Wilhelm leaders lead the way in commercial construction

Philip G. Kenney, President

I began working at Wilhelm in 1982 while I was studying engineering at Purdue University. When I graduated from Purdue in 1985 I worked in Wilhelm's small projects group becoming manager of the Facilities Contracting Group. In 1996 I became president of Wilhelm's mechanical construction subsidiary, Freitag-Weinhardt. In 2001 I became president of Wilhelm.

I have been active as a board member in several industry associations such as; Indiana Construction Association, Metropolitan Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety, and Indiana Construction Roundtable. My community service has included serving as a board member for Scecina Memorial High School, Indianapolis CYO, and Noble of Indiana.

It is an honor to continue Wilhelm's history of building landmarks for our customers. We truly stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, benefiting from our excellent reputation for quality and customer service. I believe that we will continue this tradition through dedication to hard work, adoption of the latest tools and technologies, and through the excellence of all our 1,500 employees and the contribution of our suppliers and subcontractors.

Joseph D. Cathcart, Chief Financial Officer

With Wilhelm since 1996 I am the company's chief financial officer, secretary and treasurer. My responsibilities include managing treasury and finance activities, information technology, insurance, bonding, and employee benefits.

Wilhelm is an outstanding company that has been around for a long time and will continue because we are innovative, we create jobs and we are a good employer. There's real pride in workmanship here that clients notice.

Prior to joining Wilhelm I was senior manager at Ernst & Young specializing in audit, income tax, accounting and business advisory services for clients in construction, manufacturing, distribution, and information technology. I also worked at a federal savings and loan company.

I graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a Bachelor of Science in business management and have been a Certified Public Accountant since 1987. My professional associations include: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Indiana CPA Society, Construction Financial Management Association, and Indiana Construction Association.

I'm very proud of what Wilhelm can do, and what it does every day for our clients. Our "can do" attitude is engrained in Wilhelm. It really is! We're professional and we get at the work, but we still have a family owned feel to the company.

Doug Curts, Operations Manager

I have worked over 20 years in the construction industry, since graduating from Purdue University. With Wilhelm Construction over 14 years, I am responsible for the overall success of the projects I oversee and I am the first point of contact with our clients and customers. The autonomy we get from Wilhelm allows me to react quickly to a concern our clients might have.

My projects are primarily museums, gaming and entertainment, health care, university buildings and mixed-use developments. I am also responsible for Wilhelm's self-perform masonry division. The ability to self perform is one of Wilhelm's big advantages. Along with our masonry division, we have concrete, steel and mechanical self-perform capabilities.

My experience at Wilhelm has included serving as project manager, design phase manager, and operations manager.

I am actively involved in construction industry organizations, serving on the Regional Carpenters Council, and am the vice chairman of the Indiana Construction Association / American Institute of Architects Cooperative Committee.

I get a lot of pleasure in telling people about projects I have worked on for Wilhelm such as the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the University of Indianapolis student center.

Christopher M. French, Operations Manager

What I like best about what we do at Wilhelm is that we perform so much of a project with our own forces. This is a great advantage on any project giving us tight control of quality and the best possible control of schedule. Also, we are not afraid to take on the hard job. The reason we self perform so much work and are willing to tackle tough jobs is that we have the best men and women working here. I firmly believe our team is the most talented and dedicated in our service area.

I'm a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, except for my college years at Purdue and my first five year's work for Bechtel Power Corporation. I've been with Wilhelm since 1985 serving as an operations manager since 1995. My experience reflects Wilhelm’s diversity including pharmaceutical, industrial, power projects, museums, athletics facilities, casinos and hotels, parking structures, health care, university buildings, and historic renovations.

I take pride in what we do and the landmarks we build for our clients and customers. I've talked to customers who tell me we are problem solvers. They like that about us. It is a real privilege to be a part of the "can do" attitude that Wilhelm is known for.

Brian D. Keith, Operations Manager

The career path over the years started in high school, led through Vincennes University to my first project with Wilhelm in 1989. Starting at Wilhelm as an office engineer and now having the privilege to be an operations manager is rewarding. It has been a growing process to serve clients and be committed to their project's success. It takes a sincere attitude and trustworthiness to be a good steward of our clients' dreams and visions for the growth and success of their businesses. Opportunities that have been shared with our clients and so many here at Wilhelm have lead to rounding the skills required for the diversity of projects that have been completed.

Being totally immersed in the commercial construction has expanded my abilities. Expediting materials and scheduling large complex projects help a great deal with critical decision-making. Marketing, bidding, estimating, negotiating, and managing projects have strengthened weaknesses. Through those efforts and experiences, I have been equipped to help with training the next generation of Wilhelm staff. With an expanded role it is necessary to delegate responsibilities as well as help grow the abilities of others to do more and be more.

