ABC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Secretary and South Central Region Vice Chair / Performance Contractors Inc.
- Strategic Development Manager for Performance Contractors Inc., Baton Rouge
Brandon Mabile, strategic development manager for Performance Contractors Inc., Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the secretary and South Central* region vice chair for Associated Builders and Contractors.
In 2020, Mabile was named the ABC National Young Professional of the Year. In 2019, he served as chair of the board of directors of ABC of Greater Houston.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Project Manager at Pride One
Brett McWilliams, partner and project manager at Pride One, Medina, Ohio, is the Mid-America region* vice chair of Associated Builders and Contractors. McWilliams has served on ABC Northern Ohio chapter's board for six years, including as 2022 chair of the board of directors, vice chair and secretary.
Employed by Pride One for more than 25 years as part of a lifelong career in construction, McWilliams has upper management experience interfacing with all project stakeholders, from customers to contractors. His work experience includes project management, design, due diligence, final handoff and execution. Pride One has been an ABC member for 15 years.
McWilliams is involved in several charities, including Save a Warrior, which prioritizes the mental health of military, veterans and first responders, and Canton for All People, which serves underprivileged communities in Ohio through free grocery stores and building affordable housing.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Chairman of the Executive Committee
- Chairman of the City of Irondale Commercial Development Authority
- Partner at Bradley
David Pugh, partner at Bradley, Birmingham, Alabama, is the 2025 chair of Associated Builders and Contractors' National Board of Directors. He has been an active member of the ABC Alabama chapter since 1997 and served as chair in 2017.
Pugh represents owners, general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, insurers and sureties throughout the United States, advising his clients at every stage of construction projects. He has drafted and negotiated hundreds of contracts and participated in trials, hearings, appellate arguments, mediations and arbitrations on both private and government construction projects. Pugh has also argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, representing a pipe subcontractor involved in the construction of a natural gas pipeline in Florida and Alabama. Prior to beginning his construction law practice at Bradley, he worked for Harbert Construction, a large general contractor in Birmingham.
Pugh is the chair of the City of Irondale Commercial Development Authority. In addition, he serves on the board of First Priority of Alabama, a ministry to public schools in the state, and Restoration Academy, an urban private Christian school in Birmingham.
Pugh earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Alabama and a juris doctor from Vanderbilt University.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which provides over $270 billion in tax credits for clean energy construction, includes an unprecedented expansion of Davis-Bacon wage requirements onto the private sector - visit abc.org/ira for more information and resources.
The CHIPS Act provides nearly $50 billion in direct federal funding and additional tax credits for semiconductor manufacturing and supply chain projects. Construction projects receiving CHIPS Act funding are subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage regulations. Visit abc.org/chips for more information and resources.
Job Titles:
- Director of Media Relations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Pacific Region Vice Chair / Truitt Corp.
- Pacific Region Vice Chair / Truitt Corporation
- President and CEO of Truitt Corp., Bakersfield
Greg Gutierrez, president and CEO of Truitt Corp., Bakersfield, California, is the Pacific* region vice chair of Associated Builders and Contractors. He has been an active ABC member since 2016. His involvement with ABC's Central California chapter has included government affairs committee chair and board chair. Gutierrez also serves on ABC PAC and is incoming chair of ABC of California.
Gutierrez has worked his way up through the ranks at Truitt Corp., beginning as a yard helper in 2005 and progressing through various leadership roles. He became president and CEO of the company in 2018.
Gutierrez earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Bakersfield and a master's in business administration from Pepperdine University.
Job Titles:
- COO
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner
- Vice Chair of the Executive Committee
- Midwest Region Vice Chair
Jim Ellis, partner, COO and vice president of Price Electric, Robins, Iowa, is the Midwest* region vice chair of Associated Builders and Contractors. The 2021 ABC Young Professional of the Year, he is the past chair the ABC of Iowa board directors and a past trustee of the ABC of Iowa Apprenticeship and Training Trust.
Ellis entered the construction industry as an electrical apprentice for Price Electric in 2003. During this time, he went through ABC's electrical apprenticeship program, working in many sectors of the industry, including commercial, industrial, civil and infrastructure projects, before becoming a project manager and estimator. In 2011, Ellis joined the Price Electric leadership team and became a partner in 2014, developing strategy and growth initiatives and working on the business development process and market strategy. Ellis became COO in 2021.
