MAPA Hall of Fame

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2025 Hall of Fame Inductees

Joan Marie Donovan (1965-2023), J.D. Donovan Inc.

Joan Marie Donovan (1965–2023) was the owner of J.D. Donovan, Inc. for 34 years and a pioneer in Minnesota’s construction industry. In 1991, her company became the state’s first Woman-Owned Business to haul asphalt products. She earned the 1998 Blue Chip Enterprise Award for overcoming adversity and achieving business success. Joan was a respected leader, dedicated business owner, and active member of MAPA, Women of Asphalt, Women in Construction, and multiple community organizations.

Rich Carron, Valley Paving Inc.

Richard “Rich” Carron founded Valley Paving, Inc. in 1978 and built the company into one of Minnesota’s respected asphalt paving and construction firms. A U.S. Army veteran who served during the Vietnam era, he instilled a culture of hard work, integrity, and respect that continues to define the company today. Leadership has since transitioned to the next generation, but Rich’s values remain central to Valley Paving’s identity.

2024 Hall of Fame Inductees

Dave Holt, Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association

David S. Holt graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1959 with a degree in Civil Engineering. Shortly after graduation he was drafted, and — given his critical engineering skills — fulfilled his military service in New Jersey before beginning his professional career.

In 1959, Dave joined MnDOT, where he spent 13 years in research and then as a Bituminous Engineer. It was during this time that he played a key role in developing the thin overlay concept, a paving method that would have a lasting impact on road construction across Minnesota.

Recognizing Dave's expertise, MAPA Director John Hoene recruited him to join the organization as an engineer. Dave went on to become MAPA's Executive Director, overseeing the growth of the organization and its offices from St. Paul to New Brighton. During his tenure he hired Rich Wolters and Professor Gene Skok, and together the three established asphalt technology across the state, including advancing the asphalt recycling program.

Dave was deeply committed to education in the civil engineering field. He helped fund the Miles Kirsten Endowed Chair, which provided a state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratory for asphalt studies at the University of Minnesota. He also volunteered as Director of the Civil Engineering Department's Career Development Program from 1989 to 1995, and was a certified instructor in the Minnesota Vocational Education Program. He also originated MAPA's annual auction, with proceeds benefiting the University of Minnesota.

Dave retired in July 2003 after 31 years with MAPA, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, education, and leadership in the asphalt industry across Minnesota and the Midwest.

Gaylen Ghylin, Tiller Corporation

Born and raised in central North Dakota, Gaylen Ghylin is a graduate of the University of North Dakota and a Certified Public Accountant. He began his career with an international CPA firm, spending nine years in Minneapolis and Stockholm, Sweden.

 Gaylen dedicated 38 years as a Board member and Officer of Tiller Corporation, a Maple Grove-based manufacturer of road construction materials, including sand, gravel, and asphalt mix. He also served as an Officer of Bryan Rock Products, Inc., specializing in limestone-based road construction materials.

An active member of the road construction industry, Gaylen is a Past President of MAPA, a former Minnesota State Director of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), and a Past Co-Chair of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance, which promotes asphalt products. He also co-chaired the North Central Asphalt User Producer Group, facilitating the implementation of SuperPave across seven states.

Since retiring in 2017, Gaylen serves as Director and Audit Committee Chair for BNCCORP, Inc., a North Dakota-based bank holding company. He is also the Capital Campaign Chair for a Pool and Gym Project with True Friends, Inc., a non-profit serving individuals with disabilities, and serves as President of the Normandale Lake Condominium Association in Bloomington.

Gaylen's career reflects a steadfast commitment to leadership, innovation, and service across multiple industries.

