Relentless Pursuit
of Excellence

The Responsibility of Protecting Your Team

Every workplace has its unique cast of characters, mainstays that feel as much a part of the company’s culture and structure as the company leadership. Not every workplace, however, can say their company veterans are in the business of saving lives every day. That’s exactly what Balfour Beatty safety professionals like Luis Torres do on jobsites across the country, combining expertise, pride in their work and relationship building to keep workers safe.

Industry-Leading Safety Leadership

Luis is a jobsite safety carpenter, but he’s not just any carpenter. His tenure with Balfour Beatty spans nearly three decades, and in that time, he’s carefully honed his skills as a carpenter and his knack for developing innovative safety solutions. He’s a known quantity on every job – someone so trusted that his teammates have affectionally given him the title “Safety Luis.”

A well-earned title it is. Luis’s handiwork caught the attention of a Balfour Beatty safety leader, on a recent visit to the Alfond Inn project in Winter Park, Florida. On the jobsite, a sprawling 75,000-square-foot addition to the boutique hotel, Luis had constructed a set of temporary elevator guardrails.

The quality of the installation was evident at first sight. Each had clearly been constructed by a professional who deeply cared about their work and the impact it would have on worker safety.

In this case, the elevator enclosure went above and beyond the standards mandated by OSHA, Balfour Beatty and our construction elevator trade partner in Florida. While providing essential safety protections, it also featured removable sections and stowable netting, allowing different parts of the enclosure to be temporarily moved to suit different loads over the course of the job. On top of that, the entire guardrail structure was both modular and removable, so Luis’s hard work can be re-used on a future elevator thereby creating greater workflow efficiencies and reducing waste.

Luis’s responsibilities as a construction safety carpenter and the responsibilities of his peers on other jobsites don’t end with elevator guardrails and enclosures, of course. Safety carpenters build walkways, guardrails, work platforms, scaffolding and much more, all essential components of making jobsites safer for Balfour Beatty teammates, trade partners and any visitors. Alongside personal protective equipment (PPE) and established safety rules and standards, their work is on the frontlines of construction safety.

Tenured and Trusted

In his decades on construction sites, “Safety Luis” has established himself as someone our workers and trade partners can trust, as evidenced by his tenure, his demand on jobsites and his role which has grown to encompass mentoring Balfour Beatty safety carpenters across the country.

“He’s easily worked on at least a hundred different projects over the years, and his work is truly first-class,” says Jonathan Pearch, project executive. “When Luis is on the job, we know he’s going to anticipate safety needs others may not see, often going above and beyond to provide the safest possible working environment for everyone on the site. He always has the ‘what’ covered and can build anything you ask him to, but when given a task, he thinks about the ‘why’ and finds creative, safe solutions to meet the need.”

It’s only fitting that Luis has also taken his safety sixth sense outside his usual southeast region, guiding and teaching safety carpenters as far afield as jobsites in Texas. On every job, Luis truly cares about the safety of his teammates – he knows what he’s there to do and he takes pride in executing that job with excellence.

Across a career so vast, in terms of both projects and years worked, construction safety standards have naturally changed immensely and for the better, but that accumulation of knowledge is one of Luis’s greatest assets.

“He may have been able to do his job in sneakers and shorts back in the day,” Jonathan jokes, “but there’s no doubt the industry absolutely has changed. Luis has adapted to those changes and, in many ways, pushed us even further toward safer jobsites.”

The vital expertise of Luis and Balfour Beatty safety carpenters everywhere exemplifies Balfour Beatty’s commitment to leading the construction industry in safety. 

Foundations of Trust

Whether she is anticipating the needs of trade partners, advocating for marginalized communities or lending a guiding hand to new teammates, Megan Cook-Eichelberger is building relationships to last.

At Balfour Beatty, our people-first culture is engrained in everything we do. From our decision-making to the ways in which we collaborate, we believe that the relationships we form with our clients, industry partners and fellow team members are paramount to everyone’s success. For Megan Cook-Eichelberger, a project manager in Portland, Oregon, relationship building is the key to consistently meeting project goals, producing meaningful results and ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table.   

Megan began her career in general contracting eight years ago as a traveling field engineer, but her experience in the industry goes back much further than that. Her father owned a drywall finishing business, so Megan was introduced to jobsite environments at a young age.

