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ICPI Recognizes Two Lifetime Achievement Award Winners03-17-15 | News

ICPI Bestows Two Lifetime Achievement Awards

The ICPI, a technical organization for segmental concrete pavement systems, has announced two lifetime achievement award winners, Chris Ross (left) and David Bender (right).

The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute honored industry leaders Chris Ross and David Bender with Lifetime Achievement awards at the ICPI annual meeting in San Antonio. The award recognizes life-long contributions to the industry through knowledge, technical innovation and advocacy. The award emphasizes innovation, demonstrated leadership, volunteer service to ICPI and public service to the industry.

"Both Chris and David helped lay the groundwork for which our association and industry operates," said ICPI Chairman David Pitre. "Without them, our industry would not be where it is today. They are both true pioneers to the industry, and I can think of no others better fitting to receive such prestigious awards."

Chris Ross served as ICPI's chairman-elect (1998, 1999), and then as ICPI chairman in 1999 and 2000, supporting the transition of ICPI from a small association management company to Bostrom Corp., which helped grow ICPI from a $700,000 budget in 1998 to $2 million plus in 2007. Under Mr. Ross' chairmanship the ICPI Foundation and the ICPI policy manual were initiated, along with policies on financial reserves, development of the certification courses, and regional meetings. In 1994, his company was sold to Oldcastle and Mr. Ross took on more of a consulting role with the new owners.

Steve Berry, president of Oldcastle APG East, presented the award to Mr. Ross, noting he helped plan and build five new plants with big board machine such as Rekers and Masa.

David Bender left his family farm in the early 1960s to attend Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, earing a degree in civil engineering technology in 1966. He established B&B Concrete Products in Kitchener, Ontario, and ran the small company while working for Bell Canada, introducing precast concrete utility products to Bell as an alternate to cast-in-place concrete.

In 1980, Bender moved to Texas and established Pavestone Company, now one of the largest paver manufacturing companies in North America. Seven years later he returned to Canada to establish Pavestone Plus (later renamed Navastone) where he worked for the next 20 years. Finally, in 2007 he completed the sale of his company to Hanson Building Products.

Mr. Bender continued his passion for growing the industry. His company is a charter member of ICPI. Soon after its establishment, Mr. Bender chaired ICPI (1995-1997), and developed the ICPI Certification Program, which today has had more than 25,000 participants. The establishment of this program helped to overcome one of the six barriers to selling pavers he outlined in 1986, "lack of skilled installation contractors."