On November 9, 2012, a valued friend of the concrete placing industry, Gary Schmidt, 61, passed away in Walnut, California. Gary courageously battled lung cancer for almost a year before leaving behind his wife Sally, a married daughter and a recently born grandson. He precedes his mother Mary, three brothers and two sisters. Gary was the son of the late Joe Schmidt, Jr., a pioneer in concrete placing; and Gary proudly followed in his father’s footsteps with the same dedication to advancing our industry.
Dan Weatherton, former employee of Construction Forms, Inc. and son of “Big” Bob Weatherton, passed away suddenly on March 12, 2012.
Dan was born June 15, 1956 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania and moved to California with his parents at a young age. Dan attended Condit School, Claremont High School and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of LaVerne. Dan worked in the construction machinery industry for many years and was preparing to move to a new position in the oil field industry in Houston, Texas.
The ACPA Pioneer Award is given each year to those outstanding individuals whose contributions have helped foster and advance the concrete pumping industry and whose willingness to share their knowledge has greatly enhanced the quality of our industry. This year the ACPA was pleased to honor three individuals with the award.
Dennis Andrews of Andrews Concrete Pumping, Jessup, Maryland, received the coveted ACPA Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s ACPA Annual Membership Meeting held on January 24, 2012 at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.
The award was first presented in 1988 and is awarded to those individuals or companies who have fostered and advanced the use of concrete pumping, have improved the conditions under which concrete pumping is performed, shared their knowledge and experiences with others in the industry, and promoted and practiced safe concrete pumping.
Experience and an exemplary safety record are valuable qualities that every employer hopes to gain in his concrete pump operators. But what sets an outstanding operator apart from all the others is not just in his ability to perform, but the ability to inspire and encourage others to perform at their best as well. That is why Steve Thomas of Southwest Concrete Pumping, Englewood, Colorado, was selected as this year’s ACPA Outstanding Operator of the Year.