daniellebergmann, Author at ��ý Construction

Charlotte Newsmaker | How ��ý’s Expansion Fits Their Southeast push

daniellebergmann — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 11:56:01 +0000

Publication:

What began as a war veteran’s one-man carpentry venture has grown over the last 45 years into a construction business that has reached more than $400 million in annual revenue.

In 1980, Charles ��ý established ��ý Building Co. in his hometown of Breese, Illinois. Just two years later, he incorporated the business and changed the name to ��ý Construction.

The family-owned construction company opened a Charlotte office in April 2019 at Parkway Plaza Corporate Park, with three in-office employees and about 20 people in the field. Keith ��ý, son of Charles ��ý and the company’s chief executive, said the regional office has since grown to seven in-office employees and more than 40 in the field.

Keith ��ý said that, since planting roots in Charlotte, the company has worked predominately in the industrial and manufacturing space but is beginning to branch out. ��ý Construction is now working with Food Lion, Amazon and Walmart — its longest-standing relationship — on projects in the region.

In 2024, ��ý Construction logged $404 million in annual revenue, a milestone driven by the completion of 1.3 million square feet of new facilities and renovations in the Southeast across distribution and warehouse, federal and defense, and retail assets. The projects included the 702,000-square-foot Gaston Commerce Center logistics park in Gastonia and the 472,000-square-foot Innovation Logistics Center in Salisbury.

“Charlotte is and will continue to be a transportation hub. You have several ports that are doing significant expansions — Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington — and all of that feeds relatively easily either through a rail or the highway system in and around (the city),” ��ý said. “From there, you can get up to the northeast within a day, and that’s really what generates this warehousing and industrial boom.”

��ý sat down with the to talk about the company’s early days and how its presence in the local market over the last six years has spurred continued growth across the Southeast.

What was the decision-making process behind expanding to the Charlotte market?

We went through strategic planning in 2017, and in going through that process, there are various surveys that went out to our clients. The feedback was they were allocating significant capital for their own expansion efforts in the Southeast. In addition to that, we already had some employees out here because we had some projects underway in the Southeast.

We realized that if we wanted to retain those employees, with the growth in the market, we needed an office to show them we were serious about our presence here. Putting an office (in the Southeast) became the number one strategic initiative. I short-listed six cities: Charlotte, Raleigh, Charleston, Atlanta, Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg, all for various reasons.

I visited Charlotte and got an entire day with the (former) chamber of commerce. They drove me around, took me to lunch, and about halfway through the day, I was wondering if I miscommunicated something about our intentions. So, I made sure to say, “We’re not relocating our headquarters. We’re just planning on opening a regional office here.” And they told me they’d done their research and wanted us here in Charlotte. The next time I was in town, they set up lunch with Compie Newman (currently executive director of private clients at CBRE). The whole thing was an open-armed, heartwarming experience.

How has your father influenced how you run this office?

We lost dad in 2021, and six years prior to that, he wanted to go through significant succession planning. I told dad I felt like it was a waste of time, and he said, “One day you’re going to wake up, and the proverbial bus is going to hit me, and you’ll be running this company.” And that’s exactly what happened. Had he not done that in 2015, it would’ve been a much more difficult situation to pull through.

You go through all these challenges as a company … and it was a devastating situation because at the time I was out here in Charlotte and concentrating efforts on the Southeast expansion. Dad wasn’t really involved in the operations or strategic planning side at that time, but he was involved in the culture. Everybody had this connection with him.

One thing he instilled in me was servant leadership. Growing up, one of my first jobs when I was about 8 years old was picking up nails around the shop, and dad explained how important that job was. One time I missed some nails, and we had a flat tire. What he was getting at was to always treat people with respect and you’ll get that respect back because everybody has a job to do, and everybody’s job is the most important job. That’s how I run this business and how I run this office. I want everybody to understand that I realize how important their job is.

What are your goals for this office over the next five or 10 years?

We’re in growth mode and planning a Southeast headquarters. We’re working right now on where that will actually be. We have a potential site in Rock Hill, but we’re also working on some other sites. In the next five years we’ll have that Southeast HQ up and running.

