3-5 November, 2025 – Music City, Nashville, Tennessee •
3-5 November, 2025 – Music City, Nashville, Tennessee •
5 November, 2025
Nashville, USA
Recognising excellence and best practice, as determined by an international judging panel of leading industry experts.
Recognising excellence and best practice, as determined by an international judging panel of leading industry experts.
• Recognise and reward excellence
• Network with colleagues and customers
• Promote new products and technology
• Make new business contacts
Director of Construction & Demolition, City of Detroit, US
LaJuan Counts is a seasoned construction and contractor management veteran with 30+ years of experience, who currently serves as Director of Construction & Demolition for the City of Detroit.
She was appointed by Mayor Mike Duggan in 2020 to oversee a bond-funded initiative targeting 14,000 blighted residential properties through demolition and stabilization.
Before heading the Demolition Department, Counts held various roles including Superintendent of Building Maintenance and Deputy Director of General Services Operations for the City of Detroit, managing services for 140+ facilities, 311 city parks, a city vehicle fleet of 3,000+, landscape design and various other support services.
In 2023, she was reappointed to direct the activities of Capital Projects and Facility Maintenance, instituting a “cradle-to-grave” asset management approach for all city properties with the formation of the new Construction & Demolition Department.
Counts actively advocates for women in construction, a mission that intensified when becoming Demolition Director. Previously operating behind the scenes to “get the job done,” she now emphasizes women’s significant role in the industry.
In 2024, she was honored as a Michigan Chronicle Woman of Excellence. Counts serves as a Board Member of National Women in Construction Detroit Chapter #183 and serves as a member of the Wayne State University College of Civil and Environmental Advisory Board.
She holds a B.S. in Building Construction Technology from Michigan State University and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Project Director, Environmental and People, at COWI, Denmark
With more than 25 years’ experience as a consultant within the field of environment and handling demolition projects, Henrik has extensive experience related to building contamination and the handling of demolition materials.
His experience ranges from mapping building contamination and preparing tenders for remediation, to developing strategies for the reuse of materials and devising methods for carrying out demolition works.
Henrik holds a masters degree in environmental science and has extensive experience in managing major, complex projects, addressing environmental issues and coordinating with multiple high-level stakeholders.
An expert in environmental remediation and demolition, Henrik has served as a special inspector for the Danish Demolition Association since 2004.
During his career at COWI, Henrik has been involved in numerous international projects.
The most notable of which saw him serve as the head of the company’s environmental department for the design of two international airports in Oman, where he was stationed for four years (from 2008 to 2012) to complete the project.
Manager of Cerise Family LLP
Leonard has over 42 years of experience and was the owner and president of Cherry Companies, which specialised in demolition services for the commercial, residential, and industrial sector, and also provided recycling services alongside roll-off and transportation services.
His hands-on-approach to leadership resulted in the company’s turnover rising from US$500,000 in 1985 to over $175 million in 2020 – by which time it had become one of the 10 largest demolition companies in the United States and was believed to be the largest construction and demolition waste recycler in the state of Texas.
Over the years, Leonard has been an active member of multiple industry bodies – including the Association of General Contractors (AGC), the Construction Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) and the National Demolition Association, for which he served as its President.
Today, Leonard heads up Cerise Family LLP, which was formed in 2020 after the sale of Cherry Companies. Cerise provides demolition consultancy services utilising the knowledge and expertise that Leonard and his team cultivated through the growth of the original Cherry family business.
Founder and President of Costello Dismantling Company, US
He has served on national and local boards of directors for industry associations, and has also served on numerous advisory committees for issues pertaining to demolition.
Principal, Executive Vice President at Winter Environmental, US
Jim Graham serves as a Principal at Winter Environmental, a division of The Winter Construction Company, and has been with the company since 1994. Jim has more than 41 years of experience in environmental remediation and has managed over than 2,500 RCRA, CERCLA, NESHAPS and TCSA environmental projects at sites throughout 30 U.S. states and the Caribbean. Jim is an integral part of Winter Environmental. He is dedicated to inspiring outstanding results and is instrumental in fostering long-lasting client relationships.
Jim’s project involvement is numerous and varied and includes decontamination and remediation of soil, groundwater, and structures and facilities contaminated with herbicides, pesticides, PCB’s and other organic; asbestos, heavy metals, and mold; select demolition; industrial decommissioning / dismantling; radiological clean-up; and catastrophic response. Clients have included the federal government, Department of Defense, USEPA, USCG, and Department of Energy; utility and power generation entities; commercial and industrial petrochemical manufacturing; healthcare; and state and local municipalities.
