Relentless Ally Since 2021

Relentless Ally Since 2022

Patrick's journey from Carpenter to Senior Superintendent reflects his unwavering commitment to Safety, Quality, and Schedule. Alongside this, he has fostered enduring relationships with Clients, Designers, and Trade Partners with his 17 years in the industry. Patrick's exceptional performance has been recognized with accolades such as the Cal OSHA Golden Gate and Sharp awards, and he consistently delivers projects on time or ahead of schedule.

Relentless Ally since 2021

Jim brings over 38 years of local K-12 construction expertise to his role as Operations Director in Sacramento. With a passion for building school facilities, Jim provides invaluable insight, experience, lessons learned, and success to each project.

Relentless Ally Since 2022

Meg serves as the Marketing Project Lead in Sacramento. Beginning her career as a Graphic Designer, Meg specializes in crafting visually striking proposals that convey messages with impact. Proficient in various design software, she brings a wealth of expertise to her work. Meg holds a B.S. degree in Art & Technology from the University of Oregon.

Multifamily Master

Over his more than 35 years as a construction professional, Vice President of Operations George Uschold has honed his business sense and project experience to build critical housing in our communities. For multifamily housing clients in the Southeast, George has assembled and mentored fellow project leaders who share his and Balfour Beatty’s client-centered ethos and serve as strategic, value-aligned partners. Backed by a longstanding record of excellence with major repeat clients, we deliver the depth of service, speed to market and design solutions that ensure success.

The Right Teams for the Right Projects

In his years as a project leader, George has created lasting relationships with key clients, positioning Balfour Beatty as a market leader in Type 5 (i.e., wood-frame) construction. By combining our national-scale network of experts and success in diverse construction sectors, George and Balfour Beatty equip our local teams and trade partners to create successful project outcomes.

“We prioritize value alignment with our multifamily clients, and work hard to understand and internalize their objectives as a crucial jumping-off point,” George says. “From there, we place the right people with the right jobs, providing industry experience and local knowledge our clients can depend on.”

George points to Operations Director Nick Wegener and repeat client The Beach Company as prime examples of our intentional and lasting relationship building. Nick first served as a project manager on The Beach Company’s first Balfour Beatty project, The Boulevard on Coleman in Mount Pleasant South Carolina, completed in 2013. At the time, Nick already brought nearly a decade of industry experience and local trade partner networking to the job.  Nick and the Balfour Beatty team built a strong relationship with the Beach Company and its chief operating officer Dan Doyle through their roles as trusted advisors and Relentless Allies. 

In the decade since, Balfour Beatty has repeatedly proven its partnership with The Beach Company in 11 successful and complete projects and three currently ongoing projects. George brings the right clients and project leaders together initially, but the subsequent fruitful relationship proves the power of Balfour Beatty cultivating that relationship over time. Across so many projects, George, Nick, Project Executive Paul Kelley, Senior Project Manager Andrew Brown and others on our team have seized the opportunity to become our client’s best advocate in the Southeast multifamily construction market.

“Whatever the client needs for a successful project, we can roll up our sleeves and rise to the challenge,” George adds. “We collaborate tirelessly, working through and navigating projects together in a process that has been incredibly rewarding for our client and for Balfour Beatty.”

Balfour Beatty’s multifamily clients also highly value our robust Zero Harm ethic, a key differentiator and reflection of our intentional focus of building safe projects for all. Our safety processes are tried and tested, and laser-focused on protecting our people, our trade partners and the communities where we live, work and play.

“We’re continuously pushing the envelope to execute our work as safely as possible, and in a way that smaller multifamily and residential contractors simply can’t match,” George says. “By bringing safety professionals on-site and building value-aligned relationships with our diverse trade partners, we drive the partnerships and personal connections that compel our teams to care. We all want to keep each other safe.”

Smart Schedules

Multifamily housing developers depend on favorable financial climates to generate optimal profits, and thus depend on Balfour Beatty and the enhanced collaboration through which we accelerate project schedules. Through solutions like preconstruction alignment, phased delivery, careful market monitoring and proactive procurement, we ensure our client’s projects are prepared at every step from design to tenant move-in.

