Akkerman Among NASTT Hall of Fame Inductees
Also being honored are Chris Macey, senior technical director at AECOM, and Bob Westphal, senior advisor of operations for Michels Corp.
Akkerman has dedicated his career to the principals of the NASTT’s mission through trenchless and underground construction equipment innovation and advocacy.
Akkerman began full-time employment in his father’s sewer and water construction company as a young adult 45 years ago. His father, D.H. Akkerman, developed his own line of pipe jacking equipment and in 1973 launched Akkerman Manufacturing. From 1973-1987, Akkerman was part of the construction crew on numerous tunneling and pipe jacking projects and in the plant involved with various phases of equipment fabrication.
In 1987, Akkerman purchased the manufacturing business and renamed it Akkerman Inc. and has been at its helm since that time. Under his leadership, the company has grown expeditiously. In 1995, Akkerman successfully introduced the first U.S.-based microtunneling system. Now in 2018, Akkerman manufactures five distinct lines of trenchless equipment, reports worldwide sales and employs 75 full-time employees.
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Throughout his career, Akkerman has cultivated many relationships in the tunneling industry and has been a strong promoter of trenchless methodologies. He was an original member of the NASTT, joining just a few months after its incorporation in 1990. He was nominated to The Moles in May of 2009. He’s had longstanding memberships with the National Utility Contractor’s Association and the Underground Construction Association of Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.
Akkerman served two terms on the NASTT Board of Directors from 1995-1998. He was a contributing member to the microtunneling standards committee for the ASCE for the first microtunneling standard in 2001. He was named the 2003 Underground Construction MVP by the Gulf Coast Trenchless Association and the 2008 Person of the Year by Trenchless Technology magazine. In 2015, he was on the Blue Ribbon Review Committee for the ASCE’s Pilot Tube and Other Guided Boring Methods standard.
Akkerman Inc. is a leading employer in southern Minnesota, and Akkerman is a steadfast supporter of community development, betterment and fundraising initiatives, as well as promoting Manufacturing in Minnesota. Akkerman is an active member of the Minnesota and Austin Chambers of Commerce, member and past chair of the Development Corporation of Austin’s executive committee and Enterprise Minnesota’s Manufacturing advisory group.
A lifelong resident of Brownsdale, Minnesota, Akkerman and his wife Robin, have three sons, two who have joined Akkerman and six grandchildren. Outside of family activities and travel, Akkerman is enthusiastic about classic Mopar car restoration and collecting, is an amateur drag car racing competitor, hunter, fisherman, and golfer.
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