Meet Our Managers

Christopher Traylor has been actively involved in the construction industry for more than 20 years. In 1998, he began his career at Traylor as a heading engineer on the South Bay Ocean Outfall in San Diego. From there, Chris contributed to the management of the Conway Bypass in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—one of the nation’s first Public-Private Partnership projects—where was served in positions such as field engineer, area superintendent, and project engineer.

Chris returned to Evansville in 2001, becoming the Assistant Heavy Civil Division Manager and then Chief Operating Officer. Finally, in 2008, he was named Co-President of the company with his brother Mike. During the course of his executive leadership, he has overseen more than $4 billion in major heavy civil projects, including Traylor’s extensive post-Hurricane Katrina work; the multiple projects spanned more than a decade.

Chris is an active member of several industry organizations, including the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT), the Beavers, Inc., and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is also a Moles trustee and served as the 2017-2018 president and was elected to the National Academy of Construction’s Class of 2017. He received ASCE’s prestigious 2016 Outstanding Projects and Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award for Construction at the OPAL Awards Ceremony in March of 2016. A testament to Traylor Bros.’ commitment to safety and ethics, he and his brother (and Co-President) Mike are also founding members of the Construction Ethics & Compliance Initiative (CIECI) and the Construction Industry Safety Initiative (CISI).

Chris earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University in 1994 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (Construction Management) from the University of California-Berkley in 1996. In addition, he is dedicated to bettering the community through personal support and active participation in many charitable organizations, including the United Way, JDRF and Habitat for Humanity.

Michael Traylor began his career at Traylor in 1991 as a field engineer in the company’s Bridge and Marine Division. After working on the Tampa Bay Bridge as a field engineer and bridge superintendent, he filled the roles of estimator, project coordinator, and division manager before moving to Traylor’s Underground Division in 1997. Mike spent the next decade managing some of Traylor’s most exciting underground projects, including four major tunnels in Los Angeles.

In 2002, Mike was promoted to Vice President and Underground Division Operations Manager. In 2007, he was named Co-President of the company while remaining in key leadership roles on Traylor’s highly successful Queens Bored Tunnels project in New York City and the University Link Tunnels in Seattle.

Mike is committed to a variety of industry organizations such as The Beavers; The Moles; RETC; the American Society of Civil Engineers; and the Underground Construction Association of Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. A testament to Traylor Bros.’ commitment to safety and ethics, he and his brother (and Co-President) Chris are also founding members of the Construction Ethics & Compliance Initiative (CIECI) and the Construction Industry Safety Initiative (CISI).

Mike earned Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Geology from Duke University in 1989. Working in nearly every role in Traylor Bros. and in both divisions—from field engineer to upper management, from bridges to tunnels to operations support—has resulted in the unique set of skills and experience that make him the effective leader he is today.

John Meagher has more than 40 years of experience in the heavy civil construction industry. In 1996 he joined Traylor as the Operations Manager for the former Traylor Pacific division, and in 2004 he became Vice President and Division Manager, overseeing the company’s expansion in the west. The division’s large-scale marine work from Seattle to San Diego includes ports, wharfs, dams, and bridge retrofit and construction.

Upon consolidation of the company’s heavy civil regional divisions, in 2012 John became the newly-formed National Heavy Civil Division Manager, with oversight of all heavy civil projects nationwide. Major projects he has overseen include multiple post-Katrina projects in New Orleans, including the recently completed Permanent Canal Closures and Pumps, and the new Tappan Zee Bridge in Tarrytown, New York.

John has a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in California. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Design-Build Institute of America, Deep Foundations Institute, and The Beavers and The Moles. He is involved with multiple charitable organizations, including serving on the board of (and dedicating many weekends to) Corazón, which focuses on building homes for families in Tijuana, Mexico and the surrounding area.

Chris Hebert joined Traylor in 1996 to work on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s successful Metro Red Line project. Overall, he has more than 30 years of experience in underground construction. Since that time, he worked in estimating and the moved to be a Plant Manager and later General Manager of Traylor Precast, where he was responsible for procurement and management of all precast segment projects across the nation. During that time, he participated in the design, construction, and management of multiple carrousel plants throughout the U.S.

In 2014, Chris became Traylor’s Underground Operations Division Manager, and in 2016 took over as Underground Division Manager, with responsibility for all of the company’s underground projects, including two of the largest and most challenging: the Regional Connector and Westside Subway Extensions in Los Angeles, California.

Chris has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) and is a member of the Society of Mining Engineers and The Moles.

Thad Pirtle has more than 45 years of experience in heavy construction equipment operation, repair, refurbishment, and management. Thad has been with Traylor for more than 35 years, working his way from field mechanic to equipment superintendent and finally to his role as the company’s Equipment Division Manager, where he has overseen mobilizations and specific equipment modifications for large-scale projects such as the Tappan Zee Bridge in Tarrytown, New York and the Regional Connector and Westside Subway projects in Los Angeles, California.

Widely recognized as an industry expert, Thad is a member of numerous industry organizations, including serving in leadership roles with the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP; Chief Elected Officer and Chairman of the Board), the AEMP Foundation (Trustee/Treasurer and Chairman), and the Association of Construction Equipment Managers (Executive Committee – Member at Large, Secretary, Vice President, President).