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Tilt-Up Awards > Murray Parker Memorial Award

The Murray Parker Memorial Award recognizes an individual who has significantly contributed to the growth of the tilt-up industry where no standard had previously existed. Recipients include those whose innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and leadership serve to introduce tilt-up to new markets, regions or applications, and whose efforts thereby raise the bar for the entire industry.

The award honors Murray Parker who was regarded for his development and promotion of tilt-up in the Atlantic Provinces region of Canada. As General Manager/Vice President of B.D. Stevens, Ltd. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Parker is credited with introducing tilt-up to an area of the world where many thought it impossible to use the medium. His contributions and commitment to excellence helped the method gain creditability in the area and paved the way for future tilt-up projects.

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Is there a person or company that you know embodies the spirit of this award? Click on the nomination link below and submit them for consideration. Entries must be received by June 1st.

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Recipients by Year

Len Overbeek

Recipient of the distinguished Murray Parker Memorial Award, Len Overbeek embodies the true spirit and essence of this accolade. His remarkable career, spanning over 25 years, covers a broad spectrum of construction—from foundational footings to roof installations. However, his professional trajectory took a significant turn with his introduction to the tilt-up method in 2001. Recognizing the system’s design versatility, energy efficiency, and robust durability, Len co-founded Tilt Wall Ontario a year later. Such is his commitment to tilt-up that both his workspace and residence are built using this innovative method.

Len’s most distinguishing trait is his unrelenting focus on education and industry engagement. Not only does he work closely with clients to identify projects suitable for tilt-up construction, but he also collaborates on design aspects and offers tailored solutions. Beyond the confines of Tilt Wall Ontario, Len commits himself to educating the wider industry. Through seminars conducted across Ontario, he has enlightened prospective clients, peers, and even competitors. His efforts have secured him a position among the top 20 influencers in the tilt-up industry and a seat on the Tilt-Up Concrete Association Executive Committee for the Board of Directors.

Faced with a market that has long favored other forms of construction, Len has been instrumental in shifting the narrative, one project at a time. His work dovetails with the legacy of Murray Parker, who similarly brought tilt-up construction to regions where its potential was under-recognized. Furthermore, Len’s approach to marketing is nothing short of exemplary. Whether on social media, in print, or in person, he communicates his message with a blend of authority and authenticity that is rare in the field.

The Murray Parker Memorial Award is designed to honor those who have significantly expanded the horizons of the tilt-up industry. Len Overbeek’s relentless passion, entrepreneurial spirit, and undying commitment to innovation and education render him not just a worthy recipient but an industry titan whose influence is certain to be felt for generations to come.

 

Tim Corrigan

Tim Corrigan has provided industry-leading knowledge, materials, and hardware to the tilt-up contractors in the Rocky Mountain Region for over 40 years. Throughout his career, he had championed tilt-up construction with contractors, architects, and engineers in Colorado and beyond long before it was a typical construction method.

Tim started his career in the industry back in 1968. His first 16 years found him installing concrete on residential sidewalks, driveways, and slabs. In 1984 he landed his first distribution job as a regional sales rep with the Burke Concrete Accessory company. At Burke, Tim began supplying accessories to the tilt-up industry and the pre-cast and cast-in-place projects throughout Colorado. Tim was an essential source for materials on virtually every tilt up in the Denver market thru the 80s, as well as during the construction of the massive DIA project in the early 90s.

In 1994, Tim moved the Burke product line over to the Nyco Construction Supply team, creating a new division of commercial work there. Through Tim’s knowledge and leadership, he quickly grew that division and added sales associates, fabricators, warehouse helpers, and drivers to support the growing business. In 1998, White Cap Construction Supply acquired Nyco to add additional products and services to better accommodate the rapidly growing and dynamic marketplace.

Since that acquisition, Tim Corrigan has worked as an Account Manager, supplying many of Colorado’s vital tilt-up subcontractors and serving as a District Sales Manager. Tim manages the district’s five senior-most account managers, who account for nearly $40M in annual sales.

Tim’s passion for the industry and unrelenting work ethic made him the undisputed leader in supply distribution. With a desire to serve and the know-how to back it up, he has supplied the region’s most extensive and intricate projects. From inserts to form liners and everything between, providing what contractors need, when they need it, has been Tim’s crusade - and contractors, our industry, and the region are better off because of it.

