Bill Ott, Bill Grady among Distinguished Service honorees – Four industry leaders were honored with AGC/WSDOT Distinguished Service Awards during the AGC/WSDOT Annual Meeting Jan. 9.
The Award was established to recognize individuals who have demonstrated a dedication to service to the construction industry throughout their career and who exemplify longevity and commitment, leadership, mentorship and education.
(Photo, left to right) Craig McDaniel, Bill Ott, Norm Anderson and Bill Grady receive Distinguished Service Awards at the AGC/WSDOT annual meeting.
Norm Anderson worked for WSDOT from 1963 to 1993, including as claims engineer and chief construction engineer. He helped found the present-day AGC/WSDOT Administration, Structures and Roadway Teams. He created WSDOT’s Partnering program, for which he received the 1992 AASHTO A.E. Johnson Achievement Award based on “his outstanding efforts in developing and promoting a new money-saving program called partnering,” it was reported at the time. Norm has facilitated more than 250 partnering workshops and served on more than 170 dispute-resolution boards.
Bill Grady is the general manager for KLB Construction. In addition to his 40 years of dedication to KLB, Bill has worked tirelessly to improve the construction industry as a whole. His service includes many years as a member of AGC’s Labor Committee, the AGC/WSDOT Roadway Team, and the Operators 302/612 JATC Trust. Under Bill’s leadership, KLB has been recognized with AGC of Washington’s Build Washington as well as AGC of America’s Community Service awards, including its work with Habitat for Humanity Seattle – King County, for which Bill serves on the Board and Executive Committee.
Craig McDaniel‘s career at WSDOT spanned 34 years, culminating in his retirement in 2020. A Saint Martin’s University graduate with a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, Craig embarked on his journey with WSDOT in 1986. Craig played a pivotal role in the construction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge project before completing his career as the deputy state construction engineer. Craig is renowned for his exceptional knowledge in contract administration and his dedication to WSDOT’s reputation as a public owner. His work was marked by a strong commitment to fairness, cooperation and trust.
Bill Ott had 32 years of experience with Guy F Atkinson Construction and Mowat Construction Company, where he was vice president/operations manager and provided oversight on over 300 projects. Later he led alternative dispute resolution firms – he has participated in 280 dispute review boards. He is currently a principal at Ott-Sakai. Bill helped establish the AGC/WSDOT teams, and served many years on the Administrative Team and Highway Committee. He’s conducted partnering training and served on the AGC Board of Trustees and Labor Committee.