2017 Carolinas AGC
Top Young Leader Award Winners

Kristen Harwood began her exposure to the construction industry at an early age, visiting and helping out on job sites with her dad who was a residential contractor. Her senior project in high school involved Habitat for Humanity where she had the opportunity to frame and stand walls, install siding and paint the interior of a house. Never did she realize that her interest and family history in construction would one day lead her to project management for a general contractor, just like her dad. Also, like her dad, she is succeeding in the industry. In addition to her success with Rodgers Builders, Kristen is the Chair of the Young Leaders Task Force and a member of the CAGC Foundation Board of Trustees. Kristen says, “I’m driven in this field and in other aspects of my life by my faith. It drives me to strive to make a positive impact, to be honest and to grow.”

In 2015, Kristen married her high school sweetheart, Blake. They have a two-year-old golden retriever who Kristen says, “is our only child for now.”

2017 Top Young Leaders Award Ceremony

 

Casey Schwager grew up in West Virginia and attended Clemson University, graduating with a degree in Construction Science and Management in 2003.  While in school, his summers were spent working highway construction in Florida.  At nineteen years old, a highway construction company was the first organization that gave him an opportunity and he has worked in the industry ever since.  Shortly before graduation, he met Scott Fant and he has remained with Sloan Construction since that time.
 
Casey is married to his lovely wife Kerri and they currently reside in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children Ivy, Wren, and Axel.  He is driven by a desire to provide a life for his family that is as good or better than previous generations of Schwagers have experienced.

2017 Top Young Leaders Award Ceremony

  

Josh Mauney began his career in construction at the bottom – literally cleaning residential crawl spaces at the age of 14. From there he learned the value of hard work as well as the importance of education and relationships. After graduating from East Carolina’s Construction Management program, a series of progressively responsible opportunities with several large and mid-sized contractors, combined with a dose of good luck and some divine intervention, have helped him develop solid leadership skills, positive thinking, analytical reasoning, and the ability to lead and motivate teams.

As president of both a construction company and a safety consulting company, Josh has a first-hand understanding of the need to meet production goals while maintaining safety. His safety consulting company, Paragon Safety Group, is a premier provider of risk management/loss control and is currently providing over 200 clients in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia with comprehensive safety services including third-party jobsite audits, OSHA training, consulting, staffing and a full range of additional safety services.

Integral to Josh’s mission and success is his wife Lindy, an award-winning real estate broker with ReMax One in Raleigh.  

2017 Top Young Leaders Award Ceremony

 

The construction industry has been a presence in Matt Brown’s life since an early age. Working summers with his father, a home builder, he learned the value of hard work and gained a passion for the industry.

After graduating from NC State, and a stint working for the Tampa Bay Rays major league baseball team, an opportunity opened at Sanford Contractors where has been for the past 9 years. Beginning in business development, Matt has worked his way up to the position of Senior Estimator.

His hard work and dedication is driven by his commitment to be the best asset for his company and the best provider for his family. Matt and his wife Courtney have one daughter (Mary Cole). They are expecting their second child in October.

2017 Top Young Leaders Award Ceremony