Mortenson Construction Promotes Donahue to Vice President, General Manager, Renewable Energy Groups

Minneapolis, MN — The Renewable Energy Groups of Mortenson Construction, one of the largest power facility contractors in the United States, has promoted Mark Donahue to the position of vice president, general manager.

In his position, Donahue oversees wind projects for select customers in the United States, all wind power projects in Canada, and the other renewable markets in the U.S. and Canada, including solar, next generation biofuels, and hydroelectric power projects.

A pioneer in the field of wind power construction, Mortenson’s Renewable Energy Groups was founded in 1995 and has built nearly 100 wind power facilities and farms, erecting more than 5,000 wind turbines generating approximately 10,000 megawatts of clean, natural electric power.  In addition to wind power, Mortenson’s Renewable Energy Groups, which employ about 250 team members, also construct facilities that generate solar power, biofuels and hydro-electric power. Engineering News-Record ranked Mortenson as the 13th largest power contractor in the U.S. for 2010.  Mortenson’s Renewable Energy Groups are 100% focused on renewable energy. 

“This promotion is in recognition of Mark’s consistent leadership in researching and understanding new industries,” said Tom Wacker, senior vice president of Mortenson’s Renewable Energy Groups. “He has established market specific standard practices and procedures to identify and manage the technical and contracting risks of these new renewable energy markets.”

“Mark reflects that passion for renewable energies that we hold dear at Mortenson Construction,” added Wacker.  “He is committed to delivering the best design and construction experience in the industry to our customers, engineering and technology partners, subcontractors and team members.”

Donahue, a resident of Eden Prairie, Minn., joined Mortenson Construction in 1995 as an estimator with the company’s Minneapolis office after graduating from Purdue University with a B.S. in Construction Engineering and Management. He joined Mortenson Construction’s Renewable Energy Groups (REG) in 2004 as a construction executive overseeing wind projects in the U.S. and Canada. In 2006, Donahue moved into the director of operations role for the Group’s Canadian wind business, as well as solar, hydro and biofuels.  Donahue is a member of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).

"Mortenson has given me every opportunity to work in industries for which I have a passion and in markets that are leading edge, such as renewable energy,” said Donahue.  “I’m proud to be part of the Mortenson organization because we are always looking ahead to building what’s next.”