Type 5 multifamily construction, typically limited to three or four stories, provides the perfect balance of repeatability and a naturally phased approach. Apartment complexes and townhomes, for example, are often divided into buildings or blocks of units, so George and his project teams can work with clients to deliver complete blocks in phases that accelerate profitability, enable greater quality control and minimize impact on newly moved-in tenants.

“The beauty of phased delivery is that it sets every stakeholder up for success,” George says. “Our clients can begin renting units earlier, their tenants can find housing earlier, and it gives our teams a clear path of steady progress, turning over unit by unit.”

Our teams map this pathway to success by getting involved as early as possible. A development’s site plan, including ingress and egress points, utility tie-ins, tenant amenities and more can all affect an ideal phased approach, so we bring our multifamily expertise and client relationships to bear and provide the best solutions.

Trusted Advisors

Multifamily housing developments also favor accelerated schedules due to ongoing volatility in materials and labor prices. With our depth of industry knowledge in leaders like George, we leverage our early planning and design involvement into circumspect schedule and design considerations to help our clients maximize the value of every dollar.

Multifamily housing is especially beholden to the price of wood, as most structures are fully framed with traditional milled dimensional lumber and panels. While market conditions have eased somewhat, they’re still highly subject to supply chain disruptions like shortages and delivery issues, let alone the overall increased prices. Historically, framing lumber costs roughly $250-$300 per one thousand board feet, but it has seen massive temporary fluctuations up to $1500 or more in recent years before finally settling closer to past prices.

“We’re involved so early in planning and design, typically a full year before construction begins, that we can monitor the local market and provide those insights to our clients,” George adds. “Markets fluctuate wildly and quickly, but as our clients’ trusted ally, we can provide options and advise when to begin materials procurement and when to wait weeks or months for more favorable market conditions.”

George and his teams maintain this focus on astute schedule management and advisement throughout the construction process, especially when wood framing is underway and particularly vulnerable to the elements and delays.

“Wood materials are sensitive and can’t sit for too long, exposed to the weather,” George says. “We carefully map out our material production rates, stage framing and dry-in and coordinate material deliveries to match our schedule, because once we set that schedule, we keep it going and never stop.”

Multifamily Experts

When market conditions are fraught, when schedules are sensitive to every potential delay and when clients depend on timely quality, Balfour Beatty serves as a proven ally. George and his teams in Georgia and the Carolinas have honed their expertise over several years, developing a repeatedly tested ethic of early and proactive engagement that empowers client decision-making.

Equipped with our market knowledge, expert scheduling efficiencies and a relationship built on proven trust, our clients can make decisions that produce successful project outcomes, while George and our Balfour Beatty multifamily teams do what we’re best at: building critical housing developments that prepare our communities for change and growth.  

Your IT Guide

If you’re having technology problems in Portland, Oregon, there is only one person to call: Earnie Eng, developer and IT regional specialist. Earnie is an expert in technology, but he also prides himself on being an expert in people. In everything he does, Earnie looks to put people first – prioritizing the people behind the machines, rather than the machines themselves.

Throughout his more than 22-year career with Balfour Beatty, Earnie has worked tirelessly to improve efficiency, leverage technology to its full potential and ensure that he is doing all he can to help his teammates achieve success.

From Intern to Integral

IT was always a natural fit for Earnie; after his parents immigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong in the 1970s, his mother became a software developer who owned her own company. Earnie grew up surrounded by technology, experiencing the latest and greatest new tech throughout the 1980s.

As he grew up though, Earnie found himself less interested in the mechanics of technology and more interested in the people who were using it. He went on to study business with an IT focus and began his career as an intern with Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company (HSW), during his last year of college.

During his internship, Earnie was tasked with developing software for HSW. Project teams were struggling to provide the manpower needed to hold in-person trainings on jobsites, so Earnie worked with an external developer to create a platform to host online trainings.

