Corporate VP, National Integration
Balfour Beatty Construction US
A respected expert in design-build, Dr. Konchar is passionate about emerging trends and technologies in collaborative, integrative and team-based solutions. With a love of learning, he is a leader and teacher, driving beyond what is currently being done to a better way – bridging gaps between teams and cultures to strive for what is possible.
Dr. Konchar leads Balfour Beatty Construction’s National Integration Group. He led the Washington division’s efforts in design-build, technology and collaboration prior to his recent promotion to corporate vice president. His talent and passion for team-based project solutions helped the firm acquire numerous design-build and design-assist projects. Now he builds teams for pursuits and promotes efforts across Balfour Beatty nationwide in the areas of integrated project delivery, design management, procurement, process efficiency and technology innovation.
Following years of research, Dr. Konchar joined Balfour Beatty in 1999 as an assistant superintendent on the design-build National Academies of Sciences’ headquarters project in Washington, D.C.
Following his experience in field operations, he gained hands-on cost estimating and project planning experience and established the Integrated Projects Group in 2003 to strengthen Balfour Beatty’s ability to lead both design and construction efforts by coordinating with clients, architecture and engineering firms and major contractor partners. He has also been instrumental in the firm’s efforts to secure public-private partnerships through Virginia’s Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act, with such projects earning both regional and national recognition from DBIA. Additionally, Dr. Konchar has led initiatives to increase the use of both integrated project delivery and building information modeling (BIM) across Balfour Beatty’s U.S. divisions.
Reflecting on what qualities Dr. Konchar as a leader in the industry, John Tarpey, North Region CEO of Balfour Beatty Construction, says, “Often in this industry, people just accept the status quo. Mark sees things that need to be changed in the industry and actively works to improve the way we do business.” In 2008, Dr. Konchar challenged the status quo by helping others learn about emerging technology in the construction business. He organized the company-sponsored “Integration 08” conference on integrated project delivery and BIM, in which more than 130 Balfour Beatty leaders and key business partners explored the dramatic improvements in productivity, profit opportunity, partnership and processes that BIM offers.
Outside of work he coaches and plays ice hockey, does a lot of water-skiing and enjoys spending time with his wife and young family.
Education
Ph.D., Architectural Engineering, Construction Management, Penn State – 1997
Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, Construction Management, Penn State – 1994
Associations
Board of Directors, DBIA Mid-Atlantic Region
Guest lecturer, Department of Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
Co-founder, Project Delivery Institute [an organization that develops educational materials to help facility owners and project team members understand how to better deliver facilities]
Recognition
2009: Building Design+Construction magazine named Konchar a top A/E/C industry leader in its “40-Under-40” list
Publications and Research
Author of 10+ published articles/ reports; co-author of book “Selecting Project Delivery Systems”
Research projects have included:
- Defining Excellence in U.S. Construction Companies
- An Implementation Tool for Selecting Project Delivery Systems
- A Comparison of United States Project Delivery Systems