Mortenson Construction Announces New CEO

Minneapolis, MN – Today, Mortenson Construction announced Tom Gunkel’s promotion to the role of chief executive officer and president. Gunkel, a 25-year veteran of Mortenson, has been serving as president and chief operating officer of the family-owned company for the past seven years.

Chairman M. A. Mortenson, Jr., expressed his confidence in Gunkel’s ability to assume this new role.

“Tom’s leadership as the president of our company for the past seven years has been exemplary and I know that in his new position he will continue to shape the company’s future legacy that he is so passionate about,” Mortenson said.  “On behalf of the Mortenson family, the board of directors and the entire Mortenson Construction family, I want to express my congratulations and deep gratitude for Tom’s leadership and friendship.”

Since its founding in 1954, Mortenson has focused its business on making a difference in the communities it serves. Gunkel has been an important leader in perpetuating the core values of the company over his 25 year career.

Gunkel leads a veteran senior management team who collectively possess nearly 300 years of Mortenson construction experience. Succeeding Tom McCune in 2001 as president and chief operating officer, Gunkel became the second non-family member to serve as Mortenson’s president. Under Gunkel’s leadership, the company has furthered its long-standing commitment to customer relationships and diversified company operations, broadening the company’s presence to include new offices in Chicago, Phoenix, and Shanghai, China while also propelling its Renewable Energy Group to become the largest design-builder of wind energy in North America.

Notable projects that Mortenson has completed under Gunkel's leadership include: Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Calif., FedExForum Basketball Arena in Memphis, Tenn., Cedar Creek Wind Farm in Grover, Colo., Wells Fargo Financial Headquarters Expansion in Des Moines, Iowa, Abbott Northwestern Heart Hospital & NOS Patient Care Center in Minneapolis, Minn., and the Walker Art Center Expansion in Minneapolis, Minn.

“I welcome the opportunity to honor and build upon the legacy of the leaders that preceded me and to leading this great company and its wonderful people during an exciting period in the construction industry’s history,” said Gunkel. “It’s as important to me as it is to the Mortenson family to continue our company’s long-standing tradition of success and to ensure its perpetuation for the benefit of future generations of Mortenson team members.”

A native of Madison, Wis., Gunkel began his career at Mortenson in 1983 as a project estimator following his graduation from the University of Wisconsin with a B.S. degree in construction management. He subsequently became a project manager and led both design and construction on projects nationwide.

In 1987 Gunkel relocated to Milwaukee as project manager on the city’s newest high-rise office building and in 1989 he opened Mortenson’s Milwaukee office. Under his direction, that office grew to be the largest construction firm in southeastern Wisconsin. Then, in 1994 he was promoted to vice president of commercial building. At the time of Mortenson’s market diversification, Gunkel led the firm’s entry into the communication and advanced technologies markets. Two years later he assumed the role of executive vice president where he was responsible for Mortenson’s overall construction operations, personnel resource management, operating group business planning and strategic customer relationships.

About Mortenson Construction

Mortenson Construction, founded in 1954 by M. A. Mortenson, Sr., is a Minneapolis-based family-owned construction company that has grown to more than 2,700 team members. Project operations extend to 48 states and a number of select international locations. More than 80 percent of the company’s work is for long-standing customers with an average project size of $15 – 20 million.

As one of the nation's top builders, Mortenson provides a complete range of construction services.  Market  specialties include healthcare, higher education, hospitality, commercial office, renewable energies, sports venues, data centers and federal, state and municipal facilities.  

Mortenson has offices in Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Seattle with international operations in Canada and China. Engineering News-Record ranked Mortenson 38th overall in the 2007 Top 400 Contractors listing, 23rd in General Building and recently named the company the 17th top Green Contractor in the U.S.

A sample of Mortenson's current projects include, among others, the Minnesota Twins Ballpark in Minneapolis, Minn.;

Providence Everett Medical Center in Everett, Wash.; Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wis.; the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center Research Complex II in Aurora, Colo.; the White Sox and Dodgers Spring Training Facility in Glendale, Ariz.; Stapleton Redevelopment in Denver, Colo.; Silver Star Wind Farm in Stephenville, TX; and the Naval Facilities Air Command Submarine Escape Training School in New London, Conn.