Earl Shimp’s family has been in construction for generations
with some projects being used by thousands of Jacksonville residents daily. When residents
travel across the Buckman Bridge or walk into the Times-Union Center
for the Performing Arts, they are experiencing part of Shrimp’s legacy.
It’s a
legacy made possible, in part, by the University of North Florida,
which gave Shimp the tools he needed to succeed in an industry where his
father, grandfather and great-grandfather had succeeded before him. Perhaps
construction is in his genes, but Shimp knew when he was a youngster he wanted
to build things. “I came from a family of bricklayers. When I was 12 or 13 years
old, I remember going to job sites after school or on Saturdays to do cleanup
work.”
With the
change in generations, Shimp jumped into a change in technology — from bricks
to concrete — and combined his construction experience with a UNF degree to
run his own business. Unlike many graduates who get a degree first and then
experience, Shimp entered the workforce in 1972 but didn’t get his bachelor’s
degree in technology until 1981. Before he walked onto the recently opened UNF
campus, Shimp was an estimator, a purchasing agent and a project manager for a
large general contractor. The UNF education provided the skills needed for
Shimp to take his experience to the next level.
Joining
with a family member, Shimp started his own business and managed a concrete
manufacturing facility. He did a little of everything from managing projects,
bidding work, running the office and even pouring the concrete panels in the
plant. “This is where UNF gave me a great advantage. It gave me the ability to read a financial
statement to make sure I knew how my business was doing and to run it
effectively.” The experience also increased his profile in the construction
community, resulting eventually in a job offer with Gate ConcreteProducts.
In this position, he worked on the Buckman Bridge, later constructing some of the
longest clear-span bridges in the country. While thousands of motorists drive
on these bridges every day, perhaps the most visible project benefiting from
Shimp’s expertise was the Times-Union
Center for the Performing
Arts. Opened in 1997, the center was built on the former location of the Civic
Auditorium, parts of which were maintained [by his company?]. Much of the
ambiance of the reconstructed center with its soaring ornate white columns was
the result of Shimp’s management of the precast portion of the project. Other exciting portions of his career include
being the project manager for construction of buildings in which F14 Fighters
and center sections for the Boeing 757 and 767 jets were assembled.
Today, Shimp is senior vice
president of operations for Gate Construction Materials Group and oversees the
operation of six architectural and pre-stressed plants throughout the
southeastern United States.
Shimp is active in a number of
professional organizations and is proud of his key role representing Gate in
its relationship with UNF. He has helped with UNF’s entry into the Big Beam
Contest, a competition sponsored by the Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI)
Student Education Committee. UNF was the first college in Florida to enter the competition which
features student teams fabricating and testing a precast, prestressed concrete
beam. Prizes are awarded for such things as the most efficient design and
ability to predict beam reactions. His newest UNF challenge will be
participating in the establishment of a concrete design studio at UNF. This is
one of the first such facilities in the country and represents an investment of
$125,000 over five years through a PCI Foundation grant.
Shimp is also playing a role in the
next generation of materials to be used in construction. He is working with
organizations exploring the new technology of using carbon fibers to reinforce
concrete, replacing steel reinforcing rods.
When not building things, Shimp loves
to unwind in the outdoors, especially hunting wild turkeys. He and his wife Cathie are members of the
Church of the Messiah, where Shimp has been on the rector’s council for 17
years.
Even when relaxing, the concrete
business isn’t far from Shimp’s focus. Regardless of what innovations are on
the horizon for the industry and for the students of today who will work in it
tomorrow, he says he is proud to play a continuing role. “UNF laid the
foundation for me.”
