Shiel Sexton sponsored an Earth Day Luncheon at Franklin College Friday, April 23, 2010. Special guest Steven Cohen, executive director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, spoke on Climate Policy and Sustainability.

Mr. Cohen presented compelling data that supports theories involving climate change and energy issues. He noted that most impacts on the environment are obvious and immediate: hazards, air and water pollution, and the quantity of energy we use and waste. However, the climate change will impact us in the future, not in our lifetime, or that of our children or grandchildren.

According to Cohen, more than half of the world population lives in cities and any impact will affect a higher concentration of people. We can mitigate some of these problems, but most will be left for us to adapt our habits and lifestyle to. Many of us are quite comfortable with today's modern conveniences and the most effective method of reducing our carbon footprint will be our rate of consumption. Technology is a major player on sustainability, in that there are fewer resources used, but more importantly we need to learn to consciously consume resources that are renewable.

So, you may be asking yourself what Earth Day means to construction and Shiel Sexton?

Building construction is among man's most environmentally destructive activities. Shiel Sexton Company believes that growth and progress do not have to be at odds with environmental health and conservation. Our goal at Shiel Sexton is to make a lasting and positive impact - not only on our industry, but on our planet. These are the steps Shiel Sexton takes to Reduce Our Footprint and Leave Our Mark:

• Achieve LEED points on buildings
• Utilize local vendors to reduce transportation cost and support our local economy
• Recycle debris and waste on jobsites
• Use green material alternatives
• Implement security to reduce waste due to theft and vandalism
• Adaptive reuse of existing structures

Shiel Sexton has been recognized as one of the Top Workplaces in Central Indiana by The Indianapolis Star for 2010. We were ranked No. 2 in the Midsize Company category, which involved companies ranging from 150 to 399 employees. The ratings were based on a two-part process consisting of an employer questionnaire and an employee satisfaction survey.

Shiel Sexton has received several honors in regards to employee satisfaction and workplace environment. We believe work should be fun and personally satisfying and recognized a long time ago the relationship between enjoying your job and performance. The foundation of our values stem from an internal focus on an entrepreneurial work environment and this philosophy has ranked us among the top places to work in Indiana in the past and for years to come. Thank you to our employees for making Shiel Sexton a great place to work!

Labels: Best Places to Work in Indiana, careers, Construction, recruitment, Shiel Sexton

Shiel Sexton celebrated 48 years of service April 1, 2010. The employees gathered for food, fun, and games to reflect the growth and success of the company. Below is a brief time-line that traces Shiel Sexton's remarkable milestones that have shaped our corporate culture and entrepreneurial work environment. Get to know Shiel Sexton by viewing our 48th Anniversary video.

Labels: Andy Shiel, anniversary, Dick Shiel, Shiel Sexton

Submitted by: Steve Wolff, Business Development Manager

Congratulations to Indiana's three NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's invited participants. Shiel Sexton is proud to have been a part of shaping the landscape of these college campuses through construction of various facilities. We would like to shine the spotlight on the achievements of these three schools and highlight facilities that we are privileged to have built.

In the #4 Seed of the South bracket we have Purdue University. Purdue was consistently ranked in the top 5 for most of the season and is in position to make a strong run in the tournament. Shiel Sexton provided construction services on the Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts, completing the previously shelled space of 44,460 sf. for the Music and Theater divisions as well as space for Art Education and Dance programs.

In the #5 Seed of the West bracket is Butler University. Butler beat Wright State to win the Horizon League Championship. Butler's stifling defense and outside shooting ability will certainly match up well against any tournament team. Shiel Sexton recently completed a renovation and addition on the Pharmacy and Health Science Building that totals 54,000 sf.

In the #6 seed of the South bracket is University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame finished the season strong and made a deep run in the Big East Conference Championship. Many consider Notre Dame to be the most explosive team in the Big East and look for them to make a statement in the tournament. Innovation Park at Notre Dame was completed in September 2009 with Shiel Sexton as Construction Manager. The 50,000 sf., three-story facility consists of wet and dry labs, research, and office space for start-up companies. This is South Bend's first certified technology park.

Shiel Sexton is proud to have partnered with each of these schools, helping to provide the best facilities for their student's education. Shiel Sexton wants to wish each of Indiana's teams good luck. We will be cheering for you.

