In your role at Kiewit, one of North America’s most respected construction and engineering firms, you’ve helped lead complex projects across energy, transportation, and water infrastructure. The kind of work Kiewit does isn’t just about steel and concrete—it’s about progress. And at the center of that progress is leadership: the ability to envision the future, navigate risk, and build at scale.
This open letter is less about congratulation and more about reflection—a look at how Kiewit, under the stewardship of professionals like yourself, represents what’s possible when operational excellence, human capital, and forward-thinking strategy intersect in an industry ripe for evolution.
The Art of Construction Leadership
Construction is one of the most demanding industries in the world. It’s high stakes, highly regulated, and notoriously resistant to rapid change. Yet leaders like you have shown that change is not only possible—it’s necessary.
At Kiewit, project execution meets military-level precision. Managing billion-dollar infrastructure builds, balancing timelines, budgets, logistics, and safety, requires more than engineering skill—it demands strategic clarity. And that’s where leadership comes in.
Hank, your work exemplifies the idea that great infrastructure isn’t just designed—it’s orchestrated. It requires the ability to motivate teams across disciplines, communicate vision, and remain unshaken through uncertainty. That blend of calm, technical knowledge, and operational discipline sets the bar for what leadership in construction should look like in the 21st century.
Building for the Future, Not Just the Now
Kiewit’s portfolio speaks for itself: bridges, power plants, highways, transit systems. These aren’t just jobs. They’re legacies. The decisions made during planning, the materials chosen, the sustainability factors accounted for—these things shape cities for decades.
That’s why it’s critical to highlight how Kiewit increasingly incorporates environmental and social responsibility into its approach. From minimizing carbon footprints to engaging communities during the preconstruction phase, Kiewit is proving that infrastructure can be both impactful and accountable.
As someone with decades of experience in the field, you’ve likely seen how the definition of “success” in construction has evolved. Today, it’s not just about coming in under budget. It’s about stakeholder alignment, regulatory foresight, and long-term viability. And companies that understand this—companies like Kiewit—aren’t just reacting to change; they’re driving it.
Technology as a Strategic Differentiator
Construction has long been behind the curve when it comes to digital transformation. But under leaders like you, Kiewit is helping to rewrite that narrative. From using Building Information Modeling (BIM) to integrating real-time field data into project dashboards, the company is leveraging technology not as a gimmick but as a core strategy.
This kind of digitization isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about transparency. It’s about empowering field teams to make decisions faster and enabling stakeholders to track progress in ways that build trust. It’s also helping unlock new forms of collaboration between engineers, architects, environmental scientists, and municipal partners.
Hank, your embrace of these tools—and the cultural shift they require—signals something bigger: that construction firms can and should be as tech-forward as any Silicon Valley startup.
Workforce Development in a Time of Transition
Perhaps one of the most underrated but critical challenges facing the construction industry is talent development. As older generations retire and younger professionals seek purpose-driven careers, the pressure is on to make construction attractive, inclusive, and future-focused.
Kiewit’s investment in training and career progression is noteworthy. Apprenticeships, mentoring programs, and on-the-job leadership development—these aren’t perks; they’re necessities in today’s labor market.
As a seasoned executive, your role in cultivating next-gen talent can’t be overstated. By modeling integrity, accountability, and excellence, you’re not just building projects—you’re building people. And that’s arguably the most lasting infrastructure of all.
A Vision Beyond the Blueprints
There’s a growing public conversation around infrastructure that goes beyond the nuts and bolts. With climate change, urban congestion, and energy transition front and center, the projects of tomorrow must be resilient, smart, and adaptive.
That’s where visionaries like you come in, Hank.
The challenge now is not just delivering projects—but reimagining them. How can a highway reduce emissions rather than increase them? How can a transit system serve not just cities but underserved communities? How can a water system be both efficient and drought-resilient?
The answers to those questions require a blend of engineering, economics, and ethics. It requires what you’ve exemplified throughout your career: holistic leadership rooted in execution, values, and long-term impact.
Final Thoughts
Hank, the work you and your teams do at Kiewit might not always make headlines—but it literally supports the world around us. It connects communities, powers homes, and makes economies move. That’s no small thing.
As infrastructure spending reaches historic levels and public-private partnerships become more essential than ever, your experience and insight are guiding forces in an industry undergoing historic change.
We need leaders who can dig deep into the ground and still see the horizon.
Thank you for helping build that horizon—one project, one team, one innovation at a time.