Richard Haury Named 2015 Downes Award Recipient

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2015

 

LONG BEACH, CA — Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) today presented the 2015 Williams E. Downes, Jr. Memorial Award to Richard Haury during an award presentation at the 2015 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition. The Downes Award is presented by ACI-NA to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting the cause of airports and aviation throughout the local, national and worldwide communities. The award is the highest honor given by ACI-NA.

“ACI-NA is proud to honor Richard Haury during our Annual Conference and Exhibition as the recipient of the 2015 William E. Downes Jr. Award,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “Haury expertly managed the development and construction of some of the most notable aviation projects in the world, including the construction of the United States’ newest large hub airport Denver International Airport.  Throughout his career, Haury was a proven leader in bringing stakeholders together to turn problems into opportunities.”

Haury is highly regarded nationally and internationally as an industry leader in managing the design and construction of major airport development programs. The majority of Haury’s 50-year professional career was devoted to airports.  Through his efforts, some of the most significant airports in the U.S. have either been constructed or significantly improved.

In addition to his work at Denver International Airport, other major airport development programs in the United States that have benefited from Haury’s leadership include Orlando International Airport, Tampa International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport, among others.  In all, Haury completed projects at more than 100 airports around the world.

In addition to project leadership, Haury also inspired and mentored scores of airport development professionals who have, and continue to be, instrumental in the advancement of airport development programs. They include not only airport program managers and construction managers, but also design engineers, airport planners, environmental specialists, and architects. Many have gone on to leadership positions within their respective firms or in airport management. Evidence of his legacy is demonstrated through the many airports he worked on and the hundreds of staff he mentored that are continuing on airport development programs today.

Haury retired in 2003 from URS, which acquired Greiner in the 1990s.  He consulted for AECOM until 2013 following AECOM’s acquisition of URS.

The 2015 ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition continues through Wednesday, October 7, in Long Beach.  More information is available at http://annual.aci-na.org.

About the William E. Downes Jr. Memorial Award

As ACI-NA’s most prestigious award, the “William E. Downes Jr. Memorial Award” is the namesake of Bill Downes, the former commissioner of aviation for the City of Chicago from 1959 to 1975.  The Downes award recognizes outstanding leadership and action in the cause of airport or aviation management.

 

About ACI-NA

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) represents local, regional, and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America. Approximately 380 aviation-related businesses are also members of ACI-NA, providing goods and services to airports. Collectively, U.S. airports support more than 11.5 million jobs and account for $1.4 trillion in economic activity – or more than seven percent of the total U.S. GDP. Canadian airports support 405,000 jobs and contribute C$35 billion to Canada’s GDP. Learn more at www.airportscouncil.org.