The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) has presented a number of distinguished service awards to public works officials, academicians, and representatives of the concrete pavement industry.
ACPA’s distinguished service awards and honors recognize the commitment, focus, and achievements of some of the most forward thinking, innovative, and determined professionals in the transportation community, as well as the high quality highways, airports, and streets and roads they build and rehabilitate.
The recipients of the 2005 ACPA Distinguished Service Awards and Honors are:
• Marlin J. Knutson Award for Technical Achievement — ACPA presented the award to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Transtec Group Inc., which worked together to develop HIPERPAV, high-performance concrete paving software for jointed concrete pavements and bonded concrete overlays.
In presenting the award, Pat Nolan, vice president of Interstate Highway Construction Inc., Edgewood, CO, and vice chairman of ACPA’s 2006 board of directors, said the program represents “a sea-change in pavement design and a breakthrough technological advancement.”
HIPERPAV provides a greater understanding of the interplay between strength development and stress build-up in freshly-placed concrete slabs. It characterizes all of the factors of influence, including concrete mixture and weather factors.
The program provides a means to better understand strength development, jointing and curing. It has helped countless contractors with forensic evaluation of their projects and has been shown to correlate to field results. In the future, Nolan said, it will become more of a management tool to help with day-to-day construction decisions.
The namesake of this award, Marlin J. Knutson — “Knute” to friends in the industry — was on hand to commemorate the presentation of the award. Knutson served as the chief executive of ACPA from 1987 to 1997.
The Marlin J. Knutson Award for Technical Achievement is presented to an individual or group who has made significant contributions to advance the development and implementation of innovative technical and best practice approaches in the design and construction of concrete pavements.
Lifetime Pavement Achievement Award (Airports) — presented to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.
The Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center has been in service for more than three decades. Its primary role is to provide a safe, smooth surface for shuttle orbiter landings, as well as for other NASA operations.
This airfield consists of a 15,000- by 300-ft. runway, a small connector taxiway, apron areas, over-runs, and paved shoulders. The runway, taxiway, and apron are comprised of more than 9,864 slabs that range from 15 to 16 in. thick.
“Every airfield has different and unique aspects,” Nolan said, “but the recipient of our award this year is an airfield like no other. In its more than 30 years of service, this airfield has seen some unique payloads and some very special crew members.”
He added that the “facility also represents both the dream and the reality of space flight. It is symbolic of the soaring spirit and resolve of everyone who has ever looked skyward and wondered, ’what if …’”
Promotion Awards
ACPA has presented three distinguished service awards to public works officials and representatives of the concrete pavement industry. The awards were presented for outstanding promotional projects, as well as exemplary promotional activities. Each year ACPA recognizes a select number of people and projects that represent the best-of-the-best in the concrete pavement industry, as well as the public sector.
ACPA’s Outstanding Promotional Project Award is presented to the concrete pavement project that best exemplifies promotional leadership.
It also is presented to individuals or promotion teams who have made a significant contribution to promoting the use of concrete pavements. The ACPA Outstanding Chapter/State promoter award is presented to individuals or promotion teams who have made a significant contribution to promoting the use of concrete pavements.
Outstanding Promotional Project — presented to the city of Grand Rapids, MI, for the development and implementation of its whitetopping program, which has become a key component of overall street maintenance.
ACPA recognized the city of Grand Rapids for creating a flexible program contract that allows the city to access funds easily to repair problem roads using a simple-to-construct concrete whitetopping. Grand Rapids has made whitetopping part of its street repair strategy, providing a durable, economical solution for its local roadways.
Outstanding Chapter/State Promoter — presented to Ken Liescheidt, field engineer of the Missouri/Kansas Chapter — ACPA, for his tenacity, determination, and skill in creating demand for concrete pavements.
Liescheidt was recognized for his ability to network with project owners and the engineering community, as well as his determination to garner community support for concrete pavements.
Since he first joined the chapter in 2001, more than 24 million sq. yds. have been diamond-ground or have been restored with concrete pavement solutions.
Liescheidt was recognized not only for extolling the virtues of concrete pavement, but also for promoting the benefits of ACPA membership.
Outstanding Chapter/State Promoter — presented to Allan Childers, Georgia consultant of the ACPA-Southeast Chapter, for his knowledge, dedication, and commitment to promoting concrete pavement in Georgia and the Southeast Region.
ACPA recognized Childers as a talented, resolved member of the industry whose accomplishments in the industry are vast.
Jim Norris, ACPA-SE Chapter, noted that Childers’ work often resembles that of a duck swimming on a quiet pond; he makes it look easy, but there is a lot of work going on underneath that is invisible to outsiders. Norris also compared Childers to a resolved bulldog whose commitment to resolving issues is underlying.
Bill Cape Named Hartmann-Hirschman Award Recipient
ACPA presented its distinguished Hartmann-Hirschman Award (posthumously) to William R. “Bill” Cape (1951 to 2002), president, James Cape & Sons Company, Racine, WI.