While working at her father’s business after high school, Megan not only developed a strong work ethic but also learned the importance of creating a workplace culture grounded in the values of respect and collaboration. “It’s not just the people on your own team,” she says. “Everyone you interact with, from your design team to your clients to your trade partners, plays such an important role in how you show up to work every day.” 

Since joining Howard S. Wright (HSW), a Balfour Beatty company, in 2019, Megan has found that building strong relationships allows her to collaborate with her teammates and partners more effectively and navigate conflicts when they inevitably arise. When teams have already established a foundation of trust, she maintains, they feel empowered to bring difficult topics to the table and identify the best solutions for the team and project.

Advocating for Trade Partners 

Through these experiences, Megan has developed a deeply personal understanding of the challenges trade partners experience and has become a staunch advocate and ally for their growth and development. She doesn’t consider a project successful unless everyone involved—the project team, clients and trade partners—is satisfied with the results. 

Megan is also committed to championing small and local businesses. Through collaborating with minority, women and emerging small businesses (MWESB), she and her teammates help remove barriers to success. The Block 216 project, on which Megan serves as project manager, has presented a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for some local MWESB businesses. 

Projects of this size are rare in Portland; the building will total 1.1 million square-feet and construction is slated to span more than four years. Many small and emerging businesses may not have the experience or personnel to successfully execute scopes of this magnitude or complexity. Megan and the team implemented a right-size system to simultaneously meet our diversity, equity and inclusion goals along with the client’s: rather than issuing contracts to a single subcontractor for an entire scope package, the project team asks the partners what scope of work they can take on and allocates portions of the project accordingly. By applying this approach, the Block 216 project team is also stimulating the local economy by providing more jobs to local residents. 

Cultivating Inclusion

In addition to mentoring small businesses, Megan gives back to the women of Balfour Beatty and the greater Portland community. She currently leads her local chapter of the company’s Connecting Women employee affinity group, a role that has allowed her to partner with organizations such as Oregon Tradeswomen and Dress for Success that empower women in the construction industry and beyond.

Throughout her years in the industry, Megan has witnessed changing cultural dynamics that have resulted in a positive trend toward acceptance and inclusion. She considers herself fortunate that during her entire tenure with HSW, she’s always been able to bring her authentic self to the workplace. Megan prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives in hopes that everyone is afforded the same opportunity. 

 “I’ve learned so much just by showing up,” she maintains. “By listening first, you start to understand what a community needs and how to implement change in a way that is equitable and sustainable over the long-term.” 

Developing Within

In addition to building a stronger, more inclusive construction industry, Megan seeks out opportunities to nurture the growth and development of her own teammates. She shares her experiences and lessons she’s learned throughout her career but stresses the importance of innovation. 

“Every project has milestones to meet, but I try to remind the team that there are lots of ways to deliver for our client,” Megan asserts. “We always want to look for new solutions and ways to achieve our goals more with greater efficiency and value. It’s important to me that my teammates know that we encourage creative problem-solving.” 

Megan’s extensive industry experience helps her mentor fellow teammates, but perhaps her greatest strength is her ability to put herself in others’ shoes. Whether she is anticipating the needs of trade partners, advocating for marginalized communities or lending a guiding hand to new teammates, Megan’s empathy makes her a great champion for others and allows her to lay a strong foundation of trust on which she is building relationships to last.

Building a Lasting Legacy

When Jimmy Anderson promised his high school sweetheart that they’d remain in one place their entire lives, he had no idea that he’d pretty quickly have to renege on that pledge. In fact, Jimmy’s storybook construction career has pretty closely approximated his wife’s childhood as an Air Force brat. They’ve lived in four states and the District of Columbia and moved over ten times—all in service to Balfour Beatty and our clients. Jimmy’s 37 years with one company makes him a rare gem in the construction industry. But even more exceptional than Jimmy’s longevity is his unique style as a builder that blends old school discipline with new school dexterity.

