MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- M. A.
Mortenson Company today announced a long-planned leadership
transition at the Minnesota-based,
family-owned construction and development services company.
David Mortenson has been named as
the company's next chairman and the chair of its Board of
Directors; Dan Johnson has been
promoted to president; and Tom
Wacker has been promoted to chief operating
officer.
Chairman David Mortenson, Chief
Executive Officer Tom Gunkel,
President Dan Johnson, Chief
Financial Officer Sandy Sponem and
Chief Operating Officer Tom Wacker
will lead the company forward and constitute the company's
executive leadership team.
David Mortenson, 49, represents
the third generation of family leadership at the 60-year-old
organization. He succeeds his father, M. A. "Mort" Mortenson, Jr.,
78, the company's chairman since 1976. When Mort became chair, most
of the company's business was local and it had $33 million in revenue and 224 employees. Today,
Mortenson has 10 U.S. regional offices, one Canadian office, eight
national industry groups, and has more than $2.5 billion in revenue and employs more than
3,800 people.
"David's election to Chairman provides the next generation of
Mortenson family leadership of our homegrown Minnesota business," said Mort Mortenson, chairman emeritus. "David is a
man of character, an inspiring and visionary leader, and ideally
equipped to guide our company into the future as our industry goes
through transformative change."
David Mortenson earned a
bachelor's degree from Colgate
University and served three years as an officer in the U.S.
Navy. He joined the company in 1991 and undertook its first
international design-build project for Seagate in Northern Ireland, and was the project director
during the design and construction of the Walt Disney Concert Hall
in Los Angeles. Mortenson led the
company's office in Seattle before
returning to Minneapolis to join
the company's senior leadership team, and subsequently become
president of the construction company in 2012. He pioneered the
organization's entry into the international marketplace and led the
company's growth and expansion into new markets.
"I am honored and humbled to help lead the company my
grandfather founded 60 years ago and my father has led and grown
for 46 years," said David
Mortenson. "Our success as a company is a result of the
hard work of so many people, led by an experienced and long-tenured
senior leadership team. I look forward to honoring that legacy with
a strong focus on continued growth through innovation, expansion
into new markets and providing exceptional service to our
customers."
Mortenson is an active Twin
Cities community member, serving as current chairman of the
Itasca Project, a founding board member of Greater MSP, and a
trustee of both the Minneapolis Foundation and the University of Minnesota's College of Design.
Mortenson recently co-chaired the winning bid for the 2019 NCAA
Men's Final Four in Minneapolis.
Dan Johnson, who succeeds
David Mortenson as president, joined
Mortenson in 1986 and has served as chief operating officer since
2008. Through the years, he was involved in the start-up of many of
the company's now-successful businesses including offices in
Chicago, Phoenix and Portland, Oregon. Johnson was also
instrumental in launching Mortenson's renewable energy business and
growing its real estate development group. He holds a bachelor's
degree from North Dakota State
University.
Tom Wacker, who succeeds
Dan Johnson as the chief operating
officer, previously was a senior vice president and led the
company's Renewable Energy Groups, its Milwaukee office, and project management
controls, procurement and equipment departments. Under his
leadership, Mortenson's Renewable Energy Groups experienced
substantial growth and expanded into new markets including wind,
solar, high voltage transmission and civil work. Tom earned
his bachelor's degree from the University
of Minnesota and joined Mortenson in 1987.
"I have been fortunate to work side by side with David Mortenson, Dan
Johnson, Sandy Sponem and
Tom Wacker for over 25 years, and
this carefully-planned leadership transition ensures the long-term
continuity of a seasoned, proven executive leadership team," said
Tom Gunkel. "David and I are blessed
to lead a company with such a strong heritage and one filled with
the best people in our industry."
About Mortenson
Founded in 1954, Mortenson is a
U.S.-based, family-owned construction and development services
company. As one of the nation's top builders, Mortenson provides a
complete range of construction services, including planning,
program management, preconstruction, general contracting,
construction management and design-build. The company also is a
leader in real estate development, developing all asset types.
Mortenson has operations across North
America with offices in Chicago, Denver,
Iowa City, Madison,
Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland,
Oregon, San Antonio,
Seattle and Toronto. For more information, visit
mortenson.com.
CONTACT:
Cameron
Snyder
Mortenson
763.287.5493
cameron.snyder@mortenson.com
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SOURCE M. A. Mortenson Company