Hall of Fame Inductee
Class of 2016
Don James
Don James, who joined Vulcan Materials in 1992, led the largest aggregates supplier in the U.S. for 18 years, significantly expanding the company’s operations throughout the country. James guided Vulcan through periods of strong growth and difficult market downturns, positioning the company in recent years to increase operational efficiency and maintain disciplined growth. Under James’ leadership, first as president and then as CEO, Vulcan’s enterprise value grew from $2 billion to about $10 billion; its permitted reserves base doubled from 7.5 billion tons to more than 15 billion tons; and the aggregates facilities it operates increased from 122 to more than 325. James served as Vulcan president from 1996 to 1997 and as CEO from 1997 to 2014. He began serving on the company’s board of directors in 1996 and was named chairman in 1997. James was named non-executive chairman last January and retired from that position at the end of 2015. Vulcan originally hired James as senior vice president and general counsel.