Guiding the Way

Years of Experience: 32 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 20 years (2025)

Bio: As Co-Chief Executive Officer, Tim is focused on operational excellence, team growth, and best-in-class client experience. He provides strategic leadership across the Emery Sapp Construction family of companies including the ESS Foundation. Tim is an energized leader who is constantly keeping abreast of industry trends and technology. He has been involved in all ESS market expansions since 2005 and has developed key partnerships across the region. Tim’s passion is people and he is an advocate for professional development and training.

Years of Experience: 27 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 7 years (2025)

Bio: As Co-Chief Executive Officer, Robert provides strategic leadership and ensures the ESS Companies family of companies are focused on meeting the evolving needs of both our clients and employee-owners. Over the course of his career, Robert has led many heavy civil infrastructure projects throughout the Midwest and Southwest regions including self-perform scopes across a broad spectrum of customers, size, complexity, and delivery type. Robert has led the team through significant growth including diversifying project delivery types, markets served, services provided, and geographic footprint. This diversification includes mergers and acquisitions, organic growth, and joint-venture opportunities.

Years of Experience: 26 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 5 years (2025)

Bio: Amy oversees all human resources and legal needs for the ESS Companies family of companies. With more than 25 years in the legal and HR fields, she provides strategic leadership and risk management guidance. Amy is passionate about aligning our unique culture with the company vision and is laser-focused on continually improving the employee-owner experience. Her team manages contract administration, procurement, compliance, benefits, hiring, onboarding, performance management, retention, and talent development for all employee-owners.

Years of Experience: 29 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 21 years (2025)

Bio: As Chief Financial Officer, Dan is responsible for managing the financial functions of ESS Companies’ family of companies as well as critical support teams including technology, accounting, and job cost services. Dan ensures our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is compliant and maintained to provide the best value to our employee-owners. Dan oversees the firm’s accounting practices and valuation processes, identifies and interfaces with financial institutions, and mitigates business risks.

Years of Experience: 35 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 35 years (2025)

Shawn has spent more than 35 years at ESS Companies growing our formidable equipment fleet and capabilities. As Executive Vice President of Midwest Operations, he is equal parts strategist and facilitator, managing the adoption, implementation, and operational impact of our heavy equipment fleet. Shawn is instrumental in project pursuit and execution, leveraging the tools and expertise of ESS to deliver for our clients. As an equipment expert, he plays a critical role in managing our market-leading equipment fleet

Years of Experience: 40 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 3 years (2025)

After 40 years in construction, Tony Ames, P.E. has extensive experience in many areas of the trade, starting as a laborer and becoming a heavy equipment operator, project engineer, project manager, and more. In his role as Executive Vice President for Southwest Operations, Tony acts as a strategist for the ESS Companies family of companies’ westward projects and expansion. With his expertise in the region, he is instrumental in facilitating Southwest project pursuits and execution.

Years of Experience: 29 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 3 years (2025)

Bio: With nearly three decades of experience in heavy civil construction and contracting, Paul plays a pivotal role in fostering a culture of success and innovation throughout the organization. As Executive Vice President of Operations, Paul oversees the entirety of our Northwest Arkansas pursuits. He works closely with our leadership team to monitor and analyze industry trends, manage the company’s financial performance, and oversee daily operations in his region.

Years of Experience: 36 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 4 years (2025)

Bio: Dennis has more than 35 years of experience in the highway and heavy civil construction industry. His diverse background with project delivery method and life-cycle knowledge is invaluable and a key component to his success. Dennis oversees processes, provides practical solutions to field challenges, and prepares our crews for ultimate success when it comes to everyday responsibilities. With decades of experience managing mega projects, he is key to forecasting the workforce, equipment and support needed for project success.

Years of Experience: 24 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 9 years (2025)

Bio: With over two decades of experience in the construction industry, Andy has gained a diverse wealth of knowledge that spans many scopes of civil construction road work including asphalt paving, milling, concrete paving, chip and seal, and underground utilities. Andy helps lead the asphalt branch in all aspects from estimating to operations. He also has experience as a Senior Estimator. He managed quantity take-offs, cost estimates, bid package development, negotiations with material suppliers, and budget reviews. His unique experience in construction estimating, quality control, and operations management has helped him become an integral part of the overall operation.