2023 Hall of Fame Inductees

Ken Hall, Hardrives

Kenneth R. Hall was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he began his career with Teague Engineering before moving on to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

In 1963, Ken partnered with Gordon Barbarossa to found Hardrives, Inc., an asphalt paving company headquartered in St. Cloud. He even designed the company's "Hardyman" mascot himself. Under his leadership, Hardrives grew steadily through the 1960s, opening a Minneapolis office in 1968 to serve the expanding Twin Cities market and establishing an Outstate Division to cover Greater Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Ken served on MAPA's Board of Directors and was its President in 1982. He retired as President and CEO of Hardrives, Inc. in 1995. Throughout his career, he made a point of bringing his children into the business, passing on his commitment to quality and hard work.

Ken Hall passed away on December 24, 1997, at the age of 63, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the Minnesota asphalt industry. He is perhaps best remembered for the principle that guided his life and career:

"Have a plan and work your plan."

Bauerly Companies

Bauerly Brothers was founded in the 1960s and grew to be known as a high-tech producer and placer of asphalt, aggregate and ready-mix in the state of Minnesota. From hauling aggregates in the early years of the company, the company grew through developing many strategic aggregate mining locations to support a growing asphalt paving business.

Bauerly Companies grew from a few dump trucks to employing over 750 employees and included 5 asphalt plants, 22 ready-mix plants, 19 crushing, screening, and washing plants, and a state-of-the-art quality control lab. Five division teams managing aggregate, asphalt, ready-mix, equipment and central services lead the company.

The family invested in their people through training and development and giving back to the communities in which they lived and worked. The slogan “Building Better Communities” was the heart and soul of the company. The company was launched by Leo and Agnes Bauerly in the early 1960s and ultimately owned by six brothers including Dave, Jerry, Mike, Brian, Mark, and Jake. Sisters Alice and Pam also worked in the business. Over the decades, many other family members also  contributed to the business in significant ways! In 2001, Bauerly Companies merged with Knife River to expand its offerings and services and through larger operations. Several family members, including Dave, Jerry, Mark, and Jake served on the MAPA board over the years.

2022 Hall of Fame Inductees

Rich Wolters, Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association

Rich Wolters grew up on a farm in southeastern North Dakota and earned a BS in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University (NDSU). He became a Registered Professional Engineer in both Minnesota and North Dakota.

Rich began his career with MnDOT, where he spent 21 years in construction, research, environmental services, bituminous engineering, and regional airports. He also led development of the Cold Regions Pavement Research Test Facility (now MnROAD) on I-94 near Monticello. In 1982, as MnDOT's State Bituminous Engineer, he received the National Asphalt Pavement Association Industry Recognition Award for advancing asphalt recycling methods and specs during the OPEC energy crisis.

Rich then served four years as District Engineer for the Asphalt Institute, covering North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. In 1993, he joined MAPA as Director of Engineering and Training, later helped establish the Dakota Asphalt Pavement Association (1996), and became MAPA's Executive Director in 2002. After 21 years with MAPA, Rich retired in August 2013. Over a 46-year career, he played a significant role in advancing the asphalt industry's leadership, quality, and integrity across the Midwest and nationally.

Bob Ulland, Ulland Brothers Inc.

Bob Ulland graduated from Austin High School (1957) and earned a BS in Civil Engineering and Construction Management from Stanford University in 1961. He began his career at Taggart Construction in Cody, WY and Las Vegas, NV, serving as estimator and equipment superintendent before becoming President (1962–1965).

In 1974, Bob became President of Ulland Brothers, Inc., a highway, heavy construction, and construction materials company operating across Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. He remained a registered engineer and held financial planning responsibilities until his retirement in 2004.

Throughout his career, Bob represented the U.S. highway contractor industry on a Federal Highway Administration study trip to Germany, France, Austria, and Spain (1993) — one of only four contractors selected nationally. He also joined a MnDOT goodwill delegation to Finland, Norway, Estonia, and Sweden in 1996 to promote engineering exchanges between Minnesota and those countries.