Being a leader is using your experience to understand the ultimate goal. Meeting the client's goal is achieving the schedule with the least expense, under the safest measures. Though these are three simply said main ingredients in completing a job, it’s still too much fun to be called work. I love what I do.

Thomas J. Kerker, Operations Manager

Since 1988, I have been involved in many building projects with Wilhelm including, the Indiana Government Center Renovation and Additions Project, Circle Center Mall, several parking structures, and a multitude of manufacturing and warehouse projects. Currently, I'm the account manager for our business at Eli Lilly and Company, and am responsible for other life science clients. My projects have ranged from biotech lab facilities to Level 3 containment facilities, bulk manufacturing turnarounds to sterile syringe fill environments.

My experience at Wilhelm has included general construction, design-build, construction management, program management, and owner agent responsibilities. Every project, whether small or large and complicated, has challenges I find fun and rewarding when the job is complete.

In addition to my Wilhelm responsibilities, I serve as first vice-president of the Purdue University Construction Advisory Council for the School of Building Construction Management. I am a board member for the Indiana Minority Supplier Development Council and a member of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers. I'm also chairman of the property committee at Christ the King Parish School.

My wife Melissa and I have been married for 20 years and we have one son, Will. We enjoy hiking, running, travel and being outdoors.

Michael R. Kerr, Operations Manager

I am Operations Manager for select clients, oversee Wilhelm's Steel Division, and fill the role of the company’s general counsel.

I come from a construction family. My construction education began working as a union ironworker, while studying engineering at Purdue University. After graduation, I worked for a national contractor on clean room facilities and auto plants. From there, I attended and graduated from Indiana University Law School in Indianapolis, and went to work for a large Indianapolis law firm in the area of construction law. In 1995, I was given the opportunity to return to the construction industry working for Wilhelm.

At Wilhelm, I have been involved in managing major projects such as Caesars Indiana casino and hotel, Eli Lilly and Company, Honda Manufacturing, Altra Indiana Ethanol Plant, JW Marriott Hotel, Indiana Convention Center, Cook Pharmica, and Marathon Petroleum.

Wilhelm enjoys a competitive advantage because we are builders and we also manage jobs. I like the people here. They have a pride in workmanship and in really owning a project in the best interests of the client.

I am the co-chair of Top Notch, Indiana’s largest labor-management organization. I am the chair of the Indiana Building Contractors Alliance, on the board of the Indiana Construction Association, and on the board of Rebuilding Together home preservation charity. I also serve as a trustee for the Iron Workers District Health, Pension and Annuity Funds and as a trustee for Iron Worker Local 22 Apprenticeship Program.

Andrew S. Lock, Chief Estimator

I began my career with Wilhelm in 1999. After completing several projects in the field, I joined the estimating team in 2003.

Currently, as Wilhelm's chief estimator, I am responsible for all estimating personnel and budget issues. This work includes reviewing all estimates, identifying and tracking leads for future projects, and developing strategies to determine which projects to pursue.

Wilhelm's appetite for a wide variety of large and complex projects requires an estimating team equipped with the industry's best talent, and the latest technology. As chief estimator, I work with many hardworking and highly talented individuals within Wilhelm and across the construction industry. It’s the company itself that distinguishes us from the rest: the projects, the people and process that lead to the best work. It is my job to precisely combine the competitive advantages of Wilhelm's field force with our pool of subcontractors and vendors to ensure that Wilhelm and our clients have the best opportunities for success.

I enjoy telling people about the landmarks we build and the people who work on them.

Jay R. Watson; Vice President, Construction

I am Wilhelm's vice president of construction, responsible for all our construction operations. This includes Indiana's largest building construction field force, our steel fabrication facility, our concrete form shop, and our yard where we stage our materials, scaffolding, and form work for timely delivery to our project sites. It is a big job with long hours and plenty of challenges. But it is extraordinarily satisfying to see the things that we can do. There is no other construction organization in our service area that can bring the strengths we have to bear on behalf of our customers.

I've been in the construction industry my whole adult life beginning in the field in 1977. I’ve been with Wilhelm since 1980, running projects since 1981, and serving as general superintendent since 1994.

Christopher J. Wilhelm, General Superintendent

Growing up watching my grandpa, my uncles, and my dad work in the construction business, I always had dreams of being a part of F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. and working on large projects. I worked my way up through the ranks of Wilhelm Construction beginning in 1977 as a general laborer and then in 1979 as a union carpenter. I started running work in 1984. I am currently general superintendent over all concrete work. I have been involved in projects such as the Hoosier Dome, Emmis Communications Building, Ross-Ade Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse, the new Indianapolis International Airport, the Honda Manufacturing Plant, and most recently, the Louisville Arena, JW Marriott and the Edwardsport Power Plant. With each job, my goal is to have a happy customer by maintaining safety standards, quality control, and delivering the project on time.