On October 26, 2023, three Distinguished Constructors will be inducted into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame located in the Granger Center for Construction and HVACR on the Ferris State University campus in Big Rapids, MI. Selection for the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame is based upon nominees’ technical, managerial, and leadership achievements within construction and related industries, as well as service to the profession and community. This year’s three inductees represent over 130 years of experience in the construction industry.
Douglas L. Maibach - Barton Malow
Doug Maibach, P.E. was born in Redford Township, MI. He is the youngest of 8 children. Working after high school graduation on a layout team and assisting the superintendent on Barton Malow’s GM Conner Avenue plant site solidified for Doug that he wanted to study Civil Engineering at Michigan State University. Upon college graduation, he went to work as a field engineer incorporating final actions on the then‐new Wayne County Jail. Doug quickly completed an MBA and began working in Barton Malow’s self‐perform group (“General Trades”), focusing on concrete foundations and structures. Under Doug’s leadership, the self‐perform group expanded to include work on interiors in addition to civil, concrete, steel erection, rigging, and equipment Installation.
Doug returned to the construction management side of Barton Malow as a Vice President for major projects in commercial, healthcare, sports, and education. Before his retirement as Chairman of the Board of Barton Malow Enterprise and Executive Vice President of the company, Doug was responsible for forward planning of the organization. In that role, he significantly expanded the scope of the enterprise’s capital needs, its support operations, and risk management using their own insurance entity.
Much of Doug’s time has been spent with the Associated General Contractors (AGC) – both Michigan and National ‐ serving on numerous committees and as a Board Member, including its Education and Research Foundation. He also led the Barton Malow Foundation from 2002 until his retirement in 2022. Under Doug’s guidance, the Foundation received numerous awards, recognizing the company as a community builder ‐ expanding from helping to support causes in which their clients were involved to causes that their employees found to be worthwhile in the community where they live, work, and play.
Bernard “Bernie” Mein - Mein, Inc.
Bernard “Bernie” Mein has lived in Portage, Michigan his entire life. His grandfather was a carpenter and his dad, Bud, was a builder. At 8 years old, Bernie would visit his father’s construction sites (multiple residential subdivisions) where he would sweep out the basements and garages. When his father left the industry, Bernie and his brother, Gary, started their own building company, Mein, Inc. utilizing the remaining buildable lots owned by their father.
Mein, Inc. constructed subdivisions, custom homes, and semi‐custom homes throughout the Kalamazoo and Portage area. Bernie and his brother were Mein, Inc.’s primary employees, doing everything necessary for the business. Bernie and Gary are considered pioneers in the development of the City of Portage due to their residential projects as well as their ventures into commercial and retail development.
Bernie joined his local HBA to help them with their home exposition and soon realized that for Mein, Inc., there were big benefits to joining the HBA. He served as President of his local HBA in 1991 and later as Secretary of the state HBA.
During these years, Bernie became very involved in the legal arguments to revise the size requirement for utilizing an architect; the development a single published building code; the development of the Energy Code; and builder’s license law reform.
David I. Ruby - Ruby+Associates, Inc.
David I. Ruby, PE, SE, F‐ASCE, was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania – the heart of steel country. His neighbor worked for American Bridge (a subsidiary of US Steel and the largest fabricator in the US). He would regale David with stories of the structures upon which he worked. This, and an influential math teacher, encouraged him to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a structures option.
Upon graduation, David worked as a draftsman (where all engineers were expected to spend 1 ½ ‐ 2 ½ years) with American Bridge, learning the importance of accuracy, connections, and how the design will work when completed in the field. After 10+ years at American Bridge, he moved to several steel fabricators and engineering design firms that exposed him to projects around the US and the globe.
A project‐related phone call with one of his clients earned him a $30,000 check ‐ enough to start his own firm serving the steel construction industry. This new firm, Ruby+Associates, Inc., began in his son’s bedroom with three drafting tables. Ruby+Associates, Inc. has provided steel erection and stability analysis, value‐engineered solutions, and constructability‐focused design on many high‐profile projects throughout the US.
He has served in many leadership roles in multiple industry service organizations, including Structural Engineers Association of Michigan; Council of American Structural Engineers, National Council of Structural Engineers Associations; and the American Institute of Steel Construction.
David has been honored by the steel construction industry through multiple awards including the J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award (architects/engineers who are universally recognized as the pre‐eminent steel designers of their era) ‐ David is only the 12th recipient of the award in 80 years. He is also a recipient of the Felix A. Anderson Award which recognizes a leader in the engineering profession whose actions have positively affected the public’s understanding and appreciation of the engineering profession, and the AISC Lifetime Achievement Award.
David Ruby is the father of Tricia Ruby, current President and CEO of Ruby+Associates and chair of the Construction Association of Michigan.
About the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame
The Michigan Construction Hall of Fame in Ferris State University's Granger Center for Construction and HVACR serves as a permanent place for students, staff, and visitors to appreciate the achievements of leaders of the construction industry in Michigan.
The Ferris State University Construction Management program is nationally accredited through the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE). The program enjoys strong ties with its industry partners, and graduates enter the workforce as contributing members of commercial, residential, and heavy civil construction firms. The Construction Hall of Fame provides an icon challenging us all to strive for excellence while creating a visible linkage between the construction industry and Ferris State University.