The Al Kaufman Award was instituted in April 2015, in recognition of outstanding Chapter contributions by an individual member. This award is given out from time to time when it appears that an individual goes above and beyond in his or her contributions to the Chapter’s certification activities.
The award is named after Alfred Leon Kaufman, Jr., who, in 1988, was the Chapter’s first co-chair of the then newly created Certification Committee. He has also served as the National Chairman of the Flatwork Finisher Certification Committee, promoting a pilot program locally before the program went national.
Mr. Kaufman became a member of the Chapter in 1967. He gave his first presentation in 1969 on the history of architectural concrete, followed over the years by nine more covering everything from certification programs to concrete on the new Bay Bridge. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1978, and served as President in 1984. Additionally, he has served as the Membership Committee Chair, and Chair and Co-Chair of the 1994 and 2004 Convention Finance Committees, respectively.
Al has continued to serve the Chapter’s certification efforts for more than 27 years; assisting more than 5,000 technicians achieve ACI certification. Certification remains his primary activity, both with the Chapter and nationally, sometimes even internationally.
Awarded in 2015
The Al Kaufman Award was presented in 2015 for the first time to outstanding Chapter member John Schmidt, former Co-Chair of the Chapter Certification Committee, whose tireless energy and high standards helped to establish our Certification efforts as one of ACI’s finest.
Awarded in 2018
Tom Fourre, Co-Manager of the Chapter Certification Program, received the Al Kaufman award for exemplary dedication to the program over the years, maintaining the program's equipment, and helping candidates succeed in getting their Certifications.