Gerald Lyles, BSCE ’64, MSIA ’71, Senior Vice President, Lyles Diversified Inc., President, Lyles United LLC

Gerald Lyles comes from a long line of Boilermakers. Naturally, he wanted to be a Boilermaker, too. As an undergraduate in civil engineering, he may not have anticipated that Purdue’s School of Civil Engineering would one day bear his family’s surname.

Lyles earned a degree in civil engineering from Purdue, then returned to add an MBA in industrial administration from the Krannert School of Management. “The blend of these two avenues of education has provided me with a great career,” he says. Indeed, those two decisions positioned him for success in the pipeline, utility, concrete and mechanical construction firm that was started in 1945 by his parents, William Jr. and Elizabeth Lyles.

The Lyles family is a longtime financial supporter of Purdue. In 2014, the Lyles family foundation made a significant gift to Purdue’s civil engineering school, which was renamed the Lyles School of Civil Engineering.

“Those with a Purdue engineering education are widely respected throughout the nation and the world,” he says. “This has helped to give me a foundation to move forward with other professionals, knowing I could hold my own in discussions and decision-making.”