Bob Duh

Title: Superintendent

As a young child Bob knew he wanted to pursue a career in construction and his commitment to the industry has been steadfast. With nearly forty-five years of experience under his belt, Bob has played an instrumental role contributing to the built environment throughout the greater Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region.

Bob began his career in 1965 working for a surveying firm while simultaneously serving in the Maryland National Guard. His attention to detail and accuracy quickly moved him through the ranks of rodman, chainman, instrument man and ultimately earning him the role of party chief.

During the early years of his career, Bob's layout experience was centered on bridge construction. His role led him throughout the mid Atlantic area laying out bridges in Harrisburg, Cumberland, Morgantown, and Ravenswood West Virginia along the Ohio River. Perhaps his most notable project during this phase of his career was laying out the Key Bridge spanning the Patapsco River in Baltimore's outer harbor.

The bridge is a monumental icon crossing within 100 yards of the site where Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry – a battle that inspired Key to write the words of the Star Spangled Banner. It's also the third longest continuous truss bridge in the world with a span of 1,200 feet. And it was certainly a monumental feat for Bob and his crew laying out the structure over several years of construction during the mid 1970s. Later in his career, Bob would find himself managing another project with historical significance – the renovation of the infamous Watergate Hotel.

As Bob's career progressed, he went to work for ML&M, a division of Miller & Long, laying out high-rise office buildings in D.C. It wasn't long before he moved into a superintendent role and went to work for Omni Construction. There he supervised the overall construction of high-end office buildings in D.C. as well as Marriott's Mid-Atlantic Distribution Center in Jessup. The industrial building serves as the main food distribution facility and includes a minus ten degree freezer that measures 360 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 38 feet tall.

In 1992, Bob joined Oak Contracting. His first assignment was overseeing construction of a new postal distribution facility in Annapolis. His next project was the Central Maryland Oncology Center. Bob notes this project as one of the most challenging in his career, partially due to the construction of a linear accelerator. The walls were constructed of six-foot thick concrete with a four-foot thick ceiling. Construction required such precision to ensure absolutely no radiation could escape from the room. Of course, the room couldn't be tested until after it was completely finished, including the several-month-long process of installing the radiation machine. The building remained partially occupied during construction by a physician continuing to treat patients, which was another factor contributing to the complexity of the project.

In his most recent years at Oak, Bob has been focused on school construction. He's built new schools, torn down old ones, and renovated existing buildings while they remained fully occupied. He most recently completed the Bel Air High School replacement project and is currently overseeing Carver Center for Arts and Technology – his fifth high school! Outside of work, Bob enjoys restoring old cars. His current collection consists of a Corvette, Triumph, and two old pick-up trucks.

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