Saying Goodbye to Madison’s ‘Dynamic Duo’

By Jim Dolente Jr., President, Madison Concrete Construction

As we head into a new construction season, it is time to say goodbye to a couple of old friends. For 29 years, Bob Ferguson and Harry Duke have been instrumental in making Madison Concrete’s field operations a success. At the very least, they’ve poured a lot of concrete for us! But the time has come for them to exchange their hard hats for golf clubs and fishing rods. I’d like to share a few details about each of these fantastic professionals who have led our crews for nearly three decades.

Bob Ferguson and Harry Duke were integral to the success of projects like Lincoln Financial Field (shown above).

Bob Ferguson and Harry Duke were integral to the success of projects like Lincoln Financial Field (shown above).

Bob began his career with Madison in 1987 as a carpenter and worked his way up to vice president of construction. In 2015, he was recognized by the Subcontractors Association of Delaware Valley as the Best of the Best among trades in the construction industry. Around our office, Bob was simply the guy who made things happen. He could look at a set of drawings or walk onto a jobsite and see something that nobody else saw—and quickly determine a solution that benefited everyone.

Harry, a former business partner of Bob’s, followed Bob to Madison and quickly made an impact on our operations with his can-do attitude. Harry’s ability to mobilize and motivate his workforce resulted in highly efficient crews even in the face of unexpected jobsite challenges. His knowledge, personality and work ethic earned the utmost respect from both the general contractors and the other subcontractors that he worked with side-by-side on a daily basis.

Luckily for us, the two friends continued to build upon their expertise as construction professionals over the years, gaining for themselves a reputation as the top two guys in Madison’s field operations team. With Harry as superintendent and Bob as V.P., they helped bring success to such projects as Lincoln Financial Field, Revel Casino, CHOP Buerger Center and FMC Tower.

Harry began his retirement in September 2016 and Bob hung up his hard hat at the end of year. While Harry helped groom junior team members to take over where he left off, Bob worked to transfer his wealth of knowledge to Madison Vice President and Project Manager Stephen Dolente. Stephen began his career at Madison as a teenager and has served clients in nearly every capacity, from carpenter to superintendent to manager. Thanks to Bob’s guidance, Stephen is well-positioned to take over as vice president of construction services.

Please join us in sending off Harry and Bob with our very best wishes for their next phase in life; which, from what I understand, may include motorcycles and wine making.

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