Jack R. Filanc
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Jack is an original founder of Filanc, formerly incorporated with three other partners as Weardco Construction. The business opened in 1952, with Jack as President. As a family business, Jack passed the baton to Peter Filanc as President in 1990. Another son, Mark, took over as President in 2007 and now serves as Chief Executive Officer. Many years and many projects later, Jack is still active in the business as Chairman of the Board, but also complementing the organization with time-honored wisdom in estimating, value engineering and field operations.
With his background in construction and consulting engineering, Jack has many projects under his belt that attest to his knowledge of the numerous facets of the building industry.
Jack has been retained by numerous engineering firms over the years to provide expert consultation in the areas of constructability and value engineering. He has performed these services extensively in California, Arizona and Nevada. Accordingly, he is familiar with working conditions throughout the Southwest.
Jack currently serves as National Director for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and is a member of the California Water Environment Association (CWEA).
Mark E. Filanc, PE, DBIA
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Mark Filanc holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering/Water from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering, specializing in Construction Management, from Stanford University. He has over 30 years of experience in water/wastewater design and construction, as well as extensive expertise in all areas of project management including: technical engineering, CPM scheduling, estimating, planning, safety, quality assurance/control, value engineering, groundwater evaluation and control, shoring systems, cost control, concrete design, formwork and falsework design, piping and mechanical installations, client relations, labor relations, jobsite organization, and resource allocation.
Mark is a registered professional engineer in the State of California and has been designated as a Design-Build Professional in Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) charter group for lifetime experience. This designation is intended to create an accepted and recognized educational standard for experienced, professional and knowledgeable practitioners who possess a qualified and quantified level of expertise in design-build project delivery.
An experienced negotiator, Mark has negotiated labor agreements for both Filanc and the Associated General Contractors (AGC) for over 20 years. He is past chairman and current member of DBIA’s Water Committee, President of the San Diego Chapter of AGC and an instructor at the national level for AGC’s Supervisory Training Program.
Mark was also on the 2008 Board of Directors of the Boy Scouts of America, Imperial Council and selected as a 2010 Silver Beaver Award recipient for his distinguished volunteer service with the Scouting program.
Harry S. Cosmos
President
Harry serves as Filanc’s President and has over thirty-three years of experience in the construction industry. He is the first non-Filanc family member to hold this position. Harry has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Civil Engineering as well as a Post Baccalaureate in Construction Engineering. He began his career at Filanc 22 years ago as a project engineer, advancing to project manager then project executive.
Filanc was an early adaptor of the design-build delivery method; Harry has worked on and managed 7 design-build projects since 1996 totaling over $210 million. As design-build lends itself to partnering, Harry leads all design and construction partnering efforts, which involves the project owner and design engineer at the earliest stages of the project. This process ensures delivery of the most sustainable, efficient, and cost effective project for the owner.
Harry also facilitates Filanc’s in-house mentoring program, Leadership Edge, which cultivates continued education, personal development, and building relationships while working within Filanc’s Core Values of Integrity, Respect, and Problem Solving.
Vincent L. Diaz
Vice President, Construction Operations
Vince has 38 years of industry experience and serves as Vice President of Construction Operations and is our most experienced senior project manager. Vince has been with Filanc for 23 years and started as a Project Engineer and Project Manager. In recent years, Vince has successfully completed two design-build projects totaling $74 million, one of which was a DBIA Regional Award winner. An active leader in the Design-Build Institute of American and Associated General Contractors of America, Vince brings his vast construction experience and exceptional leadership skills to each project he manages.
Vince oversees all field operations of the company, which involves: administering the quality assurance/quality control program, furnishing technical engineering and construction expertise to Filanc field personnel; coordination of construction equipment resources; staffing decisions; interfacing with project owners; overall responsibility for field safety; coordinating project CPM scheduling; reviewing project costs; and reporting the status of field operations to the President and Chairman. He personally leads all partnering efforts, which begin with preconstruction services and include assistance with city permitting and offering alternative design and construction options that are compatible with owner budgets. In addition to his role directing Filanc’s construction operations, Vince is involved as President Emeritus of Western Pacific Region, Design-Build Institute of America and is a Labor Negotiations Committee member of the Associated General Contractors of America.