2021 Hall of Fame Inductees

Gary Sauer, Tiller Corporation

In 1967, Gary joined Barton Contracting under Gene Barton and Les McGray where he started as the assistant treasurer. By 1986, Gary became the sole owner of Barton Contracting, creating a new umbrella company named Tiller Corporation in 1988. The company was restructured to transition from heavy highway contracting to a focused construction industry material supplier with three

 operating divisions: Barton Sand & Gravel, Barton Enterprises, and Commercial Asphalt. Through Gary’s leadership, he continued to grow Tiller Corporation by adding 10 asphalt plants, 15 active gravel mining operations, and a 26 million gallon asphalt cement storage facility throughout the Twin Cities metro area. Tiller also acquired land holdings totaling over 3,000 acres in the greater Twin Cities areas. Throughout his business career, Gary always made sure he was an ambassador of the communities in which he did business by developing restored land and donating property for parks and recreation – Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove is the flagship example of this philosophy.   Gary, and his wife Pat of 56 years of marriage, are the proud parents of four children and nine grandchildren. Continuing to give back to their community, Gary and Pat created the Sauer Family Foundation which has been serving children and families in Minnesota for the last 25 years.

Harris Duininck, Duininck Bros

Harris Duininck was born in Prinsburg, Minnesota to Wilbur and Nellie Duininck. He graduated high school in Prinsburg and attended Dordt College in Iowa. Harris began working full time at Duininck Bros in 1959. He has served on a variety of industry boards. Harris is married to Connie, wife of 62 years, has four children and eight grandchildren. 

2019 Hall of Fame Inductees

Wayne Thorson, Thorson Construction Company

Wayne Thorson's construction career began in the late 1940s when, as a college student, he went to work for his father-in-law Bert Ness at Ness Construction Company in Mahnomen, Minnesota. He worked his way up to road foreman, supervising crushers and managing graveling projects. In the fall of 1957, Wayne and Bert parted ways — Wayne says he quit; Bert says he was fired.

That winter, Wayne sought financing to start his own crushing company but was turned down by every bank he approached. He eventually found a backer in Zieglers, thanks in large part to Leonard Hoeft, a Zieglers employee who had witnessed Wayne's work at Ness Construction firsthand and championed the new venture. Hoeft would go on to become a lifelong friend.

With Zieglers' support, WT Thorson Construction Company was founded with six employees, a crusher, two dozers, and a handful of single-axle dump trucks. Within just one year, Wayne had paid off his debt to Zieglers entirely. In 1962, he acquired a small paving firm in Bemidji and relocated the company there, renaming it Thorson Inc. Several acquisitions followed, including Ness Construction and Northwest Surfacing Co. in 1968, and Blacktop Surfacing Co. of Detroit Lakes in 1970.

Wayne also made a lasting mark on asphalt technology by introducing the first drum-mix asphalt plant in outstate Minnesota. Initially not recognized as an acceptable mixing process, Wayne negotiated its use on a trial basis — accepting a ten-cent-per-ton deduct on the mix. The approach proved successful, though the ten-cent deduct clause was subsequently written into state and county project specifications for the next several decades.

By the early 1980s, Thorson Inc. had grown to over 250 employees with one local asphalt plant, three large road plants, and nine crushing spreads operating across northwestern Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota. Wayne remained loyal throughout his career to those who had supported him early on, including Zieglers, from whom he purchased nine new pieces of equipment in a single order in the late 1980s.

In 2002, Wayne sold Thorson Inc. to MDU Resources, which established Knife River Materials in Bemidji, assuming Thorson's operations, equipment, and extensive network of gravel pits and aggregate sources across northern Minnesota. That operation continues to thrive today.

Jerry Petermeier, Hawkinson Construction

Jerry Petermeier’s construction career began right out of high school as an inspector for the MN Highway Dept from 1955-64. He then joined Hardrives Co as an estimator and general superintendant. Declining a transfer offer to the Twin Cities, he instead accepted a position at Hawkinson Construction in Grand Rapids, MN. There, he was VP, estimator, and general superintendant. In 1975, Jerry was President of the MAPA Board of Directors.