Builder of the Year

O’Toole always offers a helping hand

By Sean Ryan

O'Toole Kevin O'Toole is there for the construction industry whenever it needs him.

His construction colleagues praise the executive vice president of Hunzinger Construction Co., Brookfield, for his dedication to the task at hand, his ability to find practical solutions for tough problems and even for his flair playing guitar. But more than anything else, they respect his willingness to find the time and energy to help when asked.

"The man just has this incredible capacity to be helpful and be available, and, besides that, he's a really smart guy," said Michael Fabishak, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee. "He's really generous with his time and doesn't come out with the intent of serving himself."

On top of his full-time job at Hunzinger, O'Toole has worked as an AGC president and serves on its local and national boards of directors. That's in addition to his ongoing work in the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin. He was president of a Make-a-Wish chapter in Florida when he worked there as regional president for a waste management company.

"To many of us, he seems to be somebody who we would think would be spread too thin, but somehow he manages to do all that," Hunzinger President John Hunzinger said in praise of O'Toole, who is his brother-in-law. "He probably has a hard time saying no, and the recipients of his services are all the better for it."

Robert Stelter, the chief operating officer of The Bentley Company in Milwaukee, succeeded O'Toole as president of AGC of Greater Milwaukee and said two of O'Toole's best assets are his ability to find common ground and his willingness to get to the heart of the problem.

"I learned a lot about what the right approach was to work with a group of your peers for the betterment of our industry," he said. "He's not afraid to confront issues and talk about them frankly."

And those efforts have helped O'Toole and the other members of the AGC board in Milwaukee in their work to improve the local construction industry for the long term, Fabishak said.

"While we have many individuals who work hard in terms of improving the industry and the association, O'Toole has in the first few years really distinguished himself," he said. "I don't think they view their role in the industry and the community as a sprint. It's more of a marathon."

Hunzinger said that O'Toole's way of diving headfirst into his endeavors — from contracting to playing his Fender Stratocaster guitar — contributes a lot to his consistent success rate.

"He gets involved in a foundation or just anything and just really goes for it no matter what he's doing," he said. "He's one of those guys who's enthusiastic and passionate for whatever he gets involved in."