Our Team
The people behind the promise
Eleven Western is more than 150 builders, estimators, coordinators, accountants, and craftspeople — led by the same family since 1983. Every schedule promised and every date hit has one of these names attached to it.
Executive Leadership
The names on the door
Rick Backus
Chairman / CEO
Started in construction at fifteen as a carpenter and founded Eleven Western Builders in 1983 with his father, Wayne. Served as VP and Chief of Estimating before becoming President & CEO in 1988, and Chairman & CEO in 2019. Off-road racer, traveler, husband to Tammy for over thirty years, father of four, grandfather of five and counting.
Greg McDonald
President
Construction Management, Chico State, 1990. Joined EWB as a project manager and climbed every rung — Chief Estimator, Senior PM, VP of Construction, Senior VP — before being named President in 2019. Leads customer relations, estimating, and operations. Rarely turns down a sporting event or a fly-fishing trip.
Brett Backus
Chief Operating Officer
Started in construction at fourteen and worked through nearly every role in the company — laborer, carpenter, engineer, estimator, project management. California licensed general contractor. Named Director of Business Development in 2018 and COO in 2021; still leads business development. Married to April, three daughters, happiest on a golf course or near water.
Richard Huey
Chief Financial Officer
CFO since 2005, with over forty years of financial management experience — twenty-plus in construction — including eight years at KPMG. Oversees financial reporting, tax, cash management, banking, insurance, bonding, benefits, and contract review. Avid sports fan and aspiring golfer.
Kristi Snell
Chief Risk Officer
A twenty-year EWB veteran who has held roles across the company — submittal coordinator, project engineer, project manager, marketing, and HR — before taking the risk chair. Leads risk management and regulatory compliance strategy company-wide. San Diego County born and raised.
Vice Presidents
Operations leadership
Vern Alderton
VP, Field Operations
Union carpenter since 1979. Joined EWB in 2001 as a project superintendent, advanced through General Superintendent and PM, and has led field operations as VP since 2013 — quality, safety, schedule, and budget, in that order all at once.
Gene Chesterton
VP, Construction Services
Started in 1993 as a finish carpenter and fixture installer in retail. Joined EWB in 2002 as a superintendent, led Retail Services from 2010, and was named VP of Construction Services in 2019. Oversees the retail PX team, self-perform operations, Facility Services, and internal warehousing.
Doug Child
VP, Construction
Raised on a farm in Quincy, Washington; Construction Management, BYU; LEED AP since 2004. Joined EWB in 2005 as a project manager and now oversees construction projects and personnel company-wide.
Jennifer Gosselin
VP, Construction — Texas
Born and raised in Pasadena, Texas. More than two decades in construction, including twelve years at a leading Texas general contractor where she rose from project coordinator to vice president in Dallas. Leads the Texas division with a passion for mentoring the next generation.
The Whole Crew
Everyone who builds for the better
Program work runs on depth. These are the people who estimate it, contract it, coordinate it, account for it, and build it — by team.
Directors
Sean Backus Director of Facility Services 
Justin Adams Director of Field Ops & Pre-Con 
Dan Herrick Director of Field Ops — Auto 
Dan LaSage Director of Field Ops — Grocery 
Jill Fedigan Director of Client Strategy 
James "JJ" Marren Director of Technology 
Chris Garrett Director — Eleven Western Trades 
Dan Wallace Director of Safety Project Executives & Senior Project Managers
John Van Hovel Project Executive — Auto 
Sean Tomlinson Project Executive — Grocery 
Jon Ursino Project Executive — Retail 
Ruben Marquez Project Executive — QSR 
Jaron LaVine Senior Project Manager — Grocery 
Mike Scott Senior Project Manager General & Senior Superintendents
Tim Gouirand General Superintendent 
Dillon Herrick General Superintendent 
Tyler Herrick General Superintendent 
Nick Ursino General Superintendent — Grocery 
Glenn Herrick Senior Superintendent 
Sam Newton Senior Superintendent Project Managers