Years of Experience: 20 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 3 years (2025)

Bio: Shaun is an engaging leader with two decades of experience in the heavy equipment industry. Before joining ESS, he served as a general manager for several equipment companies before spending more than a decade in Las Vegas, Nevada leading a large sales and rental operation. As Vice President of Equipment, Shaun is responsible for managing all equipment, maintenance, and transportation operations for one of the region’s largest heavy equipment and truck fleets — an integral part of the company’s competitive advantage.

Years of Experience: 13 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 13 years (2025)

Bio: Brian joined Emery Sapp & Sons upon graduating with his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He has worked with private developers and their engineers from initial site selection to project completion. His approach, from beginning to finish, is to help the developer and their engineer budget, design, and build the most cost-effective site. He has worked on both public and private projects to find value and methods for ESS to be successful. His experience encompasses underground utilities, concrete paving, grading, and excavating.

Years of Experience: 23 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 3 years (2025)

Bio: With more than 23 years of experience in equipment operations, Chris is a proven leader in fleet management, organizational efficiency and ensuring ESS abides by all safety and regulatory standards. As Assistant Vice President of Equipment, Chris is responsible for developing cost-effective budgets, implementing communication initiatives and streamlining processes through new software tools. He is committed to constantly improving equipment operations by investing in training and mentorship programs.

Years of Experience: 18 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 8 years (2025)

Bio: Tyson Collins has more than 17 years of experience in the heavy civil construction and asphalt industry. As Assistant Vice President, Tyson oversees all aspects of our asphalt operations including estimating and preconstruction activities, planning, scheduling, traffic control management, permanent plant operations, quality assurance, mix testing, cold milling operations, project management, and client management.

Years of Experience: 20 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 20 years (2025)

Bio: As Executive Vice President of Operations, Josh is instrumental in developing win strategies on large projects throughout the company. He has over a decade of management experience on heavy highway construction projects. He has managed new bridge construction, bridge rehabilitation, concrete paving, mass grading, and complex highway construction projects. Josh serves as the glue between estimating and operations when it comes to providing innovative solutions for our clients.

Years of Experience: 17 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 8 years (2025)

Bio: Laser-focused on client advocacy and operational excellence, Jason sets the tone for the firm’s Springdale, Arkansas office and hundreds of local employee-owners. In his 17-year career, Jason has spent a number of years in the Northwest Arkansas market working for some of the country’s largest general and civil contractors managing projects in both the public and private sectors. His diverse experience spans municipal, DOT, higher education, private development, railway, and logistic center clients.

Years of Experience: 28 years (2025)

Years with ESS: <1 year (2025)

Bio: As Vice President of Alternative Delivery, Dan leads the strategic development and implementation of innovative construction delivery methods, including Design-Build (DB), Progressive Design-Build (PDB), Design-Bid-Build (DBB) and Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR). Throughout his nearly 30-year career, Dan has dedicated himself to transforming project delivery, improving client satisfaction and driving cost-effective solutions without compromising quality. He works closely with internal stakeholders, clients and external partners to identify the best-fit approach for each project, ensuring timely and on-budget completion.

Years of Experience: 27 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 13 years (2025)

Bio: Brandon has more than 25 years of experience in the aggregate and asphalt industry. As EVP of Asphalt Operations, Brandon oversees operations including aggregate and asphalt production, base rock installation, highway, commercial, and residential paving, and chip seal and asphalt maintenance. He is known as an industry expert and is always looking for the next innovative and sustainable products and processes for asphalt production and maintenance.

Years of Experience: 25 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 21 years (2025)

Bio: Jesse has 25 years of civil construction experience, primarily on heavy highway projects consisting of grading, underground utilities, concrete paving, and structures. As Assistant Vice President, he leads the project management and field operations for the heavy highway branch and aligns resources to ensure projects are successful. Jesse knows the way that ESS delivers work and is a needle mover when it comes to structural innovation. 

