Joseph Bordeaux, Bordeaux Construction, Morrisville, NC

Joseph Bordeaux was born in Harnett Co. where he graduated from Lillington High School. There, he met and later married his high school sweetheart, Anges Smith, to whom he was married to for 69 years.  Mr. Bordeaux served in the US Army during the Korean Conflict. Following his honorable discharge from the Army, he continued as an active supporter of veterans causes with the Wounded Warrior Project. After his military service, he attended and graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in civil engineering. With that degree, he began a long and successful career in the commercial construction industry.  

Bordeaux Construction was founded in 1977 by Mr. Bordeaux and his wife, Agnes, and their sons, Tom and David, who joined the team to expand operations. The company was incorporated in 1978 and the legacy lives on with Tom’s son, Blair, who was named President in 2016. After his retirement, Joseph enjoyed spending time with his 9 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Joseph Bordeaux passed away peacefully in 2020 at the age of 89.  

Richard Nickel, Carolina Bridge, Orangeburg, SC
Richard was born in Orangeburg, SC and during his 43 years, married Amanda Avildsen and had 2 wonderful children, Arleigh who is 14 and George who is 13.

Richard was exposed to the construction industry by his father at a very young age. During his teenage years he would work summers at Carolina Bridge Company and the Summer he graduated from high school lived in a spare trailer on the jobsite that he was working on with Carolina Bridge. After that summer, he went on to get his associates degree in Engineering. Richard loved mechanical work and at one time did consider becoming a crane mechanic, but eventually decided to pursue a career in construction at Carolina Bridge. He started as a foreman in Williamston, NC and then worked his way up to President. 

For years, Richard was a valuable member of the CAGC SC Bridge Committee, the SC Design Building Committee, the CAGC/SCDOT Joint Committee, and in 2020, the year that he passed away, was a member of the Board of Directors. Carolinas AGC’s Leslie Clark said “you always knew where Richard stood on an issue and he was always willing to step up to help our staff, our members, and our industry.” It also didn’t take Leslie long to learn what Richard was passionate about, his kids, his Carolina Bridge family, and building bridges.  

When the news of Richard’s passing spread throughout the Carolinas AGC family the members wanted to know what they could do, so at the request of Richard’s family, the Richard Nickel Scholarship Fund was created. The scholarship grew to over $8,000 in donations from the CAGC members and will assist students in South Carolina that are pursuing a career in commercial construction industry.  

Robert Barnhill, Barnhill Contracting Company, Rocky Mount, NC

Bob Barnhill is Chairman of the Board of Barnhill Contracting Company. The company was founded by his father, Robert E. Barnhill, Sr. in 1949. Bob joined the company shortly after graduating with a degree in Business Administration from East Carolina University, where he met his wife, Penny. He grew into his leadership position, starting in the field and progressing into management. Bob was named President of the company in 1987, then Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in 2000 until 2010 when his son, Rob, succeeded him. Bob has continued to provide a firm vision and legacy for the company. Bob and Penny also serve as President and Vice President of the Barnhill Family Foundation, established to engage the family's philanthropic priorities. 

Bob is actively involved with several professional organizations including the Carolinas Asphalt Pavement Association, Capital Associated Industries, North Carolina Chamber, and of course, Carolinas AGC where he has served on the Board of Directors and served on the NC Legislative Committee for many years. 

Mr. Barnhill has been honored with many awards including the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame Inductee in 2015, the Triangle Business Journal CEO of the Year in 2016, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award in 2018, and many, many more. 

Mark began his career as a Civil Engineering major at The Citadel, which broadened into over three decades tenure in the commercial construction industry. Founding his own company in 1986, his business philosophies are best known for his focus on strategic analysis of the methods and means of the construction and project management process. Mark exemplifies strong professional values, and places client satisfaction and employee safety at the top of every list. He has excelled in creating long-term relationships by consistently working to build winning teams, focused on optimized cost and total quality measures. Mark’s “can do” approach, coupled with high standards in quality and process integrity, serves to facilitate project objectives for the best possible result. 

Mark has a heart for community service, currently serving in leadership roles for Camp Cole, Hammond School, Citizens For Sound Conservation, The Oliver Gospel Mission, The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Shandon Baptist Church, and many others. An active member of the Carolinas AGC, Mark has previously served as Executive Board Chairman, Executive Board Treasurer, Mechanical Contractors Joint Cooperative Committee member, Director-at-Large Board Member, Chairman of the Building Services Division as well as serving as Chairman for the Carolinas AGC/AIA Joint Committee. He also served on the Board of Trustees – Business Affairs, Facilities, Technology at Charleston Southern University. Mark and his wife Susan, who have been married for 40 years this year are long-time members of Shandon Baptist Church, where they attend with their two children and four grandchildren.   

Patricia Rodgers, Rodgers, Charlotte, NC
Patricia Rodgers is President & CEO of Rodgers, a Charlotte-based construction management firm that is ranked amount the top 100 construction management firms in the United States. Pat is the epitome of a visionary leader, as well as the first female Chair of the CAGC Board of Directors in 2008 and the first female to be inducted in the Carolinas AGC Hall of Fame. A former Rodgers employee stated, “I met Pat during the interview process, and I recognized immediately that she was an advocate for our community, for leaders, and for our industry. Pat Rodgers is an inspiration for me, especially as a woman in construction, to make a greater effort, to build with passion, to be proactive with safety measures, and to care for our communities.”  

Pat Rodgers has chaired and served on numerous boards and been a key player in so many important business and civic initiatives that you have to wonder how she finds enough hours in the day. She currently serves on a number of boards of directors for key non-profit organizations including, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Central Piedmont Community College Foundation, Charlotte Executive Board of Wake Forest University, and many more.  

Through the many years of knowing Pat, Carolinas AGC President & CEO, Dave Simpson has gained some very powerful leadership skills & quotes – one of his favorite being, “There is little traffic in the extra mile.” We can definitely say that Pat and her late husband, B.D. Rodgers, who was inducted into the inaugural class of the Carolinas AGC of Hall of Fame in 2016, go the extra mile for their company, their employees, the community and the construction industry.