The award is named after the late Gil Carlson, legendary instructor with Bell & Gossett, and PME columnist Dan Holohan, a Carlson disciple. Carlson and Holohan were among the first recipients of the newly named award. Others include Jim Hope, marketing manager of Bell & Gossett, and engineering consultant Robert Bean. Bean is responsible for carrying the honor forward and naming it after Carlson-Holohan.
"In my observations of business, sports, science, and medicine, there are legendary leaders who take responsibility for continually raising the benchmark of professionalism," commented Bean. "As a participant in this great industry, it seemed rather appropriate that we should celebrate our own legends and to carry forward for all time their unique history and skills. I see The Carlson-Holohan Award as being one of those lifelong ambitions individuals can strive for in pursuit of excellence, and in the process, create a vortex of learning, teaching, and strengthening through community efforts.