Posted on August 4, 2026
MONTREAL — The Western Dredging Association (WEDA) recognized outstanding individuals, companies, technical achievements and projects during its 2026 Annual Conference in Montreal. Awards were presented during both the Gala Dinner and the Presidential Luncheon, highlighting excellence in leadership, safety, environmental stewardship, technical innovation and professional achievement across the dredging industry.
Gala Dinner Awards
Dredger on Deck
Jerry Bishop, General Superintendent, J.F. Brennan Company
The Dredger on Deck Award recognizes an individual whose hands-on leadership has made a significant contribution to the industry. Bishop, who has more than 24 years of heavy construction experience, including 17 years in environmental remediation, was honored for his ability to manage every aspect of complex dredging projects—from dredging operations and water treatment systems to leading nearly 200 employees while maintaining a strong focus on safety and operational excellence.
Dredger of the Year
Mike Warwick, Senior Vice President and Dredging Manager, Manson Construction Co.
The Dredger of the Year Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the dredging profession. Warwick has spent nearly three decades advancing dredging engineering, operations and workforce development. Since joining Manson Construction in 2005, he has helped expand the company’s Gulf and East Coast dredging operations while mentoring a new generation of industry professionals. He also played key roles in the design and construction of Manson’s dredges Robert M. White and Frederick Paup.
Lifetime Achievement Awards
WEDA presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to two distinguished industry leaders.
Peggy Derrick, Vice President and National Sediment Program Manager at EA Engineering, Science and Technology, was recognized for more than three decades of leadership in dredged material management and environmental restoration. Throughout her career she has overseen projects involving more than 80 million cubic yards of material across more than 45 waterways while serving major clients including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Navy, EPA and the Maryland Port Administration.
Ancil Taylor, founder of Ancil Taylor Dredging Consulting, was honored for nearly five decades of technical innovation in dredging engineering. His career has included leadership roles with C.F. Bean, Bean Environmental and Callan Marine, where he pioneered long-distance slurry pipeline technology, helped design several landmark dredges and played a major leadership role during Louisiana’s Deepwater Horizon emergency barrier berm project.
Special Recognition Award
Carol Shobrook, WEDA
Presidential Luncheon Awards
Young WEDA Professional of the Year
Amanda Hamrick, PE, Port Houston
Hamrick was recognized for her leadership on Port Houston’s Project 11 Houston Ship Channel Expansion. Since joining Port Houston in 2022, she has managed more than $230 million in dredging work delivered on schedule and under budget while becoming an active presenter and contributor to WEDA conferences.
Technical Paper Awards
Best Paper (co-sponsored by WEDA and Moffatt & Nichol)
“Cutterhead Dredging on the USACE Portfolio: Historical Data Analysis”
Authors: Magdalena Asborno, Benjamin Emery, A. Gharagozlou, A.D. Godfrey, C. Phillips and K.N. Mitchell.
Best Paper – “Why Dredging is Good” (sponsored by DSC Dredge)
“Evaluation of Navigation Channel Shoaling for the Green Harbor Navigation Improvement Project”
Author: Michael B. Kabiling.
Young Author Award (sponsored by Anchor QEA)
“Assessing Offshore Sand Extraction as a Sustainable Strategy for the Magdalen Islands (Quebec, Canada)”
Authors: Maxim Audet Daigle and A. Mercier-Rémillard.
Safety Excellence Awards
Presented by Julie Hile, Chair of the WEDA Safety Commission.
Safety Excellence Award – Dredging Project
J.F. Brennan Company
The company was recognized for its Refinery Wastewater Treatment Pond Dredging and Dewatering project in the Upper Midwest. Through rigorous planning and innovative controls for hydrogen sulfide and contaminated sediments, the project completed more than 7,300 work hours without a recordable or lost-time injury.
Safety Excellence Award – Dredging Contractor
CMD CEDA Environmental Solutions
The company was recognized for its strong safety culture built around workforce engagement, competency verification and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles. Between 2023 and 2025, CMD CEDA recorded zero total recordable injuries over more than 957,000 work hours.
Manson Construction Co.
Manson earned recognition for company-wide improvements in hazard identification, pre-task planning and continuous safety improvement, resulting in its strongest safety performance on record, including a Total Recordable Incident Rate below 1.0 during 2025.
Environmental Excellence Awards
Presented by Steve Garbaciak, Chair of WEDA’s Environmental Commission.
Infrastructure Project
Leonard’s Wharf Reconstruction and Expansion
New Bedford Port Authority
New Bedford, Massachusetts
The project was recognized for successfully integrating navigation improvements, contaminated sediment management and infrastructure expansion into a single coordinated effort.
Beneficial Use Project
University Lakes Restoration Project
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The award recognized the project’s innovative reuse of dredged material for shoreline stabilization, ecological restoration and improved public access while restoring an important urban waterway.
Remediation Project
Munger Landing Remedial Action
Duluth, Minnesota
The project was honored for its successful remediation of contaminated sediments using multiple dredging techniques, geotextile tube dewatering, water treatment and adaptive project management in a complex multi-agency environment.
Best Booth Awards
- Best Booth: Xylem HYPACK
- Most Educational Booth: Mackworth-Enviro
WEDA’s annual awards recognize excellence across the dredging industry—from individual achievement and technical innovation to outstanding project execution, environmental stewardship and workplace safety—while highlighting the people and organizations advancing the profession.
Environmental Excellence Awards for 2026 were presented by Steve Garbaciak, Chair of the Environmental Commission
WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for an Infrastructure Project
New Bedford Port Authority Leonard’s Wharf Reconstruction and Expansion, New Bedford, Massachusetts
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Mike Campagnone, PE; Senior Technology Manager – Geophysical Surveys; Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC
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Ceasar Duarte Jr, PPM, MPE; Director of Engineering and Operations, New Bedford Port Authority
WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for a Beneficial Use-Focused Project
University Lakes Restoration Project, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Timothy Donegan, PE; Engineering Manager; Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc.
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Mark Goodson; Program Manager; CSRS/Westwood
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Brian Lennie; Engineering Design; Stantec
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Zachary Chrisco, PE; Landscape Architecture and Master Planning; Sasaki Associates, Inc.
WEDA Environmental Excellence Award for a Remediation-Focused Project
Munger Landing Remedial Action, Duluth, Minnesota
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Dustin Bauman; J.F. Brennan Company, Inc.
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Casey Evenson; J.F. Brennan Company, Inc.
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Caitlin Nigrelli; US EPA Greal Lakes National Program Office
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Meaghan Kern; US EPA Greal Lakes National Program Office
