Page 7 - DCA - Construction Excellence Awards 2018

A HANDS-ON GUY BUILDS A LEGACY, ONE JOB AT A TIME
By Michael Bradley
Special to Delaware Business Times
When Lyle Frederick was building footbridges over creeks as a Boy Scout or laying brick and cinder block with his uncle as a teenager, he knew his goals but could not have envisioned the 40-plus year career that would result in the DCA 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I wanted to be a mason,” Frederick said.
While his father directed him toward college and not masonry, Frederick spent his professional life shepherding construction projects from start to completion for companies across the mid-Atlantic region.
He was able to satisfy his desire to build, while helping others learn about the construction profession. Over the years, he built a reputation for his generous spirit and commitment to the industry.
“I love to see the product of my work,” Frederick said. “What I loved about masonry was not just working on a crew and the camaraderie that comes from that, but also being able to walk away at the end of the day and see what you built, whether it was a wall or a fireplace.”
Frederick was born in Wilmington and grew up in New Castle County. He graduated from A.I. Dupont High School and then the Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, where he earned an associate’s degree in construction management and engineering. “It was one
of the only schools that had the program I wanted,” he says.
From there, he studied at Philadelphia’s now-defunct Spring Garden College, a technical institution where he earned a bachelor’s in construction engineering.
After graduating from Spring Garden, Frederick went to Washington, where he spent a couple years working on the
D.C. Metro. He had always wanted to work for Barclay White, a venerable Philadelphia-area firm, though his early attempt at gaining employment was unsuccessful. But in 1979, the year he was married, Barclay White hired him as a project superintendent.
The job suited Frederick because it allowed him to work in the field.
“I just like being outside,” he said. “You can get up in the morning, put your hard hat on and talk to the workers. I struggled sitting behind a desk.”
He held a variety of positions at Barclay White, including project engineer, senior project engineer, assistant project manager, project manager and senior VP. In 2001, New York-based Skanska purchased the company, and he spent the next 15 years working there.
In 2010, Frederick was approached to start a Delaware chapter of ACE Mentors, a national organization that aims to introduce inner-city youth to the architectural, construction and engineering fields.
“It’s an all-volunteer organization,” Frederick said. “I had to get people engaged and get them to stay engaged. We needed to form a board and set up committees. Then, we had to find mentors who would show up on a weekly basis during the school year to help the kids.”
Although it’s been a big commitment, Frederick loves the opportunity to work with young people and to make a difference in their lives.
He brought a similar commitment to DCA, where he served as a board member for 10 years. He was involved in long-range planning and plucked many ACE mentors from the ranks of the DCA. He admits to being in “total shock” when he learned that he would be earning the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I don’t consider myself in that group of people who would be receiving an award like that,” he said.
At the time of the announcement, he was on a mission trip to New Orleans. Frederick has worked for several years with different church groups to help people in need. For instance, for the past several years, he has gone to Haiti to help a community there build an infrastructure that includes a school, infirmary and athletic facilities.
Five years ago, he helped form a steering committee in conjunction with Christiana Care’s Project Engage, which helps people with addiction issues. Frederick’s committee focused on the construction industry, which is one of the hardest-hit communities by substance abuse. “We’re giving men and women second chances to get help through Christiana Care and then have access to long-term resources,” he said.
When he isn’t traveling the world on mission trips or helping Project Engage, Frederick enjoys spending time with his wife, Deidre, and his three sons, Jesse, Ryan and Zachary at their home in West Bradford Township, Pennsylvania, where he served on its advisory committee. It’s just one entry on a resume that adds up to quite a lifetime of achievement.
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