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1940-2013
Thomas W. Traylor
Thomas W. Traylor, 73, of Evansville, Indiana, died on May 9, 2013. Tom will be remembered as a brilliant businessman, engineer, and entrepreneur. He played a key role in catapulting Traylor Bros., Inc., a company founded by his father William in 1946, into one of North America’s leaders in underground, marine, and bridge construction.
In testament to his many engineering contributions, Tom was honored in 2008 by the Beavers, a heavy engineering construction association, with its prestigious Beavers Management Award, and in 2010 by the Moles, a national organization whose members engage in tunnel, subway, sewer, foundation, and marine heavy construction projects, for his outstanding achievements in construction. Both awards came from nominations by colleagues. He was a member of both of this prestigious industry groups and served as president of the Beavers. He also was a member of other organizations of construction and engineering professionals such as the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT), the National Academy of Construction (NAC), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Tom was a member of the World Presidents’ Organization and the Chief Executives Organization, and served as director on various community, national, and university boards, including the University of Evansville. He and his wife, Nancy, generously supported civic and community organizations such as JDRF, United Way, WNIN, the Evansville Museum, and the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra—an organization that represents his beloved appreciation for music and the arts. The Traylor’s history of philanthropy is also evident at Evansville Day School, Reitz Memorial High School, and the University of Evansville, as well as other educational institutions that have touched their lives.
Tom Traylor literally grew up in the construction industry. Both his father and grandfather were engineers, and Tom’s father, William, founded Traylor Bros., Inc. (TBI) in 1946. Construction jobsites were familiar playgrounds for Tom after school and on weekends. Following the seventh grade, Tom spent four hours daily in the engine shop tearing down 6-71 diesels for rebuilding. He remembered driving the jobsite truck and a crew boat to pick up food for the crew on an overnight river seal pour. By 15, he had been in the stirrups sticking 80-foot sheet pile for a cofferdam and spent the summer as a deckhand. The following summer, Tom worked as a surveyor’s rodman. He got his laborer’s card at age 18.
With construction in his blood, he knew early on the direction he would take. Tom entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and after graduating in 1961 with a bachelor of science in civil engineering, he enrolled at Stanford University, where he received his MBA in 1963. Throughout his college years, Tom continued to work summers with the welders in the shop constructing two tunnel shields and the company’s first rotary tunnel excavator. He followed each fabrication with a trip to the jobsite for assistance in installation and operation and to witness the fruits of his labor.
Tom’s first full-time career position was as a head ing engineer on the Westside Tunnels in Seattle, Washington. Tom next ventured into another area of construction to become assistant manager on the McAlpine Ohio River Dam reconstruction.
Tom followed the McAlpine project with more marine work as project manager on the Tennessee River Bridge at Chattanooga. He then returned to tunneling to manage a four-mile rock tunnel in St. Louis, Missouri. Throughout these early years, Tom’s father, Bill, pushed Tom time after time. Tom survived! At this point in Tom’s career, he had worked in all aspects of tunnel, dam, and bridge construction at the jobsite level, and it was time to move his growing family back to corporate headquarters in Evansville, Indiana. The move included Tom’s young wife, Nancy, who was also from Evansville, and two of his four boys: Tom Jr. and Mike. Sons Chris and Dan arrived a few years later.
After several years of working closely with his father and being involved in project sponsorship, estimating, and corporate management, Tom became president and chief operating officer of Traylor Bros. in 1979, and established a goal to grow the family business―ever faithful to its innovative and entrepreneurial beginnings.
Tom succeeded. He led a solidly founded family-owned business to become one of our nation’s most reputable leaders in the underground and marine industries. The company today is a highly successful multi-divisional organization operating in all regions of the United States.
Under Tom’s direction, TBI has achieved some notable accomplishments in completing more than 130 bridge, marine, and heavy projects, and over 100 underground projects. To its credit, the company also maintains an in-house staff with expertise in cofferdams, drilled shafts, deep river caissons, steel erection, retrofit work, and concrete precasting.
Of the many cable-stayed, segmental, and bascule bridges built by TBI, Tom had a few favorites. One, in particular, is just upriver from the Evansville corporate office. This cable-stayed bridge features A-shaped towers and is a beautiful, majestic structure. Another project Tom liked to recognize is the McAlpine Dam on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky. TBI rebuilt the McAlpine Dam in 1961 and in recent years constructed a new 1,200-foot navigation lock.
