Taylor Bredow

Relentless Ally

Setting the Bar with Intentional Leadership

The sound of project executive, Taylor Bredow, walking the halls of jobsites across the Carolinas is one that those who work with him know well. His heels hit heavy with intention and purpose as he leads the Carolinas Special Projects Group—counting every square foot he’s built along the way.

But Taylor’s intentional leadership and integral role within Balfour Beatty’s Special Projects Group stems from more than the critical eye he’s utilized to track and manage upwards of 1,350,000 square feet of construction. Taylor’s dedication to his craft is founded upon the principles of providing Balfour Beatty’s clients with an individualized approach and demonstrating servant leadership—within Balfour Beatty and the communities in which we live and build.

From bustling financial businesses to the architectural offices of the  RedLine Design Group or the marble lobby floors of the  Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel, Taylor has been a trailblazer throughout his career. With over a decade of tenure in the business, he’s contributed to a variety of projects that require highly specialized approaches and custom project solutions from design to preconstruction and final close-out.

While the market sectors Taylor oversees may be diverse, one characteristic is common: clients often depend on Balfour Beatty to deliver projects on accelerated schedules, thereby ensuring minimal disruption to their operations, employees and customers. To meet his clients’ unique needs, Taylor seeks to gain an in-depth understanding of their project and business priorities which empowers him to make timely yet well-informed decisions on critical issues such as material selection—an increasingly complex issue in a time of  unprecedented inflationary pressures and supply chain disruption. 

“Working with the Special Projects Group is unique, because every day on every project is always different,” explains Taylor. “We work on tight timelines, and our roles often require us to quickly shift direction and evaluate our time and priorities on each project. Our teams are typically much smaller than those working on larger projects and therefore demand that we wear many hats outside of what our technical roles may traditionally encompass.”

In recent years, Taylor’s unique skillset has been instrumental in helping establish Balfour Beatty as a premier legal upfit builder. His precision has helped our team ‘set the bar’ for operational excellence in this market and contributed to significant project wins and deliveries including the new, award-winning  Parker Poe Charlotte Headquarters and the recently completed Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft law offices in  Charlotte, North Carolina. Through strategic guidance on material selection and collaboration with design partners, Taylor has helped bring an aura of sophistication and inviting ambiances to law offices across the Carolinas.  

However, what makes Taylor an intentional leader is more than the technical skillsets he brings to the table; Taylor also provides his teams with valuable mentorship as they build their careers in construction. 

“Taylor is inclusive by nature and is always willing to teach anyone about the industry,” adds Michael Smith, Balfour Beatty assistant project manager. “He involves anyone interested, even if it is just to observe. He has helped me understand the importance of being a strong leader within the company and on the jobsite.” 

And his dedication to the industry extends beyond his teams and jobsites. As a valued member of the ACE (architecture, construction and engineering) Mentor program for nearly a decade, Taylor also understands the importance of volunteering with local programs like ACE to help develop the future generation of builders and introduce students at a young age to the exciting careers in construction. 

For six years, Taylor served as the lead mentor for ACE at East Mecklenburg High School, part of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools system. Because of his dedication to service, the ACE Board of Directors named Taylor their 2017 Mentor of the Year, and in 2020, appointed him to the Charlotte ACE Board of Directors, where he now thrives as their valued program treasurer.

Those who know Taylor and have the pleasure of working with him will say that they look to him primarily because of his deep understanding of his personal strengths, areas for growth and motivations. Never one to shy away from self-reflection, Taylor is on a mission to hone his operational and leadership skills by modeling best practices he learned from the leaders at Balfour Beatty who came before him.

“Very early in his career, it was apparent to those who crossed Taylor’s path that he was driven to learn the business and build authentic and lasting relationships with his peers in the industry,” says Hunt Werner, Balfour Beatty operations director and an early mentor in Taylor’s career. “Taylor’s passion for perfection, eye for design, genuine guidance and intentional actions have made him the outstanding leader he is today.” 

A rising young leader, Taylor is building up much more than just an impressive list of projects that encompass upwards of 1,350,000 square feet of best-in-class spaces; he’s developing, earning and refining a legacy that will ensure the success of his projects and teams for decades to come.