https://www.enr.com/rss/737 en-us blairs@enr.com (Scott Blair) Pestrella has spent his entire 38-year career at LA County Public Works, making his way up from field hydrologist to director.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/61966 Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:00:00 -0400 https://www.enr.com/articles/61966-award-of-excellence-winner-mark-pestrella-public-service-savant-leads-in-time-of-crisis The 20 projects recognized here are the result of a nearly yearlong effort by ENR editors and roughly 100 construction industry members who judged contest entries at various stages.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/61963 Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:00:00 -0400 https://www.enr.com/articles/61963-enr-best-of-the-best-2024 This year’s ENR Newsmakers clearly demonstrate a throughline between the past and the future—offering solutions to core industry problems and improvements to existing approaches. Read on to learn about their achievements.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/61965 Thu, 16 Jan 2025 20:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/61965-enrs-2024-top-25-newsmakers mcfarlandp@enr.com (Pam McFarland) For his tireless drive to engineer enduring solutions for a disaster-plagued world and his persistent push for both technical innovation and seismic design information exchange, ENR’s editorial team has selected Kit Miyamoto to receive its 59th Award of Excellence.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/61962 Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:00:00 -0400 https://www.enr.com/articles/61962-award-of-excellence-winner-kit-miyamoto-travels-the-globe-to-help-countries-rebuild-from-disaster The 20 projects recognized here are the result of a nearly yearlong effort by ENR editors and roughly 100 construction industry members who judged contest entries at various stages.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/61959 Thu, 07 Mar 2024 12:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/61959-enrs-best-of-the-best-2023 construction site Photo courtesy Dan DeLong for Microsoft Visionaries making the path to decarbonization easier to follow and skilled managers called in to create expedited fixes in the face of structural failures or to avert disaster are among the 25 individuals who came up with the needed solutions last year.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/61960 Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/61960-enr-2023-top-25-newsmakers rubind@enr.com (Debra K. Rubin) With credibility built in the field, ironworkers' union activist makes change happen to grow construction’s critically needed craft workforce. Read and hear her candid remarks on what must be done now.]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/46555 Mon, 24 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/46555-award-of-excellence-winner-vicki-oleary-union-leader-fights-for-diversity-and-respect Vicki O’Leary Inspired by tragedy, O’Leary created the Be That One Guy program to teach “upstanders” how to deflect a harassment situation. PHOTO BY JESSICA SAVIDGE Outi Hicks Hundreds of tradeswomen signed an oversized poster of a murdered carpenters’ apprentice to express solidarity and support efforts to fight harassment, bullying and intimidation on site. Credit: Latisa Kindred, Chicago Women in Trades, IBEW Local 134 Vicki O'Leary O’Leary instructs U.S. union managers on how to boost diversity and safe jobsites as part of a new union push Credit: Bruce Buckley Be That One Guy pledge O’Leary asks management “upstanders” to pledge to “Be That One Guy.” Credit: Vicki O’Leary Vicki O’Leary shaking hands O’Leary seeks safety buy-in from one-on-one jobsite talks with workers. Credit: Scott Blair Vicki O’Leary collage (Clockwise from top left) O’Leary showed spunk early. She and five other women beat the odds to become ironworker journeymen in 1988. Early ironworker jobs in Chicago included high-rises. A master’s degree from Gonzaga U. added a credential in organizational leadership. By 2016, O’Leary was an international union leader, attending the national tradeswomen’s conference. Key figures in her life include son Hayden O’Leary and parents Mary and John Ridgley. Credit: Vicki O’Leary Vicki O’Leary teaching Union apprenticeship programs, such as this ironworker training class being led by veteran ironworker Vicki L. O'Leary, would benefit from the House-passed bill, while non-registered programs would not receive funding. Credit: Scott Blair Vicki O’Leary Union leader also reaches out to women across all building trades on key safety and harassment issues. Credit: Bruce Buckley Trades Women Build Nations Conference Leading the unions’ tradeswomen’s committee, O’Leary now is planning a key annual conference that last year attracted 2,300 attendees. This year it will be in Minneapolis. Credit: North American Building Trades Union rubind@enr.com (Debra K. Rubin) http://www.enr.com/articles/46556 Sun, 23 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/46556-for-craft-women-a-maternity-benefit-is-born Adrienne Donato NYC ironworker Adrienne Donato had employer coverage for two births before her union program began in 2017. PHOTO COURTESY ADRIENNE DONATO Midwest woman carpenter Midwest women carpenters also gained maternity coverage. PHOTO NORTH CENTRAL STATES REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS sawyert@enr.com (Tom Sawyer) An enormous, gated battlement now stands guard on the eastern side of New Orleans.

