Greg Werner, senior vice president for national builder and developer Mortenson, has received the 2018 Spirit of Life Award for his service to City of Hope, a world-renowned research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other serious diseases. The annual award, the City of Hope’s highest honor, recognizes philanthropic leaders who make important contributions to their profession and to the communities in which they live and work.
Werner, an active member of the City of Hope Chicago Construction and Real Estate Council for more than a decade, was honored at the annual Chicago City of Hope gala on November 8. Werner also led the Chicago council’s 2018 City of Hope fundraising campaign, along with co-chairs Dan Johnson, Mortenson president and CEO, and Andy Stapleton, general manager of Mortenson’s Chicago office.
The Spirit of Life dinner raised $452,000, including an all-time record for the Fund-A-Need auction. The group has raised more than $12 million for City of Hope since its founding in 1992.
“Greg is a leader in both the construction industry and in his commitment to giving back to the community. He exemplifies professionalism, integrity and stewardship,” said Joe Cushing, president of the City of Hope Chicago Construction and Real Estate Council and executive vice president of Cushing & Co.
Werner’s community involvement is part of a long tradition of philanthropy at Mortenson, a private, family-owned business based in Minneapolis that has given 5 percent of annual pretax profits to its communities for more than 25 years.
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Greg for over two decades. His unwavering commitment to serve our customers and our communities with passion and energy have been hallmarks of his success as a business leader,” said David Mortenson, chairman of Mortenson.
Werner joined Mortenson’s Milwaukee office as a project engineer in 1990. He spent five years in San Francisco as construction executive before moving to Chicago to open a new office for Mortenson in 2000. He was promoted to senior vice president in 2016 and now oversees the company’s Chicago and Milwaukee offices. Werner holds a bachelor of science in construction management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to serving on the Chicago Construction and Real Estate Council for City of Hope, he is a board director of the Harper College Educational Foundation and Barrington Children’s Charities.
“I am honored and humbled to receive the Spirit of Life award. I’ve spent time at City of Hope’s medical and research campus, and I’ve seen first-hand how vital and life-changing the work is. I am proud to be able to support their mission through the Chicago construction council,” said Werner.
