Mike Gammino honored at 2025 CIRI Fall Dinner Meeting.

November 19 event included tribute video for industry legend.

Gammino accepting CIRI achievement award from President D’Ambra.

The semi-annual CIRI dinner meetings are a regular opportunity to review recent industry progress and discuss issues on the horizon. At the 2025 Fall Dinner Meeting at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, CIRI President Mike D’Ambra began his opening welcome with a brief tribute and moment of silence for David Costantino: a highly respected board member who passed away several weeks before the event.

President D’Ambra then introduced a tribute video commissioned by CIRI to honor Michael A. Gammino II — one of the most revered board members in our organization’s history. D’Ambra’s address spoke to Mike’s longstanding record of service, dedication leadership and mentorship at his family’s company, M.A. Gammino; as a CIRI board member and multiple-term president over the course of nearly 30 years; and serving as a volunteer on countless boards that benefit the heavy and highway construction industry at large.

Gammino family members in attendance.

“You might not know the history of what Mike Gammino has accomplished by serving on these boards,” D’Ambra said. “But everybody here has benefited from it. He did all the negotiating and the hard work for us.”

Gammino’s efforts for the industry at large include protecting the interests of employers and workers alike across a wide range of issues: from negotiating collective bargaining agreements for employers to ensuring fair wages and health benefits for jobsite operators and laborers.

“After retiring back in the mid-2000s, he’s stayed on to serve not just the CIRI board but this industry”, D’Ambra concluded. “We’re fortunate to have Mike to call every day. He’s our institutional knowledge and our go-to guy.”

Peter Alviti, Jr. P.E. | Director of RIDOT

Following the presentation of the video tribute, Director Alviti echoed the sentiments of D’Ambra regarding Mike Gammino’s long history of achievement and leadership.

Gammino Tribute Video
Scan or click to watch.

“As much as you have contributed to the industry, I think you’ve contributed just as much to the entire state of Rhode Island,” Alviti began. “The people of the state owe you a debt of gratitude for your knowledge and your wisdom.”

Alviti spoke to how Gammino’s advice and counsel are sought by people throughout the transportation construction industry — along with key local and national stakeholders in government and labor — resulting over the years in fruitful cooperation and collaboration between these interdependent groups. Alviti then turned his attention to honoring the longstanding partnership between CIRI, the industry and RIDOT.

“You folks were instrumental in helping RIDOT to change the fundamental nature of the way we plan, execute, fund and and deliver better transportation in the state,” Alviti concluded. “We need to work and put our shoulders together again, like we did 10 years ago with the RhodeWorks program, to create the next initiative both in the state and in the federal government. We’ll be calling all of you into force again to create that new dynamic that will take us from the great progress we’ve made — and accelerate that into the next 10 years and beyond.”