Growing From Within and Strengthening the Future for Employee-Owners

At Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS), growth isn’t something that just happens — we build it. We build it through our employee-owners, through hard work, and through the leaders who step up and take ownership every day.

Over the past several years, ESS has experienced unprecedented organic growth, expanding both the scale and complexity of our work across every region. We’ve doubled down across all areas, delivering projects that touch every community we serve. Today, ESS operates in a portfolio that spans both public and private sectors, covering every horizontal market and giving us a diverse, healthy, and sustainable growth trajectory. Within the last few years, ESS Companies has surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue, fueled in large part by the growth and performance of ESS.

This growth isn’t just in volume, it’s in scope, duration, and impact. From Department of Transportation programs to mega industrial developments across multiple states, ESS is trusted to deliver projects that are larger, more complex, and higher-stakes than ever before. Our growth is diversified, balanced, and built to last. A true reflection of a team that invests in excellence in every market we serve.

As ESS enters its next phase, we’re not just scaling projects — we’re scaling leadership. Thirteen employee-owners are stepping into key leadership roles at the start of 2026. These are individuals who’ve lived the ESS mission, grown with the company, and earned the trust of our teams. Their promotions are part of a deliberate succession strategy designed to ensure sustainability and scalability for the long-term success of our company and our employee-owners.

“These promotions reflect the next generation of leadership at ESS — leaders who’ve built their careers from the ground up and continue to raise the bar for what it means to be an employee-owner.”

— Tim Paulson, Co-President, ESS & Co-CEO, ESS Companies

Succession, Scalability, Sustainability

A critical part of this leadership transition is Jason Rode’s promotion to Senior Executive Vice President, assuming responsibility for all ESS operations. In this role, he provides clear leadership, accountability, and alignment across the organization as our footprint and workload continue to expand.

As ESS continues to scale, Bob Snyder, Executive Vice President of Operations, is shifting his focus to guide all commercial operations, supporting procurement and execution across an expanding portfolio of work.

To support this evolution, ESS has appointed regional operational leaders who will collaborate closely with Snyder in shaping and executing our commercial strategy. Tyler Myers now serves as Vice President of Operations for Kansas City, Paul Moody steps into the Vice President of Operations role for Springfield, and Billy Wallis assumes the same position for Northwest Arkansas — strengthening leadership across our growing footprint.

In addition, ESS is strengthening leadership to support continued public sector growth and market reach. Jesse Hinton has been promoted to Vice President of Operations for Heavy Highway, and Chris Fitzpatrick now serves as Assistant Vice President of Asphalt Operations. These appointments play a critical part in expanding our capabilities, deepening operational oversight, and ensuring consistency across an increasingly diverse slate of projects.

As ESS continues to mature as an organization, we’re also investing in the administrative leadership that supports and strengthens our operations. Caitlyn Cook has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Marketing & Employee-Owner Experience, and Clayton Hicklin has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation. Together, they will oversee the administrative side of the business — serving as strategic partners to finance, safety, and operations — who drive alignment, collaboration, and clarity across functions. Caitlyn will lead Marketing, Human Resources, and Talent Development, while Clayton will guide Technology and Risk. Their shared focus is to optimize the effectiveness of our teams and systems so our operations — and our people — can thrive.

As a 100% employee-owned company, strengthening the employee-owner experience — and building clear, meaningful career paths — is essential to who we are. To advance this work, Tyler Grotewiel has been promoted to Director of Talent Development, and Crystal Winters now serves as Director of Human Resources. Their leadership will help ensure our people feel supported, equipped, and inspired to grow alongside the company.

Additionally, ESS is reinforcing the financial leadership that supports our expanding operations. Nathan Alexander has been promoted to Vice President of Finance, where he will continue to strengthen financial strategy, discipline, and visibility across the organization — ensuring we steward our employee-owned company with care and clarity as we grow.

We’re also welcoming two new team members: Michael Weatherred, Vice President of Health & Safety, and Lauren Fouts, Director of Risk Management. These roles further elevate our commitment to the well-being of our people and the protection of our business. Together, they will help strengthen our systems, reinforce a proactive safety culture, and ensure we continue to live every second safely — on every job, every day.

Tim Paulson and Robert Gillis will continue serving as Co-Presidents of ESS and Co-CEOs of ESS Companies.

“ESS has always believed that growth starts with people. These leadership moves are the result of leaders who’ve earned the opportunity by stepping up.”

— Robert Gillis, Co-President, ESS & Co-CEO, ESS Companies

Built for the Employee-Owners — Built to Last

Every promotion, every project, every new hire connects back to our employee-owners and the communities we serve. Because at ESS, every win belongs to the people who own it, and every project contributes to a stronger company, a stronger ESOP, and stronger communities.

We’re building momentum — and we’re building it together.

Join us in congratulating these employee-owners: