John W. Danforth Co., one of the largest mechanical contractors in the northeast, recently announced the promotion of three long-time team members to senior roles with the company. Jason Rudich was named executive vice president of estimating and preconstruction, Todd Follis was named senior vice president of operational risk management, and Rich DeLotto was named senior vice president of construction operations.
“Jason, Todd and Rich are exceptional professionals who have continuously played key roles in our success and established themselves as leaders across our operations,” said Danforth President and COO Patrick McParlane. “Throughout their careers at Danforth, they have each earned the trust and respect of our Executive team, their colleagues across our five offices, our customers and business partners, and our hundreds of dedicated team members in the field. They embody the professionalism and principles upon which Danforth was built nearly 140 years ago.”
Rudich has been with Danforth since starting as an intern in 1999. He has held a number of key management roles at the company, most recently serving as senior vice president of estimating. In his new role, Rudich oversees Danforth’s estimating, shop operations, and virtual design and construction (VDC) departments. He is responsible for meeting business development benchmarks, maximizing modular fabrication opportunities, and developing integrated execution strategies and tactics to create sustainable revenue for the company. Rudich will also work with the leaders of the estimating, shop operations and VDC departments to establish standardized procedures, methods and processes. Rudich earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Alfred State College.
Follis joined Danforth in 2004 and most recently served as vice president of pre-construction planning. As senior vice president of operational risk management, he is responsible for driving profitability through operational success and sustained growth, and mitigating risk through continual improvement. He focuses on direct job-based leadership, training and mentorship of team members across Danforth’s project management, field, shop, quality assurance-quality control and VDC operations. In addition, Follis oversees the implementation of and compliance with standard operating procedures. He has more than 27 years’ experience in the construction industry and earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and master’s degree from Niagara University.
Since joining Danforth as a project administrator in 2007, DeLotto has become one of the company’s most experienced operational leaders, most recently serving as vice president, operations. He is responsible for the overall execution and business results of Danforth’s construction operations group, leading a team of operations professionals and project executives across the company’s geographic footprint. DeLotto provides leadership, guidance and oversight on all key business and project-related issues and opportunities, and is responsible for providing accurate capacity and forecasting support to the executive team. He also works collaboratively with other members of the management team to identify opportunities to strengthen the company through training, implementation of best practices and the adoption of technology. DeLotto is a graduate of the State University of New York College at Brockport.
Founded in Buffalo in 1884, Danforth has more than 1,000 employees across a geographic footprint that includes operations in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany, New York, and Columbus, Ohio. The company works collaboratively with its union labor partners including the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Workers, and several other labor partners across many local union jurisdictions throughout the northeast and beyond. Danforth operates an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, giving the company’s workforce an ownership stake in the company.
