The Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest individual honor DBIA bestows. It is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the design and construction industry through outstanding leadership and innovation in the advancement of design-build project delivery. Recipients of this award have exhibited originality, vision, and breadth over the course of their professional life, with 25 years or more of strong and well-documented commitment to design-build project delivery.
With nearly a half-century in the industry, Don Warren’s impact on design-build and throughout the AEC industry is profound, making him an ideal choice to receive DBIA’s highest honor. Warren –– one of DBIA’s five founding fathers –– has been pivotal in shaping Design-Build Done Right® and continues to advance best practices.
Warren began his career at the age of 15 by working on construction sites during the summers. His hands-on experience and determination led him to positions as an estimator, project manager and eventually President and CEO at Suitt Construction, where he grew the company to over $500 million in annual revenue by 2000. It was at Suitt Construction’s Special Projects Group where Warren was first exposed to design-build project delivery and quickly recognized its potential. He became a trailblazer in promoting collaboration, teamwork and partnership as essential pillars of successful design-build project delivery.
Since helping establish DBIA in 1993, Warren has remained deeply engaged in advancing the organization’s mission and best practices, playing a pivotal role in shaping not just DBIA but the success of design-build nationwide. His leadership during his seven years on the DBIA Board, including his tenure as Chair in 1998, was vital to developing DBIA’s early Best Practices and contract documents.
In addition to his technical expertise and leadership, Warren is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of design-build professionals. As Chair of DBIA’s College of Fellows Mentoring Committee and a certified DBIA Instructor, Warren has taught DBIA certification courses across the country.
With more than 40 years of dedicated service to understanding, advancing and effectively using design-build, Bill Hasbrook has left an indelible mark on the industry. Hailing from New Braunfels, Texas, Hasbrook is a design-build trailblazer, having dedicated his career since 1982 to shaping and advancing this project delivery method. His influence spans nearly every industry sector, with a remarkable project portfolio approaching $20 billion. Hasbrook’s commitment to design-build is unwavering, and he actively champions it whenever possible, emphasizing the importance of DBIA contracts and best practices.
Hasbrook is a charter member of DBIA and has served at every organizational level, from local chapters to the national stage. He received the DBIA Leadership Award in 2010 and was a member of the founding class of DBIA Fellows in 2018, holding the position of Vice Chancellor from 2022 to 2023.
His most significant contribution perhaps lies in the field of education, where he helps to shape the next generation of design-build professionals. He has advocated for design-build through various youth outreach programs, including engagements with Junior Achievement, Boy Scouts of America, school industry events and formal and informal mentoring.
Throughout his career, Hasbrook’s efforts have propelled design-build into the spotlight, ensuring its widespread acceptance and securing its future as a leading project delivery method.
Greg Gidez’s work as an industry leader, innovator and teacher truly embodies the spirit of this award. Throughout his career, he has helped the design-build industry embrace the mental shift needed to empower collaboration, moving beyond cost and schedule to look at triple-bottom line successes in design-build project delivery. His work as Hensel Phelps’ Director of Design Services is impressive in its own right, delivering many notable design-build projects over the decades while also demonstrating the value of Design-Build Done Right® best practices time and again to clients and team members alike.
Greg’s leadership at DBIA spans the decades, including as a DBIA National Board Chair, Committee leader, DBIA-approved instructor who’s also created design management coursework, Mentor and Fellow.
Mark Shambaugh’s impressive 40-year career tells the story of an industry leader and innovator who helped define the standards for design-build project success. When Mark retired in 2016 as the Chief Executive Officer of Shambaugh and Son, the firm was the nation’s third-largest specialty contractor, winner of five coveted US Food Plant of the Year awards, two Food Processing Magazine plant of the year awards, four DBIA national Best In Process awards and the 2012 DBIA Project of the Year. But awards only tell part of the story. It’s the legacy of impressive design-build innovation and collaboration, going back even before DBIA’s creation, that has garnered Mark the respect of his peers. Mark’s commitment to excellence is acknowledged industry-wide thanks to a perfect career record delivering projects on time and budget with zero litigation. Some people advocate for design-build. Some teach, research and even define best practices. However, few industry leaders have done it all. Mark Shambaugh is one of those truly unique industry leaders.
Mark’s work with design-build began in the 1970s, and by 1989 he was sharing his expertise and promoting design-build not only for his company but at industry events nationwide. As an early design-build adopter, he embraced the creation of DBIA and ensured his organization was one of our first industry partner members. In addition, he immersed himself in leadership roles, including chairing national committees, creating early DBIA contracts, presenting at numerous industry events, and serving both as a DBIA national board member and its Chairman in 2002. DBIA launched its highly successful certification program during Mark’s chairmanship and created the region/chapter structure that still serves our organization today. Both are lasting achievements that ensure Design-Build Done Right® best practices are successfully shared and implemented nationwide.
