ENR Mountain States is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s regional Legacy Awards, given to one individual in the Intermountain area (Utah, Montana and Idaho) and one from Colorado, Wyoming and the Dakotas.
The winners are Bob Thompson, founder of engineering firm CTL|Thompson in Colorado, and David Wadman of the Wadman Corp., a general contractor based in Salt Lake City.
The Legacy Awards are given annually by the ENR regional editors to an individual (or individuals) who have achieved a lifetime legacy of service in design and construction, and who have given above and beyond to their professions and the communities in which they live.
This year’s Legacy winner on the Colorado side, Bob Thompson, founded in 1971 the firm that is now called CTL|Thompson. It is the largest full-service geotechnical, structural, environmental and materials engineering firm headquartered in Denver. Under his leadership, CTL|Thompson has grown to nine offices throughout Colorado and Wyoming. The firm has played a role in an estimated 100,000 residential and commercial building projects. It celebrated its 45th anniversary in business last year.
Thompson also is recognized as a national leader for devising engineering solutions to challenging slope stabilization and earth retention projects, especially in mountainous areas. He’s a sought-after expert for foundation design, mine remediation, design of anchor walls for large excavations and soil-testing techniques.
Throughout his career, Thompson has been committed to elevating engineering practices. He established a committee that provided counsel to leaders of geotechnical firms across the U.S. on standards and operations. He joined forces with like-minded colleagues in 1995 to establish a core group of engineers that eventually became the Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engineers (CAGE). He also served on the board charged with college engineering school accreditation at universities across the U.S.
He has spearheaded dozens of other industry and community initiatives that have improved the lives of many people.
The Intermountain winner is David Wadman, the third-generation owner of Wadman Corp., a general contractor based in the Salt Lake City area. His entire professional career has been spent with the firm, where he began working in the field for his father as a teenager. Wadman earned his degree in construction management and real estate development while working full time as a project manager, estimator, comptroller and business developer for the company.
Under his leadership, the company grew to 200 employees and $200 million in revenue, establishing a presence in all the western states. The firm’s growing portfolio in health care, industrial, education, retail, office, state and municipal and many hospitality projects also took it to the East Coast with some of its clients.
Community service is a trademark of the Wadman Corp. Recently, the Wadman team renovated family housing apartments for abused women and children by remodeling each of the 11 units. Wadman himself is heavily involved in fundraising for the Boy Scouts of America Trapper Trails Council and continues the work of his late father, Jay Wadman, by supporting American Indian Services for college-bound Native American students. His other service work includes YCC, Catholic Community Service, Youth Impact, Weber Pathways and Family Connections, among many others.