Years of Experience: 35 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 26 years (2025)

Bio: Chip has more than 30 years of experience in the heavy construction industry, with experience working for and with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). His knowledge and leadership on MoDOT projects has won multiple awards from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America’s Build America Award for Highway and Transportation Renovation. As EVP of Operations, Chip provides strategic leadership for heavy highway projects and oversees the development of safety and culture-based initiatives.

Years of Experience: 33 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 18 years (2025)

Bio: With more than 30 years of experience, Chris is known for his proactive and collaborative team approach. He is responsible for all business development, client relations, and preconstruction activities for operations in the southern Missouri and Ozarks region. Leaning on his extensive project management experience, Chris helps ensure our teams deliver impressive results that exceed expectations for our clients. 

Years of Experience: 21 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 17 years (2025)

Bio: Paul joined the ESS team in 2007 as the Job Cost Lead for our Springfield operations. While in this role, he managed critical budget and productivity data for all projects being built by our company in the region. Excelling at translating big data into big results for our clients, Paul transitioned into project management. He quickly became the de facto account manager for some of our biggest regional clients and has built true partner relationships in mission-critical and speed-to-market environments. As AVP, Paul is responsible for managing all facets of project management and field operations for our Springfield operations.

Years of Experience: 21 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 14 years (2025)

Bio: As Assistant Vice President, Tyler leads project and field management for ESS’ Kansas City operations and more than 150 employee-owners. Tyler is responsible for preconstruction, project management, constructability and cost analysis, equipment utilization, workforce and talent development efforts as well as supporting the firm’s financial goals. Tyler also has diverse experience across all aspects of infrastructure, client types, and projects and has distinguished himself as one of the firm’s foremost earthwork experts.

Years of Experience: 29 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 19 years (2025)

Bio: Jason is a dynamic leader with nearly three decades of experience in the construction industry. With a background in concrete field operations and 15 years of hands-on project management experience, he has cultivated a reputation for developing practical and creative solutions to construction challenges. Jason is passionate about serving our people and partners and lifting up the communities where our employee-owners live, work, and play.

Years of Experience: 26 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 19 years (2025)

Bio: With more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry, Curtis plays a key role in all of Columbia’s preconstruction services. His responsibilities include quantity take-offs, cost estimates, and negotiations with material suppliers. Curtis oversees our project estimators and is heavily involved in project pursuits, contracts, and business development. His leadership skills help ESS deliver best-in-class service.

Years of Experience: 38 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 15 years (2025)

Bio: Bob has over 35 years of experience in the civil construction industry. His diverse background and experience both geographically and over our multiple disciplines of work, along with project lifecycle knowledge is invaluable and a key component to his success throughout his career. Bob is passionate about workforce development and ensuring that the next generation of workers has the tools and training necessary to succeed.

Years of Experience: 28 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 12 years (2025)

Bio: As Assistant Vice President, Barry is responsible for pursuing and managing work within our Asphalt operations in Southern Missouri and Arkansas in both private and public sectors. With more than 15 years of experience under his belt working as an asphalt superintendent and paving operations manager, Barry is an invaluable resource.

Years of Experience: 24 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 17 years (2025)

Bio: Billy has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry and is responsible for all project operations in Northwest Arkansas. Billy has played a key role in growing our estimating and operational capabilities within the region. With his field operations experience and strong preconstruction background, Billy positions his teams to deliver even the most complex infrastructure projects. His strong sense of leadership and passion for collaborative partnerships help us deliver high-quality results. 

Years of Experience: 20 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 3 years (2025)

Bio: Sean brings 20 years of construction experience and extensive knowledge of the Kansas City market to the ESS team. As Assistant Vice President of the Kansas City team, Sean focuses on the direction, management, and support of all preconstruction activities. This includes managing estimating activities and leading daily sourcing initiatives across all of our various service lines offered by our Kansas City operations.

