Coletti sees more than just steel and concrete.

LOUIS J. COLETTI, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BUILDING TRADES EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION (BTEA)

When Lou Coletti looks at the growing New York skyline, he sees more than just steel and concrete. He sees scores of new jobs, a pathway to the middle class, and endless opportunities for the city.

As CEO of the Building Trades Employers' Association or BTEA since 1997, Coletti not only presides over the largest contractor association in New York, but he's also a powerful voice for economic development and workforce preparation.

"Historically, the construction industry has provided men and women with the training and well-paying jobs that have been critical to expanding New York's middle class," said Coletti. "For more than 100 years, the BTEA has helped build the foundations of middle-class families and our economy."

"The BTEA has always been a strong advocate for economic development initiatives across all five boroughs," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "Under Lou's leadership, the BTEA has been an extraordinary partner in our efforts to redevelop areas throughout New York City including the Hudson Yards, Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan."

According to the BTEA, the average construction worker earns approximately $56,000 a year and 18 jobs are created in the city for every $1 million in direct construction spending.

"The construction industry is vital to the economic and social fabric of this city," added Coletti.

With all of the redevelopment projects on the drawing board across the city, Coletti believes that New York now has an "unprecedented" opportunity for economic expansion not seen in generations. Given this, Coletti has made support for economic development projects around the city on of the top priorities of the BTEA.

"New York is thinking bold with projects such as the rezoning of the far West Side, the Javits expansion and the construction of the Sports and Convention Center," Coletti remarked. "With these projects, along with the redevelopment of parts of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, there are endless possibilities for this great city."

Besides being a principal force behind these initiatives, Coletti also has been building bridges to organized labor since taking over the reigns of the BTEA.

In 1998, Coletti helped create the Construction Industry Partnership or CIP, with Ed Malloy, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC). When created, the CIP focused on building workforce preparedness programs. But, since then, the role of the CIP has greatly expanded, said Coletti.

"The CIP has evolved into the nation's pre-eminent labor-management organization," he said. "We now focus on issues like industry safety, quality, training and workforce development and coordinate efforts in supporting economic development initiatives."

Just this past fall, the City's Buildings Department, along with the BTEA and BCTC, sponsored a construction safety summit at Gracie Mansion. The goal of the summit was to bring together industry leaders to develop ways to make building in New York less dangerous.

Following the summit, Coletti said that the city is "taking serious steps" and "moving in the right direction." He added that the BTEA also has offered some safety initiatives of its own, including the adoption of mandatory safety training requirements for project managers and trade labor personnel and the establishment of a task force to develop new inspection and enforcement strategies.

Patricia Lancaster, City's Buildings Commissioner, called Coletti an "industry leader" when it comes to safety issues.

"Lou has made safety one of the top priorities of the BTEA," Lancaster said. "With the help and guidance of the BTEA and the BCTC, we are making significant strides in this area."

The BTEA, together with labor, also has focused on preparing New York City youth for employment in the building trades. Established 3 years ago, Construction Skills 2000 administers a preparatory training course for high school students during their senior year which, if they graduate and successfully complete the course, gives them preferred access to apprenticeships in the building and construction industry.

Construction Skills 2000, in partnership with the Port Authority of NY & NJ, the NYC Department of Education, and the NYC School Construction Authority, has helped hundreds of young people of diverse backgrounds find their niche' in the building trades.

"As president of the BTEA, Lou has shown an unprecedented interest and passion for workforce development and reaching out to minority communities," said Edward J. Malloy, president of the 100,000 member Building and Construction Trades Council. "Construction Skills 2000 is a model program and serves as a vehicle to enter the construction industry and the middle class."

Coletti believes that the construction industry has come a long way in preparing the future workforce. In addition to working with future tradesmen with Construction Skills 2000, the BTEA recently conducted a groundbreaking analysis of the professional, managerial and administrative construction employment market in the New York region.

The study found that the city was unprepared to meet the anticipated demand for qualified workers and called for the creation of new workforce training and recruitment initiatives.

"We need to begin preparing today in order to be ready for bold plans for rebuilding Lower Manhattan, creating Olympic venues, and building new commercial and residential facilities across all five boroughs." said Coletti.

Specifically, the BTEA report proposed establishing an academy at the high school level in order to show students the full range of career opportunities in the construction industry. The report also called for creating a Council of Engineering College.

By linking these educational resources with the industry they could provide a much needed link to establish internships with contractors for future positions in their firms.

The BTEA also recommended creating a "construction clearinghouse" for the organization's contractor member firms in order to facilitate the recruitment of new personnel.

"These initiatives are so important to the viability of the industry's construction contractor workforce side," said Coletti.

During his tenure at the BTEA, Coletti is most proud of the role of the construction industry, both labor and management, in the recovery and eventual clean up at Ground Zero following the 9-11 attacks.

"Our ability to quickly mobilize more than 200 contractors and thousands of skilled and trained building trades members at a moments notice demonstrates how professional, prepared and skilled our industry is," said Coletti. "Now, as we rebuild, the same qualities will again show the world that the New York construction industry is second to none."

Given the BTEA's successful track record, Coletti believes that the BTEA is positioned well to continue to be the leading voice of the industry.

"From 9-11 to the re-development of the far West Side, the BTEA is a leader in the middle of history," said Coletti.