BZI®’s President Thomas Harker Honored in the 2026 Utah Business Forty Under 40

KANARRAVILLE, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 5, 2026--

BZI ® ( bzi.com ), a top steel and construction company nationally recognized for transformative innovations in its industries, announced today that its president, Thomas Harker has been recognized as one of the honorees for the 2026 Utah Business Forty Under 40.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260305682420/en/

According to the Utah Business website and publications, "Each year, Utah Business celebrates influential leaders in the state who have achieved remarkable success — all under the age of 40. From launching inclusive platforms and enhancing community services to setting industry records and expanding access, this year’s honorees are redefining what it means to lead with vision and purpose in Utah. They represent the innovative spirit and drive that define Utah’s business landscape.

The award honors those who are actively trailblazing across a wide range of industries and have already made an impact among their colleagues, companies and communities. The Forty Under 40 honorees represent the innovative spirit and drive that define Utah’s business landscape.

The primary qualities honored include:

Recipients are celebrated in a Utah Business article and were recognized during a celebration event sponsored by the media organization.

“It is an extreme honor to be recognized by one of Utah’s premier media organizations and alongside an impressive group of Utah business leaders,” said Thomas Harker, President of BZI. “This award is due to the hard work and dedication of our BZI teams and the outstanding innovation and differentiated performance they bring to our work every day. One of the most rewarding aspects of leading BZI is to witness the significant impact our team members bring to our industries through the wholistic service we offer to our customers, and during the course of this, watch their dynamic personal growth evolve into their own leadership roles.”

As one of the first five employees at the company, Harker’s career started as a farmhand, erecting pole barns and pre-engineered buildings in his hometown in Southern Utah. Harker has held a variety of roles at BZI, including field hand, foreman, superintendent, and regional manager. He’s overseen structural steel, pre-engineering, and specialty welding projects. As BZI President, Thomas oversees all company operations. He is responsible for leading all team members and general contractors for each project, ensuring the right policies and procedures are followed to create a safe working environment while completing projects on time. As one of many areas of construction and steel expertise, Harker is an industry speaker on innovative systems and processes for prefabrication of IMP wall systems, and panelized joist and decking erection.

“Tom has been the cornerstone to our operational teams at BZI for more than ten years. He is one of the most incredible human beings I have ever known,” said James Barlow, CEO of BZI. “It's awesome to see him recognized as one of Utah's rising stars. His meaningful contributions and leadership will continue to make a profound and positive impact on the success of BZI and our local and Utah business communities.”

ABOUT BZI

Considered one of the top steel and construction organizations, the BZI ® group of companies headquartered in Kanarraville, Utah, operates through three primary organizations: Building Zone Industries, LLC is responsible for steel erection, while BZI Steel, LLC specializes in steel fabrication. InnovaTech ®, LLC specializes in designing, engineering and manufacturing innovative construction equipment and processes to enhance efficiency and safety on the job.

BZI’s partnership with the BZI Academy™ provides training, certifications and continuing education to all its team members. An exclusive technical, safety, vocational and leadership training center, the academy provides training in OSHA (10) and (30) certifications, equipment operations, fall protection and industry-specific welding certifications. Since 2021, the academy, formerly known as SteelTech Academy, has issued thousands of certifications across these disciplines and logged over 33,000 student contact hours in 2025. As part of this expansive training curriculum, the academy also offers a Department of Labor certified Apprenticeship Program, helping to shape relevant skills and advance careers for those wanting to pursue construction as a vocation.

The company continues to receive numerous industry awards and accolades for its exceptional performance and contributions to its industries. The company has been the recipient of:

BZI is a proud member of and accredited by AISC, an organization that has recognized BZI with its top safety awards, the "Erector Award of Honor” and “Safety Award of Merit.” CEO James Barlow serves on the Forbes Business Council and Inc. Leadership Forum and is a recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award. BZI’s mission is to revolutionize the steel construction industry through innovation and team performance, while accelerating project delivery and setting new standards in safety and efficiency.

BZI is completing and executing major construction projects across the United States and is recognized as a leading provider of innovative construction solutions nationwide. Its reputation for excellent client and operational performance is attracting premier companies from around the world. These organizations are building with BZI as a trade partner and bringing new economic opportunities across the U.S. through the many BZI projects. Top customer industries include data centers, e-commerce retail, manufacturing facilities for batteries, aerospace, microchips, electric vehicles and food and beverage.

For more information about BZI, visit bzi.com, email office@bzi.com, or call 888.509.2280.

BZI's president, Thomas Harker accepts his award as one of the honorees in the Utah Business Forty Under 40 at a recent event sponsored by the media organization.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain's Pedro Sánchez has once again emerged as Europe's most consistently vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, drawing his ire for refusing to allow the American military to stage operations for its attacks on Iran from Spanish military bases.

Trump lashed out at the Spanish prime minister on Tuesday, saying he would “ cut off all trade with Spain " in retaliation for the affront. The spat intensified the next day when Spain's foreign minister contradicted a claim by the White House press secretary that Spain had heard Trump's message “loud and clear" and was cooperating with the U.S. military.

While denouncing the repressive regime in Tehran, Sánchez said he would not back a war that he said was an unjustified assault.

“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said, using the slogan “No to the war” in a speech this week.

The tussle over the Spanish military bases is likely more a diplomatic question than one of military consequence. The U.S. has bases across Europe and the Middle East, and other European countries have agreed to cooperate.

Madrid and Washington have had stable, friendly and mostly low-key relations for decades, starting in the 20th century when the U.S. began sharing military bases with Spain when the latter was still under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Sánchez, 54, first took power in 2018 and is one of Europe's most prominent left-leaning leaders.

He has stuck by the pillars of progressive politics, defending feminism, authorized immigration, human rights, the rules-based international order and the importance of climate change — all topics that have become punching bags of Trump’s MAGA movement and far-right politicians in many European neighbors.

Even before the Iran war, Sánchez has stood out as an ideological rival to Trump on a number of issues.

Sánchez has been among the most vocal critics of Israel’s military action in Gaza. He has consistently criticized the massive civilian causalities from Israel's campaign following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israeli territory in 2023.

“This is not self-defense, it’s not even an attack — it’s the extermination of a defenseless people," he said, while touring Europe and the Middle East to try to broker a peace deal.

Among NATO members, Spain was the only country to refuse to agree to commit to increasing military spending to 5% of gross domestic product. Sánchez secured a last-minute exemption in a NATO meeting last year, saying that Spain will only spend up to 2.1%, which he called “sufficient and realistic.”

Trump responded by floating the idea that Spain should be kicked out of the military bloc. That has so far remained a veiled threat.

While many European countries raised barriers at their borders and the Trump administration broadened an immigrant crackdown in the U.S., Spain is in the process of granting work and residency permits to half a million foreigners already in Spain.

Sánchez has pointedly alluded to Trump as he extolled the benefits of migration for the country’s strong economy.

“MAGA-style leaders may say that our country can’t handle taking in so many migrants — that this is a suicidal move, the desperate act of a collapsing country," he wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed. "But don’t let them fool you. Spain is booming.”

Under Sánchez, Spain has joined countries like Australia and France in trying to curb the use of social media among younger teens. That’s in direct contrast to the Trump administration’s embrace of Big Tech companies and what they consider the defense of the freedom of speech on social media.

Elon Musk, X’s owner, lashed out at the Spanish leader last month, calling Sánchez “the true fascist totalitarian” after he announced a plan to prohibit under 16-year-olds from accessing social media accounts.

AP journalist Suman Naishadham contributed from Madrid.

FILE - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a session of parliament in Madrid, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)