After 45 years of dedicated leadership, Mike Faron will transition out of his role as chairman of W.E. O’Neil Construction Company’s Chicago office on December 31. John Russell will continue to lead the firm as president.
Established in 1925, W.E. O’Neil Construction Company has flourished into an award-winning and nationally ranked industry leader. The firm has completed a multitude of projects including Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain, Block 37, and the LondonHouse luxury hotel. Since 1973, Faron has been an integral part of the firm’s success. Starting as a superintendent and project manager, Faron rose steadily through the firm’s ranks until being named president in 1989 and promoted to chairman of the Chicago office in 2008.
“I feel deeply fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from so many talented and dedicated colleagues during my long tenure at W.E. O’Neil,” said Faron. “I have watched this company and its leadership team grow tremendously over the past four decades, and I am confident that with John Russell at the helm, we are well positioned to continue on this same positive trajectory for years to come.”
Russell, who joined W.E. O’Neil in 1982, has held numerous positions with the company and was named president in 2008 as part of a multi-year transition plan. He has worked alongside Faron over the last several years to build out the firm’s current management team and led initiatives to invest in leading technologies that assure the firm keeps pace with top industry innovations and evolving customer needs.
“Mike has been an enormous part of W.E. O’Neil. Because of Mike’s incredible leadership and service to our firm, we have enjoyed many years of success, and as a result, we expect to work from a position of strength as we look ahead into next year,” said Russell. “W.E. O’Neil has been in business for 93 years. This transition marks the official kicking off for ‘The Next 93,’ to set the standard for our next generation of growth and opportunity for the company and our customers.”
