MATT Construction Corp.

After military service in the U.S. Army and a short career in construction at George M. Brewster, Al Matt came up through the ranks of Big 8 accounting firm Arthur Young, and proceeded on to work internally for two Fortune 500 companies. During his accounting career, he worked on everything from audits to merger/acquisitions and new business operations.

His position with W.R. Grace brought him across country to California, where he transitioned to accounting positions within the oil industry for the next 13 years.

In 1988, Al joined his brother, Paul and nephew, Steve, at CL Peck /Jones, becoming that company’s CFO. When the opportunity presented itself in 1991, Al joined with Paul and Steve to found MATT Construction Corporation.

Al holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in accounting from the University of Ottawa.

Bart Shively attended Purdue University in Indiana, originally planning to major in construction management. Instead, he pursued a degree in civil engineering, a field that gave him a broadly applicable framework for analyzing and solving problems. He also earned an MBA from California State University, Long Beach, where he focused on business management and marketing.

Before joining MATT in 2003, Bart worked for a Colorado firm, as well as for J.A. Jones, an international conglomerate with annual earnings of about $5 billion. There he was one of a select group who were given the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through a year-long leadership training program. That experience taught him that management and leadership are not necessarily one and the same thing, and helped him to become the inspirational leader that he is at MATT. Bart’s construction experience includes a broad range of project types, including high rise hotels, hospitals, commercial buildings, museums and other cultural facilities.

Cheech Huang has been with MATT Construction for 18 years. After three consecutive summer internships with MATT, Cheech was offered a full-time position in 2005 and has progressed through the ranks from there.

Throughout his time at MATT, Cheech has overseen a variety of unique and challenging projects, specializing in the hospitality, higher-education and non-profit markets. Cheech is well-respected by partners and clients alike, and his ability to drive and implement innovation makes him stand out as a strategic leader in the industry. Ambitious in his approach and supportive of change and development, Cheech is a key participant in MATT’s leadership future.

Cheech has a BA from Purdue University in Construction Engineering and Management.

Faron Van Dissel began his journey in construction with a degree in construction management from Cal State University, Long Beach. He spent the first 13 years of his career building K-12 schools, libraries and other campus-based facilities in a variety of counties throughout Southern California.

In MATT Construction, Faron found a deep alignment of philosophy and approach. A thoughtful and disciplined planner, he resonated with MATT’s emphasis on a thorough preconstruction process, and found himself a natural fit with the MATT team. Since joining the company in 2004, he has overseen some of its most complex, high-end, campus-based projects, where preemptive coordination and communication have driven the projects’ ultimate successes.

Faron’s love for construction doesn’t stop when he gets home.  His reputation in the office as an avid do-it-yourself-er reflects the master builder, thinker and craftsman from whom MATT’s clients so greatly benefit. In his free time, when not building around the house, Faron enjoys activity in the local mountain areas.

From uncovering a woolly mammoth in the oozing tar below LACMA to mitigating toxic chemicals in a contaminated well, Greg Wade has finessed countless sticky situations. A MATT employee since 1996, Greg graduated from the Oregon Institute of Technology with a degree in civil engineering. He went to work as a surveyor for Peck/Jones, field experience that still serves him today. Among his projects are the Broad in downtown Los Angeles and the LACMA Transformation project (which included the BCAM, the Resnick Pavilion, the Urban Lights installation, the new underground parking structure and the renovation of the Ahmanson Building). For his previous employer, Greg also worked on the Getty Center project in Brentwood, California.

“Some architects and owners believe that a building can be built like a Swiss watch,” he says. “My role is to educate them that buildings are not Swiss watches—I align the architectural expectations with the latest means and methods available for building something.” He is eager to show examples of how architects and MATT Construction have collaborated and wrestled with a particular challenge.

Jason Mosier first joined MATT in 2000 as a project engineer after completing a degree in Construction Management from Northern Arizona University. He spent his first years at MATT on a variety of different projects, from design-build parking structures, to high-end retail, to private schools, quickly rising to the level of project manager. Eager to extend his expertise in varied construction challenges, he joined a local contractor in 2006 and undertook numerous public and federal ventures, overseeing the construction of schools, hospitals and military bases at the level of vice president. Jason returned to MATT in 2016 with valuable insights from a wide range of successful public sectors and delivery methods. His honed negotiating skills and well-rounded contractual experience include private/public, hard-bid public/federal, and design-build private/federal.

