Leadership in Construction

Jim Blair

PRESIDENT AND CEO

James V. Blair

President and Chief Executive Officer

During his more than 25 years at F.H. Paschen and before becoming President of the company, Jim served in a number of important positions including Project Manager, Senior Project Manager, Project Executive, and Vice President of the Building Division. Jim has significantly contributed to Paschen’s success by managing the growth of the Building Division–taking it from a million-dollar operation in the early 1990s to a division that now generates hundreds of millions of dollars worth of work annually. In his position as President, Jim ensures that projects are completed safely, on time, and under budget; helps develop positive relationships with clients and subcontractors; and contributes to the development of Paschen University. Jim firmly believes that investing in training and development and promoting from inside the organization whenever possible is the best way to grow the business.

When not working hard to develop F.H. Paschen, Jim enjoys spending time with his family boating on Lake Michigan.

Jim Habschmidt

CFO

Jim Habschmidt

Chief Financial Officer

Jim is a Certified Public and Chartered Global Management Accountant with over 40 years of experience in business finance and accounting, including 15 years of construction industry experience. As F.H. Paschen’s CFO since 2010, Jim is responsible for all financial and accounting related operations for Paschen and is located at our corporate office in Chicago. He oversees all project related financial and cost information and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts and the Illinois CPA Society.

Chuck Freiheit, P.E.

COO

Chuck Freiheit, P.E.

Chief Operating Officer

Chuck originally joined F.H. Paschen as a Project Engineer, going on to serve in various project management and leadership roles in the civil and building divisions in the Chicago office, as well as spending time in one of Paschen’s regional offices, before becoming Vice President and eventually Chief Operating Officer in 2015. With 25 years of construction experience, Chuck’s main role is to oversee diversity and compliance for the company, as well as the daily operations and work of the leadership team. As a visionary and true leader with a reputation for developing successful business relationships with both clients and subcontractors, Chuck has directed a number of high-profile projects for clients such as Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Transit Authority, and the Chicago Department of Transportation.

Chuck is married to Michele and has two children, Felicity and Nathan, who keep him very busy outside of work. In his free time, Chuck loves to work out, which is good because he also has a fondness for chocolate chip cookies.

Joseph Scarpelli

EXECUTIVE VP

Joseph Scarpelli

Executive Vice President

As F.H. Paschen’s Executive Vice President, Joe is responsible for overseeing Business Development, Alternative Delivery Projects, Recruiting, and for the management and operation of Paschen’s Washington DC office. With nearly 40 years of experience in the construction industry, most of it spent with Paschen, Joe has substantial knowledge and experience in estimating, pricing design/build, CMAR, as well as lump sum projects for municipal, institutional, Federal, and private clients.

Joe was a member and officer of the ACE Tech Charter High School Board of Directors for ten years. He is also a member of the Chicago Building Congress, Construction Management Association of America, the City Club of Chicago, and was a founding member of the Association of Subcontractors and Affiliates General Contractor’s Advisory Board. Joe holds contractor licenses for the states of California, Nevada, Arkansas, Louisiana, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Joe is very excited about the growth of F.H. Paschen, along with the success of recruiting and developing young talent in the construction industry.

Dave Alexander

SENIOR VP

Dave Alexander

Senior Vice President

Dave is a Senior Vice President at F.H. Paschen, where he advises business strategy and manages pursuits. He started his career in 1986 and has worked as an Estimator, Project Engineer, Project Manager, Superintendent, Chief Estimator, Operations VP, Senior VP, and President.

Dave led the teams responsible for building some of Chicago’s most iconic projects such as Trump Tower, Aqua, Wanda Vista, 2 Prudential, and the United Center, among others. With over 35 years of industry experience, Dave is still driven today by the reason he started in construction; he loves to build.

He considers himself a weekend construction warrior and says that his wife’s rule is that he can have any tool provided he uses it to build her something. When he’s not building, Dave cherishes time with his wife and their four kids.

