as Professional/Engineering Contractor of the Year and Thatcher Foundations as Specialty Contractor of the Year.
Hasse Construction won the Excellence in Professional Development Award and ACMS Group the Maintenance/Service Project of the Year Award for the Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor Coke Plant.
Morrison Construction Co. received the Industrial/Capital Project of the Year Award for the United States Steel Pig Iron Caster while Larson-Danielson Construction Co. got Commercial Project of the Year for Northwest Health–LaPorte.
Hasse Construction earned Public Works Project of the Year for its work in East Chicago, while Superior Construction notched the Highway Project of the Year for INDOT Bridge Deck Overlays.
Writers strike in Hollywood: Average residual checks can barely cover an In-N-Out burger
Writers strike in Hollywood: Average residual checks can barely cover an In-N-Out burger

Hollywood’s writers are on strike against major studios like Walt Disney Co., Comcast Corp./NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix Inc. and others. Benzinga compiled information from industry experts and media sources to explain why this is happening—and what might be ahead.
What happened: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had until midnight on Monday, May 1 to agree on a new three-year contract, but did not do so.
More than half of the WGA is receiving the minimum wage negotiated from the guild’s previous contract negotiation.
As streaming platforms continue to churn out new films and TV shows, or upload an existing series from a network, writers’ residual checks have remained low — perhaps as little as $3.
According to “Thor” screenwriter Zack Stentz, “The formulas used to calculate the money owed for various forms of reuse are complicated and vary widely across platforms. As a result, the payments can be relatively tiny or very large — and one of the more delightful parts of being a working screenwriter is opening your mailbox and seeing the distinctive green envelope that residuals come in, not knowing if the check inside will cover an In-N-Out burger or your mortgage payment.”
Why it’s important

The average writing gig in Hollywood is anything but lavish. A streaming studio like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Apple+ typically wants a series to go for just eight to 10 episodes a season. That’s a far cry from the days when a sitcom like “Friends” would get at least 24 episodes per season.
Recall the last time writers went on strike, in 2007. Writers pleaded for compensation for movies and shows that were downloaded or purchased on DVDs. No one does either anymore. So the residuals from streaming are key to make ends meet.
The WGA’s members make on average around $250,000 a year before taxes, union dues and commissions to agents, managers and lawyers, Stentz tells the New York Times.
The paydays have to last through dry spells that nearly every writer experiences when looking for that next gig, he explained.
The AI factor

Another sticking point for the WGA is making sure that the writers do not have to share residuals in the event that tools supported by artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, are used to author scripts.
Writers are concerned their jobs could be replaced by studios utilizing AI to draft stories and, as a result, avoid writers and paying royalties altogether.
The potential for AI disruption comes at a time when the entertainment industry is announcing sweeping layoffs and billions in losses.
What’s next: If an agreement with the WGA isn’t reached, don’t expect movie studios to be overly stressed — at least for now. Executives have reportedly braced for this strike scenario for months by stockpiling scripts.
There’s also the go-to savior from the last writer’s strike: reality TV. Unscripted shows were a boon in 2007.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos boasted during a recent earnings call that the company has a “robust slate” of content from across the globe that will serve the streamer for “a long time.”
This story was produced by Benzinga and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
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