Among Mark’s many notable achievements, it’s his heartfelt advocacy and embrace of collaborative innovation that stands out. His leadership in utilizing technology at Shambaugh and Son included advanced computerized estimating, the first CADD system in 1982, and by 1994 a complete integrated 3-D BIM modeling system – ten years ahead of the industry. Connecting this with a state-of-the-art prefabrication facility was also a decade ahead of industry competitors. As a technology trailblazer, Mark understands the power technology has in maximizing collaborative project success. Design-build collaboration is far more than just talk for Mark Shambaugh. He’s advocated at the highest levels for the legislative authority needed to allow the use of design-build. In Indiana, his tireless advocacy to craft and ultimately pass design-build legislation in the state broke a political logjam that existed for years.
Bill Quatman’s experience with design-build began even before we all called it “design-build.” For 30 years, Bill has been a tireless advocate for design-build nationally, and internationally, through his writing, public speaking, university-level teaching, legislative advocacy, and legal skills. Bill founded the Mid-America Region of DBIA, which started the “regional” concept of DBIA chapters, still used today. He has authored dozens of articles, including a series on design-build ethics published by DBIA, and he is the author of many of the DBIA contract forms, including the entire bond series, the BIM, Sustainable and Insurance Exhibits, and the new DBOM Exhibit. He also initiated and authored the DBIA Code of Conduct and has spoken at over 20 local, regional and national DBIA conferences. A past national board chair and outgoing national board member, Bill has led many of DBIA’s key initiatives for many decades.
No one could have known when Dave Crawford first walked through the doors of Sundt Construction as a teenage intern that he’d end up its CEO, an author of Arizona’s landmark design-build legislation and ultimately one of our industry’s legends. Dave’s accomplishments over five decades transformed not only his company but also his state and the nation by proving that collaboration-driven projects can provide win-win-win project successes.
Under Dave’s oversight, Sundt maintained a reputation as an innovative builder capable of executing unique and challenging projects. He spent 48 years with Sundt, a period of transition, maturation and growth for the 100% employee-owned company. While maintaining a competitive mindset, he also worked tirelessly to support and develop collaborative delivery methods, where teams of dedicated people could raise the bar in terms of project success for all team members.
Dave’s tireless efforts working with the Arizona State Legislature in the late 1990s changed the way public sector projects are awarded and executed forever. At that time, public contracts in Arizona became so difficult and conditions so challenging that many general contractors stopped pursuing public projects entirely. Dave rallied industry leaders to create new alternate procurement legislation. The team spent two years drafting language and making more than 100 presentations to industry and community groups before House Bill 2340 became law in August 2000. As a testament to the depth of this legislative consensus building, the bill was passed in its first legislative session. Not only does this landmark legislation allow both progressive and traditional design-build delivery, but it specifies qualifications-based selection (QBS) as well in design-build, CM-at-risk and job order contracting delivery. Not content to rest on these successes, Dave continues to help other states adopt and successfully implement collaborative delivery legislation and train Owners on best practices.
As DBIA’s National Board Chairman in 2004, he set our organization on the successful course we still follow today. DBIA is so much more than just a membership organization. By providing the nation’s only Design-Build Done Right® education and professional certification, DBIA is the leader in defining and teaching industry pros design-build best practices. We also know that our strength comes from our thriving regions and chapters. Dave’s commitment to growing and strengthening DBIA’s grassroots has built a strong network of engaged design-builders nationwide. DBIA is proud to honor Dave Crawford for his many lifetime achievements with the 2019 Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Barbara Jackson’s experiences are vast and her influence in the industry is undeniable. Ever heard of “making the mental shift” in “Design-Build Done Right®?” That’s Barbara Jackson, PhD, DBIA.
After nearly two decades as a practitioner, including as the owner of a full-service design-build company, Barbara went back to graduate school to get her PhD and began a long career of researching and teaching design-build best practices, first to students at Cal Poly and now the University of Denver. In addition to the many college students she’s prepared for successful design-build careers, Dr. Jackson also shares her expertise with other college professors nationwide. Barbara created DBIA’s Educator Workshop program and hosts college instructors from throughout the nation each year, providing design-build best practices education and curriculum. She has also served on DBIA’s National Board, chaired many DBIA committees and is currently Chair for DBIA’s National Awards jury.
