Midwest People: January 2026
St. Cloud, Minn.-based Landwehr Construction has elevated Pat Herron to vice president of its cranes group. Since 2014, he has held several leadership roles, helping expand the firm and integrating operations from its 2024 acquisition of Jerke Construction, a Sioux Falls, S.D., crane service provider. Herron began in construction in 2001 as a heavy equipment operator.
Des Moines-based Weitz Co. has promoted Andy Gardner to vice president overseeing preconstruction project teams for its commercial and mission critical divisions. A 25-year employee, he has overseen Iowa projects that include the Iowa Events Center, Prairie Meadows Casino and QTS Data Center. He now directs preconstruction for more than $2.8 billion in U.S. data center projects, the company said.
Chris Hawn has joined S.M. Wilson & Co., St. Louis, as vice president of retail construction to lead national expansion of the firm’s retail division, focusing on multisite programs, remodels, tenant build-outs and ground-up construction, the firm said. He had been director of retail construction at Place Services Inc. and vice president of business development for stores at Charter Communications.
Chicago commercial contractor McHugh Construction Co. has elevated four company managers. Jeanne Bartels, an 18-year veteran, rises to project executive from senior project manager. She now oversees preconstruction of 1325 West Fulton Street, the first of three towers in a full-block mixed-use development in the city’s West Loop. The firm also promoted Kyle Jennings and Michael Sinickas to project manager, both had been assistant project managers. Kasey Bethea has been elevated to assistant superintendent from project engineer and is now working on the Fifth Third Arena expansion project.
Robert Baker, owner and president of LSI Group LLC, Logansport, Ind., a large U.S. manufacturer of standing seam metal roof clips and retrofit components used in the commercial metal roof market, is set to join Worthington Enterprises Inc., a Columbus, Ohio, building and consumer products manufacturer in an unspecified leadership role, the companies said. The new position will follow expected completion in January of Worthington’s $205-million buy of LSI, which has two manufacturing locations in Logansport, where it was founded in 1968.
Anthony “Tony” D. Fassino, Caterpillar Inc. construction Industries group president, was elected 2025-2026 chair of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. He had been the group’s senior vice chair and also led its 27-member task force that developed policy proposals for the next federal surface transportation bill due by Oct. 1, 2026. Also elected were Tom O’Grady, president, HNTB Corp., Kansas City, Mo., to senior vice chair, and David Harwood, senior vice president, Terracon, Olathe, Kan., to central region vice chair.
Skender Construction, Chicago, has elevated Andy Halik to president and Brian Bukowski to chief operating officer.
McCarthy Building Cos., Kansas City, Kan., expanded its executive team with three promotions: Joe Lewandowski is now vice president and business unit lead, Jeff Bennett is director of business development and Brad Schoen is vice president of preconstruction.
City Colleges of Chicago has named Doris Espiritu as district-wide dean of its new School of Engineering, expanding the engineering and computer science program to Harold Washington College and Harry S. Truman College.
