The 2010 Golden Beavers Award for Service and Supply was presented to Al Fernandez, Regional Vice President and Branch Manager, Volvo Construction Equipment Services (VCES), San Leandro, California, at the Beavers 55th Annual Awards Dinner held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Friday, January 22, 2010.
More than 2,000 members of the construction industry attended the prestigious event, which recognizes industry individuals for their achievements, skills, and contributions to the heavy construction industry in the categories of Management, Supervision, Engineering, and Service and Supply. The 2010 Golden Beaver Awards were presented by Beavers president and Awards master of ceremonies, Thomas R. Draeger, an executive with the Bechtel Group. Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, was the guest speaker.
Al Fernandez began his career in the construction industry in 1974 in underground contracting operations during his senior year at the Colorado School of Mines, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mining engineering. Upon graduation, Al accepted a position with Ingersoll Rand’s international group and, following extensive training, was assigned as a sales engineer to that company’s Mexico City office responsible for assisting contractors with equipment selection, operating costs, production requirements and feasibility analysis. He was instrumental in supporting an impressive array of jobs, from hydroelectric projects and reservoir and tunnel construction to mining and water-development projects.
In 1979 Al joined the sales department of Ingersoll Rand’s Pico Rivera, California office, and in 1987 was appointed sales manager of the company’s San Leandro, California, operations. He was promoted to vice president and branch manager in 1989 and became western regional vice president in 2002, retaining this position after Volvo’s acquisition of Ingersoll Rand’s road-building machinery operations and 20 company-owned stores (now Volvo Construction Equipment Services – VCES) in 2007.
During Al’s thirty-six (36) years in the construction industry, he has been active in the California Mining Association, California Ground Water Association, the Beavers, and many other local and national associations. He has also served on several association boards and received recognition awards for his accomplishments and contributions to these industries.
The Beavers is a social, honorary organization formed, organized, and managed by the construction companies and individuals who are, or have, engaged in heavy engineering construction. The organization meets annually to recognize significant contributions to the industry, and, additionally, promotes goodwill within the industries represented by its members and encourages and supports the entry of promising young individuals into heavy engineering construction. It also supports the Beavers Charitable Trust, which maintains forty (40) endowed scholarships with a cumulative value of approximately $3 million for civil engineering and construction management education purposes. The organization is called the Beavers because its founding members were primarily dam building contractors.
