Dale Heglund Honored with UGPTI’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Transformative Contributions to Transportation
Dale Heglund Honored with UGPTI’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Transformative Contributions to Transportation
UND Civil Engineering Alumnus Dale Heglund Receives Prestigious UGPTI Lifetime Achievement Award
Dale Heglund, a distinguished alumnus of the University of North Dakota’s Civil Engineering program, has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI). The accolade is a testament to Heglund’s unwavering commitment to enhancing transportation systems within the state of North Dakota and on a national scale.
With a career spanning over 45 years, Heglund’s journey in transportation improvement began with his family’s northern Minnesota dirt construction business, where he gained hands-on experience, starting from the ground up with a shovel and a backhoe.
From 2014 until his recent retirement, Heglund served as the director of the North Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program. In this role, he spearheaded outreach and training programs aimed at professionals in the transportation construction industry, fostering collaboration at all levels and advocating for a unified transportation system. Heglund played a pivotal role in the creation of the Northern Tribal Technical Assistance Program at UGPTI, facilitating the integration of tribal transportation into the broader regional network.
Prior to his tenure at UGPTI, Heglund held the position of North Dakota sales engineer for Cretex Concrete Products and spent 15 years with the North Dakota Department of Transportation, initially as a transportation engineer and later as assistant district engineer in Dickinson.
Heglund, a proud UND Civil Engineering graduate, holds a B.S. in civil engineering and is a registered North Dakota Professional Engineer and Professional Land Surveyor.
Among his numerous accolades, Heglund has received recognition from the ND Society of Professional Engineers with the Bruce Nelson Award and the ND Association of County Engineers with the Friends of NDACE Award. His commitment to professional standards is further highlighted by his membership in the Order of the Engineer and as a charter member of the Central Dacotah Section of the American Society of Highway Engineers.
Dale Heglund resides in Fergus Falls, MN, with his wife Jennifer, leaving an indelible mark on the transportation industry and inspiring future generations through his exemplary contributions.
Written by John Nguyen // UND College of Engineering & Mines
