In 1973, Dan Evans (BS ’66) took over his father-in-law’s Longview, WA plumbing contractor business. Evans transformed the company, JH Kelly, from a five-employee business to one with 1,000 employees company and a five-year average revenue of $266 million.

When he joined JH Kelly, Evans noticed that while there were other plumbing contractors in the area, there was no industrial construction company to work with the industries. Evans turned the local industrial construction company into a national leader in specialty contractors.

Evans attributes part of his success to his Chemical Engineering degree and the professors who supported him, including Prof. John Berg. “Recalling Dan as a student in the first class I ever taught at the University of Washington, it fills me with pride to see what he has accomplished in his career, and is continuing to accomplish,” said Berg. "Among other things, he has transformed a local plumbing business in Longview to one of the largest specialty contractors in the country, and during his presentation to our incoming students this past autumn, he revealed innovations in municipal waste treatment that appear to be transformational in that field.”

Between earning his degree and his work with JH Kelly, Evans worked for Standard Oil of California and earned a MBA at the University of Oregon. He will receive his Moulton Medal and plaque at this year’s Graduation Ceremony in June.