James P. “Jim” Bennett twice turned down invitations, dating back to 1973, to join Canada's PCL Construction Enterprises Inc. He finally came aboard 15 years later, in 1988, as vice president of its Denver building unit, eventually leading its U.S.-based operations in building and civil construction, which included the contractor's push overseas. A former president of two PCL units, Bennett died on June 9 in Georgetown, S.C., at age 74 of a massive stroke, says the firm.
BENNETT
A former vice president of J.A. Jones Construction Co. and president and CEO of Rogers Construction Co., Bennett became PCL Construction building unit president in 1991. Four years later, he became president of PCL Civil Constructors Inc. Bennett was a board member of PCL Construction Group Inc. from 1996 until his retirement in 1999.
“Jim Bennett championed our U.S. expansion into civil work, and the transportation Infrastructure and water Infrastructure groups are now large and important components of our business,” says Peter Beaupré, president and COO of PCL Construction. “Under Jim's leadership, we built many landmarks, such as the Denver International Airport terminal.” The company is the sixth largest on ENR's list of the Top 400 Contractors, with nearly $5 billion in 2010 revenue.
