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President's Message — AGC Foundation
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Where Are They Now?
By AGC President Harry Mashburn
During my career in the construction
industry, I have repeatedly seen the benefits of investing
in the future work force. As construction industry leaders,
we have a responsibility to invest in future generations of
construction professionals and provide them with opportunities
to succeed. AGC realized this responsibility and established
an outlet that allows mentoring to bridge the gap between
construction generations to ensure the continued success of
our industry.
Through the AGC Education and Research
Foundation, the construction industry prepares the next generation
by supporting students interested in our field and honoring
the educators who teach them.
Since its inception in 1968, the foundation
has been dedicated to improving the science of construction
and has provided more than $7.7 million for nearly 2,600 college
scholarships, both undergraduate and graduate, from more than
80 universities nationwide. In 2006 alone, 125 students were
awarded scholarships.
In addition to awarding college construction
education scholarships, the foundation also recognizes outstanding
educators with the Outstanding Educator Award, sponsors an
annual student essay competition and supports a wide array
of industry-related educational programs.
Gloria Jeff, Rich Tolvstad, Jeffrey Langan
and Tary Carlson are construction professionals, foundation
award recipients and now, leaders within the industry. Their
stories are also examples of the investment our industry places
in its future leaders.
Gloria Jeff
General Manager, City of Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation
1974 Bachelor's and 1976 Master's-Civil Engineering and Urban
Planning
As a scholarship recipient and industry leader, Gloria Jeff
realizes the important role that the AGC Foundation scholarships
play. Jeff's scholarships provided funding for her final year
of undergraduate and helped pave the way to a successful career,
including appointments to the office of Deputy Administrator
of the Federal Highway Administration and as Director of the
Michigan Department of Transportation.
The scholarships are important not only for the students
but also for the industry. "The scholarships provide
the construction and engineering industries with an opportunity
for the 'best and the brightest' to become acquainted with
the industry's way of doing business," said Jeff.
"The nation's basic infrastructure is designed, built
and maintained by construction and engineering professionals,"
said Jeff. "The availability of financial support is
an important incentive to gaining interest and retaining outstanding
students."
Rich Tolvstad
President, RT & Associates, Inc.
Oregon City, Ore.
1987-Construction Engineering Management, OSU
Rich Tolvstad is the founder and president of RT & Associates,
Inc., a company that manages diverse commercial building and
renovation and tenant improvement construction projects.
Tolvstad reflected on the value of the industry connections
he made during his tenure as president of his local AGC student
chapter during college which led him to become an AGC member.
"One of the first things I did when I started my company
was to join AGC," said Tolvstad. Tolvstad serves as chair
of the Construction Management Education Council (CMEC), which
provides financial support to college construction consortium
programs around the community.
"As the chair of CMEC, I am constantly reminded of all
the great things that AGC does to promote the education and
training of future contractors and industry professionals,"
Tolvstad said. "As a college student putting myself through
school, my AGC Foundation scholarship was extraordinarily
helpful in making that possible. I think the construction
industry needs to provide help to those who are interested
in construction careers. It's an investment in our future."
Jeffrey Langan
Vice President, CSDI Construction Co.
Boise, Idaho
1994-Construction Management Graduate
Jeffrey Langan will tell you that his AGC scholarship allowed
him to concentrate on his studies and helped him become the
vice president of his company. He received a solid education,
participated in a summer internship and was involved in the
Construction Management Association, Idaho AGC's student chapter,
all of which prepared him for his job today.
After graduating from college, Langan began working at CSDI
Construction Co., a small commercial construction management
firm. Today, 15 years later, he is the vice president and
co-owner of the firm, now a mid-sized commercial construction
management firm licensed in 17 states.
Langan encourages students to get all the field experience
they can before graduating.
"Receiving an AGC scholarship can give you the flexibility
to work an unpaid internship that provides great experience,
which in turn will help grow your career much faster,"
said Langan.
Tary Carlson
Project Manager, Ethos Development Inc.
Portland, Ore.
1995-Construction Engineering Management
Tary Carlson's strong AGC ties developed after he received
a foundation scholarship and became active in his local student
chapter, which helped him get a solid education both in and
out of the classroom.
"My involvement in the student chapter provided a tremendous
boost of knowledge of what was going on in the construction
industry," said Carlson. "Just being involved in
AGC opened so many doors for me."
Carlson now shares his time and talents with the construction
work force of tomorrow through his involvement in AGC's Young
Contractors Forum (YCF). He has also been active in the National
Association of State Contracting Licensing Agencies (NASCLA)
where he served as a subject matter expert as part of a taskforce
that helped develop a national contractor's exam.
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