Don Greenwood
Leadership and excellence in developing a world-class design-build organization
Inducted: 2015
Don Greenwood is a trailblazer. It was his under his steady – and determined – hand that Don led the transformation of a more than 100-year-old engineering firm into one of the nation’s leading design-build firms.
There are many, many reasons for Don’s success but perhaps the key to all he has accomplished is found in his favorite word – accountability. He holds himself accountable for his own actions and preaches it nonstop to those around him.
Don began his journey in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1952. His love of math and science helped him discover a major at Iowa State University that put them both into action – engineering. An internship at a construction company sparked Don’s passion for building where he learned how it intersects beautifully with engineering. Don graduated in 1976 with a degree in civil engineering and joined a small, local construction company where he spent more than a decade experiencing all critical aspects of managing a successful construction project.
Don joined Burns & McDonnell in 1994 as the first construction division employee and vice president of the Construction Group. In 2001, he became president of the group, and was named to the board of directors in 2005. Under Don’s leadership, the group has grown to more than 943 employee-owners.
Don is an Iowa State University Foundation Governor and in 2003 received the Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering from the College of Engineering. Don and his wife Sharon established the Greenwood Chair in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering to promote the university’s world-class program and ensure the success of future engineers.