One of Florida’s largest privately held construction management firms has elevated a C-suite leader to the chief executive chair.
Kast Construction, headquartered in West Palm Beach, has tapped president and chief operating officer Sean Ouellette to become the firm’s next CEO in December, the builder announced last week. Following a multiyear succession plan, Ouellette will take over the role from Mike Neal, who leaves the top role after 16 years.
A 26-year veteran of the construction industry, Ouellette joined Kast as vice president of operations in 2016, according to his LinkedIn. Initially in charge of handling the firm’s Tampa division, Ouellette helped the division reach annual revenues higher than $450 million while managing projects across Southwest and Central Florida.
Under Ouellette’s tenure, the firm expanded beyond its usual stable of private-sector work to education, civic, municipal and transportation construction, per the announcement.
Ouellette plans to capitalize on that momentum by continuing to diversify KAST’s portfolio and extending its geographic reach. For the latter, that effort is underway as the company plans to open an office in Orlando, Florida, per the announcement. On the people side, Ouellette has also been responsible for developing a new training and professional development program at the firm.
Meanwhile, outgoing CEO Mike Neal will cap off his career at Kast after joining the firm as CEO and shareholder in 2010 as it emerged from the recession of 2008. When he took over, the company generated $50 million in revenue, per the announcement. KAST saw revenues of $702 million in 2025, according to Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 contractors list.
“Sean has played an integral role in building KAST into the company it is today, and I have tremendous confidence in him as the right person to lead us into the future,” Neal said in the announcement.
The months before and after January are often a time for builders to make significant executive changes. At the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, builders including Swinerton, Hensel Phelps and Fortis Construction all made notable changes in their C-suites. That momentum has continued throughout the balance of 2026 as well. Contractors Gilbane Building Co., Balfour Beatty and Bryan Construction have all made corporate leadership changes in recent months.
