Delivering Exceptional Client Experiences
Our Foundation
Purpose: To be People Serving People
Our purpose is to be People Serving People. Since 1968, we have charged our teams, nationwide, to be servant leaders who lead by example and inspire and serve others.
Whether in an office, at a meeting, or on a job site, we perform our work by serving others.
Mission: To Deliver an Exceptional Experience
Empowered by our purpose to serve and guided by our core values, we aim to deliver an exceptional experience to our clients, partners and colleagues.
We bring together employees of various specialties to steward construction projects, which cultivates collaboration and enables us to deliver our best work.
Values: Selfless, Trustworthy & Gritty
Selfless – We support and invest in our clients, partners, colleagues and communities.
Trustworthy – We are truthful with ourselves, developing self-awareness and humility.
Gritty – We are courageous, of strong character, and able to persevere in difficult situations.
LEADERSHIP

Burt Odom
Chairman

Jack Bowen
President and CEO

Holly Bischoff
Chief Financial Officer

Chas Torrence
Executive Vice President
Southeast

William Mosher
Executive Vice President
Southwest

Lance Gopffarth
Executive Vice President
Construction Risk

Heather Collins
Executive Vice President
People and IT

Deron Smith
Executive Vice President
Marketing and Communications

Holly Bischoff
Chief Financial Officer
Holly is responsible for the overall fiscal functions of EMJ and its subsidiaries and related companies. She works with the Executive Leadership Team to establish long range goals, strategies, plans and policies.
Holly began her career as a Senior Auditor at Arthur Andersen before moving to Brach’s Confections. She joined EMJ in 2004 where she has served in successive positions, including Controller, Vice President of Finance and Accounting, Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting.
She graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a B.S. in Accounting, and earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Oregon.
She lives in Chattanooga with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling in her camper, reading, photography, and spending time with her immediate and extended family.

Deron Smith
Executive Vice President
Marketing and Communications
Deron leads the EMJ Corporation marketing and communications team in internal and external marketing and communication strategy and business development support.
He has 23 years of experience as a communications and marketing professional. Before joining EMJ in 2015, Deron served as the National Director of Communications for the Boy Scouts of America and held positions with notable public relations firms Edelman, Publicis Dialog, and The Gooden Group.
He is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in oral communications and public relations. Deron is an avid golfer and enjoys spending time with his family and serving his church.

Colby Cox
Executive Vice President
General Counsel
An attorney with decades of legal and construction experience, Colby Cox joined EMJ in 2017. He is responsible for providing legal and risk management leadership to all EMJ offices, subsidiaries and related companies.
Colby graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in civil engineering, then attended law school at the University of Kansas, where he earned his Juris Doctor. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Missouri Bar, the Kansas Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
Colby is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and has always been an active member of the community, serving as a board member of several nonprofit organizations. He lives in Southlake, Texas, where he and his wife enjoy being outdoors, hiking, running and biking with his family and can also be found coaching his sons in their various sports throughout the year

Heather Collins
Executive Vice President
People and IT
Heather works with executive leadership to implement changes that positively influence EMJ’s employee culture and resources. She is responsible for directing and executing all of the People, IT and Administrative functions of the organization in support of EMJ’s strategic plan, mission, and values.
Heather has more than 20 years of experience in employee resources-related fields and received a Master of Arts, Training, Development and Human Resources from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Arts from Stetson University. She is a national member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and is designated as both a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
Heather is a DDI-certified trainer and an accomplished speaker. She has spoken at SHRM national conventions, the Southeast HR Conference and events for the Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG), Mountain States Employers Council, Great Place to Work Institute, BioWorks Memphis and SHRM-Memphis. She also served as a guest lecturer for undergraduate business classes at the Fogelman College of Business at the University of Memphis.
Heather lives in Chattanooga with her husband and three children. In her free time, she enjoys home renovation projects, walking, cooking, and sporting events, especially Florida State University football and Red Sox baseball.

Chas Torrence
Executive Vice President
Southeast
Chas oversees and directs the day-to-day operations of EMJ’s southeast office. His nearly 20 years of construction experience in a variety of roles, including estimator, project manager and construction manager, serve as a valuable resource to all aspects of the company’s operations.
Chas earned a bachelor’s degree in construction science and management from Clemson University, and in 2017, he was named both a Top Young Professional by Engineering News-Record and among the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Top 40 Under 40.
Chas serves on the Board of Directors for the ACE Mentor Program of Chattanooga.