Dr. Jackson’s books are the foundation of DBIA’s best practices and her research on developing integrated leaders is a cornerstone of Design-Build Done Right® project delivery. No individual has worked harder or done more than Barb Jackson to address this challenge of transforming a group of individuals into an integrated, collaborative and trust-based team. Her work on “making the mental shift” to design-build is inspiring, influential and a major reason that design-build has prospered. When Barb speaks about this subject, people listen — as demonstrated by the standing room only crowds that attend any session she holds at DBIA and the countless design-build students who now thrive in our industry thanks to her mentorship.
From an industry practitioner to educator and innovator, Barbara Jackson has produced a lifetime of achievement (plus some) and we’re proud to present her with DBIA’s highest honor.
Roger Johnson has pioneered the use of design-build throughout his career, managing his first design-build project in 1990. He was instrumental in the formation of CDM Engineers and Constructors, the design-build component of CDM Inc., and since coming to the City of Los Angeles has pioneered the use of design-build in the city. Roger delivered the first design-build project in the history of the City of Los Angeles with the $240 million Central Utility Plant project and the city’s first progressive design-build project, the $1.6 billion Midfield Satellite Concourse. Roger’s tenacity, courage and advocacy for the use of design-build on some of the largest, most complex projects in the country have contributed to the expanded use of design-build on the west coast and across the nation.
For the past nine years Roger has been the Program Manager of the largest capital development program in the history of the City of Los Angeles, the LAX Development Program. Under his leadership, LAWA currently has over $1 billion of design-build work being performed and approximately $5 billion of capital construction under procurement using design-build as the delivery method.
For 27 years, Roger Johnson has been a strong advocate for design-build and has worked tirelessly to advance the principles of Design-Build Done Right® on both the regional and national levels. His colleagues praise his ability to look at the impact of project decisions from a multitude of perspectives: owner, design professional, contractor, community, political impacts, labor and the overall betterment of society. These talents have made him an industry leader who uses innovation, fairness and balanced implementation of design-build project delivery with a high demand for performance, design excellence and accountability on some of the nation’s most high-profile projects. We are proud to present Roger Johnson with DBIA’s highest honor.
Peter Tunnicliffe has been passionately promoting the value and use of the design-build delivery method for 25 years. In 1992, he was the visionary who convinced CDM Smith to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary with its primary mission being design-build delivery. This was a monumental change in the course of the firm’s history at a time when design-build was in its infancy in many parts of the country.
Mr. Tunnicliffe grew CDM Engineering & Constructors into a $400 million operation with service offerings to private, public and federal clients. His strategic direction advanced the firm to one of the top 400 general contractors in the US and one of the top 10 design-build firms in the water/wastewater industry. He has been the Project Director or Executive Sponsor for hundreds of design-build projects valued from $1 million to $250 million.
Mr. Tunnicliffe is currently President of CDM Smith International, leading engineering and design-build services worldwide. He has become a major proponent of progressive design-build and he continues his active advocacy for DBIA best practices.
Mr. Kunnath co-founded DBIA in 1993, and went on to serve as its second Board Chairman. As Board President of the Charles Pankow Foundation, he has led the organization since its inception, overseeing the implementation of over 50 research grants and $10 million in research funds, all with the goal of improving the design and construction industry through technological and process advancement.
Mr. Kunnath joined Charles Pankow Builders in Hawaii as a Project Engineer in 1979. That year, he managed his first true design-build project, a regional shopping center. He eventually became the Chairman and CEO of Charles Pankow Builders, retiring as CEO in 2014, and continues to serve as Executive Chairman. Now he leads the Charles Pankow Foundation, which funds research, development and dissemination of new products and solutions that help the AEC Industry be more efficient and more cost competitive.
Mr. Kunnath advised the State of Hawaii on contract and procurement issues in preparation for that state’s very first design-build project. Design-build has subsequently become a widely accepted and successful project delivery method in the state.
For the past 20 years, he has been a speaker and invited lecturer at universities throughout the U.S., speaking to faculty and students about integrated delivery and procurement models. These include Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and over a dozen other institutions. Mr. Kunnath is one of only three lecturers selected by the AIA California Council to engage in statewide education sessions related to design-build. For that effort, he received public recognition as having made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of design-build best practices in the architectural community.
Craig Unger is Principal and CEO of Unger Security Solutions, LLC, providing consulting services for acquisition management, project delivery and the security and detention environment. Mr Unger founded the business upon his retirement from the federal government.
He was appointed by the Attorney General of the United States in August 2001 to serve as the Justice Department’s Federal Detention Trustee. As a career civil servant, Mr. Unger achieved the highest leadership role (Senior Executive Service) as an Agency Head within the U.S. Department of Justice.
Additionally, Mr. Unger served as President of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) 2003–2004.