Roland Schneider

SENIOR VP

Roland Schneider

Senior Vice President

In Roland’s 35+ years of construction industry experience, he has served in many roles from Carpenter to Vice President of the Building Division. His leadership has fostered over $3 billion worth of work for F.H. Paschen. Roland has directed and managed numerous complicated high-profile projects for Chicago Department of Aviation, Public Building Commission, Chicago Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, among others. Having worked on projects in a variety of market sectors, Roland has gained expertise and knowledge that allows him to cultivate strong relationships with clients and subcontractors. Roland is currently overseeing the Estimating Department.

Roland is active in F.H. Paschen’s outreach program and is incredibly proud of all the work that the company has done throughout the years. He is also a Board member for the Ground Hog Club. He is married to Alison and is father to three children, Morgan, Rachel and Cody. While spending time with his family is his favorite thing to do, he also enjoys fishing. Roland misses the time spent sharing fishing stories with Paschen’s late founder, Bud.

Timothy B. Stone

SENIOR VP

Timothy B. Stone

Senior Vice President

For Tim, the best part of his job is that every day is a new challenge. During his nearly 50 years in the industry and more than two decades with F.H. Paschen, Tim has served in a number of different roles in multiple cities. At the Chicago office, he managed the Civil and Estimating departments. In the past few years, Tim’s estimating team has helped grow Paschen’s presence in other areas, with major projects for clients such as the City of Miami, WMATA and the City of Fairfax, VA. Currently, as Senior Vice President, he oversees our Safety and Quality committees.

When Tim is not working at the office, he likes spending time at home with his wife, Heidi. He has two children, Bill and Marilyn, who are grown and live out of state. He also enjoys working on his scratch golf game, to which he applies the same focus, determination, and decision-making skills that he uses at Paschen.

Leo Wright

Senior VP

Leo Wright

Senior Vice President

Leo joined F.H. Paschen as a Project Superintendent in the Job Order Contract Division (JOC), going on to become Project Manager, Chicago JOC Manager, and finally the Vice President of the Job Order Contract Division. His nearly 40 years of experience in the industry, which includes 25 years of Task Order Contracting experience at Paschen, means that he is well-equipped for the responsibility of overseeing the Chicago, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia, and Florida JOC offices. He also oversees National USPS JOC contracts, in addition to bidding IDIQ, JOC, SABER and MATOC contracts on a national basis for Paschen. Under his leadership, the F.H. Paschen JOC Division has completed over $2 billion worth of work.

Leo loves to share his accumulated knowledge and experience with others and has given a number of presentations to various agencies such as the Associated General Contractors and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering. Leo is currently serving his 2nd term on the board for the Center for JOC Excellence as the Chair of the Membership Committee. Leo is married with three children. He enjoys fishing, and watching hockey and boxing, and his favorite Bud quote is “No guts, no glory.”

Robert F. Zitek, P.E.

SENIOR VP

Robert F. Zitek, P.E.

Senior Vice President

Bob is a licensed Professional Engineer who earned his degree in Civil Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology after serving honorably in the United States Marine Corps. He grew up locally and began his working career at the age of fourteen, subsequently becoming a certified welder. Bob has over 50 years of construction industry experience, including work as a detailer, estimator, chief estimator, project manager, and project executive on a wide variety of projects across a large portion of the United States. Bob was the Senior Vice President of F.H. Paschen’s estimating department for over 21 years and successfully pursued projects such as new buildings, renovations, tunnels, dams, highway and bridges, airport, and transit infrastructure endeavors. He currently pursues mega Public Private Partnership (P3) projects, as well as major design-build pursuits in a variety of alternative delivery formats while also acting as a part of the senior management of F.H. Paschen. Bob’s deft negotiating skills with joint venture teams and his establishment of strategic partnerships with selected specialty trades has created a very competitive and successful team structure.

Bob has always greatly enjoyed mentoring young estimating staff members and watching their development into experienced successfully team players for F.H. Paschen.

