Brent Schafer is the president of Todd Construction, Inc. During his lengthy career, he has been involved in the construction of nearly 200 projects worth more than $2 billion. His experience, success and longevity in a tough industry give him an inside understanding of construction few others can claim.

Brent grew up in Douglas County, Oregon, graduated from Glide High School and worked his way through college as a logger. He attended Umpqua Community College and Oregon State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He joined Todd Construction as an estimator in 1985 and worked his way up, quickly advancing to Chief Estimator, then Vice President of Construction and Vice President/General Manager before becoming Company President in 2001.

His favorite quote, posted on the wall of the Company headquarters office, came from legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, who said: “We will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”

Ken Dixon, Vice President, is uncommon in that while beginning his career as a CPA for a worldwide accounting firm he is not the traditional “accountant type” but has the ability to stretch and apply his skills to many disciplines in the construction world. For instance, he heads up our Safety Committee and involves as many people as possible in adopting a culture of safety. He says, “Once people understand at the gut level that safety really does equal productivity, a fundamental shift in thinking and acting occurs that lifts the whole company.”

Ken oversees the financial processes required to keep a dynamic construction enterprise like Todd Construction on solid financial footing. His responsibilities include budgeting, investing, and cash flow forecasting as well as internal and external financial reporting, taxes and systems management. He is always looking for the next great innovation to make projects more transparent and increase communication.

Ken is a graduate of Oregon State University and holds a current CPA license.