Press Releases

CMAA Commends Congress for Passing Infrastructure Improvement Bill

Late Friday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed  the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly known as the bipartisan infrastructure bill. I join many of my colleagues in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction industry in applauding the House in joining with the Senate to pass this historic piece of legislation.

CMAA commends Congress for working together to provide the funding needed to modernize our nation’s bridges, highways, transit, railways, roads, water infrastructure, ports, and other critical infrastructure.

As soon as President Biden signs the measure, I know CMAA’s members are ready to get to work on this important undertaking that will make our infrastructure safer, help provide clean drinking water, expand broadband access, and upgrade our electric grid.   

I welcome your comments and thoughts at president@cmaanet.org.

Vienna, VA, USA – The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) announces three members have been selected for induction into the CMAA College of Fellows. They are:

• Brian Ott, CCM, FCMAA, Senior Vice President, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Towson, Md.
• Timothy W. Murchison, JD, CCM, FCMAA, MOCA Systems, Carmichael, Calif.
• Christopher J. Griffith, PE, CCM, FCMAA, President, KCI Technologies, Inc., Sparks, Md.

CMAA members are nominated and selected in recognition of their demonstrated leadership in the industry, their significant contributions to the profession, the industry, the association, and their commitment to the future. The FCMAA designation is the highest honor CMAA can bestow on an individual member and this year’s honorees are no exception.

“These individuals were selected for their record of contributions to the success of CMAA, their dedication to CMAA’s core objectives, and their commitment to the future of the organization,” said Gary J. Cardamone, PE, FCMAA, Chancellor of the CMAA College of Fellows. “I look forward to their future success and to the new perspectives they bring to the College’s work.”

The College of Fellows seeks to represent a diverse community of industry leaders who lend their knowledge and insight to the strategic issues facing the industry and the construction management profession, identify and assist in the development of future leaders, and take an active role in supporting the mission of CMAA.

“The selection committee has made outstanding choices for this year’s inductees,” said Andrea S. Rutledge, CAE, President and CEO of CMAA. “These individuals have a clear commitment to CMAA’s success promoting the profession of construction management and the use of qualified construction managers on projects and programs.”

See more about the CMAA College of Fellows here.

Vienna, VA, USA – The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has announced the winners of its 2021 Industry Excellence Awards.

CMAA’s Award Program recognizes excellence in construction management practice and honors companies and individuals each year based on merit. A panel of judges reviews each nomination carefully and chooses the best candidate in each category.

Lisa C. Sachs, CCM FCMAA, FAIA, Managing Principal, Cumming, is the CMAA 2021 Person of the Year. This award is given annually to an industry leader who has made significant contributions on behalf of the construction management industry. This industry advocate possesses unparalleled leadership, high quality workmanship, and has an outstanding record of accomplishment.

Oscar Zavaleta, The Montez Group, Inc., has received the CMAA Chair’s Award for Diversity and Inclusion. This award recognizes a CMAA member or member firm with a demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, social justice, or community and social responsibility and a record of acting on that commitment.

Austin Chaffee, CMIT, Assistant Project Manager, Jacobs, has received the CMAA Distinguished Young Professional Award. This award recognizes and celebrates a full-time professional for outstanding professional accomplishments and a commitment to the construction management industry early in his/her career.

Michael Mendick, PE, CCM, District Engineer, Connecticut Department of Transportation, has received the CMAA Distinguished Owner Award. This award recognizes an owner member who understands the value of a professional construction manager on the job and whose consistent actions, over a number of years, have made meaningful/extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the construction management profession.

Ossama Salem, PhD, PE, George Mason University, has received the Mark Hasso Educator of the Year honor. This honor emphasizes excellence in teaching and recognizes a full-time educator for outstanding professional accomplishments and a commitment to construction management education.

“Each of our award winners work hard to make a difference, and we commend each of them for their achievements and contributions to the construction industry,” states CMAA President and CEO Andrea S. Rutledge, CAE.

CMAA will honor its award winners during the organization’s in-person conference, CMAA2021, September 12-14, 2021, in Philadelphia, Pa.

Visit www.cmaanet.org for more information. Entries for the 2022 awards program will open in March.

As we look forward to the future with the 117th Congress and the Biden Administration, CMAA looks to the past for guidance and inspiration.

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln addressed those gathered for the dedication of the new soldiers’ cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The nation was deeply divided over slavery, states’ rights, the role of a Federal government, economic security, and personal liberty. Relying heavily on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln built a narrative for national reconciliation, which he delivered in 272 words.

Many of us learned the first 29 words in elementary school: “Fourscore and seven years ago…” However, within the next 243 are two ideas that give us guidance for today.

The first has to do with endurance; Lincoln wondered whether the Union could “endure.” Last spring, the columnist David Brooks wrote, “Endurance is fortifying. It is discovering you can get socked in the nose and take it. Above all, endurance is living with uncertainty. … Endurance is the knowledge that the only way out is through and whatever must be borne will be borne.”

Our profession will endure since there will always be a need to provide people with quality projects. Our members will endure since you have weathered other storms and have responded innovatively and resiliently. CMAA will endure because we are planning for the next decade and beyond to be a trusted resource to the construction management profession and the industry.

Lincoln also challenged his listeners to dedicate themselves to the “great task remaining before us.” For CMAA, that great task, among others, is to work collaboratively with you, our members, and the members of related professional societies to achieve our common goals for the future of our national infrastructure and the industry.

