Robert E. Barnhill, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer

Bob Barnhill provides leadership and direction for Barnhill Contracting Company. Bob grew into his leadership position—starting in the field and progressing into management. Bob is responsible for the daily operations of the company, including the major operating divisions that perform site development, commercial building and highway construction.

Bob received his degree in Business Administration from East Carolina University where he is still active, serving on the Business Advisory Council. He is actively involved with several professional organizations including the Carolinas Asphalt Paving Association (Board of Directors), Carolinas Associated General Contractors (Board of Directors) and Capital Associated Industries (Board of Directors). Bob is also very active in civic organizations around the state including the Mary Frances Center (Board of Directors), East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America (Past Board of Directors), TriCounty Industries (Past Board of Directors), United Negro College Fund (Advisory Committee), Tarboro Community Outreach (Past President, Board Member) and the Global TransPark Commission (Edgecombe Representative). Additionally, Bob was appointed to the Board of Trustees of North Carolina Wesleyan College in 2001.

In 2000 Bob was awarded the Northeastern Entrepreneurial Roundtable Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

W. Lee Cooper
Executive Vice President

Lee Cooper joined Barnhill Contracting Company more than 35 years ago. As Executive Vice President, Lee is responsible for the general management of the company's site and heavy highway operations, equipment inventory including purchasing, operation and maintenance and overseeing Barnhill's twenty asphalt plants and quality control laboratories.

Lee received his degree in Business Administration from Erskine College and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Tarboro Savings Bank, SSB. He is also active in several professional organizations including the Carolinas Asphalt Paving Association and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.

J. Allen Barnhill, Jr.
Senior Vice President

Allen Barnhill joined Barnhill Contracting Company more than 29 years ago. In 2006, Allen became Senior Vice President and manages all aspects of the grading and paving operations of the Tarboro/Rocky Mount, Northeast and Brunswick Divisions of the company.

Allen is a graduate of North Carolina State University where he earned his degree in Civil Engineering. He is an active member of the Carolinas Asphalt Paving Association and a past member of the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Commission.

Robert E. Barnhill, III
Senior Vice President

Rob Barnhill joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 1998 and worked on a management track that included all facets of the business. Rob trained with the Raleigh Division as an area manager and the Tarboro/Rocky Mount Division as an estimator and project manager before becoming the Vice President of the Raleigh Division. Rob was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2006 and in this role is responsible for overseeing operations in the Raleigh and Southeast Divisions of Barnhill Contracting Company.

Rob graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Economics and worked as a commercial lending analyst and commercial loan officer for BB&T before joining Barnhill.

Rob is an active member of the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Visitors (2005–present), Carolinas Gateway Partnership Executive Committee (2007–present), Camp Oak Hill Board of Directors (2006–2007), Board of Champions for the WakeMed Charitable Foundation (2006–2007), Local Advisory Board for BB&T in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (2002–2004), Local Advisory Board for BB&T in Raleigh, North Carolina (2004–2007) and the Treasurer of the Tarboro Community Outreach (2002–2004).

William F. Davis, CPA
Vice President and Treasurer

William Davis has been with Barnhill Contracting Company for more than 29 years and brings more than 34 years of construction accounting experience to Barnhill. William manages all accounting functions including financial, tax, job costing and cash management as well as insurance for the entire company and job-specific requirements.

William received his Associate's Degree in Agriculture from North Carolina State University and his Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from Atlantic Christian College.

S. James Hughes, Jr.
Vice President of Human Resources and Safety

Jimmie Hughes has more than 30 years of experience in the area of loss prevention and control and has developed various safety programs to reduce loss in the areas of personal, vehicle and general liability. He has been with Barnhill Contracting Company for 20 years and oversees all activities of the human resources and safety departments.

Jimmie graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Business Administration. He is actively involved in the National Safety Council, American Society of Safety Engineers, Society of Human Resources Management, Carolinas Associated General Contractors and the East Carolina Safety and Health School Board.

Drew M. Johnson, PE
Vice President of Highway Division

Drew Johnson's construction career began with the North Carolina Department of Transportation where he was a Resident Engineer. Drew has been with Barnhill Contracting Company for 19 years and in 1998 was promoted to Vice President of the Highway Division. Drew is responsible for all daily operations of the division including business development, selection of bid projects, approval of completed projects, assistance with project management and long-range planning.

Drew graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Civil Engineering and is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina and Virginia. He is an active member of the Virginia Road Transportation Builders Association and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors where he serves on an advisory board with members of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Kermit Moser
Vice President of Southeast Division

Kermit Moser joined Barnhill Contracting Company more than 21 years ago as the Vice President of the Raleigh Division. He has 36 years of construction experience with DOT projects, site development, project management and cost analysis.

In 1997, Kermit became Vice President of the Southeast Division of Barnhill Contracting Company with the responsibility of all daily operations including business development, selection of bid projects, approval of completed bids, assistance with project management and long-range planning.

Kermit attended North Carolina State University and served in the United States Army. He is an active member of the Carolina Asphalt Paving Association.

John D. Muter
Vice President of Building Division

John Muter joined Barnhill Contracting Company as a Vice President in 1998 and has over 25 years of building construction experience. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Building Division. John oversees the Building Division strategy, business development and operations.  John also manages the Barnhill corporate relationship for the Building Division, which includes macro-level reporting for operations, profit, human resources and accounting. John is a familiar face in construction circles as he serves as a resource to public and private owners across the state. Additionally, he provides market data and trends to state construction contacts, legislators and local government commissions.

John graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Construction Management. He is an active member of the Carolinas Associated Contractors and a member of the Wake County Public School System Advisory Board. John has served as a mediator and has formal training from the American Arbitration Association.

Carl Groeschen
Vice President of Building Division Operations

Carl Groeschen has more than 28 years of experience in the construction industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Barnhill Contracting Company. Carl has proven success with general contracting, agency and guaranteed maximum price construction management and design-build project delivery systems.

Carl leads all preconstruction and construction services for the Building Division. He oversees hard dollar construction bids, assigns project managers and superintendents to projects and moves labor from job to job. Carl is also responsible for all field operations, including quality compliance, purchasing, subcontractor relations, schedule adherence and safety management.

Carl received his Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Eastern Kentucky University and is a member of the Construction Management Association of America, the Design/ Build Institute of America and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.

Chris Stroud
Vice President of Raleigh Division

Chris Stroud joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 1986 and worked as the Chief Estimator and Project Manager in the Raleigh Division before his promotion to Vice President of the division in 2006. As Vice President, Chris is responsible for the daily operations of the division including business development, selection of bid projects, completed bid approval, and long-range planning.

Chris is a graduate of North Carolina State University where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering and is an active member of the Carolinas Asphalt Paving Association.

Carey M. Swann
Vice President of Coastal Division

Carey Swann joined Barnhill Contracting Company in 2006 as Vice President of the Coastal Division.  Carey has more than 23 years of construction experience. In his role as Vice President, Mr. Swann oversees the day-to-day operations of the Coastal Division which include long-range planning, business development, project management and oversight of estimating. 

Carey is a graduate of East Carolina University where he earned a degree in Business Administration. He is an active member of the Carolina Asphalt Paving Association and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.