Years of Experience: 18 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 7 years (2025)

Bio: Nathan has 18 years of accounting experience in the construction industry. As the Assistant Vice President/Controller of Emery Sapp & Sons, Nathan is responsible for managing all financial accounting and reporting functions for ESS. Nathan and his team play an instrumental role in key initiatives that support the continued growth and success of Emery Sapp family of companies.

Years of Experience: 19 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 3 years (2025)

Bio: With nearly two decades of experience in financial operations, Brandon plays a key role in helping to shape the financial health and strategic direction of Emery Sapp & Sons. As the Executive Vice President of Finance, Brandon will be responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating all financial operations and initiatives that are sustainable and scalable for future growth.

Years of Experience: 22 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 7 years (2025)

Bio: With more than 20 years of experience in the information and technology industry, Clayton is well-versed in organizational information systems. As Vice President of Information Technology, Clayton maintains ESS’ various software applications, develops strategies to maximize efficiency, and offers critical IT support to all employee-owners.

Years of Experience: 13 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 9 years (2025)

Bio: With more than 13 years of experience in the construction industry, Caitlyn is a dynamic communicator and strategist. She is responsible for corporate marketing and communications efforts that support the firm nationally, as well as our family of brands. As Vice President of Marketing, Caitlyn has fostered a communications team of transformational strategists, authentic storytellers, and cultural catalysts. 

Years of Experience: 10 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 4 years (2025)

Bio: Since entering the A/E/C industry nine years ago, Haylee has been a catalyst for marketing solutions. Driving the firm’s corporate initiatives, she is responsible for leading the marketing team through marketing strategy, creative approach and communications. Haylee collaborates with teams across the company to identify opportunities and implement marketing efforts to support the firm nationally, as well as our family of brands.

Years of Experience: 27 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 5 years (2025)

Bio: Karen is a passionate and caring leader with more than 25 years of human resources and benefits experience. In her role as Director of Benefits, Karen manages all benefits programs, including health and retirement, for all employee-owners within the Emery Sapp Construction family of brands. She holds distinguished PHR and SHRM designations, and actively advocates for and supports the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) business community. Karen currently serves on the Executive Committee for the ESOP Association’s Heart of America chapter.

Years of Experience: 24 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 3 years (2025)

Bio: Mark has been with ESS since October 2022 and serves as the Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis. Throughout his 24-year career, Mark has experience leading and managing complex accounting, finance, and operations functions. Mark’s primary responsibilities involve working with branch and corporate leadership to project and manage operational revenues and expenses. He manages annual budgets, near and long-term forecasts, management reporting and analysis, and comprehensive business modeling for long-range plans.

Years of Experience: 17 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 2 years (2025)

Bio: As the Director of Human Resources, Mayra plays an integral role in advancing the programs, tools, and trainings utilized by all ESS employee-owners. With nearly two decades of experience in the human resources field, she is a dynamic leader with an extensive background in talent management and recruitment efforts. Mayra ensures that ESS policies both comply with federal and state laws as well as align with the company’s goals and objectives.

Years of Experience: 17 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 2 years (2025)

Bio: With more than 17 years of experience in human resources, Crystal is dedicated to creating a positive workplace culture that fosters professional growth. She works closely with internal teams to resolve employee-owner concerns and ensure all actions align with the company’s strategic goals. As Associate Director of Human Resources, Crystal provides essential guidance on workplace challenges, career development, company policies, life events and more.

Years of Experience: 3 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 1 year (2025)

Bio: As Corporate Counsel, Maddie is integral in assisting employee-owners in all things legal and compliance-related. Maddie ensures that ESS is aligned with federal and state laws while assisting employee-owners with potential legal issues. In addition to legal compliance, Maddie ensures that all actions taken by ESS serve the company’s goals, objectives and culture.

Years of Experience: 21 years (2025)

Years with ESS: 16 years (2025)

Bio: James has more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience. Throughout his time at ESS, James has expanded his industry knowledge by working in several different roles. He served as a Job Cost Analyst and Estimator before transitioning into his current position. As the Cost Control Manager, James is responsible for developing and maintaining an effective cost accounting system to manage costs and improve overall profitability.