Dave Crawford worked his way up from laborer to President & CEO at Sundt. His impressive resume, innovative leadership and more than 48 years in the industry earned him this year’s Engineering News-Record Southwest Legacy Award.
Dave retired as Sundt’s CEO last October. He served as President & CEO for four years; he was CEO in his final year before retirement.
The Legacy Award is given annually by Engineering News-Record (ENR) regional editors to an individual in their regions who has achieved a lifetime of service, both to the AEC profession and the community. Nominees must have demonstrated significant lifelong contributions to the industry as a whole and to their chosen professions. ENR is the leading publication covering the construction industry.
Dave was a key participant in drafting, lobbying, education and passage of legislation permitting alternate project delivery methods and qualifications-based selection for public owners in Arizona. He participated as a national speaker on the topic and was involved on a federal basis in accelerating the movement toward teaming solutions to facilitating design and construction in the industry.
He has been involved with the community by serving on boards for Greater Phoenix Leadership, CEOs Against Cancer, the Real Arizona Coalition, YMCA of Phoenix and Expect More Arizona. Under Dave’s leadership, the Sundt Foundation topped $7.2 million raised to help underserved people. We also established a Center for Craft Excellence, which focuses on bettering our craft employee-owners through skills training and continuous improvement.
Dave is a former chair of the Design Build Institute of America and was active in the Associated General Contractors of America, the Alliance for Construction Excellence, the American Concrete Institute, the Arizona Builders’ Alliance and the Lean Construction Institute.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Arizona.