City of Industry - The California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA) announced six award winners during its inaugural Elevate: Built to Lead technical conference on Thursday in the City of Industry. These awards celebrate the individuals working behind the scenes whose expertise and dedication drive performance, reliability and innovation across our industry.

Award winners are separated into two categories: Technical Excellence and Partnership. 

TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE

The Technical Excellence category recognizes the attention to detail, communication, hard work, innovation and integrity required to ensure quality materials are delivered to build California’s infrastructure projects. These awards recognize those who have made significant contributions to their companies in technical services. Winners were chosen based on entries submitted by their managers and/or external stakeholders.

WINNERS

Zacery Brown - CEMEX

Left to right: Zacery Brown, CEMEX and Cameron Richardson, CalCIMA

Zacery Brown has a unique skill set: On top of being in technical services for 15 years, he’s previously been a driver, batchman and dispatcher. He understands the larger picture in regard to problem solving and team management.

Brown designed the concrete mixes used in the American River bridge retrofit on Business 80 in Sacramento. Initial testing took over six months, and once approved, Brown’s team carried out production, delivery and concrete placement that satisfied both Caltrans’ and the customer’s project specifications.

Miguel Guzman - Granite Construction

Left to right: Miguel Guzman, Granite Construction and Cameron Richardson, CalCIMA

Miguel Guzman stepped up in his role as Quality Control Operations Supervisor during the acquisition of Papich Construction and Sierra Pacific Materials. On top of his current responsibilities, Guzman supervised three new quality control employees, two hot plants, three aggregate facilities, and two quality control labs. 

Travis Van-Y - G3 Quality, Inc.

Laboratory Supervisor Travis Van-Y is the backbone of Q3 Quality’s lab, maintaining accuracy, efficiency, and reliability across testing and reporting. He consistently steps into management and technical roles as needed, identifies and resolve issues before they impact projects, 

One instance that made Van-Y stand out was his role in the development of mix designs and quality control planning going into a large-scale I-80 concrete placement. His efforts created consistent and accurate results under tight timelines, allowing for a seamless placement.

PARTNERSHIP

The Partnership category recognizes those who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to collaboration, leadership, and progress. Through technical expertise, open communication, and shared dedication to quality, these honorees help build a better California for future generations.

WINNERS

Building Better Roads (BBR) - County of San Diego

Left to right: Robert Dugan, CalCIMA; Orland Mott, Building Better Roads; Cameron Richardson, CalCIMA

Pavement Materials Partnership Committee (PMPC) - Caltrans

Left to right: Cameron Richardson, CalCIMA; Reimond Garcia, Caltrans; Jacqueline Wong, Caltrans; Robert Dugan, CalCIMA

John Harvey, Ph. D, P.E. - University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC) - UC Davis Campus

Left to right: Jeffrey Buscheck, UCPRC on behalf of John Harvey, and Cameron Richardson, CalCIMA

ABOUT ELEVATE

The Elevate: Built to Lead technical conference is a two-day professional development conference for emerging leaders. This conference is designed to further the next generation of technical services leaders when it comes to professional development and knowledge of materials quality, compliance, and solutions.