ANNOUNCING
We're looking for the companies, projects, and people behind our industry's boldest achievements.
Be celebrated for going above and beyond.
Challenges that inspire innovation. Projects that define a community. People working together to make a better future possible. The 2023 Groundbreaker Awards are here to acknowledge the most meaningful achievements in our industry.
Once again, Procore is honoring excellence in construction across 9 categories. We're putting a spotlight on the individuals, companies, and projects that are making an impact and driving real progress.
Take a few minutes and tell us your story. We want to hear how you are breaking new ground.
Submit Now
Submission open through
May 26, 2023
May 26, 2023
Submissions closed
Jun 1-28, 2023
Submission evaluation and finalist selection
Aug 10, 2023
Finalists announced
September
Winners announced at Groundbreak 2023
Get acknowledged for breaking new ground across 9 categories.
Regardless of role, sector and company in the construction industry, the Groundbreaker Awards celebrate excellence in the following categories:
Global recognition for being a Groundbreaker.
Winners in all 9 categories will be announced at Procore's annual industry event, Groundbreak, held in September in Chicago, IL. But those accolades are only part of what you'll win.
Finalists
- Each finalist will receive one complimentary conference pass to Groundbreak 2023, where winners of each category will be announced.
- Finalists will also receive a Groundbreaker Award Plaque and Groundbreaker hoodie.
- Each finalist will be announced publicly and have their story featured on Procore.com, as well as our social media channels.
- Finalists will also receive a social media package that includes a Groundbreaker Awards finalist logo and high quality graphics to share on your social channels. Total approximate retail value (ARV) is USD $200.
Winners
- Winners will receive all finalist prizes with the exception of the plaque–a Groundbreaker Award Trophy will be awarded in its place.
- Winners will also receive promotion and media exposure via a Procore Customer Story Package. This may include a case study, article, social media promotion, recognition on Procore.com, a Procore press release, and social media promotion. Winners will also receive a social media package containing a Groundbreaker Awards winner logo, as well as social media graphics and posts the winner may share on their social channels. The Customer Story Package may also include film, photography and/or other media and PR opportunities. Total approximate retail value (ARV) is USD $300.
Groundbreaker of the Year
- Winner of this category will receive winner prizes noted above, in addition to a Groundbreak 2024 VIP package.
- Included is a complimentary pass to the 2024 Groundbreak event (date and location TBD) as well as a round-trip coach flight from the major airport nearest the winner’s home (up to USD $1,000 maximum) and single occupancy hotel accommodations. Total approximate retail value (ARV) is USD $4,000.
More Details
Ascent, by C.D. Smith Construction
Ascent is at the forefront of one of the most exciting movements in building technology. The project has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, PBS Newshour, Fortune Magazine, Fast Company, and is prominently featured in the “Engineering the Future” documentary series on Amazon Prime. Ascent has a negative carbon footprint equivalent to taking 2,350 cars off the road for a year. Additionally, through forestry timber harvesting, a healthier forest is created. In the span of 23 minutes, the Northern American forest can regrow the same amount of timber utilized on Ascent. Built primarily from cross-laminated timber [CLT] Ascent offers exposed wood in all apartments and common areas. The biophilia and aesthetic benefits of timber are a differentiator felt immediately. Countless studies show that timber outperforms other materials in fire, earthquake, and wind conditions.
Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
Hathaway Dinwiddie has a broad range of experience in the process of designing and building sustainable buildings. They are experienced with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED rating system, as well as Living Building Challenge, WELL Building Standard, Net Zero Energy, Fitwel Certifications, and embodied carbon reduction strategies. In addition to complying with owner requirements, Hathaway Dinwiddie implements sustainable practices in all their projects and has achieved LEED Platinum certification on 21% of our completed LEED projects, and more than 60% are Gold certified. They have completed the first WELL Certified Building in San Francisco (The Exchange on 16th), the first CLT building in San Francisco (One De Haro), and the first building in Southern California to pursue Living Building Challenge (Santa Monica City Hall East).
Multiplex Construction Canada Ltd.
Multiplex is a leader in sustainable construction in Canada. Their innovative work includes setting a science-based target in line with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), committing to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 63% by 2035 from 2020. This target is in line with the SBTi’s most ambitious pathway of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Multiplex is the first construction company in Canada, and the only one to-date, to set a Science-Based Target inspiring others in the industry to set their targets in line with the latest climate science. Multiplex Canada is honored to be the recipient of the Green Building Pioneer award as part of the 2022 CAGBC | Canada Green Building Council Awards. The Green Building Pioneer Award recognizes an organization with an innovative approach to advancing green building technology, products, capacity building, policy, design, or operations. Multiplex was the first contractor in the world to sign WGBC’s Net Zero Commitment, leading the way in the industry and inspiring our peers to set ambitious goals.