To be fair, Jimmy made that vow when he planned to pursue an architecture major at Clemson University. The construction bug soon bit the Chester, South Carolina native, and those who’ve had the opportunity to work with Jimmy since his first days with our Mid-Atlantic estimating team can attest that his passion has never wavered. And that’s really saying something. Ronald Reagan was just beginning his first term as president when Jimmy was hired. Nearly four decades later, Jimmy hasn’t returned to a traditional office setting, but the project executive has built quite a legacy in the field and has no plans on leaving it anytime soon. From office towers and airports to prisons and higher education beacons, Jimmy’s stamp of excellence across the Southeast is as inescapable as the summer humidity in his home state.

“I was raised to place a lot of importance on loyalty,” affirms Jimmy. “I’m still here because of the people, but also because I’ve always felt like I wasn’t another number in a big corporation. Balfour Beatty has treated me very fairly, and I’ve always tried to do the same.”

In many ways, Jimmy is a construction leader of a bygone era—one who can weld or woodwork as well as any trade partner. He began building in an age without computers, creating shop drawings with a parallel bar and draftsman’s pencil. Today, Jimmy has thoroughly embraced the tools and technologies like BIM and virtual reality that have replaced this manual work. “Now, I can assemble details and documents on a computer with my eyes closed,” he brims. But Jimmy hasn’t lost the grit that fueled him as a younger builder, known for routinely putting in 14-hour days, six days a week. “Every project is personal to me,” attests Jimmy, a self-professed perfectionist when it comes to managing his projects. “It’s like my own company, or it’s my own little world,” he remarks.

Jimmy’s tackled some tough ones in his day, too, like renovating seven historic dorms for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Facing unforeseen conditions of buildings originally constructed nearly one-hundred years prior, the team couldn’t see the finish line, much less have confidence they would reach it on time. But Jimmy had enough faith for everyone combined and united the team under a simple slogan, “Believe It.” It became their rallying cry. To Jimmy’s surprise, the entire team arrived at a morning meeting sporting custom t-shirts bearing that mantra underneath his photo. Jimmy’s legendary, handlebar mustache was also prominently featured. “It broke my heart in a good way,” Jimmy reminisces. “It was a motivational thing, and heck, we got it done.” Their picture-perfect finish was a testament to the collective team’s perseverance, certainly, but also to Jimmy’s leadership that turned the tide in their favor.

“No one is more dedicated to a project’s success than Jimmy,” praises Johnny Rankin, executive vice president in Raleigh. “He always goes the extra mile to ensure every project stakeholder is successful. For a guy who has seen it all in this business, he still manages to have fun along the way!"

He’s bringing that same determination and camaraderie to his current project, a 150,000-square-foot Student Union for NC A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. Although Jimmy’s career has been filled with projects of immense complexity, he doesn’t bat an eye in citing this as his most difficult, due to its multifaceted, multidimensional skin coupled with an aggressive schedule. Jimmy has played an integral role in extensive value engineering efforts on this project—the largest built to date on the A&T campus—which underwent two vigorous stages of design modifications. Among the team’s many achievements includes establishing a robust engagement program for A&T students to learn about the project, furthering their real-world knowledge of construction before entering the workforce.

It’s an initiative that goes hand-in-hand with a passion Jimmy’s developed over the last decade—mentoring his younger teammates. “It really hit me how much they learn to do things the way you show them,” reflects Jimmy. “My mom was a schoolteacher her whole life. I reckon I can finally see why she enjoyed it so much.”

Loyalty and leadership—they’re traits that never go out of style. If you look beyond Jimmy’s encyclopedic industry knowledge, beyond his ability to successfully steward a project’s financials, you’ll understand the real impact of a man who’s dedicated his life’s work to a single company in pursuit of a singular goal: excellence. Aristotle once said “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” Jimmy Anderson is living proof that longevity in and of itself doesn’t create a legacy. But a man whose love for and pride in his work shine through everything he does can build a pretty inspirational one. And a man who embodies the message “we’re all in this together” in both word and deed? That’s a legacy that will stand the test of time. 

Helping to Pave the Way for Future “LEEDers” in Construction

Kyle Frandsen is a born leader, and he's especially passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise about sustainability and green construction. His interest in the field was sparked at the University of Florida where he earned his master’s degree in building construction with a sustainability concentration. He also worked for a general contractor on a campus project pursuing LEED® Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council.

In his role as Sustainability project manager for Balfour Beatty in California, Kyle is responsible for implementing the company’s sustainability initiatives through education, direction, and example.

