News release - Feb. 1, 2021

Kansas City AGC announces new Executive Board President Parker Young and key 2021 initiatives

Parker Young, president of Straub Construction assumed the role of executive board president of the Kansas City Chapter, Associated General Contractors of America.

Parker Young, president of Straub Construction, was officially seated as executive board president of the Kansas City Chapter, Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) on Jan. 14, 2021.

The chapter also met that day for its virtual meeting, AGC Kansas City: Building Community, traditionally the AGC Dinner Meeting. During the virtual event, Don Greenwell, executive director of Kansas City AGC, introduced Young, formerly the Kansas City AGC vice president. Young assumes the role previously held by Tom Whittaker of JE Dunn Construction Company, and his term extends through 2022.

As a leader at Straub Construction, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, Young shared insight he has gained while working at the long-standing Kansas City company. He noted during the meeting that the core values of the construction industry paired with Kansas City’s thriving Midwestern community provides an environment for construction businesses to grow and survive for decades.

“We discovered through an exercise of interviewing our clients, employees and partners a few years ago … leaders in our community need a [construction] partner that truly can help bring their vision together. So our focus has been [to be] an advocate and work with organizations that are serving others in the community,” Young said. “We’re genuinely excited about the prospects of 2021 and 2022.”

Embracing growth in the Kansas City AGC board and community

Joe Seymour of River City Construction Company, LLC moved from treasurer to vice president, and new Treasurer Cody Showalter of McCownGordon Construction joined Young and Whittaker as an officer of the board.

The following members are new to the Kansas City AGC board:

• Andy Bonderer, Professional Contractors & Engineers, Inc.
• LaMont Chandler, 4-Gen Construction, Inc.
• Max Gallaway, Max Electric, Inc.
• Alison Meyer, Rau Construction Company

“The industry was presented with a lot of challenges in 2020, and it will take time to rebuild,” Greenwell said. “Parker has been such a great partner to our chapter and the industry throughout all of it. When the pandemic started, we were texting back and forth and talking 24/7 it seemed, and I found it energizing to work with him and the construction community to find solutions to keep the industry building. Parker is the right person to be leading us through this moment.”

The AGC Kansas City: Building Community meeting focused on the role of its members, along with the resources of The Builders’ Association, to be the foundation of advancement of Kansas City’s construction industry. As speakers mentioned throughout the meeting, the key in 2021 is to take a community involvement approach.

Moving forward, the new Kansas City AGC executive board president will lead the charge, as Young noted “there are a lot of exciting and wonderful things going on in Missouri and Kansas that I think will help us as an industry be able to continue to thrive and grow.”

The full board is listed below.

Kansas City AGC 2021-2022 board

Officers:

• Parker Young, Straub Construction, President
• Joe Seymour, River City Construction, L.L.C., Vice President
• Cody Showalter, McCownGordon Construction, Treasurer
• Thomas F. Whittaker, P.E., JE Dunn Construction Company, Immediate Past President

Directors:

• Jason Betts, Kelly Construction Group, Inc.
• Andy Bonderer, Professional Contractors & Engineers, Inc.
• Kent Brooner, Brooner Construction & Crane
• Chris Carson, P.E., Carson-Mitchell, Inc.
• LaMont Chandler, P.E., 4-Gen Construction Inc.
• David Dudzik, Turner Construction Company
• Max Gallaway, Max Electric, Inc.
• Steve Julo, Centric Projects, LLC
• Steve Meuschke, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
• Alison Meyer, Rau Construction Company
• Jeff Wilson, SIRCAL Contracting, Inc.

About the Kansas City Chapter, Associated General Contractors of America

The Kansas City Chapter, Associated General Contractors of America, currently represents 120 firms in the heartland region and is part of the AGC of America, the largest and oldest national construction trade association in the United States.

Visit The Builders’ Association | Kansas City Chapter, AGC online at www.buildersassociation.com and connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.