Howard S. Wright Constructors

A 30-year construction industry veteran, Brian joined the company in 1993 when it was known as Barnhart, Inc. in San Diego, California. In the years since, his passion, commitment to the business, and strong leadership skills have remained consistent as he climbed the ranks within the organization. In 2015, he was promoted to his current position as president, California, where he oversees operations and business acquisitions throughout California and Arizona.

Respected and admired by his peers, Brian was acknowledged by the San Diego Daily Transcript as a “Top Influential” in acknowledgement of his leadership, dedication to our Zero Harm safety culture, and continuous commitment and support of the communities where we build.

Brian is also recognized as an industry expert in the education market and recently co-authored a new book titled, Humanizing the Education Machine. The book acknowledges the many challenges facing public education today, and explores learning as a uniquely human experience. The book joins Balfour Beatty with futurist Rex Miller, who first introduced the K12 MindShift project.

Through his dedication to several community organizations, buildings have been built and donations have been raised to support important causes. In fact, Brian played a key role in coordinating the effort for Balfour Beatty and its mission-aligned trade contractors to construct the 65,000-square foot Ronald McDonald House of San Diego for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego at-cost – saving the charity millions of dollars.

Brian is a Certified Construction Manager and a LEED AP, holds a degree in Aviation Science from San Diego Mesa College, and attended San Diego State University. He is also a certified flight instructor and served for five years in the U.S. Navy as a deep-sea diver, having graduated from the U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diver School in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He serves on several Boards including Junior Achievement of San Diego and Imperial Counties, Western Science Center in Riverside County, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego.

Dan joined the company in 1998 as a project engineer and quickly advanced within the organization to serve as president of the Washington State office in 2012—all before his 40th birthday. A natural leader and known for his strategic thinking skills, he was promoted to president of the company's Northwest operations in 2015, and works with the local leadership teams in Washington State and Oregon to provide strategic direction and general oversight.

Dan operates on the cutting edge of industry and has distinguished himself as an innovative thought leader in the Northwest construction community. He was publically recognized for his work when he was named a “Top Young Professional” by ENR Northwest in 2014.

He has focused his career on optimizing the integration of the design and construction process in the industry and in general. He is a member of the Design Build Institute of America and the Lean Construction Institute. He is often asked to speak at industry events focused on Integrated Project Delivery and Lean Construction to share his expertise.

Dan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management from the University of Washington. He also volunteers for several organizations including Rebuilding Together Seattle, One Redmond, and the University of Washington Construction Industry Advisory Council, where he is serving as Chairperson.

As senior vice president and chief legal officer, David Hodnett is responsible for providing legal counsel, supporting business operations, and managing transactions, compliance and general risk for Balfour Beatty’s buildings operations across the nation. Hodnett rejoined Balfour Beatty in 2018 having previously served the company for 12 years, including four years as general counsel for Balfour Beatty, Inc. and eight years as chief legal officer for the Mid-Atlantic Division of the buildings business. Hodnett began his legal career in private practice, primarily representing general contractors, and prior to joining Balfour Beatty, was the general counsel for Beers Construction Company.   
  
Hodnett is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in business finance and earned his law degree in 1992 from the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, Georgia and Virginia.

Ed Littleton joined the company in 2006 as vice president of Risk Management and serves as chief risk officer. He is responsible for the overall design, management, and execution of risk management programs and initiatives for Balfour Beatty. Ed began his career in 1985 with Arthur Andersen & Co., where he worked closely with construction industry clients. From there, he joined one of those clients as vice president of Finance. In 1996, Ed moved from finance to risk management when he joined Willis, serving in various capacities including National Subguard Practice Leader, CFO of their National Construction Practice, and COO in the Carolinas. Ed further expanded his industry experience serving as vice president of Risk Management for a Top 10 ENR contractor.

Ed holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of South Carolina, where he serves on the recently formed Risk and Uncertainty Management Advisory Board. He is involved in numerous industry leadership groups, and is past Chairman of the AGC Surety Bonding and Risk Management forum. Ed is also active in the grant process, and annual campaign cabinet, for United Way of Dallas.

