Executive Profile: Russ Lewton
Russ Lewton, senior vice president and construction manager for the Iowa division of The Weitz Co., recently sat down with Business Record reporter Todd Razor to discuss his role in the pre-construction phase of local projects. On a typical day, Lewton directly or indirectly oversees approximately 250 Weitz-employed field tradesmen in Greater Des Moines, in addition to about 1,000 subcontractors. He talked about various challenges facing the construction industry and how Weitz is improving communication among the key players on any given project through technological advances, such as building information modeling and lean construction techniques. Focusing on predictability, Lewton shares how a clearly defined plan with measurable results leads to safer working environments and more satisfied customers.