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Hugh
Benton Gabbard
Hugh Benton Gabbard
received a Construction Management Founders Society Lifetime Achievement
Award.
Hugh Benton Gabbard, the youngest
of eight children, was born in Berea, Kentucky on March 4, 1945 to Laura
and Robert Gabbard. He attended elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse
at Big Hill and graduated from Madison Central High School in 1961.
Mr. Gabbard then attended Berea College where he graduated in 1965 at
the age of 20 with a B.A. in Mathematics. He went to work part-time
for the Department of Transportation while attending the College of
Engineering at the University of Kentucky where he graduated in civil
engineering in May of 1968. He then worked as an Assistant Resident
Engineer in Madison County until he entered the Army in October of 1968.
In April of 1969, after completing basic and infantry training, Mr.
Gabbard was assigned to the 4/23 Mechanized Infantry, 25th Infantry
Division at Tay Ninh Province in South Vietnam. He served with the 4/23
Mechanized Infantry until he rotated back to the United States in June
of 1970. He returned to his position with the Kentucky Department of
Transportation in Madison County until January 1971. He was then appointed
Resident Engineer in Woodford County where he was in charge of the construction
of I-64 between Frankfort and Lexington.
In 1975, Mr. Gabbard joined the Allen Company, Inc. in Winchester as
the company engineer. He worked his way through the ranks and was appointed
Assistant Vice President, Vice President and then in 1987 he was appointed
President. He has been very involved in the growth of the company for
the last 30 years and has overseen the company’s expansion with the
acquisitions of Danville Construction in 1984, the Carey Company in
1990 and M.A. Walker Company in 2004. The Allen Company, Inc. has been
involved in several major construction projects in Central Kentucky
including the six-laning of I-75 in southern Fayette County, all of
Madison County and northern Rockcastle County.
Mr. Gabbard has been a leader in several organizations including three
terms as a director and two terms as President of Plantmix Asphalt Industry.
He served two terms as director and one term as Chairman for the Kentucky
Crushed Stone Association. Mr. Gabbard is serving his second term on
the Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors board. He served as
Chairman for Highway Contractors in 1999. He has also served as a board
member of Kentuckians for Better Transportation for many years and was
Chairman in 2001.
Mr. Gabbard was involved in
the Richmond Little League for several years, serving as vice president
and as president for one year. He has served on various bank boards
for many years and is currently serving as an advisory board member
for Cumberland Valley Bank.
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