Ananda Development Public Company Limited
Ananda’s vision has been from the outset to be an innovative company that embeds technology into everything they do. They want to deliver eye-catching landmarks, more than traditional square building design. As Ananda grew, they recognized the operational limits of spreadsheets, paper and emails and decided to embrace technology and introduce it to every level of their operations, and if they could, across the entire lifecycle of any project. They discovered early on that by implementing technology; they could deliver their business objectives faster, more efficiently and with considerable savings. Their Innovations team has pushed the boundaries of technology. From the moment a customer walks into their sales gallery they are prompted to download their self-designed app which will allow them to see the condominium online, communicate and book sales discussions. They even enabled an interface that engages Blockchain and accepts Bitcoin.
Truebeck Construction
One of Truebeck’s core values is “Courageously, make ideas reality,” which summarizes their vision for innovation. Their culture of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit gives everyone in the company the power to share their ideas about how current processes can be improved. New ideas or innovations are shared internally, either through their “Raise the Bar Competition” or directly with the Construction Technology and Innovation (CTI) team, to help develop them further and assemble pilot programs to put them to the test on real projects. Truebeck is forward-thinking when it comes to new tools and technology. Technology must be complementary to a well-developed process and provide value to our projects in order to play a useful role within their business. The development of their real-time Data Warehouse is a prime example of how Truebeck pushes the boundaries of construction technology.
Ardmac
Ardmac’s commitment to innovation stems from the top of their organization. In 2019, led by CEO Ronan Quinn, Ardmac completed an innovation program in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston. The program was called Innovation 4 Growth (I4G) and is designed to embed innovative thinking, tools, and techniques to develop and strengthen a culture of innovation across Ardmac. At the conclusion of the project, they were awarded Best Innovation Showcase. Building on the skills and knowledge developed on the I4G program they further refined and developed their innovation program which they branded internally and externally as working SMART. The purpose of the working SMART program is to help focus their innovation efforts on three main outcomes; Empower their people, Drive performance and Delight their customers. Technology has allowed Ardmac to create a solid foundation for success and some of the biggest innovations that have been successful in their business are: creating user-friendly platforms, streamlining their workflows, and assembling their Digital Innovation team.
The NRP Group
The NRP Group’s Safety Program is truly the benchmark within the Multifamily Building Industry. Their Safety Department is more highly resourced when compared to their peers, which allows them to have an unparalleled safety presence at every job site. They educate and empower their staff and subcontractors to recognize and abate safety hazards quickly, proactively and cost effectively, allowing NRP Construction to leverage safety practices to help prevent schedule delays, lost production, and damage to their strong industry reputation. The NRP Group’s construction safety program fundamentally seeks to prevent workplace injuries, property loss, and environmental risk through a comprehensive and proactive approach.
EV Construction
EV Construction’s safety program is based on the mantra,"Leading from the Heart"; it is people-centric. They do not enforce safety because of the risk of increased insurance costs or because of lost opportunity but because the lives of their team members matter. They focus on the human aspect. Their employees are not a number, they are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, community volunteers, church deacons, PTA members, coaches, mentors and more. One of their core values, the one listed first on the list, is "People Over Profit", meaning safety over expediency.
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
At McCarthy their goal is simple: To Be The Best Builder In America. They believe that in order To Be The Best Builder In America, they must be the SAFEST Builder In America. Everything starts with Safety. An embedded culture of safety starts with Ownership – Leading by example. Starting with their CEO Ray Sedey, to each and every one of their employee owners, a never-ending focus that safety is at the heart of what they do! To be the SAFEST Builder in America requires a safety program that is not only measured by traditional lagging safety statistics, but it also requires a Safety Culture embraced by every employee. McCarthy strives to create, promote, and uphold a Genuine Safety Culture that embodies this belief. A culture where safety becomes intrinsic, a fundamental philosophy to work safe – not because of enforcement or discipline, but rather because they understand it’s the right thing to do!
Trow Group
Trow Group has been facilitating and impacting all communities in New Zealand. When Trow was established their main focus was to make sure their communities were incorporated into every decision that was made; whether it was installing technology to eliminate distraction at schools or offering their facilities and resources to other organizations to run innovative programs. In collaboration with New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, Trow Group created a program named Open-Classroom. It's a program based purely on “If they are not learning the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn?”. This was a unique approach as it is the first of its kind, especially within the deconstruction/construction industry. They provide the opportunity to re-engage with learning through the construction industry to assist in creating a pathway, with a view to further training or employment opportunities derived from the Open Classroom.
