NSSGA announces its highest individual honor and service award winner

By |  March 16, 2012

Tony Basolo, 1997 chairman of the National Stone Association and former president of Dolese Bros. Co., was named the 15th annual Barry K. Wendt Memorial Commitment Award winner for his dedication to the construction aggregates industry, his family and his community.

George Sidney, immediate past chairman of the NSSGA’s Manufacturers & Services Division, made the announcement on March 12 at NSSGA’s 2012 Annual Convention Honor Awards Ceremony in Charlotte, N.C. The award will be presented at the NSSGA fall board of directors meeting in October in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Basolo joined Dolese Bros. in 1972 and served as the company’s president for the last nine years of his career until his retirement in February 2010. His leadership enabled his company, his employees and his customers to grow and prosper in Oklahoma and the surrounding areas, and made a positive contribution to many professionals and organizations.

Basolo’s service as chairman of the National Stone Association in 1997 was instrumental not only in establishing the merger with the National Aggregate Association, but also in the hiring and mentoring of Jennifer Joy (Wilson) Pinniger, NSSGA’s president and CEO.

Basolo served on NSSGA’s Nominating Committee, Small Producers Council and board of directors. He was the first vice chairman and treasurer of the Rocks Build American Foundation, established in 1998 to support the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History’s Rocks Gallery and to promote knowledge of, and public interest in, the aggregates industry.

He has been married for more than 50 years to his wife, Judy, and is deeply dedicated to his daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.

The award is named for Iowan Barry K. Wendt (1946-97), a Cedarapids Inc. employee and industry leader who was universally recognized as a leader in the aggregates industry. He served as chairman of the Manufacturers Division of both the former National Aggregates Association and National Stone Association. Each year, the Memorial Commitment Award goes to an individual who exemplifies the qualities of leadership and commitment that Wendt demonstrated. It is the association’s highest individual honor and service award.

About the Author:

Darren Constantino is an editor of Pit & Quarry magazine. He can be reached at dconstantino@northcoastmedia.net.

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