The Robert D. Sawyer Award, named on behalf of Bob Sawyer, the first executive director of the CFA, is the most prestigious recognition that can be offered to a member of the concrete foundation industry. The award recognizes individuals who give tirelessly of their time and resources to serve the industry. “Bob Sawyer took the helm of the association when it was first chartered in 1974 and served for nearly thirty years, ensuring a sound platform for contractors to come together for learning, strategy, and the understanding that in a challenging industry they are never alone,” said former executive director and past recipient, Ed Sauter. The award is presented on occasions when the industry identifies an individual who characterizes or embodies the spirit of both the association and the rich legacy offered by those who have followed the precedent set by Sawyer. This characterization is generally determined by two criteria: (1) depth of involvement as a leader in the association and (2) contributions to the CFA cause.

When considering the contributions and qualities of each person on the prestigious list of deserving professionals (considerred by past recipients of this award), there was unanimous agreement that the very next recipient needed to be Bruce Neale, president of Modern Foundations in Woodbine, Maryland. When he was president of the association, Neale helped manage through a time of rapid growth and significant industry influence for the CFA. At the same time, he had the vision of how his company might grow and provide a stronger future for the family business. This vision led him to be a thought leader for ready mix, stone shooting, mobile ready mix, GPS data logging, precast concrete, retaining blocks, and much more.

“The list up there is so hard to imagine that I was even nominated for this,” Neale said. “When notified that I was going to get this award, first thing I think I said was, ‘no, I don’t deserve this award.’ The people that have been up there that helped to form this association have been great leaders for me. I’ve taken a lot back from this association. And I want to say that this current association and your [Baty’s] direction of it has taken this association to a different level. We are now getting to be recognized as the authority in the industry. I think that’s what we strived for many years ago. How do we become the authority that everybody looks to? And even in my local jurisdictions, they know who the CFA is.”

When asked to give his thoughts on what contractors should be doing today and how to leverage the association benefits, Neale said, “Promote this organization to your local agencies around you, the inspectors, because you’ll gain a lot of respect and you’ll be able to do your job a little bit easier.”