We are in this together. I look forward to working with all of you.

I welcome your comments and thoughts at president@cmaanet.org.

The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) is pleased to announce it has recognized 14 projects for outstanding achievements in construction management.

The 2020 Project Achievement Award winners are:

Commercial/Sports/Entertainment/Hospitality: Construction value greater than $50 Million
Boeing V-22 Osprey Future Factory – Historic Production Building Renovation
Owner: Boeing
CM: STV

Commercial/Sports/Entertainment/Hospitality: Construction value less than $50 Million
Fifth Third Center Chicago
Owner: Fifth Third Bank
CM: Fifth Third Bank

Commercial/Sports/Entertainment/Hospitality: Construction value less than $50 Million
Riverfront Park U.S. Pavilion
Owner: City of Spokane, Wash.
CM: Hill International

Education: Construction value greater than $50 Million
Collin College Wylie Campus
Owner: Collin College
CM: AECOM

Education: Construction value less than $50 Million
Veterans Memorial Elementary School
Owner: Parkland (Pa.) School District
CM: Alvin H. Butz, Inc.

Government: Construction value greater than $50 Million
Wyoming State Capitol Complex Renovation
Owner: State of Wyoming
CM: MOCA Systems

Government: Construction value less than $50 Million
Los Angeles National Cemetery Urban Initiative Phase 1
Owner: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
CM: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Healthcare: Construction value greater than $50 Million
Boston Hope
Owner: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, City of Boston, Partners Health
CM: Suffolk Construction

Healthcare: Construction value less than $50 Million
Mount Nittany Medical Center - Cardiovascular Pavilion
Owner: Mount Nittany Health
CM: Alexander Building Construction Co.

Transportation: Construction value less than $50 Million
Issaquah SE 62nd Street Extension
Owner: City of Issaquah, Wash.
CM: KBA, Inc.

Transportation: Construction value greater than $50 Million
Bellevue Downtown Tunnel
Owner: Sound Transit
CM: McMillen Jacobs Associates

Transportation: Construction value less than $10 Million
Rehabilitation of Four Housatonic Railroad Bridges
Owner: Connecticut Department of Transportation
CM: AI Engineers

Water/Wastewater/Utility: Construction value greater than $50 Million
Temecula Valley Regional Water Reclamation Facility 23 MGD Expansion Project
Owner: Eastern Municipal Water District
CM: TRC Companies

Water/Wastewater/Utility: Construction value less than $50 Million
Dry Creek WWTP Nitrate Reduction Improvements
Owner: City of Roseville, Calif.
CM: Brown & Caldwell

The award winners will be recognized October 16 on the last day of CMAA2020 – CM:More Than Ever during the CMAA Awards Presentation and Closing Session. Award winners serve as examples for CMAA to promote professionalism and excellence in the management of the construction process.

The Construction Manager Certification Institute (CMCI) announces Lionel Zapata has received the 2020 Mehdi Heydari CCM of the Year Award.

Lionel, Sr. Federal Program Manager with HDR, is a Certified Construction Manager (CCM) and a licensed Professional Engineer with more than 23 years of experience. He demonstrated his technical leadership as a CCM over a broad range of major infrastructure programs and projects that include mission critical projects/programs, facilities on military installations, transportation, water and resources projects, and waterfront facilities.

Since January 2017, Lionel has served on the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Professional Development Committee. Lionel participated in revising the CMAA Project Management Guidelines, as well as Contract Administration Guidelines. His devotion in providing excellent customer service and passion for teaching the principles of construction management led him to become one of CMAA’s first Authorized Trainers.

Lionel has taught the CMAA Professional Construction Management (PCM) Course, directly impacting over 50 owner employees and even more industry partners. He has facilitated and moderated sessions at CMAA conferences, as well as online educational sessions that will impact countless potential new CCMs. Lionel also is active in several Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) posts throughout the nation.  

Through his efforts as a practicing construction manager supporting Federal agencies and his demonstrated commitment and service to CMAA and the membership, Lionel has proven himself deserving of this prestigious recognition.

McLean, VA, USA – The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has announced the winners of its 2020 Industry Excellence Awards.

CMAA’s Award Program recognizes excellence in construction management practice and honors companies and individuals each year based on merit. A panel of judges reviews each nomination carefully and chooses the best candidate in each category.

Vincent Testa, CCM, Project Manager, Jacobs, has received the CMAA Distinguished Young Professional Award. This award recognizes and celebrates a full-time professional for outstanding professional accomplishments and a commitment to the construction management industry early in his/her career.|

Geoff A. Neumayr, PE, Chief Development Officer, San Francisco International Airport, has received the CMAA Distinguished Owner Award. This award recognizes an owner member who understands the value of a professional construction manager on the job and whose consistent actions, over a number of years, have made meaningful/extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the construction management profession.

Norman Takeya, Honolulu Community College, and Sharareh Kermanschachi, University of Texas, Arlington, have both received the Mark Hasso Educator of the Year honor. This honor emphasizes excellence in teaching and recognizes a full-time educator for outstanding professional accomplishments and a commitment to construction management education.

“Each of our award winners work hard to make a difference, and we commend each of them for their achievements and contributions to the construction industry,” states CMAA President and CEO Andrea S. Rutledge, CAE.

CMAA will honor its award winners during the organization’s virtual event, CMAA2020, in October. Visit www.cmaanet.org/cmaa2020 for more information. Entries for the 2021 awards program will open in March.