Labels: Butler University, NCAA, Purdue University, Steve Wolff, University of Notre Dame

Submitted by: Stephen Wolff

Richard (Buddy) Hennessey is an Executive VP at Shiel Sexton heading up the Real Estate side of our company. We sat down and asked him a few questions, which are featured below:

What is your role at Shiel Sexton and how do you define it?
My role has evolved. I started out as CFO as well as heading up Real Estate Development. I also had a very successful CPA practice, which I still have. As time went on I took more of a focus on the development side of things and grew out of the CFO role. Also, being an owner, I am involved with strategy and the continuing future of our Company.

How did you get to this position at Shiel Sexton?
The company I was working for started working with Shiel Sexton on several projects and I got to know Andy, Mike and Brian. Andy and I discussed the idea of becoming CFO and a Partner and it made sense for me to make that move in my career. It was a natural transition.


What do you enjoy most about the company?
What I enjoy most are the people. I love the people here and the way we as a company treat our people. There always seems to be new and creative things to do and we are not afraid to try new things. I love how we do take some risks and position ourselves early on, trying to spot trends and I'm happy to be a part of that. Overall, it's a fun and exciting place to work.


What would you do if you weren't in the construction industry?
Well, I've always been sort of a "bean counter" and think I would remain a CPA to some extent, as I enjoy being a "tax guy". I like to see results and with tax dollars, that's real money. I also enjoy gardening, and getting dirt under my fingernails.


What is one thing that everyone should do or experience in their lives?
The joy of raising children and watching them grow and prosper. I have two children that I am very proud of, and just think it's one of the greatest gifts of life to see them turn into such amazing people.

What's something most people don't know about you?
I am a gardener, but don't look at it as just gardening. I like to consider myself a collector. I like to take different kinds of plants and see if they will grow in my garden, so I have a lot of different species of plants that may not be typical in the average garden. I really enjoy getting dirty and working the soil.

What do you like to do for fun?
As I said I like to garden but I also like to golf and spend time with my family. I can often be found traveling to visit my family and go on adventures with them. Hiking/skiing in Colorado and Montana or just walking the South Carolina beaches.

Labels: Buddy Hennessey, Executive Vice President Real Estate, Richard Hennessey, Steve Wolff

Submitted by: John Andrews, Business Development Director

Shiel Sexton Company was recently named as one of the 2010 Best Places to Work in Indiana. The awards program was created in 2006 and is a project of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, BizVoice, Inside INdiana Business, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Best Companies Group.

This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Indiana, benefiting the state's economy, its workforce and businesses. The 2010 Best Places to Work in Indiana list is made up of 28 companies in the small/medium-sized list (25-249 employees in the United States) and 42 companies in the large-sized list (250+ employees in the United States). Shiel Sexton has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana.

To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Have at least 25 employees working in Indiana;
- Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity;
- Be a publicly or privately held business;
- Have a facility in the state of Indiana; and
- Must be in business a minimum of 1 year.

Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Best Places to Work in Indiana. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Indiana and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings.

Shiel Sexton will be recognized and honored at the 2010 Best Places to Work in Indiana Awards Dinner coordinated by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, May 6th. The final rankings will be announced at the event. In addition, all ranked companies will be featured in the May-June issue of the award-winning BizVoice magazine.


For more information on the Best Places to Work in Indiana program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkIN.com or contact Jackie Miller at 877-455-2159.

Labels: Best Places to Work in Indiana, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, John Andrews

Submitted by: Cameron Smith, Project Engineer, LEED AP

With future energy costs still uncertain, finding innovative ways of saving money and resources has become increasingly important for colleges and universities. Shiel Sexton, which has worked on the campuses of colleges and universities for many years, is helping to lead the way in developing Green buildings that are becoming the standard on college campuses. Recently, Shiel Sexton has been involved with three major Green building or renovation projects on three college campuses.

The newly completed College of Pharmacy and Health Science Building addition at Butler University won an Indianapolis Sustainability Award for Energy and has applied for LEED-Gold certification, which is currently under review by the U.S. Green Building Council. Elsewhere, University of Notre Dame's Geddes Hall and Ball State University's DeHority Residence Complex both recently received certifications. Geddes Hall, a 64,000 sf. facility houses the University's prestigious Center for Social Concern and Institute for Church Life, received a LEED Gold Certification. The DeHority Residence Complex, a 131,000 sf. project which included renovations to the complex, creating more beds for students, received a Silver Certification.

Please see the links below for pictures and articles on the above mentioned projects:

Butler: Pharmacy and Health Science
BSU DeHority: Video
Geddes Hall Photos: Photos

Labels: Ball State University, Butler University, Cameron Smith, Indianapolis Sustainability Award, LEED certification, University of Notre Dame, USGBC