Mr. Unger is regarded as a leader of the integrated project delivery design-build movement in the public sector. Before joining DBIA, he served for 26 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, primarily as the Procurement Executive for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Mr. Unger has served as a Senior Consultant, Facilitator and Training Instructor for numerous major design and construction projects.
He has an extensive background in various alternative disputes resolution (ADR) techniques to include facilitating numerous Partnering Workshops, providing mediation services and serving on a Disputes Resolution Board.
Mr. Unger is a nationally recognized lecturer throughout the industry and has authored numerous articles and publications, including U.S. Congressional reports and testimony. He received a BA in Accounting from Bloomsburg University, an MBA from West Virginia University and attended Harvard University for post-graduate work. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
In addition to being integral in the founding of DBIA and one of the organization’s most active leaders, Mr. Loulakis was one of the drafters of the original DBIA form contract documents and continues to be a crucial contributor to the maintenance of the documents and the development of new ones. Mr. Loulakis has served on DBIA’s Board of Directors and is currently DBIA’s co-chair of the Best Practices/Education Work Force.
Mr. Louakis is the founder of Capital Project Strategies, LLC, a specialized consulting firm that provides strategic procurement contracting and risk management advice to clients who develop and construct capital projects. He has provided services on some of the country’s most complex public sector design-build projects and public-private partnership (P3) programs, where he has helped agencies formulate effective project delivery, procurement and contracting strategies. He has particular expertise on large transportation, tunneling and water projects. Mr. Loulakis also has a broad background in representing private sector owners in the power, petrochemical and process industries, helping them with project delivery issues, risk management and contract execution.
Mr. Loulakis is currently engaged on several complex design-build projects. He is lead counsel for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects. He represents the Virginia DOT’s Alternative Project Delivery Office in its statewide design-build program, where his services include developing procurement and contracting policies, training VDOT personnel and advising on contract execution issues. He also advises VDOT on specific P3 projects. In addition, Mr. Loulakis is representing Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in the procurement and contracting of a DBFOM contract for a multi-faceted project involving an underground parking facility, improvements to Storrow Drive and a hospital addition.
Mr. Loulakis holds a civil engineering degree from Tufts University and a law degree from Boston University School of Law. He is widely published and has been ranked since 2004 in Chambers USA as one of the country’s best construction lawyers. In recognition of his contributions to the construction industry, Mr. Loulakis was recently inducted into the National Academy of Construction.
Dr. Robert K. Tener, P.E., Ph.D., DBIA has dedicated his career to serving his country, his industry and the next generation of construction and engineering professionals.
Dr. Tener’s multifaceted career exemplifies the kind of diversified and significant accomplishments that DBIA honors with this lifetime achievement award. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he later served on the civil engineering faculty, Bob Tener earned Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in structural engineering from Iowa State University, became a registered professional engineer in 1963 and was named a Fellow of ASCE in 1988.
Capping his 27-year first career as a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officer, then-Colonel Tener served as the senior executive-in-charge of major engineered construction projects in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi, including the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which remains the largest earth-moving project in U.S. history. He oversaw highly successful integrated project delivery of major projects, in which the Corps’ professional planning, engineering, design and construction staff functioned as single, unified project teams. Colonel Tener achieved national and regional recognitions for his leadership and public service in advancing Corps of Engineers civil works programs in the 1970s and 1980s.
Following Army retirement Dr. Tener served in several leadership positions in civic endeavors in Dallas, Texas. He joined the faculty of Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering in 1994, where he taught undergraduate and graduate civil and construction engineering, directed Purdue’s nationally acclaimed Construction Internship Program, integrated design-build into the civil engineering curriculum and became one of the first university educators to join DBIA (1994).
During his years at Purdue, Dr. Tener focused his speaking, publishing and advocacy efforts on promoting industry-educator interaction. He unceasingly stressed the high value of professional practitioners engaging with faculty and students to advance civil and construction engineering education. Advocating proactive industry advisory committees and high-quality co-op and internship programs were his themes.
Bob Tener was widely recognized and praised by students and employers alike for his personal direction of Purdue’s unique Construction Internship Program, in which every CEM graduate worked three successful summer internships with major construction contractors across the nation serving as mentors. His initiative in bringing increased student exposure to design-build through their classroom studies and internships was a hallmark of his time at Purdue.
Students recognized Bob’s efforts on their behalf: he was honored as Professor of the Year four times by Purdue’s construction engineering students. Writing in support of his nomination for the Brunelleschi Award, two successful 2002 graduates of Purdue’s Construction Engineering and Management program recalled, “He saw the value in collaborative integration through team assignments; he empowered young women through the encouragement of professional career tracks in the building, design and engineering industries; and he enforced the highest level of respect while being the kindest, open door ‘shrink’ during any student meltdown, young professional crisis or other life drama.” During 2000-2001 Purdue students elected Dr. Tener as an honorary faculty member to Mortar Board and Iron Key, both campus-wide student honoraries.
