Employee-owned Messer wins international BBB award for integrity, standards

Messer Construction Co. has been awarded the 2009 International Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence by the Council of Better Business Bureaus at an event in Washington, D.C.

Presented annually since 1996, the BBB International Torch Awards recognizcompanies in North America that maintain outstanding dedication to upholding ethical business standards and promoting trust in the marketplace.

As one of hundreds of companies to apply for the awards and one of only 85 to be named as a finalist, the company was recognized for exhibiting integrity in the marketplace and for its commitment to standards that benefit customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and surrounding communities.

"We are honored to share recognition with companies that are paragons of community building at the national and international level," says Pete Strange, Messer chairman and CEO.  "We are proud to accept the honor on behalf of Messer employee-owners who have created a company that is not based upon a business school model, but rather is based upon a primary school model – where fairness is the rule, where every voice counts and where each individual's contribution is valued.  And, we are energized by the responsibility that comes with this recognition."

As a 100 percent employee-owned S corporation, Messer is guided by 13 key values that provide employee-owners with a framework for enhancing clients' success, creating exceptional building experiences and forging relationships.

"The true benefit of employee ownership is that it goes beyond creating the opportunity to make a good living, it's about the opportunity to make a good life," Strange says.  "Our values matter because they were not created by executive management and shared with our employees, but were created by our employees to define their expectations of each other and for management."

Messer ranks nationally as one of the top 100 largest contractors, having put in place approximately $670 million in commercial construction in 2008.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Sources: Pete Strange, chairman and CEO, Messer Construcction Co.; Jim Kapp, public relations manager, Messer Construction Co.