President Gary Roberts is Building a Better Community

At the 31st annual Better Built® awards dinner, Bradley President Gary Roberts was presented the "Building A Better Community" Award. This program celebrates and honors individuals who have gone above and beyond in the community and the organized construction industry.

Recipients of the "Building A Better Community" Award work to improve the quality of life for everyone in the surrounding community. They put others before self, bring joy and pride to diverse populations, and work hard to make Central Illinois a great place to live, work and play.

The Better Built® Network stated, "President Gary Roberts, Bradley University, has been active in the community since returning to his college roots in Central Illinois. He is a member of the CEO Council, Board of Directors with Children’s Home of Central Illinois, Alignment Peoria Finance Committee, and the Downtown Advisory Commission; he is a passionate supporter of the Humane Society as well as the Peoria Symphony; in 2017, along with his wife Donna, he co-chaired the Heart of Illinois United Way Pillars Society raising over $4.2 million. Gary is also a strong supporter of building trades construction professionals. He was the keynote speaker at last year’s Thomas Jefferson Day Banquet and he is also overseeing a $100 million Bradley Business and Engineering Complex that is being built 100 percent with local building trades construction professionals and signatory contractors."

After receiving the award, President Roberts said, "It was a surprise and an honor to receive Better Built's "Building A Better Community" Award. Bradley and the Peoria-area community are integrally linked -- a successful Peoria needs a successful Bradley and vice versa. So, connecting and working to enhance the vibrancy and quality of life for Peoria, and all of Central Illinois, is just a part of my job, working to make Bradley the best it can be."

Better Built® is the mark of quality union construction. It adorns 100 percent locally unionized job sites as a symbol of not only quality construction but the cooperation between management and labor to build the project. Hiring union contractors who employ the specialized trained union workforce results in the safest, most productive construction. Allowing owners to focus on their business while receiving the best construction experience possible the Better Built® way!