After retiring from Purdue in 2002, Bob was recruited to become the founding Executive Director of the Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) in 2005. Under the guidance of the CPF Board of Directors, he directed the launch and early successes of this non-profit foundation’s research program, based on the purposes set forth by its founder, Charles J. Pankow, the founder and long-time chief executive of Charles Pankow Builders. Mr. Pankow, a past recipient of the Brunelleschi Award, was considered a pioneer of design-build in the construction industry and the foundation is dedicated to continuing his legacy. Well acquainted with Mr. Pankow while at Purdue, Bob wholeheartedly embraced CPF’s mission of advancing innovations in building design and construction for public benefit and proved the ideal leader to establish and energize the operating model for the foundation’s program of research work.
Over its first seven years the Charles Pankow Foundation awarded 41 research grants with a total grant award value of $5.5 million, with 14 grant projects completed and all research products accessible to the public. Under joint sponsorship of CPF and DBIA, the University of Colorado in 2010 delivered the report, “Influence of Project Delivery Method on Achieving Sustainable, High Performance Buildings,” which provides proven best practices for selecting project delivery methods. Another DBIA-CPF collaboration under Bob’s management produced DBIA’s acclaimed 2011 publication, Design Management Guide for the Design-Build Environment. He has also helped launch another joint DBIA-CPF research effort now underway that will deliver an empirical guide to successful owner practices regarding roles, team integration, team behavior, delivery method and project performance for building design and construction.
Reflecting on Dr. Tener’s many accomplishments leading CPF, Richard M. Kunnath, President of CPF and Executive Chairman of Charles Pankow Builders, credits him for “taking the Charles Pankow Foundation from embryonic visibility to the widespread reputation it has today. His drive and intelligence have been vital to the launch and establishment of the foundation.”
Lee Evey possesses a personal commitment to design-build project delivery coupled with an extraordinary and varied background in both the public and private sectors. He has been an outspoken advocate of the delivery method, demonstrating the effectiveness of innovative partnering and integrative teaming approaches in the field as well as serving as a national spokesman for design-build as DBIA president from 2004 until 2009.
Prior to joining DBIA, Lee was senior vice president of 3D/International, Inc., a design, management and construction company that employed 600 professionals in 18 offices nationwide. While at 3D/International, he took a leave of absence to serve as senior advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Housing and Construction in Baghdad, supporting their rebuilding efforts.
For five years before coming to 3D/International, Lee was the program manager for the 10-year, $4 billion Pentagon Renovation Program. In this position, he reported directly to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and served as the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense for all matters relating to the Pentagon Renovation. In that capacity, Lee championed the use of design-build delivery, achieving significant cost savings ($100 million under budget) and rapid project completion (14 months ahead of schedule). During his time at the Pentagon, he unexpectedly, but successfully, led the Phoenix Project — the effort to rebuild areas damaged by the 9/11 terrorist attack. Fulfilling a promise made on national television, Lee delivered the completed project within just one year.
Lee was the top civilian Air Force contracting official at the Pentagon prior to joining the Pentagon Renovation effort and also held a variety of key positions with NASA. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1966 and served as an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander in Vietnam in 1968–69, participating in numerous combat operations. Lee entered federal service in January 1974 as a member of the Air Force Copper Cap Training Program at Patrick Air Force Base.
Lee has been honored with the Presidential Distinguished Executive Rank Award for “sustained extraordinary accomplishment in management of programs of the United States Government and for leadership exemplifying the highest standards of service to the public, reflecting credit on the career civil service.”
Although retired, Lee continues to support an industry and a way of doing business that he sees as a superior way of accomplishing design and construction activities. In addition to these mostly volunteer speaking engagements, he is writing two novels. In January 2012, he plan to begin a non-fiction account of the Pentagon Renovation that will highlight the use of design-build in enabling the success of the project.
Lee is a Florida native. He received a BA in Psychology and MA in Special Education from the University of South Florida, and a MS in Management Science from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Over the course of his 42-year career in the transportation industry, Jerry C. Porter, P.E., DBIA, has furthered the use of design-build project delivery through numerous successful projects, and by pioneering and promoting best practices within the firms he has served and throughout the industry at large. Since 2003, ten Kiewit transportation projects have received DBIA awards due in large part to his expertise in designer teaming, major design-build project support, and his consistent advancement of design-build technology and best practices.
