Engineering News-Record's Tom Sawyer Receives the James B. Porter, Jr. Award for Technology Leadership

NEW YORK, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Tom Sawyer, a senior editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine, has received Fiatech's highest honor, the James B. Porter, Jr. Award for Technology Leadership. The announcement was made at the Marriott Doral Golf Resort and Spa during the Fiatech Technology Conference & Showcase on April 3.

Sawyer specializes in information technology (IT) at ENR, part of McGraw-Hill Construction's media portfolio and recognized as the voice of the industry. His coverage of IT issues has raised awareness about the role technological innovation plays in advancing the construction industry. An award-winning journalist, Sawyer has written numerous ENR cover stories, performed original research about technology, and organized conferences on the topic of IT for the engineering and construction industry.

"Tom is a quintessential ENR editor, equally proficient with his technical passion, construction's quickly changing technology landscape, and with breaking news coverage of earthquakes and hurricanes," said Jan Tuchman, ENR Editor-in-Chief. "He is as eager to unravel technological mysteries as he is to set out on an expedition to find lessons from disaster that could help prevent loss of life in the future. He is an amazing asset to our enterprise, and we are so glad that he has received this prestigious award."

The award is a tribute to Jim Porter, retired chief engineer and vice president - safety, health, environment, and engineering for DuPont. He was instrumental in establishing Fiatech. The award honors and celebrates Porter's vision, technical acumen, commitment to people, and leadership in advancing the capital projects industry and Fiatech's goals to increase business value through implementing IT.

Jerry Gipson, Jr., senior director for manufacturing and engineering IT at Dow Chemical and chair of the Fiatech Board of Advisors, presented the Porter Award to Sawyer. "Tom Sawyer is a recognized champion of strong industry interactions and shared progress in delivering innovative solutions," he said.

Sawyer is the fifth recipient of the Porter Award, which is not an annual recognition but one that is given only when a worthy candidate has been judged to meet the award's tough criteria by the Fiatech Board of Advisors. He joins Jim Porter, the original recipient, Keith Roe, John Voeller, and Dr. Ric Jackson as those recognized with Fiatech's highest honor, the Porter Award for Technology Leadership. 

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SOURCE McGraw-Hill Construction