WASHINGTON – The Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust is welcoming a new East Coast liaison to work with Ironworker leaders and Contractors.
Mark Thomas, the current business manager of Local 3, Pittsburgh, will succeed Kevin Byrnes as IMPACT Eastern Regional Director effective September 9, 2013. He will work closely with both Ironworker leaders and Contractors in IMPACT’s Regions I, II and III. The geographic areas covered include the Iron Workers District Council of New England States; the Iron Workers District Council of Philadelphia & Vicinity; the New York State Iron Workers District Council; the Iron Workers District Council of Northern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia; and the Iron Workers District Council of Southern Ohio and Vicinity.
Mark Thomas brings more than 33 years of experience in the ironworking industry to his position. “I always look forward to having the opportunity to really meet and discuss issues and problems with Contractors. As one of the few business managers elected after coming out of Contractor supervision, I have a unique understanding of the issues we face as an industry,” Thomas said.
Mark Thomas was indentured into the Iron Workers Union Shopmen's Local 527, Pittsburgh, in 1980. He joined Local 3, Pittsburgh, as an apprentice in 1983. Since then, he has worked in every phase of the ironworking industry, including as an organizer in 2003, business agent between 2005 and 2008 and as business manager, with Local 3, until his transition to the IMPACT team. Notably, Mr. Thomas has in-depth experience in project management and estimating, having worked at the Chemsteel Construction Company in Canonsburg, Pa., between 1998 and 2003. Mr. Thomas also has an eye for marketing, leveraging IMPACT RAB grants to improve upon an award-winning marketing campaign begun under the previous business manager. The success of the marketing campaign has positioned Local 3 as one of the most recognized building trades locals in the Western Pennsylvania area.
“Mark Thomas’s unique experience as a Contractor and an industry marketer positions makes him the logical choice to help lead our Eastern Regional Ironworkers and Contractors in our effort to double market share by 2020,” said IMPACT CEO Kevin Hilton.
Hilton added, “We greatly appreciate former Eastern Regional Director Kevin Byrnes’s dedication over the past three years and wish him the best at his new position within the Iron Workers International.”
About IMPACT:The Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) is an independent labor-management partnership designed to create work opportunities in the North American ironworking industry. Our primary mission is to provide a forum for Ironworkers and signatory contractors to discuss effective strategies to expand job opportunities through innovative labor-management cooperative programs. IMPACT provides expertise in training, construction certifications, marketing, construction project tracking and bidding, insurance and Davis-Bacon compliance efforts. IMPACT also administers a world-class substance abuse program to ensure that Ironworkers are safe, drug-free and ready to work.
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Contact: Brennan Gamwell, Communications Manager, (800) 545-4921