A newcomer to the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association took home top honors during the annual awards banquet Friday night.
Keith Moyer, vice president of Wright Construction Group, accepted the Builder of the Year Award on behalf of the company from Robert Greco, former president of the CCCIA.
The company is a newcomer to being involved in the CCCIA, Moyer said.
“It’s an incredible honor,” he said shortly after receiving the award.
“I’m flabbergasted.”
He called fellow finalists, Paul Homes and Balfour Beatty Construction, highly respected competitors.
“Thank you to CCCIA and the community,” he said, adding “We are proud to be a member of the community and looking forward to another year.”
Wright Construction was nominated because of its active involvement in both the CCCIA and the community. The group has won four previous awards from the Builder’s Industry Association.
The company began in 1946 in a basement of founder Fred Wright’s Elkhart, Ind., home before moving in 1981 to Lee County.
Today, it has building, civil engineering and small works division.
The company not only works in Lee County, but throughout the state. It recently completed renovation of the 58,000-square-foot Edison State College’s 40-year-old Richard H. Rush Library.
The awards were presented by Greco during the 12th annual banquet held at the recently opened The Resort at Marina Village at Tarpon Point.
Long-time Cape Coral residents won the Subcontractor of the Year award.
“It’s an honor,” Scott King, co-owner of King Landscaping and Sod, said. “Being a 41-year resident of the Cape, it has special meaning.”
Ken Wright, his brother and co-owner of the company, could not attend the banquet.
“When you grow up in a community and work hard in that community, it’s really special.”
The residential and commercial landscaping and irrigation company was established in 1984 and has seen other, similar companies come and go.
But, King said in a previous interview, he knows why his business has flourished.
“It’s the quality of our work and our ability to service what we install and to complete our work on time,” he said of his company.
Some of the company’s work can been seen at the new Cape Coral Police Headquarters.
Frank Pavese’s law firm won the Affiliate of the Year award.
He is a 20-plus-year member of the CCCIA and has been its pro bono attorney of record for the past 10 years. He’s also served on the board of directors of the association.
“I’m honored that they would select us out of the overall list of affiliate members,” Pavese said.
The Pavese Law Firm began in 1949 in Fort Myers by Frank Pavese Sr.
The Cape Coral office opened in 1979 and has four resident attorneys and eight staff.
“The Pavese Law Firm has been committed to the Cape Coral community for the past 30 years and intends to continue its presence for more years to come.”
He was admitted to the practice of law in 1986 and has worked in Cape Coral since.
Before announcing the award-winners, Greco regaled the crowd with his wit.
“There are two things here,” he said. “People going green and people going broke.”
He was referring to the green building push to make everything as environmentally friendly as possible and the downturn in the economy.
Cape Coral City Councilman K. Marty McClain gave the oath of office to the incoming board of directors.
“I have to really admire your stickability,” McClain said of the contractors who have weathered the economic downturn. “Cape Coral is alive and well and it’s our job to bring it out of this. Our mission now is to accomplish our goals.”
In her outgoing speech, Becky Swift said: “We must stick together and keep our organization strong.”
She received a standing ovation.