Brett Williams

President
Construction General Manager

Brett Williams is a trailblazer and selfless leader with an extensive history in construction and building high-achieving teams that produce successful solutions.

Brett’s career is marked with converting big opportunities into incredible results. He started at our company in 1999 as a project manager in Kansas City, Missouri, before moving to Connecticut to lead a $1 billion program. His leadership of that program evolved into him establishing the firm’s New England operations, which have been one of our fastest-growing and most successful regions. In 2020, he took another leap and became president of AZCO, our union construction subsidiary. Now, he serves as general manager of our booming Construction Group.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Outside of work, I like to spend my time with family, restoring classic automobiles, hunting, snowmobiling, boating and renovating old houses. I also have a cattle farm outside of Kansas City where I spend most weekends.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I’ve followed in the footsteps of some excellent leaders. My style is to give clear direction, unlimited support and defined expectations for what we hope to achieve. I believe in accountability, but never tell people how to do their jobs. While Burns & McDonnell has many talented operations-focused individuals, I spend the majority of my time looking five to 10 years out.

What excites you most when you look at the future of infrastructure and the construction industry?

This is quite possibly the best time in the construction industry since the 1920s when skyscrapers were first built in New York City — or again in the 1970s when the Alaska pipeline was constructed and oil fields were developed in the Middle East. This period of construction is exciting because for the first time in 50 years we are seeing disruptive advancements in the convergence of technology with our physical work in the form of autonomous equipment, robotics, virtual reality tools and much more. Construction is the largest industry in the world; it’s up to us to position ourselves at the forefront of this technological transformation and create the job site of the future.