Construction powerhouse Swinerton promotes president to CEO

Swinerton, a Bay Area commercial construction firm, has named a new CEO.

The Concord-based builder has appointed David Callis, now serving as president, to take over as CEO of Swinerton and its subsidiaries, including Swinerton Builders, the San Francisco Business Times reported.

Outgoing CEO Eric Foster is set to retire on Jan. 11, ending 42 years with the company.

Foster and Callis have worked towards a seamless transition since June of this year, according to the company. 

With offices in Concord, Oakland and San Francisco, the builder was ranked by the Business Times as the second largest general contractor in the Bay Area, with revenue last year of $864 million.

Swinerton was founded in San Francisco in 1888, when a young Swedish immigrant formed a brick masonry and contracting business to serve California’s post–Gold Rush building boom, according to its website.

It built the city’s Fairmont Hotel, Ghirardelli Square, Levi’s Plaza and the Gap Worldwide headquarters. The Fairmont’s pioneering steel-reinforced concrete survived the 1906 earthquake. The $5 billion company now has 21 offices from coast to coast. 

Swinerton’s recent portfolio includes such projects such as Mission Rock Parcel A, a 24-story apartment building in San Francisco’s Mission Bay; the One Steuart Lane condominium complex and the 203-unit affordable housing development at 921 Howard Street in SoMa.

The company also helped build the Oceanwide Center project at 50 First Street, a 2.1 million-square-foot mixed-use development that faced delays during the pandemic.

David Callis, based in Orange County according to his LinkedIn profile, has been with Swinerton since 2001, starting as a senior project manager. Over the years, he climbed the ranks, becoming senior vice president in 2017 and joining the board of directors the same year.

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Swinerton did not provide details about Callis’ specific location as CEO. However, the company maintains an office in Santa Ana. 

In his role as president, Callis focused on supporting Foster and overseeing the sustainable growth of the firm.

Foster, in a 2020 interview with the Business Times, outlined Swinerton’s ambitious 10-year vision, involving expansion into the mid-Atlantic and New England markets to solidify its national builder status.

— Dana Bartholomew