ABC Honors Premier Construction Projects, Companies, Leaders and Practices at 2026 Convention

WASHINGTON, March 23-Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the honorees recognized at ABC Convention 2026, which celebrates the best of the best in merit shop construction, honoring the member companies and individuals who lead the industry in representing the association's core values. ABC Convention 2026 took place March 18-20 in Salt Lake City.

On March 18, ABC named the 2026 Construction Workforce Awards winners: Craft Instructor of the Year, Craft Professional of the Year, Young Professional of the Year and Health and Safety Professional of the Year. These four construction professionals are shaping the construction industry by highlighting its lifelong career opportunities, emphasizing healthy and safe work practices and expanding skill-building education.

• Tatton Kilmer, preconstruction manager and plumbing instructor, ABC Southern California chapter, Anaheim, California, is the 2026 Craft Instructor of the Year.
• Jason White, mechanical supervisor and industrial technician, The Cianbro Cos., Pittsfield, Maine, is the 2026 Craft Professional of the Year
• Nyoki Mokeba, corporate director of equipment sourcing, Performance Contractors Inc., Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the 2026 Young Professional of the Year.
• Jennifer Ferdinand-Stong, corporate safety manager, Gaylor Electric, Indianapolis, is ABC's first-ever Health and Safety Professional of the Year.

On March 19, ABC hosted its 36th annual National Excellence in Construction^® Awards gala to honor the most outstanding construction projects and contractors of the year for their remarkable achievements in leadership, health and safety, innovation, quality and merit.

• ABC Awards 86 Best National Construction Projects of 2025
• ABC Celebrates 59 Contractors for Jobsite Health and Safety Excellence
• Coakley & Williams Construction (CWC) of Bethesda, Maryland, Is ABC's 2026 Contractor of the Year

On March 20, ABC announced the winners of its 37th annual National Craft Championships and its 2026 Construction Management Competition. ABC's NCC annually highlights the achievements of those who are the future of the construction industry. Craft trainees and apprentices travel from all over the country to demonstrate their superior skills, training and safe work practices and compete for top honors in their chosen craft. ABC's annual Construction Management Competition gives the nation's top construction management students a glimpse into the real world of construction, as well as an opportunity to showcase their talents and provide them valuable, resume-building experience.

• ABC Names the Nation's Top Construction Craft Champions of 2026
• Louisiana State University Takes 1st Place in ABC 2026 Construction Management Competition

The association also honored its 2026 Top Performers. Launched in 2018, the Top Performers lists recognizes ABC contractor members' outstanding achievements in health and safety, quality and project excellence, ranked by number of hours worked.