Photo courtesy of AGCMN
Al Gerhardt — Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
At its inaugural AGC Honors event Jan. 16, Associated General Contractors of Minnesota (AGCMN) recognized individuals and companies for outstanding contributions and commitment to Minnesota's commercial construction industry. AGC Honors celebrates the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Skill-Responsibility-Integrity (SRI) Award, Safety Awards, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Awards and Bridge Awards.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Al Gerhardt, president of Kraus-Anderson Construction. During the first 10 years of his career with KA, Gerhardt worked in various markets in a lead project management role completing over 700 hotel rooms; 1000 apartment units; 1,200,000 sq. ft. of commercial office space; 550,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 2,300 stalls of structured parking.
He has held various leadership roles at KA, including leading the consolidation of KA's Twin Cities construction operations, culminating in the construction of its new 100,000-sq.-ft. corporate headquarters in downtown Minneapolis in 2017. Gerhardt was promoted to chief operating officer in 2007 and then to president in 2017. As president, Gerhardt has primary responsibility for the overall operation and performance of Kraus-Anderson's seven construction offices located in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.
Photo courtesy of AGCMN
Mark Ziegler — SRI Award Recipient
The Skill-Responsibility-Integrity (SRI) Award was presented to Mark Ziegler. He became an ironworker to gain a first-hand perspective and knowledge of life in the trades. Ziegler worked his way up to journeyman and eventually, project manager. After 12 years at Holman Erection Company, he began working at Amerect Inc., a structural steel and architectural precast erector, where he managed large projects including TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota, the Gerdau Steel Mill in St. Paul, the Gonda Building at the Rochester Mayo Clinic development and many more. Ziegler eventually became the president and owner of Amerect, where he grew and managed many people in the office and the field.
Recognized with the Jeff Jensen Memorial Construction Safety Excellence Awards were Sellin Brothers Inc., Meyer Contracting and Ames Construction Inc. These awards are presented in three categories (based on annual work hours) for outstanding safety records on job sites over the previous year and employee safety training programs.
The AGC DEI Awards recognize firms that have gone above and beyond in the past year to develop cultures of inclusion. Recognized this year as DEI Impact Champions were Watson-Forsberg, Ulland Brothers and Lockton Companies. Bush Management Company LLC was presented with the 2023 Diverse Business of the Year Award, and the Ally of the Year Award went to John O'Phelan (Ramsey County).
AGC and MnDOT also honored three contracting firms and multiple municipalities and individuals for their winning projects in the joint AGC/MnDOT Bridge Awards for projects completed in 2019:
- ICON Constructors LLC of Mabel, Minn., was awarded in the "Low Cost Structure (less than $1.5M)" category for Bridge #85579 on County Road 7 in Pickwick, Minn.
- Lunda Construction Co (Rosemount, Minn.) was awarded in the "Medium Cost Structure (between $1.5 and $5M)" for Bridge #27C63 on County 81 in Robbinsdale, Minn.
- Ames Construction (Burnsville, Minn.) was awarded in the "High Cost Structure (more than $5M)" for Bridge #2440, carrying TH 65 over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
Knutson Construction was recognized at AGC Honors 2024 for its100 years of continuous membership with the association.
For more information, visit agcmn.org/events/2023-award-recipients.
About AGC of Minnesota
Organized in 1919, AGC of Minnesota is the first recognized chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America. The association is a trusted resource for information dissemination, labor relations, education and training and for advocacy on important industry-related issues. The diverse and collective knowledge of AGC of Minnesota is powerful and impacts the building and highway construction industries throughout the state.
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