Chicago, IL – May 10, 2022 – Clune Construction (Clune) is proud to continue its long-standing tradition of promoting from within by announcing the promotion of four of its talented professionals in its Washington, DC office to executive-level positions.

Conor Brandquist, Eoin Somerville, Jake Backover, and Nicole Waldrop received promotions in recognition of their significant contributions to Clune and the important role they play in the company’s future growth.

“Each of these individuals have dedicated their careers to Clune Construction and servicing our amazing clients. The company and those we serve have benefitted tremendously from their contributions,” said Dave Hall, CEO of Clune Construction. “I am proud to see them all continue to rise through the ranks, as we continue our traditions of employee ownership and promoting from within.”

Conor Brandquist has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Project Executive. Brandquist has 14 years of construction industry experience. He has established himself as an effective leader, playing a major role in developing Clune’s DC office. Brandquist is also responsible for developing some of Clune’s largest national accounts and maintains very strong client relationships. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from Radford University. Brandquist is also affiliated with many area organizations including DCBIA, Washington Building Congress and Kids Enjoy Exercise Now.

Eoin Somerville has been promoted to Vice President, Senior Project Manager, Team Leader. When Somerville joined Clune’s DC office, after relocating from Ireland, Clune was still relatively new to the area, and he helped the team establish the Clune name in a new market. Throughout his 10 plus years with Clune, Somerville has worked his way up to become a leader and officer of the company. Somerville is known for treating each job as though he is building it for himself. He instills that same attitude in all of his team members. Somerville studied Construction Economics and Management in Ireland. He was also part of a pilot Leadership program at Clune that consisted of two years of intensive training, and is an active member of the CoreNet Mid-Atlantic Group.

Jake Backover has been promoted to Vice President, Senior Project Manager, Team Leader. Backover joined Clune in 2012, as a Superintendent, but he quickly moved to the project management side. He has spent the last 10 years 10 years working hard to help build relationships and grow Clune’s client base. Backover is known for his honesty and ability to build consensus among teammates and work towards a common goal. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University. Backover is very actively involved in the DC construction industry and in his community as a part of DCBIA, Washington Building Congress, Boulder Crest Foundation, and a member of Mount Saint Mary’s Rugby Alumni Association.

Nicole Waldrop has been promoted to Vice President, Regional Controller. When Waldrop joined Clune as its Regional Controller in 2016, she had already worked as an Accounting Manager for another area construction firm. There she oversaw a staff of 10 administrative and project accountants, and the day-to-day functions of four satellite offices. This experience gave her the knowledge she needed to build a department at Clune. Because the DC office didn’t yet have their own accounting department at the time, Waldrop was tasked with developing processes and systems, integrating with the company nationally, and building an accounting team. Over the last six years, Waldrop has streamlined her department’s functionalities and manages three additional team members.

“There is nothing more rewarding then seeing our hard-working and talented team members become officers of the company,” said Tony Giachinta, Clune’s President of the Mid-Atlantic Region. “I am thrilled to congratulate Connor, Eoin, Jake and Nicole on this accomplishment and am excited to continue to work with them in these new roles.”

Clune is proud of its culture of promoting from within. Several Managing Directors and Officers started with the company as interns and the average tenure of a Managing Director is 17 years. Additionally, 20 percent of Clune’s employees have been with the company for more than 10 years. This culture has also contributed to Clune’s consistent placement nationally in numerous “Best Places to Work” rankings.