Blue Door - Construct
Construct - A Social Enterprise by Blue Door, a non-profit organization that is the largest emergency housing provider in York Region, provides vulnerable youth and adults who are at risk of or who have recently experienced homelessness in the York, Durham, and Peel Region of the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada with in-class training and hands-on work experience in the construction
industry. The first program of its kind in York Region, Construct provides an innovative and unique opportunity for individuals experiencing barriers to employment to receive low-barrier training in a paid pre-apprenticeship program. Participants are equipped with job readiness training, on-the-job experience, connections to post-program employment, and wraparound supports to ensure equitable access. These skills contribute to the pattern-breaking change for vulnerable youth and adults facing barriers to employment which too often leads to poverty and homelessness.
The Revitalization of El Portal de El Yunque, Interlink Construction
5 years ago, after Hurricane Maria inflicted catastrophic damage to the visitor center for El Yunue National Rainforest in Pureto Rico,the only rainforest in the US Forest Service system, Interlink Construction was selected for the design-build project located in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. El Portal, the visitors center for El Yunque National Rainforest,remained closed throughout the duration of the project, making its eventual completion a huge impact on the Rio Grande community, as it is the 2nd most visited place in Puerto Rico, receiving nearly 600,000 visitors each year.
Roebbelen Contracting, Inc.
Roebbelen is committed to workforce development, not only within the company, but for the entire Northern California region. In addition to their robust programs of apprenticeship and internship, Roebbelen has taken a leadership role in creating a one-of-kind high school dedicated exclusively to the construction industry. This school, Capital College and Career Academy-Roebbelen Campus, caters to students who are interested in all aspects of construction, from the trades to architecture and engineering. Students attending the school will have the opportunity to enter the field immediately upon graduation or move forward to college. Roebbelen’s company culture is dedicated to supporting this school, both financially and by providing internship opportunities. The spirit of training and developing the workforce is so ingrained in their culture that it now extends to the entire region where they work. The students that graduate from their school will be able to work for any construction company that they choose. Roebbelen is proud to partner with Capital College and Career Academy to start the Roebbelen Campus. There is no cost to attend this school. This charter high school was approved in 2021 and will open in 2023. Roebbelen is the lead donor — making this school become a reality in Sacramento. This school is the ONLY high school focused solely on delivering hands-on learning using the construction trades as a pathway into a career, allowing student learning to extend far beyond the walls of the traditional classroom, and introducing authentic, real world learning opportunities.
Western Allied Mechanical
Western Allied Mechanical focuses much attention to culture as they have seen how important a diverse workforce is. They are more productive, profitable and cohesive when the team is diverse. So to help increase the diversity in the trades and increase the numbers coming into the trades they have started Heavy Metal Summer Experience. Heavy Metal Summer Experience is a summer camp for high school students from underserved areas to get hands-on experience working with piping and sheet metal. They have grown this program from 2 locations last summer to 11 locations and 180 kids today. This program is helping to get more numbers in their trades as well as a more diverse population.
The NRP Group
The NRP Group understands what the best way to build their business is to build the people within it. Their employee-centric culture strives to keep each employee engaged through development opportunities, open communication and recognition. NRP offers live monthly workshops to build essential competencies and skills and can access thousands of on demand resources through LinkedIn Learning. Additionally, their Learning and Development team offers live career development workshops, tools, resources and individual coaching to help employees grow their careers. ‘ElevateU’ is a program dedicated to developing the skills of managers at all levels to grow and expand foundational leadership skills and set goals for the future. They have also created two programs to attract the next generation of talent. The first of these programs is a nuanced, 10-week summer internship program for undergraduate students. Over the past five years, the program has grown from 1-2 office-based construction interns to over 15 interns working onsite across the country. The second is the NRP Apprenticeship program in partnership with YouthBuild. This program is open to anyone 18 years old or older with a High School Diploma or GED interested in pursuing a career in construction and offers apprenticeship opportunities and helps at-risk youth secure meaningful employment and a chance of building a long-term career.