Allison Maloney

CORPORATE COUNSEL AND COMPLIANCE OFFICER

Allison Maloney

Corporate Counsel and Compliance Officer

Allison joined F.H. Paschen in November, 2015 as Corporate Counsel and Compliance Officer. She provides legal counsel and is responsible for the design and implementation of the company’s compliance program and functions. Her responsibilities include matters regarding the participation of small and diverse businesses in the government contracting process. Allison is actively affiliated with the Chicago Bar Association and American Contract Compliance Association.

Allison lives in Oak Park with her husband, young daughter, and dog. She enjoys cooking, running, and taking on the challenges that come with the ownership of an old home.

Josh Curran, PE, LEED AP

VICE PRESIDENT

Josh Curran

Vice President

Josh has been with F.H. Paschen for over 15 years and has worked on and managed some of F.H. Paschen’s historic marquee projects. Following his promotion to Project Manager in 2011, he successfully delivered the iconic Washington/Wabash Elevated CTA Station in the heart of the Loop. Most recently, he served as the Senior Project Manager on the Midway Security Checkpoint Expansion. Throughout his career, Josh has been able to develop strong relationships with clients and facilitate effective communication among project teams and our clients and stakeholders.

Josh was born and raised in San Diego, but after living through 20 winters in the Chicago area, he considers himself an honorary Midwesterner. Outside of work he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife Jean and their dog, hiking through the forest preserves, playing tennis, riding the motorcycle, and watching Notre Dame football.

Alan Dadian

VICE PRESIDENT

Alan Dadian

Vice President

With nearly 40 years of construction industry experience, Alan is a Certified Construction Manager (CCM) who has been devoted to aviation throughout the duration of his career.

Since joining the company in 2016, he has been instrumental in further growing Paschen’s aviation portfolio. He serves as a client manager for aviation projects, including O’Hare 21, the largest modernization program ever commissioned by the airport. Before joining Paschen, Alan managed over $3 billion worth of infrastructure projects in the aviation sector.

Alan’s exceptional and longstanding work in the aviation industry has been acknowledged several times with accolades such as the O’Hare Modernization Program Leadership Award. He is also an avid golfer and spends his time off the course with his wife and children.

Mike Kusbel

VICE PRESIDENT

Mike Kusbel

Vice President

Mike is a Vice President at Paschen where he leads the Civil Division. He joined the company with over 25 years of construction industry experience. Throughout his career, Mike has earned a reputation for being a communicative, hands-on, results-driven leader. His work history includes successfully launching, directing, and managing multi-million-dollar construction projects and programs for top tier heavy highway and civil construction firms.

With expertise in business group management, estimating, planning, and process improvements, Mike has been responsible for over $2 billion of construction projects including extensive experience with leading alternative procurements such as Public Private Partnerships (P3), Design-Build, and Design-Bid-Build endeavors.

He is a graduate of Purdue University with degrees in Civil Engineering Technology and Construction Management. He is also a Safety Trained Supervisor certified by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Mike and his wife Melinda have two daughters and they enjoy spending time together boating in Michigan.

Larry Mix

VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Larry Mix

Vice President of Business Development

Larry has been an integral part of F.H. Paschen since joining the company in 1984. In 2010, he became Vice President of Business Development, bringing his 35 years of construction industry experience to a number of opportunities in the aviation, transportation, job order contracting, higher education, and energy markets. His experience, knowledge, and outstanding ability to communicate and strategize with the Operations Teams has significantly contributed to the company’s growth.

Larry is also the President of Joey’s Angels (JA) Chapter of the Leukemia Research Foundation (LRF), named in memory of his son Joey, as well as a Board Member at Large and former President of the Board for the LRF (2015-2019). He has helped raise over $2.6 million in net proceeds for LFR through his JA Chapter’s annual golf and ski outings since 1997.

Larry is married to Patty and is father to two children, Alyssa, and Drew. When he’s not at the office, he enjoys playing golf, bike riding, and tennis, though wherever he is, he still answers calls with “Paschen.” Larry was Bud’s very first employee.