In a ceremony attended by members of the Cape family in Indian Wells, CA, friends and allies recalled him as a tireless advocate of concrete pavement, an inventor, mentor, teacher and friend.
Cape guided others by example, as well as through word and actions, mixing equal parts of philosophy, hands-on training, and humor to improve concrete paving, as well as the concrete pavement industry.
In presenting the award, Ron Guntert Jr., president of Guntert & Zimmerman Construction Division Inc., Ripon, CA, and Kevin McMullen, president of the Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association, Madison, WI, hailed Cape for his many contributions to the industry, while also recalling his bold leadership, strong personal character, and wry sense of humor.
In presenting the Hartmann-Hirschman Award, the American Concrete Pavement Association formally recognized Cape as an innovative thinker and a passionate advocate for the concrete pavement industry. Cape served as a member of the board of directors of ACPA for many years, as well as a leading force behind the Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association.
In addition to the Hartmann-Hirschman Award, the concrete pavement industry also honors Bill Cape through an academic scholarship program organized under the Concrete Pavement Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) corporation.
The William R. Cape scholarship award is presented to upperclassmen or graduate students endeavoring in the field of civil engineering, particularly with an emphasis on concrete pavement construction, design or research. The award is granted to students who demonstrate leadership and proactive involvement in the realm of civil engineering, as evidenced by work experience, internships, societal or association involvement, and the like.
The Hartmann-Hirschman Award, which recognizes individuals or companies/organizations for excellence and meritorious service to the concrete pavement industry, is one of the most coveted awards presented by the American Concrete Pavement Association.
Since the award was first presented in 1968, this is the fourth time it was presented to a recipient posthumously.
The award was first presented in 1968 in honor of Harold W. Hartmann. In 1987, Robert E. Hirschman’s name was added to the award. Both men demonstrated leadership and tireless dedication to the concrete pavement industry, having shaped both the industry and the ACPA.
Linnenkohl Named Outstanding Government Official
ACPA presented its Outstanding Government Official of the Year to Harold E. Linnenkohl, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).
The association award recognized Linnenkohl for his advocacy for transportation improvements in the state of Georgia and through his work with the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). AASHTO recently elected Linnenkohl as its president.
In presenting the award to Linnenkohl, ACPA President and CEO Gerald F. Voigt noted Linnenkohl’s devotion to promoting new technology that increases the life of pavements. ACPA also recognized Linnenkohl’s commitment to building safe, efficient highways and helping to provide an environment for GDOT to use quality concrete pavements.
The ACPA Outstanding Government Official Award is presented each year to recognize outstanding contributions by a government or public official for leadership in transportation activities with special emphasis on concrete pavement.
Honorary Life Members
The ACPA presented honorary lifetime memberships to Chapin Sipherd, recently retired vice president of Concrete Applications, Terex Roadbuilding/CMI, and Donald E. Beuerlein.
The award bestows full rights and privileges of ACPA membership to Sipherd and Beuerlein and places them in an elite category with fewer than 20 other individuals recognized for their life-long contributions and meritorious service to the concrete pavement industry and the ACPA.
In presenting the honorary life member award, ACPA recognized Sipherd — Chape to his friends — as a civil engineer, contractor, designer, inventor. and teacher promoter of concrete pavement for more than four decades. Sipherd also was recognized as the author of “Ten Commandments of Concrete Paving,” a publication still used widely throughout the industry.
ACPA also recognized Sipherd for his tireless, unswerving, and convincing advocacy for quality concrete pavements. As an active supporter of ACPA, he participation in committees, task forces, and other efforts to expand the concrete pavement market, provide technical service, and improve the quality of concrete pavements.
The honorary lifetime membership recognizes Beuerlein for four decades of dedicated service to the concrete pavement industry, the ACPA, and its affiliated Chapter/State paving associations.
Beuerlein began his career with Koss Construction in 1966, and during his tenure, led employees, known as the “Hardroaders,” to build more than 72 million sq. yds. of quality concrete pavements.
Beuerlein served as chairman of the ACPA board of directors in 1997, as well as in a number of leadership positions over the years. As chairman, he is credited with leading the industry and association to new heights, ushering in an era of enhanced business practices, dramatically improved market development and promotion programs, and implementation of new measurement and accountability practices.
After his retirement, Beuerlein has contributed to play an important role, serving on task groups, committees, and on the ACPA Chairman’s Council.
In addition, he was a driving force behind the development of the Missouri/Kansas and Oklahoma/Arkansas Chapters of ACPA.
His leadership in the transportation-construction industry also extends to other organizations including The Associated General Contractors of America.
In presenting the award, Dan Keys, 2005 ACPA chairman of the board, commended Beuerlein for his role in shaping and guiding the future of the association, as well as his personal integrity.
For more information, call 480/775-0908 or visit www.pavement.com.
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