Eric Stenman began his career in construction with boots on the ground — as a plumbing contractor. He owned his own business and later became a general contractor while also putting himself through college and law school.

His tenure with the company began in 2001, when he served as vice president and general counsel for Douglas E. Barnhart. Eric’s strong leadership and construction business acumen led to his promotion to president of that business in 2007. Barnhart was acquired by Balfour Beatty in 2008 and since then, Eric has served in several national leadership roles. Under his leadership, the company has achieved the leverage and scale of national capabilities, operational excellence standards, team growth and development, and industry innovation. Eric serves as President for Balfour Beatty’s US Buildings business.

Some of the prestigious and award-winning projects that comprise Eric’s impressive career with Balfour Beatty include the $221 million San Diego County Women's Detention Facility, a design-build, 1,216-bed facility that, through its innovative and campus-like design, creates a rehabilitative environment that prepares inmates for re-entry into civilian life. The project has been honored with 11 industry and sustainability awards. The $103 million J. Paul Leonard Library and Sutro Library project, which earned four awards at regional and national levels including “Project of the Year” from the Design-Build Institute of America Western Region, is a beacon of information and collaborative learning for students who call San Francisco State University home. Through the addition of an automated library retrieval system (LRS), students can quickly access key research materials from the facility’s 2,000,000-item collection. Eric has also executed a vast array of mission-critical work for confidential clients in Oregon and across the United States.

Eric is a leader focused on talent, who is constantly mentoring, recognizing, and appreciating those who have contributed. In fact, it’s this kind of leadership that inspired his co-workers and peers to nominate him as one of the San Diego Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs — an accolade earned in 2014.

Eric holds a law degree from California Western School of Law, earned his B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Northridge, and is a licensed contractor in the State of California and Arizona. He is active at the local and national levels of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), having chaired the National Contract Documents Forum and Chair of the Building Division. Eric is currently President of AGC of America, San Diego Chapter and serves on the board of directors for the AGC of San Diego. Eric also serves as an Executive Committee member of the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

John has been with Balfour Beatty for more than 20 years of his 35-year career in the heavy civil construction industry. He is a 1981 graduate of Purdue University and a registered professional engineer in Texas. 

Thorughout his time at Balfour Beatty, John has held various roles, including director of construction on the $1 billion SH 130 project in Austin, one of the company's first design-build projects, and, at the time, one of the largest design-build projects in the United States. After SH 130, in 2009, he was promoted to southwest region vice president and regional manager, where he oversaw the delivery of the $425 million SH 161 design-build project in Dallas and several bid-build projects. In addition to overseeing traditional bid-build projects for the region, he has led work on the $582 million 183 South design-build project in Austin and the $625 million Southern Gateway design-build project in Dallas.

In 2018, John was promoted to chief executive officer and president of Balfour Beatty's US civils business. In this role, he works closely with other members of the executive team to successfully execute civils projects across the country and grow the company in line with the demands of the rail, highway and water marketplace.

As a seasoned and strategic industry leader, Kasey Bevans is passionate about developing the technology infrastructure that empowers Balfour Beatty associates to deliver clients’ dreams. She joined Balfour Beatty’s Information Technology department in 2001. In 2005, Kasey was promoted to her current position as senior vice president and chief information officer. During her tenure with Balfour Beatty, she has been responsible for leading the implementation of several core business systems and increasing customer satisfaction and cost recovery. She also developed a Systems Roadmap to align with the strategy of the business.
 
Kasey earned her B.B.A. in Business Computer Information Systems from the University of North Texas in 1992 and has completed graduate work at the University of Wisconsin. She is a member of Construction Information Executives, Oracle Strategy Council, Constructware Advisory Board, and serves on the University Park PTA Technology committee. In 2015, Constructech magazine named Kasey to its prestigious “Women in Construction” list at the publication’s Technology Day event. The list is comprised of some of the most successful women working in the construction industry who drive innovation with technology and represent the leading construction companies in the country.

