Leadership
At The Korte Company, innovation and collaboration drive the development of our company and the success of every project we take on. Since 1958, we’ve built our company on the strength of a forward-thinking team and mastery of the latest construction methods. Today, our tradition of building smart is alive and well. We’re guided by an innovative, experienced team that keeps The Korte Company at the forefront of construction and design.
Master of Business Administration, Washington University
Bachelor of Science — Construction Science, Kansas State University
As The Korte Company's Executive Chairman, Todd Korte is responsible for the overall production, marketing and control of The Korte Company as well as the firm’s extensive research and development efforts. He ensures clients receive the utmost attention from The Korte Company’s Design, Preconstruction, Project Management, Quality Assurance and Safety teams.
With more than 31 years of experience in the construction industry, Todd has performed a variety of duties throughout his career, including Project Engineer, Estimator, Special Services Team member, Project Manager, Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer. He has dedicated himself to the advancement of The Korte Company as a leading design-build construction firm and in doing so has successfully delivered more than $300 Million in construction volume.
Bachelor of Science — Construction Science, Kansas State University
DBIA Certified Professional
LEED Accredited Professional
Certified Professional Constructor, American Institute of Constructors
In his role as President & CEO, Brent Korte leads The Korte Company’s daily operations including Project Management and Business Development. Brent is responsible for project directives from concept to completion and assumes responsibility for both office and field-based team members. He maintains consistent communication with all team members and is accountable to owners and to The Korte Company. Ultimate responsibility for the quality of services lies in his hands.
Brent Korte has been part of The Korte Company for 26 years and has nearly 28 years of valuable construction experience. Prior to serving as President & CEO, Brent Korte has served The Korte Company as Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President of Construction, Project Executive, Project Manager, Project Superintendent and as a member of the Quality Assurance Team.
Bachelor of Science — Applied Communication Studies, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville
As Corporate Recruiter, Elizabeth manages the full life cycle recruiting process. She is responsible for the overall administration and execution of company-wide recruiting efforts.
She also hosts information sessions to represent The Korte Company at career fairs and community events, fosters relationships with colleges, high schools and other organizations to network with entry-level talent, and sources interns through university career centers, faculty members, classroom and student organization presentations.
Elizabeth joined The Korte Company in July of 2022. She takes pride in her hands-on approach and commitment to our candidates’ experience.
Bachelor of Science — Accountancy, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Certified Public Accountant
Susan Bowman is responsible for the financial functions of The Korte Company and oversees the accounting department. Her responsibilities include managing The Korte Company’s accounts payable, accounts receivable, job cost, payroll, cash management and fixed asset management accounting functions. Her additional financial duties include expense review, subcontract execution, bank reconciliations, general ledger review and account analysis, budgeting, and financial statement preparation.
Susan has more than 32 years of experience in the accounting industry, with 30 of them spent in the construction industry. She received her Certified Public Accountant qualification immediately after graduating from college in 1983 and began her career at one of the ‘big eight’ national accounting firms.
Throughout the years, Susan has served in a variety of roles, including Accounting Clerk, Staff Accountant and Senior Accountant. She has dedicated herself to the accuracy and integrity of The Korte Company’s financial reporting.
Susan is the Treasurer of the Ralph and Donna Korte Family Charitable Fund and currently holds the role of Treasurer on both the Faith Countryside and Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois boards.
Bachelor of Science — Construction Management, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
As Executive Vice President of Procurement, Derek is ultimately responsible for managing New Business Development as well as directing Preconstruction activities. Derek began his career at The Korte Company in 2000 as a Project Engineer. He was also a Project Executive with a primary focus on the Department of Defense sector. Additionally, Derek was an integral member of the company’s Preconstruction and Project Management Teams.
MBA — Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College
Master of Architecture— Washington University
DBIA Certified Professional
LEED Accredited Professional Building Design + Construction
(NCARB) National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
Brandon Burd is the Vice President of Corporate Strategy at The Korte Company. He earned a Master of Architecture from Washington University in 2008 and an MBA from Dartmouth in 2014. He has been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2009.
With more than 12 years’ experience in architectural design, Brandon's primary role is focused on new business development. Previously, Brandon served as the Director of Business Development. Additionally, he is an integral member of the company’s design team, and is responsible for assisting in building and site design, code analysis, consultant coordination, and specification writing.
Brandon is responsible for all lifecycle cost analyses and financial modeling in support of design decisions. He also coordinates LEED activities for both the design and construction of green projects.
Master of Business Administration, Washington University
Bachelor of Science — Oceanographic Technology, Florida Institute of Technology
As Chief Marketing Office, Todd Imming is responsible for the development and implementation of all communications efforts as well as the formulation of new business strategies across all target areas. He is also responsible for ads, portfolios, internet applications, public relations, direct mail and sales support materials for existing and new business initiatives. He joined the company in 2004.
Prior to joining The Korte Company, Imming held advertising positions at Artex International and The Puckett Group. His interest in marketing and advertising began during an internship with Expanded Metals in Hartlepool, England.
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration/Management Information Systems - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Barry is responsible for The Korte Company's research and development activities. His team oversees The Korte Company's technological reach and helps align technology investments with company strategy.
Barry joined The Korte Company as IT Director in 2012. Prior to joining the company, Barry's 30-plus years of IT experience spanned many industries including food & beverage (Anheuser-Busch, Hazelwood Farms), insurance (Genelco, AllScripts), telecom (Southwestern Bell) and manufacturing (Basler Electric).
Bachelor of Science — Construction Science, Kansas State University
As President of the Las Vegas Division, Greg Korte is responsible for the overall operations of the Las Vegas offices. He's worked in Las Vegas since 1987, giving Greg an intimate knowledge of the area’s construction market, specifically the Valley’s construction subcontracting and material vending communities. Greg stays abreast of each project, frequenting coordination meetings from the design and conceptual stages through completion.
Greg makes it a point to be available to any client, subcontractor, vendor or architect who may feel the need to elevate important issues to a higher level. Greg’s proven commitment to client satisfaction and ethical business practices gives The Korte Company’s Las Vegas clients peace of mind that they’re in good hands.
Bachelor of Science — Civil Engineering - Construction Management, University of Illinois
DBIA Certified Professional
Certified Professional Constructor, American Institute of Constructors
Licensed Contractor — 16 states
Jay Korte is the Director of Client Relations with 30 years of experience in the construction industry along with a comprehensive understanding of the building process. He possesses a proven ability to successfully manage projects from concept through completion and is able to define the parameters of any given project to help owners better identify and assess their building needs.
As Jay knows, every project is unique. Regardless of size or scope, each has its own set of challenges that must be analyzed and addressed. Jay’s expertise in guiding owners through this sometimes complex decision process has provided our clients with a solid decision-making strategy and helped them choose the most efficient project delivery method as well as optimize cost and schedule targets.
Kevin develops and manages The Korte Company’s Safety Program, implementing safety procedures, tracking job site incidents and leading educational seminars. In his role, he monitors OSHA requirements and visits active job sites frequently to ensure that The Korte Company is compliant at all times.
Kevin joined The Korte Company’s quality assurance team in 1989 before assuming safety director roles on key projects in the early 1990s (including General Tire in Mt. Vernon, Illinois and NASA in Hunstville, Alabama). He holds Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) and Safety Management Specialist (SMS) certifications.
Kevin has held leadership posts across numerous construction health and safety organizations, including as Vice President and President of the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental and Safety Technologists (CHEST). A proud military veteran, Kevin served in the U.S. Air Force from 1980 to 1988.
Bachelor of Business Administration, Lindenwood University
Master of Business Administration, Lindenwood University
As Director of Preconstruction for Department of Defense projects, Andy leads a team of estimators and schedulers who conduct market research, subcontractor and supplier prequalification, quantity surveys, scope of work delineation, cost estimating, schedule development, value engineering and procurement.
He also manages supplier and contractor relations and monitors costs and schedules after projects move into the construction phase.