Beyond that, Kyle truly enjoys being counted on for guidance in anything related to this field of study because he believes our business and environmental future depends on it. That’s why when he was asked by the dean of the Construction Management Program at California Baptist University in Riverside, California to help shape the program’s curriculum and courses, he embraced it as an opportunity to help make a difference for the future leaders of tomorrow. The relationship with the university came about through our company’s work on the Lancer Plaza North Renovation project where our Balfour Beatty team is renovating a 30,000-square-foot retail strip center with student support facilities and other community and campus life facilities.

“I was honored to be asked to help mold a program for the university,” said Kyle. “It’s great when you can work in a field that is forward thinking that can have an impact on people’s lives for years to come. Being able to contribute to the actual course content and become an even stronger industry partner for one of our clients is truly a rewarding experience.”

In addition to helping form the curriculum, Kyle was asked to teach one of the courses he helped to create: “Evolving Technologies in Construction.” Kyle challenges his students to learn the latest innovations in the field and also makes sure that all students leave with something tangible — LEED Green Associate credential. All students must pass the LEED Green Associate exam in order to pass the course. Last year, 100% of Kyle’s 16 students passed with flying colors, and now they all have a leg-up in their future careers in sustainable construction.

Recently, Kyle joined an elite group of young professionals when Engineering News-Record (ENR) California named him as one of their Top 20 Under 40 winners in 2016. The publication's annual, regional competition recognizes 20 individuals under the age of 40 who represent the "Best-of-the-Best" in their construction and design careers by giving back to their industry and communities.

Kyle also practices what he preaches at home with his wife and two young children. Solar panels are installed on his roof, recycle bins are in his kitchen and garage, and he is instilling an importance of resource conservation in everything they do together as a family.     

Putting the Quality in Quality Control

As someone who grew up working with his father and uncle on different build and repair jobs, Balfour Beatty Quality Assurance/Quality Control Director Terry Marsh always enjoyed working with his hands. Given his natural abilities, construction may have seemed an obvious career path, but in his earlier years, Terry was more interested in becoming a pilot. 

Fresh out of high school and only a mere 17-years-old, Terry was eager to launch his career. As part of his job search, Terry took a leap and responded to an ad for an electrical superintendent position. The only catch was, at such a young age, he didn’t have any of the necessary background for it. Little did Terry know at the time, taking that small leap would set him up for a successful 30-year career in the construction industry. 

When asked why he applied to a role for which he didn't initially meet the qualifications, Terry explained that he wanted to learn the trade and simply needed the right opportunity to get his foot in the door. From there, the leap didn't seem so far off. "The owner apparently liked my drive and hired me immediately," recalls Terry. 

Terry was a natural fit for the construction industry, easily surpassing most of his peers and quickly obtaining his master's electrician license. After Terry worked alongside Balfour Beatty on several projects, our team quickly recognized his potential and offered Terry a full-time position in 1991. It was a move that established the foundation for Terry’s career as a highly esteemed quality control expert. 

Working with teams in Nashville, Tennessee and later, Dallas, Terry quickly rose through the ranks and honed his craft in quality control. Praised by teammates for his attention to detail, drive for excellence and unrivaled knowledge of building systems, Terry has built a reputation for significantly improving the quality of every project he touches. 

In his role, Terry provides critical recommendations to improve processes and mitigate risks or adverse trends that have the potential to impact the successful delivery of best-in-class projects. Through consistent and accurate execution of quality control procedures including reviewing installations and assisting teams in improving their execution of installations and systems, Terry is a consummate Relentless Ally for our people, partners and projects. 

Providing the foundation of a successful and safe project, effective quality control programs can mitigate the likelihood of costly rework and associated schedule delays, promote greater collaboration between trade partners and resolve design challenges that arise as projects progress. Balfour Beatty’s quality control plans are founded on delivering the owner’s vision and goals and empowering trade partners to execute quality work in rewarding team environments. 

“My goal is to help our project teams succeed through consistent and accurate execution of quality control procedures," says Terry. "Safety, quality and schedule are the foundation of a successful project. When I step on a project where it is evident that everyone cares about safety, it is always well-organized and clean. It is obvious at that point that everyone there is proud of what they do, they enjoy their work and they place a high degree of importance on getting things right."

