McKelvy to build on Gilbane’s construction strengths

A NEW HILL TO CLIMB: Gilbane Building Co. President Mike  McKelvy joins the firm after 26 years at Colorado-based  construction firm CH2M HILL. / PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
A NEW HILL TO CLIMB: Gilbane Building Co. President Mike McKelvy joins the firm after 26 years at Colorado-based construction firm CH2M HILL. / PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

Michael McKelvy joined the Gilbane Building Co. in Providence in June as president and chief operating officer, after spending 26 years in various leadership roles at CH2M HILL, which is based in Englewood, Colo. He discusses work Gilbane will soon begin on the South Street Landing project in Providence, planned improvements to its headquarters in the city and the company’s plans for growth.

PBN: You had a wide variety of key roles at CH2M HILL. What aspect of your work there will most directly inform your new role at Gilbane?
MCKELVY: AT CH2M HILL, I was responsible for the global construction practice and all the work for the U.S. federal government, so both of those areas align well with Gilbane building company’s focus. Part of the growth strategy of Gilbane is to do work outside of the U.S. and I’ve got quite a bit of experience with vertical construction – buildings – around the world: Mexico, Europe, Asia, the Middle East. I bring 30 years of experience in engineering and construction. And the last 15 years have been in operational leadership, general management and strategic planning, so I have a real focus on achieving results but also focusing on the long term.

PBN: What key projects are you working on in Providence?
MCKELVY: We’re going to be beginning the upcoming project to convert the former Dynamo power plant into South Street Landing with Commonwealth Ventures. What’s new is the project construction will be starting up at the end of October and running for three years. Half of the facility will be for the nursing center and Brown University will occupy the other half, as well as two six-story towers for graduate student housing and a 650-stall parking structure. What’s really cool about this project is that it reclaims the older, unused landmark and creates economic activity for the Jewelry District and ties in perfectly with Iway plans, [the R.I. Department of Transportation’s Interstate 195 relocation plan]. That project will probably employ 300 to 500 people in the building trades in the Providence area. The area has had a tough time with the economy similar to other areas of the country. Due to the depth of the recession, many customers have put a moratorium on capital spending until things turn around. … We’re hopeful in the next few months there’ll be more capital spending on capital development in the Providence area.

PBN: What is the biggest challenge you see in today’s construction industry broadly and in Rhode Island in particular?
MCKELVY: One of the biggest challenges I see is the continual need for people. Due to the challenges in the industry, many people left the industry. We need to continue to mentor and bring up the younger professionals and get the more seasoned professionals to continue to be involved as long as they can. The other challenge we see is the need to … make sure we utilize the highest forms of technology when we build: such as lean construction techniques, BIM [building information modeling], laser scanning, etc. It’s really necessary … to stay up to date and be a leader.

PBN: How are you fitting into this family-run business?
MCKELVY: It’s extremely important to maintain the 141-year legacy of the Gilbane family as I transition into the company. The value and experience and wisdom at my disposal from Tom Gilbane Jr. [chairman and chief executive officer, of Gilbane Inc.], and Bill Gilbane Jr. [vice chairman of Gilbane Building Co.] as well as Paul Choquette Jr. [vice chairman of Gilbane Inc.] will be extremely important for me to draw on for years and years to come. My goal is to be a complement to the great leadership Gilbane has had from the family and to ensure that the Gilbane legacy continues for another 141 years.

PBN: Gilbane is headquartered here in Providence. What makes Rhode Island an attractive place to base operations and will that continue in the foreseeable future?
MCKELVY: I think Rhode Island is an attractive place to live and offers a lot of amenities, not only for business but for families. As I’ve toured it the last few months, the access to water is amazing to me, coming from Colorado where there isn’t any water, as well as the accessibility to Boston and New York. This is the birthplace of Gilbane and we have no intentions to move the headquarters anywhere else. In the next several months, we’ll be making improvements. We’ll be doing an entire interior facelift of the building and adding some additional amenities for our employees, so this is an investment not only for our people but a reflection of our confidence in Providence.

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PBN: How do you define your leadership style?
MCKELVY: I have a collaborative leadership style. I really like to be challenged and hear input from a diverse set of opinions. I believe in diversity of thought. Only through the gathering of different inputs can we make strong decisions and know we’re going on the right path.
As I come into Gilbane, one of the things I need to do for sure is listen, and make sure I absorb the history, culture and experience not only from Tom and Bill Gilbane but also from the employees and key leadership.

PBN: What needs to improve economically in Rhode Island to better support your industry?
MCKELVY: This is true of any city or state in the U.S.: There needs to be continual review to make sure the goals for economic development align with the processes and procedures required to realize that development.INTERVIEW
POSITION: President and chief operating officer at Gilbane Building Co.
BACKGROUND: McKelvy worked at CH2M HILL, a consulting, design-build and construction-management firm based in Englewood, Colo., as chief delivery officer and executive vice president for U.S. federal delivery. He also was on the firm’s board of directors, and has held several other positions during his 26 years at the firm.
EDUCATION: McKelvy is a registered architect in 30 states. He earned a bachelor of science degree in environmental design from Oklahoma University in 1981 and a bachelor of architecture degree from Louisiana Tech University in 1983. He also has completed three different executive programs in strategy and leadership at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Management.
FIRST JOB: Working summers in high school for his father, a practicing architect
RESIDENCE: Providence
AGE: 55

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