WATSONVILLE - Bruce Wilson Woolpert, the president of Granite Rock Co. for the last 25 years, died in a "tragic accident" Sunday while boating in Lake Tahoe, company officials said.
Woolpert, 61, had dropped off his son at a North Shore dock about 2:30 p.m. and was in the process of tying up his power boat at a buoy and getting into a 9-foot dinghy when he apparently fell and drowned, said Sgt. Dave Hunt of the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
Woolpert was the grandson of Arthur Roberts Wilson, who founded the family-owned company in 1900. The Watsonville-based company is now called Graniterock.
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Community leaders called his loss a blow to the construction materials industry and to the community as Woolpert was a loyal supporter of students and area charities.
View or sign a memorial guest book for Bruce Woolpert
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dorma Baker called Woolpert one of the most intelligent, creative people she has ever met.
"He was a fabulous person to sit down and brainstorm with," Baker said. "I would value his opinion about any subject. This is hard to even accept. He single-handedly made a difference with his financial support and his own time. I don't think the community will realize for a long time what a great loss it is."
Graniterock's marketing services manager, Keith Severson, said Graniterock board member Mark Kaminski has been appointed board chairman and acting CEO.
Severson said several industry publications have referred to Woolpert's death as the loss of an industry leader.
"He always talked about wanting to work as long as his body would allow," Severson said. "He was remarkable in his work ethic. He worked seven days a week because he loved it and felt like work was a good thing to do each day."
Hunt, the sheriff's sergeant, said Woolpert's body was found about 4:30 p.m., floating face-down about 200 feet downshore, and the dinghy and paddles were found further down the lake shore.
"He possibly fell out of the boat while getting into the dinghy, or fell in the dinghy," Hunt said.
The family was staying at a condominium complex, Brockway Shores, he said.
Woolpert and wife Rose Ann have two children, Marianne and Arthur, who have worked along with her at the company part-time. Watsonville City Manager Carlos Palacios said Woolpert was a great supporter of the city, and took time to mentor him early in his career and to guide other city leaders.
"He had a great commitment to the Watsonville community," Palacios said. "It's a great loss."
Former Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said Woolpert was a distinguished professional who truly cared about the larger community.
"I worked with him on some education issues while I was in the Legislature and he really wanted to do what he could to make sure people succeeded," McPherson said. "He was an outstanding public servant and a professional business person who was a tremendous asset to our community."
Woolpert graduated from Watsonville High School and loved the Pajaro Valley, said Willie Yahiro, a longtime board member of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
"Bruce was always positive and a positive force of support for all our kids and all our schools," he said. "He was an innovator who thought of new programs that might help us."
Woolpert helped the district implement a math program for Rolling Hills Middle School in conjunction with California State University Monterey Bay, Yahiro said. He was also an early supporter of a data system the district uses to analyze academic performance, Yahiro added.
In a 2010 Sentinel editorial, Woolpert wrote that working-class parents should not be underestimated and can be great partners in education. He wrote that Graniterock sponsored surveys of parents in the Pajaro Valley district and received solid feedback that Latino parents favored more homework and supported measured performance methods. Woolpert cautioned about the dangers of overly powerful teachers' unions.
Mary Lou Goeke, director of United Way of Santa Cruz County, said Woolpert supported the chapter and helped two years ago when it was called to administer the San Benito County chapter.
"He felt that every person was responsible for the well-being of all," she said. "He was personally a very generous donor to our United Way. We have lost a leader who truly walked his talk."
She said Graniterock matched the giving of its employees, making it the organization's largest donor company. United Way has copies of Graniterock checks dating back to 1941, when the agency was formed to help troops and allies in Europe and the families back home in Watsonville, Goeke said.
GraniteRock Co.
Graniterock exists due to quality rock based at its Aromas quarry. The company has six offices from South San Francisco to Salinas, plus two sand plants in Santa Cruz County.
Graniterock split from larger Granite Construction, also based in Watsonville, in the 1930s. Woolpert took over as president in 1987.
A longtime Republican, he hosted President George H.W. Bush at the company's Watsonville headquarters for a 100th anniversary celebration, on Feb. 14, 2000.
Woolpert has been an industry innovator over the years, said Therese Dunphy of Aggregates Manager magazine.
"Whether through worker training or community involvement, Woolpert always brought out-of-the box thinking and solutions to everything he touched," Dunphy wrote in a Twitter post. "Every time I interviewed him, I came away enthused and full of new ideas. His passing is a true loss to every life he touched."
Kaminski, the new acting CEO, is a longtime board member who retired from a full-time position as president and CEO of Commonwealth Industries Inc.. He is a graduate of Indiana University and Harvard University Graduate School of Business.
The family has complete confidence in the management team and plans to "continue operating the company for another 112 successful years," Severson, the company's marketing manager, said.
According to a biography provided by Severson, Woolpert led Graniterock through a period of change in systemic culture and business focus, resulting in significant improvement in customer satisfaction, loyalty and repeat purchase.
In 2009, Woolpert started a program with Palo Alto Medical Foundation to improve his employees' health, and began a walking regimen himself to set a good example. Employees lost 1,300 pounds collectively, and the company offers other health incentives, has a fitness room for employees and showers, and offers yoga at lunchtime.
Dr. Larry deGhetaldi, who heads Palo Alto Medical Foundation Santa Cruz, called Woolpert's death a great loss.
"We have never worked with someone so genuinely devoted to his employees - striving to maximize their full potential as human beings," he said. "His company looked and felt and succeeded like a family."
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Follow Sentinel reporter Cathy Kelly on Twitter @cathykelly9
BRUCE WILSON WOOLPERT
RESIDENCE: Cupertino
AGE: 61
BORN: May 30, 1951, Watsonville
DIED: June 24, 2012, North Lake Tahoe
EDUCATION: Earned a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from UCLA and a master's from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, with top graduate recognition at both universities.
OCCUPATION: President, chief executive officer of Granite Rock Co. Inc.; served as chair of the executive committee and board of directors.
SURVIVORS: Wife Rose Ann; daughter Marianne; son Arthur; brother Stephen G. Woolpert
SERVICES: Pending
GRANITEROCK HISTORY