Gordon Lansford will share his philosophy with anyone who will listen: put people before anything. Families first. Employees first. As the first non-Dunn family member to lead the company as President and CEO in the company’s 100-year history, Lansford has worked to honor the deep history, values, and strengths of JE Dunn while looking to the future.
“If we have the best people and take care of them and their families, everything else will work out well,” Lansford said.
Lansford has been with the company for 28 years, serving as Chief Financial Officer from 1998-2013. During his tenure at JE Dunn, Lansford helped implement the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, shifting JE Dunn from being family owned to family and employee owned. The company has always been committed to sharing any success with all employees, and the employee ownership culture directly represents that.
“My focus has been on maintaining the values that the Dunn family did such an amazing job of establishing, while driving profitable growth,” he said. “I love the work we do, building buildings that last for generations. The work is fun, exciting, and challenging, with a beautiful and tangible product at the end.”
As JE Dunn has grown to more than 4,000 employees and 26 office locations across the country, Lansford is proud of the people who make JE Dunn such a great company.
“I’m proud of our people and how smart and dedicated they are. I’m proud of how they love and support each other and work to make our communities better,” Lansford said. “Reaching the Centennial is such a huge milestone. I give so much credit to the three generations of the Dunn family that got us here and built such a unique place. This company has come so far and has grown so much while maintaining those initial values. I am humbled by the realization that we are setting the stage for the next 100 years.”