Q&A with Brett Nielsen, President of Whitaker Construction

As it celebrates 70 years, the well-respected, versatile municipal/utility contractor is plowing ahead under a new leadership regimeand setting its sights on cracking the $250 million mark this year.

For more than seven decades, Brigham City-based Whitaker Construction has carved out its place—one methodical bucketload of dirt at a time— as one of the most capable, innovative, and hard-working firms plying its trade in the civil/municipal/utility construction arena throughout the Intermountain region.

The company was founded in 1953 by Jim Whitaker, a hard-working, savvy businessman who pivoted from the sand and gravel industry to the world of underground construction and building critical infrastructure systems. Jim's three sons—Bob, Dennis, and Rick—all performed key roles for the company over their respective lengthy careers topping 50+ years. Bob succeeded Jim as President in the late 80s and remained in that role until 2003, followed by Rick, who served in that capacity from 2003-17. Bob's son Mike was the first third-generation President of the company, serving from 2017-21.

As the company celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, it sees itself having firmly transitioned to the next generation of leadership, with ironically nary a Whitaker to be found on the 10-member Executive Team for the first time in its long history, led by Brett Nielsen, who was named President in 2021.

Nielsen started as a laborer in 1992 and gradually learned all facets of the business and construction process, compiling an impressive industry acumen over 31 years. As the company's fifth president Nielsen is resolute in carrying on the "Whitaker Way" of doing business—which includes a focus on empowering employees and maximizing their potential.

Judd Hamson is the firm's Executive Vice President with 32-plus years at the company, serving in many key roles including Project Manager, Senior Estimator and VP of Business Development. The rest of the Executive Team includes: Shane Albrecht, Sr. VP of Construction, Brandon Blanchard, VP of Heavy Civil Operations; Brent Hunziker, VP of Natural Gas Operations; Ken Hamson, VP of Water/Wastewater Operations; Dave Wickam, VP of Equipment Operations; Rex Keller, VP of Business Operations; Rhett Tatton, VP of HSE/Risk Management; Ryan Vaughn, VP of Human Resources.

Whitaker has consistently been at the top of annual revenue numbers for municipal/utility general contractors in Utah, with annual revenues now eclipsing the $200 million mark and ambitious goals for consistent growth in those numbers. In the past five years revenues have more than doubled, from $109.8 million in 2018 (first time the company cracked nine figures) to $242 million in 2022. Nielsen said the company is poised to exceed $250 million this year, with a healthy backlog lined up for the next 2-3 years.

Whitaker specializes in all major utility and civil infrastructure markets, including sanitary sewer, storm drain, culinary water, irrigation, earthwork, roadway construction, dams, landfills, natural gas pipelines, industrial piping, and telecommunications projects, operating primarily in seven western states—Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.

UC&D: As Whitaker Construction celebrates its 70th anniversary the company finds itself having firmly transitioned to the next generation of leadership. For the first time in company history, a Whitaker is not on the Executive Team—it's a brave new world! How has the transition been?

Nielsen: Mike Whitaker (who serves as CEO of Whitaker Holdings, the now parent company of Whitaker Construction that provides shared services for Whitaker Construction and other recently acquired companies) did a phenomenal job of setting up the core of the Executive Team. When I came into the role, I looked at what our strengths were and where we needed help and realized that we would need to look to the outside for those gaps within our current leadership team. I would love to be able to grow from within at every (key position), but it's not realistic given the size of our company. Whitaker has always run really lean and bringing in top executives (from outside the company) isn't culturally something we've historically focused on. We've focused more (in the past) on our craft employees, and as we have grown, realized we were doing a disservice to our company by stretching our executive and support teams too thin.

UC&D: Talk about the culture at Whitaker Construction, known as the Whitaker Way. Obviously, Jim Whitaker set the tone of having a "can-do" attitude, and his sons very much continued that mindset into second and third generations of leadership. What are the keys to having a great company culture?

Nielsen: We had been asking ourselves to define the Whitaker Way 10 or so years ago—and the answer we would always come up with is “it's just the way we do things around here”. How do you explain that to people looking to come into a company? Five years ago we went through our strategic planning session where the focus was to define our mission, vision and core values. The four core values we identified that summarize what the Whitaker Way is are: Value Safety, Embrace Ownership, Be Honorable, and Elevate Team. We speak to these often and post them everywhere. It's more than just words on a wall—it's actually living them. That's how we've been able to maintain our culture and still embrace outside perspectives of individuals coming onto the team. It's easy for a company to get caught up in (the mentality of) "this is the way we do things; this is the way we're always going to do things". If you get into that mindset, I don't believe you can grow. I feel like I'm much better at embracing different perspectives, as long as they support those core values. One of the things that has made us more successful the past 15 years is our ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) program. We transitioned to 100% ESOP January 1 of this year—100% of Whitaker Construction is owned by employees. It's huge!

UC&D: You've been with Whitaker Construction for 27 of the past 31 years, having worked for a different company from 2004-07. Who are your most notable mentors?