 

Hughes General Contractors

Hughes General Contractors of Salt Lake City, Utah is the 2021 recipient of the Murray Parker Memorial Pioneer Award. For more than two decades, the region surrounding Salt Lake City and Washington County has grown to know the extensive quality and creativity of the team at Hughes. At a time when tilt-up was still largely relegated to industrial, municipal, low-rise office and logistic sectors, Hughes advocated for the development of state-of-the-art educational facilities built with tilt-up. Overcoming numerous stigmatisms for price and floor plan efficiency, they brought a new era of integrated color, embossed graphics and bold form. Their accomplishments in integral color, sand-blasted finish and complex imagery set the stage for school districts to desire this bold new look while realizing the schedule and budget efficiency. This architectural transformation then grew to broader market segments and fueled the explosive tilt-up market throughout the valley.
 

Newcomb Construction Company, Inc.

Since 1992, Newcomb Construction has been central Wisconsin’s leader in concrete tilt-up construction. In the early 1990s, Madison was primarily a metal-building town. Newcomb Construction Company saw this as an opportunity to offer a higher quality, competitively priced product. Combining their craftsmanship that was honed in the masonry industry with their ability to produce quality floor slab, tilt-up became a natural transition for the company.

Because Madison has a northern climate, Newcomb needed to provide insulation to these buildings. Their customers wanted a high-quality, interior-concrete finish on their panels rather than a furred wall, which led them to the insulated concrete sandwich panel. Company founder, Bob Newcomb, became one of the early tilt-up pioneers to embrace the Thermomass system. With the separated architectural and structural wythes, they found it easy to begin applying tilt-up to higher-end architectural finishes, converting many projects in their area from cast-in-place concrete and other aesthetics. White Portland cement, thin architectural brick, sand-blasted, and pigmented concrete were all added to their palette.

Today they have built over 100 buildings using concrete tilt-up and have received numerous Tilt-Up Concrete Association Achievement Awards. Concrete tilt-up has become their niche. And, when a company focuses on a niche, two things happen: quality increases and costs decrease, which is the perfect combination for a dominating presence and strong company growth.

Because they self-perform the structural engineering and tilt-up system, they are able to streamline the build process and keep costs down. Newcomb has partnered with the best architects in the area to affordably build creative, “Class A” office buildings for some of Madison's biggest companies. Newcomb’s accomplishments include delivering tilt-up with angled panels, curved panels, shadow panels, deep recesses, and much more as they continue to encourage the designers in their market to broaden their minds about concrete buildings.

 

Robert F. Murray

Bob Murray is a Senior Vice President with Alston Construction, one of ENR’s top 20 design-build construction firms in the country. Bob is a third-generation member of a construction family, with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. He has hands-on experience in every facet of the business, ranging from Field Superintendent, Project Manager, Business Development and Project Executive. Throughout his career, Bob has successfully managed the construction of all building types including commercial, government, healthcare, industrial, education and multi-family.

A native of New Jersey, Bob has spent most of his career shaping the state that he loves with significant contributions to many civic and charitable organizations. An active member of Tilt-Concrete Association (TCA), Bob was involved in the 2015 Tilt-Up Convention in NJ, a judge for the TCA Achievement Awards, and now serves as a board member for the association. For the past two years, Bob has served on the TCA’s Board of Directors, and has diligently helped foster the TCA’s mission of “improving the quality and acceptance of tilt-up construction.”

Bob has also helped spearhead Alston’s education partnerships at events like World of Concrete, and he has personally led sessions with college students during hands-on training events at real-life Alston projects. Bob believes that exposing the next generation of tilt-up professionals to the full breadth of opportunities within the industry is key to ensuring their continued interest in a career in construction, and he has been instrumental in making that goal a reality.

Bob is equally committed to advocating for and enhancing the lives of people with special needs. He has served on the board of Trustees for Cerebral Palsy New Jersey (CPNJ), an organization that serves more than 1,400 infants, children and adults with disabilities through school programs, community residences, therapy services, and other support programs. In October 2018, Bob was honored for his work with the charity which has included co-chairing its annual Steps to Independence Celebration as well as providing extensive expert counsel on the group’s real estate projects.

Bob consistently meets the client’s timetable because his team of seasoned individuals and younger staff are all trained in the Alston way. Bob’s belief in the Alston way motivates him to continue educating teams to drive them toward success in the industry. His biggest strength is the design end of the process: value engineering to design a building at the best price. At the end of the day, Bob truly loves what he does.