Indra Gutierrez,President, Gutier
Indra Gutierrez is the President of Gutier. She has over fifteen years of experience working in the construction industry overseeing $10 billion construction projects across the Gulf Coast Region. Indra has dedicated most of her career growing Gutier strategically within the commercial, industrial and government markets. To this date, the company has not received any outside capital investment and all profits have been invested back into the business to support the growth of the organization. Indra oversees the company’s business operations, business development and organizational strategy. She recently led the company’s strategic transformation from being a subcontractor to now being a premier General Contractor in Houston, TX. Indra is an immigrant, raised by a single mother, and a first-generation college student. She has received an Executive MBA from the University of Texas in Austin, an M.S. in International Business from Houston Baptist University, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Houston. In addition to her studies, Indra is passionate about women representation in the construction industry. She currently leads the women’s empowerment group within Gutier, where the main topics of discussions are related to women working in male dominated industries. She believes empowering the next generation of female leaders is the key to the future success of the construction industry.
Hank Hintze, Account Executive, J.T. Magen & Company
With 40 years of experience in the construction industry, Hank Hintze still brings his passion for the job every day. Hank is one of the top producers at J.T. Magen, a $1.6 billion general contractor with offices in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto. Currently Hank is working on seven construction projects encompassing 1.4 million square feet and valued at $376 million worth of work. Hank has won 12 top project awards, including 7 alone for Campari Group’s NY headquarters. As a technology innovator, he led the implementation of the largest PoE (Power over Ethernet) system installed at that time in the U.S. at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, followed by the country’s most complex PoE system at Accenture. In the process, he helped establish industry standards, fixture substitutions, installation strategies and systems testing protocols that are now in common use across the industry.
Atul Paralkar, Executive Director of Business Intelligence | Operational Excellence, Holt Construction Corp
Atul Paralkar’s passion for being a change agent has often placed him either leading or participating in teams impacting change at an organizational level. Deriving immense fulfillment from changing data to insight and further to actionable recommendations, Atul champions evolving the construction industry into a more informed one. With this comes passion in advocating for technology and operational excellence both within and outside Holt Group. Having won ENR’s National 20 under 40 award in 2021 emboldened Atul’s belief that a first-generation immigrant can still vie to truly belong in this country and in the industry. He is a member of Holt’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion taskforce and continues to advocate for inclusion in the workplace, creating an open dialogue around the topic – while recognizing that a lot remains to be accomplished. He leads Career Development Committee initiatives for young professionals of a multinational organization (Jacobs) where he works closely with the youth to provide advice, guidance, and critical messaging for a well-rounded growth path, based on understanding a wide breadth of available opportunity versus matching portable skills.
Moynihan Train Hall, Skanska USA
Ten years ago, Skanska began work on the Moynihan Station Phase 1 project in New York City. The $220 million expansion and modernization linked the West End Concourse at Penn Station to the historic James A. Farley Post Office Building, improving passenger circulation and capacity for nine of the station’s 12 train platforms. A month after their team completed Phase 1 in August 2016, developers Vornado Realty LP and Related Companies partnered with Skanska to be their design-builder for Phase 2: a $1.6 billion rehabilitation effort known as the Moynihan Train Hall project. Scope of The Moynihan Train Hall project included a new, 225,000-SF train hall; 112,000-SF of retail space; 738,000-SF of commercial office space; and the exterior restoration of the 109-year-old Farley Building, as well as the adjacent Annex building. Within the train hall, Skanska constructed nine platforms and 17 tracks, along with passenger facilities, waiting areas, security spaces and ticketing areas for the Long Island Railroad and Amtrak. They were responsible for structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing scopes, as well as the demolition or adaptive reuse of existing structural and architectural elements. This 1.3 million-SF project expanded the available floor space in Penn Station by more than 50 percent, reducing congestion for its 600,000+ commuters every day. The centerpiece of the building are its 92-foot high, barrel-vaulted skylights, which required 775,000 pounds of steel reinforcement and the installation of nearly 2,200 individual glass panels.
Michigan State Capitol Infrastructure Upgrades and Heritage Hall, The Christman Company
The Michigan State Capitol Commission’s work to preserve this 144-year-old treasure included preventing water damage through the building's exterior, updating the deteriorating mechanical, electrical, fire suppression, and plumbing systems, adding an underground full facility backup generator vault, a second underground structure for a new 10,000sf central utility plant and a geothermal field header and heater/chiller. The project included a 224 well geothermal field, as well as restoring the grounds to an open grass lawn concept as originally intended. On the interior more than 300 fan coil units were replaced as well as 21 air handling units. All this work was conducted in a fully active public, government-used building. The Heritage Hall addition was added on to the project scope to construct a 40,000sf underground welcome center on the northwest of the property to receive the upwards of 200,000 visitors a year to the Capitol. This included additional geothermal wells to an overall total of 272, added pumping and heater chiller capacity in the new central utility plant, and all direct support equipment in the underground structure of the new facility. The additional work was issued to preserve the historic finishes restored in the original 1992 restoration project of the Capitol, add a safe space to receive and orient visitors, provide a large flexible modern meeting space, and provide a space to perform conservation work.
