Lee Addo
Lee Addo is the Founder and President of Sterling Construction Services (doing business in North Carolina as SCS Construction Company). He has over 28 years of experience in the construction industry in the areas of pre-construction, project planning/startup, budgeting, project management and controls, quality control, safety and risk management, change and claims management, project close-out, and warranty management.
Even before receiving two Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering from Dartmouth College, and a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lee began his construction career in Florida as an Estimating Associate. He was fortunate to be mentored by the majority owner of the company. In 1997, he moved to Ohio, where he successfully managed projects for the Federal Government, the Air Force, the US Army Corps of Engineers, public and private educational institutions, and various private clients. In 2005, Lee joined an ENR TOP 400 Company, where he rose to become a member of the Senior Operations Team.
Over the years, Lee has worked with and for companies of varying sizes and has been involved in planning and managing projects spanning various market segments – government (local, state and federal), military, K-12 education, higher education, office, aviation, renovation, restaurant, retail and recreational facilities, to name a few. He has successfully managed projects, utilizing and managing various delivery methods and has acquired a wealth of skills and knowledge along the way. Lee has diligently managed the small tasks (such as a tenant fit-out), and large projects (such as a new $50 million high school and stadium). He has approached each project with commitment, discipline and clientfriendly service, leading to project goals being met or exceeded without compromising on safety, or quality.
Lee is a Registered Professional Engineer (North Carolina and Ohio), a LEED® Accredited Professional and a licensed General Contractor in North Carolina. Additionally, he is a full and active member of the American Society Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Construction Institute (CI), Engineers Without Borders (EWB), and the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC). He served for five years on the Board of Directors of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce. He is a huge fan of The Beautiful Game (soccer). Married with one son, Lee is highly dedicated to his nuclear and extended families.
Gerald Carr
Gerald Carr is the owner and CEO of All-Pro Builders & Restorations. After a career of coaching American football on the collegiate and professional level, Gerald established his company based on the core values of Integrity, Quality, Safety and the Professional Growth of its employees.
Established in 2008, and located in Charlotte, NC, his company is a small to midsize General Contracting firm specializing in commercial building and renovations. They also serve as Project and Construction Management.
All-Pro was recognized as the 2018 Minority Business Enterprise of the year and sub-contractor of the year by the city of Charlotte and the Metrolina Minority Contractors Association (MMCA) respectfully.
Working in both the public and private business sectors, All-Pro’s projects consist of renovations of sports arenas (Bank of America Stadium, Spectrum Arena, Bojangles Coliseum), and Office Upfits (Duke Energy, Charlotte Plaza). They have also done extensive work at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CDIA) and Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC).
Gerald enjoys traveling and watching sports during his leisure moments.
Brannon Cavalier
Brannon Cavalier is a consultant with FMI’s strategy practice, where he leads client projects in market research and strategic planning. His expertise is centered on guiding clients through geographic expansion, growing through acquisitions and formulating strategies that help companies achieve their goals. While his primary focus is on aiding general contractors and engineering firms, Brannon also contributes to FMI's research on energy transition, including the annual power outlook publication. He also provides survey analysis and leads discussions for the general contractor and specialty trade CFO Forums.
Brannon began his career as a controls engineer with a mechanical contracting firm, giving him extensive field experience that he brings to his clients at FMI.
Richard “Rich” Cerretti
Richard (Rich) Cerretti leads JE Dunn Construction’s North Carolina offices, overseeing a staff of more than 150 construction professionals and $1.1 billion of active projects statewide. JE Dunn is one of the largest general building contractors in the United States, a family and employee-owned organization with 100 years of experience in construction management, program management, design-build, and self-perform services. JE Dunn has had a strong presence in the Carolinas for 35 years, having completed groundbreaking projects in various market sectors, including healthcare, corporate environments, life sciences, multifamily, aviation, and hospitality.
Rich started his career with JE Dunn nearly 20 years ago in Atlanta, GA. Prior to moving to Charlotte in 2017, Rich served six years as JE Dunn’s East Region CFO. Prior to joining JE Dunn, he served as a combat engineer officer in the US Army where he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning a Bronze Star Award for his service in a combat deployment. Rich has been married to his wife, Kim, since 2004. They have two children, Gabby (12) and Sam (9).
Brian J. Furniss
Brian J. Furniss has served the construction industry for over 20 years, analyzing complex construction projects and providing expert testimony on scheduling, delays, productivity losses, and damages. Mr. Furniss applies his expertise both during and after the construction process, focusing primarily on CPM scheduling, delay and productivity analyses, change and risk management, cost analysis, dispute resolution, and claim analysis. He has provided expert analyses and guidance on projects ranging from $3.4M to over $15B USD.
