Marist Contractors Association Membership Golf Outing

The Marist Contractors Association (MCA) was created in 2020 to provide individuals and organizations in the Marist community an opportunity to gather, network, and raise money for the Blue Collar Scholars Program, which assists qualified students at Marist with financial assistance. In the last 4 years, the MCA golf outing has raised close to $200,000 for the Blue Collar Scholars Program. Each year, the MCA advisory board will coordinate, in conjunction with Marist High School, a process to determine eligibility of students applying for the Blue Collar Scholars Program. The signature event for the MCA is the annual members-only golf outing, being held on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at Silver Lake Country Club. 9am shotgun start, steak dinner and social immediately following golf. Raffle drawing and award presentation also during dinner!

Please register below.

We are excited to announce the honorees of the 2024 MCA Golf Outing:

The 2024 MCA Lifetime Achievement Award – Jim Sweeney ’78

As President-Business Manager of Local 150, James M. Sweeney is the chief executive of the union. In addition to administering hundreds of agreements and managing the union’s day-to-day operations, James serves as chairman of the fringe benefit funds. James is also General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which is the second-highest office in the International Union.

After graduating from Marist, James joined the union in 1978 and worked for contractors on sewer, slag, paving, and deep tunnel projects. He is a second-generation member of Local 150, following in the footsteps of his father, Martin Sweeney, and uncle, John Carroll.

In 1987, James was hired by William Dugan to serve as Local 150’s first full-time organizer. Over the next 20 years, the union’s membership doubled from less than 10,000 to more than 23,000. 

James has been President-Business Manager since 2008 and steered Local 150 through the recession while maintaining wage and benefit levels and implementing temporary healthcare subsidies and the Local 150 Food Bank to offer assistance to members in need. James led members through industry-wide strikes in Illinois in 2010 and Indiana in 2011 to preserve healthcare benefits.

In 2020, James was appointed as General Secretary-Treasurer of the International Union of Operating Engineers, the International’s second-highest office. He was well-prepared for this role after a decade of service as a General Vice President on the International Union of Operating Engineers General Executive Board. Most recently, under James’ leadership, IUOE Local 150 championed The Worker’s Rights Amendment in 2022, ensuring constitutional protection for all Illinois workers to join a union. 

James is on the Executive Board for the Chicago Federation of Labor and the Illinois Tollway Authority, and he is chairman of various Midwest Operating Engineers benefit funds, including the Health and Welfare, Pension, Apprenticeship, Construction Research and Information Technology Funds.

James and his wife, Marilyn, live on the south side of Chicago, where they raised their three sons. James is a faithful White Sox fan and coached all three of his sons in baseball and football. 

The 2024 MCA Person of the Year – Tony Poole ’85

Tony Poole ‘85 began his path with Marist High School in 1982. Coming from humble beginnings, Tony paid his tuition as a “Foy Boy,” utilizing the work-study program, under the Buildings & Grounds Director, Mr. Dick Foy. A lot of Tony’s favorite memories involve his Foy Boy experience, and he credits his work with Foy to helping unlock his passion for working with his hands and paving the way for his career. After a long and successful career in Local 21, Chicago Bricklayer Union and working for the City of Chicago Water Management, Tony is now celebrating his well-deserved retirement. 

Tony never forgot his roots at Marist and together with his wife Erin, sent his four children to Marist. Tony is a proud dad to Jacob ‘15, William ‘17, Maeve ‘19, and Nora ‘20.

Tony continually gave back to Marist through volunteer work, as well. Three specific volunteer initiatives included working with close friends Jimmy Snyder `84 and Tim Rossborough`85. In honor of deceased friend and classmate, Joe Dwyer `84, Tony and friends built the school’s first elevator.  Their volunteer efforts also produced the lady’s softball dugouts, and the incredible facility and dugouts on the varsity baseball field.

It’s an honor to present Tony Poole with the award of “MCA’s Person of the Year.”