Jim LaMantia, who describes himself as a former �hothead,� now works to keep the peace on construction sites throughout St. Louis as the executive director of PRIDE of St. Louis Inc., a group representing owners, contractors and the building trades.
When LaMantia started in the construction industry in 1968 as an ironworker he says there was a lot of hostility between the unions and management and also between the diff erent unions. �There were jurisdictional fi ghts everywhere,� LaMantia says.