Lifetime Achievement Award
2008 Recipient
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High-ResGarry Higdem
Garry Higdem is president of the Energy and Chemicals Business Group of CH2M Hill in Denver. He also serves as a member of the Office of the Chief Executive and services on the firm's board of directors, serving on the board's strategic planning group, executive committee, compensation and workforce committee, and the ownership and incentive compensation committee. CH2M Hill, an employee-owned firm, is a global leader in full-service engineering, procurement, construction and operations with more than 23,000 employees world-wide.
Prior to joining CH2M Hill, Higdem served as president of the APAC group of companies at Ashland, Inc. He joined Ashland in 2004, following an extensive career at Granite Construction. From 1996 to 2004, Higdem served as Vice President of Granite's Heavy Construction Division, a nationwide operation that constructs large public and private projects, including highways, bridges, dams, airports, rapid-transit systems and other complex infrastructure. Higdem began his career with Al Johnson Construction, a Minnesota-based civil contractor and progressed through that company's engineering ranks before he was recruited by Granite Construction in 1980. At Granite he worked his way through positions of increasing responsibility, eventually becoming vice president of the Heavy Construction Division. He spearheaded design-build projects for Granite and was extensively involved with major design–build projects ranging in magnitude from $20 million to $1.5 billion.
Higdem is native of Detroit Lakes, MN, and is a 1975 graduate of NDSU with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He is an active member of the board of National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators and a fellow in the American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation Young Executive Development Program. He is a registered professional engineer in Colorado, North Dakota, and Texas. He is also a member of the Moles, a prestigious fraternal organization composed of individuals now or formerly engaged in the construction of tunnel, subway, sewer, foundation, marine, sub-aqueous or other heavy construction projects.
