Construction school alumni honored by national industry association
Business achievements, civic efforts and philanthropic contributions earned industry honors for two alumni of ASU’s construction school. They are Ron Rodgers (top photo), former president of J.B. Rodgers Mechanical Contracting, and Mike Fann (bottom photo, at right) with son, Jason Fann (left), another ASU construction school graduate, and the late James L. Fann, in whose honor the family funded an ASU scholarship program.
Posted: May 27, 2011
Two alumni of Arizona State University’s Del E. Webb School of Construction Programs were recently honored by the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) for their contributions to the industry.
The national organization’s 2011 Arizona Construction Industry Pioneer Award was given to Ron Rodgers, former president of J.B. Rodgers Mechanical Contractors. He graduated from ASU with a degree in construction management in 1977.
CFMA’s 2011 Arizona Construction Executive of the Year Award went to Mike Fann, president of Fann Contracting. Fann earned his construction management degree in 1980.
The school of construction programs is part of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
Under Ron Rodgers’ leadership, J.B. Rodgers Mechanical Contractors – the company founded by his father – grew to be the largest mechanical contracting company in Arizona and among the 30 largest in the country. Rodgers is also a past president of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association.
In honoring his career achievements, the CFMA noted Rodgers’ contributions through his business to numerous civic and community organizations.
Today, he is the chairman emeritus of the New Horizons Foundation, which supports education and research critical to the construction industry. Rodgers has committed to a $2.4 million estate gift to the Del E. Webb School of Construction Programs.
In honoring his career achievements, the CFMA noted Rodgers’ contributions through his business to numerous civic and community organizations.
Fann has grown his company – founded by his father, James Fann – to become the largest locally owned heavy highway construction contractor in northern Arizona. The company employs more than 300 people and works with major clients such as the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
A second company, Fann Environmental, does water treatment, wastewater treatment and soil remediation.
Mike Fann’s son, Jason, a project manager for the Fann Contracting, is also a graduate of the Del E. Webb School of Construction Programs. He earned his degree in 2002.
One of the company’s recent major projects involves improvement of facilities and construction of an amphitheater at Mather Point, a popular visitors area at the Grand Canyon. The CMFA also noted the Fann company’s record of contributing to charitable causes.
In honor of Fann’s late father, the James L. Fann Memorial Scholarship was established at ASU in 2006 through a $250,000 gift to the ASU Foundation.The scholarship supports students from central Yavapai County who are pursuing careers in construction. To date it has provided $35,000 to support the studies of five construction management students.
