Alberici Promotes from Within for Four Leadership Roles

Alberici Constructors, Inc. announced four executive appointments to lead its self-perform and masonry subsidiaries, its industrial process market and project support services, which provides preconstruction and construction services to all Alberici markets. The promotions reflect the 106-year-old builder’s continuing adaptation to market and client needs and the importance of managing skilled craft labor in the execution of complex construction projects. Alberici is one of the largest privately-held companies in St. Louis and one of the nation’s largest construction firms. Alberici reported revenue of $4.0 billion in 2023, including $166 million from St. Louis area projects. It employs 3,500 companywide.

“These appointments align our markets and services with forecasted growth in the industrial sector and beyond,” said Greg Hesser, Alberici’s president and CEO. “We develop leaders who understand the depth and breadth of our industry and the evolving needs of our clients, strengthening our next generation of leadership by leveraging our bench strength.”

Hesser noted the rising demand for process-intensive manufacturing facilities, such as those underway to establish a North American supply chain for electric vehicles. Meanwhile, craft labor shortages across North America have contributed to a doubling in volume in recent years for Kienlen Constructors, Alberici’s turn-key subsidiary for dedicated self-perform craft labor and project management.

From Left to Right

After serving as Kienlen’s Vice President and Market Leader for the past six years, John Grib has been promoted to Vice President and Market Leader for Alberici’s industrial process market. Grib joined Alberici 24 years ago as an apprentice carpenter and remains a champion for the professional development of craft labor. He has orchestrated highly challenging self-perform projects such as the concrete and steel scopes for St. Louis’s CITYPARK Stadium. He will now lead some of Alberici’s most complex industrial projects for food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical, aerospace and agricultural manufacturing clients.



Tony Stahlschmidt has been promoted to Vice President and Market Leader at Kienlen Constructors. Stahlschmidt started his career with Alberici as an intern 17 years ago. Most recently, he served as General Manager for Leonard Masonry, Alberici’s subsidiary stone-and-brick specialty contractor. He oversaw 385 percent revenue growth at Leonard Masonry between 2019 and 2024. As the executive in charge of Kienlen, he will continue to develop Alberici’s dedicated self-perform business.

Following 17 years with Alberici, Tyler Apple has been promoted to General Manager for Leonard Masonry. He started his career as an intern with Alberici and most recently served as a senior project manager in the heavy industrial market, cultivating long-standing relationships and delivering successful outcomes to challenging projects. He will continue to grow the masonry specialty company, which combines modern construction technology with traditional masonry techniques, further developing the brand’s reputation for excellence.

Ken DeBrecht has been promoted to Director, Project Support Services, bringing 18 years of project experience across virtually all project types. He joined the company as a project engineer in 2006 and most recently served as project director for the building & healthcare market. In his new role, DeBrecht will oversee services such as virtual design coordination, quality, scheduling, Lean and design integration that support all projects and all markets, leveraging new technologies to improve methods while continuing to support excellence in project delivery.

POWER Engineers, Inc. Signs Merger Agreement with WSP

POWER Engineers, Inc., has signed a merger agreement with premiere professional consulting firm WSP, which, if approved by shareholders and regulatory authorities, would position the company at the forefront of power and energy industry.

“POWER and WSP will truly be stronger together,” said POWER Chief Executive Officer Jim Haynes. “By joining forces, we can expand our ability to help clients and communities around the world adapt to the changing energy landscape—and provide more opportunities for our team members to work on the most challenging projects on the planet. We’re looking forward to building success together with WSP.”

The merger would significantly expand WSP’s global Power and Energy sector, which will operate under the POWER brand for the foreseeable future. This sector will be headed by POWER Chief Operating Officer Holger Peller, who will join WSP’s global leadership team. 