Leon Blondin was named chief executive officer of Balfour Beatty's US Buildings business in 2018. Leon has been with Balfour Beatty since 2001, holding the positions of chief estimator, vice president, senior vice president, division president of the National/Federal Group, president of the Mid-Atlantic Division and most recently, chief operating officer, Mid-Atlantic. As chief operating officer, Mid-Atlantic, Leon had responsibility for all activities and construction operations, including oversight of the firm’s program management, operations, preconstruction, purchasing and estimating activities. During his 30-year career, he has pursued projects in more than 30 states, and successfully acquired more than $7.5 billion in new work. In addition to having vast experience with federal projects, Leon has experience in the construction of healthcare, upscale lodging, and convention centers.

Leon is past president of the National Capitol Chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) and holds an A.S. in construction engineering from Alfred State College.

Mark has such a cool role in the company – he gets to develop ideas and approaches to industry innovation. Our innovation strategy enables Balfour Beatty to improve our value proposition for clients, partners and teammates in how we deliver projects, including our focus on Zero Waste. In addition, through research and delvopment, Mark is finding new ways for Balfour Beatty to streamline processes, reduce redundancy, and increase our knowledge and expertise in our strategic procurement and business acquisition efforts. 
 
Mark joined the company in 1999 on the design-build National Academy of Sciences headquarters project in Washington, D.C. Since that time, Mark has helped develop our company’s approach to integrated projects, which provides team-based project solutions and design facilitation processes on large design-build and design-assist projects. He also led the business acquisition team in D.C. for several years.
 
Mark has played a major role in Balfour Beatty’s Public-Private Partnerships as well. In 2009, Mark was promoted to vice president of National Integration – bringing innovative procurement and delivery expertise to the benefit of our clients, employees, and partners across the U.S. In that role, he was recognized both inside and outside the company as a leader in alternate procurement and innovative strategies.
 
Mark earned his BAE and PhD in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University. In 2010, he was named a Centennial Fellow by Penn State University’s Department of Architectural Engineering for his exceptional contributions during the department’s first 100 years, and potential to make significant contributions during the second century. And, was one of Building Design + Construction’s “40 under 40” (2009).
 
He has been directly involved with a number of industry-leading research projects and is the author of several published articles and reports, including his co-authorship of the book, "Selecting Project Delivery Systems" and “Change Your Space, Change Your Culture”.
 
He is a Designated Design-Build Professional (DBIA) and a LEED Accredited Professional and is also helping to establish industry-leading Building Information Modeling procedures for design-build projects across the global Balfour Beatty network. Mark is on the board of directors for the Lean Construction Institute, an advisory council member of the Pankow Foundation and serves as a research advisor on several industry improvements projects.

With an impressive 35+ years of industry experience, Mike has been part of the Balfour Beatty team since 1987. Currently, he serves as president for the company's Mid-Atlantic operations.
 
During his career, Mike has overseen construction of more than 45 projects totaling $4 billion and more than 11 million square feet. His portfolio includes unique, large and challenging projects like the $1.4 billion National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Campus East Headquarters at Fort Belvoir; a $550M design build mission critical facility for a confidential client on the west coast; and multiple award winning, landmark projects like the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial.

Mike is a member of AGC of Virginia as well as the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Mike holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

At the time, Pat Dean couldn’t have imagined that spending summers framing houses would lead to a career that’s allowed him to reside in nearly every state in the Southeast and encompassed projects with Fortune 100 companies. But the then Kansas State University student was sure of one thing—he had a passion for building.

During his formative years in the construction business, that passion guided Pat as he grew into a trusted and astute field leader known as much for his problem-solving abilities as his business acumen. From office start-ups to establishing footholds in new marketplaces, at a young age, Pat demonstrated a proven ability to deliver.