We have an equipment leasing company called ��ý Leasing & Supply, and in order to bring that down here we need a maintenance shop and an equipment manager. It’ll also support a power infrastructure company called ��ý Industrial, which does transmission distribution stuff. It works for companies similar to Duke Energy but needs a lot of heavy, specialized equipment.

The headquarters will give us the capacity to bring both ��ý Leasing & Supply and ��ý Industrial down here. All of our companies feed off one another to create a robust operation.

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��ý Announces NextGen Program Recipients

daniellebergmann — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 18:28:22 +0000

Publication:

��ý Construction has announced the 2024 recipients of its NextGen program. ��ý selected five recipients for the program’s inaugural year and presented two scholarships and three community impact contributions.

NextGen is a collaboration between ��ý and its education clients to connect students and teachers with the construction of their facilities and unlock interactive opportunities for students to build their futures while advancing communities. ��ý also provides advanced education opportunities through impact contributions or post-high school scholarships.

Scholarships were awarded to:

Noah Foppe of Freeburg Community High School in Freeburg, Ill.
Kirsten Gudausky of Litchfield High School in Litchfield, Ill., part of the South Central Illinois Regional Training and Innovation Center

The 2024 Community Impact Contributions were presented to:

Litchfield Elementary School’s Olympiads Program in Litchfield, Ill.
Richland County Early Learning Center in Olney, Ill. and
South Central Middle School in Kinmundy, Ill.

“As a longtime partner in education, we believe that fostering development in our schools greatly impacts our communities,” said Jon Carroll, executive vice president and COO at ��ý Construction. “Our mission goes far beyond building quality buildings; we seek to inspire and promote positive character building and believe we can do that by offering real-time learning and skills training into each grade-level curriculum, from early education through high school and beyond.”

Launched in late 2023, NextGen aims to encourage students in the PreK-12 sector to pursue careers in construction management, architecture, engineering, skilled trades, safety, or quality. Through NextGen, students participate in celebrating major project milestones, from groundbreaking and dedication ceremonies to on-site class tours. ��ý also offers hands-on career success opportunities through STEAM learning, paid internships, and workforce development programs.

School districts submit applications for community impact sponsorships or academic scholarships based on the focused age group of the students.

The community impact sponsorship benefits elementary or middle school districts by supporting community initiatives. Classes submit an impact application detailing their plans and goals for a group project or initiative that has a lasting impact on their community.

The academic scholarship benefits high schools, community colleges, or universities by offering an annual sponsorship to a high school senior or college student pursuing a career in the AEC industry.

For more information about ��ý’s NextGen Initiative, visit /poettker-nextgen/

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��ý Announces Promotions Across Multiple Departments

daniellebergmann — Thu, 23 May 2024 21:05:16 +0000

��ý Construction Company, one of the nation’s top-performing construction firms, recently promoted six team members to the Business Development, Project Management, Preconstruction, Marketing, and Warehouse Teams.

In Business Development, Shane Harris took on the new role of Federal Market Leader. In this role, he will lead our business development, client relations, and partnering efforts in the federal market space. Harris joined ��ý in 2020 and has over 23 years of client relationship experience in the AEC industry.

In ��ý’s Project Management department, Cory Griffin and Ben Menke were promoted to Project Manager roles, and Alicia Caudill was promoted to Senior Project Engineer.

Griffin has thirteen years of experience in project management and business development. He joined ��ý in 2021 as a Project Engineer. Griffin received his master’s degree in business administration from Greenville University.

Menke joined ��ý in 2022 as a Project Engineer. He has seven years of experience in commercial construction. Menke received his bachelor’s degree in construction management from Southeast Missouri State University.

Caudill joined ��ý in 2023 as a Project Engineer. She has six years of experience in the construction industry. Caudill received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville.

For ��ý’s Preconstruction department, Jenell Clark was promoted to the role of CAD technician and preconstruction administrator. Clark has eleven years of experience in design, estimating, and administration. She joined ��ý in 2022 in the role of Estimating Support. Clark received her bachelor’s degree in architectural studies from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale.

