June 2, 2016 — BD Construction, Inc., one of the Midwest’s leading construction companies, has promoted three long-time employees.
Mike Kalb has been named the director of Business Development to lead the business development and marketing team as well as advise potential clients regarding construction projects. A native of Kearney, Kalb earned his BS in business administration with emphasis in finance and accounting from Kearney State College in 1991. With a background in financial services, Kalb joined BD Construction’s business development staff in 2002. Kalb serves on the Association of General Contractors (AGC) Nebraska Building Chapter Nebraska Design and Construction Industry Council and participated in the AGC’s Construction Leadership Academy. He is a partner in numerous local real estate development companies.
Austin Larson was selected to become the director of Construction Operations and is now responsible for overseeing all project management and design as well as pre-construction services, subcontractor qualification and estimating. Larson earned his BS in construction management from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and joined BD Construction as an intern in 2003, eventually moving to a full-time position as an estimator. Larson serves on the Kearney Little League board, is an advisor to the UNK construction management program, serves on the AGC Education and Workforce Development Committee and is a graduate of the Construction Leadership Academy. He is certified as a LEED Green associate.
Rick Pettit is the newly appointed director of Field Operations and will supervise all construction projects in progress, establishing consistent practices for project oversight, scheduling and staffing for jobs. Pettit leverages a wealth of experience for BD Construction, where he began his career on the concrete crew in 1984 after graduating from Kearney High School. Most recently, Pettit had been serving as the firm’s senior superintendent, overseeing some of the company’s largest projects to date. The AGC Nebraska Building Chapter presented Pettit with its prestigious Mentor Award last year.
Linette Butler, general manager of BD Construction, said, “with this formal structure, BD Construction has a leadership team in place that will uphold our tradition of excellence and continue to meet—and exceed—our clients’ expectations on every project.”
“BD Construction continues to take a progressive view of how we can best serve clients. The promotion of talented professionals like Mike, Austin and Rick further advances our position as the region’s trusted partner when it comes to major construction projects from start to finish,” said Brenda Benjamin, president of BD Construction.
This new organizational structure replaces an interim management team that was put in place following the death of BD Construction President Mark Benjamin last year. Kalb, Larson and Pettit had served on the interim team.