Before arriving at Ceco, Danny Battles earned a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management from Oklahoma State University. For more than 30 years, he has served Ceco in various roles and levels of responsibility. His tenure has seen assignments to Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans and now San Antonio for the past 12-plus years. Learning from the local teams with each move, he developed a keen eye on cost and efficiency while growing his leadership and organizational skills. Danny looks forward to leading Ceco into its next chapter: “We have a strong team in place to help us achieve our mission of leading the construction industry in the delivery on innovative, client-focused, structural solutions that provide exceptional client results.

Danny has been an integral member of the Ceco Concrete Construction team, providing concrete formwork services since 1989. Starting as a Field Engineer, Danny has had hands-on experience in many roles at Ceco and is active in associations such as Associated General Contractors (AGC) and American Subcontractors Association (ASA), keeping him abreast of industry trends and making him extremely adept with the oversight of concrete formwork construction.

Iconic projects Danny has played a role in include:

• Hotel Nikko
• Chase Field
• Millennium Tower
• Portofino
• Turqoise Place
• Nashville Convention Center

“I enjoy any challenging project that requires a great deal of planning and thought from all of our team members,” explains Battles. “While things do not always go as planned, how we react to a new challenge can and will make the difference in the project, as well as our ongoing relationship with the client. It is always gratifying to hear a client say, ‘Thanks, we could not have done this without Ceco.’”

Jeff began his career with Ceco Concrete Construction in 1985. Since then he has worked many positions including Project Manager, Sales Manager, District Manager and Regional Manager, accruing experience in a variety of roles on many different projects. Jeff is an active member of The Builders’ Association, Concrete Promotional Group and American Subcontractors Association in Kansas City. Below is an interview with Jeff when he was Vice President – South Central Operations.

Iconic projects Jeff has completed with Ceco include:

• Federal Courthouse
• Portofino Condominiums
• Sprint Arena
• Sprint World Campus
• Wellmark Garage308 Green
• UCSD Dorms
• UNLV Greenspun Library
• USDA Lab Facility
• Denver Convention Center Garage
• Met 3 Apartments
• Echo Aventura

“One of my favorite memories adding value for a customer was working with the team on the Sprint Campus project,” explains Jeff. “Very early in the project when the Sprint World Campus was being developed, our client needed pricing information for the planned complex of 18 buildings totaling over 3 million square feet. Working with their conceptual estimators, we were able to provide a pricing model that worked for the campus over a 5-year period with enough give and take to allow for the normal changes that are required as projects unfold. The result was a mutually beneficial construction experience for all parties; Ceco, our client and the owner.”

Phil Diekemper is the Senior Vice President for Ceco Concrete Construction, LLC – a nationwide design-assist structural formwork and frame concrete contractor. Phil started with Ceco in 1978 with a BS in civil engineering from the University of Illinois and acquired hands-on experience in about every position in Ceco since. He later received an MBA from Seattle University. When he’s not out changing the skyline, Phil stays active in many professional organizations including Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), American Concrete Institute – Strategic Development Council, American Society of Concrete Contractors, Chicagoland AGC, Urban Land Institute and NAIOP, among others. Away from Ceco, Phil enjoys helping charitable organizations, currently splitting his time assisting the Builders Association Scholarship Foundation of Chicago and the Little Friends Home for Autism in Naperville, Ill.

Some of the iconic projects throughout the nation on which Phil has worked over the years include:

• Seattle Harborhouse Tower
• Wilshire Courtyard
• Beverly Hills Civil Center
• Carlyle Towers
• Rutgers Dormitory Tower
• Miller Stadium Baseball Park
• Riverview Condominium Towers
• Hewlett Packard Singapore Manufacturing Plant
• Riverbend Condominium Towers
• Great Lakes Naval Barracks
• Central Dupage Hospital Expansion
• University of Chicago Biomedical Facility
• Astoria Tower
• Music City Center
• Vikings Stadium

“Most every project has a unique challenge,” explains Phil. “It is very satisfying to uncover those challenges, then prepare a plan and solution to meet the challenge. Often, such a plan stretches Ceco’s team to the limit, yet becomes a steppingstone in one’s career and further grows Ceco’s capabilities and reputation.”

Lori Robey Ernst joined Ceco as Tax Accountant in 1995. Shortly thereafter, she received her CPA license from the Missouri State Board of Accounting. Sporting a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Kansas State University and 10 years of industry experience prior to joining Ceco, Lori has ascended quickly—taking on additional responsibilities until reaching her current CFO leadership role in 2018. As a trusted member of Ceco’s leadership, Lori is admired for her commitment to Ceco and attention to detail. Lori’s leadership exemplifies many of Ceco’s values, like Teamwork, Integrity and Ethics.

Jim Paquin is the Vice President Central Operations of Ceco Concrete Construction—a nationwide design-assist structural concrete formwork and concrete frame contractor. Jim came to Ceco in 1982 with a Bachelors of Science degree and an MBA in civil engineering. Since joining Ceco, Jim has held many positions including Formwork Engineer, Project Manager and Project Executive. Jim has helped complete more than 350 projects including the following:

• Music City Center
• Mayo Education Building
• Lincoln Center Office Building
• Minnesota World Trade Center
• St. Cloud Law Enforcement Center
• Travelers Express Tower
• Wyndham Hotel
• Iowa Events Center
• Twins Stadium
• Vikings Stadium

“I enjoy working for Ceco for the awesome people, culture and projects,” explains Jim. “It’s neat to show my kids how I helped change the skyline in our city.

“My favorite project memories are from the Iowa Events Center and the Music City Center. I remember when work was interrupted on both jobs to allow a parade of elephants to march single-file through our jobsite to get to their destination when the big circus came to town in each city. Everything on the job came to a stop and workers stared in awe as the elephants passed by. The vision of the elephants walking by the parked cranes and equipment on the jobsite and the respect they earned by everyone on the project is a memory I will not forget. It made me feel like a kid again.”

Tom Wood is Vice President – East Operations for Ceco Concrete Construction, a nationwide concrete formwork and concrete frame contractor. If you searched “concrete contractor Florida,” you just found the best. Watch this interview of Tom when he served as Ceco’s Southeast Regional Manager.

Shayne’s 25-year career began with Ceco, working out of our Seattle and Portland offices once he finished his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from University of Missouri – Rolla. His Ceco path took him to Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Miami, until he finally settled in Denver. Then, after Ceco’s parent acquired a competitor in Denver—Concrete Frame Associates (CFA)—he became President of that company. Under his leadership at CFA, revenue jumped more than 300% and scopes expanded to include reinforcing installation and shotcrete services. Today, Shayne leads Ceco’s West Operations. He seeks to expand Ceco’s presence in the West and become a key integral partner to our clients’ success.

John Brattlof is a certified safety professional with more than 30 years of experience in EHS. Before he came to Ceco in 2023, he was Corporate Safety Director for White Construction. He has expert knowledge in EHS safety management systems, behavior-based safety, injury and incident management, identification of safety system gaps and implementation of effective solutions. As Director of EHS for Ceco, John’s goals are to include the field team’s safety engagement early in the project planning process and enhance the partnership of Ceco’s safety professionals with operations and project teams. He’d like to see consistent application of standard safety operating procedures, which helps Ceco cultivate trust and confidence with our clients and a positive image with project owners and in the community. John believes Ceco’s safety culture can establish ourselves as a desired employer.