In its mission, the American Council for Construction Education has the charge to promote quality construction education. As a part of its mission, ACCE's Development Committee created the ACCE Founder's Award. This national award is to recognize that individual, company, or organization which has demonstrated a profound impact on construction during the previous year.

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The American Council for Construction Education is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the ACCE Founders Award. This national award is to recognize that individual, company, or organization which has demonstrated a profound impact on the construction industry during the previous year.  The annual award is presented at the ACCE Annual Meeting in July. Applications are due by the end of May for consideration.  

Any ACCE member may provide recommendations for the Founders Award. The member making a nomination will be asked to describe why they believe the nominee meets the award criteria.

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REQUIREMENTS

Nominee must be:

• Demonstrates exceptional qualities of leadership and sustained service to ACCE. 

• Displays a deep commitment to advancing the construction profession.  

• Contributes extensive time and service to ACCE and the construction education community.  

• Thought leaders in the field of construction.

• Contributes to improved outcomes of construction students and the professional development of educators.

• Influences and impacts the construction profession in a positive way

• The nominee must not be a member of ACCE.

• The nominee must not have previously received this award.

• The award may be given posthumously.

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE TODAY

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Starting in 2007, the annual award is presented at the ACCE Annual Meeting in July. Applications are due in May and can be located at the links below:                                         

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FOUNDERS AWARD RECIPIENTS     (See details below)

Mr. Joe Kimmel      
Kansas Construction Careers Coalition (KC3)   

The Construction Career Center, St. Louis    
Mr. Tom Weise and JA BizTown

National Housing Endowment
Sundt Corporation
Skanska USA Building, Inc.
Turner Construction Inc.

2007 -- Mr. Joe Kimmel

Joe Kimmel is the President, CEO, and founder of Kimmel and Associates.  A native of Nevada, Joe is a nuclear engineer, graduated from the University of Nevada at Reno.  He is a giving person, funding many scholarship opportunities in the construction industry, an industry which has given him so much -- he now gives back.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

2008 -- Kansas Construction Careers Coalition (KC3)

AGC of Kansas, Kansas Contractors Association,and the Topeka and Wichita Chapters of the National Association of Women in Construction chapters established KC3.  The KC3 project focuses on promoting the vast and rewarding careers available in the construction industry.  KC3 works to promote these careers through participating in career fairs, high school construction programs, and after-school programs.  They also promote technical education through legislative representation and communication with counselors, educators, and school administrators.  KC3 also formed the first Construction Learning Center of the Kansas State Fair -- a 7,500-square-foot exhibit featuring free, hands-on activities for kids of all ages.  The youngest participants wee challenged to build a 24-inch tall structure using building blocks.  Other activities for older kids included remote-controlled excavators, drills and tape measures, playground excavators, and backhoe golf -- fun for over 2,000 fair-goers.                                                                                                                                                                                         

2009 -- The Construction Career Center, a charter high school in St. Louis, Missouri public school system

The school is a testimony to the vision and dedication of the AGC of St. Louis and the St. Louis construction community to increase the opportunities for under-represented minorities to work in the construction trades, pursue construction higher education, or find construction-related employment.  The school's curriculum is designed to prepare students for employment, entrance into a construction apprenticeship training program, or further education at a community college of a 4-year college.  The partnership between the St. Louis construction industry and the faculty and staff at CCC is producing amazing results in the lives of its students, and is providing a model of this partnership that would benefit construction educators across the United States.  
                                                    

2010 -- Mr. Tom Weise and JA BizTown

Tom Weise retired from Intel Corporation in 2008 after 24 years of service.  His continuing passion for the construction industry lead to his involvement with Junior Achievement in the Phoenix area and introduction of the industry model to JA BizTown.  JA BizTown is a 6,000 sq. ft. replica of a bustling American town where students learn the skills, knowledge, and attitudes for success in tomorrow's workplace.  Beginning in the third grade, students are exposed to the construction process where they examine the role of a builder and the importance of the construction business to a city's economy.  They identify the skills a builder needs and how the builder's job is interconnected with other jobs in a city.  They explore the skills needed in various construction processes and how to acquire those skills.  This experience prepares them for the hands-on learning lab of Building Arizona Co. -- a construction process training program -- in JA BizTown.  This program has the capacity to reach more than 25,000 students annually with over 45% minorities and 51% disadvantaged youth, with a high potential of dropping out of school, as well as 5,600 parents and 1,400 teachers.  

2011 -- National Housing Endowment

The NHE, the philanthropic arm of the National Association of Home Builders, is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the housing industry develop more effective approaches to home building, enhancing education and training for future generations of leaders in residential construction, and increasing the body of knowledge on housing issues.  It does so by supporting innovative and effective programs that further education, training, and research in the residential construction industry.  Each year, the NHE awards grant to colleges and universities to help them create, expand and enhance existing residential construction management programs -- and to enable them to provide programs that prepare for its future.  This endowment has awarded more than $1.4 million in HELP grants to educational institutions, has awarded travel scholarships to the NAHB International Builder's Show, and oversees the Lee S. Evans Scholarship fund that annually awards approximately $50,000 to 8-10 exemplary students majoring in construction related fields.  They have profoundly and positively affected construction education at 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities through their philanthropic efforts.
                                                                            

2012 -- Sundt Corporation

This award was given to Sundt Construction Companies for its current, past, and continued support of construction education.  Sundt is an industry leader in promoting and rewarding continuing education certification among its employee owners.  Within the Sundt Corporation, the educated become the educators in an ever-widening circle of impact.  Sundt understands that meaningful relationships with successful professionals contribute to the success of construction-focused students.  They also recognize that financial support is critical for some to be successful in these efforts.  On top of the contributions from Sundt Foundation, individual offices support at least ten different university construction programs through travel grants to the ASC Competitions, award of multiple scholarships and internships for aspiring construction industry professionals, and Construction Management-Engineering experiences.  
                             

2013 -- Skanska USA Building Inc.

The award went to Skanska USA Building, Inc., Orlando Florida for its many years of support from its regional executives by reaching out to provide resources and mentoring to students and others interested in becoming leaders in our industry.  In 2012, Skanska collaborated with others in the construction industry to found the Supply Chain Sustainability School, a virtual learning environment aiming to help construction suppliers and subcontractors develop their sustainability knowledge and competence.  Ongoing industry partner education programs include Skanska's Mentor-Protege and Construction Management Building Blocks programs; both focusing on mentoring and assisting small and newly developing businesses.  Skanska also participates in ACE Mentoring Programs across the country.  In 2009 Skanska formed an Innovation Group focused on improving technology -- and its use -- in the field.  Over the past few years, this group has developed numerous apps advancing project management efficiency and effectiveness, including safety apps, Leak Prevention apps, and InSite Monitor devices and Digital Resource Stations.                                                                                                                                                                                                       

2014 -- Turner Construction, Inc.

One hundred and twelve years ago, Turner Construction was started.  Since then, the company has grown to be global in focus and local with its participation in the communities in which it builds.  With this dedication to communities and the construction industry, Turner has made a profound impact on construction education across the US.  There are several programs that Turner has created and/or supports with their resources of time and talents.  Those include Youth Force 2020, working with all age school students to foster an interest in construction; ACE Mentor Programs, providing mentors, board members, scholarship funds, and internship opportunities; Senior Design & Capstone Projects; Turner School of Construction Management promoting minority and women business enterprises; and of course ACCE through membership, Board Members, Visiting Team participants, and much more.