Chris Conrad
Vice President - Preconstruction Elford
Chris Conrad is Vice President of Preconstruction for Elford, Inc., headquartered in Central Ohio with regional offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Cleveland, Ohio. In this role, Chris provides firmwide leadership for Elford’s preconstruction vision and strategy, focused on cultivating strong teams and delivering predictable, trustworthy outcomes for clients.
Chris joined Elford in 2009 as a college intern while attending The Ohio State University and has since gained deep experience across both the preconstruction and operations sides of the business. Today, he guides the planning, coordination, and execution of Elford’s preconstruction process, partnering closely with clients, design teams, and stakeholders to drive early alignment, informed decision-making, and project success. Chris has played a key leadership role on complex projects for clients including the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Anduril Industries, Battelle Memorial Institute, COSI, and The Ohio State University, along with numerous developer, municipal, and corporate partners across all major commercial market sectors.
In addition to leading preconstruction efforts, Chris also serves as Elford’s Project Executive for the New Midfield Terminal at John Glenn International Airport. As part of the project’s executive leadership team, he provides strategic direction and support to a fully integrated Elford and Hensel Phelps team delivering Central Ohio’s most significant aviation project.
Seminars
- Evaluating the best time to assess preconstruction risk: Before or during projects?
- Creating a checklist of risk factors to account for across the preconstruction value chain and within contracts for use across different project type
- Discussing the risk factors commonly missed and how you can create a feedback loop between teams to support organizational learning
- Empowering and motivating junior professionals to want to progress in their careers: How do we reward those with ambition and promote brand loyalty?
- Identifying individuals with skills and high potential to advance through the department and creating accelerated development plans for each individual
- Developing the soft skills required to communicate with different project partners effectively and support stakeholder management
