One of Florida’s leading association executives, a family of highway and bridge contractors from Virginia and a Wisconsin concrete paving pioneer have been selected for induction into the nation’s highest place of honor in the transportation design and construction industry.

As part of its 25th anniversary in 2010, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) created a “Hall of Fame” to honor individuals or families from the public and private sectors who have made extraordinary contributions to U.S. transportation development during their careers.

A committee of judges that included nine construction industry journalists reviewed the nominees and selected the Hall’s inaugural class:

• Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association (FTBA)

• Stan and Jack Lanford, of Lanford Brothers Company and Adams Construction, respectively, in Roanoke, Va.

• Philip Koehring, founder of the Koehring Machine Company in Milwaukee, Wis.

“The transportation design and construction industry is full of visionaries and game changers like the Lanford brothers, Bob Burleson and Philip Koehring who have demonstrated exceptional leadership over their lifetime and played an important role in helping shape development of America’s transportation network,” said ARTBA-TDF Chairman Leo Vecellio, the chairman and chief executive officer of Vecellio Group, Inc., headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla. “The Hall is our way of giving these individuals the recognition they deserve and sharing their stories with the general public and elected officials so they better understand the importance of strong transportation investment.”

Nominees were considered in two categories.

Transportation Design & Construction Industry Leaders (Individuals or Families)

This category honors men, women and families who have made significant contributions—beyond just having successful businesses or careers—that have notably helped advance the interests and image of the transportation design, construction and safety industry.

Bob Burleson

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos calls Bob Burleson a “catalyst for change.” Burleson has spent 40 years in the transportation construction industry. From 1970 to 1988, he was a top executive with the Wiley N. Jackson Company in Virginia, and played a key role in the company’s growth.