Jerry’s interest in design and construction stem from his background as a traffic and planning engineer. His career began in 1968 with what is now TranSystems. Ten years later, Jerry became Centennial Engineering’s Vice President and Director of Transportation. By the mid 1980s, CRSS Civil Engineers was fortunate to have Jerry serving as Vice President and SW Regional Manager. Jerry joined Kiewit Corporation in 1993. Six years later, Kiewit recognized his mastery of design-build by placing Jerry in the new position of Vice President Design-Build.
In this role, Jerry has helped Kiewit become one of North America’s premier design-builders, advancing best practices by example and through training of senior managers. He has guided Kiewit’s approach to alternate contract procurement. Today, more than 50% of Kiewit’s contracted work is procured through the design-build and EPC delivery methods.
As a leader, Jerry embraced innovation. One of the first to use design-build in a P3 model, he also initiated development of 3D modeling for use in design-build transportation projects. For over a decade, DBIA has befitted from his active involvement, and through his service on the Federal Highway Administration Transportation Construction Management Steering Group and his participation in the development of the FHA Risk Assessment and Allocation for Highway Construction Management Guide, Jerry has lent his expertise to his country.
Mark Alpert has served as a water/wastewater industry leader for more than 35 years. From his earliest work as an engineer, his focus was on the creation and delivery of innovative solutions. One of the early innovators in the design and construction industry, Mark’s efforts paid off in developing innovative designs to encourage cost-effective construction, and own-operate privatization in the early 1980s. These early projects led to the design-build, design-build-operate, and design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) delivery mechanisms we recognize today.
Throughout his tenure, CH2M HILL has provided him the platform to deliver truly integrated design and construction projects. Starting from zero in the mid 1990s, Mark has led the firm through $2 billion of constructed water and wastewater work. Today, there is not a design-build water/wastewater project that crosses CH2M HILL’s threshold that Mark doesn’t have his hands on. He has directly influenced the successful development and delivery of more than 75 design-build projects, and the firm’s eleven National DBIA awarded projects are a testament to his dedication to excellence.
Mark’s expertise is reflected by his respected industry positions. He has been a member of the DBIA since its early development, joining and remaining active in the organization since 1995 and serving on the Civil Infrastructure and Water committees. Mark achieved the DBIA Designated Professional status in 2006. Additionally, in June 2006, Mark co-founded the Water Design-Build Council to further the efforts of the design-build delivery specifically in the water and wastewater industry. His knowledge and dedication to the field contributed to the development of the Municipal Water and Wastewater Design-Build Handbook published in 2008.
Over the past 25 years, Mark Alpert has made design-build project delivery his focus and passion. He has guided his firm and clients alike to the thoughtful consideration of design-build delivery and, when in the best interests of all, led many into the evaluation, procurement and delivery process.
Barry E. Bannett, CEO of The Bannett Group has served as a pillar of the design-build community for more than 35 years. Shortly after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in architectural sciences from the Washington University Architectural School in St. Louis, Barry founded what is now The Bannett Group in 1970. In conjunction with his son, Scott, the organization has grown to more than 50 employees with sales in excess of $65 million, and 90 percent of the group’s work is negotiated design-build projects.
His commitment to design-build is evident through many business models and practices, such as The Bannett Group’s Supply Chain Seminars. These innovative programs, which include specialty contractors and consultants, allow professionals to discuss their roles in the design-build process, detect challenges within that process, and offer potential solutions rather than focusing on low bids and change orders. The end result is a supply chain where all involved understand what is expected of them in a design-build teaming environment.
A strong advocate of design-build practices, Barry has served in a variety of volunteer positions and initiatives that include: DBIA National Board Member, DBIA Pennsylvania Region Board Member, DBIA course instructor and AIA Design-Build Knowledge Community Chairman. In addition, Barry is an active promoter of the DBIA Designation Program within The Bannett Group and is a regular guest speaker to architecture students at the Pratt Institute and Yale University on the benefits of design-build.
Gerald (Gerry) Rauenhorst has served as a pillar of the design-build community for more than 50 years as the founding chairman of what is now The Opus Group, a $2.1 billion commercial real estate development firm. His business decisions, and subsequently those of his employees, have been marked by integrity and a firm commitment to personal and corporate principles.
Gerry began consistently implementing the design-build concept in 1961, when Opus built the warehouse and office facilities for the Toro Company based in Bloomington, Minnesota. Although the design-build approach was considered radical when he first introduced it to his clients in the early 1960s, it was quickly met with enthusiasm and increasing business. Practicing what he preached, Gerry expanded Opus into what he described as “a totally integrated firm encompassing in-house design talent, engineering expertise and construction professionals who could shepherd each project from concept to completion.
Gerry’s forward-thinking leadership has continued to grow The Opus Group, quietly changing the face of communities across the nation and consistently expanding its reputation for providing unparalleled quality, innovation, and on-time, on-budget project completion through the deign-build process. His clients not only praise the company upon completion of their projects, they return time and time again for the design-build excellence for which Opus has become known.
