The ECA DIG Award committee has named John Hakel as the association’s 32nd recipient recognizing his achievements of Dignity, Integrity and Generosity – DIG – in the construction industry

Hakel is the Executive Director at Southern California Partnership For Jobs, a group comprised of 2,750 constructions firms employing more than 90,000 union workers in 12 Southern California counties. Their mission is to engage elected officials and educate the public on the need for continued infrastructure funding creating thousands of career construction jobs in the region.

He is a member of the Southern California Associations of Governments; Inland Empire Economic Partnership; Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce; Orange County Business Council; Advisory Board Member of Mobility 21 and is currently serving on the Los Angeles Community College District Oversight Committee. Since 2016, John has established personal working relationships with the California Transportation Commission, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Riverside County Transportation Commission. He was among the top leaders in the local passage of Measure M (LA County) which created 485,000 jobs and decades of work for the construction industry. His involvement with the passage of SB1 Statewide transportation initiative created $5.2 billion of infrastructure improvements that will provide construction careers for our men and women throughout California for over the next 10 years

Under John’s leadership, Southern California Partnership for Jobs has grown from a newly established organization to a name that elected officials and top leaders in infrastructure have come to readily recognize.

At this years DIG Awards ECAwill continue its tradition of honoring individuals who have laid the foundations upon which this industry is built. As we have done since 1988, we will again recognize the dedicated work of those who have advanced the professionalism of the construction industry

Proceeds from the DIG Award benefit the ECA Scholarship fund. Since its inception in 1990 by late ECA President, Les Weed, the ECA Scholarship Committee has awarded $245,000 to 122 recipients to further academic careers in a variety of disciplines

The 32nd Annual ECA DIG Award will be held Thursday, October 24, 2019, beginning with a hosted reception at 6:00 p.m., and followed by dinner and ceremony at 7:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Millennium Biltmore Hotel located at 506 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California.