Welty Building Co.

As an Ohio State alum, John has an affinity for the Columbus region that runs deep. As the President of Welty’s central Ohio office, John channels his passion for the region into his hands-on oversight and leadership for every project. He’s been in the construction industry for nearly 20 years, and has managed projects for a variety of sectors including retail, healthcare, education and commercial office space

Adam spent his early career in Sales and Marketing roles with Black & Decker launching the DeWalt Industrial Tool brand. He spent the next 20 years as a Marketing Executive at The Sherwin Williams Company – building global brands and product teams in consumer and commercial market segments. In his first two years at Welty, he has built our Sales Process, business planning and CRM systems, as well as re-vamped our brands proposal and digital marketing efforts. Adam is the Past-President at Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio and serves on the Board of the Karen P. Nakon Foundation.

A native New Yorker, Bill has held a variety of jobs ranging from taxi driver to general management. Bill believes the equation that drives business success is ER>=CR. Employee Relationships are always greater than or equal to Customer Relationships. People are the difference when creating a safer job site and a better first cost for a customer’s project. People accelerate a project schedule, and provide solutions that enhance operating margins. Bill has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive at organizations such as Black & Decker, Procter & Gamble, ICI Paints, and McGraw Hill Construction in sales, marketing, operations and general management.  Bill has a doctorate of management from Case Western Reserve University. He is a published author and consultant on the following topics: Lean Construction, Lean EpC, workplace and workforce engagement, and emotional intelligence

Brian has worked in the contract furniture industry for more than 40 years.  Since joining environments 4 business (e4b) in 2009, he has had the opportunity to be part of a fast-growing, flagship Allsteel distributor in Northeast Ohio. In addition to Allsteel, e4b features more than 150 furniture manufacturers and has offices and showrooms in Akron and Cleveland, Ohio.

Welty is fortunate to have C. Michael Rutherford at its financial helm to ensure smooth sailing through today’s rough times.  Mr. Rutherford, with more than 40 years of experience in financial and operational leadership within large academic medical centers and integrated health care systems, has held high ranking positions such as CFO at the Ohio State University Medical Center, Vice President and CFO of Summa Health System in Akron, as well as, CEO and CFO of the Sisters of Charity Health System in Cleveland. When he was first hired as CFO at Wexner Medical Center, many within the organization considered him to be one of the top financial healthcare advisors in the field.  He brings expertise in strategic and financial planning, managed contracting, revenue cycle, mergers and acquisitions, and growth and expansion initiatives.  Rutherford has managed both growth and financial challenges with great sensitivity and compassion. He has advocated a more moderate performance in order to preserve jobs, which is not typical of a CFO.

Along the way, Mr. Rutherford also has found time for plenty of outside involvement, including sitting on the boards of organizations such as the Summit County Port Authority, North Akron Savings Bank and the American Red Cross of Summit and Portage counties. Rutherford was born in Huntington, W. Va., and graduated from West Virginia University in 1979 with a Master’s and Bachelor’s (Cum Laude) in Business and Finance. Rutherford has four children with his wife, Debbie.

Don Taylor began his tenure with Welty 25 years ago in a Project Management role, which aligned with his former construction and management experience. After five years of growing under Jerry Welty’s leadership, Don and Jerry formed a partnership in 1996 that resulted in the formation of Welty Building Company Ltd. Don was appointed President of Welty in 1996 and CEO in 1999 and has continued to build Welty’s reputation of excellence with foresight in planning and superior end results.

Fred started his career in the office furniture industry more than 30 years ago as an account executive, and he’s seen first-hand how world-class manufacturers are continuing to evolve, delivering new and innovative ergonomic workplace solutions. As the President of environments 4 business, Fred uses his extensive experience and knowledge to lead his team to the best solutions for their clients.

Jay Griffith joined Welty from ExxonMobil/AES with more than forty years of general business management experience.  In his position, he will play an instrumental role in the overall company growth strategy.

Jennifer has more than 20 years of experience in the development arena for private, non-profit and public organizations. As president of inSITE Advisory Group, Jennifer works with clients in both the private and public sectors to maximize their ROI by cutting through government red tape and identifying innovative economic development opportunities for successful public-private partnerships.

Karen is a seasoned human resource professional with more than 30 years of experience in both service and manufacturing environments with a true passion for finding ways to maximize employee potential. In her role, Karen is responsible for the entire human resource function including, training and development, hiring, recruiting, culture building and management coaching.

Paul is an innovation-minded executive, with a passion for building teams, delivering excellence, and improving the communities he lives and works in. Through a dedication to industry-leading methods such as Lean Construction and Integrated Project Delivery, Paul has shaped the way construction projects are delivered both locally and nationally. Through his involvement in numerous non-profit and civic boards, Paul has shaped a positive and engaged future for northeast Ohio.

Tom has spent his entire career in commercial construction and real estate development.   He grew up in a family construction and development business and spent his 20-year career working with a number of the most notable construction management and development companies in the region.  Tom has a deep understanding of how to shepherd an idea through concept, development, funding, construction, launch, and operation.  He has a unique perspective on building the right team for each project and a rich network of partners and resources to bring that vision to market.  At Welty Development, Tom is building out our real estate portfolio, while providing professional services in Program Management, Owner Representation, and Finance and Fund sourcing – all are additional service lines in Welty’s “Horizontal Integration Strategy”.

Tom played roles in a number of high profile development and construction projects including:  Cuyahoga County Headquarters, The 9, Cleveland State University Art Gallery, The Allen Theater, and the Shoreline Apartments.

Tom gives back to the NEO community through service to the Cleveland Chapter of NAIOP, on the Boards of Ronald McDonald House of Northeast Ohio and the Rainey Institute.

Bruce knows what it means to get your hands dirty on a jobsite. He’s not only worked in the construction industry for the past 39 years – he was raised in the trades as a carpenter and bricklayer. As Welty’s Vice President of Operations, he is recognized as a leader and coach. He oversees the organization, scheduling, cost control and implementation of all projects, including working closely with each project team to coordinate all construction services.

Carlton is a seasoned Utility professional with a career spanning 20 years. His experience is multifaceted, which includes Electric, Gas, Steam Transmission, and Distribution (T&D), in addition to Distributed Resource Integration. Over the years, he held positions of increased responsibility which included Engineering Supervisor for generation, substation, and transmission functions, Manager for engineering and planning operations, distributed resource integration programs and projects, and Project Manager for gas operations T&D developments. Carlton is known for his commitment to safety, integrity, focus on continuous improvement, and outstanding performance. He possesses a people-centric approach to leadership, is skilled at building and managing cross-functional self-reliant teams, and is accomplished in delivering desired business goals and outcomes.

Jessi brings 13 years of experience to her role as VP of Finance.  She has worked in the Public Accounting, Manufacturing, and Architectural sectors before joining Welty. Jessi obtained her MBA from the University of Dayton.  She is a cooperative team member, eager to do all that the job requires, and is particularly careful, thorough, and accurate with details.  Jessi applies what is learned to getting work done on time and right.

Jessi is a people person. She derives satisfaction from doing things for others, including customers, company management, and the team. She will exercise initiative within the clearly structured and defined framework of assigned responsibilities. In contact with customers, co-workers, and management, Jessi is a helpful, supportive coach and mentor, eager to share knowledge with others.

When Jessi isn’t at her desk crunching numbers, she is enjoying a baseball game, checking out a brewery, crafting diamond art, or playing with her energetic golden retriever.