Matt Moss, PMP

VICE PRESIDENT

Matt Moss

Vice President

Matt started with F.H. Paschen in 2001 as a Project Engineer in the Building Division. His journey at Paschen has included a wide variety of project types, including schools, municipal, private building, and mass transit. This was complimented with time spent in Paschen’s estimating department focusing on civil, infrastructure, building and design-build projects. His hard work was recognized by ASA with the 2014-2015 ASA Outstanding General Contractor Project Manager Award for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line California, Damen and Western Stations Project. With Paschen, Matt has managed construction on over 20 CTA stations.

Matt is active in Paschen’s diversity outreach programs and is a member of the Construction Management Association of America and the Ground Hog Club of Chicago. He is also active in the Eastern Illinois University Construction Management Industry Advisory Board, where he presents regularly.

Frank Mullaghy, LEED AP BD+C

VICE PRESIDENT

Frank Mullaghy

Vice President

Frank began as an intern at F.H. Paschen and now has over 20 years of experience with the company. Frank received his undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University and his Masters degree in Executive Management in Design and Construction from Northwestern University. He has been a guest speaker in graduate level classes on Lean Construction at Northwestern and serves as Paschen’s liaison with the Lean Construction Institute. Frank is a LEED AP BD+C and an Associate Member of the American Association of Airport Executives.

Frank is currently overseeing our Aviation work and works closely with the Virtual Design and Construction, Business Development and Preconstruction Departments. Frank has a passion for developing relationships with new clients and making their built journeys as pleasant as possible.

Frank and his wife, Kate, are parents to two children; their daughter, Avery and son, Kieran. As lifelong Chicagoans, Kate and Frank enjoy spending their free time exploring the cultural offerings of the City as well as traveling.

Joe Schmitz

VICE PRESIDENT

Joe Schmitz

Vice President

Joe started with F.H. Paschen in 2008 and has worked with some of Chicago’s largest institutions such as Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Transit Authority, and the University of Illinois. During his time here Joe has been influential in the growth of the Preferred Projects Group (PPG). What was launched as a Job Order Contracting (JOC) division and rebranded as the Preferred Projects Group due to its expansion into healthcare projects, suburban work, and alternative delivery contracts. Under his leadership, PPG has seen significant growth in suburban education and local government work as well as the healthcare market, solidifying F.H. Paschen as a trusted and exceptional healthcare contractor.

When Joe is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife Sherri and his three daughters: Nicole, Michelle, and Kaitlyn, and his friends.

Ken Swartz

VICE PRESIDENT

Ken Swartz

Vice President

Ken is the Vice President of our Detroit Office and will be expanding F.H. Paschen throughout the region. With 40 years in the construction industry, Ken has developed a passion for building and expanding organizations.

He has managed work in almost every sector of the industry. Some of his marquee projects include building West Palm Beach Airport from the ground up, new water treatment facility for the City of Detroit valued at $275M, and two IRS Computing Centers.

Outside of work, Ken enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren, and watching the Boilermakers!

William Rocha

VICE PRESIDENT

William Rocha

Vice President

Bill has 14 years of construction industry experience – all with Paschen. He spent three summers as a Construction Intern working on educational and institutional projects. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he joined the company as a Project Engineer in the JOC Division where he worked on USPS and Chicago Public Schools contracts, in addition to traditional lump sum educational, postal and health care projects. A quick learner, he rose through the ranks and now holds the position of General Manager.

Bill’s significant experience and expertise with IDIQ type contracts has given him the understanding of the unique tools and skill sets that are required for these client-centric contracts. In 2012, Bill was assigned to manage the $48 million Tyndall Air Force Base SABER contract in Panama City, Florida. He is currently managing FHP’s Mid-Atlantic Region out of our Northern Virginia office.

Bill and his wife Marybeth have four children – Sloane, Marlo, Wes, and Hayes. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing softball, and barbecuing with his smoker.