“From day one, I came in with ideas and suggestions on how to improve and redesign what the team had started on,” Earnie says. “Anyone could have found the errors in the code, but my education in business helped me understand the user’s perspective. I recognized that it was primarily a business problem and needed a business technology solution.”

That people-first mentality carried him through his internship. Earnie often went above and beyond his job responsibilities, regularly helping others in the office with everything from fixing printers to improving marketing databases.

Breaking Through Burnout

When HSW was acquired by Balfour Beatty, Earnie transitioned from a software developer into his current role of IT regional specialist. When he stepped into this role, Earnie knew he wanted to do things differently; with that thought in mind, he developed a catch phrase: “I’m not just any IT guy—I’m your IT guide.”

“I don’t simply want to fix things that are broken, I want to show people how to use our technology to serve their needs,” Earnie explains. “That has become my mission and the question I ask anyone who comes to me for help— ‘how can I help you succeed?’”

Earnie is the first to say that he is a people-pleaser by nature; this tendency to put others before himself early in his career grew him into the helpful, accommodating professional he is today – but it also led him down a path toward burnout.

“I always bent over backwards to make sure everyone around me was happy,” Earnie says. “That would burn anyone out after a while.”

As he has progressed in his career, Earnie has learned the importance of setting boundaries and communicating what he can handle. While his people-pleasing nature was once a negative that ultimately overwhelmed him, Earnie has turned people-pleasing into a positive – allowing him to be an empathetic leader and partner to his teammates.

“While exclusively people-pleasing was ultimately detrimental, the skills I learned during that time were invaluable,” Earnie says. “Over time, I’ve learned to be a better listener, I’m a better team player and I’ve learned how to prioritize. Now, rather than sacrificing quality in trying to improve everything, I’m more focused on making what I’m working on successful.”

Thinking Inside the Box

A major aspect of success for Earnie is anticipating needs and alleviating headaches for those in the field. Several years ago, Earnie recognized frustration between his technology teammates and those in the field when setting up jobsite trailers. The process of getting internet set up on a jobsite was complicated; superintendents were often not equipped to set up the network, but sending an IT teammate to every jobsite was costly and time-consuming.

Earnie, along with Steve VanHuss, senior regional technology specialist in Seattle, developed an idea: what if they could provide project teams with everything they needed, pre-wired, so all they had to do was plug it in?

The first “IT Job in a Box,” as they call it, was a simple file box and a piece of plywood with all the elements screwed in, and a hole cut on the side to plug in an AC adapter. Since the first prototype, Earnie and Steve have continued to improve upon the design. As new technology emerges and wireless connectivity improves, so does the IT Job in a Box; the duo have evolved the design of the box itself to ensure that it can withstand rugged jobsite conditions as well as added features such as an external strip of ports to connect a computer to the device directly and LED lights that indicate the box’s status.

“We’ve iterated quite a bit since the first box, based on feedback we’ve received from the field and our own experience with troubleshooting and maintenance,” Earnie says. “Ultimately, we’re very proud to have created something that makes life for those in the field a bit easier.”

Our use of the current version of the IT Job in a Box has expanded since Earnie and Steve created it, now being used on several jobsites in the Northwest and at select jobsites in Florida. 

The Ultimate Team Player

Construction is truly a team sport – it takes every member of our team to ensure a project is successful. In his time with the business, Earnie has proved that he is the ultimate team player, solidifying himself not just as a subject matter expert on technology but also as an ally to every one of his teammates. He is a true servant leader; even without being asked, Earnie takes the initiative to lead his teammates and the company behind the scenes.

Though his role has evolved over the years, Earnie has been unwavering in his priority of putting people first every step of the way. His work has led to increased efficiency for his teammates while his dedication to the people behind the machines has built a culture of trust and collaboration. 

Maximizing Every Priority

Building corrections facilities pulls owner and stakeholder priorities in many different directions. Our clients must simultaneously consider budget, safety and facility security, critical system redundancy and more. There are simply no negotiable priorities. Over a nearly 40-year career, Dan Ferguson, Balfour Beatty’s director of justice and civic projects in California and a true market expert, helps clients balance and maximize them all.