It was with this impressive foundation that Pat joined the company in 2006 as a vice president and business unit leader for our Carolinas business. Since that time, Pat’s strong operational and strategic leadership has resulted in significant growth in both the private and public sectors. He was instrumental in developing relationships with legacy clients such as Bank of America, which have contributed to the execution of work across multiple national and international geographies. The $500M Superblock project in Uptown Charlotte—which included construction of the 1 Bank of America Center, Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte and the Founders Hall renovation—is representative of the prestigious and award-winning projects completed under Pat’s guidance.

This success led to Pat’s promotion to president of that business in 2012. Under his leadership, Balfour Beatty grew to become the largest general contractor in North Carolina and the third largest contractor in South Carolina. Signature projects like 300 South Tryon in Uptown Charlotte and Hotel Bennett in Charleston have cemented Balfour Beatty’s reputation under Pat’s stewardship as the construction partner of choice in the Carolinas.

Today, Pat serves as president, in the Carolinas and Georgia. In this role, Pat is responsible for executive oversight, project acquisition and business growth across all three states. In addition, Pat is responsible for Balfour Beatty’s military housing operations across the nation.

With an entrepreneurial spirit, Pat is a leader guided towards achieving sustainable business growth while fostering talent of next-generation leaders. It is this focus on investing in others that led Pat—the son of two lifelong educators—to serve on the Charlotte board of Teach for America, an organization Balfour Beatty supports through hands-on training and mentorship opportunities. Pat has also dedicated his time and talents as a board member for the American Heart Association, Discovery Place and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. He is a graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in construction management.

Pleas has been in the construction industry for more than 30 years, most of which have been spent building award-winning, profitable, landmark projects for Balfour Beatty. He has been involved in the construction of more than two billion dollars in buildings in the healthcare, corporate headquarters, educational and hospitality market sectors. He has managed every aspect of a construction project’s lifecycle, including planning, preconstruction, construction, finish work, close out and warranty.  

In his role as president of the company's Texas operations, he provides continuous overall management direction for operations to ensure timely delivery of a quality product that meets the owner’s functional requirements and the architect’s design standards. 

Pleas earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University.

Steve Smithgall is an experienced operational leader who has been in construction since 1977 and has been a part of Balfour Beatty since 1997. Prior to his current role, he served as a division president in Washington, D.C. for Balfour Beatty.
 
Steve’s mission is to ensure we continue improving our safety practices across the company with the goal of one day achieving Zero Harm. He’s passionate about reducing workplace injuries at Balfour Beatty and in the construction industry. He has also successfully engaged all of the officers at the company to visit job sites for proactive safety visits, which is making a positive difference.
 
Steve holds a bachelor's degree in building construction from Virginia Tech University. He has served on numerous community and industry boards, including the Ronald McDonald House Charities Building Committee, the Virginia Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Washington Building Congress, and the Myers Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech.

Christine McAnney is an expert in construction law, including the negotiation, mediation and arbitration of large and complex construction-related legal matters and currently leads all of these critical responsiblities for Balfour Beatty's US Civils business. Before joining Balfour Beatty, she was the head of Venable's Construction Law Group, based out of Venable's Northern Virginia office.

Christine obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Florida, and is a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law. She holds multiple bar admissions, is a panel member of the American Arbitration Association and is a Fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers.

Crandall Bates joined Balfour Beatty’s estimating team in 1993. He soon moved into operations as a marine engineer on the Olmsted Lock and Dam project on the Ohio River. He later served as project engineer, project manager and operations manager for multiple rail, highway and water projects in California, Washington and Colorado. Crandall has held positions on multiple Boards for joint ventures and professional organizations. 

He has a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management from Colorado State University. Other professional affiliations include the Pacific Coast and National Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA) the Dispute Review Board Foundation (DRB) the Beavers, American Water Works Association (AWWA) Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) and the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of California. 

Leslee Mallinson is an industry veteran who joined the company in 2000 and serves as our vice president of communications. As an experienced and passionate communications advisor, Leslee sits on our executive leadership team and is responsible for delivering strategic communications counsel and brand management across our entire US business.