Wayne Thompson

VICE PRESIDENT

Wayne Thompson

Vice President

Wayne Thompson has been instrumental in growing F.H. Paschen’s presence throughout the Southeast, and since 2011 he has overseen all operations in the Georgia office. The success of the Georgia office has allowed Wayne’s team to expand into Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He has over 15 years of construction industry experience, all of which he has spent with F.H. Paschen.

Wayne started as a Project Engineer in the Miami office after earning a degree in Construction Science from Tuskegee University. In Miami, he worked on various JOC contracts including City of Miami, Miami Dade County Public Schools, and Miami Dade College. Wayne began traveling between Miami and Georgia while establishing Paschen’s Georgia operations. He currently oversees the Southeast Region as the General Manager, responsible for the ezIQC JOC Contract, MARTA JOC Contract, and several other contacts throughout the Southeast.

Outside of the office, Wayne, a former college All-Conference baseball player, enjoys traveling and staying active. He grew up in Decatur, Georgia and lives in Atlanta with his wife Liana and two children.

Sean Woods, PMP

GENERAL MANAGER

Sean Woods

General Manager

As the General Manager of our Dallas office, Sean has been tasked with growing our presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. After serving eight years in the military as a member of the Seabees (Naval Construction Battalion), Sean attended the University of Illinois – Chicago where he received a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He joined F.H. Paschen as an intern and was hired full-time upon graduation in 2015. He has managed transit and educational projects ranging in value from under $1 million to over $500 million.

Sean has his PMP certification and is an expert in optimizing the construction process. As one of F.H. Paschen’s finest “go-getters”, he intends to find new clients and partners while strengthening current relationships.

When not at work, Sean enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

Caitlin Lahey

ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT

Caitlin Lahey

Assistant Vice President

Caitlin was hired in 2017 as a Project Engineer in our Civil Department and completed work on the Runway 9C-27C job as an Assistant Project Manager. She most recently served as our Director of College Recruiting where she successfully managed career fairs, hired full-time graduates, and oversaw our summer internship program. Caitlin brings incredible insight from her time in operations and from developing our college recruiting program. She is also a member of the Federation of Women in Construction and attends networking events throughout the year. Recently, Caitlin joined the UIC Civil Engineering Professional Advisory Council where she works with other members to enhance the undergraduate experience for UIC civil engineering students by creating connections in the professional community and providing an industry perspective on the curriculum.

Caitlin lives in Chicago and when she is not working, she enjoys traveling to new places and seeing her favorite artist live.

Alan Osinski

ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT

Alan Osinski

Assistant Vice President

Alan is an Assistant Vice President and started with F.H. Paschen in 2017 as a Marketing Administrator and most recently served as F.H. Paschen’s Communications Manager. Alan has experience with developing relationships with diverse vendors throughout Chicago, assisting in planning outreach events, and building a strategic social media plan to increase F.H. Paschen’s visibility across multiple platforms, and for the past three years has been a part of the Paschen Scholars Program. He has also been an instrumental part of the Turner Paschen Aviation Partners (TPAP) team. He has worked closely with TPAP to develop their website and continues to work with their Preconstruction and Procurement teams and implementing executive strategy.

Alan was born and raised in Chicago, is member of the Leukemia Research Foundation Affiliate Board and plays 16-inch softball.

Our People

TIM STONE

Safety & Quality

ALLISON MALONEY

Diversity & Inclusion

Meet Our Executive Team

Jim Blair

Jim Habschmidt

Chuck Freiheit, P.E.

Joseph Scarpelli

Dave Alexander

Roland Schneider

Timothy B. Stone

Leo Wright

Robert F. Zitek, P.E.

Allison Maloney

Josh Curran, PE, LEED AP

Alan Dadian

Mike Kusbel

Larry Mix

Matt Moss, PMP

Frank Mullaghy, LEED AP BD+C

Joe Schmitz

Ken Swartz

William Rocha

Wayne Thompson

Sean Woods, PMP

Caitlin Lahey

Alan Osinski

Choose Paschen