February 20, 2013

ORBA inducts MLSE top brass into hall of fame

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

The Ontario Road Builders’ Association has inducted entrepreneur and philanthropist Larry Tanenbaum, chairman and chief executive officer of Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Ltd., into its road building hall of fame.

The industry’s highest honour, the hall of fame recognizes an industry leader who stands out from his or her peers for their dedication and contributions to the industry, their business success and service to their communities.

“Larry Tanenbaum is a recognized name in Toronto, in Canada and in North America for the work he has done for sports and entertainment, volunteerism, philanthropy and the road building industry,” said ORBA executive director Geoff Wilkinson.

The induction took place during ORBA’s annual convention in Toronto.

Tanenbaum, who is also chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., has spent much of the last 40 years focused on the civil construction and building materials business. He served as president and CEO of Kilmer Van Nostrand from 1968 to 2000.

Under his direction, Kilmer developed into a multi-faceted construction operation with operating divisions and subsidiaries covering road building and paving, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, heavy construction, trucking and pipe manufacturing.

Kilmer’s road building, paving and aggregates operations were conducted through its wholly owned subsidiary, The Warren Paving and Materials Group Ltd. Tanenbaum served as chairman of Warren, which until its merger with Lafarge North America, was Canada’s largest asphalt paving company.

“Since this time, Kilmer has been using its skills and capital to build over $1 billion in Ontario public-private partnerships, such as the ONroute Highway Service Centres and the 2015 Pan Am Games Athletes’ Village,” Wilkinson said.

Outside of the road building industry, Tanenbaum has also been “deeply engaged” in the political process. During his career, he has been “a tireless advocate” for infrastructure investment.

Speaking at the president’s dinner, Tanenbaum said it was “truly humbling” to be inducted into the road building hall of fame and “to stand upon the shoulders of these extraordinary men.

“They were not only competitors, but also colleagues and friends.”

He shared the award with the leaders and builders of Warren Paving and Materials, its managers, long-serving superintendents and foremen and dedicated laborers and operators.

“To those people, I say thank you.”

Follow Patricia Williams on Twittter @Patricia_DCN.

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