William Mosher
Executive Vice President
Southwest
As Executive Vice President of EMJ Construction’s southwest office, William provides day-to-day leadership and management to construction teams, overseeing the operations and success of the office.
Born and raised in Dallas as part of a construction family, William has a lifetime of industry experience. Following his graduation from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1998, he joined the EMJ team and has served in various roles from project engineer to director of construction. In his nearly 25 years of experience, he has led a variety of projects from retail developments and office spaces to hospitals and resorts, including River Spirit Casino Resort—EMJ’s largest project to date.
William and his wife have four children. A resident of the Park Cities, he is active in his community and stays involved in the three HPISD schools at which his children attend.

Jack Bowen
President and CEO
Jack leads EMJ Construction across the U.S., working closely with the Executive Vice Presidents of the Chattanooga and Dallas offices.
With more than 21 years of construction experience in a variety roles, from job site superintendent to vice president of construction, Jack is an exceptional leader and problem solver. He excels at strategically marshaling teams to achieve results and provide predictable execution to EMJ’s clients.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Jack’s construction experience includes retail developments, industrial facilities, office buildings, hospitality projects, healthcare and educational facilities—including some of the largest jobs completed by EMJ.
Jack lives in Chattanooga with his wife and two children. In his spare time, Jack volunteers as a board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chattanooga. He enjoys being involved with his church, spending time with family, traveling, deep sea fishing and reading history.

Burt Odom
Chairman
Burt Odom began his construction career in 1983, after graduating from Auburn University, where he served under EMJ founder, Edgar M. Jolley. Having worked in various positions, including as an estimator and project engineer, Burt’s unique perspective in all facets of the construction process is an asset to the entire EMJ family of companies.
Burt helped establish EMJ’s Dallas office and played a key role in growing its client base, project diversity and revenues to become one of the most successful construction offices in the southwest. Burt now serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of EMJ Corporation, his role since October 2016.
Burt’s favorite part of leading the organization is growing our talented team and inspiring them to do great things. He instills a servant leadership mentality by leading by example and is actively involved in EMJ’s mentoring program.
Burt is active in his local community and connected to the construction community nationwide. He is on the committee of International Council of Shopping Centers and attends events for the organization annually. He is on the board of Coppell Bible Fellowship and Faith Christian School’s Building Committee. He is a former Awana leader and an Associated Builders and Contractors Advisory Board Member. He lives in Coppell with his wife and enjoys spending time with his four children.

Lance Gopffarth
Executive Vice President
Construction Risk
Lance provides leadership, coordination, guidance, and technical expertise in all areas of operational execution including, contract compliance, quality, safety, scheduling, warranty and document control.
In his role, Lance provides assistance with preconstruction, development of best practices, assistance with project issues, implementation of construction technology, assistance with claims and dispute resolution—including training and coaching.
Lance has more than 40 years of construction-related experience, 30 of which is with EMJ Construction. Previously, he served as a VP of Construction in Dallas, then EVP of EMJ’s office in Tulsa, OK. In addition, he ran the wind division at a renewable energy constructor and provided operational oversight for a renewable energy subcontractor.
Lance lives in Fort Worth with his wife, Colette. He is passionate about helping others grow and service to his faith, family, friends and coworkers.
Expect More from Your Construction Experience
The construction industry can be frustrating.
General contractors focus on things like revenue, size or industry rank. But, it’s all the same, a focus on self. That often leads to conflict between clients, general contractors and partners.
We are focused on strategies that exceed expectations.
Born from our purpose, to be people serving people, our approach is designed to make the experience enjoyable. Yes, construction can be enjoyable.
Clients drive our decisions and behaviors.
We know clients have a specific purpose for their projects and a unique set of values. Our team will ask deep questions to understand that perspective and make sure our construction plan is tailored to it.
We measure success by remarkable client experiences.
We measure our success by more than those basic expectations. We measure our performance on how well we meet your goals and prioritize your needs to deliver a positive construction experience.
HISTORY
Evolving With a Changing World

We’ve been around for a while. And while building projects across the country has given us plenty of experience, we don’t spend much time thinking about the past. We’re more focused on now, and how we can apply all of that experience to ensure that the clients we serve today receive the best possible experience and results.
For us, that means understanding that our clients’ goals are different than they were 50 — or even five — years ago. It means tailoring the construction experience to the values of our clients so we can communicate better, build better, and be better.
So sure, we’ve been completing projects for the last half-century. But we’d rather talk about the project we can start for you today.
LOCATIONS
National Reach with a Local Presence
In our 50+ years as an organization, we’ve expanded into a range of markets in our effort to bring unique value and innovation to clients around the nation. Now, we’re more equipped than ever to serve clients in a variety of industries from our multiple service locations.

Southeast
Established in 1968, Chattanooga is where it all started. Today our Chattanooga and Charlotte locations serve clients across the southeast and beyond.

Southwest
We opened our Dallas office in 1990. Today, our Dallas and El Paso locations serve a wide-range of clients across the region.