“The acquisition will mark a transformative step that will position us at the forefront of the energy transition. This opportunity brings forth a wealth of strategic benefits, including an expanded suite of innovative solutions for our clients and continuous professional growth opportunities for our employees,” said Alexandre J. L'Heureux, President and Chief Executive Officer of WSP. “By uniting WSP’s extensive global network and POWER’s deep technical expertise, we are poised to provide exceptional solutions and service quality to foster significant advancements in the communities we serve. The trust of our shareholders and our commitment to excellence empower us to influence the future of the energy sector as we plan to expand our reach and power a sustainable future across the globe."

The integration of POWER would also strengthen WSP’s existing three core sectors: Transport & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, and Earth & Environment.  

POWER has been an employee-owned company since 1998, when ownership transitioned from the original three founders. WSP has roots as an employee-owned firm before it became a publicly traded company in 2006. Currently, WSP employs more than 69,300 people globally in sectors spanning transportation, infrastructure, environment, building, energy, water, and mining. 

The merger is subject to the approval of POWER’s shareholders and regulatory approval in the U.S. The closing of the transaction is anticipated in early Q4 2024. 

AEC Advisors is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to POWER on the transaction. Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is serving as POWER’s legal advisor.

$150M Redevelopment of Public Housing Complex to Begin in 2025

The developer of a $150 million project to overhaul the city of St. Louis’ oldest public housing complex said Wednesday it’s seeking to begin construction on the project in 2025.

The $31.1 million first phase of the redevelopment project, led by nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc. (POAH) of Boston, will bring 89 new units at the Clinton-Peabody Apartments at 1401 Lasalle Lane. It will be the start of a multiphase project that will demolish Clinton-Peabody’s existing 358 units across 31 buildings, replacing them with 350 mixed-use and mixed-income apartments and townhomes. The full scope of the redevelopment is expected to include an overall investment around $150 million and take about 10 years to complete, said Julie DeGraaf Velázquez, POAH’s vice president of community redevelopment.

POAH held a media briefing Wednesday to share its plans for the redevelopment, providing a look at renderings and details on financing the project. It said its vision for Clinton-Peabody’s redevelopment has been influenced by a community design process that has included monthly meetings with residents there.

“The residents are vested, they’ve told us what they want, and our job is to try and make it happen,” said Felicia Dawson, vice president of community partnerships at POAH.

POAH’s development team for the Clinton-Peabody project includes architecture firms Trivers and Lamar Johnson Collaborative, and Roanoke Construction as the general contractor.

Clinton-Peabody occupies 24 acres in the Peabody-Darst-Webbe neighborhood in south St. Louis and has operated as affordable housing since 1942. St. Louis Housing Authority in 2023 announced it selected POAH as master developer of Clinton-Peabody’s redevelopment. That followed a request for proposals for a revamp, with the housing authority saying Clinton-Peabody has been “obsolete” for years. The housing authority was sued by the state in 2018 over conditions at the complex.

Pam Emrick, who began living at Clinton-Peabody in 1967, said "it's time" for an overdue renovation of the complex. She said residents in the design process have sought a redevelopment that will beautify the complex, improve living conditions and bolster safety.

“We just want it to look nice. We want it to look like the surrounding area that’s around us,” Emrick said.

As POAH began crafting its plan to redevelop Clinton-Peabody, DeGraaf Velázquez said there was a “resounding” desire from residents to build new housing units, as opposed to renovating the existing apartments. She said residents also indicated they didn’t want high-rise apartments within the complex. The tallest building in the redevelopment plan is a four-story apartment building that will be located along Chouteau Avenue, with DeGraaf Velázquez saying it was “important to establish a strong presence” on Chouteau as part of the redesign. The project also calls for adding garden-style apartments and townhomes. The site plan for redevelopment also calls for adding a community plaza and “central park” with sports fields and a splash pad. The new apartments will be bring a reconfigured street grid to the complex, the developer said.

OSHA's Walkaround Rule Raises Questions of Liability, Safety

Several industry groups have filed suit to stop the change, which expands the definition of who can be present during job site inspections.

OSHA’s new employee walkaround rule has raised a lot of questions.

The final rule went into effect on May 31, allowing employees to select a third-party representative to be present during OSHA inspections. The agency has touted the change as a way to improve inspections by increasing worker representation and making it easier for compliance officers to obtain more information about workplace safety.

