Tom Hill, chief executive of Washington, D.C.-based Oldcastle Materials Inc., is the private sector recipient of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association's (ARTBA) most prestigious award. The 2004 "ARTBA Award" was presented to Hill at the association's annual meeting, held Sept. 8-11 in Boston, Mass.
The ARTBA Award was established in 1960 to annually recognize individuals from the private and public sectors who have made outstanding contributions toward advancing the broad objectives of the association. This award is the highest honor that ARTBA bestows on an individual.
Hill was recognized for his outstanding leadership to the U.S. transportation construction industry at the national level. He served as ARTBA chairman from March 2002 until September 2004--one of the longest tenures in association history.
Hill played a critical role in mobilizing industry opposition to a proposed $8.6 billion cut in the 2003 federal highway program. He worked closely with transportation leaders on Capitol Hill and testified twice before Congress about the potential devastating impacts on state highway programs that would result from such a drastic cut. He also helped spur industry grassroots activism through ARTBA to unprecedented levels. Congress restored the full $8.6 billion in the final appropriations bill.
Under Hill's leadership, ARTBA waged the "Transportation Makes America Work!" Campaign--the only comprehensive grassroots lobbying and communications advocacy campaign aimed at supporting the transportation construction industry's agenda on TEA-21 reauthorization. The award-winning program has been credited with helping frame the TEA-21 debate on Capitol Hill and in building political support for a significant boost in federal highway and transit investment.
