Irvin E. Judge, 79, an innovator and leader in global construction claims resolution and project management as founder in the mid-1970s of consulting firm Hill International and later as CEO and president, died June 22 in Voorhees, NJ, after a stroke, said his son David, also his successor as CEO. Hill, initially based in Willingboro, NJ, and later in Philadelphia, “worked on some of the largest and most complex construction projects in the world,” the company said, citing Richter for pioneering approaches to claims management, alternative of litigation and project monitoring.
David Richter pointed to his father’s personal involvement in the company’s work to resolve disputes on complex projects such as the Channel Tunnel and the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, and to manage megaprojects such as the creation of the Palm Jumeirah complex in the Persian Gulf . Richter “was actively sought as an expert, international arbitrator, mediator and neutral party,” the company said.
Richter oversaw Hill’s growth into a publicly traded giant, telling ENR in 2007 that “the market is looking for size.” But he also witnessed the splitting of his two core specialties into separate companies before he left the firm’s leadership in 2016. The dispute resolution unit became HKA.
“He was an industry icon who with his vision built a great PM/CM business from scratch and left his fingerprints on the blueprints of many projects in the US, Middle East and the world,” said Michael Tahan, senior director of construction management and alternative delivery at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) in a tribute.
Active in industry groups, Richter was a board member of the ACE Mentor program and past national president and member of the Construction Management Association of America.