Arika Abel Project Manager 
Matt Antic Project Manager 
Joseph Arteaga Project Manager 
Chad Douglas Project Manager Kyle Koloff Project Manager 
Hugo Mejia Project Manager 
Kelley Ross Project Manager 
Dorothy Sieckman Project Manager 
James Swanson Project Manager 
Vijay Vishram Project Manager 
Carrie Walsh Project Manager 
Adam Yeager Project Manager Maria "B" Austin Assistant Project Manager 
Derric Allen Assistant Project Manager — Grocery 
Chris Schatzman Assistant Project Manager Superintendents
Alan "AJ" Acosta Superintendent 
Chad Atchison Superintendent 
Will Baker Superintendent 
Pierre Bouchard Superintendent Steven Caruso Superintendent 
Reza Cheraghali Superintendent 
Chris Cherry Superintendent Tim Cook Superintendent Jeremy Daniels Superintendent 
Josh Foster Superintendent Rick Freeman Superintendent 
Jeremiah Frodermann Superintendent 
Brian Gadbury Superintendent 
Rocky Galvan Superintendent 
David Gantt Superintendent 
Hayden Garcia Superintendent 
Mike Gonzalez Superintendent 
Dan Hendrickson Superintendent 
John Holding Superintendent 
Nate Jackson Superintendent Terry Kelley Superintendent 
Louai Jalabi Superintendent 
Mike Laney Superintendent Harold Lee Superintendent Garrett Lewick Superintendent 
Manuel Leyva Superintendent 
Chris Lopez Superintendent 
Vince Messina Superintendent 
Will Miller Superintendent 
Clinton Mott Superintendent Daniel Pryor Superintendent 
Victor Quintana Superintendent 
Frank Ramos Superintendent Bill Rice Superintendent Scott Roden Superintendent 
Martin Rueda Superintendent 
Jose Santoyo Superintendent 
Jose Serrano Superintendent 
Robert Smyth Superintendent 
Dustin Sparks Superintendent 
Barry Strubel Superintendent 
Michael Sweeney Superintendent 
Bernie Taddy Superintendent 
Alani Tangitau Superintendent 
Justin Tennies Superintendent Jerry Tovar Superintendent 
Miguel Uribe Superintendent 
Andres Vargas Superintendent Colton Whittamore Superintendent 
Sean Wilder Superintendent 
Michael Yates Superintendent Estimating
Cam Delahoussaye Chief Estimator 
Alex Gabrielson Senior Estimator 
Toni Baraan Estimator 
Max Hammerton Estimator 
Ethan Lundgren Estimator 
Brandy Powell Estimator 
Tami Shearer Lead Estimating Coordinator Contracts & Submittals
Charity Cobleigh Contract Administrator 
Julie Kennard Contract Administrator 
Jon LeBorgne Contract Administrator 
Electra Hendrickson Contract Administrative Assistant 
Wayne Abbott Submittal Coordinator Tristin Banks Submittal Coordinator Brandon Kaimuloa Submittal Coordinator 
Daylin McLemore Submittal Coordinator Accounting & Finance
Luz Toscano Assistant Controller 
Deanna Hernandez Project Accountant 
Janet Mescall Project Accountant 
Nohemi Serena Accounting Coordinator Eleven Western Trades & Mill
Alex Gonzalez Field Manager — Eleven Western Trades 
Angelic Enriquez Administrative Manager — Eleven Western Trades 
George Franco Foreman 
Justin Hammond Foreman 
Jesse Garcia Carpenter 
Noah Chavez Carpenter 
V Echeverria Carpenter 
Sergio Ledesma Carpenter 
Art Leon Carpenter 
Jay McEnaney Carpenter 
Lorenzo Rodriguez Carpenter 
Mark Wisniewski Carpenter 
Hwa Wong Carpenter Facility Services
Elyse Kirkland Facility Services Admin Manager 
Vincent Romano Facility Services Operations Coordinator 
Carl Baxter Facility Services Technician Omar Calzada Facility Services Technician 
Joshua Jett Maintenance Service Technician Operations, Safety & Warehouse
Adriana Sotelo Safety Administrator 
Finn Both Field Operations Assistant Cody Lyons Warehouse Manager 
Daniel Arenas Warehouse Driver Office, People & Marketing
Jeanne Kleiter Administrative Assistant Cheryl Morrow Coordination Administrator 
Cynthia Tyler Receptionist 
Yani Vega Recruiting & Retention Coordinator 
Nick Heid Marketing Manager 
Michael Huey Archiving Tech The Morale Department
Matilda "Tilly" Plops Chief Wellness Officer 
Rocky Assistant to the COO More of the crew
Matthew Alderton · Jeff Boettcher · Jeremy Brosius · Roary Childers · Martin Cummings · Vince Eden · Dante Ferrarini · Rick Gerdes · Josh Hackworth · Ryan Herrick · Eloy Luna · Tony Luna · Jeff Nugent · Becca Pilcher · Craig Stewart · Curt Walters · Xavier Ybarra
See a future teammate in the mirror?
Two tracks to the top — through the field or through the office — and a company that promotes from within.