“Worker involvement in the inspection process is essential for thorough and effective inspections and making workplaces safer,” Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said in a press release.

But not everyone is happy with the rule. Opponents and employer groups have described it as vague, and say that adding more people to inspections raises questions about safety, liability and confidentiality.

A rule to match practice

Employees have always had the right to have someone walk with them on an OSHA inspection, said Curtis Chambers, certified safety professional and president of OSHA Training Services, an Arlington, Texas-based training and consulting firm. In fact, it was a longstanding practice observed by OSHA.

Nevertheless, a 2017 court case found that allowing third parties to represent employees was a “valid interpretation,” but not consistent with the language of the rule. OSHA issued the final rule this year to change and clarify the agency’s view and ensure the text aligned with its previous interpretation that third parties are allowed on inspections.

Even before the final rule went into effect, multiple groups, including Associated Builders and Contractors, the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed suit in the Western District of Texas to challenge it. In particular, business groups take issue with the rule indicating labor representatives can visit sites that do not have union workers.

“By allowing outside union agents access to nonunion employers’ private property, OSHA is injecting itself into labor-management disputes and casting doubt on its status as a neutral enforcer of the law,” ABC said in a statement about the lawsuit.

Chambers agrees the rule “mainly benefits unions trying to get into companies that don’t have union contractors or representation,” he said. “It’s just a reflection of the political environment.”

5 Keys to a Positive and Evolving Strategy for Business Leadership

If you haven't honed your strategy recently, you are likely falling behind in the market.

Does your business have a visible positive strategy, or do your customers and employees still see your primary focus as closing more sales and killing competitors? Certainly, that has been the strategy of many companies and has worked in the past, but today's customers and workers are looking for more. They want relationships, memorable experiences, and a win-win for society.

With the pervasive and instant communication of social media and the internet, businesses can no longer hide behind the mask of their own hype, either inside the company or outside. The right positive strategy is integral to claiming leadership as well as making it happen. 

I remember the classic book, The Strategic Leader's Roadmap, by Harbir Singh and Michael Useem from the Wharton School, which provides some specific steps along the way. I believe these steps are especially critical to the success of business founders who are rolling out new businesses today. It all starts with setting the right company strategy, including these elements:



1. Inspirational statement of purpose and direction. The old mission statement declaring your intent to be the "low-cost provider" is no longer a motivating vision for employees or customers. Engaging visions today include elements of social and environmental responsibilities, as well as economic returns to constituents.

2. Market and customer positioning. Clearly focusing on the right market and customer profile sets your competitor differentiation. It starts with understanding the drivers of customer excitement in advocating your solution and ways to strengthen relationships. When customers are excited, your team becomes more engaged and productive.

3. Customer and employee value propositions. What are your company's solutions and practices that will be seen as win-win value by all constituents? Your managers and everyone on your team need to understand how their actions and leadership relate to the value provided. The strategy must drive leadership so that leaders can drive the strategy.

4. Competitive and leadership leverage. A good strategy provides opportunities for internal actions and leaders to optimize and extend a firm's competitive advantage. This requires effective communication of intent, flexibility in implementation, and positive rewards for innovation and initiative in improving customer experience and quality.

5. Constant restructuring for future advantage. A strategy that does not evolve as the market changes is a losing strategy. The internal team must see a reward in fostering change and leadership, and customers must be energized by new and improved processes, practices, and solutions. The best strategies are dynamic, rather than fixed.

A positive business strategy allows you to lead strategically by mastering the elements of both, separately and as an integrated whole. The authors and I both argue that strategic leadership is an acquired capability that can and must be mastered by managers at all levels. It needs to extend to the firm's directors, as well as investors. Everyone has to think and act strategically.

Expand your network with the FRB St. Louis facilities team and learn about the opportunities available at the Bank, including previous projects! Registration Details will be released soon.

When: Thursday, September 26th, 4:30 - 6:30 pm

Where: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Economy Museum (free/secured parking in the Bank's garage)