Burns & McDonnell Names Matt Ralston General Manager of Construction

Posted September 23, 2026

Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell has named Matt Ralston general manager of construction.

Ralston has been with Burns & McDonnell for nearly 26.5 years, starting his career there as an assistant project manager.

“The pace of change is accelerating in the construction industry,” Ralston said in a release. “And so are the challenges. I feel honored and humbled to be in a position to face those challenges head on and empower our amazing team to continue to deliver construction solutions to our clients and the industry as a whole.”

He has held several leadership positions during his tenure, including vice president and director of procurement, and vice president of construction operations. Most recently, senior vice president of construction operations, where he led over 1600 construction professionals nationwide across several fields.

In 2025, Burns & McDonnell had $4.53 billion in construction revenue, according to the release.

“Matt is well suited to lead us through one of the most dynamic moments in modern construction history. With experience spanning construction projects in the power generation, refining, aviation facilities and electrical utility industries, and his time in the field, he knows the work we do and what it takes to deliver safe, successful projects.”

Last month, Burns & McDonnell promoted Jamey Bertram to general manager of its Americas North Region.

Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is a wholly employee-owned construction firm with more than 75 offices around the world. The firm has more than 4,000 local employees — with over 1,000 local engineers — and over 12,000 employees firm-wide.

Burns & McDonnell ranked No.1 in Top Area Engineering Firms, ranked by total area/HQ office billings, as featured in the Ingram’s Power Book 2026 edition. It also placed No. 2 in Top Area General Contractors and No. 3 in Top Area Architectural Firms.