2024 Hall of Fame Inductees

Philip Annis

Phil Annis was born on a farm in Logansport, Kentucky, in Butler County, the Big Bend area of the Green River. He attended a one-room school through the sixth grade and continued his education in a newly-built school in Morgantown. Annis graduated from Butler County High School in 1958, and he received a scholarship from the Department of Highways (DOH) to attend the University of Kentucky to study Civil Engineering. The DOH scholarship lasted one year, and during his remaining college years Annis worked part time at the Highway Research Lab (now KTC) on campus until his graduation in 1962. In the summers between semesters, he worked for the DOH in construction and in route location on I-65.

After college graduation, Annis married Margie Johnson of Danville, who he met at UK. They now have a son, a daughter, five grandsons, and three great grandchildren.

Annis began his career in the DOH Division of Materials in Frankfort and became the Assistant Director within three years. In 1972, he entered the private sector when he joined East Kentucky Paving (EKP) as Vice President. In 1988, EKP sold the business to Mountain Enterprises (ME), and in 2005 ME was acquired by Oldcastle Materials Group (OMG). During those years Annis served as Vice President of EK and Vice President and later President of ME and OMG. Under his leadership, EKP and ME won three Sheldon G. Hayes Awards for Quality Paving from the National Asphalt Paving Association (NAPA) — EK was awarded for a project on KY-80 and ME for projects on US-23 and I-64.

Annis has served on the Board of Directors of KAHC, KCSA, KBT, PAIKY and as President of PAIKY for one term. He was also Chairman of PAIKY’s Technical Committee for several years.

In 2011, Annis decided he had worked enough and retired. OMG ask him to stay involved as a consultant for a while and he agreed, until totally retiring in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Today, he enjoys his family, raising a garden for fun, bowling on Mondays during the winter, going to Planet Fitness, and hanging out at the farm on Green River.