Jim has also been involved in the development of remediation technologies, including the successful adaptation of a dewatering technology that was originally used in the mining and industrial markets and two thermal incineration technologies. Jim also serves on the National Demolition Association and the Georgia Brownfield Association Board of Directors and Subcommittees.
Jim is active in his community and is an annual volunteer in support of Georgia Special Olympics. Jim has also served as Georgia Special Olympics Summer Games Chairperson and the Advisory Board for United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia Advisory Board, 2006 – 2007.
Director of Liberty Industrial, Australia
Clinton is the founding director of Australia’s leading industrial deconstruction company, Liberty Industrial. He is a highly regarded industry expert and has been involved with the successful execution of some of the world’s largest and technically complex demolition undertakings.
A civil engineer specialising in large project demolition and remediation, Clinton has more than 24 years of demolition project delivery and leadership experience and, prior to launch Liberty Industrial, held a variety of consulting, engineering, project management and other senior roles within the demolition industry.
Clinton’s leadership and expertise have been critical to the growth and direction of Liberty Industrial, a specialist deconstruction and remediation contracting business known for its ability to deliver demolition projects of the largest scale and highest calibre.
Over the years, he has been a regular speaker at the World Demolition Conference presenting project reports covering high-profile and complex demolition projects and is regularly featured in the industry media as a subject matter expert.
European Demolition Association
Francisco Cobo was born in Spain in 1956. He holds a degree in Information Sciences and also in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). He is a practicing lawyer since 1983.
Mr. Cobo was founder and first Executive Director of the Spanish Association of Demolition Contractors for nine years.
At European level, he has been an active member of the European Demolition Association since 1980. For more than 10 year, from 2008 to 2019, Mr. Cobo has been a member of EDA Board of Directors, holding different positions. In June 2018 he was elected president of EDA and served until June 2022.
Mr. Cobo has also actively contributed to the establishment of the European Decontamination Institute, EDI, that was constituted in 2012. Currently, he is part of the EDI Board of Directors and Past President of this institute.
ERM Corporation, US
Having already graduated with a degree in safety and a 15-year career as a construction safety engineer for an insurance company, William ‘Bill’ Moore’s career in the demolition industry with United States-based contractor Brandenburg in1985.
Brandenburg was one of the NDA’s charter members and the company’s owner, Tom Little, was president in the 1980’s. In 2001 Bill him became president of NDA and Brandenburg’s Dennis McGarel is in line to be Brandenburg’s third NDA president.
Bill was also chairman of the association’s safety committee for over 10 years, and although he now retired after 28 years at Brandenburg and eight part-time years at ERM, he is still on the NDA Safety Committee and works as an expert witness for demolition, OSHA, and safety related legal cases.
During his career, Bill has devoted much of his time to educating the next generation of deconstruction leaders. For more than ten years he served as a guest lecturer at Purdue University – the world-renowned research Indiana, US, where he taught Demolition Risk Management and Demolition Equipment Safety.
Today, Bill continues to be active member of the industry and also spends a great deal of time volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.
Director of Major Projects at Cardem, France
Patrick has been involved in the demolition industry since 1986 and is currently in charge of the major projects carried out by this French contractor, developing technical solutions to challenging demolition projects as well as managing day-to-day operations on site.
The team he has responsibility for controls the entire demolition process, from initial demolition design studies through to blast and vibration control on site.
CEO, O’Rourke Wrecking
Michele became the first female CEO at O’Rourke in 2019 and under her leadership the company has consistently ranked among the Top 15 largest demolition contractors in the US by ENR Magazine.
Her construction career – which now spans almost 30 years, has seen her progress from positions in accounting, estimating and project management to senior roles in operations, business development, and, as in her current position as O’Rourke’s CEO, organisational strategy.
For as long as Michele has been in the industry, she has presented her authentic self; she is not afraid to be heard or express opinions opposing the norm. Her results and career growth in the male-dominated construction industry are testaments to the principles she exemplifies.
Throughout her career, Michele has worked passionately to fight the stereotypes that shroud the construction industry. She knows as well as anyone the opportunities the industry has to offer.
Her message to women considering a career in construction is that, despite perceptions, the opportunities are there. The stereotype that construction is a rugged industry suited for men is a perception Michele works tirelessly to redefine.
