The National Academy of Construction held its annual meeting at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in October. During the meeting, they honored new inductees into the National Academy of Construction. Among the honorees were two Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering alumni, Herbert W. Morgan and A. Ross Myers.
Herbert W. Morgan earned his B.S. in civil engineering in 1974 from Virginia Tech. He has a wealth of experience in the engineering and construction engineering, specifically managing domestic and international heavy civil projects that include highway, road, and bridge construction for major expressways. His career began as a field engineer in Richmond, Va., before working with Fluor for more than 30 years as a construction engineering manager, construction manager, project manager, project director, and vice president of operations. As president of Zumbro River Constructors, LLC, used for design build delivery in the Midwest, he oversaw two successful award-winning design build projects for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He also served as Fluor’s sponsor on the $2.2 billion World Trade Center Transportation HUB project that constructed the Calatrava designed free-standing glass and steel structure that captures the heroism of September 11.
Herb is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and has previously served on the advisory board for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech. He was inducted into the Virginia Tech CEE Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2009 and currently serves on the department’s alumni board. Herb has been published in professional publications and has presented at numerous national conferences.
The second alumnus that was inducted into the National Academy of Construction was A. Ross Myers, who graduated with a B.S. in civil engineering in 1972. Following graduation, he returned to his hometown to work for Allan A. Myers, a small construction company established by his grandfather. He became President in 1983 and the company evolved into American Infrastructure, a contracting firm with 1,400 employees. The company was ranked among Engineering News Record’s annual Top 400 U.S. Contractor’s List, the Top 50 Heavy and Highway Contractors, and the Top 200 Environmental Engineering and Construction Companies. As CEO, Ross was responsible for the restoration or adaptive re-use of many old Pennsylvania buildings and structures.
Ross served on CEE’s alumni board and the College of Engineering’s Committee of 100. He was inducted into the CEE Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2002. Along with John R. Lawson II, he made a significant contribution that helped establish the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech.
Herb and Ross were both honored during the National Academy of Construction’s annual meeting in October.