ARTBA Awards Jordi Graells, President of Abertis U.S.A., Private Sector Entrepreneur of the Year

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), an organization representing 5,000 members in the transportation industry, today awarded Abertis' Jordi Graells, Private Sector Entrepreneur of the Year for the ARTBA Public Private Partnership (PPP) Division.  Mr. Graells serves as President of Abertis U.S.A.

The ceremony took place at ARTBA's 23rd annual PPP Conference at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.  The conference featured more than 50 public officials and 300 transportation executives and focused on PPP deal flow and best practices in markets across the United States.

Graells, who recently moved from Barcelona to Washington, D.C. to focus exclusively on opportunities in the U.S. market, played a key role in closing the $1.4bn 40-year concession of PR22/PR5 in Puerto Rico this summer.  The deal, which also won ARTBA's Project of the Year, was the largest such investment in the U.S. this year and the first brownfield PPP deal since the Indiana Toll Road in 2006.  It is widely anticipated this deal will serve as a catalyst for expansion in the U.S. PPP market.

Said Graells of the award, "I am deeply honored, grateful, and encouraged by this prestigious award.  We are excited about prospects in the U.S. market and pleased that Puerto Rico delivered on their slogan, 'Puerto Rico Does It Better,' with the PR22/PR5 deal."

Graells, who will also be serving as President of the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) in 2012, continued, "I look forward to working with ARTBA to advance the PPP market in the U.S. so that states can accelerate job creation and deliver on much-needed infrastructure improvements."

About ARTBA: Since 1902, ARTBA has been an aggressive and effective advocate on behalf of the U.S. transportation design and construction industry before Congress, the White House, and federal agencies.  The association is the oldest and most respected association in the national transportation industry and represents more than 5,000 members who generate more than $200 billion in annual economic activity and sustain 2.5 million American jobs.

ARTBA members designed, built and continue to maintain the Interstate system, along with the rest of the nation's transportation network.  The Association has been a major player in the passage of every major piece of federal transportation legislation, including the first Federal-Aid Road Act (1911), TEA-21 (1998), AIR-21 (2000), and SAFETEA-LU (2005).

About Abertis: Abertis is the leading private corporation in Spain in the management of transport and communications infrastructures in three segments: toll road concessions, airports, and telecommunications.  The company employs 11,000 globally and currently manages more than 2,000 miles of toll road directly and an additional 3,000 miles indirectly on four continents.  

In the U.S., Abertis has participated in every major PPP deal over the past six years and was recently selected in partnership with Goldman Sachs Infrastructure Group for Puerto Rico's PR-22 and PR-5 toll roads 40-year lease valued at $1.4 billion. This is the largest such investment in any U.S. jurisdiction so far this year and compliments the company's concession for Teodoro Moscoso Toll Bridge in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  

Abertis also has a U.S. presence in five airports, including Orlando Sanford International, Concourse E of Atlanta International Airport, and Burbank Airport.

SOURCE Abertis U.S.A.