Nielsen: The entire Whitaker family has been extremely influential in our lives. Bob Phillips was a long-time estimator and part of the leadership of Whitaker before we had an executive team (he retired in 2006) and he was a mentor to Mike Whitaker, to Judd (Hamson), to me—Bob had a big hand in shaping the core of our company. My father (Mike Nielsen, a mechanic with the firm for 20 years) passed away in 1999 from cancer and the Whitakers, Bob and Mike especially, were there for me. Bob was very much a father figure to me; I struggled when he passed away (2021). Mike shared with me about three years ago something which brought us both to tears. He said that when my dad was ill, he went to Mike and asked him take care of me. Mike said, "I believe I've done that, Brett." It goes to show the family aspect of Whitaker Construction. I've honestly always felt like I was part of the family, part of the team and that's one of my biggest goals, to make sure everybody feels like they are part of the company and feel the same things I got from the Whitaker family. It is truly an honor—one that I do not take lightly—to follow in the footsteps of the amazing men who have held this position before me. I have very large boots to fill.

(Top) The firm innovatively utilized a cable crane system on the North Fork Siphon project for CUWCD.

Whitaker Construction’s current Board of Directors (left to right): Ken Hamson, VP of Water/Wastewater Operations; Brandon Blanchard, VP of Heavy Civil Operations; Shane Albrecht, Senior VP of Construction; Rhett Tatton, VP of HSE/Risk Management; Judd Hamson, Executive VP; Brett Nielsen, President; Ryan Vaughn, VP of Human Resources; Dave Wickam, VP of Equipment Operations; Rex Keller, VP of Business Operations; Brent Hunziker, VP of Natural Gas. (photo by Holly Gibbons)

UC&D: Your company has long been known for its forward-thinking, innovative construction methods and ability to build some of the most challenging projects in the civil/municipal/utility market. Who led the charge on projects like the Ogden Canyon Siphon, which required you to hire professional climbers to aid construction workers, and the North Fork Siphon, which saw the firm purchase a special $1.2 million Austrian-made cable crane system for the job? What does it take to do these projects.

Nielsen: They are extremely challenging, complex, crazy projects. Judd came up with the concept on how to build them on both projects, Ken Hamson was the project manager. Their dad, Brian, retired at 49 years and 6 months. The Hamson family has been ingrained in this company 50+ years of the company's 70 years. It comes back to our teams—they build it according to our capability. At times there are unknowns, but it comes back to our trust in our people to build these projects. Dave Putman (CFO of Whitaker Holding Co.) once told me that if we don't have some losers (projects in the red) once in awhile, we're not pushing ourselves, we're being complacent. And he's right. We've embraced those projects we don't do as well on and turned it into learning opportunities that give us time to find out what to do better.

UC&D: Whitaker Construction has long been a champion of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Utah. Rick Whitaker served as Secretary/Treasurer from 2000-02 and you have been on the Board of Directors of the local chapter, in addition to currently serving as a National Heavy/Highway Director and Past Board Member and Chair of AGC of America Utility Infrastructure Division. What do you enjoy about your participation in AGC and how does it benefit your company?

Nielsen: It's great camaraderie, and AGC helps bring to the forefront what is coming in our industry. Often times it's regulation, or it's laws that impact our ability to work profitably. People might think being involved on a national level isn't important, but I can tell you what happens in Washington, D.C. and in states like California impacts what we do in the markets in which we work.

UC&D: Labor is a universal challenge in all building markets and a seemingly perpetual top concern for the construction industry. Your company seems to do a good job retaining talented workers. How do you achieve this? What are the most effective ways to recruit/retain new workers?

Nielsen: As projects are getting more difficult to build, it requires skilled labor. We've put an emphasis on workforce development, and we let employees know from the start there is a future here and we'll help them get to where they want to go with their careers. Our ESOP program is a differentiator. We will see our first million-dollar balances from some of our ESOP participants next year, which is cool in the fact that our ESOP started in 2007. An employee does not contribute a dollar to the program; it's a benefit to them. They receive equity in the company for their efforts and contributions. Our average participant balances increased last year 42% and over the last five years we've had four that have increased 30% or more year over year. It comes back to getting buy in and engagement from our employees. Once (employees) hit that five-year mark they start to see the value of Employee-Ownership.

UC&D: What else are employees looking for out of a potential career employer?

Nielsen: We are also working on modifying our schedules to combat worker fatigue. We are transparent on what the job entails and invest in people from day one, putting them through OSHA 10 (course). Of our core values, the value that most resonates with me is "Elevate Team". I have always enjoyed being part of a team—I know that we are stronger together and can accomplish so much more by utilizing the strengths and talents of each individual. Whitaker has always had a camaraderie that made me feel part of something bigger than myself. The value of Elevating Team works hand-in-hand with one of my personal ambitions of being a servant leader in both my personal life and at Whitaker Construction. I truly believe that if I can help any teammate that I interact with see and live the Whitaker Way, I am doing my job.