Two stalwart, long-time editors of ENR retired recently: Events Executive Editor Jan Tuchman and Research and Associate Editor Scott Lewis.
Tuchman stepped down in 2022 from her 21-year-job as editor-in-chief to serve as ENR’s executive editor for events. This month will be the first time in 48 years that she will not be part of the magazine staff—a fitting moment to reflect on what she has accomplished.
Tuchman’s journey began in Akron, Ohio, where her architect father let her join him on site visits as a little girl. Journalism became her passion, and she completed a master degree at the University of Colorado. She moved to New York City to take the job at ENR and covered major news events such as reporting on the aftermath and industry impact of the devastating Mexico City earthquake and the licensing hearings after the Kansas City Hyatt walkway collapse. Her ability to mobilize ENR coverage of key issues affecting the industry and her leadership skill led to five promotions to positions of increasing responsibility.
During her tenure as editor-in-chief, Tuchman guided ENR as the digital revolution reshaped both the construction industry and journalism. At the same time, she captained ENR as demographic changes and workforce needs opened construction to new groups of people on jobsites and in offices.
Via ENR’s coverage of workplace bias, and its support for key events such as the Groundbreaking Women in Construction event—now more than 20 years old—Tuchman has done much to advance issues for those long underrepresented in construction.
There also is a more transcendent aspect to Tuchman’s career, in upholding high standards of journalism at ENR and in service to that field and to construction. With an emphasis on reason and unity, and many hours of association service and public appearances, she helped preserve industry identity against differences that have often threatened to pull it apart.
Lewis, a native of New York City, joined ENR in 1997 after 17 years as a researcher at NBC News. Since then, his phone and email inbox have received a steady stream of queries from subscribers and non-subscribers. Many times a day, Lewis’ colleagues heard him over cubicle walls in ENR’s New York City headquarters explaining our exclusive cost data to subscribers or guiding readers to sources of information.
Tuchman asked Lewis to develop articles about construction records. “We had a three-minute conversation,” he says. What evolved became one of the most popular features on ENR.com, detailing world record-holding structures. Lewis’ role evolved in other ways, with thorough research in support of ENR content, and interactions with archivists, librarians and licensors of that information. His thoughtfulness and dedication as ENR “historian” led to his popular series this year to mark its 150th anniversary.
Fortunately, both won’t be treading far from ENR’s orbit. Lewis plans to continue writing and Tuchman will continue to program ENR’s NY/NJ and Los Angeles Infrastructure Forums as a consultant.
Scott Blair
Editor-in-Chief
