CWC Leaders Announce New Partners
20-Year Vision
Longtime Owners Patrick Caulfield and Terry Coakley strategically designed a succession plan to ensure that this organization thrives for decades to come. In order to do this, Coakley & Williams Construction (CWC) introduced new partners into ownership, both to recapitalize the company and to lead the organization forward. This is part of their 20-year vision for the company.
The Build Mindset
Partners must share a personal commitment to CWC’s values and goals. They must display "The Build Mindset" in all of their actions. They must be strong leaders, strategic thinkers, with good judgement and an overall commitment to the objectives of this organization and our future.
Last year, six veteran executives were added to the ownership team: Lynn Stith Bennett, Terrence Caulfield, Sean Coakley, Greg Harraka, Joanne Sherwood, and Bill Simons. These Partners have long served on the firm’s Executive Committee, run major business units within the company, and have tenures with the company ranging from over 20 to more than 30 years. They each personify the company’s reputation for excellence and integrity. They are committed to continuing the company’s legacy far into the future.
Building the Future
We are excited to announce that three more CWC leaders have been named Partners as the next stage in the company’s succession plan. The new Partners entering the company’s Ownership this year are Sherry Kissal, Mike O’Quinn, and Lisa Schlossberg. They are each accomplished leaders, mentors, and well-respected by their colleagues and their teams.
(Top row from left to right: Terrence Caulfield, Sherry Kissal, Mike O’Quinn, Sean Coakley, Lynn Stith Bennett, Greg Harraka, and Bill Simons; Bottom row from left to right: Lisa Schlossberg, Pat Caulfield, Terry Coakley and Joanne Sherwood)
Meet The New Partners
Sherry Kissal
Vice President
Sherry has led the resurgence of our Interiors group as work acquisition has more than doubled over the past two years. She put an emphasis and focus on relationship building and relationship strengthening. Sherry has heavily promoted our mentorship program and has been a leader in bringing new talent to our organization.
She has served on and chaired multiple committees with business associations including CREW DC and CoreNet, and is also a member of IIDA. She has stayed engaged with her alma mater, Marymount University, to promote the development of Interior Design students. She has also founded and led the CWC Women’s Group – focusing on professional development, connecting, volunteering and education.
Mike O’Quinn
Senior Project Manager
Mike has demonstrated successful leadership and completion of the historic, award-winning Bancroft Elementary School project, where he mentored multiple teammates to their next role in the company. He led the Employee Experience Task Force, and participated as CWC member of the State of Maryland SPECS program which allowed us to be a founding member.
Mike led our safety group this past year and managed our Risk Management relations with our project insurance underwriters, and joined the ABC Chesapeake Chapter Executive Board after having been a chapter board member and having led multiple committees in that chapter. He is also a part of the Anne Arundel Community College workforce development round table, thereby allowing CWC to have a seat at the table regarding this very important topic.
Lisa Schlossberg
Director of Marketing & Communications
Lisa strategically restructured the marketing department and its functionality to better serve the needs of the company. She rebranded our digital footprint, which included launching a brand new website and social media channels, enhancing photography and video production. She successfully articulated the company’s mission and values with the creation of "The Build Mindset" and our core values.
Additionally, she has taken a leadership role on multiple industry association committees with NAIOP DC|MD and CREW DC. Lisa was recognized at the national level by NAIOP as a Future Leader in commercial real estate and, more recently, the local DC chapter named her as their ‘Real Estate Emerging Leader’ Member of the Year.
2020 & Beyond
We are excited that Sherry, Mike, and Lisa chose to join the ownership team. Each has big picture thinking and has expressed their vision of what they want to accomplish as leaders developing our talent, promoting its growth in sales, and managing our operational risks with forward thinking. We are confident in the impact they will have on our organization - and the industry - for decades to come.