West Division geology manager caps off career with prestigious industry honor

David Bieber has been named a recipient of the Jim Pendleton Award, an honor recognizing his nearly four decades of service to the mining industry.

Geology and Survey Manager David Bieber has been named a recipient of the Jim Pendleton Award, an honor recognizing his nearly four decades of service to the mining industry.

Given annually by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, the award is presented to people, companies and organizations dedicated to the state’s reclamation principles. 

Bieber, who plans to retire in 2023 after a 36-year industry career, said he was shocked when he learned of the good news.

“When I first heard I had won this award, it was just a complete and total surprise,” he said. “I am absolutely humbled by this honor.”

Most recently, Bieber’s primary responsibilities with Martin Marietta have included adapting existing mine plans to meet modern-day demands, and planning and directing reclamation efforts at several existing and future operations in the West Division.

In his latest project, which he said was among the most involved of his career, Bieber was instrumental in permitting the expansion of Parkdale Quarry about 60 miles southwest of Colorado City. The expansion added 700 acres of mineable property within a 1,400- acre Bureau of Land Management lease area, providing Martin Marietta with access to extensive reserves.

Bieber said his role was to work closely with the community. As the project moved forward, he reached out to local groups to ensure the scope of the operation plans were understood. Partially because of his efforts, the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety ultimately approved the project without receiving a single public objection, he said.

“This was not merely accidental or good fortune, but the culmination of a long-term and deliberate strategic effort that rested on a foundation built by the project team years before permitting started,” he said. 

Bieber has also served with several industry organizations throughout his career, including the Colorado Section of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration and the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists. He currently serves as director for the Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals and is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Geosciences Institute.

With experience working from New England to the Rocky Mountains to the West Coast, Bieber said he has focused on aggregate mining for most of his career. Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety Senior Environmental Protection Specialist Michael Cunningham said the industry has been made stronger as a result.

“His professionalism and his dedication to advancing reclamation, along with his contributions to the industry and academia, exemplify the spirit of the Jim Pendleton Award,” said Cunningham, who nominated Bieber for the honor.

James Sharn, the West Division’s director of natural resources, has worked with Bieber for years and always known him to be “caring and intelligent.” While congratulating him on a truly impactful career, Sharn praised his colleague. “David has long been an advocate for Martin Marietta and for reclamation work in the mining industry,” he said. “He is passionate about geology and about sharing his knowledge with others.”