Demolition Veteran and Inventor Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Staff -- Associated Construction Publications, 5/13/2008

John E. Weber, demolition industry veteran, inventor, and one of the charter members of the National Demolition Association, was saluted by his peers with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 35th Anniversary Convention of the NDA. The retired president of ICONCO/LVI Demolition Services in Oakland, Calif., Weber played one of the most influential roles in the growth of the association from a handful of member companies in 1973 to more than 1,100 in North America today.

Weber began his career in 1959 as a laborer and office manager, joining ICONCO in 1964 as an executive. In his many years in the industry, he handled the demolition of high-rise structures up to 30 stories both by conventional means and by implosion. He also demolished at least 10 wood pulp mills in the state of California and more than 10 power plant facilities. His firm also was responsible for the demolition of well over 100 bridges.

In the 1990s, Weber invented the "HEPA-Vent" filter device to keep asbestos-removal work areas safe and sanitary, and donated the patent to the public domain.

During Weber’s tenure with the NDA’s Insurance Committee, he was responsible for working with the California Workers Compensation Rating Bureau to help lower the workers’ comp manual rates from 78 percent of the payroll to 8 percent to 10 percent. Eventually the new system was adopted by other states to lower their demolition rates.

Weber is a resident of Diablo, Calif., in Contra Costa County.