BURLINGTON, Vt. -- On the afternoon of March 17, a parade of trucks and concrete mixers from SD Ireland Construction Corporation rolled down Main Street, took a right at Church Street Marketplace, turned down Cherry to Battery Street and then back up the hill, honking their horns all the way.
The crowds of parade aficionados and bemused passersby enjoyed a sunny, warm St. Patrick's Day afternoon interlude as the mammoth trucks, including one special all-pink concrete mixer wound its way from Winooski to Burlington and back again.
The unique observation of St. Patrick's Day has been happening in the Queen City for more than two decades and in recent years, SD Ireland has added a fundraising element to support the family's SD Ireland Cancer Research Fund for the ongoing work being by cancer specialist Dr. David Krag at the University of Vermont.
The S.D. Ireland Construction Corporation has been doing its concrete mixer parade for the past 20 years and the event is gaining notoriety throughout the region. Last year, the company, in cooperation with SD Ireland Cancer Research Fund, decided to make it a more meaningful and worthwhile experience by raising funds to support cancer research in Vermont.
Scott D. Ireland and his wife and Champlain College Alumni Kimberly (Wilson) Ireland '85 of Shelburne created the S.D. Ireland Cancer Research Fund to directly fund the work of UVM cancer researcher Dr. David Krag. Scott Ireland has been fighting melanoma skin cancer since 1990. It is one of the most rapidly increasing types of cancer in the United States and often runs in families.
The Irelands' initiated their support prior to 1999 with direct support for Dr. Krag's research. Eleven years ago, the Irelands pledged to create a $2 million endowed professorship at the UVM College of Medicine for Dr. Krag. They are nearing completion of the endowment goal
"We realized that a bigger plan was needed to even further speed us towards curing cancer and improving treatments," said Kim Ireland of the creation of the nonprofit SD Ireland Cancer Research Foundation with a goal to generate funds which will go directly to research in focused laboratory program. "This will allow the most direct support of sustained and effort with maximum utilization of funds," she said. "We have enjoyed becoming an active and valuable member of the research team and realize that direct support of a skilled group of researchers is one of the best ways to have an impact on moving closer to a cure."
With the support of the Ireland family, Dr. Krag has cancer research has gone from lab bench to bedside through the development of a technique called Sentinel Node biopsy resulting in better management of lymph nodes for breast cancer and malignant melanoma. This technique is now being tested in colon cancer, lung cancer and several other types of cancer.

"We are gratified that this method is now being applied to almost all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in the United States and is sparing unnecessary surgery in about 100,000 patients per year. This will dramatically lower the subsequent side effects from this surgery," Kim Ireland said.

Friends of Champlain College

Champlain College recognized Kim Ireland's work on the SD Ireland Cancer Research project with The Robert Skiff Alumni Award last fall. Ireland earned an AS degree in Legal Administrative Assistant at Champlain College in 1985. In making the award, Champlain College President David F. Finney cited Ireland's works as the Director of the SD Ireland Construction Corp.'s Cancer Research Fund along with donating proceeds from the Ireland's' Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade, the "Walk for Life" and "Pretty in Pink" events to promote breast cancer awareness.
The Ireland family's community support can also be seen on the Champlain College campus at the state-of-the-art building that bears their name - The S.D. Ireland Family Center for Global Business and Technology at Champlain College in Burlington.

A Family Business
S.D. Ireland Concrete Construction is a true family business, encompassing several members of the Ireland family over the years. The company was founded by Stuart D. Ireland in 1972, and his wife Margaret has worked as the treasurer for the business. Their sons, Scott D. and Stephen D. Ireland now run the company as president and vice president, respectively, and their daughter, Sherrill, has also worked in the business. Scott's wife Kim has performed human resources and accounting functions in the office, as well, and their three young children are regular visitors to the Grove Street headquarters in Burlington.
Stuart D. and Margaret Ireland moved from Rhode Island to Stowe in the mid-1960s, where they built and operated the Town & Country Motor Lodge. Stuart Ireland developed a residential building company, bought property in Burlington from a defunct concrete company, and set up new concrete batch mixing equipment.
The company earned a Bronze Award for Best Commercial Development in 2003 from the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern Vermont (HBRA) for its work on the Interstate 89 rest stops in Williston, Vt. In addition, Stuart D. Ireland was honored with the 2000 HBRA Lifetime Achievement Award for a lifetime of dedication to the building profession.

Learn more about the SD Ireland Center at Champlain College -
http://www.champlain.edu/Division-of-Business/Facilities-and-Resources.html

Photos of the Parade are available for download at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ChamplainCollegePhotos/SDIrelandTruckParade031710?feat=directlink

The WCAX-TV coverage of the parade:
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=12158637