Decades of Market Expertise

Some construction professionals take a circuitous route to their ultimate career calling, experiencing a range of construction types before dialing into a niche that suits their skillsets and personalities. Not so for Dan – educated as a designer, he first entered the industry as an intern architect for a Kansas-based design firm that specialized in precast detention modules.

“At the time, my employer specialized in turnkey services, where we could provide our clients with cost and schedule guarantees and a full-service package,” Dan says. “I learned early in my career that corrections clients value construction allies that align completely with their mission, a philosophy that found its highest application with Balfour Beatty.”

Over the following decades, before becoming Balfour Beatty’s preeminent corrections expert in California, Dan consulted and led successful corrections and civic projects across the entire US – in Alabama, Georgia, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, up and down the Eastern seaboard and more. In addition to sheer weight and variety of experience, Dan’s project history further reinforced the value of complete mission alignment in public work.

 Mission Alignment Meets Custom Solutions

Corrections construction involves many wholly unique considerations, especially related to safety, durability and redundancy. Office building or multifamily housing developers will likely never have to consider the relative safety of bolted-down furniture, anti-ligature measures for light fixtures and door handles or the utility implications of certain room arrangements, but corrections experts like Dan solve these problems and many more on every project.

Dan’s and Balfour Beatty’s approach involves engaging in the design and preconstruction phase at the earliest opportunity. During this phase, our team of market experts collaborates closely with clients to align with their program values, comprehend their vision for a safe and transformative facility and then introduce innovative and cost-efficient construction solutions to bring that vision to life.

“The needs of our client’s program determine the most suitable project solutions” Dan explains. “Whether a client values time, budget, quality of finish, safety or a combination thereof in varying proportions, our teams possess the necessary expertise and extensive project history to guarantee successful outcomes.”

Dan’s extensive corrections resume includes almost every possible iteration of these changing client priorities and consequently extensive experience implementing varying design solutions. For example, Dan has built facility structures using almost all the standard industry building materials, including prefabricated modular steel cells, metal studs, precast panels, precast cells, grouted metal TrussWall panels and masonry. Each represents some balance of schedule, budget, safety and durability considerations, but Dan has seen the real-world impact of each solution and can therefore provide expertise and advice in response to our clients’ needs.

Transition Team-Ups

As much as Dan and his fellow California teammates have embraced the importance of early program value alignment with our corrections clients, they’ve also learned that alignment is just as important as a project progresses and ultimately approaches completion. Early and active engagement with the client’s transition team – and maintaining that engagement throughout the entire project lifecycle – is critical to avoiding costly rework and ensuring a safe, functioning facility from day one.

Client transition teams typically include facility maintenance & operations staff, a chief deputy, experienced corrections officers, the client project manager, a training coordinator and other logistical staff, all familiar with the eventual needs of the planned new correctional facility.

“We work hard to understand and align with client needs as early as possible, but how our design and construction solutions interact with real-world implications can be hard to identify on paper,” Dan adds. “Active engagement with client transition teams ensure our early planning and subsequent work are consistent with the facility’s and client’s program needs at turnover.”

On the San Diego Youth Transition Campus, a design-build partnership between DLR Group and Balfour Beatty, the leadership team demonstrated final security camera views for the client’s transition team during the design phase. Due to mid-project program changes and changing facility operational staff, the planned new camera system required further refinement to meet the detection, observation, recognition and identification (DORI) standard of CCTV coverage.

“Using the DORI standard, the transition team identified an increased need for high-resolution cameras that could be used for positive recognition and Identification of an individual beyond a reasonable doubt,” Dan says. “By bringing the transition team on as early as possible, we were empowered to make the security system changes during the design phase while still reducing expenditures elsewhere, keeping the project’s budget and schedule on-track.”

