Awards & Recognition
Alabama
Construction
Hall of Fame
The late Benjamin Hogan Craig, Jr., founder of B.H. Craig Construction in Florence; William W. Herrin, co-founder of Jones and Herrin Architects in Huntsville; the late J.V. Rives, Jr., former president of Rives Construction Co. in Birmingham; Charles H. Sain of Sain Associates in Birmingham, and Norman Walton, Jr., president of J.S. Walton Construction in Mobile are scheduled to be honored with induction into the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame.
The Alabama AGC established the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame to honor and recognize outstanding individuals in the construction industry. These individuals are held in esteem by their peers and have demonstrated their professionalism through active support of the industry through their civic and community involvement. In short, only those who have literally changed the landscape of our state and nation will be enshrined in the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame.
This year’s inductees certainly rise to that standard.
D. Riley Stuart, Brice Building Company
Mr. Stuart has been instrumental in bringing the highest standards of quality and ethical practice to the construction industry for more than 50 years. Under Mr. Stuart’s leadership Brice Building Company’s annual revenue increased from $10 million to more than $200 million. He has served as president of Alabama AGC and chairman of the Construction Advancement Program of Alabama. Mr. Stuart has been devoted to his alma mater, Auburn University, where a scholarship in his name is given to a building science student each year since the scholarship’s inception. Mr. Stuart helped pass the legislation to initiate the Construction Industry Fund (CIF), which allocates money from state contractor’s license fees to be utilized by accredited schools of Building Science and Civil Engineering in the State of Alabama for program enhancement. He was founding member of the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority (BCIA) which promotes the development of minority contractors.
Joseph P. Giattina Jr., president emeritus of Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio, Inc.
Mr. Giattina is a 1962 graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Architecture. He began working with Giattina Aycock as a project architect in 1966, rising to president in 1980. During his tenure he has watched the firm grow in stature in the construction industry. Mr. Giattina has served on the National Architectural Accrediting Board, the state of Alabama Board for Registration of Architects, has been an adjunct professor at Auburn University and has served with Leadership Birmingham. He has been involved in designing such landmark projects as the SouthTrust Tower, the Master Site Plan for Liberty Park, the Children’s Hospital of Alabama and Hoover High School.
Henry T. Hagood Jr., president of the Alabama Associated General Contractors
Mr. Hagood was hired in June 1969 as the successor to J.B. Rawls, the only other executive the Alabama AGC has had. Mr. Hagood was hired as executive secretary, and was the chapter’s first full time employee. There weren’t more than 100 total members statewide when Mr. Hagood was hired and the state was divided into three chapters. Since then, the AGC has grown to 1,100 members. Alabama AGC also has consolidated all the chapters into one very effective and nationally respected group. Mr. Hagood is a graduate of Samfrod University and held a job in insurance sales before coming to the AGC at the age of 24. He has literally grown up with the association. Mr. Hagood has seen the industry through the big changes – the 1980 shift form union to open shop, the founding of the industry’s most successful workers’ compensation plan in 1982 and watching the AGC lead the industry in legislative influence in the last 10 years. Mr. Hagood has served on the National AGC Strategic Planning Task Force Committee and as the national AGC Chapter Executives Council President in 1990. He has been married to the former Dorothy Kilgore for 40 years and has 2 children, daughter Kimberly and son Jody.
Mr. Stuart, Mr. Hagood and Mr. Giattina join these members of the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame:
- 2008 — The late Benjamin Hogan Craig, founder of B.H. Craig Construction in Florence; William W. Herrin, co-founder of Jones and Herrin Architects in Huntsville; the late J.V. Rives, Jr., former president of Rives Construction Co. in Birmingham; Charles H. Sain of Sain Associates in Birmingham, and Norman Walton Jr., president of J.S. Walton Construction in Mobile.
- 2007 — Bill Caton, Sr., founder and former president of Sequoia Construction Co., Bill Harbert Sr., co-founder of Harbert Construction Co. and former chairman and CEO of B.L. Harbert Construction, and W. Ken Upchurch, Jr., former president of W.K. Upchurch Construction
- 2006 — The late Houston A. Brice Sr., founder of Brice Building Co., the late R. Hugh Daniel, co-founder of Daniel Construction, and the late John M. Harbert III, co-founder of Harbert Construction Co.
- 2005 — John Caddell, founder and chairman of the board of Caddell Construction Co.
- 2004 — M. Miller Gorrie, founder and CEO of Brasfield & Gorrie
- 2003 — the late Winton “Red” Blount, founder of Blount International
- 2002 — George Edwards, former owner of Richardson Construction
- 2001 — the late D.W. “Bill” Ellard, Ellard Contracting Co., Inc.; Paul B. Krebs, Paul B. Krebs & Associates; Nicholas H. Holmes Jr., Holmes & Holmes Architects.
The Alabama Construction Hall of Fame – through its recognition of the great personalities of the state’s construction industry – also serves to highlight the accomplishments and importance of the industry the inductees worked so hard to improve. The AGC, with its 85-year history in Alabama, is uniquely qualified to sponsor the hall. Members and staff of the Alabama AGC are honored to have the responsibility of founding and maintaining the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame.
There were 21 nominees this year for the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame. The nominees represented contractors large and small in our state as well as the design community.
“Just being nominated for the hall of fame is a great honor,” said Bill Caton, director of workforce development and public relations. “We have certainly had some very deserving nominees this year.”