1 December 2014

It is with mixed feelings that I announce the retirement of one of our esteemed Pankow leaders. Rik Kunnath has shared a very special and impactful 35 year career with the Company and he has decided that the time has come to retire.

Rik joined Pankow in 1979 and began his career as Sponsor / Superintendent on the Windward Mall project in Oahu. He progressively gained responsible leadership positions and relocated to Northern California where he became a Regional Vice President. He has led our company as Executive Vice President, Chief Executive Officer and is currently Executive Chairman of the Board.

Rik has been the driving force leading Pankow through the transition from a sole proprietorship in 2004 to our current professional management structure. He has been an active participant and leader in many of the company’s most formative changes including starting our special projects division, the founding of Mid State Precast, diversifying us into public sector work, our progressive and transparent compensation and performance structure, our profit sharing plan, and the reorganization of Pankow’s Board of Directors.

In addition to his work at Pankow, Rik has been a true leader in the construction industry. In 1993, he was among a handful of practitioners that founded the Design-Build Institute of America in Washington, DC. He served as its National Chairman in 1995 and President of its Design Build Education and Research Foundation and is the former President of the Foundation for Integrated Services. Rik has also received numerous awards and recognitions from the industry. He was named Engineering Alumnus of the Year by his alma mater, the University of Detroit Mercy, College of Engineering and Science. He is a City of Hope Spirit of Life Honoree, an ENR Top 25 Newsmaker Award recipient and received an Achievement Award from the Building Industry Conference Board of the Bay Area for his contributions.

More recently, Rik has been extremely impactful in his leadership role as the President of the Charles Pankow Foundation. He will continue to fulfill this role following his retirement from the Company. During his decade long tenure, the Foundation has become a nationally recognized leader in research within our industry; something Charles Pankow would view with exceptional pride.

While Rik will continue his role as chairman on the company’s board of directors, he concludes a great career that has made an impression on all of us. Rik Kunnath has contributed thirty five years of experience to this company, and his achievements will never be forgotten. He has personally served as a mentor to me throughout my career. He was my first Superintendent at Windward Mall, talked me into coming back to the Company in 1995, supported me as I became leader of our Bay Area office in 2004 and showed faith in my ability to replace him as CEO two years ago. In short, I owe my Pankow career to his encouragement and leadership. Please join me in thanking Rik for his leadership and contributions as we wish him the best in the next steps of his journey.

Thank you Rik!

With Gratitude,

Kim Lum
President and CEO