DBIA recognizes the Maryland DOT, Utah DOT’s Carlos Braceras, Windward’s Amanda Wilson, Transtec’s Dan Dawood and Mead & Hunt’s Ben Dzioba as National Design-Build Leaders

As states from coast to coast are making new investments in our infrastructure, it is important to remember that funding these projects is just the start. We must also ensure those hard-to-come-by funds are wisely spent. Design-builders know first-hand the importance of cooperation and communication to delivering successful on-time and on-budget projects. DBIA is proud to honor some of the nation’s most innovative and successful design-builders with a 2017 National Transportation Leadership Award.

DBIA’s 2017 Leadership Award winners are:

• The Maryland Department of Transportation, Owner Agency of the Year
• Carlos Braceras, Utah Department of Transportation, Individual Owner Leadership Award
• Dan Dawood, The Transtec Group – Mechanicsburg, PA, Industry Professional Leadership Award
• Amanda Wilson, Windward Project Solutions – Anchorage, AK, Young Professional Leadership Award
• Benjamin Dzioba, Mead & Hunt – Minneapolis, MN, Young Professional Leadership Award

“The Design-Build Institute of America is proud to honor these 2017 Design-build in Transportation Leadership award winners,” said Lisa Washington, DBIA Executive Director and CEO. “Using design-build best practices, these leaders in states from Alaska to Maryland, and everywhere in between, have proven that improved collaboration, innovation and communication are delivering some of the nation’s most successful transportation projects. We congratulate this year’s DBIA National Leadership Award winners for this well-deserved recognition.”

The Design-Build in Transportation Leadership Award winners are selected by DBIA’s Transportation Markets Committee comprised of design-build professionals and industry experts from across the country. They will be honored March 28th at the DBIA Design-Build in Transportation Conference in Minneapolis.

Owner of the Year: The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)

Once the Maryland Department of Transportation received legislative authority in 2013 to proceed with P3 projects it wasted no time in implementing regulations and beginning the process that has now led to the largest design-build-finance-operate and maintain transit agreement in the United States. The $2.4 billion Purple Line Light Rail System will run 16 miles between the Maryland suburbs of Bethesda and New Carrollton with 21 stations, providing a direct link to the Metrorail lines and connecting to the MARC train, Amtrak and local bus services. MDOT’s Purple Line is the latest in a long history of successful transportation design-build projects in Maryland.

Individual Owner: Carlos Braceras, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)

Carlos Braceras is Executive Director of the Utah Department of Transportation, a position he has held for three years. Carlos has helped to shape UDOT’s strategic direction and its mission of innovating transportation solutions making it one of the most respected and influential DOT’s in the nation. Under Carlos’ leadership, the agency has fully adopted design-build as the delivery method that keeps it largest and most complex projects moving providing more than four billion dollars of improved transportation infrastructure for Utah citizens.  In fact, virtually ALL major projects in Utah are delivered using design-build.

Industry Professional: Dan Dawood, The Transtec Group – Mechanicsburg, PA

Danny Dawood –as the Director of Business Development and Engineering with the Transtec Group — has worked on the pavement design portion of many DB projects throughout the US, Mexico and Canada. In fact, in just the past three years his work has led to over $250 million of construction cost savings. From the Presidio Parkway in San Francisco to Highway 407 in Ontario (and many places in between) Dan uses design-build to optimize pavement design and construction. He’s proven to be a trusted industry leader who delivers cost, time, and performance efficiencies on projects throughout North America.”

Young Professional: Amanda Wilson, Windward Project Solutions – Anchorage, AK

Amanda established Windward Project Solutions, LLC — a project management firm serving owners, contractors, and engineers in the transportation and maritime sectors — to support integrated project delivery throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.  Amanda recently earned her DBIA accreditation and serves as an owner’s advocate to help foster design-build in Alaska.  She recently helped the City of Kodiak implement its first design-build project and she inspired the City & Borough of Juneau to begin modifying its procurement codes to allow for alternative delivery.  Amanda’s success is a direct result of her enthusiasm for design-build; she often refers to it as “simply a better a way to business.”

Young Professional: Benjamin Dzioba, Mead & Hunt – Minneapolis, MN

Benjamin Dzioba has been a quality manager, design manager and project manager on over $1.4 billion dollars-worth of design build projects. Ben has worked on over 17 design build projects with experience on roadway design, critical path method scheduling, change documentation, environmental compliance, public information coordination and construction management.  Ben is also a true design-build advocate who’s currently working with the City of St. Paul for full DB authority and supports local P3 legislation for Minnesota and the expansion of design-build authority in North Dakota.