University of Colorado-Boulder Recognizes M. A. “Mort” Mortenson, Jr. with High Honor

Minneapolis, MN – Mortenson Construction has announced that M .A. “Mort” Mortenson, Jr., chairman, was recognized today with the University of Colorado at Boulder’s University Medal, for his lifelong dedication to the school and construction industry. University Medals are selectively presented to individuals who have outstanding achievements and contributions associated with the University. Mortenson received the award during the University’s Spring Commencement ceremony earlier today.

Mortenson has been previously recognized by the University of Colorado at Boulder with its Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award and the George Norlin Award, which honors alumni for distinguished lifetime achievement.

Mortenson graduated from CU – Boulder in 1958 and, after two years of service as an officer in the U.S. Navy, built Mortenson Construction, founded in 1954 by M. A. Mortenson, Sr., into a globally-recognized leader in the construction industry.  The company is currently the 24th largest contractor in the United States, according to Engineering News-Record. 

In line with his personal value of giving back, Mort and Alice Mortenson and Mortenson Construction made a sustaining gift to CU – Boulder’s Engineering for Developing Communities Program in 2009. The gift established the Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities to support a variety of programs designed to engage undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

By educating the next generation of global engineers, the Mortenson Center in Engineering and Developing Communities emphasizes an integrated and participatory nature of humanitarian development.  The center encompasses education, research and development, and outreach / service related to sustainable community development.

Mortenson Construction has built some of Colorado’s most prominent structures including Coors Field, the Pepsi Center, 1800 Larimer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Science and Technology Facility, Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center and Cherry Creek North. 

The company’s construction contributions also include projects on the CU – Boulder campus, having built the recently completed Visual Arts Complex, the addition at the Lab for Space Technology Research and the Memorial Center Student Union.  Others include Research 2, The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Health Sciences Library all located on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

Today the company is building the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, Byron G. Rogers Federal Office Building Modernization and the Exempla Saint Joseph replacement hospital. 

Quietly committed to his community, Mortenson has given support to youth, hospitals, student scholarship programs, and the United Way and its agencies.  He has served on the boards of industry, social service, and health care organizations. Mortenson Construction also gives five percent of its pre-tax earnings to a wide range of community initiatives.