ENR's Top 25 Newsmakers 2015
Every year, ENR salutes influencers in construction by naming the Top 25 Newsmakers. The editors select one individual from the list to receive ENR’s highest honor, the Award of Excellence. This year’s Newsmakers class showcases the breadth and depth of the global construction industry. For example, we feature a public servant in San Francisco who managed a multibillion-dollar transportation center, a Chicago developer who saved a troubled skyscraper and a foundation engineer who designed the supports for the world’s tallest building-to-be in the Middle East. Browse through this year's Newsmakers below.
J. Keith Anderson
Lifting specialist developed the industry’s first curriculum for rigging engineers that is accredited for continuing education.
Basar Arioğlu
Construction businessman brokered a complex concessionaire agreement and pulled together a global team to construct one of the world’s most difficult-to-build highway tunnels.
Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan
Public servant took on a challenging Bay Area infrastructure megaproject and went above and beyond expectations to ensure creative financing methods and minority participation.
Robert R. Bailey III
Inventor combined existing industrial technology and new ideas to create a unique elevator system for high-rise buildings.
Randall L. Barr
Barr oversaw the complex San Ysidro Land Port of Entry project, which he describes as a once-in-a-career challenge.
Dave Becher
Project director successfully coordinated construction of a $4.56-billion bridge megaproject in Seattle.
Donald M. Biernacki
Developer crafted an impressive deal to complete a skyscraper that stood unfinished for four years.
Dan Blocher
By anticipating problems, the team kept the project moving without friction.
Dr. Sesh Commuri
Scientist applied machine-learning principles to infrastructure construction to help deliver better pavements.
Chunjie Duan
Duan developed technology that enables more precise positioning of construction work on the jobsite than GPS and other technologies.
Matthew C. Farmer
Engineer designed the intricate repair of the century-old National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., after a rare earthquake and despite limited funds.
Christy A. Hall
Dedicated civil servant managed quick response to devastating flood and subsequent infrastructure damage in S.C.
Robert G. Harris, Jr.
Harris is captaining the successful construction of Kentucky’s largest-ever design-build project with a quiet and effective leadership style.
Markus Jetter
Elevator expert is leading the team that is proving out ropeless lifts, considered the most significant change in vertical travel in more than 150 years.
Graeme Jones
Materials scientist gives new life to old buildings with a geopolymer mortar that carries an electrical current through the existing steel frame.
Peter MacLaggan
MacLaggan showed tenacity and patience in pushing for and seeing through the successful construction of the first large-scale seawater desalination plant, in California.
Mark H. McCallum
McCallum worked to end pervasive individual surety fraud by reforming bond asset rules in federal contracting.
Jason F. McLennan
McLennan’s rigorous sustainability program for building production is gaining traction around the globe.
Alan R. Poeppel
Designed tricky foundation for a 1-km-plus-tall supertower in Saudi Arabia.
P. Michael Reininger
Despite opposition, Reininger secured approval for Florida’s new intercity passenger-rail line.
Brent Richards
Richards managed body recovery and clearing of a massive, March 2014 landslide that swamped state Route 53 in Snohomish County, Wash.
David Rodrigues
Rigging contractor vastly improved its safety culture by implementing a real-time telematics monitoring program.
Jim Stevens
Experienced project manager brought successful outcomes to an unprecedented tunneling job under the San Francisco Bay.
Andreas Tselebidis
Tselebidis is finding ways to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint and improve its behavior.
Ronald W. Wackrow
Wackrow leads the team keeping the $20-billion Hudson Yards mini-city on schedule and on budget.