“Build the team before you build the project.” That simple philosophy guides Jason’s approach to fulfilling an owner’s vision to the highest standard. He has become a go-to expert in primary and secondary school construction, known and trusted for his broad portfolio of K-12 and higher education projects. He brings creative insights from the realm of public works to private construction, in particular a keen awareness of potential problems or conflicts and the necessary resolution skills to overcome those challenges as they arise. From his days as a former college athlete and team leader, Jason knows that “competition makes us stronger, collaboration makes us better.” With the right drive, leadership and teamwork, any obstacles in the construction process can be overcome.

Jason Lin brings a wealth of diverse experience to MATT Construction: historical restoration, high-rise construction, design/build, tenant improvement, fast-track, multi-phased, residential, hospitality, performing arts and heavy industrial. During his tenure at MATT, he has managed some of the company’s most challenging projects, such as The Wallis and The Colburn School, both of which required in-depth planning and construction knowledge to coordinate the intricate details for costing, work sequencing and execution. Jason’s restoration and performing arts facility experience enables him to be sensitive to an owner’s needs and appreciate the importance of maintaining the character-defining features of any building, historic or otherwise. What sets him apart is that he utilizes his background and experience in estimating and project management to accurately budget a project from conceptual design and lead it through construction. He enjoys rolling up his sleeves and working with the architect, engineers, subcontractors and owner to surmount challenges and realize the project.

Jeff Jarrett started with MATT Construction in 1994, after working for another general contractor in the preceding decade. His projects are quite varied, from small to large, with varying degrees of complexity. At the beginning of his career, he retrofitted structural steel buildings, and he continues to oversee that work at MATT. He has a depth of experience in athletic facilities, and has built four of the firm’s YMCA projects from the ground up. The non-profit nature of these projects have made Jeff a great team player during ongoing capital campaigns, where budgets are tight, and MATT partners with the clients to examine creative ways of bringing costs down through material or systems innovation.

Jeff has worked on private schools across the Southland, and has performed extensive studio and stage buildout projects for NBC Universal.

Jennifer Halstead has nearly 30 years of commercial construction experience and has completed over $2B of projects in domestic and international markets. Her construction career spans operations positions from Field Engineer to President. Jennifer is known for her expertise in leading integrated cross-functional teams on large, diverse projects, particularly for design-build and other collaborative delivery methods. She also brings her strategic approach to use of technology in field solutions and process innovations.

Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in General Engineering with a secondary field in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of Southern California. She is a 20+ year member of the Society of Women Engineers, including past President of the SWE-RMS section. On a personal note, Jennifer is a 13-time Volunteer Puppy Raiser with her husband Chris for Canine Companions Independence, a national service dog organization.

Joe Healy is responsible for some of MATT Construction’s largest and most complex projects, including the Broad in downtown Los Angeles, and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Beverly Hills.  His background includes oversight of unique private as well as federal government and international projects.

Joe began his career with a degree in engineering technology, and subsequent work as an electrical contractor building a nuclear power plant.  He later worked for a general contractor on large-scale projects, such as the Robert C. Byrd federal courthouse in West Virginia, and restoration of Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, a multi-purpose arena that hosts sporting events, concerts and the Miss America Pageant. The 10,500-14,770 seat arena was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Joe joined the MATT team in 2007 having worked on a joint venture with MATT at the Robert E. Coyle U.S. Courthouse, a project with Moore Ruble Yudell and Gruen architects.  At MATT, Joe was responsible for the net-zero Conrad N. Hilton Foundation headquarters in Agoura Hills, a unique, LEED Platinum building that employs an HVAC system that uses a buoyancy system and no fans. “It was more complex than a thirteenth-century cathedral,” Joe marvels.

Some of his current expertise is founded in work he did in the Caribbean for a new Viceroy Hotel. “We did the early site work, all the underground utilities, and the retaining walls,” he says. There were 11,000 people on the island, and they had to supplement the labor with workers from Mexico, including setting up work permits, feeding and housing them, getting official approvals, and more.

Kris is a DBIA-accredited professional and has been a valuable asset on MATT’s team for 11 years. Prior to joining MATT, Kris managed Design-Build MEP trades for luxury multi-family contractors. Kris has extensive knowledge in cost projections, fine-tuning overall budgets, and strategically sequencing job schedules to align with client goals.

Kris has worked on a variety of MATT’s distinguished projects, specializing in design-build, multi-family, creative office, and research facilities. Kris can execute complex projects on tight sites and is adept at managing team dynamics to ensure end-user satisfaction on complex office campus projects. As a dependable, detail-oriented, and enthusiastic professional, Kris is a top leader at MATT and heads the Northern California office.