In 2010, Ellis was elected mayor of his hometown. He has served on local community boards and encouraged many students to look at the trades for their career.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Chapter President
- President and CEO of ABC Oklahoma
John Smaligo is president and CEO of ABC Oklahoma, which he has led the past six years.
Smaligo currently serves as chair of ABC's Chapter President's Executive Council and previously served as the chapter president liaison for ABC's Budget and Finance Committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President of Limestone Building Group LLC, Hartselle
- Southeast Region Vice Chair / Limestone Building Group
- Southeast Region Vice Chair / Limestone Building Group LLC
Kerrick Whisenant, president of Limestone Building Group LLC, Hartselle, Alabama, is the Southeast region vice chair for Associated Builders and Contractors. Whisenant has served on the ABC National 2021 and 2023 Strategic Planning Committee; 2021-2023 Bylaws Committee; 2022 Certification Committee; 2020-2021 Board of Directors; 2020-2021 Business Development Committee; and 2019 Board of Directors as proxy.
At ABC North Alabama, he served as the 2021 chair of the Board of the Directors, 2018-2022 board member and 2016-2023 legislative committee chair.
Limestone Building Group LLC is a STEP Diamond participant and employs total human health initiatives via chaplaincy. Whisenant has also helped Limestone work to expand Alabama's Academy of Craft Training.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Treasurer
- Partner at Carr
- Treasurer / Carr, Riggs & Ingram
Larry May, partner at Carr, Riggs & Ingram, Jackson, Mississippi, is the treasurer of Associated Builders and Contractors. He has been an active member of the ABC Mississippi chapter since 1998 and served as the chapter's treasurer for more than a decade.
As the leader of the CRI construction services team, May provides audit, review and compilation services to general contractors, subcontractors and road builders throughout Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. In addition, he consults with clients regarding maximizing bonding capacity, enhancing working capital, improving internal controls and implementing tax savings strategies. He also has experience in accounting, taxation and providing innovative consulting services to assist clients with issues related to business transfers and succession planning.
May is a certified public accountant, construction auditor and valuation analyst. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants. May was the ABC Mississippi chapter's 2018 Construction Man of the Year.
He earned a bachelor's degree in professional accountancy from Mississippi State University.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Vice Chair of the Executive Committee
- Founder and Partner of GGA Construction, Middletown, Delaware
Lorri H. Grayson, founder and partner of GGA Construction, Middletown, Delaware, is the Mid-Atlantic region* vice chair of Associated Builders and Contractors. Grayson has been active in the ABC Delaware chapter since 2007 and served as chair of its board of directors in 2015.
Since founding GGA Construction, Grayson has led her company to specialize in institutional; hospitality; medical and corporate office; mixed-use; and multifamily housing projects. She provides guidance and oversight in estimating, budget options analysis, scheduling and constructability reviews during preconstruction.
Grayson earned a bachelor's in civil engineering from Virginia Tech University. She is also a registered professional engineer in Delaware and a LEED accredited professional with the U.S. Green Building Council.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer, Prairie Band LLC
ABC will be submitting comments to the IRS by Oct. 30 in response to the proposed rule and is ready to assist members interested in submitting comments by providing a customizable template. ABC members can reach out to Michael Altman at altman@abc.org to receive the template.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Executive Committee
- Northeast Region Vice Chair
- Senior Executive Vice President of the Cianbro Cos., Pittsfield
Michael Bennett, senior executive vice president of The Cianbro Cos., Pittsfield, Maine, is the Northeast region vice chair of Associated Builders and Contractors. Bennett has served in multiple ABC national and local roles, including the former chair of ABC National's Workforce Development Committee and as a current member and former chair of ABC National's Health and Safety Committee. He is also a current Board member of the ABC Maine chapter and was chair in 2008 and 2018.
Bennett has been with Cianbro for 30 years, beginning his career as an entry-level administrative role in human resources. Bennett continued to take on responsibilities throughout his career including oversight of health, safety and environmental, human resources, IT, workforce development, external affairs, communications, media services and today serves on as an internal director on the Cianbro Cos. Board.