In ��ý’s Marketing department, Alyssa Kampwerth was promoted to Lead Marketing Coordinator. Kampwerth joined ��ý in 2014 as an Estimating Administrator and most recently served in the role of Preconstruction and Marketing Coordinator. She has nineteen years of experience in construction administration and marketing.

For ��ý’s Warehouse team, Andy Jansen was promoted to Service Manager. Jansen joined ��ý in 2015 as a Warehouse Mechanic. He has 24 years of experience in . In his new role, Jansen will be leading the warehouse team for certain day-to-day tasks.

“��ý’s most important resources are its employees, who are crucial to maintaining the company’s commitment to safety, quality, and the long-term relationships we build with our clients, subcontractors, business partners, and local communities,” said Ryan ��ý, president of ��ý Construction. “Congratulations to these talented team members on their much-deserved promotions.”

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��ý Recognized as Top Safety Leader Contractor

daniellebergmann — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:21:15 +0000

��ý Construction today announced it has earned a National Safety Merit Award from , which was presented at the 34th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC Convention 2024 in Orlando, Florida, on March 14.

��ý Construction received a National Safety Merit Award for its continuous commitment to safety on the job. The award was presented to only 45 contractors nationwide.

“A�� ý Construction, we prioritize safety and health above all else,” said Charles Wilson, Vice President of Risk Management. “We are extremely proud to have maintained a flawless safety record on all of our projects, and we are fully committed to upholding safety excellence throughout our entire company. Whether it’s our top-level management or our workers on the job site, safety always remains our number one priority.”

The 2023 National Safety Merit Award winners were selected from ABC member firms that achieved Diamond, Platinum or Gold status in ABC’s STEP Safety Management System in 2023, reflective of their 2022 safety performance data. During the selection process, contractors were judged on self-evaluation scores, lost workday case rates, total recordable incident rates, leading indicator use, process and program innovations, and interviews conducted by members of ABC’s National Health and Safety Committee.

“Safety isn’t just a value at ��ý; it’s at the core of everything we do,” emphasized Keith Poetter, Chairman and CEO of ��ý Construction Company. “We base all our actions and decisions on it, and we’re proud to say we’ve maintained a zero-accident performance on our projects. It’s something we absolutely refuse to compromise on, and we’re pleased to be recognized for it.

ABC’s STEP Safety Management System provides contractors and suppliers with a robust, no-cost framework for measuring safety data and benchmarking with peers in the industry. The self-assessment tool helps participants identify real opportunities for scalable growth in their safety programs to lower their total recordable incident rates.

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��ý Achieves Tremendous Growth in 2023

daniellebergmann — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 19:09:33 +0000

��ý Construction, an award-winning family-owned construction company, closed out the 2023 calendar year with tremendous employee, financial, industry, philanthropic, and market sector growth across the company.

“Over the years, ��ý has earned a reputation for building relationships and buildings in the safest and most cost-efficient way possible, all while maintaining the highest degree of quality and emphasis on sustainable design solutions,” said Ryan ��ý, president of ��ý Construction. “I could not be prouder of our team’s safety-first mindset and commitment to bettering the communities we live and serve.”

��ý continued its track record for outstanding safety performance with nearly 400,000 work hours performed without a lost time incident in 2023. National and local organizations recognized the company’s ongoing commitment to safety and quality throughout the year. awarded ��ý 1st place for the 2023 National Construction Safety Excellence Award and the designated multiple honors, from PLATINUM-level designation through its STEP Safety Management Program and accreditation as a Quality Contractor to rankings as an ABC Top Performers. ��ý also moved up the national ’s Top 400 Contractors ranking.

��ý remains a Best Place to Work, a national best-in-class business, and a top-performing general contractor in the Midwest and Southeast. This year, the company enhanced its preconstruction, estimating, and project management teams with the promotion of 17 integral team members across every level.

In the commercial, healthcare, and municipal sectors, ��ý is helping Illinois-based businesses manage scalable growth, including a new branch location for and an industrial warehouse expansion for . ��ý is actively enhancing area healthcare services with the construction of a new medical office building for and renovations at . In public works, construction continued on two new fire stations for , and a groundbreaking was held on the new Public Safety Building at .

