Greg McCann Named 2020 TAUC Craftperson of the Year

August 21 2020

Greg McCann has been named the 2020 TAUC James J. Willis Craftperson of the Year.

Greg is a member of IBEW Local #8 in northwest Ohio. He was nominated by GEM, Inc. (part of the Rudolph Libbe Group) for his role in the construction of First Solar's modular manufacturing plant in Lake Township, Ohio. Watch the video above to learn more about Greg's incredible achievements!

The prestigious Willis award, which recognizes outstanding labor-management cooperation and quality craftsmanship in the union construction and maintenance industries, is usually presented in a special ceremony during TAUC's annual Leadership Conference. However, due to COVID-19, this year's conference in California was cancelled, so we improvised: instead of having Greg travel west to receive the award, the award instead traveled to Greg. He was presented with the impressive Willis statue in Ohio, along with a large selection of tools courtesy of new TAUC Legacy Partner Milwaukee Tool. Milwaukee's Group President, Steve Richman, also went the extra mile and recorded a special message congratulating Greg, which was incorporated into the video above.

About the James J. Willis Craftperson of the Year Award

The James J. Willis Craftperson of the Year Award honors outstanding labor-management cooperation and quality craftsmanship in the union construction and maintenance industries. It is given to building trades members who have a gift for recognizing the vision of a project and can bring that vision to fruition in a professional manner. 

The recognition program was originally created in 1989 as the Craftsman of the Year Award. TAUC changed the name in 2008 to memorialize James J. Willis, Sr. He was a dear friend and supporter of TAUC and an authentic leader within the union construction industry for more than five decades. Jim started out as an apprentice ironworker in 1945 at the age of just 16 and eventually rose to the rank of First General Vice President within the international union. He also served as President and Labor Co-Chairman of the National Maintenance Agreements Policy Committee, Inc. (NMAPC) from 1988-2000.

Jim was hugely influential within the union construction industry, and his steadfast commitment to fairness and cooperation was legendary. It is fitting that the award bearing his name honors a union worker who demonstrates unparalleled leadership and professionalism, because Jim exhibited the same qualities throughout his life.

The James J. Willis Craftperson of the Year Award recognizes five categories of achievement:

• Safety and Health
• Schedule and Budget Productivity
• Cost Savings
• Innovation
• Outstanding Craftsmanship

Projects must be completed in the calendar year of the award. Nominations are forwarded to our judge's panel to be evaluated and ranked in each category. This year, the members of the James J. Willis Award Task Force were: Jim Daley, J.J. White; John Stevens, Thermal Solutions; and Dave Daquelente, Master Builders' Association of Western Pennsylvania.

Learn more about the Willis Award.