 

Innovative Tilt-Up Design

C.E. Doyle LLC is a full-service design-build contractor specializing in design, engineering and building shell construction.

Founded in 1974 by Chuck Doyle, the company initially focused on residential and agricultural concrete and masonry. Soon after, C.E. Doyle moved into commercial work, as Chuck’s vision grew into aspirations of becoming a commercial contractor.

By 1983, the company had secured enough market share to justify moving company headquarters to the greater Milwaukee area. Over the years, the staff continued to grow, an excavation division was added and in 1990 C.E. Doyle built the first Thermomass tilt-up project in Wisconsin.

C.E. Doyle quickly became an industry leader in concrete tilt-up design and production techniques. Having constructed millions of square footage of projects across the Midwest, we push the boundaries on what can be done with tilt-up. As a result, we can produce panels that satisfy the needs of most building types.

Today, the tilt-up market makes up more than 80% of the company’s annual business, positioning C.E. Doyle a leader in providing high-value solutions at budget-friendly rates.

 

John G. Miller

John grew up working in a family construction company in Waterloo, Iowa. After graduating from Iowa State University and returning from Vietnam, John and his wife moved from Iowa to California where he was first introduced to tilt-up construction for schools, warehouses and processing facilities. In 1973 John and his family moved to Spokane, WA. He started DIVCON, Inc. in 1976 in the family’s garage, building a forest fire lookout tower to be assembled on a mountain in Montana. Next came outhouses and park projects utilizing precast buildings. As DIVCON began to do more design build work for private owners, John returned to tilt-up construction.

In 1996 John and several other investors purchased land to create Pinecroft Business Park in Spokane Valley, WA. Because Pinecroft wanted a distinctive, cohesive, professional look within the park, the group chose tilt-up with inlaid brick to differentiate their buildings from the rest of the Spokane marketplace. John has been an early adapter of new technologies in tilt-up. He encourages innovative methods and finishes such as board form, sand blast, integral color, polished concrete, and form liner textures. DIVCON’s projects have been an R&D ground in the Inland Northwest to showcase what can be done with tilt-up construction. DIVCON has introduced sandwich panels with exposed interior concrete walls as a standard on recent office buildings. The sandwich panels are instrumental for these buildings to meet and exceed the most recent Washington state energy code.

Pushing the limits of what can be done using tilt-up has been a passion of John’s for years. Because of John’s leadership, DIVCON has become the recognized leader in tilt-up construction in the Inland Northwest. When people ask John when he is going to retire, he replies, “Never! I’m having too much fun!”

 

Bruno Dias

 

Clayton Fischer

Clay Fischer and his wife Jeanne formed Woodland Construction in 1987, with Clay’s brother Gary joining them soon after. As Clay likes to put it, “We started from the back of a pickup truck.” They tilted their first building in 1988. Under Fischer’s guidance, Woodland Construction has become one of the premier tilt-up subcontractors in the country. Fischer and his teams are always looking for a challenge. In fact, they thrive on non-traditional projects. Although they still do a few big boxes, their pioneering spirit has always put them in the forefront with project examples including tight sites, nine-story tall panels, curved panels, new finishes, post-tensioning, leaning panels and other out-of-the-ordinary features. One of Fischer’s classic lines is, “Hey, it’s crazy enough, it just might work.”

Woodland Construction has received more than 40 Tilt-Up Achievement awards from the TCA. Fischer has also served the TCA and the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) on their boards of directors and as their president. Woodland was the first company to receive the TCA Certified Tilt-Up Company designation, and it requires that all of its supervisory staff are ACI/TCA certified.

“It is the pioneering spirit of Clay, Woodland Construction and others like him that have fueled the growth of tilt-up and its expansion to virtually every building type constructed,” said Mark Johnson, Johnson Structural Group, Inc. “If you think it, Clay and his team can probably figure out a way to build it.”

 

Roger P. Meyer

Roger Meyer of Summit Concrete in Blue Springs, Missouri was selected as the recipient of this award for 2013. Summit concrete has made great leaps advancing the use of architectural tilt-up. Adapting the method to a Midwest “mindset,” Meyer and Summit developed a solid reputation for high-end detail and finishes most notably in retail applications. The building envelopes are known for incorporating thin brick, synthetic stucco, laid brick and laid stone, among other advanced techniques.