Preferring to keep his boots on the ground, Terry makes it a priority to visit as many jobsites as he can. And although he might seem like more of a behind-the-scenes operator, over the last 30 years of working with our business, Terry has played an integral role in hundreds of projects across the Southeast and Texas. 

Terry’s influence far transcends the projects on which he has directly worked. When Balfour Beatty launched a new national Quality Control program in the early 2000s, Terry was a key contributor to the initiative. He also had a hand in our most recent development of an Integrated Quality Control plan launched in 2020, an innovative approach to quality control that incorporates project stakeholders’ expectations into our jobsite specific plans. Before construction begins, project teams obtain input from trade partners, owners and designers to build a plan that holistically incorporates every concern and expectation. This process builds on itself in bitesize pieces throughout the project lifecycle instead of creating a partially complete quality control plan at the beginning when pressure is high to complete design and begin construction. 

On a more personal level, Terry is known by his peers for being a natural teacher and mentor. Willing and able to make his technical expertise easily understandable for a wide range of skill levels, Terry’s extensive knowledge and research often helps teams discover and implement innovative solutions before they become problems. 

"What struck me most the very first time I met Terry, that still rings true today, is his ability to share knowledge with others without being overbearing while doing it," says Titus Rodriguez, senior project manager for Balfour Beatty. "In my 20 years with the company, Terry has never failed to provide assistance when called upon, which is an invaluable asset to his teammates."

That trust isn’t just one-sided. 

“Three decades is a long time to spend with one company,” says Terry. “But the people and the relationships I’ve built over the last 30 years have truly been the best part about working at Balfour Beatty. I trust my teammates and our leadership to always make the right decisions based on what is best for the business to thrive.”

After successfully celebrating 30 years with Balfour Beatty, it’s hard to believe that Terry could have ever ended up in any career other than construction and quality control. But much like the pilot he once yearned to be, he has used his knowledge, training and natural skills to help our project teams soar to new heights at every opportunity. 

Make Every Moment Count

Safety, Health and Environment Director Ryan Little recalls a life-changing conversation that forever impacted his approach to Zero Harm

Do you remember where you were around noon on Saturday April 28, 2007? Were you eating lunch, playing golf or maybe enjoying an afternoon in the park with your children? That day may be a distant memory for most, but fourteen years later, I can still recall every detail because it fundamentally changed me as a safety professional. It changed me as a person. And it reinforced my view of our responsibility to ensure safety is within everyone’s reach – on every task, every day, on every jobsite. 

At the time, I was working for another major general contractor on a high-rise project in Miami, Florida. Before I joined the team, the project had already gone wrong in almost every way a project can. Significant and ongoing staffing turnover led to poor management, catastrophic schedule delays and communication breakdowns such as the mass overstocking of drywall. With a booming local economy, second-tier trades were pressed to meet aggressive production targets on advanced scopes. We even dismantled the first tower crane as a hurricane was approaching. This project had nearly every risk factor for a serious safety incident. 

But we never expected that on April 28, someone would lose their life on our jobsite. A 26-year-old young man from Nicaragua fell 90 feet to his death while moving some of the building’s extra drywall onto an outrigger. This tragedy was entirely preventable—the result of a series of unsafe choices, an acceptance of unnecessary risk and a toxic ‘rip and react’ project culture that failed to address either dangerous dynamic. 

But before I explain the technical circumstances that led to this young man’s death, I’d like to set the stage for the challenges our workforce faces and why I immediately recognized that I could have done more to ensure safety was within his reach. 

This young man was being paid $.25 cents for each board of 70-pound drywall he moved. It was physically demanding, repetitive and production-driven work. Every night, he went home to a one-room extended stay motel that he shared with six brothers and sisters. 

When I was notified about the fatality, I remembered riding up an elevator with that young man earlier the same day. As I went through a roller coaster of emotions, I replayed every moment of the interaction in my mind. After a quick PPE check, I asked him to put on his eye protection in my best Spanish. With a smile and a nod, he did just as I’d asked. But I didn’t check for his orientation sticker or verify what task he was working on. I didn’t engage him in a personal conversation. By not maximizing that moment, I felt I had failed him. 

