THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Our team’s experience provides a wealth of knowledge in all areas of residential and commercial construction, which adds value to the communities we serve with improved and well-built buildings and exceptional satisfaction among both clients and employees. 

Butch Glispie

President

Butch leads the Pono team and is involved in every project from design to construction completion. Driven by a passion for teamwork, he constantly communicates with the owner, design team, sub-contractors, and Pono staff so projects benefit from the best knowledge and insights. Butch has been instrumental in the success of construction projects at Grand Canyon University, which include:


  • STEM Classroom Building - 22.5M, 150,000sf - Classrooms, Lecture Halls, Science & Engineering Labs
  • Office Building - 4M, 325,000sf - Four story building containing offices, computer labs, Break rooms and conference rooms
  • Soccer Stadium - 6.2M, 3031 Seat Stadium
  • College of Arts & Sciences - 12.5M 84,000sf of classrooms, offices, science & nursing labs
  • College of Education Classroom Building - 5.3M, 30,000sf. Smart classrooms and offices
  • Agave Apartments - 25M, 242,000sf across six stories of 3 and 4 bedroom apartments. Lobbies, lounges and meeting spaces throughout
  • Engineering Building - 28M, 173,000sf of Classroom, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Labs, Staff Offices
  • Parking Garage - 20M, 800,000sf. Five level, 2,461 space garage with masonry accents
  • Sedona Hall - 12.2M, 140,000sf. A five-story dorm building with offices in the first floor level



Amber Glispie

Vice President

Amber has contributed to projects ranging from sports facilities to multifamily projects, including six apartment buildings, a cadaver lab renovation, Engineering Building, and a STEM classroom building.


Amber's responsiveness and creativity in finding the best possible solution comes out early and often. She intuitively reads situations and people and negotiates a way for all parties to get their needs met while always striving for the best possible solution for the project.

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  • Skills & Technical Certifications
  • Licensed attorney in New York, New Jersey, and Arizona.
  • Juris Doctorate, Hoffstra University.
  • Masters in Public Administration, Grand Canyon University.

Eric Wall

Director of Finance

Eric handles all financial and administrative aspects of project management from billing and pay applications, subcontractor lien
releases, and ensuring prompt payment of all vendors and subcontractors.


On Grand Canyon University's campus, Eric was involved in: 31st Ave Parking Garage, Antelope, Sonora, Palo Verde Apartments, College of Business Classroom, Club Sports Facility.


At a prior firm, Eric's experience includes the joint-venture, master-planned, residential community Inspirada, in Las Vegas.

Diligence and near obsessive attention to detail has contributed to his success. In addition, he has strong and open communication skills.


Eric always strives to first understand what is needed for the task at hand, asking as many questions of the other party as it takes to fully understand their position and needs. Eric works cooperatively with all of the project team to assist in completing the project on time and efficiently closed out.

Julie Willcox

Director of Construction

Oversees all aspects of the construction process. Julie interfaces with owners, design team, subcontractors and trade partners to make crucial decisions that will impact the project's ultimate success. Julie oversees projects that range from very small demo projects up to the largest project valued at over $40M.


Julie excels at the technical and minute details that impact the project in a big way. Julie relentlessly pursues excellence in project delivery, especially when given the opportunity to provide input on the design through either design assist, constructability reviews, and/or design-build contracts.

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Julie is quick to respond to the needs of the client, proactive in her approach, and innately focused on a successful end result


Randy Blackwell

General Superintendent

Randy uses his extensive background in construction as we move into educating the future superintendents at Pono. Randy is motivated by production and is astute at determining a project’s needs in collaboration with the rest of the team. Randy came up in the industry with a wood framing background which lends greatly to his extensive knowledge of multi-family structures. Randy’s background in construction coupled with his military service have grown his quality leadership skills, which allow him to be a superior mentor to the next generation. 


His readiness to handle all jobsite emergencies and conflicts contributes to the success of each project. Randy is creative in his approach to problem solving and unmatched in his attention to detail. Throughout his 30 plus years of experience Randy has worked on a multitude of projects lending to his resourcefulness and commitment to providing a quality final product.

Don Carey

General Manager

Don carries a particular set of hard and soft skills that uniquely qualify him to be such a successful general manager. Whether written or verbal, his communication skills are instinctively helpful in all situations. Don’s natural ability to lead the team with respect and motivation bring a special level of detail and perspective to Pono’s executive team. Don’s military service provide a strong foundation in organization, time management skills, and the ability to delegate tasks to those members most capable of successful completion. Each project presents challenges with site as well as personnel. Don is quick to recognize those challenges and proactively mitigate any potential negative impacts. 

Rick Johnson

General Superintendent

Rick has been in the industry for many years, which shows in his relationships and experience. The respect that others have for Rick, and his ability to handle conflicts amicably, is well known by anyone he has worked with. Rick came up in the industry through wood framing and has grown his knowledge of all things commercial construction along the way. He understands the importance of well managed site logistics and coordination of subcontractors.

 

From start to finish Rick remains detail oriented in order to provide a polished final product for all our clients.

THE PATHWAY TO SUCCESS

Construction projects often take months and even years to move from design concept to ribbon cutting. The earlier Pono’s team is involved in the project, the higher impact we have on the end result, which means better project outcomes, especially schedule, budget, and quality. Our team focuses on what each project needs to be successful, whether that means aggressively overcoming schedule challenges or bringing innovative-- and efficient—design ideas that meet the construction budget. 

A PARTNER YOU CAN TRUST

You have a lot riding on who you select for your next construction project. Schedules to meet. Budgets to manage. Stakeholders to satisfy. You’re spending thousands, if not millions, of dollars, all on the promise to perform. When selecting a construction firm, go with a team of trusted professionals who have track record of proven performance. With Pono Construction, past performance is an indicator of future success.