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ENR West is pleased to announce the region’s three Legacy Award winners for 2026: Randy Iwasaki, Iwasaki Consulting Services; John Helminski, WSP; and David Baska, Terracon. The three represent ENR West’s Northern California, Southern California, and Northwest subregions, respectively.

The Legacy Awards program recognizes industry veterans with many years of experience and long lists of contributions to their profession and community. More than a dozen people filed as candidates for ENR West. In choosing this year’s winner, ENR’s regional editors assessed several criteria, including each nominee’s history of innovation, career highlights and engagement within the industry and the communities they serve.

Northern California Subregion

Randy Iwasaki

President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services

Walnut Creek, California

Iwasaki held several leadership positions at Caltrans during which he directed the $8.7 billion seismic retrofit of California’s toll bridges and major projects including the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore, the Bay Bridge East Span and the expansion of State Route 4. Iwasaki pioneered innovation by introducing North America’s first Level 3 autonomous shuttles and securing federal approvals. As executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, he developed the GoMentum station, the nation’s largest autonomous vehicle test site, and introduced drone-based construction verification. After retiring from public service, he joined AWS as a state and local transportation leader, advising agencies across the country on data-driven, AI-enabled, and digitally transformative transportation solutions.

Southern California Subregion

John Helminski

Senior Vice President of Water Resources, WSP

san diego

Helminski has spent more than 40 years shaping California’s water infrastructure through leadership in construction, water, energy and sustainability. Beginning with San Diego’s Clean Water Program in the 1990s, he managed major infrastructure upgrades, including pumping station and pipeline projects. As director of the city’s renewable energy program in 2001, he led two pioneering solar installations, saving more than $1 million a year, and helped launch some of the nation’s first power purchase agreements. A founding member of the US Green Building Council’s San Diego chapter, he created the city’s first sustainability office and LEED Silver building policy. Helminski later guided the $1.5 billion Pure Water San Diego initiative, recycling 30 million gallons of wastewater daily and influencing statewide water reuse regulations through regional collaboration.

Northwest subregion

David Baska

Senior Consultant, Terracon

Mountlake Terrace, Wash.

Baska’s expertise spans seismic risk and liquefaction analysis, soil-structure interaction, and resilient structural design. Baska co-authored the NRCS Seismic Analysis Manual for Dams, and wrote most of its chapters. His diverse project portfolio includes bridge design in the New Madrid seismic zone, seismic retrofits in Oregon and Vermont, and serving on the Seattle SR-99 Alaskan Way Viaduct Expert Panel. He has also applied performance-based design to skyscrapers such as 121 Boren in Seattle and the World Jewelry Center in Las Vegas, as well as essential facilities such as hospitals and emergency centers. Its post-earthquake recognition in Chile and New Zealand advanced earthquake engineering practices around the world.

For more on the achievements of Kaneshige, McConahey and Kopczynski, see the March 2, 2026 print issue of ENR West.

Here is a list of past Legacy Award recipients from each ENR West subregion: