| Winners's Personality Makes Writer's Job Fun
When Joe Maloney,
secretary-treasurer of the Building and Construction Trades
Dept., AFL-CIO, heard that ENR editors had selected him to
be the 40th recipient of the magazine’s Award of Excellence,
his response was "jeepers creepers...oh Lordy, I have
to pinch myself."
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| Bonding
Winston
and Maloney share a laugh in front of the mural at AFL-CIO’s
offices. (Photo by Guy
Lawrencefor ENR) |
Those expressions were typical
of the personality that Washington correspondent Sherie Winston
came to know as she trailed along with Maloney in Washington,
D.C.; Orlando, Fla.; and Kansas City, Mo., reporting this
week’s Award of Excellence cover story.
As part of her Washington coverage,
Winston has reported on BCTD for nearly 10 years. "But
following Joe Maloney around for almost three months gave
me an insider’s look at the group and its programs–particularly
Helmets to Hardhats," says Winston. Whether interviewing
Maloney or watching him run the meetings that fill his days,
Winston enjoyed Maloney’s "often hilarious expressions."
Winston dubbed them "Joe-isms." She says, "My
favorite is tickety-boo, which means that something is satisfactory
or all in order."
Helmets to Hardhats is tickety-boo.
The BCTD-initiated program is helping thousands of veterans
leaving the military find new career opportunities in construction.
Through its Website, H2H has matched more than 17,000 vets
with apprenticeship opportunities. Winston first wrote about
H2H in June. Since then, the program has expanded its reach,
recruiting vets for construction management careers and signing
an agreement with the Veterans Administration’s Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment Service to reach out to disabled
vets.
ENR Contributing Photographer Michael
Goodman photographed these apprentices on jobsites in San
Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and ENR Art Director Guy
Lawrence photographed apprentices in New York and traveled
to BCTD’s offices at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington,
D.C., to photograph Maloney in front of the floor-to-ceiling,
labor-themed mural that attracts unionists and tourists alike.
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