KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell, announces the addition of two members to the board of directors, including Renita Mollman, the first female board member, and Steve Gross, the first board member from outside the firm.

Mollman and Gross will join Kowalik and the five other current board members (Paul Fischer, Randy Griffin, John Olander, Bob Reymond and Denny Scott) to continue to evolve the vision for the future of the firm.

In 2020, the firm had a record-breaking year that produced $5.3 billion in sales, resulted in the support of nearly 15,000 projects and included the addition of more than 600 employees.

“The last year has been very difficult to navigate,” Kowalik says. “We had markets change drastically and projects canceled while other markets boomed. It was the year of the pivot. Our firm’s diverse service offerings allowed us to still have a solid year in 2020 and now 2021 is very busy again. Renita and Steve bring decades of experience working with Burns & McDonnell. Renita’s experience in multiple roles at the company and Steve’s experience working with dozens of major companies brings more great leadership to our board. Both know the value of being an employee-owned firm and that special sauce that has made us successful.”

Renita Mollman is the firm’s chief administrative officer (CAO) and a senior vice president. As CAO, she oversees corporate services including human resources, marketing, communications, security, travel, fleet and facilities. Mollman became CAO in 2020. In addition to leading the COVID Response Team at Burns & McDonnell, she is also chair of the Kansas City Vaccine Task Force, working to make it easier and equitable for all Kansas Citians to have access to a vaccine.

Mollman joined Burns & McDonnell in 1988, beginning her career as a civil engineer. In this role, she supported more than 100 projects for multiple aviation and military clients. In 2009, Mollman was promoted to general manager for the California region and was soon named vice president. Under her leadership, the California regional team grew from just a few employees to more than 250, and revenue nearly quadrupled.

Steve Gross has been an adviser to Burns & McDonnell for over 35 years, beginning when Burns & McDonnell became an employee-owned firm in 1986. Since then, Gross has worked to help bring the employee-ownership model to life at the firm, while bringing an objective and outside perspective. Gross, who has a degree in industrial engineering and is a certified management consultant, has developed his passion for employee growth, professional development and mentorship into a career that has spanned the globe. Gross brings more than four decades of consulting experience from leading corporations and has focused his career on helping organizations develop their unique employee value proposition to drive results.

About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 7,600 engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists to design and build our critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities with more than 60 offices globally. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned. Learn how we are designed to build.