Mr. Furniss is a licensed Professional Engineer (Industrial) in Florida, Texas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, and Georgia; and is a Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP), a Certified Cost Professional (CCP), and a Certified Forensic Claims Consultant (CFCC) with AACE International. He is principal co-author of the books, Construction Delays: Understanding Them Clearly, Analyzing Them Correctly; and Productivity in Construction Projects, and has authored technical papers for construction industry publications. Mr. Furniss is an award-winning speaker, provides training and presentations to universities and construction industry organizations,
and is a Fellow with the Project Management College of Scheduling (PMCOS).
Mr. Furniss has experience in airport, bridge, commercial, dam, entertainment, gas, oil, and plastics refinery, government, healthcare, high rise, highway, hospital, hotel, laboratory, multi-family, pipeline, prison, residential, sports arena, theme park, tunnel, transit, water, and wastewater projects in the United States, U.S. Territories, Canada, United Kingdom, Middle East, Australia, and Antarctica.
Colton Harley
Mr. Colton Harley has performed prospective Time Impact Analyses (TIA’s), delay and productivity analyses, change management, schedule management and recovery, cost control, and quality control on large commercial projects ranging from $40M-$250M.
Mr. Harley has a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He is a member of the TEXO Young Constructors Council and provides industry coaching for the Well Works Construction Leadership program. Mr. Harley is also a Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) with AACE International.
His field and project management experience on live construction projects allows Mr. Harley to see a project from multiple angles. He has project experience in industrial, higher education, and commercial construction projects in the United States.
Chris Malinowski
Chris Malinowski is a Vice President at Messer Construction Co. leading their Charlotte, North Carolina regional office. Chris began his construction career with Messer in 1992 as an engineering co-op while earning his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. In his 32 years of experience, he has built industrial facilities, aviation projects, K-12 schools, parking garages, office buildings and more. His portfolio consists of multiple award-winning projects, including an AGC Build America award for a 415,000 sf historic renovation of the Judicial Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Chris relocated to Charlotte in 2011 and has been instrumental in Messer’s growth in the Southeast, serving clients like Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, Atrium Health, and Eli Lilly and Company. He is active in the Charlotte community and encourages diversity on every Messer project. His efforts were rewarded in 2016 with the Diversity Advocate of the Year for Charlotte Minority Enterprise Development Week. Chris’ other community support includes serving as a board member for the Hospitality House of Charlotte.
Outside of work, Chris lives with his wife Becky in Waxhaw, North Carolina. They enjoy spending time with their children at Appalachian State University on the weekends. Chris is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys bass fishing in the Charlotte area or fly fishing in the mountains of North Carolina.
Tino McFarland
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Tino McFarland is the product of a close-knit family that migrated from the south to carry on the McFarland/Herd family legacies of faith, family, hard work, being a good member of the community and advancing the family name. These values hold true for Tino today and are evident in all aspects of his life.
Tino and his wife Tamara partner in life and in raising four children - two girls and two boys. Similar to their parents, the McFarland’s promote the importance of faith, family, hard work, community and advancing the family name through education, community service and self-improvement. Under Tino and Tamara’s leadership, their family is excelling by taking advantage of education and contributing to the community through organizations such as Jack and Jill of America.
Tino earned a Purdue B.S in Civil/Structural Design (graduated with Distinction) and I.U. Kelley MBA in Finance, both were earned at the Indianapolis campus (I.U.P.U.I). Since completing his degree programs, Tino has continued to advance his formal education in leadership and construction related subject matters. Tino has completed continuing education at the Bell Leadership Institute and is the qualifier for general contracting licenses in seven states.
Professionally, Tino oversees the McFarland Construction service offering, ensuring our core values of Community-Commitment-Collaboration are accounted for in each of our client, civic, and company engagements. During Tino’s 20+ year career in the construction industry, he has developed a broad set of leadership, business, and organization skills that create value for the McFarland Construction team and a host of client, channel, and community/civic partners.
Lastly, in the community, Tino consistently leverages his influence, relationships, and understanding of value to promote positive movement in the construction industries leadership diversity and utilization rates of small and diverse businesses. In addition to advocating for inclusion, Tino actively supports programs that provide access to education, mentoring and exposure to business ownership all with the goal of positively influencing our next generation of business and community leaders.
Tino has been involved with a number of community organizations such as the Arts and Science Council, National Black MBA Association, YMCA, Leadership Charlotte and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, The ROC, Ace Mentoring, She Built this City, Associated Builders & Contractors Association, CORE Net, Metrolina Minority Contractors Association.
Glenn Wise
Glenn is an experienced construction professional in both Operations/Project Management and Preconstruction since 1998. He is Vice President of Preconstruction at New Atlantic Contracting. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama, is a licensed General Contractor, and LEED™ Accredited Professional. Project experience includes markets in Higher Education, Secondary Education, Building Sciences, Healthcare, Religious, Museum, Leisure, and Infrastructure. Project delivery experience includes Construction Management at Risk, Design-Build, and Design-Bid Build. With an enthusiastic attitude, he collaborates effectively with project team members to ensure project success. Glenn has a strength in connecting with clients and keeping their priorities at the forefront, and his leadership skills bring synergy to the team.