Catherine B. Final
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Catherine is Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of J.R. Filanc Construction. She joined the company in 1987 as Controller and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 1992. She was promoted to Secretary in 2007. Catherine is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California. Prior to joining Filanc, Catherine performed audits for Deloitte (formerly Touche Ross). She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from San Diego State University. Catherine has served on the national board of directors of the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), and is past president of the San Diego Chapter. (Read More…)
She is an instructor for the Associated General Contractors of America’s Project Manager Training Program, and a guest lecturer at San Diego State University. Catherine has served as a mentor to small construction firms in the Associated General Contractors-City of San Diego Mentor Protégé Program. She is also a member of Vistage (formerly The Executive Committee).
David J. Kiess
Vice President and Director of Repair and Maintenance Division
David directs the Repair and Maintenance Division at J.R. Filanc Construction, which specializes in performing maintenance and completing upgrades and scheduled repairs under Annual Maintenance Agreements, small construction projects through Job Order Contracting (JOC) arrangements, and making emergency repairs for wastewater and water treatment plants and related facilities.
With over 29 years of experience at Filanc, David is able to help our clients solve problems efficiently and cost effectively. His role involves providing the planning, resources, and supervision for the Repair and Maintenance Division.
Additionally, he has participated in the civil and mechanical design and engineering of several major projects. Through innovative value-engineering ideas, he has saved owners of water and wastewater treatment plants hundreds of thousands of dollars during his tenure at J.R. Filanc Construction.
David is a member of CWEA (California Water Environment Association) and AWPCA (Arizona Water & Pollution Control Association).
Bob Zaiser
Chief Estimator
Bob began at J.R. Filanc Construction Company as a Senior Estimator and was promoted to the position of Chief Estimator. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. In 2009, he advanced to the Executive Team while still maintaining his duties as Chief Estimator. Prior to joining Filanc, he was the water group manager at ARB, Inc., for three years, responsible for managing the construction of multiple water and wastewater projects. He also completed earlier projects as project manager. Before working at ARB, Bob owned and managed his own company, JBI Water & Wastewater. He has been in the construction industry since 1981 and employed with J.R. Filanc Construction since 2006.
Bob’s responsibilities include overseeing and coordinating the estimating of water and wastewater projects including soliciting and evaluating subcontractors and equipment suppliers. His work includes analyzing value engineering options and conceptual estimates for all trades and major change orders on existing projects are evaluated, estimated and negotiated in conjunction with the project manager.
Norbert J. Schulz
Vice President, Marketing & Business Development
Norbert has 24 years of experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology/Geophysics and a Master of Science in Geological Oceanography and Business Administration.
His responsibilities include development and implementation of marketing and business development strategies, including fostering strategic business relationships, developing the company’s annual marketing plan, and providing overall leadership to the company’s marketing department.
Previous to Filanc, Norbert has years of experience providing high level environmental and engineering consulting services to industrial, commercial and governmental clients on their most complex projects. He led the successful start-up of an office in San Diego for Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc. (BBL), which was subsequently acquired by ARCADIS U.S, Inc. (ARCADIS). Prior to joining BBL, he was the interim manager of URS Corporation’s San Diego office, which consisted of 125 staff members offering environmental (hazardous waste related, NEPA/CEQA permitting and planning, geotechnical, construction management, transportation engineering, and water resources services.
Norbert has written numerous publications and presentations including “Environmental Services and Hazardous Waste Technologies” and “Environmental Risk Management Tools”, to name a few. He currently is a member of DBIA, CWEA and participates in the Navy Liaison Committee for AGC San Diego.
Gabriel M. Rico
Vice President of Corporate Relations
Gabe has been with Filanc since 1983, and in the construction industry since 1976. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
His responsibilities include development and implementation of marketing and business development strategies, including fostering strategic business relationships, developing the company’s annual marketing plan, and providing overall leadership to the company’s marketing department.
Previously Filanc’s Chief Estimator, Gabe continues to be involved in value engineering and constructability reviews on projects ranging in size from $1 million to $150 million. His efforts contribute to our clients’ reduced facility operation and maintenance costs, increased facility capacity, schedule expediting and cost savings.
Gabe is a member of numerous industry organizations which include AACE International (Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering), Associated General Contractors of America, Arizona Contractors Association (ACA) and California Water Environment Association (CWEA).
William J. Hanley IV, PE
Senior Project Manager
Bill is a seasoned Project Manager with 16 years industry experience and has completed many successful projects for Filanc since 2000. He is a California registered Professional Engineer and has also completed AGC of America’s Construction Project Manager Course. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Bill’s duties encompass complete project control including scheduling, negotiation, issuance of purchase orders and subcontracts, owner/client relations, value engineering, interfacing with design engineers and project safety.
Bill is actively involved as a Board Member of the Young Constructors Forum with the Associated General Contractors of America and is an American Society of Civil Engineers member.
