May 2014 – Inver Grove Heights, Minn. – A strategic, carefully executed 10-year ownership transition is nearly complete at Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates. Longtime KOMA employees and owners Marc DuBois, Steve Iaria, Mike Lisowski, Cindy Nagel, Brian Riley and Matt Van Hoof have played a central role in the company’s leadership and management for much of the past decade, and will continue to spearhead the strategic direction of the company.
Two of the firm’s founders, Jim Krech and Brady Mueller, will also remain highly involved and were the impetus behind the transition. Founding members Brian Wass and Dan O’Brien are no longer with the firm, with Wass leaving in 2004 and O’Brien retiring in 2012.
DuBois, Iaria, Lisowski, Nagel, Riley and Van Hoof are familiar faces to those who know the firm, as each has been with KOMA for many years. Lisowski tops the list with 19 years of service at the firm, with Nagel at 17, Riley at 15, Iaria and Van Hoof at 13, and DuBois at 12 years.
DuBois, principal architect at KOMA, said, “We’re tremendously excited about the future for KOMA and our clients. This is a place that is near and dear to our hearts. Each and every one of us resonates strongly with the company values and mission, and with its focus of establishing collaborative, partnership-based connections with clients. We’re committed to continue building on the exceptional foundation established by the founders.”
Lisowski, principal engineer, added, “KOMA has always been about building lasting, trust-based relationships. That won’t change. We expect to continue building close relationships, listening carefully and delivering thoughtful creativity and disciplined execution on each and every project.”
Krech, founding partner and lead structural engineer for 29 years, said, “We’re absolutely thrilled with how this transition has gone and with how the next generation of owners have assumed significant company leadership roles. They’ve each over the years steadily and reliably shown their commitment to our company values, culture, mission and vision. As employees, as leaders and as people, they represent the very best of what we are as a company.”
The company plans to highlight the new owners in the coming months, with an eye toward furthering relationships between clients and the company’s leadership team.