]]> 0422-wayne-e-jones-named-enr8217s-2013-award-of-excellence-recipient.asp Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.enr.com/articles/7330-critical-storm-defenses-2013-award-of-excellence-winner-wayne-e-jones Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement Manager Jones (here, age 8) was responsible for hisand his little brothers'chores. Photo courtesy of Wayne E. Jones Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement Jones devised a rail-mounted, rolling template to guide the two sections spliced into 295-ft-long batter piles. Acting as angled braces behind every other vertical pile, the batter piles stitch the earth. Photo by Robert Sinkler Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement The surge barrier is built across Lake Borgne and was in the crosshairs of Hurricane Isaac last August. The city's life depended on the performance of what locals are calling The Great Wall of New Orleans. Each of the 17 activities on the barrier project had to advance 48 ft per day, including driving vertical piles, batter piles and infill piles. Photo Courtesy of USACE Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement I thought like a kid and I looked at life like a kid until I was 25, says Jones. Adulthood came when the Mississippi National Guard sent him to Army Engineer School in 1975. Photo courtesy of Wayne E. Jones Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement Vertical pile driving moved both north and south. One crew used the barge-mounted, Weeks 526 ringer crane shown here. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros. Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement Wayne's wife, Debra, pushed him to excel and raise his sights early in his career. Photo by Tom Sawyer Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement The wall's curve could have induced conflict and misalignment if the piles strayed. Photo courtesy of USACE Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement The design called for locking the tops of the 66-in.-dia cylinder piles to the tops of the angled batter piles with 95-ton, prestressed concrete blocks, the load limit around which the assembly was devised. Overlapping rebar at block ends set up for infill to be cast between. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement Jones' dad, Ernest grew up in the Depression and survived much combat in World War II. He raised Wayne to earn his own way. Photo courtesy of Wayne E. Jones Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement After TMW was selected for the work, Jones carried on as lead project manager and oversaw construction of the monumental, 10,000-ft-long, 26-ft-tall surge barrier built across Lake Borgne (shown behind him). The project that came in on schedule, on budget and in time to repel Hurricane Isaac as its first major test. Photo by William Widmer Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement The design called for locking the tops of the 66-in.-dia cylinder piles to the tops of the angled batter piles with 95-ton, prestressed concrete blocks, the load limit around which the assembly was devised. Overlapping rebar at block ends set up for infill to be cast between. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros. Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement Working alone, Jones started building a brick workshop for his dad at age 13. Photo courtesy of Wayne E. Jones Award of Excellence: How a Precision Locating Device Confirms Accuracy of Pile Placement The other used a rail-mounted Whirley tower. Both this tower and the Weeks 526 in the prior slide had adjustable clamps to hold the 144-ft-long piles plumb and on target. Photo courtesy of Traylor Bros 070402-1.asp Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.enr.com/articles/13307-lewis-e-link-jr Martin’s positive attitude and endurance are the qualities people talk about most. "One thing anybody who has ever met Gregg Martin remembers about him is the enormous energy he has," says Wallace.

]]> 040405-copy.asp Mon, 05 Apr 2004 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.enr.com/articles/15173-enrs-2003-award-of-excellence-winner-col-gregg-martin