Andy joined The Korte Company in 2004 and has devoted his entire tenure to preconstruction. His successful track record includes at least 18 U.S. Department of Defense construction projects.
Bachelor of Science — Architecture, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Associate of Applied Science — Architecture, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
NCARB Certified
DBIA Certified Professional
LEED Accredited Professional BD+C
Member AIA Registered Project Architect: IL, MO, AL, CO, CT, FL, IN, KS, LA, MD, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OR, PA, TX, WA, and WI.
As Managing Principal, Darlene Rutkowski-Hanks oversees all design and management aspects of the three offices located in St. Louis, Missouri; Highland, Illinois and Las Vegas, Nevada. Her primary focus is business development, contract negotiation, schematic design, team management and technology advancement.
Darlene has more than 27 years of experience in the architectural field. She has successfully managed complex design on numerous project types throughout the United States, including warehouses and distribution centers, governmental facilities, child care facilities, recreational facilities, apartments, dormitories, senior living centers, health care facilities, banks, commercial businesses, and churches.
Associate of Science — Industrial Mechanics, Southwestern Illinois College
Bachelor of Science — Industrial Engineering (Construction Management), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Tom heads up the Quality Control Department at The Korte Company. Our quality assurance team’s sole responsibility is to protect the project and owner. They are on-site engaging with every project long before shovels hit the dirt. During pre-job meetings, they review designs for quality control and constructibility. If there’s any changes whatsoever, this team makes certain it’s constructable.
Tom joined The Korte Company in 2006. Since then, he has been an estimator, a project engineer and a project superintendent on a wide array of projects in the defense, industrial, commercial and education markets.
Tom previously owned his own construction company and has worked as a heavy equipment operator, crane operator and millwright.
Bachelor of Science — Construction Science, Kansas State University
Mike leads a team responsible for a wide range of preconstruction activities including conducting due diligence, estimating and scheduling, buyout and contracting, value engineering, and cost and schedule monitoring.
He joined The Korte Company in 1989 and has devoted his entire tenure to estimating and value engineering. His extensive project resume includes over 70 successful deliveries spanning the distribution center, healthcare and defense markets.
Mike is a Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) Certified Professional.
Architectural Studies, Washington University
DBIA Certified Professional
As Executive Vice President of Business Development, Mike Tubbs has responsibility for project pursuits, team selection, and proposal generation for all pursuits.
Mike has served The Korte Company for more than three decades with over 100 successful projects in his career with Korte. His previous roles with a design firm, Korte Design, Operations, and Project Management provides valuable insight as a Project Executive of Processing and Distribution Centers and Design-Build projects throughout the country. He is responsible for leading the team through all stages of a project’s lifecycle.
His collaborative efforts lead the business development, preconstruction, project management and field teams to ensure projects are completed within schedule and budget constraints. Additionally, Mike is responsible for managing all contractual and financial aspects of a project and is accountable to both the Owner and The Korte Company.
Bachelor of Science — Construction Management, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
As Vice President of Operations, Tyler supports the Operations Team and direct the company’s Field and Safety Teams. Tyler was also a Project Executive heading up the Distribution Center teams and has also held numerous Project Manager roles on various construction projects since joining The Korte Company in 2006. He has been an instrumental part of almost three dozen key distribution center projects, but his resume also includes successful deliveries in the healthcare, defense, commercial and education markets.
Bachelor of Science — Architectural Studies, Southern Illinois University
In his role as Healthcare Director, Anthony is responsible for identifying and pursuing healthcare design and construction opportunities. He is also instrumental to the success of ongoing healthcare construction projects, working closely with owners, designers and construction teams to ensure all project standards are met and goals are achieved.
Anthony joined The Korte Company in 1998, and since then has developed an exceptionally intimate knowledge of healthcare construction and the relationship between our healthcare system and the federal government.
In addition to a long track record of successful healthcare deliveries, Anthony has experience in the defense, distribution center, industrial and retail markets. He is a Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) Designated Professional, a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and holds an American Hospital Association healthcare construction certificate.