Kris has a BA from Purdue University in Construction Engineering and Management.

Maria Guido has dedicated over two decades to the field of human resources and is especially passionate about the development of talent management strategies and integrated solutions to recruiting and cultivating talent. In her role as Vice President of Talent, she seeks to ensure that MATT applies integrated talent management solutions across all phases of an employee’s tenure at the company and to formalize talent initiatives and processes towards company-wide growth. Maria works closely with MATT’s CEO and CSO to establish a unified vision for evolution and expansion. Her keenly analytical mind is drawn to the integration of management programs, long-term goals and how to effect transformational change at the institutional level. She understands that an organization’s core mission and value system attract like-minded talent and create connectivity. At MATT, she has incorporated that understanding into her approach to dynamic programming and strategizing. She thrives in a collaborative environment where team members are aligned in their visions and goals and enjoys MATT’s entrepreneurial spirit, where “people rally around what needs to be done.”

Starting her HR journey on the benefits and compensation side, Maria quickly broadened her skill set to incorporate employee relations and legal compliance and played a key role in designing and implementing reward programs at organizations such as the LA Times. Directly prior to joining the construction world, Maria served as Executive Director of HR and Talent Management at Unified Grocers. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management from California State University, Los Angeles as well as a Certificate in Employee Relations Law from the Institute for Applied Management and Law.

Mark Josten has enjoyed a rewarding career in the field managing large and technically complex projects. On many of these projects, such as the Staples Center of Los Angeles, he leveraged strong technical knowledge and engineering skills to initiate and execute innovative construction methods and building design solutions. He relishes the problem-solving dynamic and engineering novelty of creating a one-of-a-kind prototype on every job site. Extensive design-build work with contractors has driven home to him the value of working through mockups, simulations and iterations as early as possible alongside the owner and architect to ensure the feasibility and constructability of a vision well ahead of breaking ground. As a result, most of Mark’s projects have been completed and delivered on aggressive schedules. Mark’s years of active leadership in project procurement and client relations have yielded trusted relationships with project partners, clients and designers.

Originally a Midwesterner, Mark attended Purdue University’s Construction Engineering program early in its inception, then stayed on for a master’s in Civil Engineering to explore the design aspect of striking structures that stood out from the norm. He then moved to LA and joined Pankow as a field engineer, where the 100% design-build portfolio gave him the opportunity to learn quickly, “like drinking from a fire hose.” That education has served him well on the many challenging projects he has tackled since, at PCL and beyond. His passion for creativity and inspiration motivates him to champion projects that defy expectations and mentor the next batch of leaders who will execute these daring visions. To his young proteges, he advises: “Don’t be afraid to dig into the plans and specs. Do your homework. And always remember that it’s never too late to ask questions.”

Mike Fedorchek has been with MATT Construction since 1994, coming by way of Peck/Jones (formerly C.L. Peck), where he had already developed expertise in the civil engineering and project management facets of construction. Following his graduation from San Diego State University, Mike worked on the Irvine Hilton Hotel, and major retail developments.

Since that time, Mike has overseen a wide variety of projects, specializing in data centers and entertainment clients, and he has worked with high profile architects and owners, from Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano to Disney. He understands the importance of bringing people together toward a common vision, from architects and subcontractors to consultants and owners.

For a Psychology major who delved deeply into Applied Mathematics as an undergraduate at UCLA, Patrick Choi’s career has taken an interesting turn.  Shortly after completing his studies, he seized an opportunity to work as a project engineer on a 40,000 sf estate home in Beverly Hills. He took that leap of faith into the dynamic world of fieldwork over 17 years ago, and Patrick has since built a career specializing in the execution of high-end residences in the greater Los Angeles area.

Patrick joined the MATT team in 2013 as a project manager after spending nine years building custom luxury homes in Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Malibu. Since then, he has cultivated a healthy crop of elegant residential projects, operating under the highest level of attention to detail. Patrick feels a deep sense of responsibility towards bringing these spaces to life for his clients: “We become part of their family for the time that we are building their home. We want them to enter the finished product feeling a deep sense of pride, family and warmth.” Patrick believes that delivering lifelong satisfaction to owners hinges upon the unique offering that MATT brings to the table: a level of sophistication that comes from decades of experience in large-scale, complex, innovative commercial projects. Patrick’s teams deliver high-end finishes that are second to none in the market. “We employ the same approach to building a 30-story high-rise with a $250 million budget to building a 30,000 sf residence with a $30 million budget.” On the jobsite, that scope of process-planning translates to streamlined sequencing and scheduling, seamless coordination of trades and fluid communication with the owners. It’s imperative to Patrick that they understand the range and feasibility of their options as they partner with MATT on the journey of creating their forever-homes

