Craftsman with Vail Valley’s Gallegos Corp. earns national award
Dan Doyle has been honored with an award from the Natural Stone Institute
Dan Doyle, who first became an employee of Gallegos Corporation in 1988, was honored earlier this year with the Natural Stone Institute’s Craftsman of the Year Award for 2019. The award acknowledges one craftsman who has performed outstanding stone fabrication and/or installation over a period of many years. The candidate must have served as an apprentice stone mason and risen through the ranks as journeyman stone mason, foreman and superintendent, as well as demonstrate leadership and mentorship.
“Dan has a lot of patience,” said Travis Preston, a Gallegos marble and granite apprentice. “A lot of these pieces are very technical and somehow, some way, he always puts them together and they look beautiful when they’re done.”
Gallegos CEO Gary Woodworth said Doyle creates works of art. That is what sets Doyle apart from his peers and how he earned this award.
“Having an employee of Dan’s skills allows us to never say ‘no’ to a problem, a challenge,” says Woodworth. “We have the ultimate confidence in what Dan will bring to the job site every day.”
Vail Valley architect Hans Berglund said there are very few who can visualize three-dimensionally like Doyle can. “It’s very difficult and there’s an artistic element that really helps make our architecture look great and us look good.”
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While celebrations in the year of COVID-19 have looked very different, it is not stopping Gallegos from celebrating its 50th year in business and honoring Doyle.
“There are just very few people who can do what he can do with stone; he has this unique mindset that he knows what the finished project is supposed to look like and how to get there,” Gallegos Chief Business Development Officer David Little said. “Dan’s reputation has resulted in repeat customers for Gallegos. In fact, many of our customers demand that Dan be on the job.”
Doyle said he enjoys his work and that’s why he is so passionate about the finished product and about helping his coworkers.
“My father was a mason for 43 years; I learned a lot of different materials, buildings, blueprints through him,” Doyle said. “I feel very fortunate to have an award like this. I would like to thank the Gallegos Corporation — all good people who helped me along the way, pushed me. I cannot do what I do without them.”
For more information, go to http://www.gallegoscorp.com.