When it comes to tunneling, Traylor Bros. has performed soft ground, rock, and compressed air operations. Some rank among the most technically demanding pressurized face tunnels in North America. The CN Rail Tunnel connecting Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, to Port Huron, Michigan, is an excellent example of this type of excavation. The 32-foot diameter tunnel was mined 6,600 feet through soft clay with boulders and, in one place, was only two meters below the riverbed. Precast segmental lining, another area into which TBI has ventured, lined the completed tunnel. Another notable project in which EPB mining was utilized is the San Diego South Bay Ocean Outfall Tunnel. Built in the mid-1990s, the tunnel was mined using a 13-foot diameter EPB Shield at up to 7 bar pressure while installing a one-pass, precast concrete lining. This 19,000-foot long outfall tunnel was excavated in soil 300 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean and intersects a riser structure that is set 90 feet below the seabed in 110 feet of water.
Other tunnel projects by Traylor Bros. in Southern California include the Los Angeles Metro Authority Universal to Hollywood Project in the 1990s and the recently completed the LA Metro C-0800 Gold Line Extension tunnel.
Tom also oversaw Traylor Bros. decision to enter precast segmental concrete manufacturing. The plants are used for producing both concrete segments for tunnel linings and for precast bridge segments. Tom realized a need to expand the company’s expertise in this area to obtain more reliable availability and delivery, and recognized that it could provide a superior product more economically, more timely, and with less risk.
Tom focused on the development of Traylor Bros.’ engineering and management team and its ability to build strong relationships with its clients and fellow construction firms. Part of Tom’s role in his leadership was to guide the third generation of the Traylor family to ensure many more years of continued success for the organization and its future contribution to the construction industry. Each of Tom’s sons is involved in the company today.
Traylor’s innovative marine construction projects include the world’s first float-in dam, the Braddock Dam on the Monongahela River upstream from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the recently completed two-mile long storm surge barrier for the City of New Orleans, the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Storm Surge Barrier, which was recognized as project of the year by both ENR and ASCE.
Surviving Tom are his wife, Nancy Sartore Traylor, of Evansville, IN, and sons Thomas William, Jr. (Lisa) of Laguna Hills, CA; Michael Thomas (Michelle) of Manhattan Beach, CA; Christopher Scott (Niki) of Evansville, IN; and Daniel Allen (Catherine) of Dallas, TX.
-Robert Bittner, 2013
In testament to his many engineering contributions, Tom was honored in 2008 by the Beavers, a heavy engineering construction association, with its prestigious Beavers Management Award, and in 2010 by the Moles, a national organization whose members engage in tunnel, subway, sewer, foundation, and marine heavy construction projects, for his outstanding achievements in construction. Both awards came from nominations by colleagues. He was a member of both of this prestigious industry groups and served as president of the Beavers. He also was a member of other organizations of construction and engineering professionals such as the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT), the National Academy of Construction (NAC), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Tom was a member of the World Presidents’ Organization and the Chief Executives Organization, and served as director on various community, national, and university boards, including the University of Evansville. He and his wife, Nancy, generously supported civic and community organizations such as JDRF, United Way, WNIN, the Evansville Museum, and the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra—an organization that represents his beloved appreciation for music and the arts. The Traylor’s history of philanthropy is also evident at Evansville Day School, Reitz Memorial High School, and the University of Evansville, as well as other educational institutions that have touched their lives.
Tom Traylor literally grew up in the construction industry. Both his father and grandfather were engineers, and Tom’s father, William, founded Traylor Bros., Inc. (TBI) in 1946. Construction jobsites were familiar playgrounds for Tom after school and on weekends. Following the seventh grade, Tom spent four hours daily in the engine shop tearing down 6-71 diesels for rebuilding. He remembered driving the jobsite truck and a crew boat to pick up food for the crew on an overnight river seal pour. By 15, he had been in the stirrups sticking 80-foot sheet pile for a cofferdam and spent the summer as a deckhand. The following summer, Tom worked as a surveyor’s rodman. He got his laborer’s card at age 18.
With construction in his blood, he knew early on the direction he would take. Tom entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and after graduating in 1961 with a bachelor of science in civil engineering, he enrolled at Stanford University, where he received his MBA in 1963. Throughout his college years, Tom continued to work summers with the welders in the shop constructing two tunnel shields and the company’s first rotary tunnel excavator. He followed each fabrication with a trip to the jobsite for assistance in installation and operation and to witness the fruits of his labor.