Foley states, "When Summit first introduced the tilt-up concept in 1985, they were the first to do so in a market where many said it couldn't be done. Further, it was a market dominated by large-span metal buildings. Roger pioneered and perfected many new techniques to address the concerns of the local architectural community. He has always been ready to try new things.”

Jim Baty, Technical Director for the TCA, stated “In addition to the market shaping work on building programs that Summit has become known, the work Roger and his company committed to for the TCA’s Korean War Memorial (dedicated during the 2011 Annual Convention to the City of Kansas City) was extraordinary and a great undertaking of generosity to both industry and community.”

 

Shawn Hickey

A tireless promoter of the site cast tilt-up construction method, Shawn Hickey has been instrumental in certification for the industry and training for contractors throughout the world. He has continued his pioneering spirit through involvement in western Africa and the Middle East. He has worked with the Canadian government to expand their knowledge on the use of tilt-up in their worldwide development for security and durability. At one time, tilt-up was not well known in Ontario, throughout the design and construction community. SiteCast was able to remedy the situation by marketing and promoting tilt-up throughout the Province and by performing high quality industry groundbreaking techniques. As SiteCast has expanded its operations globally, it has become a leader in the transfer of technology and knowledge.

"I have been fortunate to present the tilt-up process to an international audience," said Hickey. "In all cases, not only have we taught a new skillset to an unskilled worker, they have taught me their social values. In Ontario, the acceptance towards tilt-up is overwhelming, which is a statement that our programs are working."

 

Frank Adames

During the past five years, Frank Adames and his company, CCM have received high acclaim for their extreme works of Tilt-Up in a market that has been dominated by cast-in-place frame and block in-fill. In addition, Adames has shown great devotion becoming highly active in the TCA and the promotion of the creativity embodied by Tilt-Up construction. Through the Tilt-Up Achievement Awards program, Frank Adames has shown many an aggressive Tilt-Up solution for multi-level above- and below-grade structures that uses Tilt-Up as both perimeter bearing wall construction as well as internal structural frames. His consistent involvement in TCA Convention has brought significant content to his peers while bringing home solutions to the challenges faced in the Dominican Republic.

More than any other accomplishment, CCM has been single-handedly responsible for the growth of Tilt-Up as a major construction system throughout the Dominican Republic with more than 100 buildings now on the island, some among the largest in the world. He now sets the standard for not only development of Tilt-Up in this market but also integrating technology through each and every project using BIM to provide complete integration for his projects.

"I am honored to be the recipient of the Murray Parker Memorial award, recognizing the pioneering and innovation in the Tilt-Up industry," said Adames. "We started using the Tilt-Up system 15 years ago with great acceptance from the Dominican market. It was possible with the help of the TCA and its members. Many people opened their doors and spent hours and days reviewing and commenting on our projects. They gave us the confidence that we were on the right path. Thank you for the recognition and support."

 

Steve Miers

Steve Miers has been an avid supporter of the Tilt-Up industry and was a key factor in the growth of the system. Located in a market heavily dominated by precast, Miers instituted site cast Tilt-Up construction on a wide range of projects. In fact, he even acted as the developer on projects to prove the effectiveness of Tilt-Up. He conquered projects of all sizes and shapes, ranging from mini-storage warehouses and private residences to entertainment centers and industrial projects. He helped shape Tilt-Up for the Midwest and redefined the concepts of Tilt-Up application for many throughout the country. Miers assisted many start-up contractors and offered his expertise on challenging projects across the country.

“I was very fortunate to have served on the Tilt-Up Concrete Association board with Murray for a number of years and considered Murray a good friend and fellow Tilt-Up kind of guy,” said Miers. “It is a very special honor for me to receive this award bearing Murray’s name and I thank the association for this honor.”

 

Seretta Construction, Inc.

Seretta Construction received this award for their drive to push the Tilt-Up medium forward and explore the use of the construction method for a diverse range of projects. Seretta is committed to educating their supervisors and project managers on the latest trends in the concrete industry to ensure they stay ahead of the curve. The firm has been an active promoter of Tilt-Up concrete and has encouraged the growth of the method in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the Unites States as well as the Caribbean – all while maintaining a superior reputation for quality.
 

Hughes General Contractors

 

Charles van Eck

 

Sherman D. Balch

 

Glenn Doncaster