Larry D. Riggs, PE, President of Pare Corporation, was awarded the 2019 Freeman Award by the Providence Engineering Society.

The Providence Engineering Society, one of the nation’s oldest professional engineering societies, gives the Freeman Award as their highest honor to an individual who has demonstrated engineering excellence and advanced the engineering profession throughout his/her career.

For over 40 years, Riggs has served as a role model through his dedication to Pare Corporation, service to the community, and commitment to the engineering profession. He has extensive experience in the management, engineering design and construction oversight of a wide variety of civil, structural, environmental and transportation-related projects.

Riggs shared, “In my formative years as an engineer, I was provided with an extraordinary opportunity by the founder of our firm, Robert Lee Pare, to define the direction and character of the company. In those developing years we stressed integrity, service and professionalism—those same traits demonstrated by our founder continue to define us today.”

In addition to successfully managing Pare Corporation, Riggs was a founding member and director of Rhode Island Consulting Engineers (RICE), a professional engineering association established in 1991 to promote the art and science of engineering, advance fair and intelligent legislation, and improve the overall business environment for engineering companies. In 2016, Riggs was instrumental in advancing the transition of RICE to the American Council of Engineering Companies of Rhode Island (ACEC-RI) and has taken the lead on several initiatives that improved the business environment for engineering firms. He has served in leadership roles in both organizations.

He also served for many years on the Board of Directors for Crossroads Rhode Island. During his tenure as Chairman, Riggs presided over the reorganization and consolidation of services provided by Crossroads which included expanding medical, dental, and in-house job training assistance programs to the growing homeless population of Rhode Island.

Riggs is a current member of the Board of Directors for the Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island. He is also a member of several professional organizations including the Rhode Island Chapter of the Intelligent Transportation Society, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Providence Engineering Society.