Stephen Montoya began his career studying architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and quickly discovered that the role he really coveted was that of construction project manager – a role that would enable him to be involved in the final decisions about how a project comes together. He graduated with a degree in construction management, and spent the first seven years of his career managing large construction projects, such as the Ronald Reagan State Office Building (a dual-high rise project joined by a five-story atrium), the $305 million expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center, and a large-scale bio-technical institute.

Stephen came to MATT Construction looking for a company with a more rigorous approach to preconstruction planning than he had experienced elsewhere. He found philosophical alignment with MATT, and had great respect for the construction skill possessed by the rest of the executive team. Stephen has overseen many of MATT’s most complex projects, all within schedule and budget, and maintains impeccable relationships with clients and design teams through his collaborative process and style.

A co-founder of MATT Construction with Paul and Al Matt, Steve Matt has been instrumental in setting the company’s vision and in contributing to its growth. Prior to founding MATT Construction, Steve had been responsible for all phases of estimating, procurement, scheduling and construction on a broad variety of projects, many with legendary architects.

Steve is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in civil engineering. He also has LEED accreditation. He is a member of the board of the Colburn School of Performing Arts in downtown LA. His professional organization affiliations and community involvement include World Presidents Organization (WPO/YPO), The Fellows at the Natural History Museum of LA, American Concrete Institute, American Institute of Architects, and Structural Engineers Association of So. California (SEASOC). In addition to his family, Steve’s personal interests include cycling, model railroading, rocketry, snow skiing and hiking.

As MATT Construction’s SVP of Estimating, Hakim Khalil leads a staff who are dedicated to the company’s reputable preconstruction services and is a master of conceptual design estimating, especially as it pertains to planning MATT’s many unique, one-of-a-kind projects. He supports project management teams and arms clients and design teams with the rigorous information that they need to make sound project decisions. He approaches every project from the standpoint of constructability first, followed by detailed cost analysis. If an initial design is cost-prohibitive, Hakim is a master at coming up with alternative methods, materials and construction strategies that can keep the design within the budget parameters without sacrificing design.

Before joining MATT in 2006 as VP of Estimating, Hakim spent eleven years with Gordon and Williams.  During his tenure there he worked on many high profile sports, entertainment and studio facilities with extremely challenging schedule constraints, including the Fox Network Center in Century City–the first digital television station built in the U.S. Hakim also did extensive work at Dodger Stadium. Prior to that Hakim spent seven years with a large local developer/general contractor in south Orange County where he worked on commercial office development and industrial R & D type development.

Hakim graduated as a civil engineer from the University of Southern California.

“I’m the numbers guy,” says Vice President and Controller Tom Andrews, who has been with MATT since 1997. After graduating from National University with a business and accounting degree, he went to work for an accounting firm in Pasadena. Before long, took a position with Greystone Homes before joining MATT as assistant controller, and then controller. Five years later Tom became a vice president. A certified public accountant, he enjoys working for a family-owned business, where integrity matters, and where relationships are important.

Tom prepares all of MATT’s financial statements, as well as the reports that enable the executive team to forecast and make important decisions for the company.

As General Superintendent, Neil Matt oversees and supports field operations. Neil grew up working on construction sites from a young age; from a laborer to a carpenter’s apprentice.  As a young man in Junior College, he learned discipline through high achievement in many sports, most notably track, where he placed in the NAIA championship for hurdles.

Neil joined the elite Army Rangers for 3 years, where he served around the world. He returned to study structural engineering at the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT).

In the 1980’s, he returned to Southern California to resume work in the construction industry, first for BLC surveying, and soon thereafter for CL Peck, where Paul and Steve Matt were already working.  Neil gained expertise first doing surveying and layout, and eventually field supervision on such iconic projects as the 777 tower in downtown Los Angeles, the Great Western Bank, and the Skirball Cultural Center.  After MATT Construction was founded, Neil came on board and continued his work as a Superintendent, and was eventually elevated to General Superintendent, a position in which he now manages all field operations for the company.  Neil sees his role as one of setting up the proper team for a job, removing obstacles, and making sure that MATT Construction’s superintendents get the support they need to be effective.