Recognizing United Infrastructure Group

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, before I got into the political arena, I was in the family construction and development business. It was seldom that I ever heard of or witnessed a company that stayed in business for 20, 50, or 70 years, and especially not 100 years.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate United Infrastructure Group, a South Carolina company that has done just that. It has been a successful business for 100 years, performing outstanding work in engineering, construction, alternative project delivery, and service.

United Infrastructure Group, or UIG, was founded in 1924 by Frederick Triplett as a partnership named Small and Triplett Construction Company. The company began construction of its first bridge in Morristown, Tennessee, then continued in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and the two Carolinas.

The company completed its first major bridge project in 1926 in Chester County, South Carolina, carrying SC-9 over the Catawba River to replace the existing ferry. For the next 20 years before his death, Frederick served as a pioneer in the bridge construction industry. His legacy continues in his two sons, Fred and Tom.

An innovator and inventor, Fred graduated from Clemson College in 1948 with a civil engineering degree and began working in his father's business. He was known for designing and building overhead gantry cranes used on bridge projects during the 1950s and the 1960s.

In 1976, he was named Employer of the Year for South Carolina for modifying a crane with hand controls to assist a disabled veteran and a former crane operator.

His other son, Tom, like his father, was respected by his contemporaries for his contributions to the construction industry and local, State, and Federal organizations, but one of his most memorable characteristics was being an avid American patriot. His legacy lives on with his son, Jim Triplett, who is an American patriot in his own right and is the current chief executive officer of the United Infrastructure Group, Inc.

Many in the industry regard Jim as a top professional in his field and one who has had a major impact on the highway industry in the Carolinas as a leader in bridge construction and design-build delivery for over 30 years. He began working for his father at age 9 in 1974. He received his bachelor of science in computer engineering from Clemson University in 1986. He practiced structural engineering with Ralph Whitehead & Associates until 1992, when he returned to work at United Contractors. In 1995, Jim acquired the majority interest of the company and later acquired several other former Triplett companies to unify the companies into a single entity.

The United Infrastructure Group prides itself on fostering growth and diversity in resources and disciplines by developing and motivating exceptional leaders in a Christian environment to achieve excellence by every standard of measure. Their commitment to not only producing excellent work but excellent people has left a lasting impact on South Carolina. The growth of their family business represents the heartbeat of the American Dream.

On behalf of the Fifth District of South Carolina, it is my most sincere pleasure to recognize the United Infrastructure Group for 100 years of outstanding service. The United Infrastructure Group and the Triplett family have set the gold standard, a century of dedicated service and commitment for which they will long be remembered. For that, I hope you will all join me in celebrating this momentous occasion.

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