NEWS
in memoriam By: zoe baldwin An industry is formed when individual companies come together to champion the best interests of the group. Like in a family, this unity creates strength and empathy and forges bonds that will last a lifetime, which is why it is with great sadness that we pause to remember two extended family members lost this April: Dick Foster of PKF-Mark III and Travis Hutchinson of Selco Manufacturing Corp.
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ick Foster grew up in Massachusetts, graduated from MIT, and spent time in the Air Force before starting his construction career with contractor Peter Kiewit Sons. In 1966, Dick and two Kiewit co-workers, Bill Perkins and Al Kanak, joined forces to form PKF. The firm grew steadily to become PKF-Mark III, and in 1979, Dick was named President and then later CEO. His leadership was legend, and his integrity and commitment to “do what was right” remains the foundation of the company’s motto today: “Excellence Built on Integrity.” Dick led by example, knew the details of every job, and had a serious commitment to safety. An organized and clean site was a safe and productive one in Dick’s mind, and he made a point of regularly walking through jobsites to inspect. He expected everything down to bolts and nuts, making sure they were in bins and buckets and not left in the dirt where they could be lost or a hazard. At the same time, he was unabashed in recognizing that PKF was in business to produce a profit for its shareholders — a mindset that helped the firm grow and thrive under his leadership. With a reputation for being firm but fair, Dick was a leader and an inspiration to all who knew him. Through the countless construction projects built by his firm and through his active role in the Boy Scouts and broader community, the impact of Dick’s life and career will be felt for generations to come. Dick passed away on April 28, 2020 at the age of 90.
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ravis Hutchinson grew up in Long Island before moving to New Jersey to study chemical engineering at Rutgers University, where he also served as starting pitcher on the baseball team. He met his wife Peggy and married in 1964 before continuing his education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and later at New York University. Though we knew him as the owner of Selco Manufacturing, Travis got his start in engineering, working for Air Reduction, M.W. Kellogg Company of New York City, and later with Combustion Engineering (C-E) Lummus in Bloomfield, NJ. He rose to become the CEO of Lummus in 1981, which was a global leader in the petrol chemical industry. By 1986, Travis was looking for a change and struck off on his own with the purchase of Selco Manufacturing Corporation. At the time, Selco was a small, six-person company in West Paterson, New Jersey that produced third rail components for the New York City subway system. Under Travis’ leadership, Selco grew steadily and expanded into several construction markets, ultimately becoming a leading supplier to the MTA Railroads, state and city departments of transportation, and to contractors across the region. The company is both AISC and ISO certified and continues to be a leading manufacturer of rail transit products and steel fabrications used to build and maintain America’s infrastructure. In recent years, Travis continued to work passionately and contribute at Selco while working alongside his son Peter, who assumed the leadership of the firm in 2018. Travis passed on April 11, 2020 at 77 years of age and will be sorely missed.
Utility & Transportation Contractor | june| 2020 83