Since founding The Opus Group in 1953, Gerry Rauenhorst has sought to find better ways of conducting business and to set a high standard for corporate social responsibility. A prime example of Gerry’s commitment to the global community is through The Opus Foundation’s “Opus Prize,” a $1 million faith-based humanitarian award given annually since 2004 to an unsung hero working on the front lines of the direst social problems of our day.
For these reasons and many more, Gerry Rauenhorst is an exemplary figure in the design-build community and the Design-Build Institute of America.
Rebekah Gladson has championed design-build project delivery at the University of California (UCI), Irvine. Her vision and leadership have transformed the campus, both in terms of the built environment and in the use of design-build.
Her lifetime achievement begins with the transformation of the Irvine campus. Twenty years ago, UCI was a campus with 14,000 students and the campus today ranks in the top 100 universities in America with over 24,000 students. During this growth period, Rebekah led the design-build development of over 30 buildings, representing $1 billion in construction with yet another $1.3 billion in construction currently underway.
More than just a great administrator, Rebekah has fine-tuned her skills as both an architect and master planner. She has led a design-build construction program that has created bold buildings with sweeping entries that awaken the excitement for learning and research.
A hands-on master builder, her sense of design and knowledge of construction helps each design-build team deliver quality projects on time, within budget, and in a working environment of respect between owner, contractor, architect and engineer.
UCI’s Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Thomas Cesario said, “Rebekah has put her heart and soul into our buildings. She works with the faculty to see that their wishes and needs are fulfilled to the greatest extent possible, while creating architecturally elegant buildings that are also built to the highest standards.”
Truly a unique figure in the design-build industry, Rebekah’s passion for excellence in every step of the design-build process is inspirational.
Charles Pankow (1923–2004) graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1947, and 36 years later he was honored by Purdue with the award of an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering. His college education was interrupted by military service during WWII. As a U.S. Navy ensign, he was stationed in Japan until 1946.
After 15 years in the design and build industry, “Charlie,” as he was known to his family, friends and colleagues, formed his own construction company in 1963. For more than 40 years, Pankow was a pioneer in concrete-forming technology and a champion of the design-build method for faster and more efficient construction of buildings (Pankow once completed a 40-story condominium in seven months). Pankow Builders has constructed more than 1,000 structures between Hawaii and New York, including department stores, office and residential complexes, and medical and sports facilities, including the tallest pre-cast concrete building on the west coast. Recent projects in Los Angeles include the Metropolitan Transit Authority Headquarters and East Portal, the Metropolitan Water District Headquarters, and Paseo Colorado in Pasadena.
During his distinguished career, Pankow invented processes for manufacturing hollow concrete piles using a slip-form technique and slip-forming vertical air conditioning ducts; he created innovative systems for increasing project automation, including total onsite pre-casting of structural and architectural elements; and he is perhaps best-known for his leadership in the development of moment-frame technology that has advanced the science of earthquake resistant construction.
Pankow was a leading member of more than a dozen national associations and academies, including the American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Arbitration Association, Structural Engineers Association of Southern California, and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), among others. In 1980 Pankow served as president of the American Concrete Institute (whose Southern California Chapter he had helped form in 1957 — the first local ACI chapter in the U.S.). He was elected into the National Academy of Engineering in 1997. He was a noted speaker at numerous state and national conventions, and he authored several chapters in the Concrete Construction Handbook by Joseph Waddell.
Pankow was especially honored in 1999 to be recognized by the prestigious Engineering News-Record (ENR) as one of the Top Six World Builders during the ENR’s 125-year history. His career was also replete with other awards and peer recognition for his many contributions, such as Design-Build Institute of America’s Brunelleschi Medal for Lifetime Achievement in 2003; ASCE’s 2002 OPAL Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Construction; Purdue University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award; ACI’s Henry C. Turner Medal Award in 1990; Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Industry Achievement Award in 1993; and many others.
Pankow was well known as a connoisseur of the arts, having established a considerable collection of ancient Egyptian, Chinese and Russian artifacts. He amassed one of the largest private collections of Russian and Greek icons in the United States. Pankow also contributed generously to numerous educational institutions and charitable organizations over the years, most notably Purdue University.
Preston Haskell, founder of The Haskell Company, played an instrumental role in the formation of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). Throughout the ’80s and early ’90s, Haskell and industry peers had several discussions about forming an industry organization to represent the interests of design-builders. In February 1993, Haskell gathered about 15 executives of major design-build firms and other companies interested in design-build to a dinner meeting and then an additional half-day meeting the next day in Washington. This was the beginning of DBIA. At the time, design-build was still considered “nontraditional,” with construction management and design-bid-build the preferred project delivery forms. However, Haskell and his peers reasoned that design-build backers needed an organization to represent the interest of design-builders.
