Bob Adams and Al Gonzales Achieve Industry Honors

February 19, 2018

Bob Adams and Al Gonzales Achieve Industry Honors

Renton, WA - The Pacific Northwest Team has had a lot to celebrate recently. Last week, Senior Vice President Bob Adams was selected for induction into the University of Washington Construction Industry Hall of Fame. And in January, Al Gonzales received the Supervision Award from The Beavers. After working with Atkinson for 42 years, Al retired in 2017.

Bob Adams will be inducted into the University of Washington Construction Industry Hall of Fame on May 11. This high honor is bestowed to persons who have distinguished themselves in the construction industry, in their support of construction education, and in their community. Upon his induction, Bob will join the ranks of 41 other hall of fame inductees who have been selected since the Hall of Fame's founding in 1995.

Bob started his 47-year career with Atkinson after graduating from the University of Washington. He has traveled across the country and around the world to manage company projects, including two of the world’s largest dams in British Columbia and Venezuela. Since Bob’s return to Seattle, Atkinson has become one of the preeminent heavy civil transportation contractors in the Puget Sound Region. He has served on committees for the AGC, WSDOT, and Sound Transit, and was the only contractor representative to serve on Governor Christine Gregoire’s Connecting Washington budget committee—leading to the 2016 passage of a $16 billion transportation funding package. Atkinson’s Pam Jerpe commented, “After everything that Bob has accomplished in the Washington State construction industry, I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor.”

Congratulations to Bob, and thanks to Pam Jerpe, Mannie Barnes, Brandon Dully, Phil Larson, Bill Senta, and Jami Boutwell (as well as Beverly Adams!) for their efforts to compile the nomination content.

Earlier this year, Atkinson celebrated another team member’s achievements at the 63rd Annual Golden Beavers Award Dinner in Los Angeles. Al Gonzales, who retired this past year, received the Supervision Award from The Beavers. Al started his 42-year-career with Atkinson in 1975 as a field engineer on the Lower Granite Dam and Powerhouse in Washington State. Al Gonzales managed the construction of over $650 million of design-build transportation projects in Washington State and more than $3 billion (>$5 B in today’s dollars) in heavy civil construction around the world. In his 41 years with Atkinson, Al developed and maintained excellent relationships with clients, craft personnel, the subcontractor community, and local utilities and regulatory agencies. In 2013, he was named AGC of Washington Project Manager of the Year for his work on the I-405 Bellevue Braided Ramps Project.