Vecellio Group CEO Is Elected ARTBA Chairman
(4th Quarter 2007)
PROUD FAMILY — Leo A. Vecellio, Jr., CEO of the family owned Vecellio Group, receives congratulations from his wife, Kathryn, and their sons Christopher, left, and Michael, after his election as ARTBA Chairman.
Leo A. Vecellio, Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Vecellio Group, Inc., has been elected 2007-2008 Chairman of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the industry’s leading trade organization and consensus voice in Washington, D.C. Mr. Vecellio received the gavel in October at the association’s national convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Funding Is Top Priority
Mr. Vecellio’s top legislative goal for ARTBA is to continue pressing Congress for a significant increase in federal highway/transit investment as part of the reauthorization of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which is due by October 1, 2009. ARTBA has launched an “inside the Washington beltway” public affairs and communications campaign to help achieve this goal, Vecellio said.
Mr. Vecellio has been involved with ARTBA for nearly 10 years. His leadership positions have included senior vice chairman, first vice chairman, southern region vice chairman and vice chairman-at-large. He is a key player in developing the association’s legislative policy positions on federal transportation development issues. Mr. Vecellio also serves as a trustee on the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation.
Extensive Industry Background
Mr. Vecellio’s industry background is extensive, having literally grown up around transportation construction. He joined the family business of Vecellio & Grogan in 1973 with degrees in civil engineering and construction management from Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, and four years of project management experience as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. Vecellio was integral to the company’s expansion well beyond the mid-Atlantic states where it was founded by his father, grandfather and uncle in 1938. Today, Vecellio & Grogan is a subsidiary of the Vecellio Group, which operates throughout the southeastern U.S. and beyond, and consistently ranks among the nation’s top 200 contractors. Other operations include heavy/highway contractors Ranger Construction Industries and Ranger Construction – South, mining firm White Rock Quarries, and petroleum and biodiesel companies Vecenergy and Vecenergy BIDA.
Active In Business Leadership
In addition to leadership roles within ARTBA and the family businesses, Mr. Vecellio is active in numerous industry, educational and business associations. He is among the founders and executive members of Floridians for Better Transportation, serves on the Florida “Council of 100”, is a founding member and was first president of the Flexible Pavements Council of West Virginia, and is also active in the Florida Transportation Builders Association and the Contractors Association of West Virginia.
He is a director of Natural Resource Partners, L.P. (NYSE: NRP), a member of the “Committee of 100” of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, and a former trustee of the Virginia Tech Foundation, where he chaired the investment committee.
Bob Schafer, Doug Smith and Andy Jones were among the attendees at the annual convention of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
Mike Slade, Christopher Vecellio and Jim Hurley chat during ARTBA’s national convention in Ft. Lauderdale in October.