While Michele has been heavily involved in industry associations throughout her career, her most recent work involves the Spirit of Construction/ACI’s efforts to encourage youth interest in construction.
The initiative includes a variety of in-school, after school, and summer programs for local school districts, educating students on the opportunities within the industry.
It is through this initiative that Michele – the current Past President of the organisation – collaborates with students through project-based learning, while engaging with parents and school counsellors to break the stereotypes associated with a career in construction.
The initiative has been wildly successful and is now implemented in over 40 schools within 21 school districts.
Safedem, UK
David Sinclair is a Demolition Engineer with over 55 years of extensive experience in all aspects of the demolition industry. He is regarded as a leader in the global demolition industry and has been recognized for his focus on training and education of men and women demolition operatives in the United Kingdom, Europe and United States of America.
During his career he has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Federation of Demolition Contractors in the UK, the US National Demolition Association, and the European Demolition Association.
David also serves as a Director and a Board Member of the US National Demolition Association, and is a Past President of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors, UK, and a Past President of the European Demolition Association.
As well as being an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Demolition Engineers, David is also a Member of the European Federation of Explosives Engineers and a Member of the European Demolition Association Club of Honor.
David was engaged by the United Nations Office of Project Services to assist on location with the preparation of a “Master Plan”, for the demolition and recycling of suitable materials arising from hundreds of damaged buildings and structures in Port au Prince, Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January of 2010.
President, National Demolition Association
Ben Hayden is the current President of the National Demolition Association (NDA) for the 2025-2027 term. He is also a leader at Hayden Wrecking in East Saint Louis, Illinois, a company founded in 1945 by his grandfather, William R. Hayden. Ben joined Hayden Wrecking as Operations Manager and is part of the current leadership team alongside his brothers, Brian and Nick Hayden.
Hayden Wrecking specializes in full-service demolition, dismantling, asset recovery, and concrete saw cutting. The company has a long history in the industrial sector and emphasizes safety and quality in its operations, with a strong commitment to training and experienced personnel.
Ben Hayden has a deep understanding of the demolition industry, having grown up in a family business within the sector. His involvement with the NDA progressed from committee work to board membership, then to treasurer, and ultimately to president. As NDA President, he is focused on workforce development, safety, and membership growth. He advocates for attracting new talent to the industry, emphasizing the importance of education and training, and aims to expand the association’s local chapter presence and the number of certified demolition supervisors.
Walter Reeves began his career in the construction equipment industry in 1971, following a period of service in the US Army’s Infantry Maintenance Division.
He spent the next decade with an IH dealership, where he played a key role in establishing the company’s presence in the excavator and attachment market. He then joined Akerman excavators in 1981, progressing from a workshop role to workshop lead, then to sales, and ultimately to depot manager. He remained with the company until 1989, when Akerman was acquired by Volvo.
After the acquisition, Walter worked with a Volvo dealership, helping to expand its excavator and attachment business in the local area. He formally joined Volvo in 2001, serving in various roles including Excavator Product Manager, Attachment Manager, and ultimately Director of Demolition. He retired from Volvo in 2020.
Walter currently provides consulting services to a range of companies within the industry.
Head of Strategic Marketing for Hydraulic Attachments at Epiroc
Having entered the excavator attachment industry in 2000, he has represented major brands including Krupp, Atlas Copco, Erkat, LaBounty, and Epiroc. His expertise spans key sectors such as demolition and recycling, quarrying and mining, and civil engineering.
Over the course of his career, Gordon has held roles in customer service, aftermarket product management, and global product line management. He spent seven years as Product Manager for Aftermarket Solutions, followed by nine years overseeing product lines for hydraulic breakers, drum cutters, pulverizers, grapples, and compactors.
In recent years, he has played a central role in global market and business development at Epiroc, focusing on customer-driven solutions, application-based development, and the broader strategic direction of the hydraulic attachments business.
In his current role, Gordon works across multiple disciplines, aligning application requirements, customer processes, and market trends to guide Epiroc’s approach to product development and marketing.
Group CEO of ACDE Europe and BEILITE Europe
Karel L. Glaaser, Group CEO of ACDE Europe and of BEILITE Europe, began his career in the late 1970s with the Dutch Caterpillar dealer. He went on to join US based Cameco Industries (now part of John Deere) as international sales representative for construction, gaining international expertise in construction and land development projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Karel later joined the Dutch Komatsu dealer, where he set up a department for demolition and recycling attachments.
