The Spirit of ECC Award

The annual Spirit of ECC Award honors candidates who display an exemplary demonstration of a wide array of talents, skills, and passions that encapsulate ECC's mission to engage and improve the industry. The recipient of the Spirit of ECC Award will have shown the following:

• A strategic response to a fundamental challenge or opportunity,
• A solid application of "thought leadership," and
• A certain stewardship towards the betterment of the industry, its participants, and the people it serves.

​2024 RECIPIENT: Boomnation

BoomNation is a leading provider of innovative technology solutions for the skilled trades industry. The company is a community driven by roughnecks, road warriors, and skilled tradesmen who create, inspire, serve and build our great country. BoomNation is dedicated to empowering workers and improving productivity through the use of cutting-edge technology. 

BoomNation was founded by a born and bred blue collar worker who saw a critical need in the skilled worker industry. Their founder discovered the skilled trades industry was missing a connection point between the worker and the employer, which hindered employers from finding talented tradesmen and workers from finding fulfilling work. What started as a simple idea has turned into a movement powered by a technology platform for skilled workers and employers, providing content, community, and communications to streamline job placement and efficiently connect employers and workers.

Their Focus
Content | Social-networking for workers, by workers
Community| Interactions and experiences between workers and employers
Communication | Worker to worker and employer to worker direct line of communication
Jobs | Effectively matching workers from our community with the positions you are looking to fill

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Past recipients

• 2023 | Refined Technologies (RTI) and their partnership with Crosswalk Center
  
• 2022 | Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) National Craft Championships
• 2021 | Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Industrial Craft Competition
• 2019 | University of Houston Process and Industrial Construction Management Program
• 2018 | Sadara Project Team 
• 2017 | "Dream Big: Engineering Our World"
• 2016 | Go Build Alabama
• 2015 | US First
• 2014 | Engineers Without Borders
• 2013 | Mitchell Energy Barnett Shale Team
• 2012 | Team Rabbit 
• 2011 | Chevron Projects Resource Group

The ECC Achievement Award

The ECC Achievement Award was originally introduced to the industry in 1988 as the ECC Division Award, and has been honoring recipients who exhibited the most well-rounded aspects of a true industry leader. This prestigious award honors industry professionals who are:

• Bold risk-takers,
• True visionaries,
• Leaders with integrity,
• Professionals who have had a lasting and positive impact on the competitive face of business, and
• Candidates who possess stature among their industry peers.

​Recipients of this award vary from high-office executives to doctorate-level engineers. Dating all the way back to the 80s, these amazing examples of industry pioneers are:

2024 RECIPIENT: Manuel junco

Manuel Junco is a seasoned professional with over 40 years of project management and operations experience in the Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, and Specialty Chemicals industries. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and also participated in the Army ROTC Program.

Throughout his distinguished career, Manuel has held key leadership positions with some of the most respected companies in the industry, including Jacobs, where he served as Senior Vice President of Energy & Chemicals Americas, as well as Bechtel, Fluor, and Brinderson Engineering & Construction.

In addition to his professional achievements, Manuel has been a long-standing supporter of the ECC Association's mission. He has served on the ECC Board of Directors, including a term as Board Chair in 2014, and continues to contribute his expertise as part of the ECC Past Chairs Council. Today, Manuel remains actively involved in the industry as a consultant, sharing his wealth of experience and knowledge.

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PAST RECIPIENTS

• 2023 | Rickard "Dick" Westley, Director, R/MW Consulting, Inc.
• 2022 | John B. Zachry, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Zachry Group 
• 2021 | Greg Garland, Chairman and CEO, Phillips 66
• 2019 | Janice L. Tuchman, Editor-in-Chief, Engineering News-Record
• 2018 | Neil Duffin
• 2017 | Jacqueline Hinman, CH2M
• 2016 | James G. Slaughter, Jr., S&B Founder (Retired)
• 2015 | John W. Dalton, Sr., Wood Group Mustang (Retired)
• 2014 | Richard Tucker, Founder, Construction Industry Institute, National Academy of Construction
• 2013 | Emmitt Nelson, Shell (Retired), Co-Founder Zero Injury Institute
• 2012 | Alan Boeckmann, Chairman, Fluor
• 2011 | Khalid Farid, Sr. Vice President, Strategic Planning, AMEC
• 2010 | Dr. Jorge Vanegas, Dean, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University
• 2009 | Don Vardeman, Vice President of Worldwide Projects, Anadarko
• 2008 | Louis J. Cabano, Chairman, Pathfinder LLC
• 2007 | Noel G. Watson, Executive Chairman, Jacobs Engineering Group
• 2006 | Bill Greehey, Chairman of the Board, Valero Energy Corporation
• 2005 | James B. Porter, Jr., Du Pont
• 2004 | Bill Higgs and Paul Redmon, Mustang Engineers
• 2003 | Larry Evans, AspenTech
• 2002 | Jeet Bindra, Chevron/Caltex
• 2001 | Ed Merrow, IPA
• 2000 | Hugh K. Coble, Fluor Corporation
• 1999 | John Mihm, Phillips Petroleum Company
• 1998 | William A. Brookshire, S&B Engineering & Constructors Ltd.
• 1997 | W. I. (Irv) Doty, Shell Oil
• 1996 | Ted C. Kennedy, BE&K Inc.
• 1995 | Shelby Pierce, Amoco Corp.
• 1994 | Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., Bechtel Group, Inc.
• 1993 | Robert H. Miller, E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company
• 1992 | Dr. Joseph J. Jacobs, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.
• 1991 | Wallace L. Tanner, Shell Oil
• 1990 | Dave Tappan, Fluor Daniel
• 1989 | Al Crosby, Exxon
• 1988 | Albert Dib, Bubler, King & Bubler

The ECC Pinnacle Award

The ECC Pinnacle Award may be presented as recognition of an act, contribution, or service befitting excellence for to the ECC Association and its members. The recipient will have demonstrated thoughtful leadership and commitment in the highest form in representation of the ECC Association.

​This is the most prestigious award ECC can bestow upon a member, service provider, or colleague for their contributions to the association’s mission and goals.

​This award will only be awarded when an exceedingly worthy individual is identified. It is bestowed by special action of the ECC Executive Board (currently consisting of the Chair, Past Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Advisor to the Chair, and Management Team Chair). As such, there is no formal application, nor is this an annual award. However, recommendations for potential recipients may be submitted to the Board Chair during the award nominations window.

2024 RECIPIENT: Tara Wilson

Tara Wilson is the Founder and President of Eventsia Group, a consultancy focused on Association Management, Association Strategy, Board Coaching and Event Development and Execution. With Eventsia Group, Tara proudly managed the ECC Association for more than 20 years. With a background in the Petrochem industry, she has also produced corporate and association events globally since 2002. Prior to founding Eventsia Group, Tara worked as a management consultant supporting organizational transformations, system and process implementations, strategy and change management in energy, retail, non-profits/associations and the public sector.

Tara also founded and serves as the CEO of Telsan Holdings, a commercial real estate venture focused on coworking facilities to provide flexible, shared office space to small businesses, freelancers and entrepreneurs.  

​Tara currently serves on the City of Katy Convention and Tourism Board, the Downtown Advisory Committee, Rice Global Forum Executive Steering Board and the West Houston Capital Campaign for Amazing Place. She is a past President of the Katy ISD Education Foundation, board member of the Maria New Children’s Hormone Foundation and is an active member of the Rotary Club. 

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