Norwegian Cruise Line Terminal B and Parking Garage at PortMiami, NV2A-Haskell JV
The NV2A-Haskell Joint Venture (JV) is the construction manager-at-risk for the newest and largest cruise terminal at PortMiami. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Terminal B redefined the landscape of Miami’s skyline and draw its inspiration from a nautilus, with a spiraled, multi-level façade opening to grand ocean views. The iconic structure has been dubbed the “Pearl of Miami”. At 189,300 sf, the terminal is 700 ft. long by 150 ft. high, this state-of-the-art terminal accommodates ships of up to 5,000 passengers, featuring new technology to support faster and more efficient embarkation and disembarkation processes as well as expedited security screening and luggage check-in. This is the first cruise terminal to achieve a LEED Gold certification in the world, gaining honorary recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council. It has been constructed with innovative and sustainable ideas at the forefront. Sustainable features include optimized indoor air quality, efficient use of water, utilization of local materials, protection for wildlife such as manatees and protection against pollution. Terminal B performs at least 38% more efficiently than the average building.
The Lied Place Condominium, Willmar Electric Service
The Lied Place Condominium is a 22-story tower constructed in the heart of Lincoln, Nebraska. The tower is the 2nd highest building in Lincoln measuring 253’ tall. The project was a Design/Build negotiated project for Willmar Electric with a value of $2,687,700 and 26,000 labor hours. The scope of work included all normal power, emergency power, lighting, fire alarm, area of refuge, and lightning protection. Willmar Electric Service also installed raceways for data/communications and the access control System. There are two electrical services to the building with a combined 47 electrical meters that serve 7 levels of commercial space housing a law firm, restaurant, and real estate development company as well as 15 levels of condominiums that feature 37 different housing units.
AK360 Albright Knox Art Gallery, John W. Danforth Co.
The “AK360” job is a $200M+ construction project taking place at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY. There are two major facets to the project: overhaul renovations to the historic 1905 and 1962 Buildings, and erection of a new state-of-the-art three story building that will more than double the number of works the museum used to display, adding 30,000 square feet of exhibition space to the campus. JW Danforth Co. is working as the mechanical subcontractor on the project to Gilbane Building Company. The scope of work includes installation of airside and hydronic systems and equipment in the brand new 3-story addition to the campus and the existing historic buildings, including large bore underground piping mains that travel across the site between the new and old buildings.
Medtronic, U.S. Engineering Construction
Medtronic’s $200m 400,000 ft2 healthcare facility campus broke ground in June of 2021. US Engineering was selected as the mechanical subcontractor on the project installing sheet metal, pipe fitting, and plumbing work between the three connected buildings. The project was set up by the main runs of the sheet metal that were installed by another contractor and US Engineering tied into them.
The Press Block, Dexel Developments
The Press Block is a 9-storey mixed-use development including 120 units, 650 m2 of retail space, 3 levels of underground parking and roof top amenity terraces. The project is in the heart of downtown Halifax and includes the preservation of 2 historic building facades which are vital to the storied history and unique skyline of the city. The design approach for the project is aimed at maintaining the heritage elements of the historic properties while adding a new structure that is "physically and visually compatible with yet subordinate and distinguishable from the heritage elements."
Fort Bragg UESC Floating Solar and Battery Energy Storage, Duke Energy, Ameresco & D3Energy
In a collaboration with Fort Bragg, Duke Energy and Ameresco, a 1.1 MW floating solar installation was built on the Big Muddy Lake located at Camp Mackall. The project is part of a $36 million Utility energy Service Contract (UESC) that focused on energy resilience and security at Fort Bragg. The system will supply power to the fort from the local grid and provide power during electric service outages. This is the largest floating solar PV system in the southeast and the first for the Department of Defense. Duke Energy is the prime contractor for this contract and their team is responsible for technical and contract oversight.
Beam Living - A Blackstone Portfolio Company
Beam Living, a Blackstone Company was born from a desire to make city life happier. They thought that the city needed a place where New Yorkers could enjoy the best parts of the city while they took care of the rest. Beam Living follows the mantra “leave people happier than you found them." And since 2017, they’ve been turning that mantra into action by the management and upkeep of over 15,000 apartments across some of the most notorious communities in New York City. At Beam Living, their passion is to create great places to work, live, and grow.