Tom’s first full-time career position was as a head ing engineer on the Westside Tunnels in Seattle, Washington. Tom next ventured into another area of construction to become assistant manager on the McAlpine Ohio River Dam reconstruction.
Tom followed the McAlpine project with more marine work as project manager on the Tennessee River Bridge at Chattanooga. He then returned to tunneling to manage a four-mile rock tunnel in St. Louis, Missouri. Throughout these early years, Tom’s father, Bill, pushed Tom time after time. Tom survived! At this point in Tom’s career, he had worked in all aspects of tunnel, dam, and bridge construction at the jobsite level, and it was time to move his growing family back to corporate headquarters in Evansville, Indiana. The move included Tom’s young wife, Nancy, who was also from Evansville, and two of his four boys: Tom Jr. and Mike. Sons Chris and Dan arrived a few years later.
After several years of working closely with his father and being involved in project sponsorship, estimating, and corporate management, Tom became president and chief operating officer of Traylor Bros. in 1979, and established a goal to grow the family business―ever faithful to its innovative and entrepreneurial beginnings.
Tom succeeded. He led a solidly founded family-owned business to become one of our nation’s most reputable leaders in the underground and marine industries. The company today is a highly successful multi-divisional organization operating in all regions of the United States.
Under Tom’s direction, TBI has achieved some notable accomplishments in completing more than 130 bridge, marine, and heavy projects, and over 100 underground projects. To its credit, the company also maintains an in-house staff with expertise in cofferdams, drilled shafts, deep river caissons, steel erection, retrofit work, and concrete precasting.
Of the many cable-stayed, segmental, and bascule bridges built by TBI, Tom had a few favorites. One, in particular, is just upriver from the Evansville corporate office. This cable-stayed bridge features A-shaped towers and is a beautiful, majestic structure. Another project Tom liked to recognize is the McAlpine Dam on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky. TBI rebuilt the McAlpine Dam in 1961 and in recent years constructed a new 1,200-foot navigation lock.
When it comes to tunneling, Traylor Bros. has performed soft ground, rock, and compressed air operations. Some rank among the most technically demanding pressurized face tunnels in North America. The CN Rail Tunnel connecting Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, to Port Huron, Michigan, is an excellent example of this type of excavation. The 32-foot diameter tunnel was mined 6,600 feet through soft clay with boulders and, in one place, was only two meters below the riverbed. Precast segmental lining, another area into which TBI has ventured, lined the completed tunnel. Another notable project in which EPB mining was utilized is the San Diego South Bay Ocean Outfall Tunnel. Built in the mid-1990s, the tunnel was mined using a 13-foot diameter EPB Shield at up to 7 bar pressure while installing a one-pass, precast concrete lining. This 19,000-foot long outfall tunnel was excavated in soil 300 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean and intersects a riser structure that is set 90 feet below the seabed in 110 feet of water.
Other tunnel projects by Traylor Bros. in Southern California include the Los Angeles Metro Authority Universal to Hollywood Project in the 1990s and the recently completed the LA Metro C-0800 Gold Line Extension tunnel.
Tom also oversaw Traylor Bros. decision to enter precast segmental concrete manufacturing. The plants are used for producing both concrete segments for tunnel linings and for precast bridge segments. Tom realized a need to expand the company’s expertise in this area to obtain more reliable availability and delivery, and recognized that it could provide a superior product more economically, more timely, and with less risk.
Tom focused on the development of Traylor Bros.’ engineering and management team and its ability to build strong relationships with its clients and fellow construction firms. Part of Tom’s role in his leadership was to guide the third generation of the Traylor family to ensure many more years of continued success for the organization and its future contribution to the construction industry. Each of Tom’s sons is involved in the company today.
Traylor’s innovative marine construction projects include the world’s first float-in dam, the Braddock Dam on the Monongahela River upstream from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the recently completed two-mile long storm surge barrier for the City of New Orleans, the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Storm Surge Barrier, which was recognized as project of the year by both ENR and ASCE.
Surviving Tom are his wife, Nancy Sartore Traylor, of Evansville, IN, and sons Thomas William, Jr. (Lisa) of Laguna Hills, CA; Michael Thomas (Michelle) of Manhattan Beach, CA; Christopher Scott (Niki) of Evansville, IN; and Daniel Allen (Catherine) of Dallas, TX.
-Robert Bittner, 2013
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