I first met Doug Martin almost 45 years ago. Doug recently stepped down as executive director of the St. Louis Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association (known as NECA). He now serves as co-chair of the St. Louis Construction Co-operative.

It didn’t take long after that for me to become fast friends with this descendant of a Butte, MT copper mining family.

We bonded over a shared passion for the people of another family – the St. Louis construction industry.

After college Doug thought he would end up representing union miners in labor affairs.

But the demise of that industry and another series of events landed him in St. Louis at NECA. That occurred just as my career as a publisher in the construction industry was starting.

Over the years Doug has demonstrated his dedication to the industry not only by a relentless work ethic, but by a steadfast – some would say stubborn – focus on issues such as diversity, worker welfare and economic growth. He is respected for his ability to build lasting relationships.

“It takes real strength to try to change a dynamic that is so destructive,” Doug told me. “I’ve been blessed with working with leaders on both sides of the table that saw the value of honest communication, honest negotiation, and setting a goal of doing the right thing for our customers…”

“Our relationship with IBEW now is very much a collaboration and a partnership.”

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.”  The “Forum Focus" podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.

Some days Sylvester Taylor has a hard time wrapping his head around the path that took him to his current position. His personal path has shown Taylor the need for change in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the St. Louis Region's construction workforce. Now he has the opportunity to help facilitate that needed change. 

Taylor has been an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers electrician for the last 32 years. He is recording secretary of IBEW Local 1, and co-founder and president of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus,

He was chosen this past Spring to lead diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for the Electrical Connection – a partnership between IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association (known as NECA).

Taylor serves as treasurer on the Hazelwood School Board, chairman of the St. Louis County Fire Safety and Standards Commission and has served on the board of the Black Jack Fire Protection District. From 2012 to 2019, Taylor also served as the representative for 80th District in the Missouri House of Representatives.

“Sylvester has been a tremendous asset in our outreach to minority communities,” said Doug Martin, executive vice president, St. Louis Chapter NECA. “His work in a mentoring program with the Missouri Division of Youth Services has opened pathways for young people to careers in the electrical industry.”

About a third of the apprentices now being trained at the IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center at 2300 Hampton Ave. are minorities.

“As leader of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, Sylvester has been instrumental in helping us broaden diversity within our membership,” said Frank Jacobs, Local 1 business manager. “He has been an effective voice for minorities within IBEW, from apprentices to veteran journey workers, helping us better reflect the communities we serve.”

Please listen to our interview with Sylvester Taylor.

Construction Forum’s mission is, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the St. Louis Region’s built environment in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.”  The “Forum Focus” podcasts present stories of people who are working to make that vision and mission happen.

Growing up in University City, Cordell Sawyer always liked to read.

While he was working a job as a janitor to support his family he read a book on creating generational wealth. The author suggested three paths: stocks, real estate, or entrepreneurship.

Soon, he was taking money that he made as a union carpenter (where he was one of the first apprentices to take advantage of the Carpenters’ associate degree program) and investing it in real estate.

In 2009, when the building economy turned down, he  read an article about the need for qualified minority contractors. He took the leap to found his own construction company Sledroc Construction Co. (that’s a play on his name in reverse). He started his business with a business plan in hand that he had developed by enrolling in a program and – once again – reading and studying.

The path has not been simple since then, but Cordell has continued to read, learn and to network and build connections that many in his position as an MBE contractor outside traditional networks find hard to master.

Today Sledroc has worked on highly visible projects in our region, with some of the areas most respected contractors. His company was selected by SLC3 (St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers) as its M/W/DBE of the year in 2020

Please listen to our conversation with Cordell Sawyer.