SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Don Beers, staff engineer for the Masonry Association of Florida, was presented with NCMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award on February 24, 2020 at the association’s Annual Convention held at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is NCMA’s highest recognition for achievement or service by individuals through a member company (or companies). The award recognizes those individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to directly advance the industry and/or the association in a profound and lasting manner.
“A review of Don Beers accomplishments over the past 40+ years is overwhelming by any comparison”, said Rocky Jenkins, CEMEX Director – Commercial Development, who presented Don with the award. “More significant however, is that no one individual has influenced a market like Don Beers has done for concrete masonry in Florida.”
Don spent 29 years at Rinker Materials using his structural engineering degree, PE license and general contractor license. For the past 10 years Don has worked as a structural engineer with Adrian Engineering and staff engineer for the Masonry Association of Florida. His accomplishments while in these roles has had a substantial and lasting impact to the Florida masonry market and the masonry industry as a whole.
Don’s contributions are notable and significant in a number of different areas.
- Manufacturing and Plant Design – Don was a key figure in the growth and prosperity of the concrete masonry industry in Florida from the perspective of supporting the introduction of concrete block production capacity to lead and to meet increasing demand. As an employee of Rinker Materials, he led the efforts to construct more than 40 concrete block and ready-mix plants.
- Educator – Following his manufacturing roles with Rinker, Don evolved as a technical support resource for the industry. He has personally performed hundreds of presentations to thousands of architects, engineers, industry personnel, contractors and students. He was instrumental in developing a concrete masonry designer certification program. He is known and respected for his passion and ability to communicate as a speaker. He has also been a prolific writer and has been published in various national and regional industry publications and in trade journals – mostly about concrete masonry solutions.
- Technical Resource and Advocate – Don has been a key player for the concrete masonry industry to identify challenges and provide technical solutions. He has been an advocate of appropriate code provisions at the regional and national level; he has advocated and supported research and development projects to document concrete masonry’s attributes; he has provided technical support for designers and contractors on a regular and ongoing basis.
- NCMA Advocate – Don has always been complimentary of the support and resources that NCMA provides towards the growth of concrete masonry in Florida. He has advocated strongly for collaborative efforts between NCMA and state associations and has encouraged companies in Florida to join and support NCMA.
Don has been supported through his career by his wife, Angela. In his personal life, has had made four mission trips to Haiti, been committee chair for his Parish outreach program, performed prison outreach for the past 13 years, and with his wife hold a Catholic Eucharist Service at three local nursing homes each week.
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