Many people serve to improve the construction industry every day. And each year, for 45 years, the editors of ENR have reviewed the stories they have written during the year and selected people featured in them for special recognition. They are chosen for delivering innovations, achievements and services that advance the construction industry. Additionally, each year one of them is honored with or our top award, the Award of Excellence.

Click here to read about this year's Award of Excellence winner: John Hillman.

Putting the Pay Back Into Paycheck

Allin put prior consulting and management experience to work to tranform the time-consuming business of bank draws and lien waivers into a smooth, secure, digital process

Veteran Engineer Revives Road Program

Former Corps engineer Atkins revamped a road-building program mired in delays, bringing work to local firms and helping a fast-growing community upgrade its infrastructure.

Speeding Civil-Works Delivery by Listening, Adapting and Innovating

New construction methods Bedey put to work accelerated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers program to restore and improve New Orleans storm-surge defenses.

A Tinkerer at Heart, Humble Tractor Engineer Blazes Clean Path for Electric Earthmovers

Betz led the Caterpillar Inc. engineering team that researched and developed the first mass-produced, diesel-electric bulldozer, a 10-year project that resulted in about 100 new patents.

Placing Deep Piles Supports Top-Down

A civil engineer, Cartwright's longtime interest in mechanical engineering helped him personally design a new-generation, columnplunging frame.

Contractor, Labor Leaders Negotiate Historic PLA, Saving 43 New York Projects

Amid a recession that was crippling construction in New York, Coletti and LaBarbera brokered a deal that has created or saved more than 25,000 jobs.

Rail Trestle-Turned-Park is Model for Urban Rejuvenation

Hero of Manhattan's High Line, David helped save an old rail trestle, setting the stage for a city park and catalyzing an ailing district's renewal.

Researcher's Rocking Frame 'Shakes' World of Performance-Based Seismic Design

Following successful tests on a rocking frame, Deierlein is working on developing a design method so that engineers can use the build-for-repair system.

Online Model, Free to Users, Can Forecast National Labor Supply and Demand

National labor supply and demand forecasting model will improve efficiency and effectiveness in labor utilization and overall project execution.

Hybrid Composite Beam is A Labor of Love for Designer

Bridge engineer created a hybrid of conventional materials and composites that can create long-lasting, noncorrosive bridges that carry heavy loads.

Big Challenge Met By Innovative Mind

Subsea engineer's design makes deepwater development work through seabed separation of oil and gas, limiting the number of risers to the surface.

Loizeaux Triumphs Over His Most Daunting Implosion in More Than Four Decades

Loizeaux's experience, expertise and dedication to safety led to the successful controlled demolition of a faulty Texas tower.

Veteran Waste-Cleanup Expert Applies Just-In-Time Methods to World's Largest PCB Project to Date

Waste-management expert Mangrum guides a landmark riverbed PCB cleanup using a unique combination of technologies that saves time and money.

Rescue Took Teamwork, But Ultimately It Was Up To One Man

"You don't have to worry. I won't let you go," said the construction worker to the woman trapped in whitewater as he drew her to safety.

An Investor's Passion Launches Nation's First Privately Built and Managed Airport

Airport investor overcame hurdles through innovative financing to bring nation's first privately built greenfield airport to completion in Missouri.

Creativity And Teamwork Deliver The Most Highway On Time

Rasmussen's joint-venture design-build team of three partners and six design firms conceived and executed the innovative reconstruction of a deteriorating highway through St. Louis' heart.

Professor Nails Down Key Risks Around Tower Cranes

Produced under a grant from the National Insurance Institute of Israel, Shapira's research ranks 13 top risks around tower cranes, whose surge in accidents has rocked josbites around the world.

In Boston, Engineer Paves the Path for Country's First Warm-Mix Asphalt Runway

Massport's director of capital programs pushed hard, convincing FAA officials to allow using warm-mix asphalt to pave a Logan airport runway.

Fledgling Green-site Rating System Fast Becoming a Standard

Steiner is credited with inspirational leadership and consensus-building that produced the first rating system for sustainable landscapes.

Energizing Innovation in Project Delivery To Weather a Storm of Demand

Temple led application of MILCON Transformation that is helping the Corps meet $73-billion demand for construction over seven years.

Former Engineering Student Moves Building Model From Charity to Enterprise

Only 26, this Ph.D. engineer is the catalyst for a venture that blends third-world infrastructure building with real-world business enterprise.

Key to Success at Tough Theater Job Was Extreme Teamwork

By flawlessly managing construction of the most innovative little theater just about anywhere, Wagner brought in the difficult project on budget and a month early.

Publication Coming of First Green Building Specification

The Web-based Masdar City master specification, the vision of Waqfi, encourages best practices in sustainable design, construction and operations.

Construction Veteran Primes the Pump To Ensure a Steady Flow of Future Workers

Building a program for kids in Junior Achievement to experience construction careers, for the first time nationally, has been Weise's full-time job.