In 1994, Karel founded ACDE Europe to distribute demolition and recycling attachments across Europe. Over the next two decades, he represented major global brands including Mantovanibenne (MBI), Rammer & Rambooms, and distributed brands including Okada and Atlas Copco,
In 2017, he transitioned from distribution to manufacturing, launching proprietary product lines. “It was time to do better—offering our own products under our own name,” Karel recalls.
Today, ACDE Europe produces a full portfolio of attachments, including hydraulic breakers, grapples, shears, and pulverizers. Under Karel’s leadership, the company operates a central European logistics hub in the Netherlands, leads technological innovations such as the B®BI-LUBE auto-greasing system and B®TRACK&CHECK platform, and joined the Open-S Alliance to promote standardisation across the industry.
In 2025, the firm introduced big breaker line, which ranges from 5-ton models to the 14-ton BLTB-280-5-W — the largest serially produced hydraulic hammers in the world.
Beyond business, Karel actively supports the demolition community as a long-time sponsor of the European Demolition Association (EDA) and Deutscher Abbruchverband (DA). With more than 3,300 followers on LinkedIn and a consistent presence at industry events like Bauma, his voice continues to shape the future of hydraulic attachment technology.
Strategic Account Sales Director for Volvo Construction Equipment in North America
Tony den Hoed is the Strategic Account Sales Director for Volvo Construction Equipment in North America. With a career spanning over 25 years in the construction equipment industry, Tony began as a mechanical engineer in product development after graduating in 1998. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Management and spent a decade in design before transitioning to sales to build closer relationships with customers and gain a broader perspective on the business.
Tony has supported customers across nine states in a regional sales role and now works with Volvo’s Strategic Accounts team based in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania—home to the company’s North American Sales Headquarters, manufacturing facility, and Customer Demonstration Center.
Outside of work, Tony is an avid cyclist and volunteers as a coach for a local mountain bike team. He and his wife Angela, his high school sweetheart, live in Carlisle, PA. They are proud parents of two daughters: Kaitlynn, a Kent State graduate with a degree in Zoology, and Emma, a landscape architecture student at Colorado State University.
Organising the World Demolition Awards is huge task, and nothing is more important to us than ensuring that all award entries are judged fairly and on their own merits.
Our award judges are experts in the field of demolition and dismantling, and collectively have over 300 years of demolition industry experience.
Each year the judging panel consists of around 10 individuals, who are based in different locations around the world.
They follow a strict Code of Conduct.
The judging process we employ is one of independence and confidentiality.
Once the deadline for entries closes, the WDS programme organiser assigns three judges to each award category.
NO judge is ever given an award category that includes a company with which they are or have previously worked for.
We securely send each of the judges the award entries for the category they are judging.
NO judge has access to the entries sent to another judge, even if they are judging the same award category.
If a judge is marking more than one award category, which most do, these are also sent separately.
The judges review each project on its own merits, with consideration given to overall professionalism and technical expertise, how each project’s specific challenges have been overcome, financial and schedule management, safety, innovation, team management and client satisfaction.
Without comparing one project entry to another in its category, the judges then assign a mark out of 100 to each entry. This mark is based on what they feel, based on their expert knowledge and years of experience, is reflective of the entry.
Once each of the judges have finished marking an award category, they securely send their marks and any specific comments to the WDS programme organiser.
AT NO TIME, during the judging process or even after the awards have been given out at the World Demolition Awards ceremony, do the judges see how another has scored a project in any category.
This ensures that the integrity and independence of the judges’ expertise and opinions – and of the World Demolition Awards themselves – is maintained.
The WDS programme organiser then takes each of the judges’ marks for each project entry and adds them up. Thus, the project with the highest score is declared the award winner.
This process ensures that not even our judges know who has won any of the awards, until they are announced at the World Demolition Awards ceremony.
Only the WDS programme organiser knows who the winners are.
This information is kept strictly confidential, with relevant members of the KHL events and production team (around three to four individuals) only being told the names of the winners a few weeks before the ceremony, so that they can order the trophies and make the required graphics for the award ceremony.
This is why our industry awards are the most coveted and highly respected in the world.
This category is for specific high profile demolition projects with a contract value below US$1 million that imposed major challenges to successful completion or which required an innovative demolition approach. Entries should demonstrate these challenges and how they were successfully overcome, on time, within budget and safely.
