Jonathan Pearch

Relentless Ally

Building Relationships to Last

During his 16-year career with Balfour Beatty, Vice President Jonathan Pearch has helped build some of Florida’s largest and most complex projects. From the iconic, 263,000-square-foot Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to the 30,000-seat Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Stadium, the Hyatt Regency Orlando and more, Jonathan has developed a unique insight into the levels of collaboration projects of that mega projects require across diverse market sectors.

Perhaps that’s why Jonathan, who began his remarkable career with Balfour Beatty as a four-time intern, describes his journey in terms of the people he’s encountered along the way. From trade and design partners to his valued clients, Balfour Beatty teammates and members of the local AEC community, Jonathan knows first-hand that effective leadership is all about relationships. And Jonathan builds them to last.

When local leadership recognized an opportunity to expand and diversify our South Florida operations, they looked no further than Jonathan to grow the company’s pipeline in higher education and municipal markets among others. Although the elevation in leadership required Jonathan to re-locate his young family, he jumped at the chance, bringing with him the strong cultural and relational foundations he cultivated in Central Florida.

“I was fortunate to work on large project teams early in my career and observe the behaviors that helped everyone navigate the inevitable challenges that arise,” recalls Jonathan. “I strive to establish project cultures rooted in trust, transparency and accountability, because those become solutions-oriented teams.”

On the $36 million expansion and renovation of The Alfond Inn at Rollins, for example, the project team encountered an issue that could have completely derailed the schedule and budget, or at worst, even required a complete re-design.

While preparing to pour foundations on the hotel’s five-story, 81,000-square-foot addition, the team discovered grid alignment issues in the existing structure. With concrete teams mobilized, the clock was ticking to identify a solution.

While some contractors might have put the onus back on the client, this team proactively rolled up their sleeves and got to work under Jonathan’s leadership. As the team collaborated on a solution, Jonathan prioritized maintaining open and honest lines of communication with all partners regarding real-time or anticipated impacts.

Together, the team determined it was feasible to rotate the grid and partnered with the City of Winter Park on resulting setback and easement concerns. But the team didn’t simply solve the problem—they developed an innovative sequencing plan to recoup the time lost and ultimately finished the project on schedule.

“As the leader of the project, it is your job to establish absolute trust with the owner beginning day one,” asserts Jonathan. “That starts by understanding their values and goals and making them your own.” It’s a lesson he learned from his closest mentor at Balfour Beatty, Senior Vice President Brian Prebenda.

If Jonathan doesn’t immediately know the answer to one of his client’s challenges, or simply needs a thought partner to offer up a different perspective, he’s quick to tap the immense network he’s cultivated over the years, including peers at the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Central Florida Chapter, where he has served on the Board of Directors. With a deep understanding that our success hinges upon the success of our trade partners, Jonathan extends that same collaborative spirit into the local craft community.

For Jonathan, no matter the size, scope or geography in which we’re executing work, our recipe for success is simple: putting people first + building trusted relationships with a shared focus on operational excellence = exceptional project outcomes.

It’s a recipe that has already yielded great success in South Florida, with recent wins from first-time client, Nova Southeastern University, on their $23.9 million Terry Dining Renovation and an $90 million Student Housing project with long-time client, Florida Atlantic University (FAU).

From his humble roots as an intern to leading an entire market, Jonathan Pearch embodies the DNA of a Relentless Ally and is a passionate steward of Balfour Beatty’s unwavering promise: we build to last.