William Ernstrom Named Words Of Wisdom Award Winner At 23RD IRMI Construction Risk Conference

Release Date: November 21, 2003
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CHICAGO—J. William Ernstrom, a four-time IRMI Construction Risk Conference speaker, was honored with IRMI’s 2003 Words of Wisdom Award here recently. The Words of Wisdom, or WOW, Award recognizes a speaker who has made an outstanding contribution to the annual conference, which International Risk Management Institute, Inc., has hosted for 23 years.

The award was presented to Mr. Ernstrom, who is a partner at Ernstrom & Dreste, LLP, in Rochester, NY , before a 1200+ IRMI Construction Risk Conference audience. “I am excited, and truly humbled, about receiving this prestigious award,” said Mr. Ernstrom. “I am always amazed at the quality of the presentations at the IRMI Conference, and it is an honor to be singled out for recognition from such an outstanding group of speakers.”

IRMI president Jack Gibson explained why Mr. Ernstrom is an appropriate choice for the prestigious award.

“Bill was selected for this honor because he is such an outstanding presenter. His speaker ratings are always near the top, which is quite an accomplishment since we have 50 or more speakers on the program each year,” Mr. Gibson said.

“We attribute the success we have experienced with this Conference to a number of factors, but without question, one of the most important is the quality of the presentations made by our guest speakers,” Mr. Gibson said. “We created the Words of Wisdom Award to recognize the substantial contributions these individuals have made to the construction and insurance industries.”

At the IRMI Construction Risk Conference, Mr. Ernstrom has presented on a wide variety of topics, including contractual risk allocation, design-build construction, and surety bonds. Bill has dedicated over 25 years to the construction industry and to better allocating and managing risk. He is counsel to the AGC Contract Documents Program and general counsel of Alberici Corporation. In recognition of his national efforts to improve the construction industry, he was selected by AGC as its Chairman of the Year in 1997. Bill also teaches an annual course at the Harvard School of Graduate Design on the risks of design-build project delivery system.

Mr. Ernstrom is the fourteenth winner of the WOW Award. Previous recipients include John Alberici, senior vice president of Alberici Group; Tim Carter, vice president of safety and health, Fluor Hanford, Inc.; James H. Costner, senior vice president with Willis Property Resource Group; Steven D. Davis, director, McGriff Seibels & Williams; Mr. Gibson; Gerald I. Katz, partner, Katz & Stone; Steven A. LaShier, executive vice president, Business Benefits P/C, Inc.; Michael C. Loulakis, shareholder, Wickwire Gavin, P.C.; Jeffrey D. Masters, partner, Cox, Castle & Nicholson, LLP; Thomas H. McCarley, executive vice president, Palmer & Cay; Michael J. O’Neill, president, ACIG Insurance Agency, Inc.; William H. Perkins, instructor, Florida Association of Insurance Agents; and Richard J. Shamis, managing director—Construction Team leader, Willis.

The IRMI Construction Risk Conference is the only national symposium devoted exclusively to insuring, bonding, and managing the risks of construction projects. The 24th IRMI Construction Risk Conference will be held November 8–11, 2004, in Orlando. For information concerning the 24th IRMI Construction Risk Conference, visit www.IRMI.com or contact International Risk Management Institute, Inc., at 12222 Merit Drive, Suite 1450, Dallas, TX, 75251 (phone 800–827–4242, in Dallas, 972–960–7693, or fax 972–371–5120).