2014 – Robert Affholder (1935-2024)

Robert Affholder was a trenchless industry pioneer who continued to play a leading role 50-plus years later as vice chairman of SAK Construction.

In 1958, Affholder started in the underground industry at Armco Steel Co. quickly working his way up from the field into senior management. Then, in 1968, he founded the national tunneling and boring company, Affholder Inc., which eventually became the first mid-America licensee of the Insituform process. In 1987, the company went public as Insituform Mid-America and later merged to form Insituform Technologies (now Aegion), where Affholder served for 10 years as vice chairman and as a member of the board of directors. In 2007, he joined SAK Construction, helping to lead one of the fastest growing pipeline rehabilitation companies in the industry.