Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen - March 2022 | Page 20

Fred Chesney Wins Ditchdigger of the Year Award

South Florida Construction Company Owner Honored For 40 Years of Service

but Fred has made his mark on this industry and our association .”
Fred Chesney has dedicated his entire life to the underground utility industry . Chesney earned his bachelor ’ s degree from the University of Florida in Building Construction Management before starting his business Centerline Utilities Inc . four years later . He founded Centerline in 1980 and continued to serve as the company ’ s president until his retirement last year .
( Fairfax , Va .) – The National Utility Contractors Association ( NUCA ) proudly awarded former chairman Fred Chesney their prestigious “ Ditchdigger of the Year ” Award , honoring his decades of industry experience and his years of work supporting NUCA ’ s programs .
“ Fred has passionately dedicated his time , talent and treasure to promoting NUCA and the industry for more than 30 years ,” said Doug Carlson , NUCA Chief Executive Officer . “ With his many years of commitment , it would be next to impossible to list all of Fred ’ s contributions to advancing the underground utility industry over the years ,
Under Chesney ’ s management , Centerline became a well-respected underground utility contractor located in the South Florida area . The company joined the local chapter NUCA of South Florida ( then known as the Utility Contractors Association of South Florida ) in 1986 and has been involved since then on the local , state , and national levels .
Chesney has been long involved in the industry ’ s associations , including on his local industry chapter . He served on that chapter ’ s board of directors beginning in 1989 , and before assuming the chairman ’ s title for NUCA served as the national association ’ s Chairman-elect , Vice Chairman , and Secretary , and as a Contractor director since the early 2010s .
His industry accomplishments are numerous , proving his dedication to
18 DITCHMEN • MARCH 2022