2010 Recipients

Jack and Donna Rust Award for Excellence in Ethical Business Practice by a For-Profit Business
Armstrong Energy Corporation

Armstrong Energy Corporation is an oil and gas exploration and production company based in Roswell, NM. This company, founded by Bob Armstrong in 1977, has a reputation for being honest, transparent and trustworthy.

Armstrong has a set of core values that cover five categories: Integrity; Employees and Quality of Life; Customers; Suppliers; and Community. Integrity is the top priority and the foundation for the day-to-day operations of the company. Another high priority is Armstrong employees and their quality of life. Bob Armstrong believes that if his employees are treated well, then they will treat their customers, suppliers and the community in the same way.

Employees are provided with 100% health insurance coverage for themselves and their families, and the company provides an educational scholarship fund for employees’ children and grandchildren. Employees are encouraged to be active in the Roswell community and that is clearly shown by their involvement with United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southeastern New Mexico, New Mexico Military Institute, and the Roswell Public Library.

Transparency is a key ingredient to success at Armstrong Energy Corporation. Weekly management meetings are held and minutes from those meetings are posted so every employee knows what was discussed and the company’s position on various issues. This transparency extends to dealings with its partners and investors. Open communication has led to goodwill and trust with all of Armstrong’s stakeholders.

Armstrong Energy Corporation is not focused on being the biggest but on being the best it can be.

BRYCON Construction, founded by Bryant Lemon in 1990, is a privately owned and operated corporation headquartered in Rio Rancho that employs approximately 500 employees. When BRYCON first opened, their specialty was construction of high-tech clean rooms for Intel. Over the years, they have diversified into general construction and specialize in doing work that other contractors don’t do so well or don’t want to do. Bryant and Bill Lemon believe in a “tone from the top” and that it is their duty to define, communicate, and demonstrate moral and ethical behavior.

At BRYCON, safety is a core commitment. For the past four years, they have not had a recordable safety incident at the Intel plant, and that’s with approximately 350 BRYCON employees on site full-time. In 2006, 2007, and 2008, they earned the Platinum STEP Award from the NM Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors. This is the highest level of safety implementation a contractor can obtain. They have established a system of incentives to promote safety awareness and to reward employees for achieving a good safety record.

BRYCON has established a lectureship endowment in Bryant Lemon’s name at UNM’s School of Engineering. This endowment funds an annual lecture series that brings in construction engineering experts to provide further education to construction management engineering students.

BRYCON invests in its employees. They sponsor employees who wish to enroll in a four-year apprenticeship program in any of the skilled trades, including carpentry, sheet metal, HVAC and electrical training. BRYCON also provides tuition assistance to employees who are taking approved courses at accredited institutions.

Paul and LaDonna Hopkins Award for Excellence in Ethical Practice by a Non-Profit Organization
Keshet Dance Company

This year’s non-profit recipient is Keshet Dance Company, founded by Shira Greenberg in 1996. Keshet offers a variety of classes for every age, experience level and physical capability. Their mission is to inspire passion and open unlimited possibilities through the experience of dance.

Keshet has developed community outreach partnerships with various organizations, including the Youth Diagnostic and Development Center (YDDC) and the APS Title 1 Homeless Project to serve homeless youth. The YDDC program includes an academic-based curriculum using dance as a vehicle to teach math, reading, conflict resolution skills and self-esteem development.

In an effort to provide everyone with the opportunity to dance, Keshet offers noncompetitive scholarships to youth and a work-study program for adults. Over half of the youth in the program receive a scholarship to participate in classes.

Keshet has recently partnered with the City of Albuquerque to renovate the historic KiMo Theatre. One of the key renovations will be to make the stage and backstage facilities wheelchair-accessible.

Last fall, Keshet received the national Coming Up Taller Award. Keshet was one of fourteen youth organizations from around the country that were honored for exemplary programs fostering the creative and intellectual development of America’s children and youth through education and practical experience in the arts and the humanities.

PNM Award for Individual Excellence in Ethical Business Practice, in honor of John Ackerman
Judith Wagner

Judith “Judy” Wagner is a forensic accountant. A native of Albuquerque, Judy graduated from Manzano High School and holds a BS in Mathematics from UNM. She is a CPA, Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). She currently serves on the AICPA’s Forensic and Valuation Services Executive Committee. Judy is also a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) and has served as the Chair of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts’ (NACVA) Ethics Oversight Board.

In October 2004, Judy was appointed by Judge Geraldine Rivera as a receiver to oversee the operation, breakup and division of assets of P2RS Group, Inc., an engineering firm. P2RS was a subcontractor in the construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse and other public projects. Over the course of her investigation, irregularities appeared and Judy came to the disturbing conclusion that she had uncovered schemes involving bribes, kickbacks and money laundering in public projects.

Judy meticulously documented her findings and turned her files over to the US Attorney’s office and the FBI in July 2005. Over the next three years, she selflessly gave of her time in assisting the FBI and the US Attorney’s office as they built their case in what would turn out to be the largest public corruption case in New Mexico’s history.

In March 2010, Judy traveled to Washington DC where FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III presented her with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for her service to the community. Judy has been called an “unsung hero”. She remains adamant that were she to be confronted with the same situation; she would absolutely do the same thing – the right thing. She states, “For me, there was only ever one choice.”