Meeting Community Needs

Dan and Balfour Beatty recognize the dynamic nature of correctional facilities, whether public or private, as they evolve to meet the changing needs of our communities. The design and construction of new justice facilities is critically important to the creation of restorative justice. Dan’s extensive history of accomplishments, from his previous roles before joining Balfour Beatty in 2020 to his current director position where he showcases deep industry knowledge and exceptional leadership skills, highlights his continued dedication to fostering client connections and delivering top-tier construction services throughout the US justice market.

Relentless Ally since 2021

Relentless Ally since 2003

Relentless Ally since 2018

Tom started his career in construction with Balfour Beatty in 2009. Throughout his 15 years with the company, he has worked across many market sectors including federal, corrections, education and hospitality delivering marquee projects like Florida International University's Student Academic Success Center, W Hotel Fort Lauderdale Remodel, Loews Miami Beach Hotel Renovation, and Harris Technology. Tom has been working on the Broward County Convention Center Expansion and Hotel project since the preconstruction phase, and as Project Executive is now leading multiple phases of the project.

Relentless Ally since 2005

Todd’s 19-year career with Balfour Beatty started on the project management track and changed course becoming a superintendent while delivering Loew’s Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando. His ability to work in multiple roles throughout operational delivery provides a unique and holistic skillset that has led to his success on major projects in Florida across a range of market sectors including attraction, hospitality, office, multifamily and federal. In his role as Operations Director Todd provides operations support to our field teams across Central Florida.

Relentless Ally since 2011

As project executive, Michael plays an instrumental role in supporting Balfour Beatty’s commercial operations in Georgia. Michael’s expertise as a builder was formed from a diverse background having delivered projects across an array of market sectors including hospitality, high-rise residential, office, mixed-use, and adaptive re-use. Some of his most notable projects include the award-winning 14^th + Spring Office Tower, Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Midtown, Nine15 Midtown Apartments, and Thompson Savannah Hotel. A dedicated leader, Michael is unwavering in his commitment to delivering success for his clients. 

Relentless Ally since 2008

Paul started his career in the industry with Balfour Beatty more than 16 years ago. Throughout his tenure he’s developed an expertise primarily in the multifamily and military housing market sectors, delivering success for clients across the country. In his role as Project Executive, Paul leverages his expertise to lead teams, provide solutions for clients and ultimately deliver on our promises. He is committed to high-quality results, and he brings valuable experience to every project he undertakes. Paul takes pride in his team and delivering on our promises to clients.

Relentless Ally since 2016

As Vice President of Business Acquisition, Mike oversees new business pursuits, subcontractor procurement, and supplier diversity functions. Mike leverages his industry relationships and the knowledge and experience gained over 25+ years in Preconstruction and Operations roles to work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop the right solutions for the Project and the Client. Mike is active in many industry associations, including ASA, WBC, DCBIA, NAIOP, and ABC where he currently serves as a member of the Virginia Chapter’s Board of Directors.

Relentless Ally since 2006

As vice president of operations, Jonathan provides executive leadership and support for Balfour Beatty's project teams in South Florida focused on work-winning and operational excellence.  With experience in higher education, municipal, hospitality, and entertainment market sectors, Jonathan thrives on helping clients navigate complex projects from the early stages of conceptual design through turnover, always delivering projects on time and within budget. He is known for creating a positive team atmosphere grounded in trust and accountability. Some of Jonathan's notable projects include Florida Atlantic University Stadium, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Art, and the Alfond Inn Expansion and Renovation. 

Relentless Ally since 1999

Standard-Setting Special Projects Leadership

Special Projects Vice President Kyle Bolejack’s father was a professional civil engineer. But by the time Kyle joined Balfour Beatty, he knew his passion would take a related but different path: rather than design things, he wanted to build them.

In the 21 years since, Kyle’s career opportunities have taken him across the country and back, through diverse project experiences and finally to his now-permanent home in North Texas. At every step, Kyle has developed his leadership and keen business sense on our most fast-paced, high-touch special projects.

