The 57th annual Golden Beaver Awards dinner was held recently at the J.W. Marriott Hotel at LA Live in Los Angeles. Four industry veterans were honored.
J. Doug Pruitt, chairman of Tempe, Ariz.-based Sundt Construction, Inc., received the Management Award. A civil engineering graduate of Oklahoma State University, Pruitt joined Sundt in 1966 and rose through the ranks to become president and chief operating officer in 1992, then was named chairman and CEO in 1998.
At the podium receiving the award, Pruitt lamented the industry’s widening lack of a skilled workforce and said he fully supports The Beavers’ endowments and scholarships. “We have to do more in education – it’s failing our youth,” he said. “We have to do more to compete in a global economy.”
James M. Marquardt, senior vice president and Eastern Region Tunnel Division Manager for J. F. Shea Co., Inc., received the Supervision Award. A 33-year veteran of the underground and tunneling industry, Marquardt is currently involved in the $1.1 billion No. 7 Line extension of the New York City subway system.
William W. Edgerton, chairman of Jacobs Associates, received the Engineering Award. Edgerton joined Jacobs Associates in 1987, bringing 17 years of experience working for contracting firms (A. S. Wikstrom, Morrison-Knudsen & The Driggs Corp.). During his career at Jacobs Associates he has been involved with major tunnel and infrastructure projects throughout the U.S. as well as in Puerto Rico and Hong Kong.
And Sam E. Baker, Jr., a partner in the Seattle-based law firm of Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP, received the Service and Supply Award. Baker holds a B.S. in Construction Management from the University of Washington and a J.D. from the University of Montana. He was a founding member of the University of Washington Contractor Industry Advisory Council and has been a director of the Western Washington University Foundation. He is the only attorney to have been inducted in the University of Washington Construction Hall of Fame.