Milt Dakovich, 1976 and 1977 construction engineering alumnus, and the late Michael Manatt, 1975 civil engineering alumnus, were inducted January 11 into the Associated General Contractors of Iowa (AGC of Iowa) Hall of Fame.
The AGC of Iowa Hall of Fame inducts those, like Dakovich and Manatt, who have “exhibited extraordinary leadership and commitment to the betterment of the highway, bridge and municipal and utility construction industry” in the state.
At the time of Manatt’s death in 2005, he was a board member of AGC of Iowa, where he was previously president. In 2006 he was posthumously presented with the AGC of Iowa’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
After graduating in 1975, Manatt went on to work for a civil engineering firm in the Chicago area for two years. He later returned to Brooklyn, Iowa, where he grew up, to work for Manatt’s, Inc., his family’s construction company. Manatt managed a new Portland cement concrete division in the company after buying K.C. Carter in 1982. He contributed to the industry with his innovation.
The Iowa State alumnus was not only devoted to the industry but also to his community. He was a member of the Brooklyn Economic Development Committee, the Board of Directors at Patriot Bank, Norris Asphalt Paving Co., L.L. Pelling, the Foundation Board of Grinnell Regional Hospital and Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church.
Professionally, he had also held leadership roles as president of Iowa Concrete Paving Association, chair of the sub-committee on Highways for ACPA and member of the AGC of Iowa Foundation Board of Trustees.
Dakovich, the second hall of fame inductee, is a graduate of both Iowa State’s civil engineering and construction engineering programs in 1976 and 1977, respectively. And as an undergrad, he was Iowa State’s mascot, Cy.
He has had a professional engineer’s license since 1980. He is the president of Aspro, Inc., and was previously employed by Jackson Construction Co./Cedar Valley Corporation in 1977.
Dakovich was president of AGC of Iowa in 2000 and continues to serve as a board member. He will become a National Life Director this year after serving three terms on the AGC of America board of directors. Dakovich also served as the Iowa PAC chair for AGC of America and is currently chair of the AGC of Iowa Business Practices Committee. He is vice chair of the Ethics Committee and has chaired the nominating committee, as well.
Outside of the industry, Dakovich is a member of the Waterloo Downtown Rotary Club, is on the Lincoln Savings Bank board of directors and is a chairman of the St. Edwards Church parish council.
Communications intern Brady Rebhuhn contributed to this story.