Leslee works closely with our operational, marketing and shared services teams to devise impactful communications that support our overall business strategy and our most valuable asset: our people.

As the head of our national communications team Leslee manages and oversees all activities related to employee communications, change management, investor relations, crisis and issue management, social media, employer brand, market positioning and value propositions, brand management, internal program embedment and content development.

Leslee is a graduate of Austin College and Southern Methodist University and an active volunteer in the Dallas community our Balfour Beatty team has helped build. 

After an extensive career with some of the construction industry's most successful companies, Mark Johnnie joined Balfour Beatty in 1998. In his tenure with the company, Mark has managed some of our most highly visible and important projects, including the San Mateo Bridge Widening and Smith Creek Parkway. As vice president of the Southeast Region for Balfour Beatty's civils business, he oversees operations and delivery of highway and water projects throughout the southeastern United States, where he brings a strong local reputation and capability to Balfour Beatty clients. 

Mark graduated from Oregon State University and holds two bachelor of science degrees – one in construction engineering management and the other in business administration.

Roger Wilson has been a leader at Balfour Beatty for the sum of his three-decade career in the rail industry. A Chartered Engineer in Europe, Roger served as project manager for multiple high-profile design-build projects, including the MBTA Greenbush Old Colony Railroad Restoration, the Amtrak Northeast Corridor Electrification, the Eagle P3 Commuter Rail project and the first-ever design-build highway project in England.

Roger is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has published a paper on the innovative electrification of moveable bridges from his work on the Amtrak project. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Leeds University. 

As president of the company's Florida operations, Scott Skidelsky is responsible for executive oversight, project acquisition and business growth within his home state.

Scott Skidelsky has spent more than two decades in the construction industry in a wide variety of leadership positions, serving clients across the United States throughout his career. 

Well known for his unique ability to connect with and inspire teammates from all facets of the business, Scott is a Building Design + Construction “Forty Under 40” alumni and was named “Man of the Year” among the Forty Under 40 winners by the Orlando Business Journal in 2007.

Prior to his career in construction, Scott served in the United States Navy as an Officer in Charge of Construction and as a Contracting Officer. Scott also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering from the University of Illinois. 

Vice President of Compensation and Benefits, Sonya Roberts joined Balfour Beatty in 2000.  As a strategic and tactical HR professional, she has led several company-wide U.S. initiatives for human resources, benefits, employee self-service and engagement.

In her role, Sonya is responsible for developing, implementing and leading the company’s total rewards strategy. She works closely with the executive team, compensation committee and human resources team to provide strategic counsel for benefits and compensation matters. She leads a team responsible for compensation and benefits best practices benchmarking and program design evaluation and measurement to ensure the company’s employee’s offerings remain among the best in industry. 

A proponent of servant leadership, Sonya is passionate about her community and is actively involved in service and outreach programs. She is a proud graduate of South Carolina State University from which she holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Denise Hubley began her career with GMH in 1989, a company which was acquired by Balfour Beatty in 2008. Most recently, Denise has served as chief financial officer for the Balfour Beatty Investments team. In her role, she has oversees the financial services team supporting real estate and construction divisions.

Hubley was named chief financial officer for Balfour Beatty’s US buildings business in early 2018. In addition to supporting our US Buildings, Denise will continue to serve as chief financial officer for Balfour Beatty Investments.

Mark Birch began his career in corporate finance at Ford Motor Co. in the United Kingdom. He diversified his experience with positions at other manufacturing organizations before joining Balfour Beatty Rail, Ltd in 1997. After assuming positions of increasing responsibility, Mark moved to Balfour Beatty’s US operations in 2004 to manage the financial growth of the state-side business.
 
Mark was appointed chief financial officer of Balfour Beatty’s domestic civils business in April 2006.

Mark earned a B.A from the University of Birmingham, UK and an MBA from Henley Management College, UK. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).