When I spoke to his mother just a few hours later, that missed opportunity flashed before my eyes. She asked me a haunting question no parent should ever have to ask and no safety professional ever wants to answer: “Why did you let my son die on your jobsite?” 

I could have told her that the outrigger subcontractor had gone to lunch, leaving the system unmonitored. I could have told her that his crew grabbed some unattended harnesses they hadn’t been trained to use and loaded boards onto an outrigger they weren’t authorized to work on. Or that they’d removed their retractables, so when the load on the outrigger shifted, they had no adequate fall restraint measures in place. But none of those responses would have brought her any comfort, and none would have brought her son back. They didn’t bring me any comfort either. 

We owe the people who work on our projects more than leaving their lives to luck or chance, but far too often in this industry, we believe we are safe when we just got lucky. Or, we assume that people will make safe choices because we think they seem like common sense. But that’s not always the case. Yes, these young men made misguided and unsafe choices, but their only motive was to get a job done to provide for their families. No one sets out on any given workday with the intent of getting hurt. 

This tragedy reminded me that safety isn’t about a sign or a rule. Rules are important and help save countless lives on jobsites every day, but those measures don’t work in isolation. 

Safety must be an authentic value we live and operate by every single day. To make safety within everyone’s reach, we must engage in personal conversations with our trade partners and take the time to examine our work through the eyes of the people performing it. By forming meaningful, authentic relationships, we can empower people to make safety, quality and production so deeply ingrained into their everyday operations that it’s as routine as putting on a seatbelt. They also need to understand it’s their right and responsibility to speak up if they see something unsafe. 

At its core, safety is rooted in trust—trust our workforce places in us to create safe jobsites, trust they place in one another to make safe choices and trust that everyone operates with one another’s best interests at heart.

In the wake of any safety incident, there are always difficult questions to answer. Some questions, like the one the young man’s mother posed to me, can’t be answered because there are no do-overs. To honor his memory, challenge yourself today to honestly evaluate whether you embody the leadership, courage and commitment to make safety within everyone’s reach on your team, jobsite or office environment. 

Don’t let a single ‘elevator moment’ pass you by.

Dependable, Devoted Dream-Builder Makes His Mark in the Mid-Atlantic

Sean Graham’s potential to emerge as an industry star has been apparent throughout his entire 13-year construction career, as he quickly rose through the ranks from project engineer to senior project manager. During this time, he has contributed to some of the Mid-Atlantic team’s premier projects, including the $856.9M Walter Reed National Military Medical Center expansion and renovation as well as the 561,000-square-foot, Class A Republic Square office building. But even more notably, Sean has demonstrated an innate ability to lead, solve problems quickly and build solid relationships with clients — reflecting the qualities of a true Relentless Ally.
 
A quiet achiever, Sean lets his project execution speak for itself, and the noise is deafening. Balfour Beatty receives consistent positive feedback from a repeat client, which once offered to fund Sean’s bonus as a token of appreciation. After teaming with Sean on the 220 Twentieth Street project, Paul Sowter, now senior vice president at Fivesquares Development, praised his “hard work and detailed knowledge of the project.”
 
According to his teammates, Sean’s success lies in his diligent and proactive approach to operational leadership. Balfour Beatty executive vice president, David Laib, expressed that he finds ‘comfort’ working with Sean, because he “simply takes care of business as efficiently and effectively as anyone I know.” In addition to his passionate drive to overcome obstacles, Sean is equally skilled at avoiding them. Sean has closely aligned himself with Balfour Beatty’s Zero Harm safety policy, drawing praise for the personal accountability he takes in reducing risk on his jobs and by inspiring others to do the same. By consistently taking the initiative to ensure his projects are not only utilizing existing procedures but also implementing the most beneficial new processes, Sean has become a trusted steward of his clients’ dreams who is respected by peers and partners alike.
 
As Sean has grown throughout his career, he has honed his natural gifts and talents through hands-on experience with some of the most signature construction projects in the Mid-Atlantic region. Those who work alongside Sean will surely agree with the following observation made by Stephen B. Kalthoff, vice president at JBG Smith, “With his fantastic memory, calm demeanor, eye for detail and excellent architectural skills, Sean is at the top of his class.” And there’s nowhere to go but up.

Knox Tate has been building Charlotte from the inside-out for 50 years. His favorite project? Not what you’d think.