In addition to being DBIA’s founder and first Board Chairman, Mr. Haskell is extremely active in the community over a wide range of industry, cultural and charitable institutions. Haskell is an honors graduate from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and received a Master’s of business administration with distinction from Harvard Business School. He also attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology for graduate study in building engineering and construction.
Charles H. Thornton is Chairman of the Thornton-Tomasetti Group, Inc., a 360-person organization providing design and engineering services for commercial, institutional and industrial building projects. The organization consists of Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers, the structural engineering division; LZA Technology, the investigations division; and LZA Associates, the engineering/architectural division.
Dr. Thornton has overall responsibility for the engineering, design and research, and development activities and policies of the firm. His thirty-eight years experience with the firm has included involvement in the design and construction of billions of dollars worth of projects in the U.S. and overseas, ranging from hospitals, arenas and high-rise buildings to airports, transportation facilities and special projects. A few representative projects include the two towers (tallest on the world) of Kuala Lumpur City Center in Malaysia, the $450,000,000 United Airlines Terminal at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, and the 65-story, One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Thornton holds a B.S.C.E. degree from Manhattan College, and M.S.C.E. and Ph.D. degrees from New York University. He is presently on the visiting faculty at Princeton University and Manhattan College. He has taught at Pratt Institute and Cooper Union in the past. Dr. Thornton is also Chairman and Founder of ACE Mentor Program, which offers guidance and training to 180 New York City inner city high school students in Architecture, Construction and Engineering. In addition, Dr. Thornton is President of The Salvadori Center, which educates over 2,000 New York Middle school students in Mathematics and Science using architectural and engineering principles. Dr. Thornton is on the Board of Trustees of Manhattan College, the Applied Technology Council (ATC), and the Building Seismic Safety Council, and is active in FEMA’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Task Force.
Dr. Thornton has provided expert witness testimony for many clients and litigation and is a recognized expert in the are of collapse and structural failure analysis. In 1978 Dr. Thornton led the engineering team investigation of the causes of the collapse of the Hartford Coliseum Space Truss Roof in Hartford, Connecticut and the Cooling Tower Scaffold at Pleasants Power Station, West Virginia. In 1978 Dr. Thronton directed the investigation of the collapse of the New York State Thruway Schoharie Bridge. In 1995 Dr. Thornton participated on the FEMA Building Performance Assessment Team for the investigation of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City.
Dr. Thronton’s work on high profile and innovative projects has been recognized by countless professional associations. Dr. Thornton was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), on eof the highest professional distinctions conferred on engineers. He received the American Society of Civil Engineers “Civil Engineer of the Year Award” in 1990. Dr. Thornton was also twice recognized in Engineering News Record’s “Those Who Made Marks”: once in 1978 for “leading an investigative team and reporting bluntly” on the Hartford Coliseum roof collapse, and again in 1986 for convincing authorities to allow innovative exposed steel design for the award-winning United Airlines Terminal at O’Hare Airport in Chicago.
John Portman, Jr., who received a B.S. in Architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology, is recognized throughout the world for his innovative design. John pioneered the role of architect as developer to enable the more expeditious implementation of his design concepts. With his entrepreneurial spirit he established the Atlanta Market Center in 1960 from which has been spawned extensive trade show and exhibition facilities that are the basis for Atlanta’s thriving convention business.
His contribution to the hospitality industry has been recognized with numerous awards including the American Institute of Architect’s Silver Medal for Innovation in Hotel Design, the Platinum Circle Award from Restaurant & Hotel Design and the Elsie de Wolfe from the American Society of Interior Designers.
Through owning and operating facilities in cities such as Atlanta, San Francisco and Shanghai, he brings a unique understanding to project design; he knows the importance of aesthetic and functional design to achieve success and profitability.
Mr. Portman is actively involved in the design work produced by John Portman & Associates, Inc. The context in which he works is important to the design of each project. His work reflects a genuine respect for the culture, surrounding buildings and historic context of his projects, yet he clearly looks to the future. His visionary thinking and creative design solutions are based on sound principle that stand the test of time.
Mr. Portman has served as a director of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta’s honorary council to Denmark, and remains active innumerous civic, cultural and business organizations.
Three major books have been written about Mr. Portman’s work: The Architect as Developer, co-authored by Portman with Jonathan Barnett and published by McGraw Hill in 1976; John Portman, published by L’Arcaedizioni in 1990; and John Portman: An Island on an Island, published by L’Arcaedizioni in 1997.