��ý excelled in the Midwest and Southeast industrial markets with over 4.3 million square feet of distribution and warehouse space under construction in 2023. The company’s federal team continued to build a variety of mission-critical headquarters complexes, hangars, airfield pavements, laboratory centers, and health campus infrastructure projects. In retail, ��ý enhanced online shopping, grocery pickup, and distribution services at 32 facilities for multiple national clients.

In the utility and infrastructure market, ��ý continued its multi-phased work on substations, transmission and distribution lines, restoration projects, and facility renovations throughout Illinois and Missouri.

��ý also had a very strong year in the higher education and PK-12 markets. The company served as the construction management partner for 12 districts located throughout the Metro East and Southern Illinois; continued its partnership with as their construction manager for a five-year network-wide facility improvement initiative; was selected to serve on the design-build team for ’s 221,000 SF Health Sciences building; and kicked off the six-year improvement program with seven separate active projects underway heading into 2024.

Invested in the communities where they live and work, ��ý supported over 50 non-profit organizations through philanthropic partnerships, advocacy, fundraising, and volunteering initiatives in 2023. This past year at its annual golf classic benefiting , ��ý raised an astounding $57,000 in donations. ��ý also partnered with , , , , , and area nonprofits, schools, and colleges to expand educational opportunities in the local communities.

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BrandBuilders Podcast Featuring Keith ��ý

daniellebergmann — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 12:34:47 +0000

In this episode of BrandBuilders, Keith ��ý, Chairman & CEO of ��ý Construction discusses the company’s history, secret to its success, and the future of the business.

Keith recounts how his father, Charles ��ý, returned from the Vietnam War and founded ��ý Construction rather than work on the family farm.

Relationships are the key to ��ý Construction’s success. Keith never allows obstacles, no matter how significant, impede the company’s ability to deliver on their promise to the client.

To expand the business, Keith moved to Charlotte, NC to launch the company’s Southeast office. He explains ��ý Construction’s current projects and gratitude for their most loyal clients. He makes his predictions for the industry and explains what’s next for the family business.

Click below to hear Keith ��ý share these stories and more.

The post BrandBuilders Podcast Featuring Keith ��ý appeared first on ��ý Construction.

Construction Safety Directors Say Safety Is Everyone’s Responsibility

daniellebergmann — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 18:55:36 +0000

Publication: St. Louis CNR Magazine, October 2023

Companywide ownership of the outcomes of the firm’s safety process – whether they’re good, bad, or indifferent – is the key to success in keeping jobsites safe and projects successful.

��ý Construction Company espouses this philosophy, as set forth in the book Extreme Ownership by retired U.S. Navy Officers and SEALS Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

“Safety has to be owned by everyone on your team,” says VP of Risk Management Charlie Wilson, CSP, ASP, STSC. “We try to embrace every planning opportunity connected with risk management, and we stress collaboration so that everyone’s very best ideas rise to the surface…for construction companies to be successful and to build a culture that supports best practices in terms of jobsite safety, every single person has to be all in. Getting past pointing blame and diving down into the details – especially when you’re trying to avoid a specific outcome – is essential.”

One of ��ý’s clients demonstrated this, motivating the company to build what is called a culpability model as a means of improving human performance in the field and in the office. Wilson says this model has proven to be a powerful tool in raising awareness of relevant safety issues, improving the understanding of the causes of adverse incidents and near-incidents and serving as a basis for developing practical guidance and resources.

“It’s something we’re all trying to do,” Wilson says. “The culpability model that we align with the most is that of a just culture…avoiding finding blame and instead finding ways to improve the safety process, improve communication, and find the deep-rooted causes.”

For example, ��ý recently experienced a subcontractor injury. “That’s more challenging, as it involves a third party,” he said. “There was an operator who went out to make an adjustment on a piece of equipment and ended up injuring themself. The automatic question is, ‘What was that operator doing wrong?’ But going further and analyzing that incident through the lens of our culpability model, we asked if there may have been external factors that contributed to the incident, what the subcontractor might be able to do differently or better. We really strive to create a safe space in terms of conversation and create a collaborative environment where we’re constantly seeking feedback from our people in the field… and where an employee can question and offer ideas and improvements to the process. It definitely takes all of us to maintain a culture of safety, and because of this, we’ve seen an uptick in safety milestones for the company like winning the National AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award this past Spring.”