We live in a time of experts. Whether it’s how to change the cracked screen on your cell phone, how to poach an egg, or how to master the chords of a guitar, access to information and knowledge is as quick as 100 megabits per second. Developing an expertise has become as simple as click-clack-search. With a few tutorial videos under our belts and an equal share of trial and error, we label ourselves experts of any and everything. Stacking cups, throwing frisbees, organizing the kitchen junk drawer? There’s an expert for each. The problem with such instant access to everything expert? We’ve lost sight of one of the main ingredients in the recipe of expertise—experience. No number of videos, message boards or incessant ‘Googling’ can hold the same powerful effect as time.

A connoisseur of his craft, senior project manager, Knox Tate, is an interiors expert who has earned his stripes over the course of fifty years. After five decades in the construction industry, to say he’s seen it all is an understatement. Since joining the workforce there have been seven different Presidents, twenty-one Olympic games, more than twenty-two billion Big Mac’s sold, and the population of Tate’s beloved hometown of Charlotte—more than tripled!

When it comes to construction, he’s been there, done that, seen it, fixed it, tore it down, built it up and lived to tell the tales. Those stories, and the relationships that lay at their core, are all as fresh in Tate’s mind as the day the work began, each experience serving as a key to open the next door. The list of projects credited to his name is long and diverse, including clients from industries such as finance, legal, communications, recreation, hospitality, healthcare and infrastructure.

Joining RT Dooley Construction in 1978, Knox was challenged by President, Tom Dooley, to champion the interiors business, and champion he did. Over the years Knox singlehandedly established the interiors program for corporate giant, Bank of America, and built an impressive resume including many of the landmark corporate headquarters projects in the area for clients such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Goodrich, and many more. He would go on to become a partner at RT Dooley prior to the firm’s 2008 acquisition by Balfour Beatty.  To date his placement in the expert category is bolstered by a resume overflowing with heavy hitters and world class clients such as Barings, Duke Energy, Ritz-Carlton and Grant Thornton. While many people admire Uptown Charlotte from the outside looking in, Knox Tate has filled his career by being on the inside, looking out. From the “jukebox” Hearst Tower to the towering “Taj McColl” Bank of America Corporate Center, the dark Charlotte Plaza to the bright 300 South Tryon; if it’s in Center City, Knox Tate has likely been at the center of bringing the interior to life.

Throughout his career, Tate has thrived through more than one tectonic change in the industry, be it the invention and introduction of pagers, mobile phones and computers, or the more recent futuristic ventures into virtual reality and drones, he is not one to resist change, but to embrace it and apply it. He cites flexibility as one of the keys to being successful on any project. When it comes down to it, no project is perfect from beginning to end, but the reaction to challenges and changes is what defines the service excellence he strives to deliver.

As our in-house interiors expert, Tate is a wealth of knowledge and proficiency, reminiscing and reteaching the lessons he’s learned throughout his tenure to those who work alongside him. He’s not just teaching the next generation of builders how to do the hard work, he’s teaching them the mentality it takes to do it better than everyone else. With a tone equal parts proud and self-aware Tate affirms, “We’re the experts, the minute we forget that, we accept mediocrity” something he avoids through the persistent practice of treating every project like it was his own property. This methodology is what has led to a 90% repeat client rate for the Balfour Beatty interiors team; a figure attributed greatly to Tate, and one he humbly credits to his teammates. Those teammates have taken the top spot when Tate reflects back on his project filled career. Developing the next generation of great builders is the passion project that keeps him inspired, engaged and invested.

One might suggest that a man with a legacy five decades in the making could take his foot off the pedal and settle into cruise control, but Tate isn’t slowing down just yet. When he makes the loop around Uptown Charlotte, Knox Tate looks in and reflects on fifty years of growth, of himself, and of the only city he has ever called home. Today, he is as committed as ever before to being a part of Charlotte’s changing landscape and shares, “As long as there remains an opportunity for me to give back, I’ll continue to do what I do.”  A mainstay in the Charlotte community, there are few people as deeply-rooted in the evolution of the Queen City as Knox Tate.

Husband to wife Jayne of 33 years, father to sons Tripp and Andy, and grandfather to four littles, Knox Tate is our sharp-shooting, quick-witted, interiors expert and Relentless Ally.