Submissions should include demolition methodology statements, site waste management plans and any other relevant project documentation that will allow the judges to validate the Award Statement. Client testimonials concerning the work carried out should also be supplied if possible.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors
This category is for specific high profile demolition projects with a contract value in excess of US$1 million that imposed major challenges to successful completion or which required an innovative demolition approach. Entries should demonstrate these challenges and how they were successfully overcome, on time, within budget and with an exemplary safely.
Submissions should include demolition methodology statements, site waste management plans and any other relevant project documentation that will allow the judges to validate the Award Statement. Client testimonials concerning the work carried out should also be supplied if possible.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors
Tell the judges why your confined space or urban demolition contract should receive an award. It may have been unusually complex or demanding. It would have been delivered on time and budget, and completed safely. A client testimonial is expected, and control of noise, pollution and disturbance will be considered. Primary criteria against which entries will be assessed are:
Professionalism/Expertise; Impact Minimisation; Neighbourhood Relations Management; Client Satisfaction. Depending on the number of entries this may be split into two sections as in the past few years.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors.
Tell the judges why your civil engineering/infrastructure demolition contract should receive an award. It may have been unusually complex or demanding. It would have been delivered on time and budget, and completed safely.
A client testimonial is expected. Primary criteria against which entries will be assessed are: Overall Professionalism/ Expertise; Overcoming the Specific Challenge; Financial & Schedule Management; Safety Record; Client Satisfaction.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors.
Tell the judges why your industrial contract should receive an award. It may have been unusually complex or demanding. It would have been delivered on time and budget, and completed safely.
A client testimonial is expected, and control of noise, pollution and disturbance will be considered. Primary criteria against which entries will be assessed are: Professionalism/ Expertise; Hazard Remediation – Approach and Success; Approach to Recycling; Client Satisfaction.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors.
This category recognises an innovative approach to the design and engineering of new mobile plant introduced between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023 that meets the specific requirements of the demolition and recycling industries.
Submissions should objectively demonstrate what is special or unique about the product and include background product development, the design requirements it had to meet and full product specifications. Please do not include sales brochures or other promotional material as part of the submission.
This category recognises a new attachment, hand tool or other product not covered by the Plant & Equipment category brought to market specifically for the demolition sector introduced between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.
Submissions should objectively demonstrate what is special or unique about the product and include background to product development, the design requirements it had to meet and full product specifications. Please do not include sales brochures or other promotional material as part of the submission
Safety and training go hand in hand. Entries should clearly show how the company has established an effective methodology to ensure safety during its daily operations through an company-wide safety and training ethos.
Entries should include information on lost-time incidents and injuries, and training programmes instituted and undertaken.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors.
The winner of this category will be able to demonstrate a commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its operations. As well as clear evidence of effective recycling strategies, the judges will be looking for evidence of “green” working practices, investment in cleaner equipment and effective control of noise, pollution and disturbance.
Primary criteria against which entries will be assessed are: Professionalism/Expertise; Environmental Impact Management; Approach to Recycling; Client Satisfaction.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors.
Tell the judges why your blow-down contract should receive an award. It may have been unusually complex or demanding. It would have been delivered on time and budget, and completed safely. A client testimonial would normally be expected, and control of noise, pollution and disturbance will be taken into account.
Primary criteria against which entries will be assessed are: Professionalism/ Expertise; Contract Complexity; Impact Minimisation & Neighbourhood relations; Client Satisfaction.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors.
This award will be made to contractors involved in specific projects that required a high degree of collaboration between all parties involved, including demolition contractor, main contractor and client. Entries should show the levels of collaboration achieved and the benefits that these generated to achieve a successful outcome.
The judges will require statements/information from all involved parties concerning their individual view of the success of collaboration, along with full project details indicating any elements whereby collaboration was essential in achieving successful completion of the overall project and/or specific phases.
Who can enter? Open to all demolition contractors.
The international judging panel will make an overall award to the entry that they believe to be the best across all categories. This award is not open to entries.
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The World Demolition Summit 2025 is created and organized by Demolition and Recycling International magazine and its publisher KHL Group, in partnership with the European Demolition Association and with the support of the National Demolition Association.
Music City Center
201 Rep. John Lewis Way South, Nashville, TN 37203, 615.401.1400
3-5 November, 2025:
Welcome drinks reception
Conference and Awards
All the latest product and market news from the global demolition industry in digital format.