When projects seem impossibly fast or indelibly complicated by their surroundings, Kyle and Balfour Beatty’s Special Projects team, provide matchless interior finish-out and tenant improvement construction services. On every project, they serve our clients as trusted allies and create repeatable results and decades-long relationships.

Tried and Tested Teams

Kyle’s success in the special projects market displays what sets our special projects teams apart: they aren’t just operations teams executing ad hoc special projects, but rather are fully dedicated to this unique facet of construction and its challenges. Our teams expertly manage accelerated schedules, unconventional work hours, work in occupied buildings and handling sensitive and unique systems to create world-class interiors.

“Working in special projects means encountering new clients, new problems and new solutions much more frequently,” Kyle says. “The dynamic nature of special projects excites us, but it also motivates us to cultivate teams who understand the market and how our clients operate.”

Balfour Beatty’s special projects operational structure is laser-focused on this market at every level, from our dedicated preconstruction group to project engineers and all the way up to superintendents. And backed by years of dedication to the unique rigors of special projects, our teams and sector leaders like Kyle build trusting, longstanding relationships with clients of every size.

“We have relationships with North Texas financial and legal service clients that stretch back multiple decades,” Kyle reflects. “We work to become a trusted ally immediately, but for many clients, that trust has been realized in many years of successful projects and repeat work.”

Balfour Beatty’s repeat interiors clients are a testament to our teams’ expertise, agility and ability to understand and realize each client’s vision.

First-Rate Communicators

In special projects, perhaps more than anywhere else, communication is critical. Kyle and our special projects teams proactively and continuously communicate with our clients to ensure success and meet clients’ unique schedule and spatial needs.

For clients in the financial, medical and many other sectors, construction often simply can’t interrupt day-to-day operations. Shutting down even portions of a floor during normal business hours may not be an option. By establishing this need as early as possible and reconciling the client’s needs with the project schedule, Kyle and his teams find the right solutions every time.

In some cases, after-hours and night work may suffice, but in others work might be restricted to a short window from Saturday afternoon through Monday morning. Whatever the client requires, our special projects leaders like Kyle make it happen.

Unique client needs can also extend beyond logistical solutions and into sensitive Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) systems. Projects in active healthcare facilities involve many of the same scheduling considerations with an added layer of complexity in advanced HVAC filtering, negative air machines, sterile areas and more.

“For healthcare clients, it’s beyond critical that we understand their unique MEP needs and how we can mitigate our own dust and debris,” Kyle says. “Every project is a balancing act of meeting our schedule commitments while serving healthcare clients by protecting their patients.”

Trade partner selection also plays an important role in special projects success, where space, tolerances and schedules are all compressed. Kyle and our special projects leaders ensure the right people match with the right projects by developing rosters of trusted partners with established experience in the relevant sectors.

“Our clients value work done with excellence, not cutting corners for a low price,” Kyle says. “We work hard to partner with or develop trade partners who share those values and our commitment to transparent and constant communication.”

Setting the Standard

When Balfour Beatty clients work with Kyle or any special projects teams, they value more than just our name. It’s all about our people, and our special projects leaders all bring deep industry knowledge, client-first service and unparalleled project management.

When the stakes are highest, the logistics most complex and the sector-specific needs most singular, Balfour Beatty is more than just a known quantity – we’re the industry standard.

Relentless Ally since 2012

Tequesta DeSouza is an accomplished Vice President of Human Resources for the Southeast, renowned for her expertise in talent management, employee relations, change management, and coaching. As a trusted advisor and business partner, she collaborates with operations to develop strategies aimed at building exceptional teams and fostering a best-place-to-work culture. She is also the founder of Future Unleashed, LLC, a company dedicated to empowering young adults for successful careers. Recognized as a Power Leader in Human Resources by the South Florida Business Journal in 2016, Tequesta is esteemed for her professionalism and leadership. A member of the Society for Human Resource Management and a former president of the Human Resources Association of Broward County, she holds a Master’s in Human Resources from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Florida Atlantic University, along with prestigious HR certifications.