2023 Celebration of Construction Gala Chair
Todd Elliott
The Nelson Stark Company
The Annual
Celebration of Construction Gala
Each Fall, the Spirit of Construction Foundation hosts a black-tie dinner and gala event that celebrates the "noble industry" and honors a number of individuals, including scholarship winners, posthumous honorees, and Lifetime Career Achievement Honorees.
The Celebration of Construction Gala celebrates the construction industry and recognizes individuals for their lifetime contributions to the industry and to the civic, aesthetic, and economic well-being of the Greater Cincinnati Region.
Celebration of Construction
2023 Gala
Big Impact! Sponsors
Archiable Electric
Bray Construction
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Enerfab
5/3 Bank
Jurgensen Companies
Messer Construction
Nelson Stark
O’Rourke Wrecking
Peck Hannaford & Briggs Company
Prus Construction
Grote Enterprises / Thomas J. Dyer Company
TP Mechanical
Turner Construction
University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
Valley Interiors
VonLehman
Watson Gravel
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Greg Herrin – Messer Construction Company
Ron Watson – Watson Gravel
POSTHUMOUS AWARD
John Hemmer – John M. Hemmer Construction Co.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
5:30 p.m. reception and silent auction
7:15 p.m. dinner
After-party with The Sly Band (11-piece party band)
Duke Energy Convention Center
525 Elm St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
black tie optional*
Regarding any event or reservation questions,
contact Tony Brunsman (513) 382-4315 or tbrunsman@SpiritofConstruction.org
Send reservation payments to:
SOC, PO Box 14239, Cincinnati OH 45250
Congratulations to the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Honorees:
Fleet Fangman
Megen Construction
Posthumously awarded to
Thomas D. Grote, Sr.
Accepted by Thomas Grote, Jr.
Robert A. Grace
Turner Construction
Posthumously awarded to
Nicholas Zimmerman
Accepted by Mark Zimmerman
2022 Honorees
Fleet Fangman, Megen Construction; Robert Grace, Turner Construction; Thomas D. Grote, Sr., Posthumous, Grote Enterprises; Nicholas Zimmerman, Posthumous, Schrudde & Zimmerman
The 2022 Gala and the efforts of The Spirit of Construction Foundation have been recognized in the Movers & Makers December '22/January '23 issue. Thank you for your support as we continue our mission to give back to the community.
Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
2022 Winners
Fleet P. Fangman
Robert A. Grace
Thomas D. Grote, Sr., Posthumous
Nicholas B. Zimmerman, Posthumous
2021 Winners
Albert C. Smitherman
Marcus Taulbee
2019 Winners
James G. Briggs, Jr.
Joseph M. Prus
Phillip J. Neumann
Bernard P. Suer
2018 Winners
George C. Webb
Dale S. White, Sr.
Raymond L. Evers, Posthumous
Joseph F. Mirlisena, Posthumous
2017 Winners
Timothy Beischel
Howard A. Mayers
Evans N. Nwankwo
Robert J. Henderson, Posthumous
2016 Winners
William John “Jack” Albrecht
Tonya M. Beesley
B.G. Danis, Posthumous
Raymond Viox, Posthumous
William Teepe, Posthumous
2015 Winners
William J. Harmeyer
Lawrence H. Schumacher
Thomas J. Wiesman
James E. Imbus, Posthumous
Raymond J. Prus, Jr., Posthumous
2014 Winners
Richard P. Homan
Thomas M. Keckeis
William H. Krul, II
Jim Perin, Posthumous
2013 Winners
Wendell R. Bell
August B. Bruewer
Fred J. Mccoy
Joseph Bayer, Posthumous
2012 Winners
Richard F. Kohls
Patrick J. Mclaughlin, Jr.
Michael J. Schneider
Edward Hagins, Posthumous
2011 Winners
Kathleen C. Daly
Greg F. Moratschek
Robert Jackson “Jack” Scott III
Arthur C. Avril, Posthumous
2010 Winners
E. Grant Hesser
Harry R. Hoerr
Raymond R. Huseman
Patrick O'Rourke, Posthumous
2009 Winners
Garfield W. Hartman
Thomas H. Humes
James W. Ludwig
William (Bill) Besl, Posthumous
2008 Winners
Dennis Denier
Elda Marshall
George “Dewey” Newport
Thomas L. Neyer, Sr.
Joseph Glassmeyer, Posthumous
2007 Winners
Daniel L. Baker
Peter S. Strange
R.J. Beischel, Posthumous
Allen Paul, Posthumous
2006 Winners
William Cargile III
David Swedes
Jack Wieland
Alan Wolf
2005 Winners
Michael Mangeot
Jerome (Jay) Meyers, Jr.
Matth Toebben
2004 Winners
Wayne Carlisle
Lawrence A. Keckeis
W. R. Manteuffel
2003 Winners
Robert Jay Buchert
Joseph V. Frey Jr.
Schuyler John Smith
2002 Winners
Carl Bimel Jr.
Robert W. Dorsey
Larry P. Rayburn
2001 Winners
Eugene J. Imbus Jr.
Howard L. Knauf
Michael Kocheck
Joseph W. Schwarz
2000 Winners
Neil K. Bortz
James P. Jurgensen
Jerry L. Lindsey
Frank G. Moratschek
1999 Winners
William R. Geiler Jr.
Paul W. Hemmer Sr.
William R. Ryan
J. William Strawser
1998 Winners
Thomas A. Buzek
Raymond A. Neyer
John F. Steele
1997 Winners
Robert Griffin Carlisle
Ralph Drees
Francis R. Dugan
James J. Neumann
1996 Winners
Alfred C. Berndsen
Orville Brown
Howard Denier
Richard Goettle
Victor Smith
Alan Zaring III