American Infrastructure's Myers Receives Award from Drexel's Construction Management Advisory Council

American Infrastructure's CEO, A. Ross Myers was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Drexel University's Construction Management Advisory Council (CMAC). Myers was recognized at an awards reception at Drexel on April 10. More than 125 people attended this event honoring the CEO of one of the region's fastest growing heavy construction and materials supply companies.

"Ross has been a significant supporter of our program over the years, especially with the addition of the Lecture Series they fund each year," said Robert Wm. Muir, Jr., Ph.D., P.E., director for Drexel's Construction Management program. "He has lead American Infrastructure to be a cutting-edge heavy construction firm where safety and ethics are hallmarks for the company. His approach to management is progressive and the uncompromising dedication to uphold high values throughout the organization comes from Ross himself. This Lifetime Achievement Award is well deserved for what Ross has done to grow his company, his contributions to Drexel and the community and his efforts to improve the construction industry."

"Being included in the same company as the past awardees and recognized by the distinguished members of the CMAC is a tremendous honor," said Myers. "Drexel has an impressive Construction Management program dedicated to educating tomorrow's leaders in our industry and American Infrastructure is proud to be a partner in helping to prepare these students for the future."  

Myers became president of the family business, then known as Alan A. Myers and Son, in 1983. Now known as American Infrastructure, the company has grown to 1,800 employees under his direction and has earned industry-wide recognition for its progressive and innovative management, well-trained and highly skilled workforce, award-winning workplace safety programs, and consistently high levels of customer satisfaction.

In addition to his involvement with Drexel, Myers sits on the Advisory Board at Virginia Tech and co-founded the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at the University. He is also an active supporter of many regional and national charitable organizations and is on the board of directors of New Life Youth and Family Services. In 1986, he established a fund honoring his father, Allan C. Myers, for students of Montgomery County Community College and to date, nearly 250 scholarships have been awarded, all from private donations raised by the Myers family.

 

 






 

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum Opens in Dallas, Texas

After more than two years of construction, the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, Texas was dedicated on Thursday, April 25th. The library and museum will be open to the public beginning May 1, 2013. For ticket information, visit the library's website.

Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP, the 255,000 square-foot library is a modern brick and limestone structure that complements the American Georgian character of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) campus where the library stands, the firm says. The building houses three components of the George W. Bush Presidential Center: the presidential archives, a museum, and a policy institute.

According to Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the building and landscape are designed to achieve LEED platinum certification and include numerous sustainable design strategies such as locally sourced building materials; 20-percent recycled materials; solar hot water panels; native landscaping to reduce irrigation; and a stormwater management system that conveys, cleanses and collects surface runoff and roof rainwater.

"I applaud the work of Robert Stern and Michael Van Valkenburgh [the landscape architect of record] in designing a building and landscape that will capture the dignity of the office of the Presidency, while at the same time being warm and welcoming to visitors," President George W. Bush said in a 2009 news release when the design was unveiled. "Laura and I are thrilled with the plans."

USGBC Adds Green Building Finance Expert

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today that Dan Winters recently joined the organization as Senior Research Fellow for Business Strategy and Finance.

Winters, a 20-year veteran of real estate finance and one of the first LEED Accredited Professionals in the financial industry, is the previous recipient of the 2012 USGBC Mark Ginsberg Sustainability Fellowship. Now with USGBC as a full-time staff member, Winters will utilize his background in institutional real estate finance, alongside his capital market perspectives, to foster and strengthen the growing relationships between the green building and investment communities.


“Dan is one of the foremost minds among those who develop high-performance buildings, the commercial brokerage community and the institutional financiers who seek to incorporate sustainable properties into real estate investment portfolios,” said Chris Pyke, vice president of research, USGBC. “USGBC is fortunate to be working with Dan, who will help lead our efforts to bring Wall Street into the fold while helping institutional investors realize the benefits associated with green building ownership.”

Winters plays an important ongoing role in USGBC’s newly released Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG), a global platform for green building insights and innovation. Winters works to implement key features within GBIG while further uniting the investment community with USGBC’s existing stakeholder base. He also helped support USGBC’s efforts regarding the recently released National Academy of Sciences report that reviewed the U.S. Department of Defense’s use of green building rating systems and recommended the continued use of LEED.

“It is a tremendous honor to serve USGBC, an organization peerless in its industry leadership,” said Winters. “Developing advanced solutions such as GBIG drives market transparency, which can reduce information asymmetry and address capital market failures. Increasing engagement with the investment community allows USGBC to strengthen industry mindshare and further its mission.”


Prior to joining USGBC, Winters was founder of Evolution Partners, a real estate advisory firm specializing in the financial aspects of environmentally responsible real estate projects. He was primary author of the Green Building Financial Underwriting Standard on behalf of the Capital Markets Partnership, and he worked with North American real estate firms to maximize the financial return of their sustainability efforts.

Winters’ professional background includes tenure at Russell Investments, a world-class institutional investment advisory firm, where he served as an industry analyst in Russell’s real estate private equity group. In addition, he spent several years at CBRE’s top-producing Washington, D.C., office engaged in debt placement and underwriting for major real estate projects. He was a participant on the Washington, D.C., Green Building Task Force, which helped to pass the District’s Green Building Act of 2006, and he was previously vice chairman of the USGBC Maryland Chapter.

Winters holds a master’s degree in real estate finance and development from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, an MBA from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor’s degree in consumer behavior and real estate from the University of Wisconsin. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland’s Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development.