Bennett serves on the board for the National Center of Construction Education and Research. He is a graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in agribusiness/resource economics.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President
- President and Chief Executive Officer of Associated Builders
Michael D. Bellaman has served as president and chief executive officer of Associated Builders and Contractors, a national trade association representing more than 23,000 members from 67 chapters across the United States, since 2011. In his role, Bellaman leverages the merit shop philosophy to help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work. He leads the association to deliver on the following long-term strategic goals:
Establish ABC members as the industry-leading standard for total human health, safety and environment;
Increase the political influence of ABC;
Be the leading force for workforce development and education; and
Continuously grow and deliver value to a diverse and committed membership.
Under his leadership, ABC has deployed a five-year, associationwide strategic planning framework to align all chapters and members which, over the last decade, has led to results including growing contractor membership by 7%, increasing the number of fair and open competition states by 1,100% and the number of right-to-work states by 22%, and expanding Free Enterprise Alliance fundraising by 200%.
Bellaman has also launched initiatives that have strengthened ABC members' value proposition, such as a construction technology and innovation initiative, a grassroots political advocacy app, growing national recognition for the National Craft Championships and Construction Management Competition and deploying an inclusion, diversity and merit strategy.
Bellaman is dedicated to helping ABC members and the entire construction industry achieve industry-leading safety. He is a co-founder of the Construction Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace and has championed a roadmap for companies whose leaders want to transform their safety programs through ABC's STEP Safety Management System.
A 1985 graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Bellaman earned a bachelor's in architectural engineering and spent more than two decades in the construction industry before joining ABC.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Immediate past Chair / Henley Construction Co. Inc.
- Immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors / Henley Construction Co. Inc.
- President of Henley Construction Co
Robert C. "Buddy" Henley, president of Henley Construction Co. Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, is the immediate past chair of the Associated Builders and Contractors National Board of Directors. An active member in the association on the national and local levels, Henley served as chair in 2024, secretary in 2022 and as Mid-Atlantic* region vice chair from 2019 to 2022. He also served on the board of directors of the ABC Metro Washington chapter from 2010 to 2017.
Henley began his career in construction at the age of 16, learning the business and industry from the ground up. After college, Henley began his career at Henley Construction, which was started by his father Robert J. Henley in 1964. He worked his way up through the company, from field work to estimator, then transitioned to project management and was named president in 2007. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in economics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Mountain West Region Vice Chair
- Mountain West Region Vice Chair / Hensel Phelps Construction
- Region Vice Chair
- Regional Vice President of the Southwest Region
He is on the Arizona Builders Alliance Board of Directors and served as the board chair of the ABC Arizona chapter in 2021. Grauer also supports other groups in the Southwest that serve to advance the construction industry and construction education.
He has served as a member of Hensel Phelps' Board of Directors since 2008. Grauer joined Hensel Phelps in 1990 and is currently responsible for all aspects of the Southwest Region operations, which covers work in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. He has a wide variety of experience in the hospitality, medical, justice, multifamily residential, aviation, higher education, K-12, semiconductor, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, transportation, defense, public works and commercial office sectors.
Steve Grauer, regional vice president of the Southwest Region at Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Phoenix, is the Mountain West* region vice chair of Associated Builders and Contractors.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Executive Committee
- Chairman - Elect / Power & Construction Group
- General Manager at P & CG
- Vice President of Aggregates Division, Power & Construction Group
Thomas "Murph" Murphy, vice president of Aggregates Division, Power & Construction Group, Scottsville, New York, is the chair-elect of Associated Builders and Contractors. Previous, he was the secretary and Northeast region vice chair* of ABC. Murphy served two terms as chair of the board of directors of the Empire State chapter. He was also on the executive and government affairs committees. In addition to his chapter leadership, Murphy has served as a trustee for ABC PAC, helping raise funds in the Northeast region.
Murphy has served as general manager at P&CG for over 15 years. Now, as a member of the executive management team at P&CG, he leads the company's strategic business plan.
He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Fredonia with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Murphy was recently inducted into Who's Who of America and recognized on the annual Construction Power 100 list by City & State New York.
WASHINGTON, June 18-Associated Builders and Contractors today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Treasury Department's Internal Revenue Service final rule released for public inspection June 18, which requires private developers to follow onerous project labor agreement, prevailing wage and apprenticeship policies when building clean energy projects funded by more than $270 billion in tax credits via the ABC-opposed Inflation Reduction Act.