‘The right time’: HB Construction transitions leadership after 35 years

HB Construction Chief Executive Officer Jason Harrington vividly remembers the day his parents sat him and his brother, Adam, down at the kitchen table and said, “We’re going to start a construction company.”

That was 35 years ago, when the company’s first year of business generated roughly $24,000 in revenue with only three employees, Jason Harrington recalled. Today, HB Construction is one of New Mexico’s most recognized general contractors, earning $160 million in revenue last year.

The company, responsible for projects like the Bernalillo County headquarters, directly employs more than 100 people and delivers projects throughout New Mexico and West Texas, with offices in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and El Paso. The kitchen table where it all started was a staple of the Albuquerque office for many years, Jason Harrington said.

After 35 years, the company’s revenue, employment, and reach aren’t the only things that have changed.

The company’s founder, Ken Harrington, retired in 2005. Jason Harrington has led the company as CEO, alongside his brother, HB’s chief financial officer, ever since — but their roles in the company are about to change soon.

Starting next year, HB Construction will welcome a new CEO. Zach Gruen, the company’s executive vice president, will step into the role come January. At that time, HB’s chief operating officer, Travis Coker, will also take on a new position as president, while retaining his COO role.

The Harrington brothers will stay involved with the company. Jason Harrington will become chairman of the board of directors and, effective immediately, Adam Harrington is now the chief risk officer. David Winsor, formerly HB’s vice president of finance, is now the company’s chief financial officer.

These transitions usher in a new chapter for the company built by two generations of Harringtons, evolving from a family led operation into a construction empire.

“It’s the right time for our company,” Jason Harrington said of the leadership changes. “We put a lot of effort into building a company that is multigenerational (with a) 50-year vision, meaning … that the way we are growing is sustainable and predictable and smart. We really have all the pieces in place right now to make the transition.”

Harrington said growth will be a point of emphasis over the next several years and that he thinks Gruen and Coker are “the right people” to lead that growth.

‘There’s a spot for you’

For Gruen, being the first non-Harrington to lead the company is a significant moment. Gruen has been with the company for 13 years, starting as an assistant project manager and working his way up to executive vice president.

After years of working in a family business, where concerns of eventually hitting a ceiling exist, Gruen said the opportunity to become HB’s CEO marks a critical pivot for the company and current employees who see a future there.

“The only way you get to a 50-year vision is by having intentional succession,” Gruen said. “We’re really excited about the future CEO that works here right now and being intentional and growing that next executive team internally. Building that foundation is really what allowed this transition to take place … and I think what this signifies is that you can come here and you can stay here.”

Jason Harrington agreed.

“This is not a stagnant company, and this is not a company where you don’t have opportunity,” the current CEO said. “It’s (the) exact opposite. Our mission is creating opportunities for people, families and communities.”

One of the ways HB creates opportunities for the community is through workforce development, which Gruen highlighted as a priority amid an industry workforce shortage.

The construction industry nationwide needs to attract an estimated 349,000 new workers in 2026 to meet demand for construction services, according to a January news release from Associated Builders and Contractors.

HB currently partners with several entities to support their internship and apprenticeship programs. In 2025, the company also launched a sponsorship with the University of New Mexico Athletics Department, releasing a few commercials that Gruen said aim to celebrate construction and spread industry awareness.

“Construction doesn’t just mean either you swing a hammer or you sit in an office,” Gruen said, citing marketing, accounting, business development and human resources as other available avenues. “No matter what your passion is about, there’s a spot for you in construction.”

It’s an interesting time to be in the construction industry, Jason Harrington said, with new efficiency standards shaping incoming projects and technologies like artificial intelligence on the rise.

While AI cannot handle a drill and much of the work the company does requires a human touch, HB is already using the technology for pre-construction planning, estimating, conflict identification and tedious office tasks.

“For AI to come in and be able to help us be more efficient and more accurate is what we’re looking for more than anything,” Jason Harrington said. “If you’re not looking at new technology, you’re not looking at being innovative.”

Innovation is also necessary for tackling new efficiency standards, which Gruen said many in the industry are still navigating with some hesitancy to try new things.

“I think we need to all come together as an industry and really embrace innovation and embrace being able to make some mistakes when we're focused on, ‘How do we drive the industry forward?’” Gruen said.

A focus on growth

Partnering with groups — clients, developers, architects and subcontractors — that share that vision of innovation is a priority for HB and its new leaders as the company eyes growth in the coming years.

The company already has an expansive portfolio, with a presence in markets including education, multifamily housing, government, medical and industrial. The ABQ BioPark penguin exhibit, UNM Hospital Behavioral Health Crisis Center and several multifamily apartments from Titan Development are just some of HB’s recent notable projects.

But the kind of growth HB’s focused on isn’t exactly new clients or territory, Gruen noted. It’s about being able to say yes more often to existing clients, even amid new opportunities.

“We’re really excited about the outlook for the construction industry in New Mexico,” Gruen said. “We’re incredibly well-positioned to be at the forefront of high-tech infrastructure work, quantum computing, all of these things — and we’re definitely focused on being a part of that growth, but we want to be more available for our existing clients.”

At the end of the day, the shifts coming to HB aren’t intended to change the company or its culture, Gruen said, but refine what’s worked for more than three decades.

As someone who fell in love with construction as a kid and used to dream of one day building a project using a tower crane — a dream yet to take place, he joked — Gruen said he’s looking forward to this next chapter.

“There’s a really strong foundation in place here and I’m just excited about continuing to tighten and build on that,” he said.

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.