Conducting safety prequalifications with clients and subcontractors is another ingredient in ��ý’s overall safety strategy, according to Wilson. “In our more extensive prequals, we ask our clients and subcontractors to describe the components in their safety policy – including how they orient workers, the length and detail of their project orientations and more. We want to make sure that when they contract with us that the workforce that will build their project is set up for success.”

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��ý Completes 2nd Phase of the Gateway 85 Initiative

daniellebergmann — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:48:49 +0000

��ý Construction would like to congratulate for the completion of phase II of the Gateway 85 industrial park in Gastonia, NC. ��ý was selected by NorthPoint as the phase II general contractor. Phase II of the park consists of buildings 4 and 7, encompassing 55 acres and adding an additional 946,000 square feet of industrial warehouse building product to the development. Gateway 85 sits on 300-acres just east of Cox Road abutting N.C. 7 to the north and Interstate 85 to the south and will comprise 3.6 million square feet of industrial warehouse product once fully developed.

Building 4 is a 241,000-square-foot single rear load warehouse with a 36-foot clear height consisting of 22 dock doors that can be expanded to 45. Building 7 is a 705,000-square-foot cross-dock warehouse with a clear height of 40 feet and features 70 dock doors that can be expanded to 140. Preparation of the project consisted of relocating an existing road that goes through the site, associated utility infrastructure extensions to support the development and land development of the 55-acre phase II area.

“This is an exciting milestone for NorthPoint, and ��ý Construction is appreciative of the opportunity to support them on it,” said Keith ��ý, CEO of ��ý Construction Company. “The Southeast market is seeing incredible strength and resilience across many market sectors fueled by continued population growth. In particular, the Charlotte region is evolving into a transportation and logistics industrial hub due to its superior transportation network, and we are excited to play a small part in that growth as we continue to be a resource that industrial developers can trust and rely on to assist them in their construction needs.”

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Memorial Hospital and ��ý Break Ground on New MOB

daniellebergmann — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:54:23 +0000

Congratulations Memorial Hospital Chester on the groundbreaking for your new multi-story medical office building! ��ý Construction is proud to partner with you to construct your new patient-centered care facility.

To view project details, visit our Healthcare Portfolio > Memorial Hospital Medical Office Building.

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��ý Raises $57,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters

daniellebergmann — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 17:44:56 +0000

Annual golf classic raises over $280,000 in donations to date

��ý Construction, an award-winning family-owned construction company, raised $57,000 at its ninth annual golf classic benefitting . The golf classic was held on Friday, July 28, 2023, at Roland Barkau Memorial Golf Course in Okawville, Ill.

“We are once again thrilled to host the annual golf classic and raise money in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission within our community,” said Kevin ��ý, vice president of business development and BBBSIL board member. “The generosity from friends, family, business partners, sponsors, and event participants over the years has been remarkable.”

There were 66 golf teams that participated this year, which helped ��ý reach its goal of supporting the mentorship organization. Proceeds will support the BBBSIL mission of assisting children in recognizing their potential and building better futures. Since 2001, the organization has matched over 1,000 elementary and middle school students in Clinton, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties with a Big Brother or Big Sister mentor.

“We are sincerely grateful for the time and effort that goes into ��ý’s annual golf classic,” said Kim Rawlings, Board President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois. “All funds raised from the tournament allow us to provide mentorship for youth throughout the year and help them build their futures.”

Since 2014, ��ý’s annual golf classic has raised over $280,000 in donations for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois (BBBSIL).

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daniellebergmann, Author at ������ý Construction

Charlotte Newsmaker | How ������ý’s Expansion Fits Their Southeast push

What was the decision-making process behind expanding to the Charlotte market?

How has your father influenced how you run this office?

What are your goals for this office over the next five or 10 years?

������ý Announces NextGen Program Recipients

������ý Announces Promotions Across Multiple Departments

������ý Recognized as Top Safety Leader Contractor

������ý Achieves Tremendous Growth in 2023

BrandBuilders Podcast Featuring Keith ������ý