The 45-minute drive to and from the office each day is quite possibly the most consistent part of Kendal Patterson’s workday. No two days on the job have looked the same, and with a tenure spanning a quarter of a century, that speaks to his resilient attitude and flexible demeanor.

Hired at RT Dooley (acquired by Balfour Beatty in 2009) in May of 1992, Kendal began his career in construction as a laborer in the field. His first job, a renovation and expansion project at Vista Bakery in Columbia, SC, was just the first of more than 55 projects across the Carolinas. From the biggest and most notable towers in Uptown, to the smallest, behind-the-scenes tasks in the office, Kendal is absolutely the oil that keeps the Balfour Beatty machine running.

After a decade as a laborer, Kendal was offered the position of dump truck driver. Despite not knowing how to drive a stick shift he said, “I’ll try it and I’ll get it done.” He still carries that same attitude. A perspective that says, there is nothing I can’t accomplish if I give it my best. That mindset has served him well over the years, developing various skillsets and tackling new challenges as they present themselves.

Whether he’s hanging pictures, delivering materials to a jobsite, erecting the office Christmas trees, moving furniture, patching holes in the wall, or finding a place for the many miscellaneous items that come off a job, Kendal checks off each request, regardless of who it came from, with a smile. How many hats does Kendal wear on a weekly basis? We’re not exactly sure, but if someone asked him to build a closet for them, he’d have materials delivered & PPE signage posted by 8am tomorrow.

In the words of Senior Project Manager, Mike Wehner, “Kendal Patterson is always ready to help no matter what the job or task is and ALWAYS does it with a smile on his face. I have called him numerous times for help with deliveries, night work, covering shifts, or even going to a client’s office and helping them move something. He is truly an inspiration to all who know him and is the true definition of Relentless Ally.” 

Putting People First

At Balfour Beatty, we aren’t just building projects; we are building relationships. Whether it’s turning plans into projects, challenges into solutions, or ideas into innovations, for Jason Sizemore, there is a standout connection piece – the people. He prioritizes connecting with people and understanding their visions for the benefit of our projects and the future of Balfour Beatty.

Jason didn’t enter Auburn University, his alma mater, with a chosen degree or career path. As a learner by nature, he initially felt somewhat overwhelmed with the breadth of opportunities available. “I was interested in everything and wanted to learn as much as possible. I was actually a marine biology major for a short stint,” recalls Jason.

While reviewing a course and major catalogue, Jason ran across the building science curriculum and was immediately sold. “The diversity of study from concrete and steel, accounting and contract negotiation, to presentation and communication skills drove me to the profession.”  

Jason participated in the cooperative education program while earning his degree, working during the fall and spring sessions for an electrical subcontractor on the Fort Benning Army Base and attending classes in the summer and winter. This experience provided Jason with a sincere appreciation for trade partners and a holistic understanding of the construction process. 

Currently, Jason is serving as project executive on Balfour Beatty’s $290 million River Landing project, which is located on roughly 8.1 acres of riverfront property along the Miami River. Overseeing an extremely diverse staff of over 30 Balfour Beatty employees, Jason has been involved in this 2.5-million-square-foot, mixed-use project since 2017. He was instrumental in securing the project, locking in a final GMP and getting the project out of the ground. 

Jason realized very early in his career that “people build buildings, and people are the number one key to success.” As not only a learner but also a leader, Jason is consistently interacting with and championing his team – passionate about helping people grow through teaching and mentoring. 

Jason’s impact does not go unnoticed. He was selected as the Florida team’s “People-First Relentless Ally Award” winner in 2019. This award recognizes motivated employees who help create a positive and engaging workplace culture. 

“Jason is truly a Relentless Ally, both personally and professionally, internally and externally,” praises Scott Skidelsky, president of the company’s operations in Florida.

Driven by humility and his belief that success stems from Balfour Beatty’s people-first culture, Jason doesn’t view his career in projects but rather through people and their stories. It comes as no surprise to hear Jason describe each of his projects as a “level playing field where no one person is more important than the other, including me.” 

Jason exemplifies the mutually beneficial relationship of a people-first leadership perspective by deeply trusting and believing that his teammates teach him to be a better builder, leader and person. The result: success.