Alpine director joins Rural Builder Hall of Fame

David Brakeman, engineering director at Alpine, has been named to the Rural Builder Hall of Fame for his contributions to the post-frame construction industry.

The award was presented by Sharon Thatcher, editor of Rural Builder and Frame Building News magazines, during a special ceremony at the 2016 Frame Building Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 10.

“David Brakeman is an excellent example of how the industry continues to advance post-frame construction through the unselfish sharing of information and expertise,” said Thatcher.  “It is particularly significant that he was selected for this honor by his peers.  While Rural Builder magazine monitors the system, members of the Hall of Fame, with roots dating back to 1982 and now numbering more than 100 members, actually nominate and vote for new inductees.  They don’t take their responsibilities lightly, and now Dave joins this elite group.”

Brakeman oversees all work in wood truss design, research, testing and standards development at Alpine.

He is also active in the Truss Plate Institute, the national organization that writes the design standards for wood truss construction.

He has served as a member of the Technology and Research Committee for the National Frame Building Association, lending his knowledge to numerous articles on trusses in post-frame construction.

He was also an adjunct professor of civil engineering for more than 20 years at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he taught a course on designing timber structures.

He has been working at Alpine since 1989 when it acquired Lumbermate, which he joined in 1978 after graduating from college.

Brakeman is one of only three people to lead Alpine’s engineering organization during its 50 years, including company cofounder William McAlpine and Charles Hoover, Jr.